Riding Lawn mower powered by a rotary engine leaves everyone standing in the smoke!

What happens when you cross a riding lawn mower with a rotary engine? Power to burn… literally! You should see the smoke from the “wheelies” (if that’s not the right term, then I’ve really dated myself!)

Single rotor lawn mower-YouTube.mov

Amazing single rotor lawnmower

These guys are having way too much fun on their riding lawn mower powered by a rotary engine!

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How to overseed your lawn

Check out this video for tips for overseeding your lawn…

It is spring and time to get your lawn in shape. We have some tips to make your lawn the envy of the neighborhood.

Now, you know how to overseed your lawn!

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Artificial Grass

What a great guest article for all you lawn-mower guys and gals out there… why not consider all the benefits of artificial grass? Not only will it make your life easier and give you back your Saturday and Sundays, artificial grass actually helps the environment!

Check out the image… it’s artificial grass! Wow… certainly not anything like that nasty stuff people used to glue to porches or outdoor steps. (Maybe they still do, but that’s another story…) 

The style is a bit stilted (they’re probably not as casual in England), but the article offers some pretty compelling environmental benefits to artificial lawns. See if you don’t agree…

Artificial Lawn Grass: What Are the Environmental Benefits?

There has been a trend to have a big green gardens for quite some time. To fulfil this trend, gardens have become popular throughout the world. Some studies establish the fact that these natural gardens cause certain dangers to the environment. People who are conscious about the hazards that natural grass causes to the environment are shifting to artificial grass. This step is one of many initiatives that we can take for making the world a better place to live for us and for our future generations. Let us have a close look at the environmental benefits offered by artificial lawn grass.

The first and foremost thing about the artificial lawn grass is that it is recyclable and lead-free; therefore it doesn’t impose any potential threat to the environment as far as its manufacturing procedure is concerned. If you compare natural lawns with the artificial ones, you will find that an average naturally grown lawn consumes thousands of gallons of water each year. A big share of this water is wasted due to improper watering techniques, giving the lawns more water than what is actually required. When you have artificial grasses, you can do without any irrigation. This means: artificial lawn grass contributes hugely to conservation of water. This feature is making the synthetic lawns extremely popular in the states suffering from water crisis.

Naturally grown turfs need to use pesticides and fertilizers for killing insects and enhancing growth of the grasses; this makes them serious threats to our environment. The composition of nitrates found in fertilizers gets mixed in the soil and makes their way to the water tables; these chemicals end up contaminating the water. Similarly, when we are exposed to the pesticides we are likely to catch serious diseases like cancer, allergies etc. When we have an artificial lawn, we don’t need to use any fertilizer or pesticide; as a result the environment is not contaminated with harsh chemicals.

Natural lawns produce huge quantity of yard waste. The yard waste contributes largely to the total waste produced by the country. Lawn clippings are the main sources of the yard wastes. When such wastes are dumped together, many chemical reactions take place producing harmful gases like Methane (the gas hugely responsible for the green house effect and global warming). We can control such circumstances by installing artificial lawn grass.

The equipment used for the maintenance of natural lawns are causes of major concerns for the environmentalists. One such device is the lawn mower. When we use the lawn mower a large number of gaseous pollutants are released to the air. According to a recent analysis, lawn mowers are the premium cause of air pollution in most European and North American countries. Not only that, the gas mowers need to be refilled by fuels at regular intervals; this results in the depletion of important energy resources.

The discussion educates us about the good effects of artificial lawn grass to our environment. The best thing about synthetic lawns is that it will not only keep you safe, but will also make your home look as gorgeous as a natural lawn could have done.

The author is an SEO copy writer and internet marketing specialist. To know more about artificial garden grass and artificial lawn visit easigrass.com

Well, what do you think? Will you be considering artificial grass for your lawns?

