Here’s Why a Local Mowing Company in Kensington is Better Than a National Franchise

The simplicity of lawn care is deceptive. Once you scratch past the surface, there’s a lot more involved than most people think. From balancing the soil to choosing the right grass to all the small but essential steps a lush green lawn requires, the list goes on.

Of course, you know that and you’re ready to hand it all off to a professional lawn mowing service. But with so many companies serving your area, how can you choose the right one?

From asking the right questions to watching out for some red flags, there’s a lot you can do to pick the perfect service. One of the best ways, however, is by choosing a local lawn mowing service in Kensington MD over a national franchise.

Not sure why? Let’s have a look.

1. Better Communication

Have you ever called a large corporation only to be greeted by a series of automated messages? Or worse, a support rep who responds with nothing but scripts approved by higher-ups?

That’s the reality of communication when working with national franchises. To minimize their liabilities, they’re happy to sacrifice anything — including great customer support.

Small local operations are the opposite. Not only do they offer the fastest response times, but they listen to your questions and provide insightful answers. By working with a local company, you’ll soon get to know each other on a first-name basis and start feeling right at home in no time.

2. Deep Knowledge of Local Lawn Problems

Here’s the thing. The best lawn care strategies in California City aren’t necessarily ideal for Kensington. From the local climate to land property issues, there are many differences.

That’s why working with a local company is ideal. They know the local climate and what’s best for the land in your area. For instance, some localities have acidic soil, which a local lawnmower will know in advance and will fix with lime applications to grow healthy turf. The same goes for the nutrient quality of your soil.

3. Competitive Pricing

National franchises have lots of overheads. They have multiple highly paid positions to keep their ultra-complex processes from falling apart. Big legal teams to protect them from liabilities. Marketing experts to promote their services in each city. The list goes on.

On top of that, most national franchises run on investments from multiple shareholders. So not only do they have a lot of overheads, but they’re also expected to increase profits regularly to satisfy those investors. How do they achieve that? By passing all those costs onto you.

In contrast, the little guys have minimal overheads and take every reasonable step to reduce costs and offer you competitive pricing.

4. Personalized Lawn Programs

There’s no such thing as a perfect lawn care program. Yet most national franchises continue to use the same program and treatment for all their clients. The reason is simple. They have too many customers. So like fast-food chains, they follow a strict process for everyone.

A local company, on the other hand, will assess your property and your individual goals to tailor the ideal lawn program for your unique needs. Plus, most offer a variety of services so you can add anything extra with one call only.

5. Support Local Economy

Let’s face it. Chain businesses kick the profits back to their corporate headquarters. Not just profits, but they also buy in bulk from manufacturers in distant states. In short, they suck resources out of the local economy and spit them elsewhere.

That’s why most experts recommend supporting small businesses. A local mowing company will fuel your local economy by buying everything from the community and creating many jobs in the process.

If you’d like to work with licensed specialists who are as passionate about lawns as you are, then check our basic lawn care services and let our experts take care of everything for you.

We’re 100% locally owned and regular participants of Montgomery County volunteer activities.

Reduce Your Property’s Snow and Ice Liability Risk by Hiring Professionals

With Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve all around, winter never fails to bring intense feelings of joy and delight. Nothing feels as cozy as a cup of hot chocolate to chase away the chill of the snowy season.

For many business owners and property managers, however, winter is a source of conflicted feelings. As ice covers the sidewalks and parking lots of their properties, they can’t help but fear the possibility of lawsuits and damages.

All it takes is a slip and fall. The next thing you know, the business is getting sued for failing to protect its patrons. In such a climate, reducing your snow and ice liability risk is not just important but necessary.

Many Businesses are Getting This Wrong

Many businesses try to keep slips and falls under control by enlisting their employees into their very own in-house snow removal squad. They go around marching with their spades and remove some snow every now and then. While the intentions are well, this is certainly not the best way to go about it.

For starters, office employees lack the knowledge and experience to monitor and remove snow buildup diligently or effectively. Not to mention, they don’t understand the local laws and requirements.

On top of that, office workers neither have the equipment nor the will to do a thorough and effective ice removal. Most importantly, they don’t have insurance for such tasks and end up increasing your liability risk.

So even if the short term savings seem attractive, don’t fall for this trap. Your snow and ice liability risk will only go up this way. Instead, hire some professionals for maximum protection.

