Spring is a fun and busy time for landscape fleets. Crews are eager to shake off winter’s chill and clients are eager to see their lawns become green again. If you are the supervisor or owner of the landscape fleet, spring can also be a very stressful time because of the sudden rush of things that need to be done. February is a good time to prepare for the spring rush and come up with a plan on how to deal with it. Staying organized for the spring landscape rush can be a challenge so here are some tips on how to make a smooth transition to spring.
Staying Organized For The Spring Landscape Rush
It is always good to start to give employees a refresher on safety and rules. Pick a day in late February and have your employees come in to go over your fleet rules and safety procedures. A safety refresher is always important because landscapers are constantly using power equipment and dangerous chemicals. Make sure you all include a refresher on using personal protection equipment properly as well.
All of your equipment should be checked before the spring rush hits. February is a good time to do this because it provides ample time to get it fixed. Make sure your power equipment runs and check all of your fleet hand tools to make sure they haven’t sustained damage over the winter. You should clean hand tools; you never know if weed seedlings and or disease which can transferred to a client’s lawn in soil that clings to the tools.
Keeping a schedule is another difficult part of getting into the spring swing. Scheduling jobs for hundreds of clients who need spring cleanup done can get chaotic and disorganized. Purchasing scheduling software can be a wise investment. It will make it much easier to keep clients and employees happy if there is a way to schedule jobs without worry about double booking. It also ensures the ability to reserve a big enough time slot to ensure employees have enough time to do a quality job.
You’ll also want to order all of your fertilizer, seeds, pesticides, and other products before the end of the month. Make a list of everything you need ahead of time so nothing gets missed. It isn’t a bad idea to also include items besides chemicals on this list. You may need to order uniforms, new handtools, or even new vehicles. Spring may also bring the need to hire some new employees to make sure you have enough manpower. Again, February is a great time to do this so that you have time to select a great candidate and check out their credentials.
Check out our selection on spring landscape products.