Lawn Care news

Moss

It appears that following one of the harshest winters for many years that the main beneficiary has been moss.

Many lawns seem to be suffering as much as ever with this troublesome pest. Moss will thrive where or when other plants struggle, taking over their space. It will appear in areas of compacted soil, poor drainage, low fertility, insufficient light, and also where grass has been left too long or mown too closely. Once it’s established it will quickly spread, appearing as an undesirable and unsightly addition to a lawn.

Greensleeves, differently from most lawn care companies have a program designed to maximise the effort against moss and reduce its impact as much as possible.

We will treat the moss problem with a specially formulated product, this will not only reduce the moss’s vigour but we apply our lawn feed, which will encourage the turf. • If required, we will then remove the dead moss by scarification giving the grass plants the opportunity to grow through and dominate the area again, this will help the turf to withstand the moss invasion. Your lawn can at this stage be over seeded if required or needed. • Again, if required, we will at the appropriate time of year aerate the soil, a process of hollow tinning, using our professional equipment to improve the drainage and soil conditions again helping the vigour of the grass.

For further information please contact your local Greensleeves office or call our national free phone number 0808 100 1413

Posted: Sat 03-Apr-2010 9:02AM

Autumn Essentials

2009 has been an exceptionally dry year, we had plenty of rain in July but each other month has been drier than average. Lawns are dry soils compacted and turf under stress. Greensleeves Autumn treatments will help your lawn to recover but you can do more. Ask your lawn manager about having a hollow tine aeration treatment on your lawn. Greensleeves are one of the only companies to offer hollow tine aeration treatments and it has proven to be one of the most important services we offer. Hollow tine aeration will open up lots of tiny holes in your lawn allowing the autumn rains to penetrate the soil and take with it nutrients helping the roots to develop and produce a healthier grass plant. Over seeding in conjunction with hollow tine aeration will encourage new stronger healthier greener grass plants into your lawn ensuring you have the best lawn in the neighborhood in 2010. OH YES ! - And we will clear up the debris and remove it from your property.

Posted: Wed 30-Sep-2009 9:53PM

Growth Continues

Greensleeves are delighted to announce that we have 6 new franchises whose businesses began trading on 1st September 2009. The areas in question are North Staffordshire, Solihull, Leicester West, High Wycombe, Brighton and Dorset. The company is particularly pleased that we are now establishing our presence in the south of England and are actively looking to continue to roll out our exciting opportunity to those people who have the drive and ambition to join us.

Posted: Sat 29-Aug-2009 8:19PM

BRITS LOVE AFFAIR WITH LAWNS LEADS TO BOOM

The British love affair with their lawns has led to a record year for one of the UK’s leading lawn care providers.

Greensleeves Lawn Care has seen its customer base virtually double and turnover increase by £500,000 to £1.4m. Now the company is stepping up its franchisee recruitment drive in order to meet the growing demand for its services.

Greensleeves Managing Director David Truby said: “Demand for our services has been phenomenal with the number of customers rising from 8,800 to more than 17,000. “There is something very satisfying about having a beautiful lawn – I think it gives people a feel good factor.”

Greensleeves provides a weed and feed maintenance service to its customers keeping their lawns green and healthy. The company delivers a nationwide service through a network of franchisees and is stepping up its recruitment drive in order to meet demand from customers.

The growth in the business follows a friendly management buy out in January 2008 when three existing franchisees took control of the company, led by Mr Truby. “The MBO has given the company a new lease of life with a strong and experienced management team. There is a real commitment to provide exceptional customer service and to grow the business by attracting high calibre franchisees,” said Mr Truby.

“The lawn care sector is very much in its infancy in the UK. We estimate there are 20 million lawns and even all the lawn care companies together are still only scratching the surface.”

Greensleeves added seven new franchisees in 2008 bringing the current total to 34 but there are still 100 areas available across the UK.

Mr Truby added: “The potential for success is phenomenal and prospective franchisees are recognising that, as well as the financial rewards, they can also have an enjoyable lifestyle.

“Many of our franchises are run as family businesses and we have a strong percentage of women franchisees in the network.

“We have an exceptional track record of growth and this positive trend looks set to continue as more and more people recognise the benefits of a professional lawn care service.”

