Can't do it!

[Steve]

For those that higher helpers under 18, have you found you need to do certain things that you wouldn't have to with adults? Are there any compliance issues you have found that you have to deal with?

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Originally Posted by psparaco I'm completely in the same boat as many of you all. the past 6 weeks temps have been 90+ and nothing is growing. This week alone its been above 100 at times and with the heat index its like 105-115. Most of my client's lawns are burnt to a crisp. We get maybe an hour of rain a week which isnt enough to support life. so we went from cutting 35-40/week to 1-5/week. I water my own lawn 30 min every night and all that does is keep the grass green but its not growing. We have 1 property that consistantly grows every week without rain because its below sea level and its a waterfront property. Other than that one. the other 4 lawns we cut are lawn that seem to not need it but only every 4-6 weeks between cuts. I have several monthly paying customers who i suggested going back to weekly paying until the grass starts growing weekly. As for how to beat the heat. In between jobs we crank the AC in the truck if there is enough time/distance between them. we're on each property the same amount of time when it was cooler. We usually hit the local store for a 44 ounce fountain beverage and we probbaly drink about 4-5 of them a day. I need to find a new service to offer that isnt weather dependant. thought about offering pool cleaning and to save getting a license for it. Put in the contract only cleaning is offered and all water testing and chemicals are the responsiblity of the pool owner. Thats the only way i can think of doing it. But i need to explore more info on this idea first. We get calls once in awhile for new clients needing a new landscaper for their property. The last guy omg the lawn was 7 foot tall. and we took 4 (2 hour) days to tackle that bad boy cause of this intense heat. and we got paid 140 bucks. I charged them 4 times the normal rate for the jungle. We tore the hell out of our blades but they needed to be changed anyway so it didnt matter. when a dandelion weed is taller than you. we have a problem. but this new client may prove to be a good asset since he works for a real estate company and may be able to land us more work. I love your idea scott about the ice water and dipping the towel in it and putting it on your head and neck. we'll have to try it. pray for lots and lots of rain. Hey how are you doing? I'm from Georgia and I can tell you that I know how hot it gets. Its been in the 100's for the past month and my lawn looks beautiful. First off you have to remember what type of grass your working with. The other thing is how good are your customers watering their grass. For instance grass responds to dry/hot conditions in different ways and soil physics and draining have much to do with grass surviving. Having a more retentive moisture top soil and root zone is the key to keeping a green lawn during hot/dry conditions. The other thing is clock work timed watering can weaken a rooting system in their lawn in resulting in the grass not being able to survive causing it to die or to weaken area's. Now to the solution you want to deep soak the lawn in which you want to avoid regular clock worked time watering so it will encourage a deep rooting system that will be better able to survive the heat or dry spell. Usually 1-3 inches should be enough but like I said most of it also depends upon the soil physics and drainage. I hope I was helpful.

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Last edited by Ryan M; 07-11-2010 at 01:05 AM.

Originally Posted by CHEESE2009

I FOUND A WAY TO BEAT THE HEAT!!!

Get a cooler, fill it with water & ice.

Get a hand towel that you can dip in the cooler every few lawns & have sit on your head & cover the back of your neck - put a hat on to keep it from falling off.

I felt AMAZING today with this tactic!


DO IT!!! Seriously works, you feel extremely refreshed throughout the day...

... too bad I still didn't manage to get any lawns done.. I'm still on my Wednesdays... Frig...

visit my website & check out the home page & lawn maintenance page.

I added some small animations/pics.

www.breezelawnservice.ca

I'm hiring some 11 year old kid for my Wednesday lawns, his mother asked me to give him a shot - & I can tell he does better work than most guys just by looking at his lawn & his neighbors... Cash job...

Scott: So I was looking at your lawn & I gotta tell ya, I've been through guys a lot older than you who couldn't come close to doing such a fantastic job!

Kid: Thanks!!! I love to cut grass! How many lawns do you want me to cut?

Scott: 26 lawns to do next Wednesday.

Kid: TWENTY-SIX LAWNS???!?!?!

Scott: yes

AHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!! - Don't worry, I'm gonna pay him well!

Wow that's very surprising, most of the kids I've seen today want to play video games or play on their cell phone. They have no real reality of whats in store for them in the real world. The kid you got to work with you must of been like me, raised right. My grandfathers old saying was if you were big enough to swing a hammer then you were big enough to work. Keep the kid busy by working, it will keep him out of trouble

[robgee05]

Originally Posted by JMADEWELL09

I live 1 hr from las vegas nevada and the town i live in is about 5-10 degrees hotter than las Vegas. Yesterday high was 109 and today is suppost to be 109 and tomorrow 110. And next week around 111-113 working in the heat here is part of life. It has already hit 115 last month. are high summer temp is 120 -125 so it gets very hot here. And during july august and sept we have monsoon season so it gets very hot and in the afternoon we get thunderstorms.

Ouch. I dont care what they say about dry heat out there, we rarely hit 100 in NJ. Very Humid, but the thought of seeing 125 on a thermometer is very disturbing.

[JMADEWELL09]

well its only 10 am here in nevada and weatherbug station in my town is reporting a temp of 105 F and 14% humidity but my temp at my house is saying it s lot hotter about 115 in the shade so its hot out!! I try to start at 6 am and arrive at the frist job by 6:30 a.m.. Most of my customers dont care if we come early cause it gets so hot here.

[Steve]

WOW that thermometer was almost pinned!