4 Tips to a Healthier Lawn: Impress Your Landscaping Clients @Thelawncarenut
How do we DIY our way into having a healthier lawn and, at the same time, impress our landscaping clients with our A++ ways?
We all want a healthier lawn, be that for our own land or our clients’. However, more often than not, we tend to skip the basics, so we end up with burnout, either internally or within the business. But what if we tell you that even just by enjoying the “mow-ment,” you can strengthen both your lawn and yourself, thus leading both to better health?
Whether you want to do it because you want to dominate your neighbors or you want everybody to go, “Dang, this dude’s got his lawn dialed,” there’s no doubt that this episode is perfect for you!
Allyn Hane started his first lawn business in 1987 at the age of 14 with a bright orange Sears push mower. Fast forward to 1998, he started working for the world’s largest lawn service, TruGreen, where he got the knowledge that he transcribes into videos and articles, adding his own opinions and spin. He stands proud and tall on his philosophy that organic lawns look better and resist problems better for the long haul; to him, it’s just a smarter choice. Tune into this episode to discover his tips on how to impress your clients and have a healthier lawn!
“Get out and learn your land; that’s really the most important thing. There are certain things you’ll learn over time, but it starts just by getting out and measuring your lawn. So, get out, walk that lawn, learn your land, and pay attention when you’re doing it.”
– Allyn Hane.
Topics Covered
01:03 – “Over the years, I’ve noticed that there are a lot of lawn professionals that are in the audience…so I appreciate you having me on. I love being in front of this audience of lawn professionals and, hopefully, bring value today.”
Keith welcomes today’s awesome guest, Allyn Hane of The Lawn Care Nut.
03:44 – “For people that do a lot of fitness, you know your body, you know how far you can push it, you know when you’re going to get an injury; you just learn your body over time. And that’s really the same with your lawn—you learn it over time—and that’s really how you can be successful.”
Tip #1: Get out and learn your land.
Here, Allyn discusses the importance of knowing your land as he shares simple things you can do to improve the lawn.
06:40 – “That’s what mowing is; it’s going to really strengthen the lawn. And that’s actually true. The more you mow, the healthier your lawn is.”
Tip #2: Learn to love the mow. Enjoy the “mow-ment.”
Here, Allyn talks about reframing lawn care both as a time for personal development and a workout, explaining how mowing is like cardio that can give you immediate gratification, an endorphin rush, and a healthier lawn
10:41 – “As a DIY-er, I only have my own lawn below, I’m only taking care of one property, I know it like the back of my hand, I can take care of the bug. This is the thing about being a DIY-er; this is the advantage that I see.”
Allyn highlights the advantages of being a DIY-er as he talks about lawn leveling and the importance of having patience.
14:19 – “I’m just safer by design because I put less chemicals down, and I only put it where it’s needed.”
What can you do to deal with a pest (e.g., weed) problem when you have a dog, making sure that the chemicals aren’t going to make your pet sick?
20:23 – “Fertilizer doesn’t burn the lawn unless you spill it.”
Tip #3: Don’t be afraid to throw down.
Here, Allyn enlightens you on the benefits of putting fertilizer on your lawn as he discusses the need to be licensed if you want to get into spraying -cides. He also encourages people who are just starting out to try working for TruGreen for a couple of years.
27:55 – “So many people, they want to put a miracle application on the law that’s going to take care of everything, and I get it—that’s how our world operates; we want immediate results. But lawn care is different, and this is why it’s good therapy for people.”
Tip #4: Don’t expect immediate results.
Here, Allyn shares why lawn care is a good therapy for people while also explaining why it’s a must that you learn and start with the basics.
32:01 – “Go get that real training somewhere that is doing what you want to do, whether you like the way they do it or not. If they’re the biggest, if they’re the leader, go learn from them. There’s a lot of positives there, too, that you can do while you’re learning.”
Keith and Allyn reading and answering comments.
39:25 – “The first time you see a brown spot in your lawn, the first rule of thumb is to just dig; just see what you’ll find.”
Allyn shares tales from the trenches of his TruGreen years as far as crazy customers, educating you on what to do with brown spots. Keith and Allyn continue to read comments afterward
44:08 – “If that fertilizer were to be blown off of your lawn from a thunderstorm in the summer and go down into the rivers and then out into the gulf, it could create what is called red tide.”
Allyn talks about lightning’s beneficial help to your lawn. He also talks about phosphorus runoff and algal blooms such as red tide and how it’s usually formed. (Sign up for Allyn’s email list for the best content)
47:21 – “There’s a theory that female dogs are worse because they are lower to the ground, and they actually cause more damage.”
Allyn explains how dog pee and/or poop can cause brown spots to appear on your lawn. Keith also talks about the most professional way to deny a client service due to personal capacity before proceeding to read and answer comments again.
Key Takeaways
“For people that do a lot of fitness, you know your body, you know how far you can push it, you know when you’re going to get an injury; you just learn your body over time. And that’s really the same with your lawn—you learn it over time—and that’s really how you can be successful.”
“Mowing is like cardio. The more cardio you do, the healthier your heart is. It just makes you have more stamina. You’re able to do things that you weren’t able to do before when you have good cardio. That’s what mowing is; it’s going to really strengthen the lawn. And that’s actually true. The more you mow, the healthier your lawn is.”
“These little things that you do are what are going to make the biggest difference.”
“We want to fertilize the lawn to make it thicker because a thicker lawn is the best defense against weeds.”
“Go get that real training somewhere that is doing what you want to do, whether you like the way they do it or not. If they’re the biggest, if they’re the leader, go learn from them. There’s a lot of positives there, too, that you can do while you’re learning.”
Connect with Allyn Hane, Lawn Care Nut
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allynhane/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thelawncarenut
Connect with Keith
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/
Resources/People Mentioned:
My Website: Official Site Keith Kalfas
My Podcast Page: The UNTRAPPED Podcast
Lawn Care Nut: https://thelawncarenut.com/
Yard Care Bootcamp: https://www.yardcarebootcamp.com/
TruGreen: https://www.trugreen.com/
Yard Mastery: https://yardmastery.com/
Jill’s Office: https://www.jillsoffice.com/
Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs