what does it take to be an A grade landscaper?

[land_man]

this is my question landscape is very hard work I want to do a few of the following.

machinery like backhoes dingo machines and bobcats.

a construction of a retaining wall and sleeper posts.

garden construction soil and etc.

is there anything else that will help me on my way?

[Mike44]

Sorry, I may have misunderstood you on this one. Do you want to do the landscpaing yourself, or do you want to know what kind of qualifications to look for when hiring someone to do the work?

If you yourself are planning to do it, then you'll have to do a lot of reading up on the proper way to do stuff. Anyone can build a retaining wall, but only a few can build it properly. Once you've done your research, it'll be easier to come up with ideas about what you want to do and how to do it. If it's a tall retaining wall, you'll need to use tie-backs for further bracing of the wall and preventing it from being pushed out from the weight of the soil.

As for the machinery, if you've never had experience in something like that before, you'll probably need at least a day or two to get familiar with the controls (at least that's about what I needed, then it gets a lot easier). Renting or buying? - I'd suggest to rent if you're only going to use it for this one project, plus, you can wear out it's engine instead of on one that is yours!!! Keep the throttle up when you're using the equipment, and make sure to let the machine warm up for at least 5-10 mins before starting for the day (ie, turn it on and let it sit there - this will warm up the hydraulic fluid to make it run smoother right off the start).

For garden construction (like planting beds??) you may want to start a shape on paper, or if not, lay out a garden hose so that you can see it's actual shape and make any adjustments. Once that is done, you can spray paint out the shape of the bed. If it is being made out of an existing lawn, split the grass along the spray paint line my stepping on a shovel all the way along the line. This will make it easier when digging up the grass with the backhoe as it will just peel away from your line.

To make the actual bed, pile up some soil, lay down some landscpaing fabric to prevent weed growth (if you want), plant, and mulch (or not - it's up to you). This part is actually not too complicated - it's just the design and layout of the plants that will make or break the planting bed. It's best to place all the plants while they are still in their pots, make sure you like the look, then dig the holes and plant them.

Okay, long enough - there is a ton of info about a lot of this stuff on the Internet too. I've just given you a few pointers about what to, but like I said, reading up about this stuff in a book, or proffessional landscape site will really help.

Mike

[land_man]

ok I shall do that mike and thanks mate.

I am currently doing a retaining wall at tafe and I am almost finished for the entire year and I am enjoying it alot all I need is a bit of help with construction understanding and I am there.;)

[Mike44]

Sounds good! When you're done the retaining wall, take some pictures and post them on the show-off forum!!! It's a great way to share some of your work (even if you're not a show off!).

Mike