Introduction to Landscape Maintenance and Design

Weedeating

Weedeating is the ideal task of filling in all spots where the mower does not fit. It is as essential as the lawn mower, and often catches everybody's eyes first, next to the lawn's overall look. A weedeater is a 2-cycle hand operated machine that is single-piston driven and runs between 1,000 and 8,000 RPM's. It rotates counter clockwise with plastic string at the ends to cut the blades of grass with precision and a straight edge. The most important part of this equipment is to understand its user operation, and so we will cover the following subjects

• * Weedeating around perimeter of house and fence-lines.

• Weedeating around light poles, mailboxes, island beds, all corners of grass-lines.

• Starting equipment on a Cold-Start and after it has warmed up.

• Loading the weedeater head with string and ensuring the head is grease and gasoline is properly mixed.

Weedeating around perimeter of houses and fence-lines

This will be the area that clients go to look at your quality of work done at their house first. The ideal thing is to make sure that you hold the handle of the weedeater with a firm grip and that it is level with the outline of the lawn mower that should be made as you begin a new house. The key way to know how to weedeat in these areas is to find a solid tree stump, and start rotating the weedeater nearby the stump. As you begin to raise the revoultions, slowly bring the weedeater head closer to the tree until you can see and hear it touching the tree. That will be the length of distance you should keep the walls and fences of the house away from the weedeater. Try to envision that distance everywhere you go, and also remember to cut the grass level to the height we cut it at. Also, another key part of this subject is your direction of travel, or how you walk around the house to get the best results. Everybody has their own way of remembering to get every corner of the house, but doing it as described will ensure that 100% of the time you don't miss a patch. What you want to do is start on the right side of the house facing it from the street. You then want to start with the inside perimeter of the property line which may be the inside of the fence-line. You will want to go slowly around this area, taking in the information above to find the sweet spot to cut the grass at, and then you want to speed up slowly until you are at a comfortable walking speed. As you approach the end of the inside perimeter of the property line, if we weedeat the outside then continue back to your start point but on the opposite side of the line. If we do not do that, then start at the line you stopped and turn to the house and begin to weedeat the perimeter of the house. As you do this, do not forget to look up and keep your head on a swivel for any potential light poles, lawn chairs, hammocks, island beds, etc. that the mower may not be able to mow evenly as well as all trees. continue to do the house perimeter until you get to the same line as them, and then go and weedeat the trees and hammocks etc. and continue on until you reach your start point of the house. After doing that, do one more walk around of the front and backyard with the weedeater running to double-check any places that may need to be blended in.

• Distance of line/radius of line under wide open throttle

• height level of the lawn mower (approx.)

• direction of travel

Light poles, trees, other obstructions

As you come across these things, they may vary in the methods required to achieve a clean finish. Always remember to tilt the weedeater in the direction you move it when blending it to the surrounding grass around it. Just like in the previous subject, you want to ensure you are at the proper radius of line under WOT to ensure you don't wrap the weedeater up in whatever you are trying to trim around. These areas normally should be cut slightly lower than the cut of the rest of the house as in these areas the grass may not always grow at the same level as the rest of the yard. If you ever are lost or wondering how you should cut it, always take a few steps back and look at the object and the area that surrounds it to find the right level to blend it to.

• proper radius under WOT.

• level or slightly lower trim compared to the rest of the yard's cut.

• orient yourself to see how it would look from a distance (how the customer would see it walking up to it)

Cold - Start and proper operation methods

This is probably the most important part of your job, because without the right process you may cause damage to the equipment resulting in either being out of that piece of equipment for the day or waiting for a donor piece of equipment to be brought to you. This may not always be the case though, and we want to act as if there is no loner equipment and what we have is what we have, as the donor equipment may be on another trailer or we may just not have enough of that equipment to provide a donor at any time. With that being said, The cold-start is normally the one thing everybody gets wrong. However, if performed correctly, the equipment will be able to tell you whether it is in working condition or not to prevent elongating misuse of the equipment until the repair is too costly, resulting in us having to buy new equipment. First and foremost, you want to make sure that the proper gasoline mix is being used for the proper equipment. At FLM, we have made sure that the majority of equipment we use on all trailers has approximately the same gas/mix ratio, which is 50:1. However you may see some equipment that actually calls for 40:1 gas/mix ratio, but that will normally be disclosed depending on which equipment you will be given to use. Next, you want to make sure the choke is in the cold start position. You then want to pump the primer bulb 5-15 times to evacuate the air from the fuel tank and carburetor and prime it with fresh fuel. Next, depending what equipment you use it may have a half-choke switch, but you pull the rope to crank the equipment until it sputters. after that, you either set it to half-choke, or you have to switch the carburetor to open and hold down the throttle lever until the equipment kicks on. after it starts, continue to hold down the throttle lever until the equipment fully revs to its redline for ten seconds. after that, you can begin to operate as you do. After starting it on a cold start, going to start it again should be relatively easy. If you go to start the equipment again in the next 30 minutes after shutting it off, leave the carburetor open and just pull the starter cable and it should start within 1-3 pulls. If it does not start again after the third pull, switch the carburetor back to cold start and repeat the cold start process. Normally after about five to ten minutes of use it will reach operating temperatures and stay warm enough to start back up after turning it off.

