Picnic Tables
Feb 6th
This is the time of year for us here at Down To Earth to start the production of our Picnic Tables, last year we could not make enough of the 8 footers to go around, so this year we are staring earlier and are taking orders for them as well. We carry four different sizes and they are 4 ft, 6 ft, 8 ft and 12 ft.
These picnic tables are constructed from 2×6 material and are put together with carriage bolts and exterior screws.
These will be sold unfinished here in Maine, so whether you would like just one or you have a commercial business that would like to purchase some of our picnic tables for resale, you can simply reach us via our contact page, email or phone for prices at:
brian@dtelawncare.com or (207)-739-9022.
Maine Lawn Care
Jan 30th
Down To Earth is anxiously awaiting the start of the 2010 lawn care and landscape maintenance season. Although we still have a ways to go before spring hits here in Maine, we only have about 29 more days before bidding starts on commercial lawn care and landscape maintenance properties.
Down To Earth is also accepting new residential lawn care customers as well for the upcoming 2010 season, we proudly serve the following areas:
Norway, Paris, Oxford, Auburn, Windham , Westbrook, Portland and surrounding areas.
If your looking for a new lawn care provider to take care of your lawn care needs, you can give us call at (207)-739-9022 or you can email me: brian@dtelawncare.com to set up an appointment for a FREE estimate.
We offer a wide range of lawn care services and we look ford to serving you in the future.
Bathroom Renovation Project
Jan 27th
A short post on a renovation job that I am working on here in Norway Maine. This is a bathroom remodel that is starting to take shape as we removed the old bathtub and replaced it with a new one, along with a new toilet and sink.
I also had to replaced some old flooring under the tub and laid some new tile on the rest of the floor, the drywall has been hung and am in the process of applying the tape and mud to the walls, sanding everything down getting the room ready for paint, hopefully by the end of the week.
I didn’t get any before pictures, but I will be sure to post up some photos of during and after the renovation job is done and update this post.
Referral Program
Jan 23rd
Down To Earth is updating and rolling out a new referral program for our seasonal customers here in Maine, whether lawn care, landscape maintenance or snow removal, we are looking to reward our valued customers who refer future customers to us.
Our new program will offer a reward of either a $25.00 Gift Certificate for a place of choice, $25.00 in cash or you can take the $25.00 off your monthly invoice, the choice will be up to the referring customer.
To qualify:
1. You need to already be a seasonal customer with Down To Earth
2. The referred customer must use your name when contacting us
3. The referred customer must sign on with Down To Earth for the season
Its as simple as that, once the referred customer signs on with Down To Earth as there lawn care or snow removal service provider for the season, Down To Earth will then contact the referrer.
The New Year
Jan 10th
Well here we are in 2010 and Down To Earth has hit the ground running at full speed, this is the first season in 12 years that we have offered snow plowing as a service once again and it has really picked up the slack of the season for Down To Earth, usually we will do snow removal from roofs, decks and pathways allowing us to cover a bigger area. This year we wanted to be more central to home base here in Norway Maine and
We have also been doing property watching as well for the snowbirds and folks living out of state, this was a new service that we started offering at the end of 2009 and has been a growing business since then as has the snow plowing side. We have combined our snow removal and property maintenance services in with property watching service as a package deal for these folks.
It is almost time to start getting ready here in Maine for preparing landscape maintenance bids, which we trying to get a jump start on, as the bidding will start in March, but things are growing at a pretty good pace and will need to burn some of the midnight oil to get these done at this pace.
Happy New Year!!!
Dec 29th
We here at Down To Earth Lawn & Property Maintenance would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. May it be a year of growth and renewal for each of us, aspiring one another to reach our goals and desires, cheering each other on in earnest, helping one another, treating one another the way that we would like to be treated, with Love, Honor and Respect.
We haven’t made any New Years resolutions, but we have set forth a business plan that is full of short term goals to attain success for our lawn and property maintenance company. A plan that will bring steady growth, growing our company a pace that is manageable.
Gearing Up For 2010
Dec 27th
Here at Down To Earth we are gearing up for the upcoming spring season, although its a few months away here in Maine, we are going over the equipment so when the time comes we won’t have mess around with it. We have been sharpening the mower blades, changing out the oils and spark plugs, as well as the air and oil filters.
I have been working on finishing up the year end paperwork as well as preparing next seasons documents, updating clients information and setting up the lawn and landscape maintenance marketing programs with the emphasis on Organic Lawn Care. I have been out talking to other contractors, realtors and other property maintenance providers, setting up a circle of networking partners in my local area.