How a Professional Ice and Snow Removal Company Can Minimize Your Liability Risk

A professional ice and snow removal company can reduce your liability risk significantly. With a team of certified specialists and hi-tech equipment on hand, these companies can help you keep sidewalks, walkways, parking lots, and any other high-risk areas free of ice and snow. Where removal isn’t possible, they can salt the area to fix the slippery surface.

They also plan for any obstacles like fire hydrants, curbs, curves, and ramps in advance. So when the time comes for removal, the process goes as smoothly as possible.

To take your risk protection to the next level, most professional companies will extend their insurance to your business. This way their policy will cover any bodily injury claims against your business resulting from any slips and falls.

As a result, you get holistic protection that can greatly reduce your ice and snow liability risk.

Tips to Help You Get the Best Protection

Not all ice and snow removal companies are the same. To make sure you’re getting the protection you deserve, always check if your service provider:

Offers Workers Compensation: Not only should their workers be certified experts, but they must have workers compensation covered. This way you won’t be liable for any accidents on their part.
Provides a Paper Contract: Verbal agreements or receipts of services rendered may not hold up in courts. That’s why you must get a paper contract covering every aspect of the insurance policy from either their broker or the insurer directly.
Follows Best Practices: Irresponsible companies can actually increase your liability risk. For instance, if your contractor creates a mount of snow that ends up damaging property or hurting someone, you may be held liable. That’s why you should always make sure that your service provider follows the industry best practices.

Don’t risk your business this winter. Enjoy the delights of this joyful season and let us take care of your ice and snow removal in Kensington MD.

At BAM’s landscaping, we have a team of licensed experts who know the industry best practices inside out and take every step to minimize your risk. From our specialists to our services, everything is insured and hence risk-free for you.

To get a FREE No-Obligations consultation, call us TODAY.

BAMS is an active member of the SIMA Association and practice best snow/ice operational practices.

Keep the Yard Safe for Your Kids and Pets With These Tips

When you step outside your house, the first thing you want to see is a yard full of lush foliage and colorful blooms, right?

For you, it will be the perfect spot to relax. For your kids and pets, it will be the perfect play area to enjoy the fresh air and get some exercise.

We bet you know what a stunning yard looks like. But what you may not know is that some flowers you plan to plant and tools you intend to keep in your yard may be dangerous for your little ones. Don’t make that mistake. Follow these 5 pro tips by experts to keep the yard safe for your kids and pets.

1. Inspect for Hazards

Inspect your yard for natural hazards before letting your kids go out to play. Hazards could be anything, such as holes, thorns, nests of insects that bite, sandboxes for bugs and animal droppings, and fire ant mounds.

You also need to secure items that could present a danger, such as garden tools, ladders, and chemicals — in a place where kids can’t access them.

2. Inspect for Pest Infestation

Did you know that rodents, spiders, and cockroaches hide out in yards?

Although the most common way to get rid of these biting pests is through pesticides, we recommend trying natural pest control methods first.

Here are the three most effective natural ways to reduce pests in your yard:

Grow a diverse yard because having several types of plants helps prevent pests.
Attract natural predators, such as birds, frogs, and lizards to your garden by leaving a small source of water on it.
Use organic weapons like horticultural oils, garlic, and hot pepper sprays.

Natural pest control methods usually work wonders. But when they don’t, feel free to use pesticides instead.

3. Check for Poisonous Plants and Flowers

Tweens know better than to chew a colorful flower, but your toddler or pet may find a sweet-smelling plant irresistible. Once ingested, many flowers and plants can turn toxic. That’s why you should always check whether a plant you intend to add to your yard is safe for ingestion.

4. Check the Trees

Limb tree branches are accidents hanging in the sky. All it takes is one strong gust of wind and that limb branch will come falling fast on anyone under it.

That doesn’t mean you should go around poking branches to see which one falls. You’ll only tell the weak ones apart once they fall down on you. That’s why we recommend hiring a professional landscaper to get your trees evaluated and dangerous branches removed regularly.

5. Check Your Mulch

You better check what kind of mulch you’re using because certain types contain toxins. Depending on the toxins and chemicals a mulch contains, it can lead to vomiting, seizures, and diarrhea when ingested. So ask the seller if the mulch you’re buying is safe for kids and pets. Keeping your yard safe is no easy job. From dangerous tools to poisonous plants to the threat of branches falling, there are too many precautions to take.

