Spring is such a great time in the garden.  The winter is finally over and we finally have the promise – at least – of better weather ahead.  It’s also the time when the grass starts to grow and sprout and that means regular mowing is ahead.  You can expect more frequent calls from your clients at this time of year!

Lots of people want to get a great lawn for the summer.  But in reality you need to get started just before spring arrives if you want to produce the lawns your clients will be after.

Ideally you want to take a good look at any lawn you are required to tend throughout the year.  It may have sustained some damage during the winter, depending on the weather conditions the area was subjected to.  Watch out for bald patches and apply some grass seed if you need to.  This will start the growth process nice and early.

You also need to consider fertilizing the lawn.  There are particular fertilizers that are designed to be used at this time of year, to encourage new growth.  You should also try and find one that is made in a time release formula.  If you do, the lawn will benefit from being ‘fed’ on a more regular and steady basis.

If you can, rake over the lawn and get rid of any debris that has fallen on it during the colder months of the year.  If this is your first time with a particular client – or the first time of the year you have been there – you will need to do some basic maintenance tasks like this initially.  This is also the time when you need to assess the aeration and condition of the lawn.  The better aerated it is, the better it will fare as the weather warms up and you have to water it more often.  Good aeration allows the water to go down deeper into the lawn and water it from below, so to speak.

If your client has an irrigation system in place you should check this to make sure it is adequate as well.  Many clients appreciate a bit of advice on what they can do to help protect their lawn at this time of year anyway, so whatever you can tell them is always a good thing.

There is no doubt that your first yearly visit to a client whose lawn needs upkeep and attention should be one of evaluating what is needed in the immediate future.  This also extends to taking a look around to see what is overhanging the lawn; any damaged branches that could pose a hazard and drop onto the lawn should be removed safely for example.

As you can see, this is a time for evaluation and careful tending to the lawn in order to prepare it for the summer months ahead.  The more you can do now, the better the chances are of a lush green lawn appearing exactly when the client wants to see it!

You may be tempted to think that grass is grass, but nothing could be further from the truth.  If you are keen to take good care of your clients’ lawns so they can enjoy a luscious green lawn all year round, it pays to find out what a few basic terms mean.  One of these is thatch.

What is thatch?  Well, it’s not good.  And if a client has thatch they have a badly kept lawn, I’m afraid.  That’s just the way it is.

With that said however you can do a lot to make sure you get rid of any thatch you see.  You can also prevent further instances of thatch occurring, so keep reading for some useful tips on doing both of the above.

Firstly we should find out what thatch is, because this will help you to prevent it in future.  Basically it consists of debris and blades of grass that is left on the lawn.  For example if you mow it and don’t clear up all the grass clippings as you should, the items that remain will eventually form thatch.  Basically we’re talking about all the bad bits that have no place sitting on a lawn – so what you have to do is learn to remove them.

They are more likely if you don’t adhere to good lawn keeping methods.  For example if you aerate a lawn properly and regularly you will probably find you have less of a problem with the build up of thatch.  But if you don’t do this and you don’t clear up after yourself when you mow the grass, you will almost certainly end up with a build up of the stuff.  The same goes for not cutting the grass frequently.  If you keep it nice and short you will find that thatch is harder to take hold.  If you have long grass to tackle, don’t be too surprised to find thatch when you mow it.

As always with lawns, regular care can solve all these problems.  Dethatching is an activity you will need to become familiar with if you want every lawn you mow to start looking good again.  The good news is that the process isn’t too hard and you probably already have what you need to dethatch it quite easily yourself.

The piece of garden equipment you need is – drum roll please – a rake.  Yes, that is all you need.  The act of raking over a lawn (ideally once you have cut it) will get rid of all the thatch and dead material that is lurking within the good grass.  If you do this regularly you will find it solves the thatch problem once and for all.  Provided you keep it up you will keep this scourge at bay and never really be troubled by it again.

