Grab-All Company is a new start-up that developed a manual yard work tool (Grab-All) that saves time and effort when gathering and grabbing bulky debris – yard trimmings and debris. The commercial grade Grab-All tool allows you to easily gather, grab and pick-up BULKY debris at an upright position without straining the body – back, neck, and knees. A well-maintained yard is very gratifying and provides a sense of pride, however, most people drag their feet when it comes to doing it. According to an article on the “HomeAdvisor” Website, the average single-family-home yard size in the United States is 10,871 square feet. Moreover, according to an article by Habitat Network, the average single-family home has 77% of vegetation, i.e., trees, shrubs, grass, etc. Those numbers imply that the average American home owner maintains an average of 8,370 square feet of yard! “The Grab-All will advance the way we do yard work – working smarter not harder,” said Hector Avila, founder and CEO of the Grab-All Company. When Avila designed the Grab-All, he wanted to develop a tool not only to improve the way people manually handle and dispose of yard waste and debris, but also a tool that consumed zero emissions. Furthermore, Avila developed the “Grab-All Shoving Technique,” that easily and quickly shoves/gathers large piles of debris, reducing the use of polluting emission tools such as leaf blowers, etc. The post New Yard Work Tool Launched by Grab-All Company appeared first on Turf. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230377 https://ift.tt/2OkrLFY
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In Palm Springs, CA, a developer is building the next agrihood in the desert. Olive trees and pockets of citrus trees are a centerpiece.The Urban Land Institute (ULI) defines agrihoods as single-family, multifamily, or mixed-use communities built with a working farm or community garden as a focus. In the Coachella Valley, Freehold Communities is building a new agrihood on 97 acres.Brad Shuckhart is President of the California Division of Freehold Communities. Here is an overview of the project.Overview of Miralon, the newest agrihood planned for the Palm Springs, CA area…Miralon is one of the largest new “agrihoods” in the United States. Now being built by Freehold Communities, its 309 acres will offer 1,150 Modernist-inspired residences to harmonize with the Coachella Valley’s architectural heritage. Freehold Communities is a developer of masterplanned communities, with offices in California, Massachusetts, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Florida. A highlight of Miralon is its transformation of an existing (yet, never played) 18-hole golf course into working olive and citrus groves, community gardens, and walking trails. Paths meant to serve as golf cart paths previously will now constitute approximately 6.5 miles of hiking trails. Former tee boxes and greens are being transformed into smaller groves, dog parks, exercise stations, and social areas with firepits and WiFi. The former golf course’s lakes are now water features in the sustainable landscaping. These outdoor spaces are part of Miralon’s comprehensive community plan that emphasizes resort living alongside sustainable open space. “Evolving the existing golf course into habitat-sensitive, olive and citrus is a response to the precious resources of the Coachella Valley including its need for water,” said Freehold California Division President, Brad Shuckhart. “We considered a wide range of uses, concluding that these crops integrate best with the community’s overall approach that values sustainability and social cohesion.” Core Principles Components of Miralon…Miralon’s agrihood component is part of its core sustainable principles, while can be grouped into the following categories. Resource Conservation and Efficiency
Sustainability
Other core principles of the development focus on a holistic approach to healthy living, and community involvement. Choosing Olive Trees, And Pockets Of Citrus…Pursing its vision for Miralon, Freehold Communities enlisted the help of sustainable agriculture specialists to optimize the proposed planting scheme. The developer worked with Blaine Carian, owner of Desert Fresh, a multi-generational farming concern with operations throughout the Coachella Valley; and with Thom Curry, general manager of the Temecula Olive Oil Company, an organic producer of high end olive oil and olive oil products In planning the olive and citrus trees at Miralon, Shuckhart, consulted with Carian and Curry to evaluate orchard planning criteria, and these included:
In addition to olives and citrus, the team also considered grapes, persimmons, pomegranates, date palms, almonds, walnuts, and figs for the site. They evaluated the pros and cons or each type of crop and their suitability for the desert climate and ecosystem of the Coachella Valley. Grapes, for example, require relatively low water use and a relatively short pollination period. But grapes are also susceptible to damage from wind, require significant ongoing maintenance, and require regular use of pesticides. Date Palms are a traditional crop in the Coachella Valley. But these also had drawbacks in comparison to olives and citrus, including that they require very high water consumption and can produce significant waste byproduct and dust. The vast majority of Miralon’s cultivation area—more than 70 acres of the 97-acre open-space plan—is devoted to olives, with “pockets” of citrus throughout the community. Fruit from olive trees will be pressed on-site by Temecula Olive Oil Company. The oil will be bottled and delivered to residents and sold to the public. Other Sustainable ComponentsThe reuse of Miralon land offers other, complementary environmental programs, especially water and energy conservation. These include the transformation of the former golf course lakes for irrigation. The system of lakes serve several important functions:
And while there is evaporation loss from lakes, Miralon has built compensating offsets:
