Forum

Removing concrete

What is the best way to remove a solid concrete base from a garden? Pic below is of clients' front garden. The purple slate is to go, and the client wants the concrete base under it broken up and removed so they can lay grass and path to the gate. Th

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Unwanted customers

We have all had them ,

bad payers 

uncleared dog mess

complainers over nothing 

you cut it back too hard 

the list is endless,

what difficult customers have you had and what one liners did you give them to diplomatically get rid off

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Any one interested

Hi All

A client of mine in Melbourne, Cambridgeshire has had her garden completely redesigned and is now looking for a landscaper to do the work . A lot of different paving, beds, a raised pond, turfing a lot of work to do. I have no part in this, I a

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Stihl HS82 engine gone

I'm told by my repair shop that my HS82 needs a new top end, which I believe is cylinder head and piston/hinge on pin.

I've been quoted £330 which seems hugely excessive on a £560 machine when the blades are now very near £200 too.

anyone have experien

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THE POWER OF FUNGI

I've just stumbled upon this bite-sized video of a topic I last wrote about over on the Blog page. I have always tended to see if there is a natural remedy for an issue I'm having before going out to buy medication, but learning about the powers of p

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Gauging price for selling second hand kit ?

Hi everyone, 

 

quick question, how does everyone gauge how much you sell second hand machines for? Look around at prices of similar items already up for sale? Work out a depreciation, how much the machine owes you? Just looking at getting peoples view

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Scarifier recommendations?

Having previously hired petrol scarifiers due to amount of work now looking to buy.

We want a fixed or swinging blade type not a spring tine machine.

Have looked at the Stiga at £499, anyone got one of these? If so opinions please.

The budget doesn't al

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Lifespan of batteries.

Hi everyone, 

 

I would love to know what your thoughts are on the lifespans on batteries, mainly Stihl, but any makes that have been used professionally. I have 3 AP300 batteries and have been running them for two years and they seem to be keeping goo

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16ft tripod ladder

Does anyone on here in the Staffordshire area have a set of the adjustable 16ft tripod ladders I could hire from them for a day or two? Got a big hedge to do but my 10ft just won't reach the top, even fully extended. I'd be happy to leave a cash depo

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Stihl Hla 86 vs hla 135 long reach trimmer

An impossible question really. But views on choosing between these two welcomed! The 86 is more versatile with its telescopic section, but the 135 is the more professional/heavy duty model. I suppose a more specific question is the importance of stro

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An interesting read!

https://journals.ashs.org/downloadpdf/journals/horttech/2/2/article-p159.pdf

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Lawn mower recommendation

I've had a self propelled stihl rm 248 for less than a year and gone through 3 drive belts already...  I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a mower that doesn't freak out when it see

 

s a stick in the grass!  is, importantly, self propelled and not t

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Strimmer recommendation

Hi , all 

Anyone turn there strimmer on a side to edge lawns ? 

I've always done this and like the speed and finish 

For the last two years I've used a stihl fs 50 for the last 2 years and am looking for a different model as I'm going through these very

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Price of shrubs

When pricing for small projects of about 50 shrubs and using run-of-the mill 2 litre shrubs like berberis, hypericum etc. do you have a ball park figure per shrub?

I have found it harder to price recently with suppliers having increased their prices b

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Lawn 'treatment'

Hi all, HNY to you. My first job back this week after being away in the sun for a couple of weeks was a Laurel hedge hard prune for an occasional client. The clients aren't actually living in the property atm, but when I arrived on Tuesday the first

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etesia attila

Ime looking at purchasing either an etesia attila 98 or an AS motor sherpa 4wd, wondering if anyone has any experience with either and whats the common problems or their reliability, thanks in advance

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‘Commercial’ high dump mowers

Commercial high dump mowers.

I’ve been using Kubota G21, then G23 HD mower for the last 15years or so.
There are some vulnerabilities/weaknesses on this that frustrate me; the G23 I have is getting very tired and more unreliable - leading me to consid

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Lawn treatment

Evening all. I have recently joined the Network and set up my new gardening business in July 2021. So far it's been very rewarding and I have been able to build a loyal customer base.

As I head I to 2022 I wanted to ask for some advice on lawn care tr

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Trees & Roots - Stunning

Absolutely stunning pictorial representations of a tree's presence underground 😳😳😳

Quercus ;

More here .....

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Battery Charging Calculations ?

Due to the current hike in energy prices is there a simple way of calculating how much its costing to charge up cordless batteries , to be fair i used to absorb the cost due to the fuel saving but now wondering if its adding up to a significant amoun

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