(((((Price This)))))

[Gatewayuser]

Fertilizing 90,000 sq ft with 19-19-19 at $17.23 per 50# bag. Thanks

[firedude26]

that seems awful high for trip 19

[Gatewayuser]

Sorry I should have said its poly-vex.

[teeca]

if i could ask, what is it with 19-19-19? i heard this last spring in a decussion. does lesco have an over abundance of this laying around or what? if it is a new seeding maybe, but for a reg lawn?

anyway, 90k(tot sq.ft.)/9.5k(tot sq.ft.bag)=9.5 bags x $17.23=$163.69cost + $8.18(figure 5% for overlap)=$171.87(total fert cost) + labor (about 1hr 30min. this incl load/unload perma green) + weed control @ 30k= $10 (this would be w/o see what you have)

fert - $171.87
weed - $10.00
-------------------
cost - $181.87
mark/up 33% - $60.02
----------------------------------
mat tot - $241.89
labor 1.30min @ $100hr - $150.00
-----------------------------------
total $391.89

[Gatewayuser]

I was thinking around $500.
19-19-19 is what most of the soil tests in my area come back as and what is needed (test not done by lesco), and it seems to work the best. Thanks

[teeca]

$500 is even better.
you have seen the property and know what the area will handle, if others are bidding and so-forth, res/comm, etc. home owners might not be as willing to drop $500 like comm. if trugreen bids it, they will kill us all at $30:eek:

[sildoc]

Fertilizing 90,000 sq ft with 19-19-19 at $17.23 per 50# bag. Thanks
Figure it out your self.
90000sq ft with 19x3 17.23 per 50 lbs..... Now what rate. Is it slow release? Too many varibles.
Figure this out. Cool season turf. 7 lbs of N per year. Now figure out how much N is in your bag. / by how many times per year. Now you know how much fert you need per year. Now figure out what ferts you are using and get your price for your materials. Now figure in equiptment costs and then your labor rate.
This is the price you need to make money.
For me that is rounded to 2 acres to make it easy. I usually do a 2 acre for 25 stop and 5-10 per K. min fert cost. add in pre M, Broad leaf, grassy weed, and fung and you add ontop of the that. Over an acre I usually drop the stop fee as I will land more and have enough coverage to get me there in materials and time.

[Gatewayuser]

$500 is even better.
you have seen the property and know what the area will handle, if others are bidding and so-forth, res/comm, etc. home owners might not be as willing to drop $500 like comm. if trugreen bids it, they will kill us all at $30:eek:

I know what your saying about trugreen but they hate me because I take customers away from them because of quality. There is only one other comp bidding and this is just a little part of the bid the rest is about $35,000 and they want the fert done 3 times a year. Thanks

[sildoc]

if i could ask, what is it with 19-19-19? i heard this last spring in a decussion. does lesco have an over abundance of this laying around or what? if it is a new seeding maybe, but for a reg lawn?

anyway, 90k(tot sq.ft.)/9.5k(tot sq.ft.bag)=9.5 bags x $17.23=$163.69cost + $8.18(figure 5% for overlap)=$171.87(total fert cost) + labor (about 1hr 30min. this incl load/unload perma green) + weed control @ 30k= $10 (this would be w/o see what you have)

fert - $171.87
weed - $10.00
-------------------
cost - $181.87
mark/up 33% - $60.02
----------------------------------
mat tot - $241.89
labor 1.30min @ $100hr - $150.00
-----------------------------------
total $391.89

I could push 2 acres in an hour and a half let alone use a perma green.
If you want the job bid it acordingly. I figure you could still make good money at 300 if you bid the right material. 19-19-19 is not going to cut it. Nor is 3 apps. I would bid a 21-15-8 or sim at right at 13.80 a bag 60% slow. 5 apps min. Figure right at 6 bags max in a earthway. Would take 1.5 drive included and pickup of materials. Add in broad and pre M at 1.5 cost + stop. with a mix you are making good money. Take a small profit on a straight fert app and rake it in on the broad post, prem and grassy post
At 300 on a reg fert job that is still 200 profit. for an hour and a half.

[Gatewayuser]

They only want 3 apps with no herbicide

[sildoc]

They only want 3 apps with no herbicide
3 apps. for get it. either one bid it as extra pocket change and use it as a fill in when you can get to it or two bid it high enough to make it worth while to schedule in.
Is it next to another account? That can make a difference. Other wise if it is out of the way I would say bid high or screw it.

[teeca]

if thats you market then you know what to price. as far as 1.5hrs w/ a permagreen? i figure it takes time to load it, drive to the location, unload it, refill it 5 times (since the bag of fert inquestion goes down at 9.5k), fill the gas tank and the weed tank, blow off side walks, load the perma green back on the trailer, refill w/ gas, get a drink, and do paper work, and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. as far as spreading w/ a push spreader, no problem, it spreads farther then the junk lesco on the perma green everthought of, but when your riding who cares if it takes an extra 5-10 mins? not me

[sildoc]

if thats you market then you know what to price. as far as 1.5hrs w/ a permagreen? i figure it takes time to load it, drive to the location, unload it, refill it 5 times (since the bag of fert inquestion goes down at 9.5k), fill the gas tank and the weed tank, blow off side walks, load the perma green back on the trailer, refill w/ gas, get a drink, and do paper work, and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. as far as spreading w/ a push spreader, no problem, it spreads farther then the junk lesco on the perma green everthought of, but when your riding who cares if it takes an extra 5-10 mins? not me
I agree with the riding part. However when we are talking cost efectiveness and trying to get started, not every one will fork out 3+ grand on a fert spreader.
That is something you have to add into your initial cost and takes profit away or keeps you from making the profit that you needed on a bid that you knew would fly with the customer.
Not all customers look for what is cheap, alot look for what they can afford. Large acrage customers don't think about maintenance until after they are in a house. Then comes time to maintain the property. This is usually a cost that can either make or break a new homeowner and or business owner. They knew they could afford the prop. and live nice but when you throw in a 5-8 grand on maintenance that they never thought about a little is a lot.
OH yeah we all think that if they can afford a nice house and prop that they can afford the maintenance to go with it.
My accountant told me one time... Buy the biggest house you can afford and the cheapest vehicle that meets your needs.
Houses appreciate and vehicles depreciate the difference is after 5-8 years you are out from under a vehicle a house is a min of 15 and usually 30 to be out from under.

[Gatewayuser]

I guess I should say that this is a $35,000 commercial mant. job not just the fert and its only 5mins away. Thanks and I just turned the bid in.

[Turfdoctor1]

i'm from warm season land, and do not know all that much about cool season management. However, do a soil test. There should be no reason at all to apply that much Phosphorous throughout the year. No grass needs 7 #'s of P throughout the year. That's a waste of money for you and the customer. Not to mention, part of the reason that golf courses and lawn managers get a reputation as pollutants.

[Gatewayuser]

Sorry but that almost always how the soil test come back as what they need usually what I will do is use it in the spring, summer and then something different in the fall.

[teeca]

the main problem i have w/ the high phos. is that i also do aquatics, and phos. is the BIGGEST problem when it comes to algae control. using high (or any) phos. in fert raises havic in ponds and makes the hot summer months a royal pain. but i guess thats why they pay the big bucks to keep it under control.

[ThreeWide]

Let's say your P was tested and came back at 0 lbs/Arce. Sure that is unrealistic, but just an example.

Let's also say that your minimal target is 50 lbs/Acre, while 100 lbs/Acre would be the ceiling.

That being the case, you would only need a little over 2 lbs/M of P to reach the target.