To learn more about the Miralon development, visit the Freehold Communities website. Do you have a comment? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below or send an e-mail to the Editor at [email protected]. The post Miralon, A New Agrihood appeared first on Turf. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230377 https://ift.tt/2OhRChW There’s something about moose being one of the bigger challenges of a project that signals this isn’t an average landscape job. And, the Blue River Habit and Restoration project carried out in 2017 in Colorado certainly was not ordinary. Skiers likely recognize Breckenridge, CO for its world-class peaks, but what the snow covers in the winter doesn’t necessarily look quite as glorious come spring. Located just west of the Continental Divide, this area was originally settled by miners who stripped the land and left piles of rocky waste in their path. Work has been ongoing for more than two decades to clean up the rubble and improve fishing along the Blue River, which drains the area and provides drinking water for the Denver metro area. In fact, the 2017 version of the river restoration project earned a silver award for the Eagle, CO office of Rocky Mountain Custom Landscapes, Inc. This award was part of the 2018 Awards of Excellence (ACE) for the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). Brian Wells, Rocky Mountain Custom Landscapes’ construction manager for that segment of the project, says the goal was to create a natural park setting where people can hike along the Blue River north of the Breckenridge central business area and restore a stretch of the river along Coyne Valley Road and Colorado Highway 9. “We were recommended by (Denver-based) DHM Design, who did the overall design,” says Wells. “We had done some work with them over in the Aspen area. It was a bid process, and there was a total of three bids, but we were awarded the contract.” Wells adds that weekly meetings between Stephen Ellsperman and Jason Jaynes of DHM and Shannon Smith, who oversaw the project for the Town of Breckenridge, contributed to a very cohesive team that was instrumental in the success of the project. Hardscape Presents Sitting AreasHardscape work consisted of three sitting areas with a path going through the project area, and then work on the river itself. “The path is granite crusher fines—just pulverized granite,” says Wells. “It’s roughly three feet wide and we put it in four inches deep and did some real loose compaction. The idea is the path will erode and go into the ground as people and wildlife choose their own way. But, honestly, that’s going to be years down the road.” The sitting areas themselves are also a bit atypical. These are embedded cobble areas that are completely permeable. For this project the company utilized river rock from 3″ to 5″ in size—including some from the job site—in a sand-set base. “It took a bit of experimenting with the rock size so that it compacted right and felt right under your feet,” he says. “It’s a matter of getting the subgrade correct, but once we got that in there and compacted with the sand and fill material, it’s rock solid and looks great.” The look and performance so far have been good enough that Rocky Mountain Custom Landscapes is now incorporating the embedded cobble hardscape in work for some of its higher-end residential clients as an alternative to flagstone patios. “You can install it and forget it,” observes Wells. “It maintains itself; it looks fantastic, and the payoff per dollar is extremely high.” River Banks And PlantingsWork on the river involved grading, excavation, and backfill, although Wells says part of the stretch included areas that are designated as wetlands that were not disturbed. “We did erosion control along the river itself with wetland plantings and fiber mesh along the edges,” he explains. “We also placed boulders and some deadfall logs to give habitat for the fish because they really want to encourage fly-fishing.” Because of the condition of the river through the project site, efforts on one bank were made to save plant material and blend it with new plantings. However, the other side had been strip-mined and was barren. All the plantings are native to the area but required additional effort on the part of Rocky Mountain Custom Landscapes to make them work. “A lot of it was absolutely rock soil, which had to be top-dressed,” Wells says. “We had 3″ to 4″ of soil that was top-dressed in a lot of the areas.” While a lot of the plantings were immature, the project did incorporate some evergreens in the eight-foot range. Somewhat surprisingly, the project area also includes a 24-zone irrigation system that delivers 55 gallons-per-minute. Wells explains the decision to irrigate was based on 2017 being at the tail end of a drought in the area. There was the desire to get what he describes as a substantial amount of seeding on top of the plant material to germinate, as well as maintain the trees and plant material the next time a drought occurs. “In 2017 we watered it pretty heavily, but toward the end of that season we started scaling back,” he says. “Last season we had it down to two days a week, and we’ll see how it goes this year based on snow and moisture. I’d anticipate maybe two days a week, although it took off and established pretty well.” Protecting Plants, And MooseMore than drought conditions impacted the project. At 9,600 feet in elevation, Breckenridge has a short construction season. “The weather was a bit challenging, both at the start and the end of our seasons,” says Wells. “The weather was a huge challenge getting going in the spring and then trying to wrap up the job.” As it was Rocky Mountain Custom Landscapes spent four months on the site in 2017 and an additional two months in 2018. It’s the plantings that ultimately created one of the biggest challenges on the project, though. Wells says the moose, elk, and deer who use the area and