• Fuel/mix ratio (50:1)

• Setting choke

• prime the primer bulb

• half-choke / throttle start adjustment

• warm starting - one crank, if no start switch back to cold start proecedure.

Edger

This is one of the first things not only clients look at but neighbors and our competition. It is very important to understand how to get a straight line from edging all paved areas as well as some garden beds if need be. The most important part of this process is gauging the edge as it is when you first arrive to the site, hold the edger at a thirty degree angle IF the grass is not overgrown or flush with the concrete, and keep a steady hand while looking out for sprinkler heads. It is important to look up and forward of your line of movement to ensure that nothing gets missed and you don't hit a sprinkler. all sprinkler heads on the sidewalk should be edged as well as any power or plumbing fixtures. Take a close look at the current edge, and determine if this is a normal path of the edger. If not, be prepared to have to clean up the edges and have remaining plant matter that will have to be picked up.

• Start on Right side of outside curb line with road, following the lines to the front corners or backyard if included.

• 30 degree angle if grass is not thick at the edge, if overgrown or thick and flush at paved area, go to a 15 degree tilt or straight up if need be.

• Edge ALL paved areas as well as all corresponding sprinkler heads that are close to viewable paved surfaces.

• Take a step back and gauge the lines of the edger, the direction, how the edge looks before and how you plan to contour it to a straight or even line.

• Be sure when creating a new edge to slowly walk and bring the edger back and forth multiple times in a straight and even line to get a straight edge every time.

• Consult with your crew leader for further questions. conditions vary house to house, the crew leader should be aware of the scope of work.

Blower Operation (Res)

There are many different methods to blowing debris, and it is all dependent on time of year, time of day, weather and surrounding areas of the site. When using the blower, you do not want to cross the same path multiple times, but instead just like vacuuming make small diagonal pivots into different directions. Once you get the hang of it, you will more than likely take approx. 3 minutes to blow off an entire home by yourself. We will section this into two parts: Residential and Commercial leaf blowing. both have their similarities and differences, but the key is to learn both methods and incorporate them in difficult areas.

• Always start at the road, almost following the edge line of the property, swinging the handle back and forth to create a "tidal wave" of debris.

• Try to push the debris over the edge and clean out the valley of the edgelines while simultaneously pushing remaining debris away and into the yard.

• Make sure to clean underneath all vehicles and front door area, when in the front door area pulse the throttle of the blower and point the handle at the front door so the air travels down and out, pushing debris towards the front of the house.

• Blow off all garden beds and any accumulations of debris, including heaps of grass in the yard.

• Travel from right to left facing the street, all around the perimeter of the house and make sure to clean off any vehicles on your final pass.

• Be sure to clean off mower as well, The mower should never be so dirty that heaps of grass is falling off of it or stuck in the frame, as this can cause cross-contamination and kill everybody's grass.

Blower operation (Comm)

• Make sure to bring all debris together in open spaces, do not spread it out as this will make you have to do double work.

• Always look at your path of direction as you walk up to it, checking for any isolated debris as well as which direction will allow you the least amount of walking and the most efficient cleaning.

• When doing apartments, do not focus heavily on cleaning big clumps of leaves and debris IF there are many cars or people around.

• When contacting ANY people, stop blowing immediately and either hold the handle down at your feet or up over your shoulder, but NEVER in that persons direction.

• Be sure when blowing around cars at all properties that you look into the vehicles you're around, ensuring nobody is inside and that none of the windows are down. If the windows are up and somebody is inside, try to collect all debris in a contained area and move on until they exit the vehicle and leave the premises

• Be VERY careful blowing around front and back doors that are used by service staff, as you never know when they might open those doors and the last thing you want is to have to sweep somebody's office.

• Always carry a water bottle on your person incase you get dehydrated.

• When blowing near lakes or bodies of water, DO NOT blow debris into the water if possible by any means. This is against the law, and we can be fined for this.

