Hardscape construction jobs require patience since estimating and rushing on these jobs can result in a poor final product.
For example, contractors should avoid guessing how much bedding sand to use on a pavement project. Patrick Perugino, owner of Picture It Landscape & Design in London, Ontario, says he sees many contractors put in too much bedding sand as a result of guesswork on projects.
“(My company) has received calls to repair patios and driveways because the original installer had too much bedding sand and everything pushed and sunk. We actually see this quite often – people miscalculate and add too much sand instead of doing it proper,” he says. So, it’s important to use exact, measured amounts of material throughout the job to make sure it’s done right to prevent the client from calling back for repairs.
The final steps of hardscape construction jobs include applying polymeric sand, sealer and cleaner. Perugino says these are key steps to extending the life of a pavement, so precision and patience matter. While these steps may demand more of a contractor’s time, following them precisely will help produce a better final product and maintain the pavement.
Make it last.
A few elements in the final stages of a construction job help to extend the life of a hardscape such as edge restraints, polymeric sand, sealer, cleaner and good maintenance afterward.
In driveway installations and some patio constructions, he advises using edge restraints, which are “very important” to extending the life of the pavement.
“That’s one extra step that makes a huge difference in the long run,” Perugino says. Toward the end of a project, he suggests using a 10-inch spike every couple of feet and placing the edge restraint down. He says this will help with construction jobs in colder climates to make the pavement withstand a harsh, cold winter.
“If it’s a regular winter where there’s a long period of cold and then it melts in spring, (edge restraints) make a huge difference,” Perugino says. “When you get that melt and freeze, they hold the pavers.” Edge restraints will add to the cost of a project, but he says to explain their value to the client.
At the very end of a job, applying polymeric sand and sealer will both make the hardscape last longer, but Perugino says to clean the pavement before putting those down. “You don’t want salt and debris on it afterward,” he says.
Maintenance after the project is complete also extends a pavement’s life, so encourage customers to purchase maintenance services for their patio, driveway or other hardscape.
Kyle Rea, president at Green Effects in Chicago, says he recommends pressure washing old polymeric sand every couple of years and then sealing it again to extend the pavement’s life. “Keeping up on the maintenance of the pavement is the most important thing,” he says. “Every couple of years, pressure wash out old polymeric sand and then seal it again. We follow up with customers years after if they haven’t called us.”
“(Edge restraints are) one extra step that make a huge difference in the long run.” Patrick Perugino, owner, Picture It Landscape & Design
Steady finish.
The end of hardscape construction jobs must be carefully completed to avoid careless mistakes. “Most errors will occur from crews feeling rushed to get everything done on a certain deadline, where usually just taking a little bit of extra time to make sure everything’s right will save time in the long run,” Rea says.
Applying sealers can’t be rushed, as he says most manufacturers recommend waiting a month to a year before applying it to prevent efflorescence in brick pavers. “Water dissolves the salts (in the pavers) and when the water evaporates, the salts are left on the surface,” Rea says. “You have to wait to allow for these salts to naturally work their way out of the bricks. If you seal too early, you will trap these salts into the surface of the bricks.”
Contractors need to take their time during the actual sealer application process to ensure a clean job. Rea recommends taping off areas to avoid the sealer from going in unwanted spots. “Otherwise, you’ll have a sloppy end-product with sealer splashes,” he says. Once all the sealing is done, Green Effects cleans out its pump sprayer with xylene chemical to help its Viton seals and gaskets last longer.
Taking extra time to keep the pavement looking clean has benefits, Perugino says. Picture It Landscape & Design uses a pressure washer toward the end of a job to clean up.
Confer with customers.
Connecting with the customer throughout the job and at the end is an easy way to retain them for future jobs. Perugino says this is also a good way to get referrals.
When a hardscape construction job is done, get into a habit of walking through the completed project with the client as well. Most of the time, Rea says his customers request a walk through once its finished. “Close to 75 percent of them will do that,” he says.
During the walkthrough, Rea and the project’s foreman meet with the client and discuss everything involved with the project, explaining what happened and offering some maintenance tips for them. Taking time to do this will help prevent a client from calling to complain about mistakes, he says. This also provides an opportunity to upsell on other services, projects and referral incentives.
Adding mosquito services
Features - Mosquito Control
Mosquito control is in high demand. Here’s what you need to know before you add the service.
