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Bobcat Introduces TL623 Telehandler
Jessica Schwartz
Journey To Sustainability
Recently, I had a chance to reflect on my 30 years in the Green Industry. I was preparing a presentation and intended to speak on the recent passing of two environmental icons (one who coined the term “biodiversity”) and their influence on McCoy Horticultural, and other companies like ours, that hold ecology as a high priority in their design and land care protocols. The crucial component of this talk was to shed light on how far our industry has moved away from nature over the past 50+ years and how critical it is that we find our way back. Essentially, we, the Green Industry can have a significant impact on maintaining or restoring healthy ecosystems within the framework of landscape design. Work History I spent the first half of my landscape career like most. In the early 1990s, we did our work within the ingrained historical framework of traditional practices for no other reason than we were not aware of alternatives and the reasoning: “Well, we’ve always done it this way. Why change?” I began as an arborist, spraying trees indiscriminately. The work was carried out as per a job card that read, “Spray the tree canopy for leaf chewing and sucking insects.” At the time, I didn’t know the potential damage it could impose on beneficial insects, the local food webs, and ecology. After a few years as an arborist and applicator, I moved to a landscape company. At this time, I was still spraying synthetics as before. We ...
Bans, Laws, & Legislation
Various state and local legislation coming down the pipeline stand to have large impacts on the Green Industry and the day-to-day operations of lawn and landscape businesses. Certain pesticides and gas-powered equipment are being targeted and debated in meeting halls, government offices, and courtrooms across the nation. Highly controversial, the bills are viewed as overdue eco-saving necessities by some and as non-science based, financially cumbersome, public health-risking, over-regulation by others. Unfortunately, many in the Green Industry find themselves in the unenviable position of appearing “anti-green” if they oppose such regulatory measures—measures that can greatly impact every aspect of their business, even its basic viability, overnight. Many lawn and landscape professionals, particularly when it comes to adopting battery-power, find themselves not opposed to the transition per se, but find the devil is in the timing, enactment, and details of regulation. “There are a lot of people trying to tell our story, but nobody tells it better than us,” says Brandon Sheppard, Weed Man Sub-Franchisor team member and operator of Weed Man franchises in Virginia, Maryland, and Alabama. “We want sustainability, too. But we must continue to focus on the science, not the emotions. We are not the bad guys as we are sometimes made out to be. We want cleaner air and safe green spaces for our kids—and for many of us, that’s what this industry is all about.” No matter where you fall in opinions or location, it’s beneficial to stay ahead of what’s happening and how it may ...
What Are The Top Turfgrass Challenges Anticipated For 2022?
Weather is inconsistent; crabgrass, nutsedge, and brown patch can be counted on. With last year’s employment and supply chain issues, the usual technical challenges, like hard-to-control weeds and diseases, did not go away. Looking back on 2021 from Weed Man’s national perspective of franchises across North America, there were plenty of challenging turfgrass issues. Remembering these challenges can help us be on the lookout and prepared for what 2022 may have in store. Weathering Challenges A big part of the challenge when it comes to weeds and disease is related to weather—and unfortunately, we have no control over this major factor. 2021 was a year of weather extremes from record-shattering heat to frigid cold waves, torrential downpours to relentless drought. Weather plays a major role in the amount of weeds as well as the types and severity of diseases. But it also has major implications on efficacy of treatment applications. For example, in mid-February 2021, a historic cold wave crippled the Central U.S. It was especially disruptive to the weed applications already started, from Texas all along the Gulf States. Cold weather can make weed control difficult and slow down weed death; not to mention concerns for equipment freezing. In early summer, the Central U.S. again saw several severe weather systems, producing significant thunderstorms and some hail. These storms were particularly hard on pre-emergent controls as heavy rain can reduce effectiveness. These storms also brought adult army worms which created major issues later in the season. The East and ...
