With all of the new laws being passed and the world becoming more aware of what exactly we are putting on our lawns and in our soil, there has been a big push for ‘Organic Lawn Care’.

Organic Lawn Care…what is it? What defines organic? I am sure a lot of readers have a basic understanding of what organic means, but do you know how to apply the term to your lawn? We hope by reading this article you can pull some ideas and put them into practice.

Organic Lawn Care is a series of practices when put into place can create a lush, dense lawn that is less susceptible to weeds and more resistant to insect pests and disease. Something that we are all looking for at the end of the day. I have yet to meet someone that says, “Let it go brown and weedy, that’s the way I like it.” So that being said I hope the following helps a few people out there.

Water Hogs Beware, Your Lawn Doesn’t Thank You

The number one mistake homeowners make when caring for their lawn is overwatering. Drought-enforced watering schedules often result in homeowners watering their lawns too much.
Water studies suggest that when they have to abide by a watering schedule, people apply water several times in short intervals to their lawns. This creates turf diseases. And, ironically, it may increase water consumption.

One reason too much water can be harmful to your home lawn is that it creates a perfect environment for diseases.

So how do you give your lawn the water it needs without putting out a welcome mat for unwanted diseases?

MAKE SURE TO WATER YOUR LAWN IN THE EARLY MORNING!

This gives your lawn plenty of time to dry during the day. You want to maximize the amount of water consistent with good growth but with the least amount of surface wetness.

An example would be to water thoroughly once a week until the top 1 to 2 inches of soil is wet, as opposed to watering three times a week for 30 minutes. The longer any plant is wet, the more you invite diseases.

Mow High and Mow Often

Maintaining your lawn to 3”-4” and never cutting more than 1/3 of its total height at any one time promotes good root structure and growth. Mowing your lawn too short creates weak and shallow root systems therefore making your lawn susceptible to weeds and disease. The exact things we are trying to avoid.

Make sure to mow your lawn once a week when it is growing actively. In summer, however, once every two weeks is usually enough (depending on circumstances; weather, watering, shade, quality of soil).
Grass clippings in moderation can also be left on the lawn. When they breakdown with the help of micro-organisms in the soil, they release nutrients making your lawn healthier. A mulching mower or blade kit can help with this process.

And while we are on the topic of mowing, make sure your lawnmower blade(s) are always sharp. Dull blades tear the grass blades rather than cutting them. The results can be ugly. The tips of your grass blades will turn brown/gray giving your lawn a bad finish. If you are not too sure on how to sharpen and balance your mower blades most small engine repair shops will be happy to do that for you.

Improve Your Soil

By improving your soil quality you are giving your lawn a nice bed to lay in…or on for that matter. There are many way to accomplish this and here are a few.

Aerating

Aerating consists of making many small holes in your lawn by removing plugs of soil with a core aerator or by making holes using a pin aerator. These both come in manual and engine devices. The most common aerator you may have seen is the core aerator.

By doing this you allow a better flow of air, water and nutrients to the roots. This stimulates root growth and prevents thatch build-up. You need to aerate when the ground becomes hard and compacted. Compacted lawns will not absorb water and nutrients as well making for a sad lawn. However, weeds seem grow in abundance in compacted soil.

Because aerating creates quite a few openings in the lawn, it is best done from late-August to mid-September, when lawns are less susceptible to weeds and the ground is moist without being drenched. You can also aerate in spring when the ground is cool but not waterlogged. The idea is to allow your lawn to heal from this process. Aerating in the middle of a hot summer is not a good idea.

Topdressing

Compost, compost and more compost. You cannot get a better topdressing than compost. Compost is both the best soil amendment and the best fertilizer. It adds micro-organisms to the soil, giving them both shelter and nutrients, in addition to improving the soil structure, balancing the pH and supplying essential nutrients for plant growth. You should apply a layer of compost once every three or four years in spring or early fall, when the lawn is in active growth.
Compost may be harder to find than other topdressing (black earth, triple mix, screen topsoil) but it is worth it. Make sure to use mature compost (rich, loose and dark), that is finely textured and doesn’t contain any weeds. Avoid compost with large amounts of topsoil or peat moss, both of which decompose too slowly.