It might seem hard to believe that it can be solved by aerating the lawn and dragging a rake over it on a regular basis.  But that’s all there is to getting rid of this menace and moving towards a better lawn as a result.

When you are new to the landscaping and lawn care business it can be tricky to figure out which tasks you should be doing when for each client.  For example they may want you to mow their lawn for them, trim it and then edge it.  They might also want you to power wash that garden path for them every now and then as well.

A good question to find the answer to is the issue of trimming and mowing, and which comes first.  Once you have the answer you can get straight down to the job and follow the same plan all the time with confidence.  Let’s get that answer shall we?

Now I won’t assume you automatically know what trimming is.  Some people make the mistake of thinking that trimming is another way of describing edging.  But it’s not.  Edging is what you do with a strimmer, i.e. the strimmer cuts around the edges of the lawn from top to bottom, ensuring you have a nice neat edge.

Trimming, meanwhile, works from right to left rather than up and down.  When you mow a lawn you won’t be able to get your mower into every last bit of it.  This is particularly true if the grass goes right up to a fence or hedge for example.

Different landscapers do things differently, but for my money trimming first usually works out best.  You will come to spot the areas that will need trimming, and you can quickly get those out of the way first.  You can mow the entire lawn and clear up after yourself at the end.

If you are tackling a garden for the first time for a new client however, you may want to trim the lawn first.  This would be particularly advisable if you have long grass to tackle, as it enables you to tidy up the edges before you get the lawn mower out.

Just imagine trying to mow long grass at the edges of a lawn.  You can end up going over it several times if you’re not careful and chewing up the ground beneath it as well.  By trimming the outer edges and any inaccessible parts of the lawn with the trimmer first, you will make your job easier when you start mowing.  You can go from the outside in to cut the grass down to an acceptable level.

You could talk to several landscapers and (assuming they are willing to share their methods with you!) they will probably admit to approaching the task from either direction.  I have always found trimming first to be the best approach, but it does depend on the garden and on the ground as well.

Take a closer look at any lawn you are cutting for the first time to see which approach would work best.  Then you can apply that approach the next time you visit as well.  This technique can work well for every garden you visit.

If you take care of other people’s gardens for them as a landscaper and lawn care professional, you need to know about lime.  Most people aren’t even aware of lime or what it can do for their gardens.  But you are in a position to show them the benefits of using it.

As with everything you add to a lawn or other garden area though, you need to know what to do and how to use it properly.  Inappropriate use can be just as damaging as not using it at all.

Lime basically acts as a fertilizer.  Lime is used on a lawn when the acidity is found to be too high.  It might sound a little confusing at first, but when you check the acidity of the soil in a garden, you will find that a low pH means you have highly acidic soil.  In order to raise the pH, lime must be added to counteract the acidity.

So for starters you need to ensure you keep a pH testing kit in your truck at all times.  You won’t always need to use it regularly in any one particular garden.  But certainly when you first arrive somewhere new it’s a good idea to figure out what you’re up against.  This is particularly important if the client has hired you to landscape their garden for them.  If you don’t know what acidity the soil has, you could end up planting things that won’t last.

You can often tell by sight whether a particular lawn or garden is too acidic.  Can you spot moss in the grass for example?  Moss loves acidic situations so this is a fairly good indicator that you might have to apply lime.  But once again, always check the level of acidity with the pH testing kit before you start applying the lime.

Make sure that when you do use lime you know exactly how much to put on to achieve the results you want.  Read all the packaging carefully and use the pH level you have gained to get the right dosage.  You don’t need to apply lime very often at all.  Do it once in a year and then test the soil again to see what the pH is this time.  You may find it is now okay and you don’t need to do it again.  Conversely you might need to use less than you did before.  The danger in applying too much lime is that the soil will go the other way, becoming too alkaline in nature instead of being too acidic.

As you can see testing is the clear task to do before you think about liming.  When you do have to apply it you don’t have to wait for any period of the year to make sure it gets done.  Instead you can apply it whenever it is needed, provided there has been no frost.

