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What Do Lawn Care Companies Do In The Winter

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Atlanta Lawn Maintenance Guide

What a Lawn Care Company does in the Winter

Warm-season grasses are native to tropical regions and do their best work in the scorching Southern sun. Warm-season grasses grow best in temperatures between 75 90 degrees fahrenheit and have the highest growth rates during the summer season. They experience winter dormancy for 3 5 months, depending on type and location, and usually green back up when spring rolls around.

Compared to their cool-season counterparts, warm-season grasses require less maintenance and are generally less susceptible to pest invasions.

What Can Our Lawn Care Montclair Va Company Do For Your Property This Winter

People who think that lawn care and landscaping take a break during winter should reconsider. Now, more than ever, lawn service companies are at their busiest times, and you should schedule some activities while you still can. Winter is a troublesome season, coming with plenty of tasks for the homeowner who wants a neat, clean, and safe property throughout the season. Such chores are also dangerous to some extent and require professional interventions. Today, our experts in lawn care in Montclair, VA, are here to tell you what activities are the most popular among homeowners during the cold season.

  • Property Maintenance. The vegetation is asleep in winter, but it does not mean you dont have plenty of things to do. Our specialists in lawn care in Montclair, VA, can help you with the following tasks: leaf and vegetal debris removal, shrub & tree trimming, flowerbed maintenance, lawn aeration & overseeding, fertilization, outdoor furniture removal and storage, raking, and even weed control;
  • Irrigation Installation Winterization. Our lawn service in Montclair, VA, can help you drain the sprinklers, check the irrigation installation, winterize the system, and more;
  • Gutter Cleaning Services. In case you didnt know, gutter cleaning is mandatory if you want peace of mind during winter. A professional lawn care service in Montclair, VA, can help you with this daunting and rather dangerous task any time you want;
  • How To Make Money Off

    In the lawn care industry, the first snowflake can be cause for dread. Winter means bare trees, sleeping rose bushes, and snow-covered grass. So, what can a lawn care specialist do to put food on the table in the off-season? Plenty!

    Dont let crisp cool air and the twinkling lights of the holidays make you sweat. Instead, use the season to your advantage by trying these winter lawn care tips.

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    Controlling Weeds And Fertilisation

    Theres plenty of opportunity throughout winter to control any weeds that may have appeared on the lawn and to prepare for any that may crop up in the spring. Key activities to carry out include applying pre-emergence weed killer, and feeding plants with a slow release fertilizer to ensure theyre off to a good start for the next year. Spring bulbs can be planted, and mulch can be laid particularly in areas without flowers, including often overlooked areas including beneath hedges to ensure soil moisture is maintained, improve the soil fertility and health, reduce weed growth, and make the area look more attractive. This time can also be used to work on any washouts or low spots by encouraging growth in time for the warmer months Better Homes & Gardens suggests using a mixture of lawn seed, slow-release fertilizer, and mulch for smaller patches or oversowing the whole area with a suitable seed for entire lawns.

    Can I Use Digital Payments To Pay For Outdoor Landscaping And Design Lawn Mowing Tree Trimming And Other Similar Services

    Grass seed in winter

    Many outdoor landscaping and design, lawn mowing and tree trimming companies will likely accept some form of digital payment instead of cash or check. The COVID-19 pandemic will likely causing more businesses to adopt digital platforms like Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, Square Cash and Google Pay.

    Search professionals online profiles to see if they list digital payment services, and ask them about their payment policies during a consultation call.

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    Establishing A New Lawn

    The best time to establish a warm-season lawn is in the early spring. Some experts suggest that you can do so at any time during the growing season, however we would disagree assuming that youre reading this because youre looking for optimal results.

    There are three different ways to establish a new lawn:

    • Sodding: This is the quickest, most expensive way to establish your new lawn. Water regularly and dont set a mower on the sod until the roots have penetrated your pre-existing soil. This usually takes 3 4 weeks to happen.
    • Overseeding: You can either overseed your existing lawn with a grass type that blends well or simply start over completely. Be warned though, starting a new lawn by seed takes a lot of patience and care.
    • Plugging: This is more for fixing areas where the grass is sparse. Adding plugs in a cross pattern about six inches away from each other should do the trick. Make sure to water!

    Make The Last Cut Count

    Winter lawn care in Texas;should include adjusting the mower to cut grass 1 inch shorter so it is 2 inches tall for the last major lawn cut of the season, whether your lawn is Bermudagrass, St. Augustine grass or Zoysia grass.

    A closer cut, along with bagging grass clippings, will help remove thatch buildup and pull up clutter like acorns and leaves from the yard. Youll still need to mow your lawn on about a bi-weekly basis during winter, so its not too late to accomplish that shorter cut if it didnt get done in late fall.