Mosquito control services have been around for decades with misting machines mostly used in municipal or commercial livestock facilities, says Jeff White, president, MosquitoMax, Houston. “But the demand is up because of Zika. When the CDC said it was an emergency two years ago, mosquito control, in general, increased.” White’s business installs and services the misting system, which is a tankless device that disperses the repellent on a timed basis. (The company sells this equipment to other businesses, too.) It also makes a larvicide dispensing product that fits into French drains, catch basins and sump pumps to kill off larva so they don’t become mosquitoes.
“Ninety-nine percent of our business is mosquito misting, and that is how we control mosquitoes the best, in our opinion,” White says.
The more common control practice is using backpack misting sprayers for applying barrier applications. And because of Zika – and, of course, other mosquito-borne illnesses like West Nile, Lyme disease from ticks (the pesticide kills those, too), and the fact that bugs are a nuisance in the outdoors – there is an increased demand, as far as Matt Fisher can see.
Fisher is manager of Delaware Valley Turf in Philadelphia. “It’s a business opportunity, quite frankly,” he says. “When Zika came about and moved up the eastern seaboard, everyone started offering the service – and if you weren’t, you were losing out on potential business.”
With the rise of Zika, add-on services like mosquito control programs have seen an increase in demand.
Photos courtesy of MosquitoMax
Service essentials.
Starting up a mosquito add-on service requires gaining the proper licensing, which varies by state. In Pennsylvania, Fisher says he and his applicator colleagues needed to get a general pest license. The company already had appropriate licensing for providing lawn care applications, which is its core business. Next came acquiring the equipment and training the crew. “We wanted to be sure we could provide the service so that it would be beneficial to the business, and to our customers,” Fisher says. That meant determining the frequency of applications and service approach. Fisher’s company went with backpack misters/foggers. “These are easy to use and we train our crews on the equipment so they can handle minor repairs if they have any issues,” he says. (And, they usually don’t.)
Marketing is also a key start-up piece. “We market in-house to our current customer base to let them know we offer the service,” Fisher says. “We let them know, ‘Don’t go outside to another business. Consolidate the bill and get the same customer service.’”
Delaware Valley Turf also advertises in local magazines, and this year it will consider a mailer advertising the mosquito service. The trick is with the timing. The last thing the company wants is to launch a mail campaign in late-March and end up with a snowstorm the next week. (Who’s thinking about mosquitoes then?)
“Ninety-nine percent of our business is mosquito misting, and that is how we control mosquitoes the best.” Jeff White, president, MosquitoMax
Joseph Holland, president of Majestic Lawn Care & Landscape in New York, also added a mosquito control service to his business two years ago. In his area, he says the competition is “not extreme,” and he’s actually surprised the service hasn’t grown that much. He has about 20 clients who elect to buy mosquito control now. This year, he plans to ramp up marketing a bit. “We’ll keep going at it because the Asian Tiger mosquito is here and it seems like we are getting more (insects) coming at us,” he says.
Holland also uses the backpack misters to provide a barrier service, and he offers an organic cedar oil application or a synthetic bifenthrin. “We spray every three weeks with either product,” he says.
Fisher’s service schedule is every 45 days, though the company will come out in between visits if there is unusual pressure. Larvicide is also part of Fisher’s and White’s programs, however Holland says his company sticks with the barrier control. An integral part of all programs is careful scouting before chemical application.
Misting systems are tankless and spray repellent throughout the property on a timed basis.
“We look for areas we deem as hot spots where mosquitoes inhabit or breed. Standing water is first,” Fisher says. Baby pools, containers and other obvious “vessels” that hold water (even a bottle-cap full is enough to breed mosquitoes) are easy targets. “If you can get results by simply dumping water out, that’s step one and it saves money, time and you don’t have to touch pesticides,” Fisher says.
Other areas are not so easy to “empty.” That’s where larvicides come into play in places like French drains or by sump pumps. Shrubs, trees and tall grasses also harbor mosquitoes, as do rock walls, wood piles and areas holding debris, Holland says. “Mosquitoes love cool, damp areas like the back sides of shrub leaves where they are not in the direct sun,” he says.
offering mosquito control.
Is mosquito control a fit for your service model? As for demand, Fisher doesn’t see it waning in Pennsylvania. “I’d say 40 to 50 percent of our lawn care inquiries also inquire about mosquito control,” he says.
Backpack misters can be used to provide a barrier of repellant around problem areas on a property.