will eventually help create the paths through it, viewed the new greenery as—in his words—“gourmet salad,” and figuring out how to keep the plantings in the ground generated some head-scratching. “We used some natural-type sprays,” he says. “In a lot of cases, the only thing that would work was temporary metal screening around the bigger trees.” All the screening will ultimately be removed, but for now, it remains until things get better established. And, Wells says the animal incursions are a mark of success for the job. “The whole goal of the project is to attract the wildlife,” he says. “We want them to use the area, along with people, so it’s really ‘mission accomplished’ if they’re coming already.” In the meantime, Rocky Mountain Custom Landscapes is still at work on the Blue River. Wells says the company spent part of summer 2018 further south on the little river incorporating a lot of the same plant and hardscape materials and they were back on that site once the weather allowed, with a completion goal around Independence Day this year. Schipper is a writer and editor specializing in B2B publishing. She is a partner in Word Mechanics, based in Palm Springs, CA. Do you have a comment? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below or send an e-mail to the Editor at [email protected]. The post Reviving A River With Landscape Design appeared first on Turf. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230377 https://ift.tt/2Y0d3Iv By Tchukki Andersen, BCMA, CTSP Late summer is a good time to look for potential problems in your customers’ landscapes. Early leaf color changes or drop, galls on external tree tissues, and caterpillar webs are three of the possible things that may be affecting your customers’ trees and shrubs. But before you start up the chainsaw and chipper in despair, recognize that not all stress symptoms are a death sentence for the plant. Early Leaf Color Changes. We look forward to a good fall foliage color display in October and November, but what if those colors appear early—in August or September? Premature color change can be an indication that a tree is lacking the vigor to withstand insects and disease organisms that may attack it—or there could be environmental imbalances as well. Heat, drought, and drying winds affect trees, causing leaf color changes as a response to stress. Are there only one or two branches affected? This could be a sign of a disease at work, especially if the affected leaves also have dark spots or are discolored. The more common situation is for the entire tree to exhibit premature fall coloration, a phenomenon usually linked to root-related stress. And to complicate the diagnostic process further, there are several tree species genetically programmed to go dormant during hot summer months and drop browning, curled leaves in response to heat stress. The best way to counter early leaf stress symptoms is to know which tree species you are working with. Are those curled, brown leaves on a hackberry that normally goes dormant in the summer? Or are they on a dogwood that just needs a good soaking of water to revive its flagging leaves? Knowing the tree species will help you to provide the specific care they need year-round. Galls. Another visible tree/plant symptom that might cause concern are galls. These are abnormal, raised growths usually caused by insects and mites, and can appear on leaves, twigs, or branches of trees and shrubs (see inset photo above). These plant structures may be plain brown or brightly colored, and can become more apparent as they age throughout the summer. Depending on the insect inhabiting them, the galls may be empty by the time August arrives—or adult insects may just be emerging in late summer. These adults and the galls themselves are usually harmless, so no active management is required. Caterpillar Tents. Another late summer tree pest is the fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea). This pest is a moth in its adult stage but is primarily known for its larval stage, which creates the characteristic webbed nests on the limbs of a wide variety of host trees such as cherry, willow, and American elm. These tents may defoliate a tree occasionally, but rarely kill it. On shade trees, webs usually occur on only a few branches. While the tents are aesthetically startling, this pest is not believed to harm healthy trees. The fall webworm has natural enemies, including birds and insect predators, that help to manage its numbers. Mechanical controls may provide an immediate visual relief, if desired. Webbed branches within reach can be pruned and destroyed. This may be practical if the webs are not too large, and if the aesthetic shape of the woody ornamental plant is not reduced by pruning. There are management controls, such as dormant oil, that can be applied to newly hatched webworm eggs in the spring. (From Wikipedia: Dormant oil is used on woody plants during the dormant season. This term originally referred to heavier weight, less well-refined oils that were unsafe to use on plants after they broke dormancy. These older oils have been replaced with more refined, lightweight oils that have potential application to plant foliage. Dormant oil now refers to time of application rather than to any characteristic type of oil.) Healthy trees are quite resilient to late summer stresses. Add regular irrigation to your management protocols and your customers’ trees will be able to defend themselves well into the fall. Andersen is a Board Certified Master Arborist, Certified Treecare Safety Professional, and the staff arborist at the TreeCare Industry Association, a Manchester, NH-based trade association of 2,300 tree care firms and affiliated companies established in 1938 as the National Arborist Association. Do you have a comment? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below or send an e-mail to the Editor at [email protected]. The post Late Summer Tree Care appeared first on Turf. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230377 https://ift.tt/2JXoEOS
