Central Texas lawn care companies struggle during extreme heat

Lawn care businesses struggle in summer heat

Austin-area lawn care service companies say this summer has been one of their most challenging, thank to the dry and hot weather.

AUSTIN, Texas - If the weather makes it a challenge to keep grass alive, VitalScape Lawn Care said it could bet the temperatures will dry out some of its business too, especially this summer.

"It’s just been such a dry summer, and then not only lack of rain but also there have been no clouds at all, so it’s pretty much just baking everything," said Jack Karkoska, co-owner of VitalScape Lawn Care Services.

Local lawn care service companies said this summer has been one of their most challenging, thanks to the dry and hot weather.

"It's definitely tougher than last year, you know, we had a pretty dry summer as well, but it wasn’t, you know, this extreme," said Nathan Herd, co-owner of VitalScape Lawn Care Services. "It’s definitely worse than the past couple of years, I'd say."

ERCOT issues third conservation appeal

Amid the triple-digit heat today, ERCOT again urged Texans to conserve electricity for the third day in a row.

Co-owners, Jack and Nathan, said they're seeing cancelations.

"I think since we’re focused on such like a routine-based schedule, kind of like subscription based, a lot of people don’t want to maintain that subscription when it doesn’t need to be mowed, so there’s been a lot of issues with consistency and the schedule staying the same," said Karkoska.

"It definitely affects our just overall cash flow and work wise, but you know, we’ve been creative," said Herd. "We find ways to make up for the lack of mowing by doing more landscaping."

This year, they said they're doing more xeriscaping by installing native and drought tolerant landscapes.

"It's a lot easier to maintain a landscape that doesn't have as many plants that require heavy watering," said Herd.

VitalScape Lawn Care said it has some tips for homeowners looking to keep the grass greener on their side.

"I would say hand water as much as you can," said Karkoska. In Georgetown, it’s definitely pretty strict. In Round Rock, they’re a little bit more loose, so you can hand water and get on your schedule. I highly recommend making sure your sprinkler system is working on the schedule it’s supposed to."

As summer temperatures persist, VitalScape said checking your sprinkler system could make all the difference for your foundation too, especially if you want to keep your wallet full of green in the long run.