One mistake can lead to a horrible accident. So why not leave the child and pet proofing of your yard to the experts? At BAM’s Landscaping, our team of experts ensures every inch of your yard is perfectly safe for the little ones. Get a landscape estimate by calling us today and thank yourself later. Not having to worry about the safety of your kids and pets in the yard is priceless.

5 Tips to Manage Crabgrass in Montgomery County Maryland

91% of Americans want to live in an area with nice landscaping, and 71% of them believe their neighbors should keep their yards well-maintained.

When your lawn has crabgrass, then it can really ruin your yard’s aesthetics. Needless to say, your landscaping won’t be pleasant to look at. What is crabgrass? It’s one of the most detrimental things to a lawn. Not only is it ugly, but it’s also very opportunistic and will crowd out your healthy grass.

Thankfully, there are a few ways to get rid of and prevent crabgrass from invading and taking over your lawn. Here are 6 tips to help you out.

1. Use a Crabgrass Preventer

You may not be aware of it, but there is crabgrass seed all in your lawn already. This type of grass is an annual grower, which means it’ll grow at the start of the year and then die at the end. What you need to do is use a crabgrass preventer to kill off the seeds so they don’t even grow at the beginning of the year.

The best times to apply crabgrass prevent are early spring and late winter. It’s best used when the ground temperature is above 60. The best way to tell when it’s appropriate to use preventer is when your shrubbery and trees budding.

Make sure you get every bit of your lawn; if you miss a spot, that’ll give the crabgrass the perfect place to flourish. Do note that you shouldn’t use a preventer if you already have crabgrass growing. You should also avoid using it if you’ve just installed sod on your lawn.

Also, in Montgomery County, the only preventer we’re allowed to use is ones made from con gluten, which is a 100% organic option. Synthetic pre-emergents are banned, unless they’re either on an approved list for commercial use or necessary to control a pest outbreak that is a significant danger to human health or safety.

2. Reapply Crabgrass Preventer When Necessary

As you may have guessed, crabgrass preventer will become less effective as time goes by. This is because like everything else, it breaks down with time. In general, it’ll last for about 8 weeks.

However, if it rains excessively in any period, it’ll cause the preventer to break down even quicker. In addition, the extra rain promotes germination for crabgrass seeds. These two factors will make this weed crop up much more easily.

If it rains a few weeks after applying preventer, you’ll need to consider adding more. This is especially true if it’s rained really hard. However, if the crabgrass has already sprouted, then preventer won’t be of any help.

3. Keep Your Lawn Healthy and Thick

Crab grass is a competing grass, plus it’s a weed. This means if you don’t keep your lawn healthy and thick, it can be very easy for crabgrass to take over your entire lawn.

For good lawn care, make sure to feed your grass good fertilizer once a year and keep it watered throughout all seasons. An excellent time to seed your lawn is during the fall, as the growth cycle will enable your turf to grow nice and thick in the next year. This should make it difficult for any crabgrass seeds to sprout and crowd out your existing grass. You should also seed any thin areas of your grass as soon as possible to encourage growth. This will also further eliminate any space the crabgrass has to grow, as you’ll have as thick a lawn as possible.

4. Have a Good Watering Schedule

When it comes to watering your lawn, the schedule will be different for newly-seeded lawns versus established ones.

For instance, if it’s newly-seeded, you’ll want to water it frequently with smaller amounts of water. Keep this schedule up until your grass is established. Once your grass is established, you need to switch to more infrequent waterings. But when you do water your lawn, it should be with heavier amounts of water. What this does is enable your grass to have deeper root growth. As a result, you’ll get a healthy and thick lawn.

5. Mow Your Lawn at the Right Height

Of course, grass that grows too long can be unsightly. This is why you need to regularly mow your lawn and keep the grass at an acceptable length. However, you need to take care that you don’t mow your grass at too short a length. Crabgrass preventers can only do so much, so you need to do everything you can to prevent further growth.

If your grass is too short, then it’ll make the conditions easier for crabgrass to sprout and take over. So long as your grass is at least 3 to 4 inches tall, the blades will shade the seeds. When they try to sprout, it’ll be much more difficult to, not just because of the shade, but also because of the competition for both nutrients and water.

Manage Crabgrass on Your Montgomery County Maryland Property With Our Tips

Now you have some excellent tips on how to manage crabgrass on your Montgomery County Maryland property. However, the best way to control and eliminate crabgrass is to work with a professional landscaper. Not only can they provide quality grass seed for your lawn, but they can continually perform upkeep for your property so crabgrass never stands a chance. Just leave all the hard work up to them!