BOSS Products, a division of The Toro Company, acquired the Snowrator® brand in March 2018 and set about a redesign to take the one-of-a-kind product from good to great. Using its more than 30 years of experience in snowplow design, BOSS re-engineered the Snowrator to maximize the performance and reliability of this multi-tasking, labor-saving solution for snow and ice contractors.The Snowrator quickly deploys to plow and de-ice sidewalks and walkways — effectively reducing the need for shovelers and allowing the operator to brine, spread and plow at the same time to maximize on-the-job productivity and profitability. BOSS-engineered improvements include a 4′ hydraulic snowplow with 20″ polyethylene skin and improved electrical and plow attachment systems. The Snowrator also now accepts all BOSS ATV plow accessories and common parts for better parts availability and convenience of service. “At BOSS, it’s our business to make snow and ice management more efficient and profitable,” said Mark Klossner, marketing vice president for BOSS Snowplow. “Our customers can rely on the redesigned Snowrator to provide clean and clear sidewalks for metro, commercial and residential jobs, and Snowrators don’t call in sick or need time off. It’s a dependable labor solution in tough winter weather.” BOSS-designed features and improvements: Plow
Vehicle
Electrical
Controls
Ice Control and Optional Spreading Equipment
Available accessories for the Snowrator include a 20-gallon auxiliary tank, plow wing extensions, material carrying trays, broadcast spreader, plow box wings, shovel mounting brackets, EXACT PATH drop spreader, urethane cutting edge and 5-gallon bucket mounts. The post BOSS Snowplow Introduces Redesigned Snowrator appeared first on Turf. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230377 https://ift.tt/2JVMt9L At its corporate campus in Kissimmee, FL, Tupperware® has revitalized its signature hybrid tea rose. BrightView Landscapes created two rose gardens on the company’s grounds with the help of local experts. Landscaping is often an attempt to improve on Mother Nature’s best. But, sometimes, it can also become a matter of preservation. That’s the position Tim Harris, a regional designer/project estimator for the Orlando, FL office of BrightView Landscapes, found himself in when he was called on to design two new rose gardens for the world headquarters of Tupperware®. Faced with the near-extinction of its Tupperware hybrid tea rose, the company opted to rebuild its rose stock from five remaining plants. BrightView, which holds the maintenance contract for the corporate campus in Kissimmee, FL, was brought in to design and build the new rose gardens to showcase a portion of the revitalized roses. “Roses” and “Tupperware” have always been synonymous. The company vice president who developed the idea of the Tupperware sales party first commissioned a hybrid rose in 1953. Its design and color were reflected in the company’s products and use of color for many years. Over time, the company and its leadership changed, and in 1981 a new Tupperware hybrid tea rose, with many of the same characteristics including a brilliant dark pink color and rich fragrance, was developed by rosarian J. Benjamin Williams and registered with the Library of Congress. With its rose species, Tupperware has been careful to control the stock, planting it on its campus exclusively. So, when it became apparent in 2014 that there were only the five remaining plants, the company sprang into action, hiring rosarian Wendell Ulmer, owner of HeavenSent LLC in Apopka, FL, who suggested the roses could be repropagated. BrightView’s Harris explains that the existing rose plants were dug out and taken to O.F. Nelson & Sons Nursery/Nelsons Florida Roses, also in Apopka. The company is known for bringing roses to the Sunshine State. “They have a patent on a special root stock called Fortuniana that’s nematode-resistant,” Harris explains. “They took cuttings off the plants, rooted them, and then grafted them onto the Fortuniana rootstock. They were able to replicate from those remaining plants approximately 300 Tupperware roses.” Two Rose Gardens Brought To LifeIt was at that point that Harris was brought in to design two roses gardens, a North Garden and a South Garden. The project won a 2018 silver Award of Excellence for a design/build project of $25,000-$100,000 from the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP). He explains that the size of the Tupperware headquarters building is such that a garden at either end would make it more convenient for employees and visitors to enjoy the roses. “They also have two ponds on either end of the building, so it balances it out,” he says. However, the two gardens, each approximately 40’x 80′, are not identical. The North Garden is laid out in the shape of the letter “H” and includes four benches and a 16′ x 10′ pergola for shade, while the South Garden has a single walkway and three benches. Part of the difference is due to the presence of trees at the two sites. While a Weeping Willow was left as part of the South Garden, a Tabebuia on the site of the North Garden was relocated just to the north of that garden and closer to the pond. Harris is particularly proud that the tree was able to be successfully relocated. “We used a tree spade, and it didn’t even go through any transplant shock,” he says. “It didn’t drop a leaf.” Other than moving the Tabebuia tree, site preparation for the two gardens was simple. “Each area was just sod, which we cut and removed,” Harris says. “It was also pure, clean, and weed-free, so we didn’t have to do any chemical weed treatment.” Hardscape for the project included paver walkways and freestanding wall blocks columns with caps to support a gate for each garden. “We went with the pavers for aesthetic reasons,” says Harris. “We didn’t want to pour an impervious surface, and these are ADA- (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. It’s