In Houston, mosquito control can be nearly year-round, White says. “We have temperature sensors built into our sprayers, so they don’t mist if it’s below 50 degrees,” he says. Water temperatures have to be 50 degrees for larvae to grow. “Mosquitoes are less prevalent in winter, but if we have a warm winter, they’re still here.”
Fisher says mosquito control has been a smart add-on for Delaware Valley Turf, and it made sense because of managements’ experience in turf care, he says.
“We all have collegiate backgrounds in agronomy and turf management, so we are able to step into the entomology aspect and it made sense for us to add on mosquito control,” he says.
It’s a relatively low capital start-up requiring a backpack sprayer and product, Fisher says. Some landscape contractors subcontract mosquito control to his firm. So, decide if you want to take on the service, or partner with a company that offers it. “If you are able to market the service and take on customers without stretching yourself thin and sacrificing results in your core business, then go for it,” he says.
Perennial picks
Features - Maintenance
Trial garden managers across the United States share their best-performing plants of the year.
In October, several garden managers submitted their best-in-show perennials to our sister magazine, Greenhouse Management. Descriptions of all varieties were submitted by their respective trial garden managers.
Best overall perennials
Coreopsis SunSwirl (Dümmen Orange), Smith Gardens
Great habit with large yellow pom pom flowers. The plants did not split like coreopsis has tendency to do and it was a definite showstopper in the gardens.
Dianthus Rockin’ Red (PanAmerican Seed), Mast Young Plants Garden
Dianthus Rockin’ Red is a dynamite velvety red dianthus that is hardy to Zone 5 and very heat tolerant, flowering all summer.
Echinacea Kismet Raspberry (Terra Nova Nurseries), North Carolina State University
These compact coneflowers were covered in clear raspberry-colored flowers. They started blooming in June.
Best drought-tolerant perennials
Agastache ‘Morello’ (Terra Nova Nurseries), North Carolina State University Garden
‘Morello’ has dense, showy, deep pink-colored flowers that the bees love. Our 100 degree-plus days didn’t keep this showstopper from flowering.
Delosperma Delmara Orange (Green Fuse Botanicals), Mast Young Plants Gardens
This first-year flowering perennial had significantly larger flowers and a heftier habit than other delosperma we have tried.
We’ve been looking for easy-to-grow echinacea for years and one of the best that we’ve found is ‘Santa Fe’. Since it’s from seed, it has slight variation in color, but it’s mostly in the red-orange color range. We’ve been pleased by both its container and landscape performance, and it’s been great on a liner production level as well.
Best pollinator-friendly perennials
Monarda ‘MO 017’ (Dümmen Orange), North Carolina State University Gardens
Monardas are known for being pollinator-friendly and this one did not disappoint. ‘MO 017’ is a compact, well-behaved clumper that blooms prolifically.
Salvia ‘Bumbleberry’, Walters Gardens
‘Bumbleberry’ has performed excellently in our finished plant trials, along with ‘Bumblesky’ and ‘Bumbleblue’. They’re easy to maintain as they are naturally compact, but vigorous enough to finish a container.
Salvia ‘Rose Marvel’, (Darwin Perennials), The Gardens at Ball
The large flower size of this salvia attracted many pollinating bees. The color was vibrant. The rich, deep rose color stood out in the trial beds. The ultra-large flowers provided more color and impact in the garden. ‘Rose Marvel’ also has a long flowering window for extended enjoyment.
Best Heat-tolerant perennials
Sedum Rock ‘N Grow ‘Popstar’ (Proven Winners), Walters Gardens
For most of the year, ‘Popstar’ looks great as a foliage plant with blue-green leaves. Later in the season, it explodes with salmon pink flowers.
Eucalyptus Silver Drop, (Proven Winners), Mast Young Plants Gardens
These silvery foliaged plants make beautiful thrillers in containers or background plantings in a garden bed, and can also be used in dried or fresh flower arrangements. The essential oils in eucalyptus smell great and have a wide range of medicinal uses.
Gaillardia SpinTop Yellow Touch (Dümmen Orange), North Carolina State University Gardens
Nice, compact plants that are covered with large, attractive orange flowers with the edges dipped in yellow.
Chris Manning and Patrick Williams are editors at Greenhouse Management magazine, a sister publication to Lawn & Landscape.
Walk-behind mower round-up
Features - Equipment
Get your crews ready for spring maintenance with the latest walk-behind mowers and accessories.
