To pee or not to pee?

 

I don't believe I'm actually doing a post about this subject, except I am.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, it is increasingly hard to find a restroom when nature calls. Most places have strict toilet policies now, that is, if you are allowed to use them at all. And it has become increasingly difficult to relieve ones self in the midst of an eight-hour route.

So it comes as no surprise when the reason a customer cancels a lawn care company hinges more and more on hygienic practices than service.

Frequently, I hear from new customers, the reason they quit their previous provider was from finding a technician using the home owner's property as their own private urinal.

Sure, this is nothing new, and in my twenty years in this business, it is not the first time I've heard stories such as these.

However, the frequency has alarmingly increased. It also makes me question the intelligence of a worker who decides in this era of  ubiquitous visual home security, at a time when most people are home in lockdown, to empty a bladder next to a backyard bush.

Rest assured, that when I tell you your lawn needs a good deep watering once a week, it won't involve me urinating on it.

2020: It's the gift that keeps on giving

 

It is not surprising, with the swarms of Japanese Beetle we saw last summer that we'd see an increase of grub activity in the fall, and now into the spring of 2021.

Normally, our spring aeration schedule is minimal as we have moved most to the fall for the betterment of the lawn. But not this year.

This year I'm seeing more devastation in need of recovery with aeration and seed. I'm seeing more raccoons and skunks digging. I'm seeing lawns in serious need of reclamation.

So, what to do about these turf-wreckers?

One way to deter further damage is to purchase Coyote Urine Pellets (raccoons) or Fox Urine Pellets (skunks) and trick your unwanted vermin into believing  a larger predator is near. Follow the label of the product for best results.

Once digging has ceased and reparation is underway, you might need to consider a grub application. There are two methods currently available: nematodes---best applied as a liquid application from mid August to mid October---or Grub Gone---applied as a granular end of May through July.

Which ever method you choose, be sure to consult the label before applying the product to your lawn.

With Japanese Beetle, you can make nicotine tea by crumpling a pack of cigarettes into a pail of water to steep for a couple of hours. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and apply to all plants affected by Japanese Beetle, late June through July, or when the insect is active. The nicotine is a natural insect repellent.

Pheromone Traps  also work well to help cull the population of the destructive insect.

With everything these critters and insects have given you, isn't it time you gave some back?

Welcome to the annual egg hunt

 

I have always believed there are enough lawns out there for everyone, but that was before Covid and the hottest/driest summer in 70 years.

Now, it seems all companies are scrambling for the almighty dollar to feed their bottom lines, and willing to get down and dirty to make it happen.

Sure, we've lost our fair-share of customers (mostly new from 2020) who decided it was our fault for the weather, and what it did to the lawns last year. Yet, we've also gained a shit-ton as homeowners play Swing-your-partner in hope of a better alternative.

Still, the dark and devious behavior of some of our competitors has been  just short of abhorrent. 

We've had our service calls removed from a potential customer's mailbox and replaced by one from the offending company. We've had companies cold-call our customers pretending to be us and getting them to sign up for service with their lawn care instead. And we've had lawns poached by cancelled companies who went ahead and did the spring fertilizer on the property anyway.

This last trick has been going on for years, and you should be made aware of it. It is called negative billing.

In fine print on the invoice, the bigger lawn care providers have a statement declaring,  in one form or another "This is a continuous service." Unless you cancel by a designated date---usually sometime in October---you are automatically renewed for another season.

Sometimes they will show and do an application even when you have cancelled. This taking the money of the street is very effective as they know most people would rather pay the invoice instead of being threatened with legal action.

This is also something we have to be keenly aware of when we arrive at a new property in case it has already been fertilized.

I don't need to call these companies out by name for the way they conduct business because I suspect you are smart enough to figure out who they are.

I realize, as a business owner, you need to make money in order to keep your company afloat, but you also need to maintain a reasonable level of integrity---a lesson sadly lost on some of the big guys in the industry.

In my opinion it is the only way you are going to keep finding enough eggs and the chocolate within.