Fertilizing your lawn

A lawn is subject to very difficult growing conditions: for one thing it is constantly mown and trampled. We often tend to expect our lawns to be greener and lusher than the soil can support. In most cases, this means that we need to fertilize.

Many people ask, “How do I fertilize my lawn, all there is out there are chemical applications.” That is not true, where most stores seem to carry only chemical applications there are other ways. Natural fertilizer may be either organic (plant or animal waste) or mineral (crushed stone), but either way it has not been chemically processed. They are out there you may just have to look a little harder. And with all of the new laws coming into place most (if not all) lawn service companies offer organic fertilizer as an option to their programs.

Fertilizing 2-3 times per year is adequate and almost necessary.

But What About The Weeds?

A healthy and well kept lawn, as well as optimum soil conditions, will greatly stifle the spread of weeds. Ground that is too compact, too clayey, too acid or too alkaline supports weed growth, as do lawns mowed too short.

The use of weed killers is generally not the best solution since they do not attack the cause only the visual weeds at the moment (and is not an organic solution). The ideal would rather be to pull the weeds out as soon as they appear, before the lawn is invaded. And then tackle the cause. Such as an overgrown empty lot next door.

I Got Grubs!

The larvae of several beetle species, commonly known as white grubs, are major pests of Canadian lawns. In Ontario the most common white grub species are the European chafer and the Japanese beetle. Injury to lawns occurs from larval munching on the roots, resulting in infested areas first turning yellow, then brown, and finally dying. When grub populations are heavy, areas of turf can be easily lifted from the soil. In addition, moles, raccoons, skunks, birds and other vertebrate animals feed on white grubs. Turf can be heavily damaged by the activities of these animals as they forage for grubs in infested turf. I have seen an entire lawn vanish in a matter of 2 weeks.

So what do you do organically? Well there is an answer…Nematodes.

Nematodes, also known as round worms, are a group of soft-bodied invertebrate worms which inhabit almost all possible locations where life can survive on earth.

Most species of nematodes are small or microscopic, as well as being colourless and transparent. Consequently, most people have never seen nematodes, except for the scientists who study them and the farmers whose crops have been affected by them.

There are certain species of nematodes that are effective against grubs and other larvae by basically eating them. You can contact your local lawn service provider to find out more on how to obtain them or get someone to apply them.

Nematodes are cultured on common sponges that are kept moist. These sponges can be stored for a month in the fridge so long as it is kept moist. Be sure that the nematodes are fresh! Stale, ineffective nematodes smell “fishy”…yummy.

Make sure to irrigate your lawn to 1 inch depth. Nematodes need moist soil to disperse effectively. To apply, simply soak the sponge in a medium sized pail (approx 4.5L) of ROOM TEMPERATURE water for half an hour (30 min) and squeeze the sponge to get all the nematodes into the water. This will be your stock solution, make sure to use within 2 hours or else they will die. You can use something as simple as a watering can, just dilute 1L of stock into 4.5L of water and water onto your lawn. Never apply in direct sunlight, nematodes like cool days, with protection from UV rays….ah ah me too! Apply on a very cloudy day or at dusk.

Well without letting all of our tricks out of the bag there you have it for our take on ‘Organic Lawn Care’. Taking care of your lawn naturally means just that. In some cases it does mean more work, compares to its chemical counterpart, but the results are worth it. We really hope you enjoyed reading this article and you took something away from it.

Spring is a great time to explore how we can be greener in all areas of our lives, including our lawns and gardens. Making simple, but different choices with lawn care products can make a positive impact on the environment and the way we live. Here are some easy tips on how you can become more eco-friendly this spring.

