Chapter 11: Buying Professional Equipment and Supplies
Outdoor Equipment
First, because you are serious about this business, you already know you want professional-level equipment, so buy the best you can afford. In the long run, it will be cheaper than the low-quality, or heavily used equipment that turns up on sale in the paper or online. You want equipment that will stand up to the demands of a professional landscaping business and will not need to be replaced after only a few months on the job.
Your truck
Lawn care specialists do not stuff a lawnmower into the trunk of the family car. Acquire a vehicle that can haul your mower(s), edgers, hedge cutters, rakes, seeders, shovels, snowblowers, pruning gear, and all of the other items you will be using in your business, as well as a few cubic yards of mulch and topsoil. You will need at least a full-sized pickup or van. If you want to consider more heavy-duty work, you might look into getting a one-ton flatbed. These trucks are regularly seen around town hauling landscaping equipment and dirt. They are bigger than a pickup and are built to carry heavier loads. The most important characteristic of your business vehicle is its ability to meet your basic business needs, not your aesthetic needs. You need hauling ability, not luxury. If you live in an area that experiences severe winters and will be offering snow-removal services, you can make a good winter income with a plow. That requires a vehicle that can handle one, and operates with four-wheel drive.
Look for deals. Check online vehicle sale sites and newspapers. Call vehicle rental companies to ask about vehicles coming off lease or rental programs. You can save a significant amount of money by purchasing a used vehicle. Before you buy, however, take it to a mechanic you trust to get an independent assessment of its mechanical soundness. You need reliability. It will not help your business if you have to cancel appointments because your truck will not start.
Trailers
You probably have seen landscapers hauling equipment on trailers. The trailers provide extra carrying capacity and can be used for specific needs such as large mowers or loads of topsoil or mulch. Some landscaping companies leave equipment on the trailers at night.
Trailers come in two basic types: open and enclosed. Open trailers are lighter and require less fuel to haul around. There are many aftermarket kits that allow you to set up racks and other specialized configurations. They also cost less than fully enclosed trailers. They also are open to the elements, which may be an issue if you receive a two-foot snowfall.
Enclosed trailers have four sides and a roof. It is what it implies: a small, rolling storage room. They are heavier, so they use more fuel and they cost more to purchase. But you can lock them at night with a measure of security for the equipment you keep inside, which also applies on job sites where security is an issue. Trailers vary widely in cost, from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
Mowers
A mower is probably the most important individual piece of equipment on your list. There are three basic mower options: push it, walk behind it, or ride it. Push mowers are the most common, especially for homeowner operation. The noisy, stinky machine you pushed under the hot summer sun of your teenage years is still available in all its small, backbreaking glory. But, you will not want to use it for your business, at least not as a primary mower.
If you are going to be mowing, trimming, edging, hauling, and digging all day, you do not want to add to your burdens and time constraints by pushing a small mower back and forth for hours across a large, grassy yard. However, a small push mower may come in quite handy as an alternative in some parts of narrow urban yards. If you decide to purchase a push mower, spend the extra money for a professional model with at least a 21-inch cutting width and at least five horsepower. Unless you are going to be cutting a lot of small yards, use this one as a backup to other, more powerful models.
Self-propelled mowers are worth the extra money. They provide their own forward power so you simply walk behind and guide them. A variable-speed, self-propelled mower allows you to set the pace of the work without feeling as though the machine is dragging you along. All new mowers are required to have a blade brake clutch (BBC). This stops the blade from spinning if you lose control of the mower. One version of the BBC stops the blade and the engine when you release the controls on the handle; the other stops only the blade. The second option allows you to empty the clipping bag or push the mower over walkways and other obstacles without having to restart the engine to resume mowing.
Riding mowers for professionals are not the little tractors suburban dads ride around their yards on Saturdays. Mowers for professionals are designed for rough duty day after day. Professional models have cutting decks up to 60 inches and mid sized models have 15 horsepower or more. If you are going to be doing large lawns or commercial jobs, you will need a large self-propelled or riding mower. Get the largest model you can for the jobs you will be doing. Large, self-propelled models can be turned into riders with optional items called sulkies or velkes. These are trailer-like devices that attach to the mower. You sit on the sulky, or you stand on the velke, while the mower pulls you around as you guide it.
