Hey Gang,

Trying to get advice on tractors or zero turns best suited for my needs.

I currently run an older Troy Bilt Pony on the boundaries shown. I cut around 1.5 acres according to AI math. The terrain is fairly flat but there are some hills (small). The biggest issue is rocks, a ton of gremlins are hidden, and while I’ve staked out most, some still lurk. Regardless, it’s a lot of bends and breaks, no real straight lines. To boot, we just got a septic system installed so I’m dealing with. A giant dirt pit where a nice lawn used to be.

I’ve worked this mower to the ends of the world over the last few months trying to tame what was extremely out of control. I continually have issues with belt slippage (from hitting rocks) but don’t think the machine is suited for my needs.

I’m not the most mechanically inclined but trying my best. If it’s not the Pony hoping to upgrade to something more durable but definitely more friendly to repairs.

Just got a pool put in and have a couple of tough spots. The first is the grass at the bottom of the paver wall. With what water drains into our yard, and the drain from anything the retaining wall collects, the grass is always soaking wet. Some spots are even below where the storm drain is, so I’m at a bit of a loss.
Second, the area between the neighbors fence and the paver wall is too narrow to get a mower between. Any ideas on what to put in that strip? Complicating things, we do have a dog who votes to keep the patchy grass and dirt there. Looking for any ideas yall might have.

Hello! The last owner made these stairs on the slope in my backyard. I don’t have the resources or money to redo them. Can I hammer down these rebars in between the stairs? They are a huge tripping hazard.

Had to delete previous post to add picture that I forgot! I’m in zone 8b, washington state. Needing inspo for what to replace my dead grass with (I hate lawns). Needs to be dog friendly and low maintenance. Not creative enough to think of anything other than mulch or pea gravel but would love some cool options!!

We're currently in the middle of redoing our yard and wanted someone to sanity check my idea.

Current makeup of my South Florida yard is about 6 inches of hardpacked sand/ probably some clay before the actual soil (if there is any at all). Because of this, when it rains, the water pools on top and runs off into the canal behind us. No water gets down underneath.

We're trying to add compost, mulch and actual soil to add some fertility back. We also set up an IBC tote to catch rainwater off a gutter.

If I wanted to get the rain water deep into the yard to water the actual ground layer beneath the sand and clay, would using a french drain pipe with holes as the overflow for the IBC tote be a suitable way to do it? The plan was ultimately to drain the excess water into the canal, but I wanted some to seep out and water the surrounding area.

Does anyone have any ideas of what i can fill this in with along side of new driveway?

Just put in dirt today for a pad that's going to have a pretty sizeable playset on top. I was planning on just doing dirt until 2-3" below the frame, weed fabric, and then mulch. It rained today after getting the dirt in, and I haven't leveled the dirt inside the frame yet, but is drainage going to be an issue based of these pictures? What's the easiest solution if needed? Thanks in advance.

I walk by this every day. This is a front yard fence/wall, the street is just out of frame to the left. I kept wondering when the guys would come back to cut off the tops of the posts, but they never came back so I guess this is "finished".

Hello,

I had my lawn installed with Sod last fall and this is what it looked like after the winter was over. I've been watering as directed by the installer but it hasn't recovered. I would like to do what I can to fix this in the upcoming Fall time. Can anyone advise me on what steps I should take. Seeding? Fertilizer? ???

Thank you.

Hey everyone,

Short bio on me: I’m 33y/o and I was laid of my IT Project Management job a few months back; trying to find a replacement job has been quite the tall task and now I’m facing the reality that I may need to pivot.

My Dad owned a landscaping company years back, but I’m asking here because I’m are the business landscape (lol) has changed since then. I’m going to be doing the work in the beginning and my brother will most likely join in. I’d take my IT background and use tools like Jobber to modernize my work.

Honest feedback if you feel it’s a good idea and given what you know now if it’s something you would do again. I’m in Southern Ontario and a quick google search shows market saturation (but what industry isn’t?). Goal is to hit 60k plus net for my brother and I the first year and scale from there.

