Business is Booming This Fall! Landscaping Services to Offer in the Off Season

Enjoying Florida’s Mild Fall

Each summer, Florida homeowners encounter long periods of heavy thunderstorms paired with sweltering temperatures, making conditions ideal for growing grass quickly. The average Central Florida lawn needs mowing once every five days in the summer, and with the sky frequently threatening rain, professional landscapers often find themselves with jam-packed schedules maintaining clients’ lawns throughout the season.

As we enter September and await the onset of fall, we realize that the fall season is much milder in Florida than it is in the rest of the country. Average temperatures stay in the 80s through September and rarely drop much lower than 40 degrees through the fall and winter months, so our lawns continue to grow fairly rapidly throughout the rest of the year. However, with fewer rainy days and less-frequent mowing sessions, landscapers may find themselves with gaps in their schedules.

You might not expect it, but fall and winter are great times to boost your landscaping company’s income with an augmented menu of season-specific services. The following are just a few that you can try adding to your arsenal.

Leaf Cleanup and Gardening

Although Florida is not known for color-changing leaves in the fall, lots of native and common trees still shed their leaves profusely as we say goodbye to summer. Sycamores, Florida maples, sweetgum, oaks, and golden rain trees all drop their leaves as winter approaches. Thus, plenty of Central Florida homeowners will be in need of leaf raking and disposal services in the fall. You may be able to mulch leaves as you mow the lawn, but you may also need to make a few additional trips to get all the leaves off the grass.

What’s more, the fall is an ideal time for some garden beautifying tasks since the temperatures aren’t quite as brutal. Now is a great time to refresh mulch in flower beds and around trees, trim unruly shrubs, remove dying plants, and install seasonal flowers along walkways. Depending on your current client list, you may want to offer custom solutions for your customers who need them, or you could develop a standard service menu specifically for fall.

Holiday Decorating

From September onward, many homeowners deck out their homes with fall and winter decorations to celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and beyond. Hanging lights and setting up decorations can be an arduous task that many homeowners would prefer to avoid. If you already have the ladders and the manpower available, holiday decorating can bring a big boost to your fall income. If you’re thinking about offering this service, now is the time to start promoting it. Most homeowners want decorations set up well before the holidays they’re celebrating.

Fertilizing and Overseeding

For the most part, Central Florida lawns continue growing through November, so most experts recommend a final dose of fertilizer around mid-September. Since you know your clients’ grass better than anyone else, offering a fall fertilizing service should be a no-brainer. You could even offer additional soil testing services so that you can determine the perfect fertilizer blend for their needs.

Additionally, landscaping experts recommend overseeding the lawn from October through December to help improve lawn color throughout the winter. While a brown lawn is perfectly natural during its dormant season, some people may prefer to keep things green, or they may even need to overseed due to homeowners association requirements.

Fall Can Be Lucrative With the Right Preparation

Grass may go dormant during the fall and winter months, but that doesn’t mean your landscaping company needs to! You can offer a special fall service menu to the homeowners who need it to keep your lawn care company going strong. To get the equipment and service you need for great results, call Gator Mower Parts at 407-260-1292.