Commercial mowers are available with either fixed or floating decks that support the mowing blade(s). A fixed deck costs less and is attached to the mower in the position you set. Its height does not have to be adjusted for each job site. However, it can scalp bumps in rough or hilly lawns and is more of an issue on the wider models, say 60 inches or so, where you may be cutting a large swath of uneven yard.
A floating deck is suspended from the mower frame and “floats” side to side and back to front over the contours of a lawn, offering a smoother, even cut without those annoying bald spots that make customers want discounts. A floating deck is more expensive than a fixed deck, but it does a higher-quality job.
Reel mowers are more complicated devices that use finely calibrated blades for precise cuts. Reel mowers often are used on golf courses and for high-end customers who want the best cut available. Good reel mowers are expensive and require more care and skill to operate and maintain them. You might want to wait to purchase this item until your business and knowledge grow.
Mower tips
A good professional mower will probably cost at least $1,000. Remember, this is a primary business tool and you do not want to buy cheap equipment. You will need something that will endure rough treatment on a daily basis. Depending on size and options, you could spend more than $10,000 for a top-of-the-line pro model. A midrange or less expensive mower will probably do fine for your first year or two in business.
You will not get a long warranty on a professional mower. Manufacturers know these tools get rough treatment, so they offer shorter warranty periods, sometimes as short as ninety days. Talk to your dealer about any downtime programs that might be available, so you will have a loaner if your machine is in the shop.
It certainly helps to have a knack for fixing machinery yourself. You can save a lot of money if you can handle basic maintenance and repair on your own mowers, trailers, and trucks. You can get years of good service out of a quality mower, but it will need regular maintenance, oil changes, and repairs. It can be expensive to drop off your high-priced pro mower at a repair shop. Learn to fix it yourself by reading the manual and following all maintenance recommendations. Change the oil often. Clean filters. Treat your equipment with the respect it deserves. After all, your equipment keeps you in business by helping you deliver your service and products.
During downtimes or periods of bad weather when you cannot be in the field, check your mowers, blowers, edgers, and other items for wear. Are starter cords fraying? Do they need to be replaced? How do your spark plugs look? Are all of the parts tight? Lubricated? Do not leave your equipment and tools out in the weather. During the mowing season, it is important that you clean your lawn-mower deck regularly and keep the blades sharp. During the busiest part of the year, you may need to sharpen your blade daily. You will need a bench grinder and a tool to remove the blade. Sharpen to the angle of the blade. Remember to remove the spark plug wire before you try to remove the blade to ensure the mower does not start while you are in the deck housing. If the blade is bent, replace it.
Edgers
Line Edgers also are known as weed whackers, weed eaters, line trimmers, and string trimmers. The edger is a device that uses a line or a cord that spins out from the motor. It whirls so fast that it slices vegetation in its path. Choosing an edger is a tradeoff between power and weight. The more power it has, the more it weighs. That is a strong consideration if you are going to be using the device for several hours a day. Commercial edgers weigh about 9 pounds for the lighter models to 12 pounds or more for the high-power models. If you need the power, think about getting a shoulder harness to help support it.
Some edger models come with curved or flex shafts. Many professional landscapers claim these models are hard on the back over long work periods, so they favor the straight shaft models.
Edger heads are available in “tap and go” or “smart head” models. Tap and go is the most common style. The spinning lines extends when the head is tapped on the ground while spinning. You will need to extend the line occasionally because the ends wear off with use. The smart head models automatically extend the line when it senses that the cord is short.
Blade edgers use blades in place of cords. They are used for heavier-duty jobs such as trimming sidewalks and other areas that need a clean, sharp edge. Size, power, and weight are issues to consider when evaluating for purchase.
Snow-removal equipment
If you live in a region that experiences long, snowy winters, think about offering snow-removal services to keep you busy and funded when you are not cutting lawns and planting flowers. This is not an issue if you live in Florida, along the Gulf Coast, or in southern California. However, if you live in Minnesota, the Northeast, or the Rocky Mountain region, snow removal is a normal part of landscaping services. To offer professional-grade snow removal, you will need more than a few snow shovels. You will need two expensive pieces of equipment: a snowplow and a snow blower. You may find deals on used equipment that will bring the cost down. If you are going to offer this service, you must have a truck that can handle the plow. Plow and blade styles vary according to the size of the truck. You probably will not be plowing interstate highways so you will not need a very large truck, but you may be plowing parking lots and private community streets, so consider the size of the job when you look for equipment. A snow blower is great for sidewalks and small driveways. You will still need the snow shovels for tight spots and finish work. Look around and get a lightweight metal shovel that is easy on the back.