Would you like professional help with crabgrass, as well as great DC landscaping? Then request a free quote from us now. We offer a 100% no-risk guarantee!

DIY Lawn care or a Professional lawn service company, which is better for you?

We live in a DIY world which means there is a good chance that you might have considered tackling your lawn on your own (even just lawn mowing). After all, why pay for something that internet videos show can be done quickly on your own? But here lies the big question, is it always that easy to manicure your lawn to perfection on your own?

DIY videos show lawn mowing to be as easy as running a hot knife through butter. There are several reasons why DIY lawn care may appeal to you. But there a lot of essential points that you should consider before taking the leap.

Should I tackle my lawn or hire a lawn care service near me?

If you are thinking of DIYing your lawn, here are the points you should consider:

DIY lawn care: Pros

Cost-Effective:

Doing your lawn on your own may seem cost-effective initially but may prove expensive in the long run since a nice lush green lawn takes multiple applications and services throughout different times of the year over the course of the lawn.

Great Exercise:

Getting out in the yard to get some lawn work done is a great exercise. This is the reason why some homeowners prefer to do their lawn work on their own. While it is an excellent way to exercise, it may be just a bit too strenuous during hot days and with heavy equipment.

Taking Pride in Your Work

For some of us, manicuring our yard is a matter of pride. While tackling the yard work on your own is great, the vanity can quickly turn sour if the work doesn’t pan out the way you had expected.

DIY lawn care: Cons

Equipment Investment:

To do it yourself, you will have to invest in basic equipment like a mower and a spreader and will need room to store them. Occasionally, you might also have to pay for equipment rental for specialized services such as aeration. These investments nullify the purpose of saving money by DIY handling your lawn. Then to get a more manicured look, you will also need power trimmers, edgers, pole pruners, etc.

Mediocre Results:

Despite investing in the necessary equipment, you will still not have access to commercial-grade equipment and products or maybe the difficulty of lugging the proper heavier equipment isn’t worth the backache. You may lack the full arsenal of knowledge and expertise of a professional lawn care service. Why try and reinvent the wheel?

Time Consuming

Yard work is time-consuming. You might feel like you have plenty of time to tackle your lawn care projects, but the process often proves to more time consuming than people realize. Multiple trips to the store to find the correct products, finding a free day with suitable weather condition teamed with clean-up and storage often proves to be more time consuming then estimated.

Should I hire a lawn service near me?

If you are considering hiring a lawn mowing service in Kensington MD, you should consider the following points.

Professional Lawn Care: Pros

Better Results:

By hiring a professional lawn care service located near you, you will get better results. They are the experts in the field and use commercial garden equipment. Therefore you will get superior results be it basic lawn mowing services or specialized yearly lawn programs.

Convenience:

When you are grooming your yard on your own, it is easy to neglect the yard work when you are busy or aren’t in the mood to work, or the weather isn’t playing nice. When you hire a lawn mowing and care service, professionals do the work for you on a pre-decided schedule. This will free up a lot of your time, and your yard will always look groomed and lush. You will receive notifications when services are completed and billing is all done automatically for you.

Professional solution for tricky issues:

A lawn care service will have trained professionals who will know how to diagnose and solve problems. This will help you get the problem under control quickly. It is common for DIYs to misdiagnose the issues and spend money on products that will let the problem continue. (BAMS Turf Programs)

Professional Lawn Care: Cons

Cost:

The one downside that may come to your mind in hiring a lawn care service is the upfront cost (please note there is no upfront costs with BAMS unless install project). It may seem expensive at the onset to pay a professional. But the fact is, doing it yourself may prove to be even more costly if you consider the equipment invest, time consumed, and the expense of mistakes made by you.

Hiring an Ill Matched Lawn Care Service:

Hiring the wrong professional is a drawback. You will not receive the professional benefits discussed if you hire the wrong service. Before hiring a service, you need to screen them thoroughly and identify the one service that would best suit your needs.

As a thumb rule, you should select a service that proactively looks after the lawn and doesn’t wait for problems to arise. A lawn service that works on improving soil health knows what lies underground. This will result in a thriving lush lawn.

BAM landscaping is your answer to finding reliable lawn care and lawn mowing service Kensington MD. At BAM’s, we employ trained individuals and provide superior care for your yard. Get in touch with us to get your lawn service and landscaping estimate today.