YouTuber Brian Fullerton’s Top 5 Mower Trends For 2022
Brian Fullerton is host of Brian’s Lawn Maintenance, one of the most popular YouTube channels for landscapers. Owner of a landscape company for 16 years, he offers equipment reviews and advice to 159K subscribers. Turf asked for his analysis of this year’s mower market. Here’s what he had to say: If you had told me 16 years ago that I would see a day when robots would take over our mowing and landscaping, I would’ve said you’re crazy. For an industry that has been hand-in-hand with labor and equipment for as long as I can remember, we’ve been going through a major transformation these last few years. I never saw us not physically mowing lawns or even just heading back to fuel up equipment at the end of a long summer day. These trends are just the tip of the iceberg. 1. Bigger, Bolder Options One trend that is sure to kick up a storm in 2022 and beyond is the scope of equipment options being offered today. Look for more engine options than ever before, and deck sizes to meet! Nowadays we’re seeing engines offered at 37, 39, and 40 HP and beyond, while matching them to 72″, 96″, 104″, and 144″ sized mower decks. Truly amazing. For an industry that is built on productivity and getting as much work done as possible in a short period of time, these engine and deck sizes are here to stay. Getting more done with less labor and less equipment (think one ...
Performing A Tree Species Analysis
Do your clients have too many of too few tree species? Probably. An overabundance of just a handful—such as elm, eucalyptus, Austrian pine, ash, silver maple and linden—is problematic. With species-targeting maladies such as Dutch elm disease and emerald ash borer, over-reliance on a particular tree, tempting as it may be, usually leads to big problems. Any property can be greatly improved with an evaluation aimed towards achieving greater tree diversity. Have The Conversation Among the services you provide to clients, is a tree species diversity analysis one of them? Or maybe that’s not the right term. “Right Trees, Right Place” or “Let’s Grow the Good Stuff” might get the point across better to customers. When you’re making the pitch, use terms and concepts they can relate to, such as an HVAC service contract. Create the analogy that periodic landscape assessments are essential to the continued health of the plantings, just as regular heating and cooling system inspections ensure equipment is operating efficiently. When the time is right, a walk and talk with the property owner is a great opportunity to point this out and transform problem plantings into a profit center. Create A Simple Sketch No expensive tools are needed for this one—just a sketch pad, or graph paper, and a pencil. Identify each tree and plant grouping and look for ways to introduce a more diverse group of species. A simple tear-off pad with your company logo and contact information on it will help keep the notes you ...
Fall Leaf Mulching
For those in landscaping, fall is one of the hardest working seasons of the year with shorter daylight hours, large projects wrapping up, and the tsunami of leaves which “need” attending to before the snows fall. But what if the annual ritual of leaf clean-ups was reexamined? What about a simpler method, with a better understanding of the entire landscape, that leads to less labor, more profit, and satisfied customers? The Why When it comes to fall cleanups, you tend to see a lot of young bravado on display. I say that with certainty because in my younger days, I was long on biceps, but short on wisdom and learned intelligence. Then, in 2003, while walking in the woods one day, I noticed there was hardly a sound at my feet. The leaves hadn’t started falling yet and there was virtually no leaf litter on the forest floor. I leaned over, looked more closely, and noticed the remnants of skeletonized leaves—and lots and lots of worm cast. Hmm, I had never thought about what happens to leaves in the woods? As a landscaper, leaves were something one got all pumped up about in October, something that had to be handled, literally, in the coming weeks. “Leaves are bad, I’ve got to clean them up,” was the mindset. Around 2000, I had downsized my business. Gone were the leaf vacuum trucks, the workforce, and most of the equipment, so how was I going to handle leaves with a body that wasn’t ...
Six Ways To Improve Job Bids
Creating better and more accurate landscape bids should be a top priority of your sales team. Accurate and timely bids based on precise job costing data can put you on track to building long-term relationships with your clients—and lead to more profit. Here are six keys to making your next bid a winning one. 1. Be Consistent Bidding better is all about consistency—consistency in the way you’re measuring your job sites and consistency in the job cost data that you’re referencing. Whether you’re heading out and walking to your sites with a hand wheel or using GPS technology to measure off satellites, your consistency and accuracy in counts and measurements is how the bid starts off the right way. If you’re not using job costing software to track your cost data, Excel is the most common tool. If you’re already using Excel, it’s essential that all your estimators use the same spreadsheet and the same version. Whatever your method, the spreadsheet or software should accurately reflect your labor and materials costs. 2. Know Your Costs Know your actual job costs. As mentioned above, the job costing spreadsheet or software you use should include accurate costs for labor and materials. For materials costs, which can fluctuate depending on where and when you’re purchasing, make sure you’re capturing your costs as accurately and as often as possible. A job costing software may have the capability to track how much you’re actually spending, average your costs, and calculate your costs automatically. There are ...