very simple construction.” Because of its location in a former swamp, the water table at the site is fairly high. Rosarian Ulmer created a special soil mix for the gardens which was used both for planting the roses — which Ulmer handled — and to raise the grade of the entire garden slightly to promote natural drainage. At the same time, some irrigation was required for the roses. “We did spray-stake irrigation, which is a low-volume irrigation,” Harris says. “Each rose has its own spray-stake spraying water at the bottom of the plant, so the foliage doesn’t get wet and promote powdery mildew or black spot.” While the roses — approximately 160 of them split between the two gardens (the unused roses are held in containers in a specially built nursery holding facility and may go into another rose garden at a later date) — may have made a straightforward move to their new locations, not all the plantings were as accommodating. The roses, which are planted 4′ apart, were to be set off with Majestic Beauty® Indian Hawthorn shrubs, which were to be used as topiary in the gardens. However, they became what Harris refers to as “quite an issue.” “We procured them at a nursery that had field-grown them,” he explains. “We planted them after they had been freshly harvested, and they went through severe transplant shock. We lost all but two of them, and a lot of time and energy and money was spent.” Instead of replacing like-for-like, Harris then opted to go with container-grown Feijoa (also known as Pineapple Guava), which can be maintained into a globular canopy structure. The other piece of the plant palette for the project also presented a challenge. Harris says one of the main parts of his design dealt with controlling the deer which populate the woods around the Tupperware campus, and just love to eat roses. His solution: a 5′ tall fence with metal posts and a green vinyl-coated material of rectangles measuring 2″ X 4″, which was then heavily planted with Podocarpus. “The Podocarpus is growing through the fence so the garden is very hard to see,” Harris says. “In fact, we had a $4,000 change order on that part of the job because the client’s landscape superintendent, Bill Pearson (who supervised the job for Tupperware) wanted them planted so tightly we had to buy more Podocarpus and plant it so the root balls were touching. We didn’t even dig individual holes.” As finishing touches on the project, Tupperware had two gates specially made that mimic the gate at the campus’s original rose garden and commissioned a local artist/sculptor to make the metal benches for the two gardens. The benches are designed to pick up the on the Tupperware logo, and on a large fountain in the building’s main entrance. Harris says the benches have become one of his favorite features with the project. Harris estimates he spent about 140 hours designing the project, with a four-man BrightView crew and rosarian Ulmer spending another 350 man-hours to make it a reality. Certainly, his experience with the Majestic Beauty Indian Hawthorns was the most challenging part of the job, and while the clients were happy with the job, Harris says if nothing else the project taught him to be firm when the need arises. “They wanted the rose gardens in by a certain deadline, so we rushed to harvest those main topiary trees,” Harris says. “I wanted them harvested and then held to get through the transplant shock. We ended up taking them freshly harvested and they shocked on us severely after we installed them. “I learned a valuable lesson and will never repeat that mistake,” he concludes, adding that overall the project was unique in its purpose, design coordination, and cooperation and should serve the Tupperware employees for years to come. Schipper is a writer and editor specializing in B2B publishing. She is a partner in Word Mechanics, based in Palm Springs, CA. The post The Bloom Is Back On The Tupperware Rose appeared first on Turf. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230377 https://ift.tt/2Lx0ZrU Research has shown that it is better for lawns and the environment if clippings are dropped and left to decompose right on the lawn. Recently, Wright Mfg. has made this easier for lawn care professionals to go green with a simple to install mulch kit. The kit consists of special baffles and blades. Mulch kits are a great alternative to collecting clippings and leaves. The recirculating baffles and blades break clippings down into small, easily biodegradable pieces, and drop them to the ground. Since the clippings decompose quickly, they will not be noticeable from the house or the street. This product is an add-on that is built to enhance productivity on a mower. Wright mulch kits can be installed in minutes using only basic tools. After removing the standard baffles and blades, the mulch baffles and block plate can be installed in minutes, followed by mulching blades. The mulching kit can be found under accessories at www.wrightmfg.com. For the name of your nearest dealer, call 301.360.9810. Wright Mfg. is headquartered at 4600X Wedgewood Blvd., Frederick, MD 21703
The post Wright Mfg. Introduces a New Green Mulch Kit Add-On appeared first on Turf. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230377 https://ift.tt/2Sn4i5s Ghosts, witches and skeletons… oh my! Get your yard ready for the spookiest night of the year with these fun outdoor ideas. In The GardenDon’t have a garden? It’s not as hard as you think. Get yourself some dirt and mulch to get you started. For optimal results, we recommend the Garden Mix. If you need to fight some weeds while gardening, pick up some landscaping fabric. Pumpkin PatchHow To Do It: Place pumpkins in your garden to make it look like you have your own patch. Doing it this way avoids you actually having to plant and nurture your own pumpkins. You can get pumpkins from any local grocery store during the Halloween season. Check your local apple orchard as they often grow pumpkins as well.
