Throughout the country, our clients entrust us with the task of creating a beautiful outdoor environment in which to work and play. Naturally, it’s often the visual impact of their landscape investment that captures their attention. But in reality, achieving a successful landscape starts with what we seldom see – the soil and roots that are just below the surface.

Recognizing the importance of soil health, Mainscape has combined its irrigation and technical (fertilization and pest control) departments into a new agronomy department. By joining forces, this new department will collaborate to maximize soil health and landscape performance.

It’s difficult to underestimate the importance of healthy soil biology and the role it plays in the quality of landscapes. Key elements of healthy soil are water, nutrients and air. Striking the perfect balance within the biological engine will create more roots, increase nutrient efficiency, increase overall quality and reduce costs. As soil health increases, the soil becomes more nutrient efficient and needs less inputs like fertilizer and water. Healthier soil biology will also release minor nutrients such as iron and boron, which exist in the soil but are tied up and not available to turf and plants.  These nutrients are found naturally in the soil and only need to be released for plant use.

Roots are the storage zone for water and nutrients for plants; they are a very important factor in the operational efficiency of the plant. Healthy soils build deeper and denser root systems and yield more efficient plants. Stronger root structures allow for greater water and nutrient storage making plants more tolerate of extreme conditions like drought. Good root systems and soil health are great values that work together for a sustainable landscape maintenance program.

Mainscape’s new agronomy department team members undergo an intense weeklong training program prior to beginning to perform services on a client’s property.  Existing agronomy team members participate in continuing education monthly to insure Mainscape’s soil maintenance practices remain on the cutting edge with the latest research and technology.  Going forward, team members will be cross-trained in the complementing discipline to encourage even deeper alliances. Formal training programs are also being developed for all other Mainscape team members as well.

With the addition of the agronomy department, Mainscape is proud to continue to invest in the science of making your landscape beautiful.

Spring is going to be upon us soon.  The spring season is a wonderful time of year many enjoy.  However, with all the blooming trees, color and new life comes rapidly changing weather that can mean severe storms. It’s important to be aware and prepared for those severe weather storms.

As soon as an emergency signal is heard, you should take shelter immediately.  Remember to discuss these weather emergencies with your employees and families, and to set up evacuation routes and procedures.

Thunderstorms

Pre-Storm Awareness:

Look for darkening skies, lightning flashes or increasing wind. Listen for the sound of thunder. If you can hear thunder then you are in danger of a thunderstorm. Seek shelter and wait until the thunder stops or the storm passes. You can try to determine the distance of the thunderstorm by counting. When you see the lightning strike, begin counting the seconds until you hear the thunder. Then divide the number of seconds by 5. It is a common misconception for people to think that 1 second = 1 mile. The truth is that for every 5 seconds you count, the storm is approximately 1 mile away. Be sure to listen to your NOAA Weather Radio or turn your radio to your local emergency station.

Thunderstorm Watch vs. Thunderstorm Warning

A thunderstorm watch is a message stating that the current conditions favor a storm and may occur within the next 6 hours. A warning implies that your area is currently experiencing severe storms or will be experiencing a storm within the next 30-60 minutes. If your area is under a WARNING, seek shelter immediately and listen to your NOAA Weather Radio, local radio station or T.V. for updated information.

Tornado

Pre-Tornado Awareness (Signs of a TORNADO!!)

Look for a strong, persistent rotation in the cloud base. Look for whirling dust or debris on the ground underneath the base of the clouds. Remind employees that tornadoes don’t always have a visible funnel

Be extra observant of hail or heavy rain followed by dead calm or a strong fast wind shift. There are many tornados that can’t be seen when they are surrounded by heavy precipitation. Also, be aware that it doesn’t have to be raining for a tornado to occur. Listen for a very loud, continuous rumble. Some people have compared the sound of a tornado to a freight train. If it sounds like a train or thunder and doesn’t fade after a couple of seconds, seek shelter.