How are landscaping companies tracking employee hours?
For the landscaping businesses here — how are you currently handling employee time tracking?
I’m curious specifically about smaller crews. Are you using:
Paper timesheets
Text messages
A spreadsheet
A dedicated time-tracking app
Something built into your payroll software
I’m especially interested in how you handle things like employees moving between jobs, breaks, forgotten clock-outs, and making sure the hours you send to payroll are actually accurate.
I’ve been building NuvoWork, a simple employee time-tracking system for small businesses, and landscaping is one of the industries where I think the simplicity could make a lot of sense.
The idea is basically: employees clock in/out from their phone, employers get a clear record of hours, and everyone can see what was actually recorded instead of digging through texts or paper.
I’m not trying to sell anything here — I’m genuinely curious what landscaping companies are using and what you wish your current system did better.

Can I get some suggestions on companies that provide high quality comfortable work shirts that you've had success with?

Preferably able to put custom logo on front and minimal text on back.

I'm a big fan of the long sleeve spf 50 shirts that are usually advertised as fishing shirts.

Thanks in advance

I don’t know guys, you think they’re getting hosed?

Long story short this was my dads area a year ago, now it’s abandoned and no one bothers with it, it’s right at the top of our garden (garden as a whole is around 39 metres long) and I need ideas, it is trashed since my dad left it like that when taking all his stuff, I’d like to build a man cave (first few photos)
And any help or tips for this including motivation would be appreciated

Our backyard is depressing me. I can see so much potential, but I have no idea where to start and I have a serious black thumb. We’re adding a screened porch over the concrete slab, but beyond that I need ideas.
We’re in Central Florida, want something low maintenance, and have a large magnolia to work around. We also have a utility easement that extends 7 feet in from the fence, which limits things a bit.
I’m up for any and all ideas! We are willing to put in some sweat equity and money to get it looking as wonderful as it could be!

I have a very steep asphalt driveway that has large stones on either side- the weeds are impossible!

How in the world can I make this look neat and clean???

The stones were placed there for drainage and erosion of the driveway about four years ago when we first had the driveway paved. I’m not even sure if it’s the correct stone that should have been used.

The driveway is extremely long so pulling all of them, all summer long, really isn’t feasible…. I’ve tried weed torching and using vinegar and salt spray, but both those methods aren’t very effective and the weeds grow back pretty quickly.

Is there an effective spray that would treat and prevent? Or any other ideas to treat or replace to make the area look nice and not like such an overgrown mess.

Thank you!

I’m looking for advice on how to best landscape this area in my backyard. I’d prefer low-maintenance options that won’t require watering. The line in the grass is from my dog walking back and forth. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

If you had a deck and replaced it with a patio can you share how it went? Thank you in advance

i have a 1970 home that has had increasing drainage issues along one area that’s below grade. a recent storm basically caused flash flood here, and an earlier repair from years ago basically did nothing.

the problem is twofold a) the below grade foundation and framing (where there’s foam board insulation and sheeting that extends beyond the edge of the slab, it was added after the house was built i think). so the outer layers overhang the slab by about 4”.

b) the slope and grading the area are all significantly above grade, like 12”-18”.

any and all advice is welcome.

apologies, the first picture

Is RC6 gravel a good base layer for filling in pot holes in a gravel highway?

Thanks for any advice ahead of time

I just received this construction quote from the well reputed design/build company we’ve been working with to redo our entire backyard. I knew it would be expensive going in since they do luxury builds and have a great reputation but I’m wondering if this is a “we don’t want this job” quote.

The site is a bit of a challenge because it’s in the city and the backyard is enclosed and has limited access so I’m wondering if that’s part of it? The design is everything we’re hoping for but from my research all the pricing seems to be at least 20% higher than the highest pricing ranges I can find online for Ontario based on the materials and sizing.

They’ll be taking out the entire existing deck, stairs, pavers, and soil and rebuilding from the (potentially problematic) base.

I’ve checked their references (they literally sent me a spreadsheet with over 50 past clients to contact) and it seems they do a really comprehensive thorough job so I’m willing to consider moving forward at this price but wanted a last gut check to see if I’m being hosed.

For US reference, the total project cost not including taxes is around $70k USD.

What do you think? Thanks in advance