The pitch: This mower features a fixed floating 10-gauge deck design with 7-gauge steel top and bottom reinforcements.
Available in 36, 48 and 54-inch cutting widths, the mower features new sealed spindle assemblies with single-row ball bearings.
The Easy-Trac Steering Technology provides steering with hand lever controls along with single-lever cruise control and straight-line adjustable tracking with finger-tip control.
The design includes thick steel yokes and a fully welded front axle. The mower features a high clearance and enhanced weight balance.
The pitch: A durable and robust commercial-grade mower, the L421P is designed with a lightweight body to maximize maneuverability and efficiency.
Features a 21-inch reinforced PremierCut deck that offers extra protection from the sturdy collision guard.
7.75 ft-lb of torque and 4 hp, a high-capacity grass bagger and 8-inch heavy-duty wheels with ball bearings make this a powerful walk mower for areas bigger equipment can’t get to.
Both sides of the deck can trim close to barriers and reinforced foldable handles make it easy to stow in the landscaping trailer.
The pitch: The STIHL RMA battery powered mower offers seven different cutting heights as well as an adjustable handlebar for customized use.
Quiet operation allows this professionalgrade mower to be used in noise-sensitive areas.
Running on a commercial-grade battery, the 21-inch deck width and large capacity grass catcher allow users to cover more lawn in less time.
Comes with mower accessories including a rear bagger, side discharge chute, mulch plug and an activation key, which helps prevent accidental or unauthorized use/startup of machine.
The pitch: This mower line features rugged, commercial-grade components that consistently perform in the toughest conditions.
Premium engines and maintenance-free transmissions allow the operator to maximize productivity and minimize downtime.
The Blade Brake Clutch (BBC) system on select models allows the operator to disengage the blades without shutting down the engine.
The corrosion-resistant aluminum alloy deck is designed for durability, and the replaceable steel wear plates protect select models against bottom and side impacts.
The pitch: Wright Manufacturing’s two newest Velke hydro-powered walk-behind mowers can be specified with either a fixed or floating cutting deck.
The HC series is available with 32-, 36- and 48-inch decks. The larger LC series offers a choice of 52- and 61-inch decks with larger tires, reinforced frames and a wider stance.
An integrated Velke sulky latch is provided on all models. The operator has a choice of walking or riding when a Velke sulky is attached. When walking, the latch secures the sulky in a folded position.
The flat-free caster tires increase the mower’s maneuverability in tight spaces.
Restrictions vary from state to state, so it’s important to keep up with the laws in your service area.
Photo courtesy of Green Leaf Nursery
Benjamin Moretta has been fertilizing lawns for customers for 16 years now. During that time, no two applications have ever been the same.
“My fertilization program has never been the same from year to year. It constantly changes,” says Moretta, who is owner of Moretta Lawn & Landcare, based in Canton, Ohio.
Moretta also stresses the importance of continually adopting new best practices.
“A lot of it has to do with drought or sufficient amounts of rain, just depending on how the year goes as far as how much nitrogen’s going down, when it’s going down, timing with rainstorms,” he says. “It’s one of those things that if you stay stagnant, your results won’t meet the expectations of the client.”
Moretta Lawn & Landcare serves both residential and commercial customers. Residential customers are primarily high-end, requiring weekly pruning, deadheading of annuals and other landscape maintenance. The company has six employees and an annual revenue of $500,000.
Moretta uses a combination of semi-organic products and synthetic weed controls. The organic product is liquid and the synthetic product is granular. Typically, he offers five total applications per year on any given property.
Staying up to date.
In terms of ongoing education, Moretta says he takes continuing education courses and has attended seminars such as those through The Ohio Department of Agriculture.
“I go to them every year regardless of whether I need it or not, just to hear what is the newest, latest and greatest,” he says.
Moretta also attends continuing education conferences from his supplier.
Most states offer state conferences on turf grass or even have specific turf grass councils, says John Benefield, lawn care specialist at Green Leaf Nursery based in Glasgow, Kentucky. Green Leaf Nursery offers landscape, design and installation services, along with lawn care maintenance. Customers are almost entirely residential and the company has 10 employees with an annual revenue of $650,000.
Benefield mainly uses granular products for fertilization and a liquid herbicide for weed control. The company’s typical fertilization package includes four treatments per year. Customers may request extra treatments such as insect control or fungicide, as needed.
Benefield also recommends staying in communication with local and state regulators.
