LONDON, Ontario – Unseasonably wet weather in the area has made more than just the grass green.
London landscaping firms have been in a hurry-up-and-wait mode since the rain started falling this spring. When it does stop falling they are going full tilt to catch up on orders.
"Lawns are really growing, I have cut nine inches of grass in some areas," said Steve Foster, owner of Enviro-Lawn in London.
"The conditions are just great for growing, cool in the morning, hot in the afternoon and lots of water."
Orders are up about 10 per cent this season over last and he is booked for the season, he added.
With the rain slowing cutting and wind preventing weed spraying, customers have understood reasons for delays, he added.
"Business has been great and clients realize there have been problems, we're not getting a lot of complaints," he said.
At Bobby Lawn Care in London, Gerald Van der Ploeg finds it a challenge to get a good few days of dry weather just to get caught up on his work.
"We're very busy, we're behind because of the weather and a lot of people want work done," he said, adding sales are also up about 10 per cent over last year.
"On good days we work a lot longer just to keep up. We're finding more people want work done, they want their lawns to look nice."
While business is up at lawn care businesses as more people turn to professionals to care for their yards, the unseasonably wet spring has fed the demand, added Paul Snyders, owner of P.G.S. Landscape Services.
"Things look lush and green so people are calling for work to be done. If it was hot and dry, they wouldn't be calling," said Snyders. "It's been far busier, I am up at least 15 per cent over last year."
Only about four inches of rain has fallen in the London area over the past two months, -- less than the seasonal average. But the rain has fallen a little at a time over several days -- just enough to shut down business for a day.
In business for the past five years, Jordan Lavin, owner of Nutri-Lawn, says business had grown steadily, an average of 40 per cent over the last few years.
Nutri-Lawn provides organic and traditional lawn care services, including fertilizing, weed and insect control, and cultural practices like over-seeding.
"One of the things that makes us a little bit different is that we have a large percentage of our customer base choosing organic programs," says Lavin.
"We find that organic methods have been the preference when given a choice. It's becoming more of a necessity in people's minds."
Lavin says that wasn't always the case.
"People used to call us to help them decide on traditional versus organic lawn care. Now they are calling for organic lawn care," he said.
Lavin notes the cost for organic versus traditional lawn care is comparable, with less then 10 per cent difference.
For an average size lawn of 2,500 square feet, organic treatment is $230 a year compared to the traditional treatment, which costs $205.
However, the greatest difference between the two methods lies in the outcome.
"You will generally get better results with traditional lawn care," he says. "It's a lot easier to deal with problems chemically than organically," he said, adding it typically takes more time to solve problems organically than chemically, making the process more expensive.
Lavin notes that for his business, residential demand has increased, and while he does some commercial work, his mainstay is residential.
"Approximately 85 per cent of our work is residential," he says, adding that the majority of their customers are young families with pets, "generally people with kids and pets who are environmentally concerned."
A bylaw that would restrict pesticide use in London is now being reviewed by city council. The proposed legislation would limit the use of pesticides with some exceptions, such as for controlling health hazards.
The city is adopting an integrated pest management plan, aimed at reducing the use of pesticides through education. The goal is to phase out non-essential use of pesticides on the grounds of schools, day-care centres and hospitals by 2005, with a complete phase-out by 2007.
Lavin speculates that if there was ever a bylaw restricting or banning pesticide use, it won't kill the lawn care industry.
"It will certainly make some people scramble to change the way they do business," he said.
He notes that people will also have to accept less as far as results are concerned and expect to pay more for fewer results.
Foster offers a transitional program, which includes five applications of fertilizer as well as spot spraying of the weeds, rather than a full scale spraying of the lawn.
Foster notes that for the most part, he uses all natural products, adding that weed spray is used in the spot spraying.
"But we are only individually spraying as opposed to blanket spraying," he says.
For a lawn measuring 3,300 square feet, Foster charges $32 to $35 per application, and $20 to $25 per cut, depending on the property.
"The demographics of our clientele are usually in their late 50s," he says. "Business is increasing as the boomers get older, and find they have less time to take care of their own lawns."
Foster has commercial clients, but notes the size of lawn for most don't do well with their program.
"The larger the lawn, the more time it takes to walk the lawn, and the more chances there are for missing spots," he says. "People are staying at home more, and want to make their backyard the best they can."
Snyders agrees people are staying at home more, and are investing in their yards.
Offering lawn maintenance, installation of flowerbeds and small landscaping, Snyders says people are spending more time in their backyards, and they want it to look nice.
"They want a more relaxed backyard as opposed to the front yard, which is generally more formal."
Snyders, whose contracts consist of 75-per-cent residential, says that demand for services has been up over the last three years.
"There are lots of companies out there which indicates the demand is there. This is because of the aging population," he says.
"In addition to the fact people are staying at home more, they're also taking more time for life . . . They hire someone to free up some of their own time so they can go out and enjoy life."
The fact we want nice lawns with the added bonus of convenience is also reflected in the increase in demand for underground water sprinklers.
Alex Laine of Canrain says that contracts to install irrigation systems for commercial and residential clients have been increasing steadily at a rate of 30 to 40 per cent over the last five years.
Equipped with timers, the systems can be set and forgotten about.
"They have rain sensors, which measures rainfall, allowing the system to come on only when it's supposed to; when the ground has dried up," he said.
"People are less likely to forget and leave the water running, because of the timers, which also saves money on the water bill."
He also credits the growth in demand to the fact it provides good water conservation which saves money.
"The sprinkler system is more efficient with water distribution than watering conventionally," he says.
"With the city's levy on sewer tax, the cost of water is quite high. Irrigation systems are more efficient because you don't get the run off and the wastage."
The cost for an average lawn measuring about 2,500 square feet is between $2,500 to $3,000 to install.
With the debate over pesticide use a hot topic in the city, Laine expects business to continue to increase, noting that with an irrigation system, it is easier to develop good healthy grass, decreasing the need for spraying.
Lavin also expects his business to continue growing.
"I believe there will be more demand in the future as chemicals become less accessible to the average homeowner."
He says that when products, that are currently available to the average homeowner enabling him to look after his own lawn are removed, there will be more demand for professional lawn care services.
"The days of spending $40 to eliminate all the weeds on your lawn will be long gone," he says.
"It just won't be possible anymore."