More information on Greensleeves Lawn Care can be obtained at www.greensleeves-uk.com

Posted: Fri 24-Jul-2009 10:33AM

TOP TIPS FOR A LUSH, GREEN LAWN

Few things can give you pleasure and enhance your home more than a lush, green lawn. But keeping your lawn in first-class condition can be time consuming and requires a knowledge of how to deal with a wide variety of bugs and weeds. That’s why thousands of people are turning to Greensleeves Lawn Care to take the hassle out of keeping a beautiful lawn.

Through its network of franchises around the United Kingdom, Greensleeves Lawn Care offers a reasonably-priced, specialist lawn care service treating customers’ lawns with a bespoke feed and weed treatment.

To achieve a deep-green, weed-free lawn, most lawns should be fed four times a year during the growing season, using a quality fertiliser product and weed or moss control. Greensleeves use top-quality products with ‘no scorch’ technology - no need to water in - combined with time-release granules that give a steady supply of nitrogen so as not to produce surge growth, giving a long-lasting greening to your lawn.

Mosses are, for many, one of the worst lawn problems. Mosses are resilient and versatile non-flowering plants that are a symptom of a poor lawn rather than the primary cause. To successfully remove a moss problem, it is important to identify the primary cause and remove it or reduce its impact. Moss will thrive in areas of excessive moisture shade and poor turf quality. Left unchecked, moss will increase, reducing the grass’s ability to thrive and will eventually choke out the grass completely. The first thing to do is to try to identify the cause of the moss problem. If it is due to shade from trees, it is possible to remove lower branches or thin out the tree. If it is due to excessive moisture, then hollow-tine aeration will help to improve the surface drainage. If thatch is the problem, then deep scarification is what is required.

One of the easiest ways to reduce the incidence of moss is to prevent the lawn from getting long over the winter months. Grass rarely stops growing in the winter nowadays so it is important to keep cutting it. Dealing with the moss that is already there is the next issue. As moss develops from the autumn through to spring, it is important to treat it at these two times. Firstly autumn, but more importantly in the spring when moss is likely to be at its most prevalent.

Many types of weeds can leave a lawn looking unsightly. They tend to produce flowers and seed heads at different times of the year ruining the uniform green of a lush, well-maintained lawn. Weeds are generally, as with moss, an indicator of a weak turf but they can even be a problem in a well-maintained and established lawn.

Greensleeves have spent many years working with turf and lawns and have been able to develop their own range of branded fertilisers. These are tailored perfectly for the needs of your lawn at various times of year. They have worked with one of the world’s leading manufacturers of garden and lawn care products to bring these products exclusively to Greensleeeves customers. They are not available through any retail outlet or from any other lawn or gardening care company.

Greensleeves Managing Director David Truby said: “Our proud boast is that we provide a first-class lawn care service using high quality materials and qualified staff at prices less than the cost of doing it yourself. “We can give you a beautiful lawn and take all the backache and heartache out of it for you.”

FOR A FREE SURVEY AND QUOTE, CALL GREENSLEEVES ON 0808 100 1413.

Posted: Fri 24-Jul-2009 10:29AM

Dog Rocks

Greensleeves LawnCare are pleased to announce that we can supply our customers with Dog Rocks a unique product that prevents those nasty stains on the lawn caused by your loving pet.

DOG ROCKS® are a new and exciting product used to help prevent those nasty burn patches appearing on your lawn when your loving pet takes a pee. Simply place the contents of a DOG ROCK pack into no more than 2 litres of water and your lawns will start to look greener and fresher. They will not bring dead lawns back to life. DOG ROCKS® are an all natural product of Australia which will start improving your lawn within 5 weeks. DOG ROCKS® need to be replaced every 2 months to ensure your pets do the job of looking after your lawn. DOG ROCKS® are made from naturally occurring paramagnetic igneous rock which is known to increase Boron, Barium, Manganese and Strontium while decreasing tin levels in water. Being a natural product DOG ROCKS® may vary in size and properties. There are no known harmful effects on dogs through the use of DOG ROCKS® where the Directions for Use are followed. However, if your dog has a reaction to DOG ROCKS®, please stop use immediately. DOG ROCKS® are intended for the use as stated. FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR TO PLACE AN ORDER CONTACT YOUR LOCAL FRANCHISE OR CALL 0808 100 1413.

Posted: Fri 25-Jul-2008 5:56PM

Press Release - NEW OWNERSHIP

NEW OWNERSHIP CREATES FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES FOR GREENSLEEVES LAWNCARE

Leading Lawn care company Greensleeves has been bought out by an exciting new management team. Three of the new team first bought a Greensleeves franchise and then liked the opportunities so much they bought the complete business and plans to grow the 22 strong franchise business across the UK are well underway.