“Make sure that you know what products you’re able to use. They (local inspectors) know what can be used in your state versus other states, because not all chemicals and fertilizers are allowed in all states,” he says.
Lastly, Benefield says it’s helpful to work with the sales reps and companies you buy products and supplies from. They can also provide education and training.
To ensure every application is correct, Moretta advises to double check the product and application amount before applying. “It’s one of those things you get paranoid about,” he says.
Sometimes the unexpected can happen during applications, putting a day of fertilizer applications on hold. When Moretta returns to applying the product, he wants to make sure he starts where he left off.
“I write a lot of stuff out, so I have all the calculations and stuff right in front of me at all times,” Moretta says.
For Benefield, one of the main ways he makes sure he is applying the right products in the right amounts is through soil testing.
“That’s pretty much the most important first step you can take in making sure that you’re developing a good turf grass fertility program,” he says. “Soil testing is the best way to see what particular and specific nutrients need to be added to the soil to improve your turf’s health.”
Training other employees.
Because their operations are smaller, both Moretta and Benefield say they solely apply almost all fertilizer applications themselves. Moretta says he has team members spray broad-spectrum herbicides under his supervision. Training for this is performed annually.
“We always take a backpack sprayer with clean water in it and turn it on and start spraying with it and then we turn a fan on in front of it,” he says. “We have them put their hand five feet from it, so they can feel what drift actually is.”
In addition to the hands-on training, Moretta says employees are instructed to write down the weather conditions at every job prior to making an herbicide application.
“They’re constantly on their phone looking at the weather to see what wind direction is, temperature, that kind of stuff,” he says. “I always make sure to tell them if it looks like it’s going to rain within an hour not to mess around with Roundup and just to hand pull (weeds) and then (also to) make sure that the foliage is actually dry before they do any spraying after a rainstorm.”
Ideal weather conditions.
While most liquid products are labeled to be sprayed in temperatures of up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, Moretta says he usually only applies liquids at temperatures below 80 degrees. This means he will typically make applications in the early morning in summer.
“I like to leave as soon as the sun comes up and be done by 2 o’clock in the afternoon,” he says. Moretta also prefers to spray only when wind speeds are below 10 miles per hour.
Granular products typically do not require as strict guidelines for application. “With the granular insecticide that I use, I like to make sure there’s adequate soil moisture or there’s potential for some rain coming up because that product needs to get into the soil,” Moretta says.
Some products may not last as long if there is a lot of rain or high temperatures during a season, Benefield says.
“If we get a lot of heat and a lot of humidity and a lot of rain, and it causes that pre-emergent to volatilize, and typically toward the end of the season, you see outbreaks of crabgrass and stuff, so that plays a factor also,” he says.
“Making sure that the output’s correct, that’s crucial.” Benjamin Moretta, owner, Moretta Lawn & Landcare
In case of mistakes.
Moretta says he hasn’t had any notable application mistakes. If a mistake were to happen he would document what he did and why the error occurred. He would also repair the damage made by the application and cover all expenses associated with that.
“It just typically depends on the mistake. If I were to spray a product where it’s not needed and it may harm a landscape plant, I will always try to notify the customer and let them know of my mistake. It may not harm the plant at all, or it may lead to us replacing the plant,” Benefield says.
A spill kit is kept on the truck at all times in case of a chemical spill.
“If we were to have a chemical spill, typically you’ve got to call a chemical agency and let them know of the spill, but we have like a spill kit system that we can kind of contain that spill and take care of it,” Benefield says.
As a best practice, he says it’s vital to keep track of every application made and details surrounding the application such as the date, why it was made, amount of product applied, type of product and more. This information may also be requested by a local inspector.
Proper equipment maintenance.
Both contractors say checking calibration on their spreading equipment is paramount. Moretta uses a skid sprayer.
“Making sure that the output’s correct, that’s crucial,” he says. “If you don’t put out the right amount of weed control product there’s a potential that you’re not going to get any kill out of it. If you put down too much there’s potential you could burn the turf.”
Benefield uses a sprayer that sprays liquid and granular at the same time. He tries to perform maintenance on the machine according to the recommended schedule in the owner’s manual.
“I always just make sure all the fittings are greased. I change the oil every 100 hours,” he says.
Lastly, Benefield recommends paying attention to whether the product is being spread evenly.
“You don’t want your spreader to be spreading more on one side than the other. That can make the lawn look bad,” he says.
Megan Smalley
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