The pitch: A part of Belgard Elements’ modular design hardscapes, the Bordeaux Series features a stackstone design that allows a grill island to become the focal point of an outdoor space.
The prebuilt, modular grill island is packaged as a single unit and installs in less than one hour with existing patio build out.
The single piece unit, which weighs approximately 3,000 pounds, has a two-way fork slot design, configured for easy transport.
The Lamina Stone product has a multi-length and layered appearance which provides a rustic, stacked stone aesthetic appeal.
The pitch: The SG+ high performance sealer provides rich color enhancement and a semi-gloss to glossy finish on concrete pavers and other concrete surfaces.
Coverage up to 400 square feet per gallon per coat (typically two coats applied) and long-lasting performance due to its industrial grade UV additive.
May use on damp surfaces (no pooled water) for job efficiency.
Certified by the USDA as Bio-Preferred; water-based and environmentally friendly for customer satisfaction and your own crew’s health.
Photos courtesy of Nature’s Perspective Landscaping
Nature’s Perspective Landscaping, located in Evanston, Illinois, took on a driveway project in a federal historic district. The driveway was shared by two properties, so that meant a pair of married couples would have to agree on the design. The goal was to develop a cohesive and integrated plan that would be functional and aesthetically pleasing while complying with zone codes. While the driveway was being installed, all parties agreed it would be best if the homeowners were not present for construction, which meant Nature’s needed to have the plan accepted and authorized by both parties prior to them leaving. Any issues that came up were then reviewed via phone calls or emailed pictures. Nature’s had the driveway portion of the project done in three weeks, when the homeowners returned from vacation.
Plan ahead for spring
Spring Prep Playbook - Spring Prep Playbook
The work you do before the season starts will pay off when business picks up.
Running a successful lawn care program isn’t just about spreading fertilizer or chemicals on a client’s property. It takes preparation to make sure your team has the right equipment and training, as well as a strong relationship with clients. Here are a few tips to get the most out of a lawn care program this year:
Start early.
A successful start to the spring lawn care season begins in the middle of winter for the team at Landscape Enterprise in Salem, Virginia, says co-owner Darrell Hungate. Right after Thanksgiving, the company sends out written renewal contracts to all clients, then follows up on them after the holidays.
“We give them 60 days to renew,” says Hungate. “That gives them through the Christmas holiday, but also gives plenty of time for them to think about it, or for us to call, if they have any questions or want any add-ons.”
Hungate’s team also sends out newsletters summing up the year to the client, to remind them of the crew’s hard work and the value of the service. Since his 15 employees are assigned to particular properties, each newsletter can be personalized to the client.
As the only major employee (besides a longterm temp) at Wunsch’s Lawn Care in Willows, California, Brian Wunsch often visits clients directly and talks to them face-to-face about renewals.
He generally waits until after Christmas to talk about contracts, because “everybody’s got their mind somewhere else with the holidays,” he says, but continues the discussion through February if necessary.
Get ready.
As renewal contracts go out in December, employees at J. Rick Lawn & Tree in North Dakota and Colorado are already preparing equipment for the spring lawn care season. The end of fall means cleaning and close inspection of equipment.
“Over the winter, whatever we determined needed repaired or replaced was done,” says Jon Rick, owner of the company. “We want to make sure we don’t have a problem out in the field where a hose bursts. A small problem can create a larger problem.”
The preparation includes updating any MSDS sheets to be kept in the truck, and checking spill kits to make certain the crew is ready in case anything should go wrong.
As clients renew or update their services, Wunsch takes time before the start of the season to revise his square footage numbers to make sure he has the right equipment and products to cover the properties. Though he’s been applying fertilizer for the past few years, this year he’s started offering chemical applications as well, which means building a new pricing Structure.
He used a breakdown of the additional material cost per thousand square feet, but modified the price to cut out some overhead since he would already be on the property for maintenance. When he talked with clients for renewals, he made it a point to share how they were saving money by bundling services.
By Feb. 1, Rick has updated numbers for renewed and new customers finalized for applications starting in mid-March.
With those totals, Rick is able to use early order programs to save money on applications and ensure the first few weeks of the season run smoothly.
“We do early order for our chemical and fertilizer to make sure we’re stocked up for at least 8-10 weeks into the spring, so we don’t hurt production waiting on product,” he says.
Rick sets aside time at work to walk his employees through the company policy manual to establish expectations for the job and for clients before the first crews go out.