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    Warm Season Fall Growth

    Now you friends with warm season turf such as Bermudagrass, St Augustinegrass, Zoysia, Centipede or bahiiiiiiagrass have a much different approach here in the fall for sure, but we still want to pump things up, just in a different way.Lets start out by looking at your growth calendar because its completely different than our cool season cousins:Our grasses are a little more methodical in their approach, simpler too. This is because we have a much longer growing season and in fact, in areas where the ground doesnt freeze, the growing season is year round. Lets think about that for a minute.Even though your turfgrass goes dormant once outside temps dip below 50F, there are always weeds and problem grasses that are adapted to grow at lower temperatures.So lets get a level-set there first and realize: If you have warm season turf, you should probably start looking at your lawn as a year-round endeavor, even if you are not mowing in January, you still will want to patrol and hand pick the weeds that like to take ground in winter. If your ground doesnt freeze, you also still need to keep your lawn watered! Yes you do: helps keep it turgid and healthy even if it doesnt show it, your lawn knows it.Our approach going into fall is this.

    Why Fall And Winter Are The Best Times For Landscaping

    What I Do In The Winter When Lawn Care Slows Down

    Sometimes, we lack the time to maintain our propertys outdoor area. But when we do have the time, we all are excited to tend to our yard. Depending on the variety of trees, shrubs or flowers that youre going to plant, there is a different time of the year to do it. But, if you just want to do maintenance in your outdoor area, the ideal time to do landscaping and other maintenance work is during fall and winter.

    Others may think that the best time to do it is during spring where a lot of perennials start to bloom. But, that is just overrated. Here are reasons why you should do it during the fall and winter seasons:

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    Offering Winterization Services Gives Cold

    As proud Midwesterners, the Smart Service team definitely understands that not all regions have continuously warm weather. For a lawn care business, winter often means a downturn in work or the services they can realistically offer clients. This could mean a loss of revenue/profits for a period of time, but it doesnt have to. A good way to extend your profitable season? Prepping clients for winterization.

    As a lawn care provider, you know the devastation freezing can bring to a sprinkler system. You may already offer some form of winterization, but if you find it difficult getting your clients on board, you can try these things to improve sales for winterization services.

    What Do Landscapers Do In The Off

    Winter can pose quite a challenge for landscapers. Its their off-season when patio projects and beautiful backyards arent being built. Unless climate permits of course, in which case, build away! But for those landscapers who have the misfortune of Mother nature bringing in packs of snow and cold weather, fall and winter can be a difficult season. Especially for those who are just getting started in the business and dont have the capital of summer projects to take them through the winter months.

    Luckily, even though backyard projects may be coming to an end, maintenance and seasonal projects begin. Landscapers dont have to put away all their tools and let their crews sit idle when there is work to be done. Especially for those who have invested in landscape business management software and are using crew tracking and maintenance scheduling tools. It may not be the lavish profits of full designs and construction projects, but its income you can take advantage of through the slow season.

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    Is It Worth It To Hire A Professional To Mow Your Lawn

    Although hiring a lawn care company is more expensive than doing it yourself, it can be well worth the money. For starters, it saves you time and equipment maintenance, which may be justifiable financially. It also creates a more professional appearance. Plus, a pro can spot problems before they occur. This can save you money on expensive reseeding, aeration and other types of lawn repair down the road.

    Hans Franz And A Tale Of Two Turgid Lawns

    Pin on Gardening Ideas

    Hey Allyn, I recently relocated from Northern Illinois where I had a beautiful cool season lawn down here to Texas where I have St Augustine grass and I find that almost nothing Ive learned translates. Its like starting all over, can you help me understand why this is? – Don L, HoustonThis question presents an opportunity for us all to learn something. I hear it often and so today Im going to talk you through why things are so different, and then help you set a path forward. Good news is, the one thing we all have in common right now is time.There is still plenty of time for your to make positive headway in your lawn, no matter what grass type you have. As usual, I encourage you to read this entire email no matter what your grass type. I run through some math and fun science this week that will be good learning for you even if you dont follow any of my advice below. I also secretly hope that you will get a chuckle at my analogies and they may help shed light on a few of the concepts as well.But first:For those of you with cool season turf who have aerated and overseeded and are wondering about when you can mow the lawn — this podcast will answer all your questions:

    Ok now lets get down to the business of improving your lawns turgidity. Yes thats what I said: Turgid lawns. Thats what we are after here and fall time is turgid time — lets start with our cool season friends.