Check us out on Facebook for Weekly updates @ https://www.facebook.com/BAMSLandscaping

SIMA Company Vs General Contractor

Winter is on us, and Montgomery County has begun to face some snowy morning and a little “snow removal” events. If the past is a good indication of the future, we believe that it will be more to come before this winter. While the ice increases the beauty in the outer part of your business, it also increases the risk of accidents on your property.

You can decide to decide to remove yourself or rent a common contractor who owns a truck and a spread. To do this, you can save money in a short run, but your company, staff, and tenants on long term exposed to unnecessary risk and trial.

The deposits of the ice breaks during an ice storm, and nothing other than professional snow and ice management company can help you. When the weather becomes worst as worst, such as a snowstorm or during an icy storm, DIY snow hangs or not going to help a normal contractor. You will need reliable snow and ice management service, which are necessary training, equipment and staff to deal with heavy snowfall and snow.

Here are some reasons that you should choose a specific ice and ice management service company as opposed to a general contractor that is also to cope with the removal of ice.

Response Time

It’s time to time when you have collected ice outside your business or residential premises. If you decide to cope with the snowpack on yourself, you will have to start hours before planning to open your office and have to stay on your legs, to spread the snow and remove it If it removes the snow during the day. It’s not ideal because you are not equipped with snow and ice management. Therefore, you are likely to increase the responsibility of slip and falling of your business.

On the other hand, a company providing professional snow and ice management services is trained and organized to handle stable weather conditions. They will have your place to your place and your team arrives and is also better equipped to cope with fresh snowfall. Weather monitoring programs are used and trained people are tracked to Duplicate Radar in summer events.

Manpower Availability

In the venttars, the most dangerous result of the accident is a case. Business owners appreciate snow removal services to slip and reduce the risk of falling responsibility. It’s a matter of time if you do it. This video does not have to be done. Please try again. It’s a matter of time if you do it. IF YOU’RE EVERYONE. A common contractor is most likely to work solo and thus the employee’s power will not need to clear multiple places at the same time. Therefore, despite paying for ice climbing and removal, you will not only serve only the necessary service due to the limitations of solo operations.

It comes in a professional snow and ice removal service game. A special service provider will be multiple employees who can overcome different places at different places at the same time as well as backup sub-connectors in the ice storm scenario.

Backup Equipment

Especially snow and ice management service providers are not just a strong employee base, they also have backup equipment to meet multiple locations at the same time. A common contractor will have snow but will not be backup trucks and other specific equipment to deal with the emergency emergency. It works a common contractor as they are incredible.

Expert Training and Certification

A specialized snow and ice management service provider will have trained and certified employees from SIMA. The Snow and Ice Management Association (SIMA) is a North American trade association for professionals working in the snow and ice management industry. SIMA conducts the Certified Snow Professional (CPS) certification for business owners and executives working in the snow management industry. CPS certification is the recognized standard for professionalism and excellence in the snow and ice management industry.

For optimal snow and ice management, a specialized agency is what you need. Winter is tightening its grip on Montgomery County! You need a reliable snow and ice management service to help you deal with the snow and ice.

BAM’s Landscaping is your answer to finding a specialized snow and ice management company near you. At BAM’s, we provide the entire spectrum of snow removal and ice treatment services. We are SIMA certified and thus have a fleet of equipment and employees that are well trained to deal with the volatile weather. We are insured and covered by a $2 million liability insurance policy with another $1mil blanket policy.

So, don’t let the winter season catch your business by surprise!

OFF-Season Landscape Services

Colder Weather Landscape Services

PRESSURE WASHING

Check out a few of our pictures of our last basic pressure washing services for a walkway and deck. We also provide pre-washing and deck sealant applications if requested. This is a great service to get that slippery ugly dark grime off the surfaces before the winter. This is also a great service for cleaning the siding of your home of mold/mildew and prevent any further damage to your property. CALL US TODAY TO RESERVE A SPOT!

Gutter Cleanouts

If your gutters look like the above picture – CALL US RIGHT AWAY! During the colder temps, the weight of the frozen water saturated in this mess can add enough weight to tear down a weak gutter. Not to mention a ton of drainage issues you will get next to your home’s foundation. Don’t hurt yourself on a ladder, let us help you out!

