winter temps

[williams lcm]

Friday was almost 90 degrees. With temps in the 80's this week it does not look like we are getting a break this year. We have a had alot of rain today and 70% chance of rain tomorrow. My St.augustine is growing so fast. Nice and green. I want to hold off on the weekly mowing until April but it may not happen this year. But 4 weeks away to weekly really sucks.

[GreenT]

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Global cooling.

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[Landscape Poet]

Soil temp here is reading 69 degrees. That is 9 degree increase in the last week. Give it about 10 more degrees and you will really think the turf is growing then.
I do not wait until April to start weekly visits, never have, to many little things to do to get everything ready before the real heat hits. Besides that while out in March I hand out door hangers etc, this has proved to be more profitable than not as I pick up a lot of accounts this time of year because I am out and about. I have picked up 5 new accounts in neighborhoods I already service, actually it is just two neighborhoods those accounts came from. I say this every year and people get all "well I never start until April" etc etc...but every year I grow larger and larger with a min. amount spent on advertising, Wonder why that is

[Florida Gardener]

I have said this before and will say again. You guys need to be charging more if you are going weekly anytime before may 1 or if you start cutting weekly before that time. I only show up weekly in off season if they pay for it, and I only cut weekly if before may 1 if they pay for it. Most of my yards already need weekly, so I sent out an email letting them know it is extra. If you started weekly in march your giving away 4 cuts or showing up 4 extra times and/or giving 4 extra cuts too....
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[Landscape Poet]

Originally Posted by diamondlandscaping

I have said this before and will say again. You guys need to be charging more if you are going weekly anytime before may 1 or if you start cutting weekly before that time. I only show up weekly in off season if they pay for it, and I only cut weekly if before may 1 if they pay for it. Most of my yards already need weekly, so I sent out an email letting them know it is extra. If you started weekly in march your giving away 4 cuts or showing up 4 extra times and/or giving 4 extra cuts too....
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I have priced it in down here. I just figured that the soil temps tend to get to that almost right range ( about 80 degrees) for our warm season turfs in March almost every and things start growing. A lot of accounts actually start needing weekly mowing especially after the urea cowboys get them going. If they don't they don't they don't but most likely there is something on the property that we can get a head start on before the heat arrives or something we neglected a little too much in the winter that needs touched up now
. Throw a few door hangers out here and there, pick up a few extra thousand a year because you are out and about and able to be seen by those looking. This is the time of year I think most lawn turds get replaced. The customer has just sent his check in for the March Services, looks out at his lawn, sees a combination of the grass growing faster, winter weeds that have been established as well as possibly a few spring weeds popping up that have not been cut.......IN HIS mind after paying you all winter for not mowing the grass but a few times he is pissed. He looks out his window and see's another LCO servicing his neighbors property and gets a quote and pisses and moans in the LCO's ear about everything you ever did wrong and then tells the other LCO to start and gives you a call to let you know that your services are no longer needed.

Chalk one up for the lawn turd with a fire in his belly for money ....mark down a loss for the lawn professional that fails to change his schedule to fit the current demands of the turf.


The way I figure it is a rough number of cuts per year. Some months you can go once a month during the winter, others you can't, as long as the property owner looks outside and it looks good. You win....if they do not like what they see.....you lose!

[Florida Gardener]

Originally Posted by Landscape Poet

I have priced it in down here. I just figured that the soil temps tend to get to that almost right range ( about 80 degrees) for our warm season turfs in March almost every and things start growing. A lot of accounts actually start needing weekly mowing especially after the urea cowboys get them going. If they don't they don't they don't but most likely there is something on the property that we can get a head start on before the heat arrives or something we neglected a little too much in the winter that needs touched up now
. Throw a few door hangers out here and there, pick up a few extra thousand a year because you are out and about and able to be seen by those looking. This is the time of year I think most lawn turds get replaced. The customer has just sent his check in for the March Services, looks out at his lawn, sees a combination of the grass growing faster, winter weeds that have been established as well as possibly a few spring weeds popping up that have not been cut.......IN HIS mind after paying you all winter for not mowing the grass but a few times he is pissed. He looks out his window and see's another LCO servicing his neighbors property and gets a quote and pisses and moans in the LCO's ear about everything you ever did wrong and then tells the other LCO to start and gives you a call to let you know that your services are no longer needed.

Chalk one up for the lawn turd with a fire in his belly for money ....mark down a loss for the lawn professional that fails to change his schedule to fit the current demands of the turf.


The way I figure it is a rough number of cuts per year. Some months you can go once a month during the winter, others you can't, as long as the property owner looks outside and it looks good. You win....if they do not like what they see.....you lose!