While doing all this, I still have the snow plowing season just getting underway here as well, these customers will be my priority during the storm days and in between I will be working on my commercial property bids for property maintenance for the 2010 season. I have started on some of these already. I will be submitting 300 plus bids within a 30 mile radius, the outcome will determine my route for the season.
I am still receiving call and emails from asset companies for doing foreclosure properties, but I am holding back a little as I just had a big ad go out in the local paper mainly for snow plowing and snow removal, but will be doing some light carpentry, so I will see where it all leads and go from there.
Mowing Simplified
Dec 22nd
Proper Mowing Part 2
Mowing Simplified
Most people would consider mowing the lawn somewhat of a chore, but it doesn’t have to feel as much of as it seems. In this post I will go over some basic ideas, time saving tips as well as some safety precautions.
First off is selecting the right lawn mower for your yard, take some time to walk around your yard, measuring any gates or other obstructions in your yard ( trees, flower beds, pools, etc.) that you may have. Selecting a lawn mower such as a one with a 60″ deck on it may seem like a real time saver, but in reality you have a small yard with rock gardens, trees and what not, leaving even smaller mow areas that this sweet mower will not fit in. Like some in town lots that have 36″ gates leading into the back yard.
On the other hand it will take around 2 1/2 hours to mow a half acre with an 18″ push mower, while you could do it in a 1/2 hour with a 36″ riding lawn mower. So knowing your yard and any obstructions that you may have therein will be key to selecting a lawn mower for your yard.
Now that you have selected the right lawn mower for the job, lets get into mowing your lawn with your new mower. Again take a look at your lawn, you will want to mow in a long, straight pattern.
Lets say your lawn is 30′ x 40′ for example, you will want to mow in 40′ long swaths, making as few turns a possible and the sooner you will finish.
In most cases you will not need a bagger or grass catcher when you mow if you are only mowing one-quarter or one-third of the lawns height. The exception being the areas that where clipping encourage disease, then you will want to bag the grass clippings.
I prefer to mulch the grass clippings and as long as you mow your lawn regularly the clipping will compost back into the soil, providing a natural fertilizer for your lawn. If you are concerned about the clippings you can install a mulch blade on your lawn mower, this will cut the grass clippings into smaller pieces and will appear less visible.
Do not mow on a wet lawn, as the lawn will be slick and wet grass is more likely to tear rather than cut, especially if the lawn mower blade is dull. The wet clippings blow out and fall into thick clumps, rather than a fine haze. The wheel of your mower, especially a rider can compact the lawns wet soil, resulting in other problems for your lawn.
Always remember the guidelines: Mow at the recommended height for your lawn. Never mow more than one-third of your lawns height. Always keep your blades sharp, dull blades can introduce disease, leading to less leaf growth and a sparse lawn. Using dull blades will also use about 20% more gas than sharp blades.
Time Saving Tips:
Mow around the perimeter of your yard, along the sidewalks, house and an other border, mowing so that your blowing the grass clippings back into the lawn. This will allow the blade closer to the edged, which will save you some time with the trimming of the borders, as well as a time saver for blowing off any hard surfaces that you may have.
Mow in long, straight swaths, once the edges have been done. Also you will want to change your mowing pattern every once in awhile, the grass tends to lay flat after a few mowings and changing direction will pull it back up, given you a more even cut. It will also help in avoiding soil compaction.
Always use sharp mower blades, this will save you time and money.
Safety Precautions:
Mowing on slopes can be dangerous, so here are a couple of safety tips.
Never mow a slope greater than 15 degrees.
Slopes greater than 5 degrees may look flat, but in fact they are dangerous to mow. If you are using a walk-behind you will want to across the hill, the mower will be less apt to hit you if you slip or fall, also the mower will be less likely to run out of control downhill.
If your using a riding lawn mower, mow up and down the hill so that the mower is less likely to rollover on top of you. If the wheels slip or the grade is to steep, disengage the blades and back down the hill.
Lawn Mower Safety
Dec 21st
Lawn Mower Safety Tips
As with any new piece of equipment that we purchase, its always a good thing to read the instructions as well as all safety precautions that go along with it.
In this post I will post some lawn mower safety tips for everyone as well as some general advice that pertains to lawn mower safety as well.
- Leave all the safety features intact. Gaurds and deadman switches are there to protect you from danger. DO NOT disable them.
- Never reach into a mower when the blade is engaged (running.) If the lawn mower clogs up the discharge chute, shut off the engine before trying to undo the clogged chute. Mowing the lawn wen the grass is dry will prevent clogs and keeps you from slipping in the wet grass.
- DO NOT let children operate the lawn mower. They are not big enough or mature enough to operate it safely.
- Always do a walk around of the lawn you are about to mow, picking up sticks, rocks, dog chains, metal and other trash before mowing the area.
- Keep your feet clear from the deck and blades at all times.
- Wear long legged pants to protect your legs and boots to protect your feet.
- Always wear hearing and eye protection.
- In a well ventilated area refill the gas tank carefully. No smoking while refueling. Let the engine cool prior to refueling and never refuel while the engine is running.
- If you are using a bagger, make sure that there are no holes in it. The mower can pick up small rocks and debris and they can be discharged through the holes. Never operate a rear bagger without a bag unless the discharge door is closed on the lawn mower.
- Always pay attention. DO NOT operate a lawn mower after drinking, taking medication, or any other drugs.
Proper Mowing Part 1
Dec 21st
Proper Mowing Part 1
Knowing your grass
Mowing a lawn is simple enough, but so is getting it wrong and a bad job of mowing a lawn can be worse than not, so lets take some time to break things down and go over some lawn care essentials for attaining a better lawn.
If your like most folks you run your lawn mower or garden tractor over the lawn once a week, but during the long, dry days of summer, when your lawn gets to looking ragged and worn, you may cut the grass a little shorter. Maybe your going on vacation for a week or two and you cut the grass as short as you can, hoping that the grass won’t grow all that tall before you return from your trip.
We need to look at our lawn differently and mow the grass because it is long and not because we have a day set aside or we are going off for a couple weeks. When we cut the grass, we should not cut anymore than one-quarter to one-third of the leaves.
Knowing what type of grass you have will go along way in getting the cut height right, there are both Low-cut and High-cut grasses and I will post a chart for the common grasses as well as there mowing heights.
Low-cut grasses do not have enough leaf mass to thrive, so when we cut more than a third of the blade off, we remove the tissues the grass uses in order to produce food to fuel its root growth. When root growth suffers, so does the plant, you see the grass is left without enough water and nutrients to thrive and can become vulnerable to drought and disease.
High-cut grasses on the other hand will have more leaves and a deeper root system. With a deeper root system, it can draw in more water and nutrients from the soil – nutrients that will make the plant vigorous, as well as helping it out-compete when the weeds try to sneak into the lawn. So during the dry season the deeper roots (up to 8” deep) will be vital to getting the nutrients and water that the plant needs to survive, resulting in a stronger plant the is resistant to both drought and disease.
Taller grass creates its own shade, but it also works the other way as well, you see to much shade can stunt or even kill the grass plant, the shade that the plant produces is important to the grass plants survival.
Cutting the grass at the proper height allows the plant to provide enough shade to protect the plants crown and roots from overheating from the sun; protecting the roots helps the plant conserve water. Shorter cut grass will have no protection, resulting in a sunburned lawn, killing the grass, especially in hot weather.
Grass Height: How tall is to tall?
In Theory, each variety grows best when cut at the proper mowing height, so setting your lawn mower should be based on the type of grass in your lawn.
In Practice, the grass in your lawn was planted years ago by someone else and few people have little idea what they are cutting. A general rule of thumb, although its not perfect, it does come close to what one should do: cut warm weather grasses (suited for the South) 2-2 ½ inches tall, this is the height at which they grow best.
Cool season grasses (suited for the North) will grow better when cut a little longer, keeping them at 3-3 ½ inches tall.
Again once you know the type and proper height for your grass, always remember to cut no more than one-quarter to one-third of its height. Cutting more than this stresses the grass and will leave a thick coating of clippings, which can and will smother your lawn.
Properly mowing your lawn following this simple guideline (one-quarter to one-third) and you can let the clippings compost back into the soil, acting as a natural fertilizer.
Please Note: If you live in an area that is prone to grass disease, bagging the clippings can help prevent problems.
Mowing height for different grasses
Grass Optimum Height Mowing Height
Bluegrass 2 inches 3 inches
Perennial Ryegrass 2 inches 3 inches
Tall Fescue 2 inches 3 inches
Fine Fescue 2 inches 3 inches
St. Augustinegrass 2 inches 3 inches
Buffalograss 2 inches 3 inches
Bermudagrass 1 ¼ inches 2 ¼ inches
Zoysiagrass 1 ¼ inches 2 ¼ inches
Owner: Brian Durgin