Other useful power equipment
Blowers can be used for a number of landscaping tasks, most often to blow grass clippings off sidewalks and driveways. You can save money by using a broom, but if you have the money, get a blower. The more powerful models are worn on the body in backpack style, and can be used for leaf blowing in the fall. Again, there is the tradeoff of power, weight, and price. Get the best and most comfortable you can afford.
Power trimmers are useful if you are offering more than simple lawn maintenance. Use them to trim bushes, hedges, and other shrubs. They come with single- or double-sided blades, ranging from 18 to 40 inches long. Unless you have some skill with this piece of equipment, start with a smaller model.
Power rakes are used to dethatch lawns. They are also called vertical mowers. You can get one as an attachment to your lawn mower or as an independent piece of equipment. Power rakes are nice to have, but you probably will not need one when your business is still in its infancy.
Other useful power equipment, depending on the services you plan to offer, include chain saws, pole saws, power washers, and garden tillers.
Non-power hand tools and other items
Having the proper tools is the best way to get any job done. As a landscaper, you will need professional-quality basic yard and garden implements. You might consider a large box to store them so they will not be scattered all over your truck, trailer, or storage area. Here is a basic list:
• Shovels, pointed and square edged. At least one set
per crew.
• Spade
• Cultivating fork
• Hoe
• Pick
• Wheel barrow (contractor grade)
• Hand truck
• Tarps
• Large plastic trash can
• Leaf and bow rakes
• Heavy duty hoses, nozzles, sprinkler, and watering can
• Sledgehammer (for driving stakes)
• Eight-foot ladder
• Tree saw (for removing small branches, and so forth)
• Small garden tools for digging and weeding
• Sighting level (to measure elevations and grades)
• Measuring wheel (for accurate dimensions)
In addition to all of the above, you will need high-quality leather work gloves to protect your hands from all of the tools listed above, steel-toed work boots, and a hat to keep the sun off your face. Everyone who works for you also should have gloves, good boots, a hat, and safety glasses to protect them from debris flying around from the power tools they will be using. Ear protection from the noise of loud power tools also is a good idea.
What Does All of This Cost?
The answer is, it depends. If you buy everything new at full retail, the tools alone could run you $8,000 to $10,000, and that is if you stay away from the top-of-the-line power mowers. If you have patience, shop around, and are willing to purchase used equipment, you can save significant amounts of money. Your truck will be the most expensive piece of equipment you will purchase — $15,000 is a good starting point for a decent used truck. Think of it as an investment, not an expense. It will make you money.
Pricing all of this will require you to do some homework. Quality trumps price every time. Meaning, the best equipment, if well maintained, will ultimately be lower cost than unreliable cheap equipment that needs to be replaced often. The equipment we have listed here is the heart of your business. It is better to start small with quality service and equipment than to try to start big with bargain equipment and so-so service to customers. Your business is much better served by a small list of happy customers than a long list of unhappy ones.
Essential Maintenance
Chances are if you are considering an outdoor service business, you already have some maintenance skills. You do not need to be told to keep your tools, mowers, trucks, and other equipment clean and in good working order. The better you maintain your equipment, the longer it will last. It is also true that every time you sharpen your own mower blade, or replace the sparkplugs, change the oil, or even simply clean out the grass and crud from under the mower to keep the airflow lifting the grass blades up for cutting, you save money that a competitor without repair skills will have to spend at the mower shop.
If you are not handy with a wrench and toolkit, or are more a garden-design type of person, you may want to partner with or hire an all-round “fix-it” guy to head up your in-house repair team. This person can teach you or other employees how to keep mowers, trucks, and other gear operating smoothly at a minimal cost. He can also make sure you have equipment properly prepared for storage in the off-season, if you have snowy winters.