It's a little different down here. We still pretty much have to cut 2x in the winter. It just doesn't get as cold down here as up in central and north. Plus, even if it's a week I'm supposed to cut and it doesn't need it, I'm showing up to do whatever else needs done. There are a lot of companies down here that show up every week in the winter no matter what. When you factor in the summer time, how much the account is(~$150 or less per month), your not really making a whole lot of money. Not saying your business is this way, just that a lot of guys here do things like that and wonder why they aren't making much money. If you've verbalized some kind of agreement with a customer, sure I guess you got to do whatever. If you've given them a written agreement that outlines everything they get for a certain price, they have no legitimate right to complain bc it's in writing and if they want things above and beyond, they need to pay.
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[jvanvliet]

Originally Posted by GreenT

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Global cooling.

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Just ask the people in Europe.

(Reuters) - The worst February cold spell Europe has seen in decades may last until the end of the month, leading meteorologists said, raising the prospect of further deaths.

The cold and heavy snowfall has killed hundreds of people across Europe. The temperature in some eastern countries has plummeted to nearly minus 40degrees Celsius.

[Landscape Poet]

T and Jvanvliet ----- Off to the political forum with the both of you!

[Landscape Poet]

Originally Posted by diamondlandscaping

It's a little different down here. We still pretty much have to cut 2x in the winter. It just doesn't get as cold down here as up in central and north. Plus, even if it's a week I'm supposed to cut and it doesn't need it, I'm showing up to do whatever else needs done. There are a lot of companies down here that show up every week in the winter no matter what. When you factor in the summer time, how much the account is(~$150 or less per month), your not really making a whole lot of money. Not saying your business is this way, just that a lot of guys here do things like that and wonder why they aren't making much money. If you've verbalized some kind of agreement with a customer, sure I guess you got to do whatever. If you've given them a written agreement that outlines everything they get for a certain price, they have no legitimate right to complain bc it's in writing and if they want things above and beyond, they need to pay.
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In comparison to the last couple of years we had a pretty mild winter so the turf really needed to be cut here every two weeks on most properties this year. The exception is those that had bad brown patch and or those who have little to no proper fertilization and care. These along with my few bahia accounts are actually the most profitable as many of them have not been touched since Mid to Late October on the Turf.

The longer and longer I do this I find that sometimes the superior lawn and property does not always mean superior profits. I used to shy away from Bahia lawns as they suck to mow, generally are dusty and the home owners who have bahia generally are not too keen on turf quality. As long as they agree to my amount per month.....life is grand. I am actually kicking myself in the tale for not agreeing to take more of these accounts on sooner. I know that I am not going to get a lawn turd award for maintaining them...but at this point I really do not care because I have figured out that the old bank account matters a little more than my pride.

My focus this year is on growing inside the subdivisions that we are already in. With Gas approaching $4 quickly it only makes sense to me to do so. Also at this point we are really maxed out for me and a helper. Any more outlying our regular route I do not feel are going to be valuable in the long run. Next year if all goes as planned...a new trailer and truck will be on the road. The thing is I figured out that expansion of any sorts is good if it is profitable, crappy looking lawn to excellent lawns.

[Florida Gardener]

Originally Posted by Landscape Poet

In comparison to the last couple of years we had a pretty mild winter so the turf really needed to be cut here every two weeks on most properties this year. The exception is those that had bad brown patch and or those who have little to no proper fertilization and care. These along with my few bahia accounts are actually the most profitable as many of them have not been touched since Mid to Late October on the Turf.

The longer and longer I do this I find that sometimes the superior lawn and property does not always mean superior profits. I used to shy away from Bahia lawns as they suck to mow, generally are dusty and the home owners who have bahia generally are not too keen on turf quality. As long as they agree to my amount per month.....life is grand. I am actually kicking myself in the tale for not agreeing to take more of these accounts on sooner. I know that I am not going to get a lawn turd award for maintaining them...but at this point I really do not care because I have figured out that the old bank account matters a little more than my pride.

My focus this year is on growing inside the subdivisions that we are already in. With Gas approaching $4 quickly it only makes sense to me to do so. Also at this point we are really maxed out for me and a helper. Any more outlying our regular route I do not feel are going to be valuable in the long run. Next year if all goes as planned...a new trailer and truck will be on the road. The thing is I figured out that expansion of any sorts is good if it is profitable, crappy looking lawn to excellent lawns.

I do agree with the crappy vs nice to a certain dollar amount. IMO, $250/mo and lower nice lawns are really not as profitable gross wise on the maintenance. They take longer and have higher expectations. The flip side is they will probably spend more on extras through the year where the crappy lawn will prob be maintenance only. The $300/mo and up crowd IMO is where you make good money. At least for me down here. Again, people can price these wrong, but these people typically won't go with lowballers. They are more apt to spend more with a legit company.
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