Sustainability Feature: Defending The American Lawn
Who would have thought the All-American lawn would become a hot topic of debate? One has only to read various social media posts, blogs, and news articles today to realize the “traditional lawn” is under attack. Lawns are charged with consuming more resources than the benefits they provide, requiring massive amounts of water, pesticides, and fertilizers at the expense of the environment. The amount of water, fertilizer, and chemicals used in caring for a lawn can obviously be debated. But what cannot be debated—and what is often lost or overlooked—is the importance of healthy turf ground cover. There are many ways a healthy lawn, no matter the level of inputs, benefits neighborhoods and communities. Decreasing Erosion. A healthy stand of grass plays a crucial role in reducing soil erosion. When a thin stand of turf spans the lawn, it allows the exposed soil to erode with rain. The soil then washes off the property, carrying soil particles and nutrients that impede water flow and add to silting in our streams and ponds. Preventing soil erosion may be the most vital role a thick stand of grass provides. Cleaning Stormwater. Like a sponge that absorbs water, a thick stand of grass slows stormwater and holds soil particles in place. The lawn additionally becomes a filter, catching sediment, slowing runoff, and resulting in less—and cleaner—stormwater entering sewers. Reducing Noise & Glare. Research shows lawns also reduce noise by up to 40% compared to sound bouncing off hard surfaces like parking lots, ...
Irrigation System Start-Up
Getting an irrigation system ready for the spring season should be built into your year just as a routine physical would. It’s a quick check-up to make sure everything is ready and functioning correctly. By scheduling spring irrigation start-ups, you can connect with customers proactively, provide added value to your services, and receive potential new referrals. By doing proper start-up and full system testing, you’ll be able to diagnose the system’s condition, check for winter damage, and optimize efficiency. Timing System Start-up In cold climates, perform irrigation starts-ups when the soil on-site has thawed to a depth of 1′. It’s also important to be aware of upcoming temperatures. You don’t want to start up the system and then hit more freezing temperatures. You run the risk of bursting pipes or damaging other parts of the system. Conversely, don’t wait too long. Once the weather warms and the spring season is underway, your crews could run out of time to review and check the irrigation system. In warmer climates, you can perform an annual irrigation start-up at the beginning of spring to fix leaks and other issues. In areas with milder winters, you can start check-ups a bit earlier. Perform The System Check-up When starting the irrigation system for the first time after winter, you want to inspect each part. There are four main areas: check the controller; check the sprinkler heads; check the valves; and run the system. Before getting started, if the system is winterized you need to recharge ...
From Soil Report To Solution
Previously, Bill Urbanowicz, chief agronomist at Spectrum Analytic, Inc., demystified the numbers in a soil test report. In this article, he breaks down those numbers into real-world fertilizer selection and application. (Spectrum Analytic, is not able to recommend specific fertilizers brands, since they vary by area.) Prior to making fertilizer and lime applications, the amount of area to be fertilized must be calculated so the correct amount of nutrients is applied to the soil. Google Maps can be used to get a somewhat accurate area. Or Spectrum’s website library has a paper containing a variety of lawn sizes and shapes a landscaper may encounter when calculating area. What’s In A Grade? As most know, fertilizer is identified by the percent of each nutrient contained in the product. While each fertilizer might contain any combination of up to 13 nutrients, the majority have a three number identification referring to the major nutrients: Nitrogen (N), phosphate (P2O5), and potash (K2O) in that order. P2O5 is the fertilizer form of Phosphorus (P), and K2O is the fertilizer form of Potassium (K). These three numbers are called the fertilizer analysis or “Grade.” Fertilizer products that contain some amount of all three major nutrients are often called “complete” fertilizers. Soil test nutrient recommendations are made in the same units (N, P2O5 and K2O). But once you have those recommendations, you need to determine how much fertilizer will supply those nutrient amounts. This requires some basic arithmetic, presented in Formula #1. For example, if the recommendation ...