He also takes his employees out and physically walks them through an application on one of his properties before the season starts, “just to make sure everyone’s on the same page on procedure and processes,” he says.
Get the word out.
Because he spends time talking face-to-face with clients while he works on the property, Wunsch doesn’t invest much in marketing. Instead, he relies mostly on word-of-mouth in his community.
“I’ve been extremely happy with who I’m getting as far as customers,” Wunsch says. “If I have a good relationship with an existing client, they are most likely going to tell a friend of theirs with a similar property.”
However, as Wunsch adds new offerings, he’s looking into a more direct marketing approach to gauge interest in particular services. He has an order of 500 direct mail postcards to most of the mailing route in Willows this year to promote tree injections.
Rick also hasn’t done much new marketing in the last few years for lawn care, even as a larger company across two states. The focus instead is usually on referral sources and maintaining current customers, as is evidenced by about a 98 percent renewal rate this year, he says.
With his team now more established in Colorado, he’s started a few marketing efforts to bring in new customers through sponsored Facebook posts and technicians distributing door hangers in specific neighborhoods where they already have name recognition.
know your enemy.
Though applications begin toward the end of March depending on the weather, Hungate looks at pest and disease trends locally to prepare for the season. His team’s pesticide and chemical application recertification also comes up in March, which gives them the opportunity to talk with other technicians and see what they’re fighting and what works.
“Also, we’re 20 minutes down the road from Virginia Tech, which is the hotbed on the East Coast for turf, so we get firsthand info really quickly from there,” on new turf pressures, he says.
Though he doesn’t do a heavy amount of study before the season starts, Wunsch checks out new ideas and practices through the University of California’s Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program website (www.ipm.ucdavis.edu) regularly.
For Hungate’s area of the country, he’s seeing molds like brown patch becoming a problem this year due to sporadic spring and summer temperatures, plus a heavy level of moisture during the winter. He’s also seeing increased insect pressure, and a higher occurrence of blights like red thread.
His crew works with clients to identify the symptoms of mold and fungus diseases, and tells them about resolutions, like aeration for problem mold areas or liquid fungicide for fungus.
In California, Wunsch’s clients deal with rust almost every other year, he says, but fungicides can be too expensive for them.
Instead, he talks to them to help manage expectations and ensure them that it will clear up after a little time, or with some nitrogen and aeration.
He’s less forgiving with another constant, crabgrass. He’ll use an application of Dimension to rein it in for clients. For other pressures, like powdery mildew, he’ll spray horticultural oil to keep plants healthy, weather permitting.
Moisture is a problem for Rick’s clients as well, but only in that they don’t have enough of it. Colorado has had a dry, warm winter, which could mean increased mite activity. One benefit to the dry weather is that a common issue, necrotic ring spot, might be less prevalent, since it thrives in wet seasonal conditions.
But the dry weather is an even bigger danger to the application program, since his crew isn’t able to put down fertilizer without the moisture to water it in. Though they usually start applications in mid-March, this year’s start date depends on the weather.
“That’s going to make a heavy impact on when we start because we don’t want to put fertilizer down on extremely dry lawns when people don’t have their sprinklers on yet,” he says. “Moisture is really going to dictate when we start this year.”
The author is a freelance writer based in Ohio.
Pieces & parts
Features - Irrigation
Understanding the functions of irrigation systems’ crucial components can help prevent system breakdowns.
To choose the right valve for a job, contractors must assess the quality and dynamic conditions of the water supply.
Photo courtesy of Hunter Industries Incorporated
When an irrigation system fails, it’s important to understand the mechanics behind the system.
“If a contractor really understands what makes a valve come on, they can then understand what possible causes of a malfunction might be and may be able to more quickly troubleshoot and fix a valve,” says Rain Bird Product Manager Ron Wolfarth.
Valves.
An important part of an irrigation system, valves turn the water on and off in response to a signal from a controller, says Hunter Product Manager Steve Hoveln.
“Valves are the one thing that controls everything else downstream. If your valve leaks or doesn’t turn off or on, it can affect a huge portion of your landscape because it controls a larger zone of spray heads or rotors,” Hoveln says.
The valve is made up of three main elements: the body, the diaphragm and the solenoid. The body is where water enters and exits the valve. Water flows in the inlet, above the diaphragm and up into the solenoid. It’s held there by the solenoid plunger until a controller sends an electric signal.
When that happens, the solenoid coil becomes an electromagnet and pulls the plunger up, allowing water to flow out of the valve.
