Hey everyone,


Just an update on the wacky weather.  So Easter night I was out spreading salt on my commercial properties!  It is April isn't it?  I guess there is a chance I may be doing it again this Friday but we'll see.  

So not only has it been ridiculously cold it has been equally as wet for the last several weeks.  Since my last e-mail (March 4th) I have finished up pre-emergent applications (a couple of weeks ago).  We have also finished up on the bulk of the mulching that I know about.  I've had a lot of responses about smaller projects like shrub trimming and sod here and there and what not.  Those are still on my list but have taken a back seat due to weather.  

Those of you on my mow list I sent out an e-mail a couple of weeks ago telling of our plan to get out and mow the tops off and bag those of you who were a little shaggy.  I also mentioned getting started on routine maintenance this week.  The weather has obviously foiled those plans.  We mowed exactly three of you last week.  We will try to work in what we can this week (possibly even Saturdays and Sundays if need be) and I'm guessing based on the long ranger we just won't need to commence with regular mowing until the middle of the month.  At that point Lezak claims the blocking ridge up in Canada will break down and we will start to warm up.  Until then he says get used to the dreary damp overcast London/Seattle weather.  

I've got several of you with interest in large projects that I'm trying to get bids together on.  Thanks for your patience.  I haven't forgotten about you.  Juggling all the things that come with spring (weather, pre-emergent, projects, taxes, etc..)  has made this a very busy period.  

Once it warms up with all this rain we will probably start to see a lot of not so pretty colors like yellow (dandelions) and purple (henbit) and I'll have to shift my focus to get weed control taken care of.  They die better when the weather is warmer and they are actively growing so that they take in the herbicide.

I suppose that is all for now.  Keep your heavy coats an umbrellas out, you'll probably need them for the next week or so.

If you have something you haven't told me about that you are interested in getting done let me know.

Terry

​Hey everyone,

It is that time of year when we start to get excited about spring, and then it gets cold again to remind us it is early March.  At any rate, as winter (if you can call it that) winds down we have been feverishly working on a lot of landscaping projects.  I had my pre-emergent delivered last week and will be getting going on that this coming week with the goal of getting the first round done by March 23rd.  I would like to get as much of the mulching, and the first application done before we have to fire up the mowers.  

NOTE: If you are planning on seeding this spring (which I don't recommend..ask me why) I need to know now.  If I put down pre-emergent you won't have much luck in getting the seed to pop.  

MULCH
My goal, as mentioned, would be to get as much mulching done before mowing starts as possible. We generally put down over 100 yards of mulch so if you know you are going to want me to mulch please let me know so I can get you on a mulching list and then work you in as we have openings.  

FERTILIZATION PROGRAM
Everything seemed to go pretty well last year.  The only tweak to the program is that I am going to eliminate the ENC (liquid fertilizer that I was adding to the liquid weed control last year.  While it does help to strengthen root systems to sum extent and help hold color without the extra Nitrogen I just didn't see a noticeable benefit that outweighed the cost.  So instead of being billed for 7 applications this year will be 6.5 with the only application at 1.5x your rate being grub control. 


We did fight the grassy weeds in late summer due to the ridiculously excessive rains but that I would think was an outlier.  Going into that rainy period everything was looking as good as could be expected.  

HARDSCAPES/LANDSCAPING
As I mentioned in an e-mail last fall we have gotten into patios, fire pits, seat walls, etc.  If you have any questions about any of these or would like to see some pictures of our work let me know.  We have also been doing a lot of Bubbling boulders which is a nice conversation piece to your landscape.  

Couple of other notes:

* If I don't hear from you otherwise I will assume you are still wanting the fertilization program.  
*Mowing will stay the same price as last year
*Application rates will mostly stay the same.  I want to add here that I have never to this point raised application rates for anyone and it is not something that I take lightly.  There are however some of you that came on board several years ago that are extremely under priced.  I will send you an e-mail if there is a price increase for you.  Since I should have addressed this earlier I will do round one at the current price and any increases would take effect beginning with round 2.  
*Mulch will stay the same at $95 per yard.  I was significantly below industry average before.  I still am a bit low but closer.
*General labor like shrub trimming, landscaping, leaf cleanups, etc. will remain on a straight hourly rate of $50 per man hour.  I've been way too cheap in the past and on a lot of that stuff I didn't really have a set schedule it was more or less a guess (that I ultimately under priced more times than not).   

I'm sure I forgot something but will end it here for now.  Let me know if you have any questions about anything.

​Hey everyone,  


The cold has been a real drag for everyone I'm sue.  However, it as allowed me to finally get everything invoiced finally.  I was inexcusably behind (some of you hadn't received an October bill yet).  Now that everything is entered I wanted to send out an e-mail before I send out the invoices.  If you are non-Raymore your invoice will likely says 12/15 with a due date of 1/15.  All Raymore invoices probably say 12/31 with a due date of 1/30.  

Due to the nature of some of the bills being multiple months I understand it could cause a financial burden for you.  Feel free to pay half this month and half the following month if it is a two month bill.  On the other hand I showed a very large amount of invoices past due (115) aside from the most current one which creates a financial burden for me.  I would appreciate if we could get those cleaned up as quickly as possible. 

If your invoice shows a balance due larger than what is detailed on the current bill then that is an amount that I show as past due.  If you believe to be paid up and show an amount that seems incorrect please let me know and I'll send you what I have and we can figure it out.  There are instances where I have somehow cashed a check without crediting your account.  

I can see in quickbooks when I have sent an invoice and whether you have ever opened it up.  As a reminder the invoice won't come from this e-mail address.  It comes from quickbooks@notification.intuit.com.  So, if you don't get an invoice check your spam folder and look for that e-mail address.  Also, I don't think some of you know to click on the green "View Invoice" button to see the actual invoice.  At any rate, Ill give it a couple of weeks and go through those of you I still haven't received payment on and try more aggressively to get a hold of you.  

Lastly, we have been dry as a bone and since I sent you the last e-mail saying to water a month ago we haven't had a quarter of an inch of rain.  When it warms up next week it would be a good idea to WATER your plants and shrubs and trees and grass if possible.  We have been in what amounts to a drought since mid October.  Your shrubs will suffer and anything planted this year will be at risk for drying out and dying if you don't give it a drink.

Hope everyone had a great Holiday season!  Let me know if you have any questions.