Lawn Care Tips After You Mow
Should you leave the grass clippings on the lawn or bag them up after mowing? As long as the clippings are on the short side, its usually best to leave them in place. The grass pieces break down and provide nutrition and nitrogen to the lawn. If you do bag up your grass clippings, try to compost them or use them as mulch somewhere else.
Choosing The Right Mower
One of the most important lawn mowing tips is that you have to choose the best equipment for the job. Lawncare equipment has developed a lot in the last couple of years, so you will have plenty of options to choose from.
Doing the research will help you narrow the list down.
First, you need to determine the size of your yard and the type of terrain you are working with. If you have a smaller yard, push lawnmowers are excellent because they will give you an even cut.
Not to forget these machines are quiet and cordless. Riding lawnmowers are more suitable for larger spaces. And if youre lucky enough to have a particularly huge garden, I would suggest checking out these commercial zero-turn lawnmowers instead.
Most lawns are not completely flat, but if you are dealing with bumpy terrain, riding lawnmowers can conquer them easily.
Rolling hills may look spectacular, but maintaining them can be a lot of work. Once again, a good riding lawn mower for hills can help you out with this problem.
But you dont have to spend outrageously when it comes to a grass cutting machine. Its a common misconception that you need an expensive, top-of-the-line model to achieve professional results.
With the right application, its possible to have a stunning finish even with one of these cheap lawnmowers so long as you follow the lawn mowing tips and tricks in our guide.
Starting A Lawn Mowing Business
As you can see, starting a lawn mowing business in Australia doesn’t require a grand initial outlay. While the equipment you need is limited, its always worth investing in high-quality tools.
A lawn mowing business in Australia can be extremely lucrative. However, you are only as good as the tools that you use. The better the tools, the better the result. And the better the result, the more custom you can expect to receive.
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Re: How To Quote Commercial Lawn Mowing
Sounds like you have a price in mind, can I suggest going back and stepping out the whole job and ask yourself is your price right or can it be higher or lower? I’ve never quoted a retirement village but I’ve walked back over many quotes and discovered better prices and discovered I was spot on the initial time. Either way I’ve found more confidence in my price with the process.
Kind Regards,
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Not All Types Of Mowing Are Profitable
The main types of mowers you’ll see are catch, mulch and side-deliver. In a perfect world we would side deliver, side throw on all our lawns. These types of mowers are by far the fastest and easiest. Next is mulch mowing. It’s both quick and very good for most lawns. So it’s a great environmental solution. Catching is one of the slowest and even if you start charging more, it’s always harder to recoup all your time and effort. The best catcher is a Reel Mower but this is really for the flat lawn that will be kept in the best shape. Again you will have to charge a premium. By encouraging your clients to mulch you will be both fast and environmentally friendly. Just remember that the client is always right, so do what they want, but it doesn’t hurt to sell and promote mulching. In the end, it does grow a healthier grass, which is something all clients want.
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What If My Grass Is Long
Our base pricing is valid for grass up to 6 inches in total length. Most lawns with routine maintenance each week grow less than this amount. If you have an actively growing lawn or have not had your lawn mowed in a while, it may be over 6 inches when the crew comes to perform that service.
We require our crews to provide a completed, professional job to our clients. To do this in tall grass, we may have to mow over the property twice, slow down, and bag or rake up clippings. Lawns between 6-9 may be mowed on your regular service day, but will incur additional charges to account for the extra labor and equipment wear. Usually, this is twice the base rate for that visit.
Our weekly lawn mowing teams cannot service lawns over 9 tall. We consider this field mowing, and can send a particular crew to your home to mow it down to the proper length. Pricing for field mowing varies, so please ask before signing up for it. It is important to note, the measurement our crew takes on your lawn is at an average looking location, on the day of service, and not the day you sign up for service.
Calculate Your Hourly Labor Rate
How much are you going to charge per person, per hour for the average job? This number should be based on things like the going rate in your area, how much money you want to earn per hour, and how much youre paying your employees.
If youre just starting off, look at the work and estimate the time it will take you to complete the job. Then consider how much you want to make per hour.
Pricing by the hour makes sense because lot size isnt always an accurate pricing metric. For example, garden homes might take you half an hour to complete, even if they are the same size as a quarter-acre lot, which could take you 45 minutes to complete.
Jason Creel explains that your hourly rate is important, but you shouldnt communicate it to your clients.