A comfortable, orderly workshop will make maintenance more efficient. Set up your workshop in an adequate, dry, and heated space with a solid workbench, vise, and grinder. A heated workshop in climates with winter weather means you can use your off time to rehab mowers, rebuild engines, and get all your working gear in top condition for spring. Purchase a few sturdy floor jacks to support the mowers, tractors, or trucks when you are working on them. Sharpen mower blades daily for a crisp, clean cut. While any good bench grinder can sharpen a blade, you will get a precision edge by investing in a professional blade grinder such as those sold at www.landscaperpro.com. Lubricate tools regularly. Tighten nuts and bolts often, because vibration shakes them loose. Minor repairs, such as replacing a wheel or changing and re-gapping spark plugs, do not take years of experience to figure out. Major repairs are a different story. Before you tackle rebuilding even a small engine, or something that sounds simple, like cleaning and readjusting a carburetor, be sure you have the proper instructions at your side and follow them to the letter. Unless you really do know what you are doing and why, you do not want to “experiment” with the equipment that helps you pay for groceries and gasoline.
You will want to keep all your instruction manuals in an easily accessible, central location—not tucked here and there among the oil cans in the shed. Keep all the manuals that come with new equipment. When you buy used machines, ask if the manuals are available. If not, you may be able to find them on the Internet. Check at websites such as www.repairmanual.com/lawnmowers or www.shakyparts.com/manuals.html. Manufacturers often set up engine-specific web sites, such as www.briggsandstratton.com/
It does not matter much whether you keep your manuals filed in the workshop itself, or in your office. All that matters is that you can find them when you need them. If they are in the office, you or your office helper can make calls for repair parts with the part numbers and descriptions right in front of you. Finding a particular tool can take five seconds or five hours, depending on the care with which it was put away the last time it was used. If you start with the goal of keeping your workshop orderly, you will be surprised how employees and family members may pitch in to help you keep it that way.
Outdoor Supplies
Chemicals
There may be no more sensitive issue in America today than the environment. Environmental debate is serious and widespread and virtually every state is reviewing environmental laws and standards. Consequently, it is no longer permissible for a commercial landscape company to grab a bag or two of fertilizer or pesticide and spread it around without regard to federal, state, and local regulations. Are unlicensed people out there doing this? Absolutely. Do you want to be one of them? Not unless you are prepared to pay heavy fines in a society that is increasingly conscious of chemical risk.
Laws and products are constantly changing to meet the environmental challenges we are facing today, so review your state’s laws governing the use of chemicals in your work, obtain the necessary training, licenses, and permits, or, find someone who has all of the necessary qualifications and licenses and subcontract your work to him or her. This can be time consuming and distracting for the owner of a new business, but you will forced to either tell potential customers that you do not provide fertilizing, pesticide, and other chemical or organic products, or find a way to deliver these products.
You do not need to feel you are dropping the ball if you do not offer fertilizer, pesticide, or herbicide services. There is no stigma in using subcontractors to perform these tasks. Later in the book there is more discussion of subcontracting, which is an essential part of the lawn and garden service industry. Even large landscaping companies do business this way. It is often more efficient and ultimately less costly to subcontract out the specialized services that would detract you from what you do best. For both your piece of mind and that of your customers, in the case of chemicals, it may be a good idea to leave this sensitive and changing arena to those who know it best.
A Web search of fertilizers and pesticides proves the point: state agriculture departments offer all kinds of information about how and what to use, or not use. For an example, let us review the policies of the state of Maryland. Maryland enforces an aggressive nutrient management program designed to ease pollution of Chesapeake Bay, one of the world’s great estuaries. Millions of people live in the bay’s drainage area. Runoff from lawns, golf courses, and parks has become a serious problem for the bay and its tributaries. Every landscaping company in Maryland, as well as in Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia is, in some way, affected by the regulations put in place to ease the pollution.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture “reviews the fertilizer application records of commercial lawn care companies, as well as non-agricultural nutrient applicators to ensure that nutrients are being applied properly.” These words are from a state Web site. They illustrate a couple of important points that apply all across the country. First, note the words “fertilizer application records.” This means commercial landscape companies are required to maintain records of their fertilizer applications—records that can be reviewed by state authorities. Second, note the words “applied properly.” This means the state has standards for such applications that they expect will be followed. This same Web site advises homeowners to choose a landscaping company “that embraces environmentally sound management practices.”