Ghoulish GraveyardHow To Do It: Add gravestones, cobwebs, and skeletons to your garden to spook trick-or-treaters and house guests.
Glowing PaversPaint stepping stones with glow-in-the-dark paint for an eerie curb appeal. If you want to take a more long-lasting approach, you can make your own stepping stones with glow-in-the-dark powder. The phosphorescent chemical recharges in the sunlight and can glow for anywhere from 30 minutes to 10 hours. What You Need:
How To Do It: Add glow-in-the-dark powder to the concrete mix and make your stepping stones as normal. The recommended amount to use is about 15 percent powder to the concrete.
Zombie Hands Coming From The EarthHow To Do It: Place plastic hands and other body parts in pots of dirt to make it look like they are growing. Standard black pulverized dirt will provide the most visually appealing yet affordable dirt for those zombie’s hands. A fun branch off of this idea is to serve cupcakes with the same theme.
On The PorchPainted PumpkinsHow To Do It: If you’re short on time and don’t want to deal with the mess of carving a pumpkin, paint one instead. If you plan on handing out non-food items to trick-or-treaters, you can paint a pumpkin teal and place it on your step to signify to kids with food allergies or other conditions that they can come to your door.
Pumpkin DisplayWhat You Need:
How To Do It: Stack hay bales and crates to create a display for your porch or along the outside of your house. Fill your creation with pumpkins, plants and any other decor you can find. Feeling extra spooky? Add some lights or lanterns to the mix for when it gets dark. When it’s time to retire the decor, use the hay as makeshift mulch until spring rolls around.
Bloody FootprintsHow To Do It: Step into washable red paint and walk up to your front door. For a greater effect, add some pretend bloody limbs by your walkway. Red lights and blacklights would be the icing on the cake for this gloomy walkway.
Bubbling Witches CauldronWhat You Need:
How To Do It:
Mummy DoorWhat You Need:
How To Do It: Start by wrapping the streamers around your door. When you’ve achieved the look you want, cut out two eyes from the construction paper and tape them to the door.
Poison ApplesHow To Do It: Place a basket of “poison” apples next to your front door as an offering. This can be as easy as setting a basket of apples and a fake bottle of poison next to it.
Welcome (Or Not) MatWhat You Need:
How To Do It: Paint a message on the doormat to dare visitors to enter. Use this along with other fun ideas on this blog post, such as the bloody walkway. If you prefer functionality and less work, a higher-end Halloween entry mat may be just what the doctor ordered.
Boarded Up WindowsHow To Do It: Attach real or fake boards to your windows to make it look like your house has been abandoned. Or go the easy route and pick some premade ones up at Walmart for under $20.
PotionsHow To Do It: Decorate old jars and containers to look like potion bottles.
ScarecrowWhat You Need:
How To Do It:
Spider WebsWhat You Need:
How To Do It:
Window SilhouettesHow To Do It: Use a stencil to trace silhouettes onto black construction paper. Cut them out and place them in your windows.
Yard DecorPumpkin PlantersWhat You Need:
How To Do It: Fill pumpkins with Garden Mix Dirt and whatever plants you want. While Target sells the weatherproof pumpkin planters, you can make a fun project out of it by carving out a pumpkin and doing it organically.
Lit PathwayHow To Do It: Line your walkway with small candles or lights (to stay on the safe side).
Mason Jar LuminariesWhat You Need:
How To Do It: Paint your mason jars however you would like and place a tea candle or string lights in each. It’s dead simple. If you want inspiration, or just would prefer to buy premade ones, look on Etsy.
Glowing Ghost LuminariesWhat You Need:
How To Do It: Draw a face on each milk gallon and place a tea light inside for a simple glowing ghost.