TREE & SHRUB

Thinning & Pruning

Anything under 15′ we got your covered. Coolers temperatures ensure that the wounds on pruned flowers, shrubs, and trees seal quickly. This limits the tree or shrubs exposure to diseases and other elements that may stress the plant including insects which are usually active during the warmer months.

Under Deck Solutions

We make those tough-to-reach eye-sore areas of your property functional and aesthetically pleasing again! Under large decks and overhangs can turn into muddy clay messes with improper grading and water flow. We also have seen an assortment of soil dwelling pests who love to hang out in these often warmer (next to the house) and dryer (under the deck) areas.

Winter Rose Pruning

No better time than ‘hot cocoa’ time than to get out there with numb fingers and prune those roses. They will come back fully with better blooms if properly done and our clients with a winter rose pruning visit also get a free property inspection from the tech. while they are there.

Contact Us

Snow and Ice Management Service Vs DIY Shoveling

Snow and Ice Management Service Vs. DIY Shoveling

Winter is here!!

Whether we like it or not, the cold winds have started blowing, the days are becoming shorter, and temperatures are dropping. Snow and ice are integral parts of winter. They turn the city into a winter wonderland, but at the same time, increase the hassles of the property managers and business owners.

Snow removal is the most crucial part of property maintenance in winters. Depending on the size of the property, snow plowing and De-icing can be a huge undertaking. Property managers, business owners, and residential property owners can either decide to take on the mother nature on their own, or they can seek professional help by contracting a Snow and Ice Management service. Before you decide on either of the two options, here are the pros and cons of both.

Do-It-Yourself Shoveling

DIY is the it “thing” these days. You will probably find thousands of tips, tricks, and solutions to tackling snow removal on your own. Doing it yourself does have its charms and benefits, but the approach can hurt your business.

The following points should be considered before deciding on professional snow and ice management services:

Convenience and Timeliness

DIY Shoveling can be done at the drop of a hat and thus is convenient for small property managers and independent residence owners. But the convenience factor lasts only for light snowfall. In case of heavy snowfall or a snowstorm, professional snow plowing is the only solution. Additionally, in case of a large property or a large business premises, DIY shoveling will increase the Slip and Fall liability because plowing the snow from the entire property is time-consuming, and customers will not wait for you to complete the plowing and removal of snow.

Hiring a professional snow and ice management service will enable the property manager or the business owner to use their time efficiently and concentrate on their business.

Cost

Cost is the main factor when deciding to go DIY or hiring a snow management service. Snow plowing and removal on your own may sound cheaper, but in the long run, this route can prove expensive. Snow removal is a time-consuming process that may require many reiterations. As a business owner or the property manager, if you decide to remove snow on your own, you may end up wasting your productive time here. This will lead to loss of revenue.

Additionally, snow plowing and removal requires specialized equipment and technical know-how. You will have neither of these, and acquiring the equipment is an expensive decision. Thus, to benefit from economies of scale and expertise, hiring a professional snow and ice management service is advisable.

Hiring a Professional Snow and Ice Management Service

If you want to focus on what you do best – running your business – then outsourcing your snow plowing needs to a professional may seem like an attractive alternative to doing it yourself.

Time Saving

Snow plowing and removal isn’t as easy as it looks. It is time-consuming and requires specialized equipment and expertise. Contracting snow plowing to a professional snow and ice management company will save you the time and the hard work spent on manually plowing the snow on your own.

Reduced Liability and Safety

Snow and Ice related injuries are pretty common during winters. These injuries will increase many folds if snow removal isn’t done efficiently and on time. The financial stress and hassle arising from a slip and fall lawsuit can seriously damage the business and harm the property manager’s reputation. Hiring a professional snow removal service will mitigate your risk and take the pressure off you.

Ease in budgeting expenses

DIY plowing may save you a few dollars initially, but in the long run, it will prove expensive. Contracting a professional service will free up your time and will also give you the exact amount of expense you will incur during the particular winter season. For a business owner or a property manager, this will make budgeting easy. For further ease and clarity, you may want to negotiate the contract in terms of paying per push or a flat fixed rate for the entire season. This clause may make all the difference while hiring a professional snow and ice management service.

Whether you decide to hire a service or to do it yourself, you should first consider the pros and cons of both before coming to a decision. To know what would work the best for you and to get an expert opinion, call us on 240-447-5921. We at BAM’s Landscaping provide the full range of snow removal services.

So, don’t let this winter catch you unaware. Our team will evaluate your property and give you the best solution for your professional snow removal needs for this upcoming winter season. You can decide on DIY or Professional help after you have all the information.

