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How To Start Lawn From Scratch

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Choosing The Correct Option

Starting a Lawn From Scratch | Seeding A Lawn

In order to tell what measures are best for your lawn, the best approach is to find a professional lawn care service with experienced, certified individuals. These pros can walk you through all the considerations of each method.

Find a company that can perform a wide array of options so they sincerely direct you to what is best for your lawn. Otherwise, they may direct you to performing the services theyre most comfortable with. Some lawn care companies arent even capable of an aggressive approach, and unfortunately will only direct you to the services they offer.

Find a full-service lawn and landscape company that can perform whatever method is best. Also be sure to get the best out of your investment when seeding. You spent the money on this project, so make sure you get the most bang for your seeding bucks. Listen to their advise

If youd like to learn more about how we can help transform your ugly lawn, please dont hesitate to contact us.

Get Your First Lawn Care Customers

The good news: You can book a lawn care job with as little as one inexpensive mower.

The great news: That single job you booked can turn into steady, ongoing income for months.

Since lawn maintenance is an ongoing job, youll get recurring revenuea continuous stream of paymentsfrom every new customer. If you keep your customers happy, youre guaranteed a predictable, steady source of revenue.

Still, getting your first customer can be a big hurdle. Many lawn care entrepreneurs start by knocking on their neighbors doors and leaving mowing business flyers behind.

Experiment with other low-cost advertising methods for your lawn care business. Then you can start figuring out which ones are bringing in the best clients at the lowest cost.

Some low-cost ideas to start with can include:

  • Sending out postcards or flyers
  • Setting up sandwich boards

Best Grass Seeds For Southern States

People living in Southern states should select a warm-season grass seed. But the variety of seed will depend on what part of the country you are in.

In the warm, humid Southeast and Gulf Coast states, the favorite seed varieties are:

  • Bahiagrass seed. Coarser than any Northern grass, but it grows thick and dense and is tolerant of both heat and drought.
  • Bermuda grass seed. This is a hardy but needy grass, which requires high maintenance but stands up well to heavy traffic.
  • Buffalograss seed. This warm-season grass seed is the only variety native to North America, so it doesnt need much help to thrive. It is highly drought tolerant and needs little care.
  • Centipede grass seed. This grass is slow to grow, but very low in maintenance once established. In climates that stay warm, it has virtually no dormant season, so it stays green year-round unless theres a cold snap.
  • Zoysia grass seed. A slow grower, but one of the most cold-tolerant varieties of warm-season grasses.

Another common turfgrass choice in the Deep South, St. Augustine grass, is not commercially sold as seed, since its seedheads are sterile. It is a grass planted from sod.

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How To Grow A New Lawn From Grass Seed

Planting grass seed is the best way to grow a lawn it allows you to choose the best grass seed species to suit your garden and soil type.

These 10 simple steps show the best way to grow grass helping you to create that perfect lawn:

Step 1 – Clear the area

Prepare the soil for grass seed by clearing the area and removing any large stones, weeds and other debris.

Step 2 – Improve the soil

It’s easier to fix soil problems before your new lawn is in place. For clay soils, mix in sharp sand to aid drainage and composition. Cultivate the soil to a depth of 15cm to aerate the soil and break up compaction. This creates better drainage and aids nutrient distribution. Remove any further debris which is unearthed.

Step 3 – Create a level seed bed

Rake the area, then level the surface. This can be done by dragging a straight edge, in different directions across the surface. Then use a lawn roller to firm the soil so that it is possible to stand on the surface without leaving imprints.

Step 4 – Allow the soil to settle

Step 5 – Final ground preparation

Lightly work the surface with a rake to create a fine tilth. Adding a Pre-seeding Lawn Fertiliser ensures the soil contains all of the nutrients required for grass seed to develop healthily.

Step 6 – Buy your grass seed

It’s important to buy the best grass seed for your soil type and situation – our handy guide on which grass seed is best will help you figure out which seed is most suitable.

How To Seed A New Lawn From Scratch

Starting a Lawn From Scratch

Curb Appeal·DIY·Exterior·Exterior Makeover·Forest House·Gardening·lawn·Outdoors·Outdoors·Summer

Today Im sharing our favourite tips for how to seed a new lawn from scratch.

If youve been following along for a while then you know that weve had an ongoing project of refreshing and renovating the outside of our house along with the inside. The day before we moved in we drove up to find a nearly ten foot deep hole in the middle of our yard along with a large excavator .