Bonfire PitWhat You Need:
How To Do It:
Hidden TreasureHow To Do It: Bury various prizes and treats in a sandbox and let the kids hunt for their treasure.
Quicksand PitWhat You Need:
How To Do It: Fill the pit ⅔ of the way full with sand and fill the remaining ⅓ with water.
Glow In The Dark Paint On Your BouldersBoulders are a fun and quick way to show your neighborhood that your yard is a big deal. Getting them delivered is a breeze and it can quickly transform a flat terrain to a fun landscape. What You Need:
Skeleton In A WheelbarrowHow To Do It: Fill a wheelbarrow with dirt and place skeleton bones in it, to look like a skeleton was dug up from the ground. You can use either screened sand (easier to work with) or black pulverized dirt (more economical) or come by and pick up some free tailings and screenings. We’d love for you to drop by and pick up some of these products for yourself. But, if you’d rather have us bring them to you, we’d be happy to do that. Feel free to purchase and order your delivery online or visit us in person. The post 25 Simple Halloween Decoration Ideas For Your Landscape appeared first on Frador. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230377 https://ift.tt/2XMr6RU By Phill Sexton Who in their right mind thinks of planning for winter in July? In my own career, I’ve learned by experience and from other professionals to consider July 5th the start of the winter planning season. For some “snow only” firms throughout North America, July might be considered a late start preparing for the next winter season. But, whether you are a “snow only” operator or a landscape or turf management company providing snow and ice services to a subset of your clientele, the standards for resource procurement, training, and preparation are the same. The Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA) has developed a timeline for winter operations, and their clients—typically facility managers and property managers. Utilizing this timeline (see opposite page) as an industry standard will help you to organize your sales and operational responsibilities into categories of focus. Setting Up SalesRenewals of existing contracts are best to initiate at the tail end of the existing snow season. Yes, a common reason for not doing this is: “My clients don’t want to talk about snow until later in the summer or in the fall.” This then gets pushed till the beginning of the next season. My experience has been when you initiate the renewal process at the end of the current season and give clients an incentive for renewing during that time period, more often than not it’s what the client wants. You simply need to have the confidence to do this. RFPs (requests for proposals) are normally sent out by facility managers and property managers between late summer and early fall—and oftentimes much later. If there are properties you know you want the opportunity to bid, be confident to ask for the RFP rather than wait for it. Contract award dates have been a concern for years. Of particular concern is the quantity of late awarded or renewed contracts that require weeks, if not months, worth of preparation to properly equip the property and remain price competitive. Although snow and ice service providers have become accustomed to allowing clients dictate when award decisions are made, it is the industry’s responsibility to educate clients who may not understand the supply side economics of a snow and ice management business. Optimizing OperationsWorkforce recruiting is by far the number one concern for a winter services operation. Recruiting now for the upcoming winter season is a critical step. Be creative about where you are advertising available positions. Try to think beyond typical means, including partnering up with other part-time industries. Think about it. Many times, when we are busiest during a snowstorm event, other industries take the day off, and these include roofing, car washes, and other exterior service industries. And there are other professional industries that work shift schedules. These professionals are often looking for means of supplementing their income. Some of the professions to think about engaging with for part-time team members include: fire and rescue, corrections, law enforcement, and security professionals. Materials acquisition and inventory are pre-season processes and investments that are paramount to any snow and ice management operation. All too often snow and ice contractors either wait until the beginning of the season, or they order as needed. In either case, you are paying a premium price for materials, and negatively contributing to the supply and demand chain. When you don’t “pre-order” your projected annual salt inventory, you are causing “salt shortages” as have occurred in several places throughout North America in the past decade, including the 2018-19 season. Equipment purchasing and rental agreements are best completed mid-July through mid-August to allow plenty of time for supply chain to accommodate your needs and remain price competitive. Similar to the materials acquisition process, there is an appropriate lead time for ordering, producing, repairing, or upfitting equipment that fits within the different time constraints and requirements of the supply chain. Measuring and tracking your materials usage and productivity is an opportunity that only a small percentage of members of the snow and ice management industry is taking advantage of. By measuring, not only will you find waste in material usage and snow plowing operation, the fact you are measuring your results will enable you to find the gaps of improvement opportunities. GPS time tracking and salt application tracking are the two most basic items that need to be measured and always present room for improvement. Furthermore, there are methods and technology that allow you to automate tracking and documenting your level of service (LOS) that includes real time and historical pictures and site conditions. This level of measuring then furthers the ability to automate and improve the accuracy of your service verification process. Sustainable Winter Management (SWiM®)As an industry, we need to be keenly aware that