As you can see, lime provides a good solution in many acidic soils, but only in moderation.

Anyone who has ever tackled a huge yard filled with fallen leaves when it is windy knows how hard the job can be.  A task which should take an hour or so can turn into something that has no end.  It’s no wonder so many people get disillusioned and give up altogether, when they have fought against the wind and lost!

But there is a quick and easy secret that will enable you to collect up every last leaf in your garden (or a garden you are tending to, if you have a job as a gardener), no matter how windy it gets.

The secret involves the use of a fence.  Not just any old fence though – this needs to be a snow fence or one made from something like chicken wire.  Whatever you use, the idea is that it is a barrier which isn’t solid.  A snow fence is made from plastic with holes punched through it, which means it is light and easy to move around.  Are you starting to see how this works?

The idea is amazingly easy and it makes leaf collection on windy days equally easy as well.  All you have to do for starters is to figure out which way the wind is blowing.  For example let’s say it is blowing from left to right across the garden.  In this case you should stake out the snow fence on the right hand side of the garden.

Make sure the fencing is angled so it isn’t just in a straight line.  This will enable the leaves to blow into the fencing but not easily be able to blow out again.  You can then take your time collecting them up and bagging them without having to worry about them blowing away from you.

The best bet in this example would be to start at one end of the garden on the right hand side, and then work your way up to the other end.  The snow fence or chicken wire can easily be removed and stuck back into the lawn further along the garden, so it doesn’t take long to arrange it at all.

There is such a thing as a leaf sweeper as well that you can use.  This works much like a lawn mower in that you can wheel it around and it picks all the leaves up.  It doesn’t quite beat the simplicity of the snow fence though, and since you can easily roll this up and take it from job to job, storage isn’t a problem either.  All you need is the fence and your trusty rake, and you are all set for business.

So the next time autumn rolls around and you look out in despair at all the leaves stacking up in the gardens you tend to, buy yourself a snow fence.  You will be able to solve the problem in no time at all.  Doesn’t that sound good?

What is the most important part of a lawn mower?  It’s all pretty important really, because all the parts work in conjunction to ensure the whole thing cuts the grass just as you want it to.  But if those blades weren’t in place – or worse, they weren’t sharp enough to do the job – you’d be disappointed in the results.

As a landscaper you need to ensure your blades are sharp at all times.  You want to provide the best results for your clients and regular sharpening is required to ensure the constant mowing does not dull the blades.

So how do you do it?

Well firstly you have to remember that safety always comes first.  As a professional you will of course be aware of this.  But it is very easy to become complacent if you aren’t too careful.  Bear that in mind as we find out how to sharpen those all important blades.

First you need to make sure the lawn mower has no chance of starting up just when you are trying to remove the blades.  To make sure this doesn’t happen simply remove the spark plug.  This should just take a second or two and you can easily replace it once you are done.

You’ll see that the blades are held in place by a chunky nut, so you’ll need to unscrew that by using a wrench.  The idea is never to try and take a short cut and sharpen them while they are still on the mower.

Once the blade is off you can grab your file and start sharpening it.  You need to ensure the blade is kept perfectly in balance though otherwise you will get an uneven cut when you start to mow the lawns again.

So what you need to do to prevent it from becoming uneven is to count how many times you use the file on each side of the blade.  I usually do five swipes at a time on each side, as they’re easy to keep track of.  You should be able to see whether the blade has been sharpened adequately – and don’t fall for the temptation of running your thumb along it to find out!

You then just have to reverse the process to get your sharpened blade back on the mower again.  Handle it carefully to ensure you don’t cut yourself; I sometimes wear thick gardening gloves to handle it more easily.  It makes it a little tricky to get the nut and bolt back in place as you re-attach it to the mower, but it’s safer than trying to do it without them.

Finally remember to re-attach the spark plug and you’re ready to go.  Keep an eye on how the grass is cutting and you’ll soon get to know when the blades need sharpening again.  Remember your lawn mower is one of your most essential tools as a landscaper, so you need to make sure it is in tip top condition at all times.