Many other states have similar regulations. The state of Maine restricts the sale of fertilizer containing phosphorous to protect the state’s water, and offers help in finding phosphorous-free fertilizers. Iowa bans the dumping of yard wastes, including grass clippings, at landfills unless those landfills offer composting facilities. In California, Florida, Minnesota, and elsewhere across America, state governments are addressing issues of water pollution and other environmental problems caused by products that are used to make lawns greener, bushes fuller, flowers brighter, and trees taller. You owe it to yourself and your business to stay current in your state’s requirements for training, as well as its laws and regulations.
There is little room for error here. The state of Maryland site declares “Lawn care companies and commercial landscapers are also required by this law to apply fertilizers in accordance with the most recent Maryland Cooperative Extension recommendations.” This means you will not be able to use the “I did not know” defense if you are caught violating the most recent regulations. It is your responsibility as a business owner to keep yourself up to date on all laws and standards governing your company and its activities, including environmental matters.
Lawn fertilizers
The fertilizers that make lawns green and healthy contain three major elements: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Nitrogen gives the lawn a rich green, thick, and sturdy appearance. This is the “N” on the label describing the formula for any given bag or batch of lawn fertilizer. The formula is three numbers, as in 20-10-10. The “20” is the nitrogen. The number varies according to the intensity or strength of the nitrogen content in that batch of fertilizer.
Phosphorus may also be referred to as phosphate. Phosphorus promotes root growth, winter hardiness and helps grass withstand environmental stress. It is the second number in the formula.
Potassium, sometimes called potash, strengthens grass blades so they bounce back from foot traffic. It also helps grass withstand dry spells.
In recent years, some cities and states have placed limitations on the use of phosphorus in lawn fertilizer. When washed into area streams and lakes, phosphorus is said to contribute to algae “bloom” or overgrowth. Taken to an extreme, overgrown algae and waterweeds can cause poor water quality, odors, and fish kill. These are still controversial rulings, so if you live in an area that has endorsed a phosphorus ban, be sure you stay aware of current regulations. Due to the phosphorus controversy, manufacturers have created new formulation of lawn fertilizer that reduce or eliminate phosphorus from the mixture. Leaving grass clippings on the lawn instead of raking them up can help maintain the level of phosphorus without adding more of this chemical through standard lawn fertilizers.
Testing kits are available to evaluate the chemical composition of your landscaping clients’ soil. Professional kits are available at www.gemplers.com and www.professionalequipment.com, among others. You can also take a soil sample to your local county agricultural agency or commercial laboratory for testing. The results of the test will give you far a better guidelines to your customers’ lawn needs than guessing at the chemical ratio and automatically spreading a standard fertilizer. If you are not knowledgeable about soil chemistry, you may also consult with a fellow landscaper or agricultural agent who is an expert on chemical applications.
It is important that the fertilizer be in a proper balance. Higher numbers in various chemicals or nutrients do not necessarily mean a greener, healthier lawn. High nitrogen, for instance, can “burn” a lawn by overpowering it, making it brown and dead looking. In addition to its potential as a water pollutant, excess phosphorus can cause deficiency of iron and zinc, micronutrients that are necessary for good plant health. Excess potassium is not directly toxic to plants but can bring about a deficiency in magnesium, another important micronutrient.
There is no one “best” fertilizer. That is why it is best to test the soil, and add only the chemicals it requires. There are, however, some features to look for if you choose a standardized blend. You will want a guaranteed analysis of the formula. It will be on the label at the back of the bag or container. Nitrogen is available in slow-release, water insoluble, quick-release, or slowly available. It is available as inorganic or organic. It can be granular or liquid. It may be labeled ammonium nitrate, calcium nitrate, activated sewage sludge, urea, or one of many other terms.
In an established lawn the likelihood of runoff is lessened because of the density of the turf. Even in this instance, a soaking watering immediately after application will improve its penetration. However, care should be taken to avoid spreading chemical fertilizers on hard surfaces such as walkways and driveways because the nutrients can easily spill over into storm drains that lead into streams and rivers. Be especially careful to clean up spillage of these nutrients on hard surfaces. The same caution applies to frozen ground. There is a temptation to do early fertilizing in the spring when the ground is not yet thawed. This increases the risk of water pollution, because any rainfall or snowmelt on still-frozen ground will cause the nutrients to wash into public waterways.
