Overwatering Customer

[Scraper]

Anyone have a customer with a watering fetish? I have a customer that continues to water on an almost daily basis even though I have repeatedly told him to cut back. It has gotten to the point that my walk behind is leaving some good ruts not to mention I can even feel the ground sink beneath my feet. Just last Friday I asked him to cut back on his watering and when I happened by his place this morning...his sprinklers were going again! The worst part is that when I spoke to him on Friday he said that he isn't watering. Well I know otherwise because I'm the one on the lawn every week!!! Is there any detrimental effects that I can tell him that might get him to change? Heck...I even told him that if he hadn't watered this summer he could have probably saved enough money to pay for my services for at least two months. Also...I am in the Philadelphia suburbs...anyone around here knows that irrigation was not needed for all but one week this summer with the rains we've had! I figure I've warned him so I'll just try and not make too much of a mess.

Thanks

P.S. This is one of those kind of customers who will have their sprinkler system running in the rain.

[Edited by Scraper on 10-16-2000 at 07:24 PM]

[Skookum]

I have had the same problem with a commercial account. There are five locations involved. The owner is a great guy, but he likes to be involved with all the maintenance. He does as much as he can himself, so he likes doing the irrigation.

When I first started doing his places five years ago he watered every morning and every afternoon for an hour on each zone. It was crazy. I tried to get him to go every three days or so unless it was really hot and dry.

I use to pay someone to do the weed spray until I got my license. Should have just threw the money in the toilet. For two years I always had weeds, the sprinklers were washing the spray off before it could work. Now that I do the spraying, I turn off all controllers, place a card in each controller saying do not turn on water.

I finally got four of the locations set around my mowing schedule and only every three days. They are so much easier to mow now, and they look so much better, the cut lasts longer.

The fifth is his personal residence. The majority of the time he still wanted to have the sprinklers going every morning for an hour. It is exactly a one acre property. The entire property was like walking on a sponge. Several slopes around the grounds are almost not mowable at times. My ZTR rider is useless since it tears up the sod to easily being so mud soaked, so I had to use a walkbehind and be always concious of my tire movement. Hit the brakes and it is like snow skiing. In the real early spring and late fall I could use the ZTR, took me half the time than when he is running the irrigation.

There were several areas that did not get enough sunlight so they would never dry out. Moss everywhere. I finally just had to show him that these areas were just too hard to mow and they looked really bad and I could do nothing about it. I was able to get him to turn the watering times down and go everyother day. They are still muddy at times, but so much better. Working on him for every third day or so now.

I really feel for you. If like mine, it is most likely a good property, income wise and all, except this watering thing and you do not really want to lose it. I think I would try to stress to him the concepts of disease and fungus due to all the moisture. Maybe stress how hard it is for you to properly mow the property. You are really worried about his satisfaction with the ruts and possible mud tracks in the future, as well as, tearing up any sod cause it is just too wet. As a professional, you want his property to look it's best since it is a reflection on your business in the community and to his neighbors.

Ask him for a trial period to allow you to control the watering schedule for a month or two. Let him know that you can make it look just as good or better. If he is that hard of a sell on the idea, have some backup info from some books, bulletins, university programs, etc.. about amounts of water required for grass, irrigation settings rcommended by the info, etc...

Good Luck:)

[awm]

Is there any chance this fellow has alheimezers.
Just a thought as ive had similar situation.

[MWHC]

Yes there are ill effects with too much water.

#1 The ruts you are leaving in the lawn.
#2 Over watering causes thatch buildup.
#3 It wastes money, water, and your time cutting excessive growth.

It gets even better when the customer over waters and puts too much fertilizer down.

[stick9]

I wrote a nice long reply to this and then .. for some strange reason .. it disappeared. oh well. Over watering HIGHLY irritates me. 90 percent of our customers are guilty of this IGNORANT action. Makes lawns look like crap .. and takes us twice as long due to having to clean out the mower. Not to mention the fact that it rains 3 SOLID days a week, here in detroit. Really foolish.


STick-9

"May fortune favor the foolish"

[bob]

I have a few commercial accounts that insist on running the sprinklers every day. I think that they like the idea of having sprinkles, and feel obligated to use them.

[Kevin]

Have a customer who had a nice lawn. Wanted to keep up with his neighbor so he got an irrigation system installed(not by me) All of sudden his lawn goes on a downhill slide as far as quality. Sell him on a renovation, ask to readjust his watering schedule, find out he was watering at midnite!

[powerreel]

Just throw the double check and that's the end of it!

[Ocutter]

Tell him he will have a good crop of fungi and disease next yr. if he doesnt slow down. Either that or quit!

[Scraper]

MWHC...You couldn't have said anything more! c I've told him all of that and to boot he puts down a double dose of fert!!! I could've cut his lawn twice a week all summer. Actually I just plowed it down and left the clippings as well. Usually wasn't too bad, but I figured since I'd already told him to stop all the watering and fertilizing I wasn't gonna spend more time than I normally do! If he were to complain, it'd be a double charge each time I cut. :) I think next year I'm going to go with Lazer's way and require all lawns that I cut to use my fert program.