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Garden Bridges (Courtesy of: Rennett Stowe at http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3652/ 3389340794_e827dc02ab.jpg)

Not only does this guest author describe favorite types of garden bridges, he also offers tips for choosing the right one for your lawn and garden. 

He gives tips for measuring and deciding on what materials you want the bridge made of. If you are a DIY gardener, he also offers some great ideas on materials and plans and assembly. Check it out…

Small Garden Bridges You’ll Love To Cross!

Small garden bridges have become an all-time favorite form of garden decor. They add just the right touch that will turn a mediocre garden into something quite splendid.

This small structure is an ancient design that has been used across the ages for foot traffic and decoration, and it goes by many descriptive names: Foot bridge, ornamental bridge, landscape bridges, timber bridge, oriental bridge, Japanese bridge and garden bridge are just a few.

Small garden bridges are gently arched structures that span lengths from 5 feet to 20 feet, and are usually about 3 feet wide. Some bridges feature a flat platform.

The simplest garden bridge is the arched or flat plank structure without hand or side rails. More decorative garden bridges are built with ornamental and functional posts and side rails. Some side rails are specifically designed to protect children and other pedestrians; other side rails are strictly for decoration.

Garden landscaping bridges are not just for large, elaborate gardens. Many gardens that are small in size are large in beauty simply because garden bridges have been added in just the right places. Used over a small stream, rough terrain or even a little pond, bridges can add a wonderful, new dimension to any garden.

With such popularity, small garden bridges are easy to find. Garden centers and home improvement depots carry them, and one of the best places to find and compare garden bridges is online. Most bridges are shipped requiring some assembly.

How To Select Small Garden Bridges

Choosing the right garden bridge is easy with just a little planning. Look at the space you have and decide where a bridge would fit in. Consider more than one area and then choose your favorite. Always measure the area you intend your bridge to span.

When you measure the distance you want an arched garden bridge to reach across, you need to know exactly how long the bridge will span. Measure the actual span length of the distance you wish to cover and not the arch length. Some bridge builders may sell an “8 foot bridge” but it will actually only span about 6 or 7 feet.

Make sure the bridge is made of weather and water resistant wood, or sealed and stained wood. Most small garden bridges are constructed of cedar, teak, pressure treated pine, spruce, redwood, and birch planks and posts. You can also find garden bridges made with an attractive steel frame with wooden planks. The construction of the bridges should also use only stainless steel or galvanized hardware such as bolts, washers, nuts and screws.

Try to find a garden bridge that is very easily assembled with only a few tools required. Find out if the manufacturer numbered and labeled each board, each post and rail – so when it’s time to assemble it, you just match the numbers and put in the screws and tighten.

For Do-It-Yourselfers, building a small garden bridge is a great project. Garden foot bridge plans are always available at the same places you can find the actual bridges for sale.

Small garden bridges can be used in a host of garden and landscape settings. As a foot bridge over a stream, or as a decorative accent through a large flower bed, these simple structures instill a functional and captivating charm.

Copyright 2006 Robert Mosse

Robert Mosse is a gardening and lawn care specialist and author of the “Easy” Lawn and Gardening Book Series. Visit Robert at Lawn And Gardening Tips for great, hands-on gardening info… and get the Guide for 101 Gardening Tips, completely Free at http://www.lawn-and-gardening-tips.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Mosse

Are you inspired to try your hand at garden bridges, finding the right one for your lawn or even building one?

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So… you’re putting all the pieces together to start your own lawn care business. Make sure you have your business name right at the top, because there are lots of things to consider before making a final decision.

How To Develop The Perfect Name For Your Lawn Care Business

Your lawn care business name will have two jobs.  One is to be unique enough that people can remember who to call when they need lawn work done. The other is to tell the customer something about your business.  If you decide on John Nelson’s Lawn Services, (assuming you are John Nelson), your personal credibility is built into part of your company name. The downside of using your name as part of your business identity is that if you ever decide to sell your lawn care business, your name would go with it. In fact, if it has played a big part in the success of your business, the buyer will probably insist on it. But, what happens to your reputation if the buyer runs down the business? On the other hand, if you name your lawn care business something like Good Looking Lawns, there’s no personal involvement left once you sell it.