“Organic” fertilizers and pesticides
Concerns about the environment have produced interest in organic fertilizers and pesticides. “Organic” chemicals or fertilizers are those that occur naturally. They are not man-made in a laboratory or produced from petroleum by some complex, artificial means of production. To be effective, an organic fertilizer must contain the same basic nutrients as factory-produced liquid or granular chemical fertilizers: nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Compost can be a source of these nutrients, but it should be analyzed for composition and formula. Be aware that the word “organic” does not mean there are no environmental effects from this type of fertilizer. Nitrogen and phosphorus from farm runoff and organic landscaping can still have a negative impact on streams, rivers, and lakes, so it is important to use these products properly.
“Activated sewage sludge” is one type of material used for organic fertilizers. It is what you think it is, although it has been sanitized in a sewage treatment facility. Some municipalities give it away, others have arrangements with various entities to haul it off, package it, and either sell it or give it away. There are those who feel that this type of fertilizer has an offensive odor. Customers who are sensitive to this may not want it spread all over their yards.
A number of companies specialize in organic lawn and garden products. One of them is called Cockadoodle DOO, a product of Pure Barnyard. The company warns that people who are allergic to corn should avoid the dust of its product, which is produced from animal waste, and there is also a warning that people who are allergic to chickens or feathers should not handle it. As with all products, organic or artificial, read the warning labels, not only for yourself, but also for your customer. Before you spread something around a homeowner’s yard, be sure you know if it is safe in general, and acceptable to the people who have hired you to work on their property.
Organic nutrient products also are made from bat guano (high in nitrogen), fish meal (high nitrogen and good phosphorus, little potassium), and kelp meal, which comes from seaweed and contains trace minerals that help grass and plants flourish. Organic fertilizers are typically slow-release products that work through the breakdown of natural nutrients. These are not products that you spread on Saturday and watch the grass turn greener in the following week. They should be spread as part of a season-long plan and given a longer period to work. Pure Barnyard offers commercial-grade products for landscape professionals, as do other producers of organic fertilizers.
If you feel that organic products are good for the environment and want to separate yourself from other landscape professionals, set up and market yourself as an organic landscaper, qualifying and applying for all applicable certifications. You will attract customers who are drawn to organic lifestyle firms. There are significant state and local regulations that legitimize your claim of “organic.” Be sure you follow these rules, or define which of your services is organic and which is not.
Learn as much as you can about these products. Take courses at your local college to increase your knowledge and qualifications. Consult with licensed companies about working with you as you increase your knowledge. Do not apply anything to a yard until you and your customer know what it is and what it will do.
Pesticides
Pesticides are the most regulated area of the landscape industry. There are federal, state, and in many cases, local laws governing their use. In fact, there are so many aspects to this type of product that the United States Environmental Protection Agency has a Web site devoted to it: The National Pesticide Information Center, npic.orst.edu/epareg.
Pesticides are substances that prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate anything defined as a pest. The term pesticide is not confined to substances that kill or repel insects, but include mice, moles, chipmunks, weeds (otherwise known as plants you do not want), fungi, bacteria, and viruses. The primary law that governs the use of pesticides is the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. It directs the EPA to oversee all types of pesticides. The EPA, in turn, cautions that every state has is own regulations and laws and primary responsibility for enforcing them. Counties, cities, and townships may have their own regulations and enforcement agencies. It can get confusing and technical, so think about whether you want to obtain your own certification and license, or find a licensed service and let them take care of it for you.
Maryland, for example, requires approved training in such things as pesticide safety, biology, control, storage and disposal. A commercial applicator must pass a core examination plus exams on each of the pesticide applications he or she plans to perform. The certificate must be renewed each year. In New York commercial lawn care companies are required to notify customers 48 hours in advance of pesticide applications, cost to the customer, warnings labels of any product being applied, and lawn care signs in the yard for at least 24 hours after the application. State regulations change, some yearly, so it is important to keep informed about the latest chemical regulations in your area.