Funny thing is I mow the neighbor's house who has no irrigation and his lawn is just as green and grew just as fast.

[Twotoros]

Let me also join this club. People won't listen even when I point out the ill effects of watering daily . ?????????? I am puzzled.

[Eric ELM]

I don't think half of the customers with watering sytems know how to turn them off. Also the rain detectors aren't functioning either, because I see them watering in the rain too.

[paul]

We had a Park District that did the same too much water, they where leaving tracks thru the park all the time, finialy came out with the Irriagation guy and showed them how much they where watering,(over 1" a day) shortien the story some we removed our garrentee of all the plants and sod that we installed. This year they are replacing all the sod do to the fact that fungus has taken over and killed over 50% of the park!

[Scotty]

I could spend 2 hour talking about how much this bothers me, my goal is to treat every lawn as if it was my own. When I can't do a great job because they watered, it ruins my day. I've repeatly told customers, if they have to water, please don't on the day we cut. This aproach does not seem to work.

I've gone a step futher to included a watering fine on there bill, never had a complaint, they just pay the bill. After a couple weeks of cutting wet grass, I just turn off the sprinkler valve on the side of the house.

There is no reason to cut grass thats almost as tall as the front wheels of the DC and wet. 75% of lawns we cut are on clay, so if you make one wrong move a HUGE patch of sod is ripped up.

I don't think people understand, if we work together they could have the nicest lawn on the block.

[KirbysLawn]

I explain to them what the purpose of watering is: To water the grass roots to a depth of 6". This is done by applying 1" of water per week, preferably all at one time. If run-off is a issue I have them set sprinklers for less time, and have them run it through the zones 2-3 times that same day to get saturation. I simply explain watering 15 minutes per day is a total waste of time, water, and money due to the fact that the water NEVER EVER penetrates the soil much over 1/4" (around here). Next time I would take them out to the lawn, explain again, and then pull back a 1" or 2 of soil and show them how shallow they are watering. Shallow watering = shallow root system, shallow root system = , well you know the story....

[GroundKprs]

All plants must respire - take in oxygen - as a catalyst to the photosynthesis process. Most plants, except for a few water plants, respire through their roots. Air containing oxygen is washed into the soil by rainfall and irrigation. Excess water will drive the air out of the soil. Result is drowning plants - just as harmful as drowning people or animals. The worst damage to landscapes in the USA is not from insects, diseases or any other form of pest, it is overwatering. The second worst damage is overfertilization.

[T.C.O.B.]

Where I come from OVERWATERING, is just as bad as not watering. Plants and turf need only so much water, the rest is wasted. This practice is detrimental to the health and vitality of the customers landscape investment (weeds,drainage, shallow roots). Not to mention a watse of a precious natural resource. Call your local co-op extension or irrigation professional in your area to find out what the proper watering rates are for the soil in your region.
We offer seasonal timer adjustments to our customers, as well as rain guage installations. Hey, he may not know how to operate or adjust the timer, offer to inspect it for free. It could save you alot of time and negative energy spent on something that can be resolved in 10 minutes.
Good Luck!

[ronslawncare]

how is every1 doin im new to this forum.i think u guys are all doing a real nice job helping each other out .i myself have benifited from this forum plenty.i have about two customers that love to tell me i havent water it since last week i would never do that when i no you are coming to mow.just raise the cut price i did i up both from thirty to forty .i simple tell them that whatever is wet clumps up on the lawn and i have to rake it or it will just sit there until next week and charge them an extra 10.oo so 40.oo a cut is good

[Acute Cut]

Did any of you ever ask to look at the irrigation system? I know my watering customer had to finally admit that she had absolutly NO CLUE if and when she watered. I looked at it and adjusted it for her free of charge. "Just another service that we provide for our loyal customers ma'am" (So we dont break our necks on your stinking hilly lawn tomorrow)

Just wondering
Acute Cut

[Scag48]

I wet lawns. Not so much soggy but wet. I've got one account that knows when I'm coming and when I show up their sprinklers are running. No prob. Just turn them off. Hose is around the corner. Wait one second. I gotta pull the hose in 50 feet takes about 3 mins. for me coiling and everything. What a pain in the rear. Then the lawn is wet still and I gotta clean my deck when I get home. I also have to dodge dog poo, sticks, river rock, a couple of chickens, move their tables and chairs toys all at one account! Don't get me wrong, I'm friends with these people but they say they're gonna do something one week and it's like it never existed the next. No, I can't afford to drop the account like you guys could. They were my best account profit wise and I'm still not done working for them yet this year. Still got leaves and aeration. I like money!:)

[jasonp]

Totally different down here people look at people funny when they see them watering grass like they are saying why would anyone do such a thing, but i see where your coming from to to much is just a waste.

[powerreel]

Like I said, throw the double check and they won't even know! Most are just out of it and want to turn the clock off but forget for whatever reason! The double check will be near the water meter!

[jaclawn]

Too many people subscribe to the "more is better" theory. More fertilizer, more water, mower weed control... So, why not MORE MOWING? Tell him that you will have to mow 2X per week. Go in the afternoon so that it will be relativly dry.

There is one of these type people in one of the neighborhoods I cover. His lawn looks terrible from the constant heavy growth.