The previous owners were having some drainage issues repaired, which of course was wonderful, but needless to say that it was quite shocking to see a small elephant sized cavern in our front yard a mere hour before our real estate deal closed. The repair work meant that we needed to do a lot more to the front yard than we had anticipated, but in the long run it has definitely been worth the time, money, and effort that weve spent on enhancing the curb appeal of our home. You can read all about the before and after of our exterior here, along with the changes we made to it last spring.

One big piece to redoing the front exterior of our home that I havent had a chance to write about yet was reseeding the entire front lawn from scratch. We had our fair share of experience in our previous home with fixing up lawns that were in poor condition , but starting from the ground up, so to speak, was new. So today, nearly one year later, Im sharing our best tips for how to start and seed a new lawn from scratch

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Grass Seed Germination Rates By Grass Type

  • Bahiagrass seed: 10-28 days
  • Centipede grass seed: 14-28 weeks.
  • Fescue grass seed: 10-14 days.
  • Annual ryegrass seed, perennial ryegrass seed: 5-10 days.
  • St. Augustinegrass: Rarely grown from seed, propagated by plugs and sod.
  • Zoysia grass seed: 14-21 days.

Even if you planted just one turfgrass variety, the grass seeds wont all pop up at once. Some will be buried a bit deeper or have a different rate of water absorption. Stay with your watering regimen until you are sure you have given all the seeds the best shot you can at taking root.

Keep foot traffic to a minimum during this time. You can also consider putting up Please keep off the new grass signs to discourage accidental trampling by your kids and neighbors .

Set Up Your Business Contact Information

When your first customer wants to book you, its best to have a dedicated email and phone number for your business.

If youre willing to invest in a website domain, you can create a branded email address that has your businesss name after the @ symbol. It typically costs around $10 to $20 a year for a professional email domain.

If you dont want to invest in a custom domain, then a regular email account will do.

Make sure that your email address still looks professionalcustomers will take a lot more seriously than .

Be careful of which free domain host you use if youre getting a free domain. Gmail tends to be more respected than other domains, such as Yahoo or Hotmail.

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Digging Up Live Lawn Method

If you decide to dig up your lawn without killing it first, you will need specific power equipment, and a plan for where youll dispose of your old sod.

You should have a tiller, preferably a rear-tine, heavy duty type rototiller. Look into renting equipment thats a bit on the heavier side, and I highly recommend that you rent a sod cutter. This tool will be able to cut beneath the turf and cut your old lawn sod into strips. This is a necessary part of the process and will make the whole process go faster.

Removing the Old Lawn Turf

After taking a pass with the sod cutter, roll the strips up and dispose of them.

I like to use old sod to fill the bottom of my raised garden beds. I turn them upside down so the grass dies, and then cover them with a 50/50 blend of compost and loam from my local nursery.

If you arent adding a garden to your property, see if someone in your neighborhood could use the old sod, or find a brush dump or composting facility nearby.

If you dont rent a sod cutter, you can use a sharp, flat shovel to remove the grass manually.

I dont recommend this method for large lawns. It is a very difficult process and is really only practicable for a small area of lawn.

Replacing the Topsoil Youve Removed

When you remove all the sod, youre also removing organic material.

This must be replaced.

Failing to do so will result in a weak lawn that struggles to grow and which could be even worse than it was before.

Planting Your Grass Seed

How To Start A New Lawn From Scratch

How To Start A Yard From Scratch

Everyone has a house in their neighborhood that makes them mumble with jealousy under their breaths every time they pass by. How is it that someone who lives right around the corner and shares the same crazy weather as you can have a lawn so full and lush that your dog stops to roll around on it while youre out for your walk?

You may assume that they are retired and have nothing better to do than fuss with their grass, but theres a good chance that theyre simply working smarter, not harder. You can have a lawn like that too with minimal upkeep if you start from the foundation.

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How To Start Lawn Care Business

Do you ever think about starting your own lawn care business?

Russell Jeffcoat, owner of Legends Lawn Care in Blaine, Washington, did more than just dream about owning a business someday. He took decisive action by starting the lawn care business of his dreams, and then, earned $100,000 in his very first year!

Today, he rakes in between $500 and $6000 every time he takes his machines out and works on peoples lawns. Although he started his lawn care business with only $2,000 when he was a senior in high school, its a six-figure business now.

In fact, hes so busy, he often has to turn down work!

In this article, well go through the exact steps youll need to follow to start your own highly lucrative lawn care business. Lawn care is a $102 billion a year industry, and is expected to grow phenomenally with each passing year.

Youll discover everything you need to know on how to run a successful lawn care business. This includes tips like innovative ways to craft a business plan, getting your website ranked on Google, building long-lasting relationships with your customers, and a lot more!

If youre not interested in starting the business from scratch, consider buying an already established business here on UpFlip.

You can watch our two part interview with him here and here.

