This is an important question that we, as business owners or managers, need to know the answer to.
For small and medium landscaping companies it is relatively easy to keep records and to monitor statistics and understand the reason for any failure. For big landscaping companies the large amount of plants used may hide the cost of replacing failed planting. Keeping statistical records per jobs and per trimester may help to cut costs and improve not only the margin but also the reputation of the firm involved.
The success of any planting depends on three factors – plants, soil and labour.
Plants
Are the plants suitable for the site? How often do we see planting where the plant selection was done by a person who has no knowledge of the soil, climate or conditions of the region where the site is situated? The stock has to be of high quality, stored and handled with care and planted shortly after arriving on site.
Soil
Understanding the soil in which you will be planting will direct any improvement required to get the best out of the media. Treating all your sites in the same generic manner could add unnecessary costs and be a cause of failed planting.
Labour
This is probably responsible for half of all planting failures. Are your employees able to read a plant? Do they know their plants? And most importantly do they know how to handle and plant?
If you can answer ‘yes’ to all of these questions, you likely have a success rate of between 90 to 100 per cent. If you answered ‘no’, you may want to have a thorough look at your work practice, record keeping and employee training.
|
About Patrick Regnault
I have worked in the horticultural and landscaping industry for over 35 years in three different countries.I am a member and Registered Horticulturist with the Australian Institute of Horticulture and member of the Housing Industry Association. I am the owner of Interactive Landscapes, a successful structural landscaping and landscape design business. I believe that what gardens and gardening do is to reconnect people with the fundamental elements of nature. A good gardener will try and acquire a profound understanding of the balance of nature and endeavour to do the best to improve the environment in which the garden is situated. At Interactive Landscapes it is a philosophy that we put into practice when designing and creating a garden, no matter the size. Our name reflects this as we understand that gardens are a place of interaction. View all posts by this author » |