* Use mulch to help conserve water outdoors and improve your drainage. One of the best eco-friendly products is Vigoro Rubber Mulch, an innovative, non-toxic mulch made from 100 percent recycled rubber tires. The mulch maintains its color for 12 years, so there’s no need for annual mulching.

* Look into switching out fertilizers and pesticides that can be hazardous to your health and the environment. Dynamite Organic All Purpose Plant Food is the only OMRI-certified (Organic Material Review Institute) plant food guaranteed to last up to three months, reducing the need for frequent applications. Scotts® Organic Choice Soils & Fertilizers offer a few other options. Scotts® Organic Choice Potting Mix is made of sphagnum peat moss and composted bark fines, and the natural ingredients deliver twice the growth of ordinary potting soil. Scotts® Organic Choice Lawn Food is made from chicken litter and feather meal nutrients, so it is 100 percent safe for the home.

* Avoid that stack of plastic garden pots we seem to end up with each spring and try using potless plants. The new PotLess Plants in Biodegradable Containers allow you to plant the container right in the ground. The container decomposes as the plant grows.

* Finally, be smart about waste disposal. A lot of retailers are offering lawn bags to help clean up your yard mess. This year, try Biodegradable Lawn & Refuse Bags that ensure lawn clippings and yard waste will decompose and not create more trash for the environment.

These products can all be found at your local The Home Depot store.

You know why there is a warning “Do not Eat” on the “Silica” pack you find in new shoes? Because it is poisonous and someone has eaten it! But back to my topic…

Pesticides have been irking the earth’s residents for thousands of years. But before we dive into it…what is classified as a pesticide?

***Warning You may learn something***

A pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances used for preventing, controlling, or lessening the damage caused by a pest. A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent (such as a virus or bacteria), antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest.

Pests include insects, plant pathogens, weeds, birds, mammals, fish, nematodes and microbes that compete with humans for food, destroy property, spread or are a vector for disease or cause a nuisance.

Many pesticides are poisonous to humans.

Well it is not like we don’t know that already…I mean come on. By the 15th century, toxic chemicals such as arsenic, mercury and lead were being applied to crops to kill pests. Who would have known? It wasn’t long after that people started getting mercury poisoning, cancer and brain damage from these chemicals. Well, maybe we should try something different. Scientists over the years have tried and tested everything from, nicotine sulfate that was extracted from tobacco leaves to more natural pesticides derived from tropical plants.

In 1939, a gentlemen by the name of Paul Müller discovered that DDT was a very effective insecticide. It quickly became the most widely-used pesticide in the world. After that brilliant discovery synthetic pesticides became more common.

In the 1960s, it was discovered that DDT was preventing many fish-eating birds from reproducing, which was a serious threat to biodiversity. DDT is now banned in at least 86 countries, but it is still used in some developing nations to prevent malaria and other tropical diseases by killing mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects.

Not much has changed since then besides the fact that more and more pesticides have been approved and banned. How good can something be if you have to wear a full protective suit and a respirator to mix and apply?

How about these facts:

They say that some synthetic pesticides can stay in the soil for up to 7 years. Chemicals that are no longer used but which are resistant to breakdown for long periods may remain in soil and water and thus in food.

Some pesticides come in granular form, and birds and other wildlife may eat the granules, mistaking them for grains of food. A few granules of a pesticide is enough to kill a small bird.

Pesticide surface runoff into rivers and streams can be highly lethal to aquatic life, sometimes killing all the fish in a particular stream. Application of herbicides to bodies of water can cause fish kills when the dead plants rot and use up the water’s oxygen, suffocating the fish.

Did you know that pesticides have been found in store bought orange juice. Many food crops, including fruits and vegetables, contain pesticide residues after being washed or peeled.

Major cities all across Canada and the United States and across the pond in Europe are recognizing that things need to change. Full blown pesticide bans have been put into place and bi-laws have been passed to make it illegal to apply said pesticides.

Round up for the longest time was my best friend…but as of late I have found other alternatives such as horticulture vinegar and a propane torch. Heck what happened to manual control?

Now I know that we are all concerned and that we have been concerned for a long time. And I know that some of this information you already know. But perhaps you will be able to perceive it differently from this rambling.

Can you image going to the grocery store and seeing “Do not eat” on all of the apples?

From The Lawn Blog my name is Richard Murphy.

by: Ken LaVoie - Author of “Start your own amazingly profitable lawn care business”

Pretty much everything that shows up in your life is a direct result of those “beliefs” and “agreements” you are programmed with all your life. “no one ever got rich working 35-40 hours a week”, “money doesn’t grow on trees”, “you’ve got to watch every penny”, “employees will take advantage of you if you don’t watch them”, “you can’t make money doing x, y or z”, “you’ve got to be RIGHT THERE watching your business or all hell will break loose!”. I simply decided (often unconsciously) what things were going to be like and never gave it a second thought. I didn’t know what I was doing when I did that, but looking back, I realize that’s exactly how it worked. Now I’m living a great life, making all the money I need, looking for ways to make more and doing my fair share of charity work and donating to my favorite causes. Our family donates 10% of it’s income, roughly, to our church, daughter’s school and a local hospice cause - www.hvwa.org. In addition, we volunteer uncounted hours for those causes.

Now, I get up around 4:30 am, check email, take care of any web related work I need to do, meditate, head upstairs and spend a few minutes with my family, meet my employee when he arrives around 7 and take off and do estimates and landscape work from around 730-12. Then I usually take an hour nap, do some reading, and go to work on my computer for a while, doing investment and business research, writing letters or journaling. I play with my little girl and have dinner with her and my wonderful wife, Debbie. Then around 630-7, the little one is off to bed and my Deb I have some down time watching mindless television and talking with each other. Some weekends we sit in our living room and watch movies all day, other times we spend it with extended family or traveling … And I haven’t worked a weekend in 5 years.

Ken LaVoie, owner of LawnGuru.net has written a very informative, eye-opening and honest (with himself and the business) book on how to start and run a successful lawn care business. Here is what some people have to say about his book:

“Ken,
My association with you has tripled my business and moved me ahead at LEAST 3 years from where I’d be if I did it all alone. Using the techniques in the Lawn Guru program have definitely saved me time, frustration AND MONEY! Thank you!

Jeremy Mushero
JM and Sons Lawn Specialists”

“Hi Ken,
I really liked your book. I think it hit home and the more others know about it the more they will read it.

Steve”

“Awesome book for beginner, Highly recommended and VERY reputable and Honest

Jim”

“Start your own amazingly profitable lawn care business” is the title of the book and it is one of The Lawn Blogs must reads. There are a lot of books on this topic out there but only a few can capture its reader. This book when you start to read it you want to finish it…you are able to take something with you, and apply it to your business. Great job Ken! We look forward to any future works.

Starting and Running a fun, profitable
lawncare and landscape business
Make $60-$80 per man hour doing what you love

Right now I am offering HALF OFF either the ebook or the ebook and accompanying program. Go to www.lawnguru.net and choose your option from the menu on the left (after reviewing the site of course!) - then use THIS coupon code on checkout:
C7815

Cheers and send me your questions at ken@lawnguru.net

April 08, 2008 - Charlotte, North Carolina

Lawn & Garden Webvision™ (LGWV), is pleased to announce the recent partnership with The Lawn Blog/The Lawn News.

“It is critical to provide our viewers with fresh innovative content, while at the same time broadening our reach to the consumer market,” said Brian Gardner, President of LGWV. “The Lawn Blog and their recent project The Lawn News are a great fit to the already diverse rich media content and business model that LGWV has successfully launched, which has been predominantly commercial in nature. This partnership adds a nice balance for both companies, and is a catalyst that will move both organizations to the forefront as “the sources” for all green industry related content.

