Step by Step: Top 5 of 2022

1. How to effectively plow a parking lot

Before it snows, survey the property you’ll be plowing to check for obstacles—such as speed bumps, curbs, sidewalks, shrubs, fire hydrants and fences—that may become hidden by fallen snow. When plowing in dirt or gravel, lower the plow shoes. This will raise the blade to prevent scraping away the surface. When plowing on asphalt or concrete, raise or remove the plow shoes to scrape as close to the surface as possible.

Follow these steps to effectively plow a parking lot.

Source: Boss Snowplow

2. How to quickly install annuals

Instead of having your crews spend hours hunched over miles of empty beds, use this method from Cartwright Landscaping, a full-service design, installation and maintenance company in Richmond, Va., to install annuals quickly and efficiently using only the plastic cells they’re purchased in.

Follow these steps to quickly finish the job and fill the bed with colorful blooms—no digging required.

Sources: Cartwright Landscaping; University of Illinois Extension

3. How to achieve good stripes

For many landscape pros, there’s something satisfying about creating perfect stripes on a client’s lawn. Achieving this high-end look is as simple as bending the blades of grass in different directions and waiting for the sun to shine, which creates “light” or “dark” stripes. When blades of grass are bent away from the viewer, the stripe appears lighter in color because sunlight is reflecting off the long, wide part of the blade. When the blades of grass are bent towards the viewer, the stripe appears darker because the tips of the blades are less reflective. Mowing a lawn in rows of alternating directions provides visible stripe patterns.

Follow these steps to create different styles of lawn striping patterns.

Source: Scag Power Equipment, Scag.com | illustrations: David Preiss

4. How to calculate mulch needs

When it comes to mulch, having too much can be just as bad as not having enough. By using a few simple charts and equations, contractors can determine how many cubic feet of mulch they need for jobs with beds of any shape and size. The same equations also will work to calculate needs for other materials, such as topsoil and stone.

Source: Kalamazoo Landscape Supply

5. How to prep a landscape bed

Annual color, perennials, ornamental grasses and other plant selections can make a huge impact to your clients’ landscapes. But before you start installing them, you need to prep the bed to make sure the plants will grow and thrive.

Here are your three steps.

Source: Ben Bowen, landscape designer, Ross NW Watergardens in Portland, Ore.

Illustrations: David Preiss

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