• In most commercial areas, the majority of leaves and debris will be hidden in the garden beds at the base of the bushes. In these cases, winter and summer is when you have to clean out those bushes and it is up to the crew leader's discretion whether we mulch or bag the leaves and dispose of them accordingly.

• If any other questions arise, refer to crew leader

Mower Operation

This is the bread and butter of our service. In order to achieve maximum results, there are only so many ways to perform this task, and this does require knowledge of how all other machinery works in order to properly pass them and be aware of all problems and surroundings at ALL times. This is normally only operated by the crew leader as there are many things you hold responsibility for being on the mower, and when a client wants to make contact with us they will normally go to the person on the mower. In order, this is how we want you to perform this task every time.

• Check tire pressures and hydraulic oil level, as well as engine oil level EVERYDAY in the morning before leaving for your route.

• When arriving at the job site, map out the house in the direction that you will mow. Check if we push mow any certain areas, and be mindful of the property limits as well as any possible obstructions in the grass such as dog toys, overground sprinkler systems, garden hoses, etc.

• Refer to notes to see at what height the grass normally gets cut, and then look at the grass. What type of grass is it? What is the condition of the grass? Are there weeds in the grass? Dry patches? all of this should be notated before starting the house. We mow as high as possible in the winter and as short as possible in the summer, this is shown on a chart that will be provided to you, in the trailer by the blowers.

• Do not always follow the same lines that were made by the previous mow, this will in turn create ruts in the ground and will create an uneven look. Always cross the pattern in the next mow. It is ideal to refer to the previous notes to see the different patterns used, to reiterate though, we should go horizontal, then vertical, then diag left-to-right, then diagonal right-to-left.

• ALWAYS pay attention to your surroundings. If a person comes in your path, turn off the blades, lower the throttle to half-full, and wait until they leave the premises. Check for things in the ground you might've missed, such as holes, dips, stumps, trash or any other debris that may be on the ground, covered by grass.

• Also, consider that the mulching of grass always goes to the right of the mower; therefore, this should be taken into account when mowing. Make sure that no clumps of dead grass compile, and make sure after your first mow to lightly go back over all lines with obstructions or weak lines. You want to ensure that all parts of the turf is even and uniform, while also leaving space for the weedeater.

• DO NOT ride the mower in any angles higher than 30 degrees, and always make sure you have an escape plan.

• When mowing under wet conditions, be wary of the possibility of tracking mud, if you start tracking mud turn off the blades and stop mowing immediately. Notate the information and reach out to client to let them know why we wouldn't be able to mow.

• Make it a habit to look behind you as you mow to look for tracking mud and that you are not mowing too low. If the grass was green and now it's yellow, you're mowing too low. there shouldn't be more than 3/4 of an inch cut from its original height in order to ensure that the grass doesn't lose its nutrients needed to thrive.

• After mowing, make sure to clean off the mower and ensure that no grass is being carried to the next house. Some grass may have fungus or bacteria that when transferred it could cause a cross-contamination effect resulting in everyone's grass dying.

Crew Leader Responsibilities

You are talking to clients, guiding the crew, keeping up with inventory needs, and checking the mower's fluid and blades. This is an ideal position for someone who is bilingual to help avoid anything getting lost in translation. You are responsible for:

• Ensuring the properties are properly maintained and look good from all angles.

• Keeping the crew's morale at a sustainable level.

• Talking to clients either in person or virtually when you are arriving, as well if an accident occurs on their property or if we cannot provide services to them on certain visits.

• Making requests where need be. for example: tree trimming, plant replacement, sod replacement, etc.

• Communicating with the operations manager about anything wrong with any equipment, the truck or trailer, or something inventory-wise that may be needed.

• Driving the truck and trailer and being able to fit into tight spaces, backing up, and other alternative maneuverability.

• Check all inspection points of the mower, truck, and trailer daily. (Tire pressure, oil level, any lights on dash, etc.)

Crew member responsibilities

This is anybody who is not the crew leader on a crew. You are the soul of the company, and it is important to know all things above as well as:

• Checking all handheld equipment is ready for use every day in the morning.

• Following the directions given by the crew leader.

• Using critical thinking skills in areas where the objective is obscured.

• Notifying the crew leader of anything out of the ordinary that you see regarding services at a property or the equipment, as well as anything with yourself.

• Cleaning the trash out of the truck and trailer, as well as cleaning the bed of the truck out into the dump trailer.

• Wiping down the truck at the end of the day, ensuring to disinfect all things being touched every day.

• Helping out fellow crew members when finished with you task. If you finish before the next crew member, either go help them with what they are doing or move onto the next task so long as the next task can be started while they finish theirs.

• Notify staff members of anything that conflicts with any interests of the company or yourself personally.