Every business has its ups and downs, no matter how well run they are.  Perhaps the most dangerous time for any business is when it initially starts up, because you are going on instinct and research rather than experience.

It’s no secret that all lawn care professionals have made mistakes of varying sizes at one time or another.  But reading about them is always a good idea because it means you can try and avoid making those same mistakes yourself.

For starters you need to advertise your business in as many ways as you can.  If you are sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring and you have an empty order book, the chances are you aren’t doing enough advertising.  Get yourself out there and make sure you can be found.

It is also a big mistake to invest in lots of equipment before you can afford to pay for it.  Start small if necessary and build up from there; this gives you a much better chance of achieving the results you want.  As you make a bigger profit you can invest some of it in new equipment.

And this brings us to another tripping point commonly experienced by lawn care professionals across the country.  How much time and research do you put into everything you buy?  There are countless stories around about contractors who have bought what seemed to be a bargain trailer or mower, only to discover it doesn’t meet their needs.

To avoid falling into this trap yourself, find out what the competition is using and consider the pros and cons of any piece of equipment before you buy it.  How will you use it?  How often will you need it? Is the bargain you spotted really such a good bargain after all?  What about the costs of maintenance and running that equipment in the first place?  Would you be better off buying something more expensive that will last longer?  Finding the answers to all these questions will help you to avoid making some of the major mistakes made by others before you.

It’s also a big mistake to buy cheap equipment.  Cheap stuff simply doesn’t last as long as more expensive items.  You’ll likely get better results with better gear as well, and since your clients want the best results from you, you can see how a more expensive mower will help you keep existing clients and bag some new ones as well.

There are plenty of mistakes you can make as a newbie to the business.  But even experienced professionals make mistakes sometimes.  It is far more likely that your mistakes will be made initially though.  If you can keep them to a minimum and focus on developing your business by reinvesting your profits into it, you’ll get better results in the long term.  If you make the mistake of never plowing some of your profits back into the business, you’ll never be able to grow.

Most people look at a few lawns and assume they are all the same.  They take a look at the lush green grass on the tennis courts at the annual Wimbledon tennis championships and say, “Why can’t my lawn look that good?”  The reason is probably that they grow a completely different type of lawn based on a mix of grass seed.  It might be very different to what you have growing in your back garden!

But let’s take a look at how you should go about watering your lawn.  It’s important to take good care of it because you will get the best looking lawn you can by putting a little bit of effort in.  If you know what grass you have – for example if you have newly sown some fresh grass seed in your garden – it should tell you on the packet how to take care of it and water it.  If not, you can follow some basic rules to make sure you get the best from your lawn.

First of all, understand that no two lawns are exactly the same.  Mine might have the same mix of grass that yours does for example.  But my garden could be south facing while yours is north facing.  It could also be that my garden is overshadowed by trees whereas yours gets a lot more sun.  The point is that the conditions will differ in every case, so you will have to evaluate your own garden to figure out how best to water it.

Obviously watering is required in the summer.  Strictly speaking the hotter it is the more often you will need to water it.  You need to water your lawn at the right time though.  If you can get up early enough, water it first thing in the morning.  If you go out at midday to do it the water will just evaporate and it won’t have a chance to actually do your lawn any good at all.  Alternatively you can water later in the evening once the sun is going down.  It will have the same effect as the grass can take in the water it needs without it being burned off.

Another good point worth remembering is to aerate your lawn fully during the summer months.  It’s a good idea to do this all year round as it helps to prevent moss from growing as well.  But if you aerate it during the summer the water you put on it will sink down deeper instead of sitting on the surface of the earth.  Needless to say this means the grass is watered more deeply than it would be otherwise, and this helps to protect the grass.  You will still need to water it a lot but you will find that it is easier to keep looking good.

Just remember that you shouldn’t wait until your lawn loses its lush green looks before you get the hose out.  If you keep on top of watering your lawn it will look good for longer all year round.