One successful landscape company in Maryland also services customers in the District of Columbia and Virginia. Laws are different in each of these jurisdictions, increasing the required paperwork to headache level. This company decided to use other, licensed chemical and pesticide firms to handle such things. Pesticide applicators also must obtain special insurance to cover the costs of environmental or health disasters. If applied properly, pesticides can take care of the things you and your customer want removed or prevented, such as weeds and flower-eating bugs. Some of the products are toxic and must be respected and used carefully. Do not perform pesticide application without proper training. This is not only illegal; it could harm you and your customer.
As with fertilizers, there is a growing movement toward environmentally friendly and organic pesticides. The reasons are powerful. Chemicals used improperly can harm the environment and kill or sicken people and wildlife. Pesticides are the number two cause of household poisoning in the United States. Commercial applicators are likely to be more cautious and knowledgeable than a homeowner who purchases a bug spray and dispenses it without bothering to read the label, but the dangers are there for all applicators of strong chemicals.
Researchers around the world are working on organic or “natural” pesticides, with some success. For instance, bacteria called Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) kills insects that feed on plants. It is a powder that is sprinkled or dusted on the plant you want to protect. Its primary benefit is its human-friendly quality. Unfortunately, it can take days to kill the bugs and will not know a butterfly from a beetle. Bt has been around for a while; only been recently have its applications have been understood and refined. The company Pharm Solutions has several products certified as organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including products to control fungi. Some are oil or soap products similar to the ones that your great grandmother may have used.
As with fertilizers, a label of “organic” does not mean there are no environmental or health risks. An organic product can be toxic. Educate yourself about any product or substance you plan to use and follow directions. Truly organic gardeners tout the benefits of using plants to repel specific insects. Mint, for example, is said to repel ants and aphids. Garlic is reputed to repel certain beetles, and marigolds are credited with repelling whiteflies, tomato hornworms, and thrips. If you choose to define your business as organic you must avoid using non-organic products, including traditional chemical and so-called artificial pesticides. As your business grows and develops, your knowledge and skill will increase, allowing you to better understand your company’s place in the market and the products and services you feel comfortable providing.
Case Study: Organic Landscape & Design Co., Anthony Vitale
Organic Landscape & Design Co.
PO Box 184
Madison, NJ 07940
973-593-0268
www.organiclandscapedesign.com
Anthony Vitale, owner of Organic Landscape & Design
Co., grew up with plants and gardens favored by his Italian-American family, and worked as a landscaper in high school. After graduating from college with degrees in music and marketing, Vitale did not want an indoor job. “I wanted to keep doing gigs and be my own boss,” he says. “I didn’t feel there would be a salary cap. I could make as much money as my brain could afford, and if I needed to get away, I could take time off.”
Although he was drawn to work outside, Vitale had deep concerns about using chemicals and artificial fertilizers. (His father died young from cancer that might have been triggered by using garden chemicals.) “I was convinced it would be better to do things organically, as far as my health was concerned,” he said. “But there was no organic landscaping industry when I started my business in the mid-1980s. Still, there were organic farms in Pennsylvania, which was not far away. So I decided to market my business as an organic alternative to conventional landscape business.”
The concept of organic landscaping was a hard sell at first. Vitale worked with companies like Fertrell that usually worked with farmers, not landscapers. He would take soil samples to be tested, and then discussed what products would make the yard flourish. “Calcium is often very deficient in New Jersey soil, and it’s actually more important to the growth of the lawn than potassium, phosphorus, or nitrogen,” he said. Vitale adds calcitic lime to get the proper pH. When soil is balanced, fertilizer is absorbed more readily by the plant itself, and increased microbial activity beneath the soil’s surface impedes fungus growth.
Now it is easier to find organic lawn products from outlets like www.espoma.com and www.convertedorganics.com, which do not use human fecal material or other unsafe components. Educating the customer is essential, Vitale said. “I am to the landscaping industry what a preventative medicine doctor is to the medical industry.”
Today’s topsoil is manufactured from clay, compost, and sand, and you do not know where the ingredients came from. “Organics feed the soil and the environment; conventional pesticides and fertilizers treat the plant itself,” he said. His methods put more biodiversity into the soil. “It just creates a happy place for plants. Although, using chemically-based stuff judiciously and sparingly can be a safe alternative.”