2021 saw the culmination of an increased demand for common green industry products coupled with shortages of raw materials, delays of essential components, and domestic manufacturing challenges have driven price increases across the category. Now is a great opportunity to take a look back at the top irrigation articles of 2021 and see what plans you might want to make …
Pump Station Winterization Check-List
Although ultimately geography dictates when to winterize, for most of the country winterization season has arrived. Correctly winterizing a pump station is crucial – if a step is missed, the station can sustain freeze damage, costing valuable time and money (replacement parts can cost thousands of dollars, depending on the extent of the damage). The following winterization checklist will walk …
Looking Ahead to Marketing: 5 Predictions for Next Year
While it often seems that predicting what will happen in the future has taken a bumpy road the last 18 months, the good news is that marketing trends continue to be strong and give good insight into what businesses should focus on in the coming year no matter what the market brings. We know that consumers are focused on their …
4 Tips to Overcome Supply Chain Challenges Heading into 2022
It seems everywhere you read these days; supply chain issues are in the forefront of so many news articles. Often, we are hearing descriptions of large shipping vessels waiting to unload in the Port of Los Angeles, empty shelves at the grocery store, or the projections that people should adjust their holiday gift shopping timeline and expectations of product availability. …
Have We Reached a Tipping Point with Straight Urea in Fertilizers?
A year ago, we all were talking about fertilizer prices reaching decade lows. Fast forward 12 months, fertilizer prices are approaching 10-year highs. Whether Potash, Ammonium Sulfate or urea, costs continue to climb. As we look at a lot of fertilizers used by the Professional Lawn Care Industry, we are seeing more and more straight urea in blends in an …
5 Areas of Focus for Marketing During the Off Season
Coming up with your marketing goal for next year doesn’t have to be complicated, think about a new promotion or service you want to share, what goal do you want to accomplish, who do you want to target, and how are you going to communicate your business to your target customer? Once you’ve determined what you want to focus your …
4 Tips for Goal Setting and Planning During the Off Season
As the leaves begin to change and cooler weather sets in around the country, visits to your clients also begin to change. Seems like this could be a great time to sit back and enjoy all the hard work you and your team have put in during the busy half of the year in landscaping. However, don’t sit back and …
Ask the Expert: Best Practices for Fall Weed Control
If you’re looking for a weed-free lawn next spring, Fall is the perfect time to start thinking about controlling weeds in turf; in fact, it’s the best time to start the control of the most difficult of weeds. Many experts consider fall weed control to be more effective than waiting to tackle weeds in the spring. Check out these three …
Ask the Expert: 4 Tips for Landscape Lighting Maintenance Agreements
Days are getting shorter, kids are headed back to school, and summer is coming to an end. For our industry this means that landscape lighting season is upon us, and there will be an uptick in new installations and upgrades for existing customers. Last month, we shared tips for marketing your outdoor lighting services. This month, we asked Kevin Adams, …
Ask the Expert: Grass Seed Insurance – Why Do You Need it?
From Bob Hartman If you are reading this article, chances are you are already aware of some of the challenges in the seed category this year. There will likely not be enough seed to meet the demand this fall and going into spring. It’s also possible that some seed varieties may not be available all season. Seed growers in the …