Richard Murphy, President of The Lawn Blog (TLB) stated, “The partnership with LGWV is exactly what TLB has been missing. The Lawn Blog’s extensive article base and expanding contributors/authors will make a perfect fit with LGWV’s varied content and strong online presence. Our newest project The Lawn News is a one stop shop for our syndication of RSS feeds giving both of our companies an even stronger online position. We are extremely excited to join forces and unite our passions for the green industry. This will help our companies stand out in front of the pack”.

Lawn & Garden WebvisionTM (www.lawnandgardenwv.com) is the world’s first IP channel for the green, gardening, and tree care industries, serving both professionals and consumers. Features include:

* On-demand television-style programming, with how-to segments, innovative product reviews, and equipment tips by industry professionals.
* Global lawn & garden news and event coverage.
* Social-networking platforms featuring user-video uploads and a professional/consumer forum.
* B2B and B2C solutions for manufacturers, dealers, industry professionals, and consumers.

The Lawn Blog (www.thelawnblog.com) and The Lawn News (www.thelawnnews.com) are information sources for green industry related content. The Lawn Blog features:

* Rich media solutions.
* Weekly fresh content from The Lawn Blog and industry professionals pertaining to lawn and landscape, marketing and business, and environment and safety.
* Material calculators for professionals and homeowners to calculate volumes for mulch/soil/compost.
* Extensive landscape glossary that is constantly growing.
* Public comment features to interact with the authors creating a forum style conversation.
* RSS feeds and mailing lists so you never miss a post.

By Chestin Salisbury

One of the most common complaints I hear these days from small businesses struggling to grow is that they can’t get anymore customers because they’re up against others that are willing to sell the exact same service at a cheaper price.

For example, what one hard working lawn care operator charges for a typical cut, edging, and blow, a potential customer might be able to get the exact same service for almost half the price from the kid down the street that’s simply trying to earn a few extra bucks.

So what can a serious-about-growth business owner do to overcome this challenge without resorting to low-ball pricing tactics?

Well, the first thing that needs to happen is they need to understand that if the only differentiating factor is the price, then prospects will ALWAYS go with the cheaper service. Again referring to the previous example, because there’s nothing that separates the two options the prospect has to choose from, they will almost always select the cheaper option.

Do you really expect to spend more for the exact same service?

So, the key to overcoming this pricing challenge and eliminating the discussion of price is to differentiate your products and services in the eyes of your potential customers.

Now, there are countless ways you can differentiate your business from your competition, but here are 7 specific ways you can very quickly set yourself apart from your competition and eliminate the need to compete on price:

1.Add more value to your products or services.

Adding additional services such as free mulch or pine straw in flower beds, free shrub trimmings, or free lawn stripping is a great way to differentiate you from your competition. While these services do add to your overhead, the cost should be minimal and the amount of new business you gain because of them should more than outweigh the additional expenses you incur.

2.Exceptional customer service

In today’s marketplace, customer service is severely lacking. So by going above and beyond by providing post service summaries, or by walking your customers property once a month, or by returning customer phone calls within 1 hour will go a long way towards differentiating you from your competition.

3.Become a specialist

People like to work with THE BEST. They like to know they have the most qualified person on the job, so by focusing on one area and becoming a specialist in that specific area, the process of selling your service becomes infinitely easier.

As an example, if a prospect is interested in having an irrigation system installed, your chances of landing the job are must better if your specialty is irrigation, instead of being a lawn care guy that also provides irrigation install services.

4.Provide one-stop solution

Now, while this goes against #3 above, it can also be a great differentiating feature if you can take care of ALL your prospects needs. That way, they don’t have to worry about going through the hassle of finding another service professional because they can get all their problems handled by you.

An example of this might be a full service lawn care company that in addition to the typical mow and go services, also offers fertilization, weed control, pest control, as well as plant maintenance services.

5.Specialized training or certifications

People prefer to work with experts and even though you may think specialized training or certifications are ‘no big deal’, your prospects view these as ‘seals of approval’ so don’t be shy about letting them know of any extra education or training you might have.