what we do operationally causes unintended consequence, both economically and environmentally. While we have a responsibility to manage snow and ice conditions, as professionals we are equally responsible to understand how our efforts impact clients’ budgets. Furthermore, managing snow and ice conditions can negatively affect the environment. What I’m speaking to mostly is our use of salt. How we use salt and how much of it we use impacts not only the financial picture, but also the environment due to the fact that salt may pollute freshwater resources as a result of non-point source runoff. Regulation of road salt application is already being proposed throughout several areas of the country, particularly in the Great Lakes region of North America. Several more regions already offer voluntary salt application training programs. Within the next five to 10 years, it’s likely voluntary and/or required training will exist in most states where road salt use is more common and where salt pollution of freshwater resources have been identified at an urgent level. Guidelines are available to help contractors or property owners and municipalities adopt and follow a Sustainable Winter Management (SWiM®) program. SWiM includes policies that enable standards of practice including: measuring, calibration, prevention, analysis, improvement and optimization. Sexton is founder and managing director of WIT Advisers and industry adviser to the Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA). WIT Advisers administers the Sustainable Winter Management (SWiM) program and certifications for properties. Sexton also serves as adjunct professor at the Center of Agriculture and Natural Resources of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cobleskill. He holds degrees in agriculture, horticulture, and business economics from the State University of NY and a master’s degree in Sustainability from Harvard University where he focused his studies on corporate innovation and sustainability and researching salt use by the winter management industry. Do you have a comment? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below or send an e-mail to the Editor at [email protected]. The post Snow And Ice Services On The Horizon appeared first on Turf. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230377 https://ift.tt/2Z1vwkq LeakTronics, the industry leading leak detection equipment manufacturer now offers a leak detection kit designed specifically for the needs of the irrigation and landscape industries. The tools in the kit positively identify pipe leaks under soil and concrete, pipe mapping and tracing and accurately pinpoint the location of leaks to minimize invasive repair damage. The kit is available directly on the LeakTronics website. Irrigation primarily features underground plumbing that is laid in patterns with ninety degree turns and routing that keeps pipes from running straight between two points. The first issue irrigation and landscape professionals have is mapping the route of the plumbing to see where the pipes lay. To solve this problem, LeakTronics has included the Pulse Generator in the Irrigation Leak Detection Kit. Unlike copper and metal pipes, PVC and plastic pipes, most common to the irrigation industry, do not carry an electrical charge and therefore, cannot be identified underground by traditional means. With the Pulse Generator, the technician attaches the device to an active spigot on the waterline and simply runs the water through it. A series of valves inside the device generate a pulsing action and deliver vibrations throughout the plumbing line and can be detected for literally thousands of feet. The included stand pipe and damper hose allow the user to adjust flow and apply a gentler or more vigorous tapping throughout the system. Instructions are included and how-to videos are available through the LeakTronics website. With the listening devices inside the LeakTronics Irrigation Kit, technicians can map and trace the route of plumbing lines and use flags, or other methods, to mark where the pipes are routed. This will allow them to listen directly to the pipes for areas where leaks occur. Once the technician is able to follow the routing of the pipes, the included Pressure Rig in the Irrigation Kit allows the user to inject air and water into the lines. The combination of these two elements creates a boiling sound at the location of the leak. being able to hear this sound tells the technician where the pipe break is and precisely where they will have to dig to make the repair. Using this method, landscaping and concrete that have to be dig up or removed are done so on a minimal basis. by being able to accurately specify where the leak is, digging the length of a line to find the pipe leak becomes unnecessary. The repair technician can open the surface area directly above the leak and spend less time and cost making repairs to the soil or the concrete area they’ve dug through. it saves both time and money. Also included in the kit is the multi-functional Soil Probe. Using the probe, technicians are able to listen through soil with the ultra-sensitive pointed tip or by removing the tip and attaching the 3 inch listening disc, they can listen through concrete and solid surfaces with the same sensitivity. . As the sound increases to it’s loudest point, they will have found where the leak is and can make repairs. The Irrigation Kit includes a combination of compression plugs and an injector plug that work with the Pressure Rig. Combined, all of the equipment in the kit offers resources that reduce time spent digging, damaging landscape or searching in an area where a pipe might not actually be leaking. The Irrigation Kit comes complete at a $2300 price and includes a 2 year limited warranty and the trusted support of LeakTronics customer service. For answers to questions at any time, instruction on use or recommendations for best methods of use on the job, Irrigation professionals just need to call LeakTronics for help. The post LeakTronics Offers a Leak Detection Kit for Irrigation Professionals appeared first on Turf. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230377 https://ift.tt/2NZI6zG |