During the Night

Look for small, bright, blue-green to white flashes located at the ground level. If you see this happening it means that the power lines are being snapped by an extremely strong wind that may be a tornado. Look for a funnel that is illuminated or silhouetted by lightning.

Tornado Watch vs. Tornado Warning

A tornado watch means that the conditions in your area may produce a tornado. You should stay alert for approaching storms and listen to your NOAA Weather Radio, your local emergency radio station or T.V. A tornado warning means that a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. If you notice an approaching storm under a watch or a warning has been issued, seek emergency shelter immediately.

DON’T WAIT – If you notice any of these signs, SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY!!!!!

Whether you live in South Florida, the Midwest, or Pacific Northwest, landscaping has a direct impact on the perceived value of your home or property.   Properly landscaped and maintained exteriors indicate a properly designed and preserved interior.  “Perception is reality.”

According to several sources, landscape can increase the overall perceived property value anywhere from 5-15%, and even higher in some cases! For instance, if your house is worth $200,000, a well maintained or updated landscape could increase the value from $10,000-$25,000. Keep in mind that this “perceived value” can work in both directions.

Little things can make a major difference.  In order to achieve basic curb appeal it is important to pay attention to even the most basic of maintenance practices.  Well defined bed edges, healthy well fertilized turf and shrubbery, as well as appropriately maintained shrubbery and trees are notable examples.

If you are considering renovating your current landscape the most important point to consider is designing a coherent master plan.  Even if the plan is completed in stages, a master plan will be critical to the end result.  Disorganization can ruin the best of intentions.  Additional added values landscape can achieve are:

*Block/Camouflage unsightly views

*Noise reduction

*Heating/Cooling cost reduction

*Crime Prevention/Reduction

*Overall improved appearance

In closing, landscape does have a measurable impact on the value of a home or property.  Whether it is basic maintenance practices, or landscape enhancements it is important to understand the effect each can have to protect your property.

Have a little faith. That’s what Mainscape has practiced from the very beginning. Faith in their people, faith in the quality of their work and the faith to step outside of their comfort zone is what has guided the company into the ranks of the Top 100.

When owner Dave Mazanowski was going to school at Ball State University, he was doing some summer mission work in the community and he and his group basically needed something to support themselves while they did that. So, they started a grass-cutting and general yard work company and they did that every summer and into the fall until they graduated. When they graduated, Dave knew that he could either move on and get a different job, or he could keep doing the landscaping thing, so he chose to keep doing the landscape thing.

I started with the company in 2002 running operations in Indiana. The first big milestone was expanding outside of the state in 2004. We started doing some work out in California. We were trying to learn then if we could do work that wasn’t necessarily right in our backyard. Since then, our average growth rate has been right around 20 percent a year.

About a year and a half ago, we went through a buyout from Dave’s brother, who was 50 percent owner for about 20 years. So now Dave is back to being the sole owner of the company.

We try to bring on the best people that we can find – really good people – who have that mindset and mentality of continuous improvement and who are entrepreneurially oriented, people who want to grow and develop. That’s what we focus on doing.

From a cultural standpoint, when we make a mistake, we’re very open to talking about it. Every mistake we make, we are diligent about looking at what it is we did wrong and how we can fix it.

We can look back and say we’re better now than we were a year ago, and I feel like we’ve always been able to say that. I think that’s pretty important.

Growing requires a couple of different things, but one of them is a passion to go do it. If you don’t have a deep-down desire to do it, you won’t be able to do it. It’s got to be something you really want to do.

One of the most dangerous things about growing fast is losing control of what you’ve got. It always seems like it’s easier when you’re talking numbers – 15 percent doesn’t seem that big. But when you actually go do it, you have to add all those people and capital and coordinate and manage customer relationships and employee relationships.

I never feel like we are doing anything special or rocket science. It’s all very basic principles that we follow. I read a lot of different journals and websites andencourage our team to go and learn as much as they can about better ways to do things, and take those things and apply them.