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    Winter Lawn Care Stops Weeds Before They Start Growing

    Winter lawn care in Texas;starts early. Some of the most crucial weed control applications for Texas lawns happen during the off-season, beginning in fall with a pre-emergent and weed control application to minimize winter weeds, and with another treatment again around December. This preventive treatment stops weeds from developing into full-blown broadleaf weeds that are frustrating to manage.

    How Often Should I Water My Lawn

    • You need to water your lawn to supply the right amount of moisture, cool down the soil temperature and wash fertilisers into the soil. As clay soils hold moisture for longer than sandy soils, youll need to water grass planted in sandy soils more frequently. However, clay may hold onto water more intensely, preventing your lawn from utilising that high moisture content. Loam is the ideal soil mix and will retain just the right amount of water, while still releasing enough moisture.
    • If you have loamy soil with a warm season grass, give your lawn a good soaking of water once a week, and perhaps just cool it off if the grass is under stress from extreme heat. The norm is 25mm of water per week. Place a container in each of the sprinkler zones and determine how long it takes to fill the container up to 25mm. This is the amount of time youll have to irrigate each zone once a week. Its better to give more water in one session to force the roots to grow down to a deeper level, than giving a little water every day.
    • Cool season lawns need more frequent, shallower watering, as their root systems are not as deep as some of the warm season lawns.
    • Water early in the morning as this is the coolest time of the day and there will be less evaporation. Youll lessen the chances of your lawn contracting a disease if it dries before nightfall.
    • Water spots where pets have urinated immediately, or at least more frequently, using a watering can or hose.

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    Prepare For Next Season

    Whilst there is a healthy number of tasks that are relevant for lawn mowing companies to participate in to keep business strong across the winter months, its also a great time to revisit business plans and work on marketing your lawn care business.

    Heres a helpful YouTube video with more ideas on working to gain a steady winter income for your lawn mowing business.

    Sharpening Your Marketing And Business Endeavors In Winter

    How to Do Winter Lawn Maintenance (Winter Lawn Care Tips)

    Regardless of the landscaping services you choose to provide in winter, you wont get any business if you dont inform your clients, both existing and potential, about your winter services. Thats why you need to focus on your marketing efforts, preferably year-round.

    If youre still in the beginning stages of growing your landscaping business, you might feel like you spend a lot of time waiting for the phone to ring, especially in winter. These colder months represent a great time to hunker down in front of your computer and get your marketing plan in order.;

    Do you need any promotional materials? Order them now. Do you want to offer a springtime discount? How will you reach out to existing clients? Does your website need work? If you feel in over your head, consider hiring a marketing team to assist you in growing your client base.

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    How Do I Deal With Weeds Pests And Diseases

    Weeds: Most weeds are broad-leafed and are quite simple to get rid of using the correct selective weed killer for broad-leafed plants. Always follow the instructions on the label exactly. This is not a case of the more you apply, the more they die. Avoid mowing your lawn before you apply the herbicide. Allow 24 hours to pass after applying it before watering or mowing your grass.

    Insects: Carry out a pest control regime on a regular basis so that destructive insects dont reach a point where they destroy your lawn completely. Change the insecticide frequently to prevent pests from building up a resistance to any one type. Use organic products whenever possible.

    Lawn diseases: The difficult aspect of disease control is identifying the specific disease. Its often best to ask your local nurseryman for advice. Some diseases may require you to apply fertilisers. Others will thrive on even the smallest amount of nitrogen in a fertiliser application. If a disease is noticed on a lawn, aerate the soil as soon as possible. Most diseases flourish in areas with poor drainage, heavy traffic and poor soil fertility.

    Cool Season Fall Growth

    Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Rye and fescue all like to push down more roots and in turn grow more leaf surface in spring and fall. This is when temperatures are ideal for their production. Its also when there is more moisture and less scorching heat.

    These are also the times that we, as suburban lawn farmers, should be encouraging and pushing that natural growth cycle by feeding the turf what it needs to do more of what it already is doing naturally. In other words, it wants to get swolled, lets be an encouragement to it!Even if you are not aerating and seeding your cool season turf, you can still help it push more roots and thicken up before winter. This is especially important if your lawn struggled with heat stress, drought stress, disease pressure or insect pressure during the summer.Fall is a great time to get back any gains that may have been lost with this brutal summer we just came out of. If summer left your lawn dried up, shriveled and weak, fall is a time to pump it back up. Heres how to proceed.

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    Managing Your Winter Lawn Care Business

    Hopefully, this list gave you some ideas on how to make money during the cold months. Of course, managing a series of off-season businesses through winter has the potential for confusion.

    Using business management software, especially one designed for lawn care companies, is key. Arborgold, a business management firm, offers several organization and scheduling apps for a variety of professions. You can learn more about how to use Arborgold for other green industry application here.

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