Without further ado, lets jump right into it.

How To Replant A Lawn

1. Clear the area. Kill weeds and any remaining poor-looking grass with a non-selective herbicide about 2 weeks before you want to seed your lawn. After everything is completely dead, rake the area to remove the debris.2. Prep for success. Now is a great time to core aerate the area if your soil is really compact. After aerating, rake the area level and loosen the top ¼ inch of soil. Then add a 1-inch layer of Scotts® LawnSoil evenly across the entire planting area. Its specifically formulated with a blend of rich, composted materials to provide an excellent growing environment for young seedlings.

3. Select your grass seed. Choose a Scotts® Turf Builder® Grass Seed that is right for your location. Do you live in the north and need a grass type that stays green in cooler temperatures, or do you live in the south and need a grass type that stays green during the hot summer months? Be sure to also take into consideration the growing conditions in your area: How much sun? How much wear and tear from children and family pets? If you need help finding a grass type that matches your growing conditions, check out our Identify Your Grass article.

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How To Start A Lawnmowing Business From Scratch

If you want to know more about From Scratch, then go to this link.

This report is packed with over 20 years of profit making knowledge and experience that will help you drive new customers into your sales funnel.

The famous Walt Disney had this to say about successful marketing: Do what you do so well, and so uniquely, that people cannot resist telling others about you!

The point here is that referrals are the most cost effective way to grow your business. So when you are starting out in your new business, the first thing you need to do is BROADCAST your message, and tell everyone what you are doing. Your Sales Funnel will aim to collect Leads from some of the following low cost marketing tactics

How Much Do Lawn Care Businesses Make

How to Start a New Lawn from Scratch

How much you make depends on how much work youre willing to do.

Some lawn care business owners make $10,000 a year while others make $100,000. It all depends on your team size, efficiency, the services you offer, and your profit margins.

Phil Sarros, Director of Education at Steel Toe University

40% is the ideal profit margin, says Phil Sarros.

Im not saying every job you do is going to have a 40% profit margin. But, once you understand bidding and estimating, targeting specific clientele, and putting out proposals at 40% margins, youre going to have the flexibility to negotiate with new clients.

Start small and grow strategically

Having a 40% profit margin and earning 100k a year may sound nice right now, but its a tough journey to get there.

Starting off by pricing low is usually the only way to get your foot in the door.

But after a few months of hustling and saving your money, you could invest, say, $60 in a herbicide sprayer. In a year, you might decide to spend $200 on a commercial-grade trimmer.

At this point, you can offer weeding and trimming as services. Little by little, investing in better equipment will help you expand your services to things like pest control, tree care, and even landscaping.

That gives you the leeway to charge moreand profit moreon every job.

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Create Your Business Plan

Suppose youre ready to transform your nebulous idea for a lawn care business into a glorious reality. In that case, youre going to need a business plan.

Youll use your plan as a detailed outline to get you where you are right now to where you want to be. Its a must for all business owners who want their company to thrive.

Having a business plan means youll accomplish your entrepreneurial objectives sooner rather than later. Itll help organize every detail of getting your business off the ground, exponentially increasing the chances that your lawn care business will be a smashing success.

If you dont need a bank loan, your business plan can be short, sweet, and to the point.

Just remember:

Your lawn care business plan should accommodate your needs, and not the other way around.

Have it be a reflection of you in all your wonderful uniqueness.

According to the Small Business Administration website, there are two categories of business plans:

  • Traditional
  • Lean startup

Traditional business plans are what most entrepreneurs use, and they require a ton of detail and work. They can get so convoluted and complicated, that they can be dozens of pages long.

Lean startup business plans are far less structured because they focus like a laser-guided missile on only the most essential facts.

They can be completed in sixty minutes or less, and are usually no longer than a single page. Heres an example of one.

Here are some of the sections you might want to include:

Either Stay Small Or Scale Up The Right Way

Russell keeps his service area small by design.

Most million-dollar companies only have a 10 to 14% margin because they have a lot of overhead. However, he says that companies who do less than $2,000,000 worth of business annually have a 50% to 60% profit margin.

If youre a small company and your profit margins are less than 50 to 60%, youre doing something wrong.

Thats why he doesnt want to get too big.

Although there are advantages to staying small, you can scale up if you do it right. No matter how big you get, stay lean. Heres a video weve done on that topic:

As you grow your business, you might have the desire to branch out into more directions. Thats what Russell is doing right now.

He has big ambitions, and he has plans to give his company a makeover:

You might start out with a broom and a single push mower. But, if you do fantastic work and continue to rake in the cash, theres no telling how high you can fly.

The skys the limit!

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