I wouldn’t say there’s a specific best management practice put in place.We’re probably dabbling in all of them in some way shape or form.

Building a relationship is very much the same as building anything else.  It starts with a solid foundation.  The stronger the foundation, the stronger the relationship.

In all of my own relationships, the framework of building the foundation has started with the basic component of trust.  It’s the little things in the beginning that build trust.  Calling promptly when I say I will, arriving on time for appointments and carrying through on what I have promised. It’s that simple, yet so many people fail from the very beginning. They have dug themselves into a hole which they must now climb out and begin to regain trust.

As landscapers, it is not uncommon to encounter prospective clients that are very apprehensive about my performance.  So many people in the landscape industry overextend and over promise to clients with good intentions, but come up short for a number of reasons.  Maybe they have enough business that it doesn’t really matter to them.  Perhaps they are just lazy and don’t care. Most often, they have limited resources and are trying to do the job of two or more people and fall short in the process and affect the relationship negatively.

Mainscape puts a great deal of focus on the relationship and the process of building a solid foundation.  In our organization, there is a support structure which is built around teamwork with a common goal to create long lasting and solid relationships.   In any service industry, the relationship is paramount.  Why would anyone have me cut their grass if they didn’t think they could count on me?  More importantly, why would they trust me with thousands of dollars to care for their landscaping that may have cost tens of thousands of dollars if they don’t even know if I will show up consistently? It probably won’t happen.

I know my customers on a personal level.  I know about their family, their likes and dislikes and they know that about me.  Forging that personal relationship has been critical in my success.  I know what my customer wants and needs sometimes before they do.  It’s that strong personal relationship that gives me the insight to know what I need to do for my customer and it’s that personal connection that makes it so rewarding to care for each customer and their property.  They depend on me and it’s my job to make sure they know they can depend on me every day, every week, month after month year in and year out.

Fixing a poor relationship is difficult and that is why it is so important to start off on the right foot from the very beginning.  Call when you say you will, show up on time and always follow through with the promises and commitments you have made.  It really is that simple.

It’s an age-old puzzle: To water or not to water.

At Mainscape, our clients often ask us to help them figure out this very question. Unfortunately, a simple “now” or “later” rarely provides the full answer, since the timing of proper irrigation is ultimately driven by evapotranspiration.

Evapotranspiration – or ET for short – is a term that describes the amount of water evaporated or transpirated by the plant. Essentially, ET equals the total demand for water by the landscape, and it’s how Mainscape determines the best and most effective way to irrigate our clients’ property.

The differences in daily ET can be quite different throughout the year.  Let’s think of this in human terms. If we were in Central Indiana and ventured out for a round of golf in May, it probably would be a very pleasant experience. We wouldn’t perspire much.  Now, let’s try the same round of golf in hot, dry August. We would likely break a sweat just getting the clubs out of the car.

Plants work in much the same way. During cooler times with lower humidity, the landscape requires less water than in hot, humid times.

Another comparison that works is to think of irrigation as being similar to a coffee cup.  After each irrigation, the coffee cup is full again.  But then a thirsty coffee lover comes along, looking for his

morning java. In irrigation, ET represents the landscape’s demand for water, while in our coffee analogy, it’s like the drinker taking a sip from the cup. The sip of coffee can be large or small, depending on key weather factors such as temperature, relative humidity, wind and sun.

As irrigation experts, Mainscape’s irrigation goal is to fill the soil with water to a depth of four to six inches. As the root zone – the coffee cup – begins to empty, it becomes necessary to fill it back up with another irrigation event.  In most cases, the root zone should be approximately 50 percent empty before irrigating.

By letting the root zone dry out between waterings, it encourages roots to dive deeper to find water stored in lower soil layers.  Many homeowners look for the first signs of stress, such as wilting, as a signal to irrigate.  While this can be an acceptable practice, we suggest that you try to avoid excessive stress to grass and plants between waterings.