The buyout was led by franchise director David Truby. The new team has more than 40 years experience in the lawn and garden industry and includes two top performing Greensleeves franchisees as well as an independent Lawncare operator.

2007 was a great year for Greensleeves LawnCare with our franchisees enjoying an average growth of over 35%. Seven new territories were added to the network and it’s envisaged that 2008 will be an even better year, which will firmly position the company as a proven national brand.

Mr Truby said “our franchisees enjoy a strong and very loyal customer base and truly benefit from and value the effective marketing as well as business and technical support that we provide. Greensleeves customers benefit from our affordable, quality Lawncare service. One of our priorities is to expand our strong northern regional presence into a national brand, developing through the midlands into the Home Counties and beyond bringing our much sought after and effective service to the entire nation. Historically we have found that the franchise is particularly suited to family teams as well entrepreneurial individuals that can grow their own business quickly and profitably” .

Greensleeves offers the ideal solution for anyone who wants a healthy, attractive lawn but can’t spare the time it takes to achieve this or is unable to physically, from time-poor professionals to the retired. Removing weeds and controlling moss as well as Machine Scarification and Hollow Tine Aeration all help to provide a lawn the house holder can be truly proud of.

Achieving and maintaining a quality lawn is a year-round activity, which means Greensleeves services are in demand throughout all four seasons. If you’re looking for a flexible and fully supported franchise opportunity providing affordable quality Lawncare, contact Greensleeves today on 0808 100 1413

Posted: Mon 11-Feb-2008 5:04PM

LawnCare Calender SPRING

Nearly every British garden, regardless of its size or shape has a lawn. A well and maintained lawn greatly enhances the nature of a Garden. The ideal lawn should be both practical and ornamental, be able to resist reasonable amounts of wear and tear and be resistant to drought and water logging, so that it looks attractive and healthy throughout the year. Even when established it is essential to follow a number of routine procedures to maintain the lawn in prime condition though too many assumed that a mature lawn will take care of itself. It needs regular feeding, weed and moss control as well watering and mechanical maintenance. Greensleeves have put together a month-by-month guide indicating approximate times when particular operations or treatments can be undertaken effectively.

February. Check for signs of worm activity and disperse any casts using a stiff broom. Toward the end of the month is the time to start to think about Moss Control, a moss treatment can be applied if the weather is settled, if not leave until March. Towards the end of the month begin preparation for spring sowing of grass seed if soil conditions and weather are suitable. If the weather is reasonable dry the lawn should be cut at least once during February with the blades set high.

March. Lightly rake the lawn to remove debris - then mow with the blade set high. Moss treatment can be carried out during March after mowing and the lawn can be scarified to remove any dead moss and any other debris such as thatch that has developed. Roll the lawn if the turf has been lifted by frost. Feeding should take place to ensure the lawn starts to recover from the rigors of winter and reaches peek health in spring. If weather is mild and dry early weed treatment can take place to start to deal with the more stubborn weeds prior to their flowering.

Posted: Sun 18-Mar-2007 9:03AM

New Franchise Areas Added

Greensleeves LawnCare is happy to announce the addition of two new franchise areas to their ever-expanding network. Tony Davies will manage Edinburgh whilst Newmarket will be managed by Andrew Hodgskiss and Ruth Felgate. Contact details for both can be found on their individual pages under CONTACTS on this website. They have undergone an intensive 14-day training program at Greensleeves Head Office; have attained the relevant NPTC training qualifications and certificates to allow them to properly handle the materials used in their businesses. And both are raring to go in their new businesses and areas. All at head office are please to wish them the very best of luck.

Posted: Thu 22-Feb-2007 2:54PM

RESALE AREAS AVAILABLE

For anybody looking for an exceptional opportunity to get involved in LawnCare with the best possible start Greensleeves have available a number of resale areas. The cost involved depends on the area of interest and there are a number of possibilities to discuss. All resale areas have a number of existing and established customers and all have a large potential to develop a strong and healthy business.

The advantages of taking an area with an existing customer base are many but initially it is the immediate healthy return on investment and the established base from which to develop a very successful and exciting business.

If you are interested in this opportunity or would like to discuss it further please contact David Truby on 01484 866566 or email franchise@greensleeves-uk.com

Posted: Mon 20-Nov-2006 3:17PM