Indiana

[jajwrigh]

On the Northeast side of Indy, near Castleton I have run into a biblical plague of cicadas!!!! They were on every tree, leaf, and all over the ground at this particular account of mine. They seemed to be in a middle instar stage, so I would imagine more molting to come! Watch out for them!

[Loganwildman]

Originally posted by D Felix
Ok, for those of in the central part of the state, what suppliers do you use?

We don't mow, so I'll probably leave out some....

Hobb's, Plainfield, wholesale nursery
Tiffany's, well, everyone knows what they sell!
Woerner's/Ameri-tuf- sod and supplies
Prarie Creek, Lebanon, sod
Purdy's, Lafayette, sod
EJ Prescot, drainage supplies
Lesco, Harding and 465
Indiana Turf Solutions (think that's the name), in/around Fishers
Garrity Stone, stone supplies
Earth Products, stone supplies
Hoosier Stone, Whitestown, larger stones
Stone Center, d'uh!
Mansfield Stone- some of you may not know about these people, they are located in Brazil and supply Stone Center with the "Mansfield" Stone. Go direct to them for 1/2 the price....

These are most of our suppliers. I can get phone numbers for most/all of these if anyone needs them.

Dan

Dan, please get the phone numbers for the ones I've included. Also, If anyone knows of a stone wholesaler further north of Indy, please let me know.

We have been doing landscaping and light excavating for 2 years now, and I am condsidering branching into the lawn mowing area. But I don't know how to find out what the going rates are for the Kokomo Logansport and Peru areas are. Can someone give me some advice?

[jajwrigh]

There are a few different ways that you could approach quoting a mowing job. One way is to calculate your working man hours for that account times the estimated amount of time you think it will take to mow, trim, and blow. Example: I pay myself $30/hr and have a helper who earns $8/hr. That equals $38/hr I need to earn to make a profit for each working employee. So if I think a job will take me and another guy 2 hours I would quote $76 per cut. Another way some people quote jobs is by the square foot. Spend some timing crunching hypothetical numbers to see which method works best for you while producing a reasonable price. I hope this helps.

[jajwrigh]

Those who are licensed ....what do you do for your 4th and 5th turf applications and what is the general time frame of these applications? It looks like I may be able to get started late summer this year!

[Loganwildman]

Originally posted by jajwrigh
There are a few different ways that you could approach quoting a mowing job. One way is to calculate your working man hours for that account times the estimated amount of time you think it will take to mow, trim, and blow. Example: I pay myself $30/hr and have a helper who earns $8/hr. That equals $38/hr I need to earn to make a profit for each working employee. So if I think a job will take me and another guy 2 hours I would quote $76 per cut. Another way some people quote jobs is by the square foot. Spend some timing crunching hypothetical numbers to see which method works best for you while producing a reasonable price. I hope this helps.

Does the $30/hr you pay yourself include your equipment and overhead and profit?

[jajwrigh]

Just figure what you need to make to cover your equipment and overhead....I was just trying to use an example but it seems like you already know what to do.

[Russ]

Try this jajwrigh,

http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/pubs/ay27.htm

[D Felix]

Hobb's, 317-837-8301
Tiffany's, 317-228-4900 or 800-365-5678
Woerner's/Ameri-turf- 317-334-1290
Prarie Creek, Lebanon, 765-482-0033
Purdy's, Lafayette, 765-477-1500
EJ Prescot, drainage supplies, 317-247-0005, also have a branch in Lafayette but don't know that number
Lesco, Harding and 465,317-787-0310
Indiana Turf Solutions (think that's the name), don't have it at home, sorry
Garrity Stone, don't have it at home
Earth Products, don't have it at home, but try http://www.fieldstonecenter.com , that's their sister company down south
Hoosier Stone, Whitestown, larger stones, 317-769-3585, it's delivery only, you can't pick anything up
Stone Center, 317-849-9100, http://www.estonecenter.com
Mansfield Stone, 812-446-6025, I think the URL is http://www.mansfieldstone.com but I'm not sure

You might want to consider joining the Indiana Nursery and Landscape Association (INLA). Every year they put on a trade show in Indianapolis and you can find suppliers there. http://www.inla1.org

HTH...


Dan

[jajwrigh]

Hey all I got my 3b today!!!

[D Felix]

Congratulations! I still need to go in for the RT test. I guess that's why my bosses have their cert's though....

On another note: Since I posted when I first found bagworms, I'll post another one along the same lines..... I found ONE Japanese beetle on Thursday. Yes, it was very much alive. It was at least 2 weeks early by all accounts, but then again, just about everything is running that far ahead. Found it in Greencastle, so you know. Only one I've found so far though....


Dan