This also raises the diaphragm, which is a circular piece of rubber that rises and lowers based on water pressure above or below it. When the valve is open, water pushes the diaphragm up and off the inlet.
When the signal is turned off, the plunger drops inside the solenoid and the water pressure above the diaphragm eventually offsets the pressure below it to close the valve. Valves vary in materials, pressure ratings and configurations. The most common type of valve is a globe style, where the inlet and outlet are in a horizontal line. Other styles include angle valves where the water enters from the bottom and exits at 90 degrees, which are popular in areas where the ground freezes, and a globe angle valve, which can be configured either way, Wolfarth says. To choose the right valve for a job, contractors must assess the quality and dynamic conditions of the water supply.
Valves are built in different sizes for different flow rate ranges. If the application’s needs fall below the chosen valve’s operational range, the valve may not close, Hoveln says.
Pumps.
In the same way as valves, irrigation pumps are sized based on both the flow rate and pressure of the water coming out of the source pipeline. If a contractor overestimates, the pump will not be matched to the actual needs and can destroy itself, says Rain Bird Product Manager Bill Beard.
“Pumps are what I call a dumb device; they are guaranteed to work or die trying. The amount of pressure and the flow required in the system dictates if the pump will operate, it’s never vice versa,” Beard says.
The most common type of irrigation pump is an end suction top discharge centrifugal pump. These pumps rely on centrifugal force to move water and a motor shaft to support the impeller. They have few moving parts and are easy to service, but for more boost, they must get larger and heavier.
In those cases, a vertical multistage centrifugal pump is more efficient because it has more impellers and can boost more pressure.
Serviceability and reliability of pumps and valves are the other important factors for contractors to consider when making purchasing decisions. The fewer parts it has, the easier it is to repair a product, Wolfarth says.
Contractors should work with the landscape designer to understand how much flow and what pressure is required at the point of highest demand on a job site, Beard says.
“The pump is designed to fill the gap between what is available for flow and pressure and what is required at the worst case scenario,” he says. “That rotor or spray body that’s the farthest away from the pump and the farthest uphill is the worst-case scenario. If you can't feed that particular device, you won’t be able to irrigate effectively.”
The author is a freelance writer based in Kentucky.
Give your crew a push
Features - Maintenance
If walk-behinds are your mower of choice, check out these models.
The pitch: New for 2017, BOB-CAT’s Float Deck Hydro walk-behind mowers feature Zero-T drive tires. These tires offer improved grip on hillsides, better puncture resistance, improved tight turns without turf damage, and enhanced self-cleaning.
The float deck is designed to move independently of the drive and caster wheels.
Single-belt routing on the Float Deck Hydro mid-size walk-behind means a longer belt life.
The walk-behind features a true float style DuraDeck.
The pitch: Exmark’s Turf Tracer X-Series walk-behind mower features an Enhanced Control System (ECS), which places all vital controls at the operator’s fingertips.
A heavy-duty electromagnetic PTO clutch and single-belt deck drive offer increased durability and ease-of-maintenance.
52- or 60-inch UltraCut Series 4 cutting decks feature fabricated construction and maintenance-free sealed bearing cutter housings.
Engine options include carbureted gasoline, EFI gasoline and EFI propane configurations.
The pitch: The 2017 Gravely Pro-Walk is a completely-redesigned commercial walk-behind mower designed for the professional landscaper.
With welded deck designs in 48-, 52- and 60-inch sizes, the Pro-Walk incorporates enhancements that improve cut quality, durability, maneuverability and ease of use.
The Pro-Walk was designed with new steering controls, which offer a shorter learning curve while providing precision handling.
The pitch: Honda’s HRC216K3HDA lawn mower is designed to allow the user to save time by starting the engine while standing behind the mower.
The Honda GXV160 commercial engine is the source of powerful, quiet operation with noise control for operator comfort.
It features a Honda MicroCut Twin Blade System that offers four cutting surfaces to produce finer clippings, and the mower can be adjusted to eight different heights suitable to all types of grass and mowing conditions.
The mower has a 21-inch steel deck with front axle and bumper protection for additional structural stability and durability.
The pitch: The Scag SWZT hydro-drive walk-behind mower features controls that contour to the natural angles of your extended hands, lowering operator fatigue.
Ultra-comfortable, ergonomic control system makes operation easy, and are placed to keep your hands out of harm’s way when mowing next to trees and bushes.
Choice of 36-, 48-, 52- or 61-inch cutter deck paired with a V-Twin engine.
Heavy-duty construction ensures strength and long life.
Kyle Brown