BAM’S LLC. is a member of SIMA (Snow & Ice Management Association) and provides yearly training on safety and salt usage best practices each winter season.

How to evaluate a snow removal contract?

How to evaluate a snow removal company and a snow removal contract?

Accumulated ice and snow outside your property, be it business or residential, is a hazard waiting to happen. As a business owner or a property manager, you would want to reduce your slip and fall liability by ensuring its timely removal. Winter is here, and so is the festive season. This is the time businesses will experience increased footfalls owing to the festive season shopping rush. For property managers of residential complexes, this is the time when residents will have many guests coming over. Increased footfall is directly proportional to increases slip and fall liability. To reduce your chances of a tedious lawsuit and to facilitate the visitors, hiring a professional snow and ice removal service is your best bet.

Hiring a professional snow removal service in the Montgomery County Maryland area would require you to evaluate the snow removal company and sign a contract. Here is what you should look for while assessing contractors and signing a contract.

Things that you should look for before selecting a snow removal company in Montgomery County MD:

Turnaround Time

As a property manager or a business owner, one of your first concerns would be how fast can they be at your site after it snows heavily. A snow removal company’s turnaround time will determine its efficiency. If a company guarantees a time range within which they will be at your location once it snows, this shows their confidence in their ability to serve you.

List of services offered

Before you sign a snow removal contract with a service provider, check their list of the services provided, and choose the service that best suits your needs. Auditing the services offered will also help you in understanding the efficiency of the company. You do not want to sign a snow removal contract with an amateur company, which does not have the full range of services or the right equipment needed for the service.

Here are some questions what you should ask the company to get an idea about their services:

Do they clear parking lots, sidewalks, and entrances of the property?
Do they spray dicers or use salt?
In case of salt, what technology do they use to ascertain the optimum quantity of salt?
What ice control measures they you take?
Will they haul and remove the snow from the property or will they form a snowbank after shoveling the snow?
Do they a specialized snow removal service or are just an add on to a property management service?

These questions will help you evaluate the company and its expertise in snow removal.

After evaluating the company, the next step would be evaluating the snow removal contract that you are expected to sign. Here is what you should look for in the contact:

Contract inclusions

Consider every detail of snow removal while you are talking to the contractor. The contractor should be able to give confident and concise answers to your questions and queries. Here are some of the discussion points for your snow removal contract negotiations:

- What would be the expected service turnaround time?
- The pricing of the snow removal contract and the variable component because one can never be sure how much snow will the city receive.
- How will the manager or business owner contact the contractor?
- The machinery that the contractor has?
- Are their vehicles and machines GPS tracked?
- Are the contractor’s employees experienced and certified?
- Does the contractor have adequate insurance?
- If someone was to file a slip and fall lawsuit, who will be liable, and how the claim would be deferred.

The level of service

Snow removal services are not simple. They include various levels of service, from snow plowing to ice management. To avoid confusion for both parties, be sure to define the exact scope of service in the contract. If the contract is for snow plowing, the snow will be plowed but will remain on your property. Therefore, if you are looking for a snow removal contract, snow relocation and hauling of the plowed snow to a snow farm should be included in the contract. If ice management and deicing are what you require to reduce the slip and fall liability, this should also be specified in the contract.

A clear contract stating all the terms and inclusions will help both the property manager and service provider.

We at BAM’s Landscaping provide the full range of snow removal services. So don’t let this winter catch you unaware. Contact us now on 240-447-5921 to get a free quote. Our team will evaluate your property and give you the best solution for your professional snow removal needs for this upcoming winter season.

October 2019 Newsletter

**Can you believe we were talking about record-setting rainfall last Fall?!**

Clearly record setting rainfall is not the case this September or so far this October compared to 2018 but it seems we have done a complete 180 from last year’s conditions. We are now facing moderate and severe drought conditions in much of the DC Metro region and many parts of MD still. We’ve had a couple recent showers which have helped green things back up a tad but as you may see around town, it looks more like the Sahara desert.