6.Relationship or affinity

If you really don’t have anything that differentiates you from your competition, you might consider tapping into a special relationship you have with your prospects. Even though this isn’t the strongest method of differentiation, people still prefer to do business with people they like and if you have something in common with them, it may very well be enough to give you the edge over your competition.

An example of this might be the simple fact you’re a ‘local’. Many people are loyal to their community so the fact you’ve been doing business there for the past X number of years could be a compelling reason to select you.

7.Risk reversal

Buying anything involves risk and it causes concern with everyone. In fact, it’s because of this that most people buy based on price because the cheapest option typically involves the least amount of risk.

Well, when you offer things that help remove the risk like satisfaction guarantees, bonuses, or premiums, you eliminate much of this concern, which in turn helps prospects to make the buying decision much easier.

So, if you find yourself struggling to win new business because you’re losing customers to the low cost, low quality alternatives, examine your offering and see if you can’t differentiate it better using any of these 7 steps.

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Using time tested, proven direct response marketing principles, Chestin Salisbury and Lawn Care Marketing Magic have the tools, resources, insights, and information required to help any green industry business cheaply acquire more new customers, effectively hold onto the ones they have, and effortlessly convert these customers into raving, loyal-for-life fans.

You can claim a FREE copy of the informative report, ‘7 Steps to Dominating Your Target Market in 21 Days or Less’ by visiting www.FREELawnCareMarketingSecrets.com.
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By Chestin Salisbury

Any serious small business owner knows the importance of continually adding new prospects to their sales pipeline. Without a constant stream of potential new customers, it’s nearly impossible for any business to grow and thrive long term.

Fortunately, there is an endless list of possible solutions for keeping this sales pipeline full. Unfortunately, many business owners make the mistake of looking for that one single method that will be responsible for keeping the sales pipeline full.

Sadly, those business owners seeking this ‘silver bullet’ will very quickly find there’s no such thing. While there are definitely marketing methods that have the potential to generate a large number of new prospects, it’s foolish to rely on just one single method.

In working with my clients over the past few years, I’ve heard numerous times before, “I need to generate 50 new customers. What method should I do?”

To be completely honest, I don’t know of one method that will generate a guaranteed 50 new customers.

However, I do know of 50 methods that will generate at least one new guaranteed customer.

And that’s how you should approach your marketing. You simply can’t expect to be able to employ just one marketing method and have it produce a flood of new business. To generate tons of new business, you have to employ NUMEROUS marketing methods simultaneously.

Some of the methods you could and should consider employing simultaneously include:

Sending out direct mail sales letters or postcards
Running ads in the newspaper
Running a telephone directory listing
Employing an outbound call center
Posting signs in appropriate locations
Encouraging your existing customers to refer you to their friends
Networking at local events or within associations you belong to
Developing joint venture relationships with similar but non-competing businesses
Driving traffic to your website using SEO, PPC, article submissions, link exchanges, etc.
Creating and submitting press releases to relevant news media

As you can see, each of these methods listed is something that can be done in conjunction with every other method. Doing one will not interfere with the effectiveness of another and in many cases, employing multiple marketing methods will strengthen the effectiveness.

Recent studies show that it takes on average 7-9 exposures to a sales or marketing message before a prospect buys. Employing as many of these methods as possible will only serve to accelerate the number of exposures, thus accelerating the buying cycle.

So, as you work to grow your business beyond its current levels, think about the number of marketing methods you’re employing. Are you hoping to find the ‘silver bullet’ that will bring in 50 new customers or are you smartly employing 50 different methods and counting on at least one new customer from each?

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Using time tested, proven direct response marketing principles, Chestin Salisbury and Lawn Care Marketing Magic have the tools, resources, insights, and information required to help any green industry business cheaply acquire more new customers, effectively hold onto the ones they have, and effortlessly convert these customers into raving, loyal-for-life fans.

You can claim a FREE copy of the informative report, ‘7 Steps to Dominating Your Target Market in 21 Days or Less’ by visiting www.FREELawnCareMarketingSecrets.com.

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