If any home owner comes to you and asks for the perfect lawn to replace what they have now, you need to introduce them to sod.  This is by far the easiest way to get great results in fairly short order.  Sod is grown to perfection by experts and then made available in squares.  These are usually designed to be a yard square wherever you happen to buy them from.  You can buy as many or as few squares as you need, or if you are laying a whole lawn you will buy them by the pallet load.

One thing you should know is that you don’t have to wait for a certain time of the year to lay new sod in a garden.  The one thing you don’t want is very wet conditions, so if there has been a torrential downpour it’s best to wait until the ground isn’t a mud pit before you start.  And obviously snow isn’t a good idea either!

As you gain more experience of sodding lawns you will become more confident as well.  But for starters you need to know you have to be ready to lay your lawn when the sod arrives.  It’s no good having it turn up on the day you arrive at your client’s home.  You have to get the old sod up first before you can lay the new stuff, and that could take a day or more depending on the size of the garden.  You should be able to take delivery of the sod and start laying it straightaway.

Before you start laying the sod, mark out the area you want to fill.  Lay it in rows first, butting each piece firmly up against the next piece.  Make sure there are no gaps and ignore any edges that will require cut pieces of sod to fill.  You can do these last.

Once you have laid the whole lawn you should water it thoroughly.  Grass is just like any other plant you put in for the first time – it needs watering and the roots need to find their way into the soil below.  If you don’t water it you’ll lose all the nice sod you’ve just laid.

Be sure to advise your customer to water the lawn frequently too if you won’t be returning to do any other jobs for them in the near future.  Make sure they understand that watering it will help it to grow and develop.  If they don’t do it they’ll lose their lawn.

It’s also a good idea to aerate the new lawn not long after you have laid it.  Keeping up with the general maintenance of any lawn is ideal to do with newly laid sod, as it will mean you are starting off on the right foot.

There is no doubt that sod is the better option when it comes to having a new lawn.  Seeds are tricky to use and sod will give you an immediate result.

Sooner or later anyone who has their own lawn care business will ask themselves this question.  Should you or shouldn’t you?

A lawn tractor is likely to cost you a fair amount of money, which should provide the first clue as to whether it’s a good idea to buy one or not.  Can your business stand the four figure sum you are likely to have to spend to get one?  Even if you buy a used model you are still going to be paying quite a bit to get it – and you’ll have no guarantee with it either.

You should also think about the kind of gardens and yards you currently deal with.  If you seem to be taking ages to mow half of them because they each cover a large area, buying a lawn tractor could be a good investment.  Let’s say for example that you charge someone $30 to mow their lawn.  If they have a huge sized lawn it might take you a couple of hours to mow it.  That’s $30 to you – and $15 an hour in wages.

Now if you had a ride on mower you could probably halve the time it takes to do it.  You’d still get the $30 though – and now you’ve doubled your wages to $30 an hour instead.

So if you work ten hours a day you can fit in twice the amount of lawns you would if you mowed them all by hand.  Instead of bringing in $150 you’d bring in $300 instead.  I’ve simplified this hugely of course – no two gardens are going to be the same and I’m assuming no travel time between them either!  But it’s a simple example to show you the power of the figures and how they can work in your favor when you have large gardens to tend to.

In this situation the $150 a day additional wages you could earn would soon pay for the lawn tractor – and then you’re into additional income you wouldn’t otherwise have been able to earn.

Now let’s look at the flip side of the coin.  Here we’ll see what your best decision would be if you had lots of much smaller lawns to mow.  If a lawn only takes you around twenty minutes or so to mow, there is no point investing in a ride on mower.  For starters the garden needs to be a certain size for you to turn the mower safely; if you can’t get a good turning circle you simply don’t need it at all.

In the early stages of your business you might want to put off investing in this kind of equipment, even if the gardens you take care of do warrant it.  Once you have developed a good and stable client base you can think about whether a lawn tractor would be a good addition to your business for the long term.  That’s the best way to tackle the answer to this question.