Winter lacked larger storms this year, but even smaller storms meant business as usual for local crews like ProLawn Landscaping and Maintenance Co. Owner Rich Huber said they were busy until the middle of February.

“The weather did not have a lot of impact on us,” he said. “All we need is a couple of inches to keep busy.”

Although there was less snow, an excess of ice seemingly picked up the slack. That posed a problem for some businesses, particularly when there was a shortage of ice melt, not only regionally, but also nationally.

“The lack of snow didn’t have a whole lot of impact, but the ice caught me because of the shortage of salt. Because of the short supply of salt, it doubled in price,” said John Sinisi, owner of J.J. Sinisi Landscaping and Lawn Care.

Dale Pletcher of J.J. Sinisi Landscape & Lawn Care spreads mulch around a tree. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Snow removal requires much more time and effort than simply just clearing snow/ice and salting/treating the cleaned surfaces. Tony Luther, owner of Luther Sitework Solutions LLC, said a lot of maintenance and repairs are necessary with every job, no matter how small.

“So, even with a small dusting of snow that may only take four to six hours to treat, we then have to wash all equipment, grease spreaders and equipment and repair any equipment that may have broken during the storm,” Luther said.

He said the commercial and industrial customers his business services have “zero-tolerance” policies for any snow and ice, so even with smaller spurts of winter weather, there was plenty to do.

The ice also caused damage to some properties, which has meant more need for in-depth spring cleanups.

Jeff Adler, president of Adler’s Landscape Nursery Inc., said in a lot of cases they have seen so far, ice fell off roofs and damaged trees and other parts of people’s yards.

J.J. Sinisi Landscape & Lawn Care owner John Sinisi and Sally Balmforth weed prior to the spreading of mulch. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

“When doing spring cleanup, we are seeing more damage to plants,” Adler said.

The lack of snow did enable most landscapers to get a head start on spring cleanup work.

Luther said his crews began working full time the week of March 3 and expected to have cleanup work done and begun mulching by the end of the first week of April.

“We started cleanup around the middle of March, a little earlier than usual. We had some cleanup problems with the wind,” Sinisi said.

Always looking for help

Although there seems to be a shortage overall in terms of workers in the landscaping field, most area crews are filled with experienced employees.

Huber said he has three employees who have been with him for more than 20 years, as well as several in the 10- to 15-year range. He said he no longer hears from some of the high school and college students he used to hire.

“We are always looking for more help during the busy season,” he said, “but we get by with what we have.”

“No one wants to do that kind of hard work,” Adler said, adding that he retained his American workforce and also employs Mexican workers on H2-B visas. He has had difficulty trying to add people to his crew.

Luther said the key he has found is not laying off employees during slower seasons and keeping them on board year round. He said he has been able to keep the majority of his crew for more than five years.

“I have been very fortunate, and have had the same workers/team with me for many years,” said Rubin Wagner, owner of Wagner Hardscaping. “It allows me to provide quality service to my customers.”

Tariffs, costs a concern

Other issues landscapers are encountering this year are higher prices for materials and the potential effects of tariffs.

For Sinisi, filling the tanks of his machines has become quite costly.

“Fuel is the biggest issue, the fluctuation of 20-30 cents a gallon for both gasoline and diesel. We use gasoline on equipment and diesel in our trucks,” he explained. “It is hard to plan your budget with the fluctuation of prices of fuel.”

Adler said there is almost no doubt that inflation and the tariffs invoked by President Donald Trump will affect the landscaping industry, as “fertilizer may not be made in the United States.”

“Everything costs more than last year,” he said.

“I don’t see that they will come down,” Hubler said.

Higher prices for goods means higher prices for services. While some local businesses are having to pass the cost along to their customers, others are trying to avoid that approach as long as possible.

“Unfortunately, like any industry, rising costs have to be passed along to the end customer. We do our best to keep competitive rates while ensuring the care and quality of each job is exceeding customer standards,” Luther said.

Russell McCloskey, owner of McCloskey’s Landscaping Inc. in Tyrone, said he hasn’t raised prices since the COVID-19 pandemic and is not looking to change that any time soon.

“We do not want to hurt our customers,” McCloskey said.

While most have plenty of projects for the first part of the season, there is some concern that customers will hold off on booking services to see what happens with the economy if/when any tariffs take effect.

Adler said everything is looking good so far in terms of bookings, but the second half of the year is more of a question mark.

“I am not sure what the tariffs will do and what the stock market will do,” he said.

“We are not booked as much as last year,” McCloskey said. “People are waiting to see what happens with the tariffs. We are seeing (fewer) big jobs so far.”

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.