Some things to watch out for in this type of weather:

a) Lawn brownout…obviously. Most the lawns will enter into a safe state of dormancy to protect itself till more rains arrive or the heat diminishes. In this case, we need rain, so if you have a timed sprinkler system or have been routinely DEEP watering your lawn, than you have nothing to worry about. If you haven’t been watering when the drought arrived, your lawn has probably already browned out. If we have performed a recent seeding, please check with our office on the best time to water seed during a drought period – it can get tricky.

b) Delayed lawn fertilization services. Many of our Fall fertilization visit #1 may be postponed for reasons that we do not wish to stress the lawns with a boost of nitrogen when it may be dormant from drought-stress. It is better to wait till the lawn is actively growing again before adding more nutrients to the soil.

c) Increased presence of turf pests: While dry weather is great at cutting back on the water-bourne turfgrass diseases and fungi we noticed in 2018, it allows opens a window for some pests in the lawn. We’ve noticed a fair amount of lawn inhabiting creatures in the dry weather late in the season, please call us if you happen to see a lot of little tunnels, ant mounds, or flying insects entering and exiting the lawn in any places.

d) Compact Soil: Fall is time for aeration and overseeding. The drought conditions have hardened the soil even further. As we move towards a 100% organic lawn programs, we will be expressing the importance of more aerations, soil amendments and frequent seeding throughout the year.

e) Delayed Seed Germination: Seed requires a nice consistent soaking for the best germination which makes drought conditions once of the more challenging scenarios… The good news is that completely dry seed can stay ready to germinate once better conditions arrive AS LONG AS it hasn’t been soaking (watering or quick storm) and then is allowed to dry out. Once the seed is wet, keep it wet until germination – if it hasn’t been soaked then let it be till wetter weather arrives and supplement the watering on the days it doesn’t rain.

f) Early Leaf Drop: It’s not Fall leaf season yet…. those trees are just dropping prematurely because they are thirsty. The majority of leaves won’t drop from those same trees for some time.

Link to a Washington Post Article on recent drought in the D.C region:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/10/11/drought-expands-intensifies-over-dc-area/

Services we are currently performing (Oct-Nov.)

Aeration w/ overseeding (finishing up mid-Oct)
Turf Fertilizations (Turf program required)
Lime Applications (Turf program required)
Leaf Clearing Services
Fall/winter Pruning Services
Fall Mulchings
Power Washing
Gutter Cleanouts (leaf service required)
Elevating Small Trees/shrubs (pruning lower limbs)
And more!

Don’t WAIT until the ground is frozen to get these services scheduled!

CONTACT US TODAY!

Bring on the LEAVES!

Did you know that the reds, oranges, and yellows that you see on the trees during the autumn months have always been there? They have just been hiding behind the green color (chlorophyll) that is prominent during the active growing season. The leaves changing color is due to the shortening of the daylight and the variety of colors seen can also be attributed to the temperatures and moisture the tree is getting at that time.

A few other facts about leaves:

1. They break down on the ground to provide many nutrients and organisms that are very beneficial to the soil. It is great to use your mower and mulch some of the leaves on your turf and let them decompose. This saves space at the county dump and improves the soil structure of your lawn/garden. (If you buy leafgro from the store it’s the same thing). Just don’t allow too many leaves to sit on the turf because it will essentially suffocate the grass and limit sun and oxygen from reaching the grass.

2. Evergreens never lose their leaves because they have special leaves that are resistant to cold and moisture loss. You might see them wilt up a bit during the colder months but they are still actively performing photosynthesis (just much slower).

3. During the summer months the leaves from the deciduous trees take in more sugars through photosynthesis than they need. They use this extra energy to survive the winter months when they are naked.

Find out when your county curbside leaf collection will occur HERE: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/dot-highway/leaf/

Trick or Treat….

Interested in some Maryland Fall activities or places to see the foliage? Visit http://www.visitmaryland.org/article/take-maryland-fall-foliage-trip

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

You may have already heard from a few of our promotional emails recently that the owner of BAM’S Landscaping and his amazing awesome wife have now been operating their complimentary service company named BLUEBIRD CLEANING FOR ONE YEAR!

They are both super proud of the new company and anxious to spread the word around town.

They are offering discounts and incentives first to all family/friends WHICH INCLUDES all current BAMS CLIENTS who may have any interest at all for home/office cleaning services.

www.Bluebirdcleans.com

Here is the direct email for BLUEBIRD: info@Bluebirdcleaner.com

NEW BAMS TEAM MEMBER!

We would like to welcome to the BAM’S family our new office assistant. Her name is Emely and she handles much of the day-to-day in the office. She’s a superstar and we are happy to have her on the BAMS team!

THANKS FOR YOUR BUSINESS AND SUPPORTING YOUR LOCAL COMPANY!

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