He explains:
Lets just say that your hourly rate is $60 per hour. Now, youre not going to speak to the customer and say, hey, I charge $60 an hour, so Im going to time myself when I cut your grass, and then multiply that by 60. Youll quickly learn how to estimate and then multiply that in your mind.
Pro tip: if youre just starting out and not sure about how long a lawn will take, keep track of the time it takes you to complete the job using time tracking software or a stopwatch. From there, find the average of your labor hours over time before figuring out exactly what speed you work at.
Prefer watching a video? Jason Creel talks about pricing out lawn care services below:
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How To Bid Your Next Commercial Lawn Care Contract
Getting a commercial lawn care contract means one thing: big money.
But it can also mean a big headache if you do it wrong:
- Charge too much, and you lose the contract.
- Under bid, and you could lose money.
The goal is to WIN the account and make a PROFIT, right?
In this guide, I will show you EXACTLY how to bid more commercial lawn care contracts FAST, which means big money for your lawn care company. Let’s do this:
Residential Vs Commercial Landscaping
Before jumping into commercial work, you need to do your homework.Its a totally different animal, says Gib Durden, vice president of business development at HighGrove Partners in Austell, Georgia. Its still cutting grass, pruning and planting flowers, but commercial landscaping is a totally different mindset.Switching between it and residential work can be difficult. Dont try intermingling the same guys doing commercial and residential work, says Jim Schill, vice president of Schill Grounds Management in North Ridgeville, Ohio.One major variant is that you rarely deal with the owner in commercial work. Your point of contact is probably not the decision maker, could be replaced at any time and has little say in what gets approved, says Terry Delany, president of ServFM in Fayetteville, Arkansas.Profit margins are typically lower with commercial, but they are counter-weighted by higher contract dollar amounts. Its a low-margin, high-quantity set-up, Delany says.For all of the things that are more difficult with commercial landscaping, its still easier, he adds.
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Alternate Your Mowing Patterns And Always Do 3
Mowing weekly means that you will need to alternate your mowing patterns. Mow horizontally, vertically, and diagonally and switch those patterns up, otherwise, you may create ruts in your lawn if you follow the same pattern every week. Those ruts will end up with heavily compacted soil and could end up susceptible to weed growth. A 3-point turn while mowing will stop the mower tires from tearing up the grass underneath, as it is more gentle than doing an abrupt turn.
See What Our Clients Say
Does it sometimes seem difficult to find a reliable commercial lawn mowing service that does excellent work?
At All Seasons Yard Care weve got you covered.
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I really appreciate All Seasons Yard Care’s dedication to quality, care, and the customer relationship. They always does a stellar job. They are the ONLY ones I ever think about hiring because I want it done with all the care I’d give it myself .
Alisa – Sidney
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At Spring Gallery and Sculpture Garden, and we so appreciate the quality job done by All Seasons Yard Care. They reliably maintain the landscaping in the garden around our sculptures. Thank you for your hard work!
Susan – Belgrade Lakes
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So You Want The Direct Path To Wealth And Happiness In The Lawn Mowing Industry
With 30 years now in this industry, I have seen almost everything on the subject of profitability for a residential lawn mowing business. While I mowed lawns predominately in Auckland , I have also mown lawns in many New Zealand cities and a couple in Australia. I have bought and sold hundreds of private and franchised lawn mowing businesses and advised many lawn mowing owners how to improve their businesses. These are the key habits and tricks to making better money than your competitors.
Most of these tips are either good tips to improve operational efficiencies or habits that need to be formed to improve profitability. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. In my experience, it’s failing to practice these simple habits that stop hard working lawn mowing franchisees and operators from realising the true potential of their businesses.
Choosing A Commercial Lawn Mower
Choosing a high-quality lawn mower is vital. The lawn mower is the backbone of every mowing business. Without one, you cannot build your business. But with so many on the market, what lawn mower is best for you?
If you intend to work part-time or expect to be taking care of smaller gardens and yards, a push mower, such as the Husqvarna LB 548S e is a great starting point. A lawn mower built for commercial use is constructed to be used for hours on end, day in and day out. They cost a little more than a domestic-use mower, but theyll take the demands of professional use, and last for years.
If you plan on providing a commercial scale service for large blocks of land, choosing a ride on lawn mower may improve your service offering and secure you more work. The right ride on mower will offer a large cutting deck, ergonomic driver controls, high powered engine, multi-purpose attachments, plus so much mower, meaning you can offer professional grade services, no matter the size or difficulty of the job.