Just be sure you keep the name generic enough so you can add new services. If you name the company, John’s Lawn Mowing Service, it limits what you do.  By changing “lawn mowing” to “lawn care”, you can add trimming, gardening and other related services all under the same corporate ID. 

Will the name you want to use for your lawn care business be suitable for a web site domain name? These days, it’s vital for businesses to have a web presence, and the experts say the best domain address (URL) is your company name. To continue the above example, the best URL for John Nelson’s Lawn Services is johnnelsonslawnservices.com.  When people see your business name on your truck, or some other promotional material, they will enter your company name in their computer internet browser.  So make it easy for them to find you on the internet, and you will bring in more customers through your web site.

Also be sure to verify with your county clerk that the name you want to use is available. If it is, register it right away to reserve that name for your business.

Sometimes, its appropriate to use a  whimsical or funny company name.  The guys who created the moving company, “Two Guys and a Truck” knew the value of a humorous name.  A funny name can have some serious marketing value. 

So give your new company name a lot of thought, even if you already have one in mind that you really like.  Pick a name you love for your new lawn care business, just make sure you take everything into consideration first.

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How To Develop A Profitable Lawn Care Business

There are a lot of good reasons for starting your own lawn care company.  You might do it for the freedom that being your own boss gives you. You might do it to focus 100% on doing work that you are very good at which is making people’s lawns and gardens look great.  Or you might do it because you know you can do a better job running a business than the people you work for.  Regardless of the reason, it must be profitable enough to support you and your family.

So is it possible to make a good profit running a lawn care business?  Absolutely, most serious lawncare business owners stay in business for years.  So, what are the basics of building a profitable business that you must keep in mind to apply to your situation as you launch your lawn care business, and begin to get clients and generate revenue?

Strong Management Skills Will Keep Your Lawncare Business Profitable

Profitability is not a complicated idea.  It is basically making more money than you spend.  But it is a mistake to think you can reach profitability simply by controlling costs.  Too many businesses have gone under putting all the emphasis on efficiency and cost savings and not enough emphasis on getting new clients, and client retention.  You can see profitability when you and your crews are all fully engaged in money generating work every working hour of every day.

This can be a challenge particularly as you grow to the point where you need multiple crews.  To keep each crew on a job site, completing work and then moving to the next job site, and juggle the work and the workers each and every day will definitely test of your management ability.  But you learn the art of managing larger and larger crews and larger jobs AS your business grows beyond just you and your small collection of tools… to an empire. (Maybe empire is a bit much, but the point is to be willing to grow!)

You need to focus a good deal on these three things to keep your lawn care business growing:

1. Client retention. 
2. Bring in new clients. 
3. Cost control… making sure your crews are performing at peak efficiency while delivering top quality work to your clients. 

The kind of client focus that you need in order to become profitable must involve more than just you, the owner.  You must instill it in your lawn care business employees.  Satisfied, repeat clients are the foundation for profitability. So make sure you and your staff give each of them the “royal treatment”. 

The Best Lawn Care Advertising Is Good Old Word-Of-Mouth

As the owner and manager of your lawncare company, you must always be looking for ways to capture more business.  This sometimes means marketing and advertising .  But it also includes the best source of all… word of mouth from all those satisfied clients!

The real heart of profitability is customer satisfaction. You can build a reliable income from the monthly payments of a satisfied client base.  They will give you new work as you expand the kinds of services your lawn care business offers.   And they’ll gladly give you referrals by telling their friends and neighbors about the lawn service they are so pleased with.  That word of mouth marketing is free to you, and it will get you more business than any other type of advertising. 

These are all great reasons to take very good care of the lawn care customers you have, and grow your lawncare business from that base to greater profitability each year.

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