TREES & ORNAMENTALS: Nip Cut

Tree and ornamental pruning is part of a one-stop-shopping philosophy many landscape professionals should consider as they grow their suite of maintenance services, says Chris Matthews, vice president of Builderscape,Plain City, Ohio.
 
According to recent Lawn & Landscape research, nearly 55 percent of landscape contractors offer tree and ornamental trimming and removal services.
 
At Builderscape, Matthews offers pruning as part of the company’s maintenance package for commercial clients. Residential clients, though, can add it a la carte, if they prefer. These maintenance packages are sold to clients in August, September and into October for the following year. While pruning doesn’t have a major impact on his profit margins, Matthews offers it for competitive reasons.“Does it have a huge impact on my bottom line? No,” he says. “Does it make me more competitive? Yes, because I can offer it to my clients as part of a yearly maintenance program.”
 
It’s a relatively low-cost service to add, requiring only about $500 in equipment. To offer this service, it is imperative a contractor has the right tools to do the job correctly. That includes purchasing professional-grade pruning equipment – hand pruners, lopers and saws. It’s critical to keep these tools sharp to ensure clean cuts, Matthews says.
 
However, finding skilled people with pruning experience is an obstacle a contractor needs to overcome to offer this service successfully, Matthews says. “Pruning demands skill and experience,” he says. “You just can’t send someone out there who doesn’t know what he’s doing and expect he’ll handle the plant materials properly and expect they’ll do a good job.”
 
To troubleshoot this problem, a contractor can either hire experienced personnel, but experience comes at a price. “If the person is good they will demand top dollar for those pruning skills,” Matthews says.
 
In-house training is a more cost-effective route, especially if one employee is already skilled at pruning. “The fast way to gain experience is by being around plant material and seeing examples of it done correctly,” Matthews says. “In-the-field training is invaluable.”