There are lots of different types of lawn mowers available. The exact type of mower that you need will depend on the scale of your business and clients. These include the following:
- Walk behind lawn mowers
- Riders
- Robotic lawn mowers
Do you intend on mulching the clippings? Or will you collect and dispose of them as part of your service? All of these questions will help you work out what type of lawn mower is best.
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Building Relationships When Seeking New Accounts
A big part of finding commercial lawn and landscaping accounts is connecting with the right people. You cant just call companies out of the blue and expect them to give you the commercial landscaping contract.Cold calls and emails dont work that well, Durden says. Instead, he says attending community events or meetings will allow you to talk directly with the property managers. Then, if you follow up with a call, its a warm call.There are also several organizations that can put you in contact with the decision makers. Durden suggests getting involved with real estate groups, such as Commercial Real Estate Women . Another organization he recommends is Building Owners and Managers Association International. Its members are building owners, managers, developers, corporate facility managers, leasing professionals and asset managers. Chamber of Commerce meetings, CEO forums and other networking events are also good places to meet potential clients. Build your sphere of influence, and the world gets much smaller, Delany says.
Commercial Lawn Mowing Calculator
When it comes to making a good impression on potential commercial customers, you can stand out with our mowers. With our mowers, you can complete the largest commercial square footage in the quickest time possible without compromising the quality. We specialize in accuracy through our mowing calculator and our expertise for various types of mowers, types of lawns, and lawn sizes.
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Finish With A Reel Mower
If youre reely into lawn care, consider using a reel mower to provide the final finish.
Many lawn care pros swear by their push reel mowers to give the grass that extra sharp look, for the most beautiful cut possible.
Theyre also ideal if you have any hard to reach areas, hilly terrain, and for negotiating obstacles. And theyre a great backup mower if your main machine happens to pack in.
Remember to use a steady pace, and you should achieve a precise, final trim you can be proud of.
When Should You Start Mowing
If youre aiming for a gorgeous lawn, it is essential that you start mowing at the right time. Mow too early and you could damage the grass. Mow too late and you might not reach full growth potential.
You should mow your lawn in the spring before your grass turns green and starts growing. As with any plant, removing the old, dead tips makes way for new, stronger growth.
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Cut The Grass On A Consistent Schedule
To ensure that your grass does not get too long and you can stick to the 1/3 rule, you need to cut it on a consistent schedule. Your lawn should be mowed weekly during the growing season in Michigan. Waiting to mow every two weeks means that the grass will be too long and you could end up cutting too much off at one time, weakening its structure in the process.
Factor In Overhead And Equipment
Once youve got labor sorted, its time to add the cost of general supplies and overhead.
Overhead can include phone bills, office space, internet, vehicle payments, and gas. But, one of the most overlooked costs is maintenance and equipment.
Equipment should be factored into each job as an expense. Its expensive to purchase and maintain equipmenteven a basic mower needs its engine repaired, spark plug replaced, and oil changed. If you have more expensive equipment, then costing this into your price is critical.
Edward explains, the fact is that equipment has to drive revenue. It could cost you $20,000 to buy, and thats $20,000 to replace down the line, plus maintenance. We include all this in our final price.
So, how do you cost that into your lawn care pricing?
Edward explains, I think of it this way: I need to be making $100 an hour to use expensive equipment to make it worthwhile for commercial and residential work.
Youll want to buy something new again eventually, he says, so you do need enough profit to do thatmaybe its a couple dollars a job over the course of a year. Maybe its a percentage of all jobs, or the jobs you use that equipment on. The rule of thumb for me is that I charge two times the hourly rate of labor just to have the equipment on the site.
Pro tip: some professionals tack on an additional 15%-20% on top of their estimate to account for overhead costs.
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Identify Your Grass Type
Now were getting serious.
In order to achieve the best possible cut on your lawn you should identify your grass type, so you know the length in which you need to cut it, as well as how long you should wait between cuts.
First, you should pay attention to which region youre in if you have warm season grass, or cool season grass.
Its not rocket science south hot, north cold. Like in Game of Thrones.
Check out the video below for more grass-identifying information, which will provide more help when it comes to achieving the perfect mow for your conditions.
Bear in mind you dont have to do this, and so long as you have a rough idea of how to treat the grass in your region you should be fine.
Its just for anyone who wants to go that one step further and get their lawn care down to an exact science.
