The Landscaping industry, like any industry, has seen incredible advancements throughout the decades – especially when you consider how technology has advanced landscaping. That’s right, technological advancement has had a huge influence on the way that the landscaping industry operates and functions.

Think about it. The tools, the machines, the software that are all used in the landscaping industry today, those advancements haven’t always been around. Landscaping services used to be offered to folks sans software planning, without high-tech connective communication platforms, and without the machines that could get the job done effectively.

At Landcrafters, we’ve been in the business for decades, so we’ve seen first-hand the way that technology and innovation within the landscaping industry has advanced the tools we work with our, strategies, our communications, our software we use, and more!

Check out some of the ways that we believe landscaping technology has changed and advanced our industry in the last few decades in our article below. It might surprise you the amount of technology that goes into a landscaping company and all of its functions.

Eco-Friendly Alternatives – A Total Form of Upgraded Technology

This is one of the most interesting ways that technology has advanced our industry. In the past, landscaping equipment was run primarily off of gasoline, used low-tech equipment that didn’t take efficiency or environmental health into account, and left several helpful, eco-friendly concepts and processes in the dust. Now-a-days, the landscaping industry is different because technological advancements have furthered our industry’s development.

For example, alternative fuels are hugely popular in the landscaping industry now. Things like propane, which is usually less expensive than conventional gasoline, is better for the environment, and cuts emissions down by about 70 percent, is a great, non-toxic switch. Without the technology that supports those facts, we wouldn’t be using eco-friendlier options like propane.

Other advancements like smart irrigation (that runs off advanced software, which we’ll dive into in a moment), permeable material technology, rainwater collection, and the largest advancement, solar power, are all technological boosts that have improved the landscape industry. (Speaking of sustainability and eco-friendly options, check out our post here about sustainable ways you can implement for taking care of your property).

Connectivity

Consider the way you communicate with your landscaping company. Do you stop by their place of business? Do you send them a fax? Do you call them on a landline? Most likely, none of those things are accurate ways that you get in touch with your company. Instead, you probably email, visit a website, put in an inquiry on an online platform, text or call their cell phones, or something else of that like. Landscaping now – companies in this day in age in general – function with these connective tools as their platforms. Everyone has a smart phone now, so landscape companies are free to run apps or mobile sites that people can access with the click of a button. Even further, these connective tools like  tablets and smart phones  help us track the properties that we manage, keep our schedules efficient, and keep track of our crews’ time and efforts toward servicing a specific property. Additionally, these tools help us track and monitor our landscapes in real time – an advancement that thrusted the landscape industry miles into the future.

Software (That’s Right, Landscaping is Better When Software is Involved)

It might not be something you’ve considered, but software is a huge part of the landscaping industry. We use software to plan and design your landscape, software to keep track of schedules, software for the sales and marketing side, interconnected business software, software that runs functional equipment (like smart irrigation), and more.

With the advancement of these software, we’re often able to combine needs into a single program. For example, there are programs out there that allow us to schedule our crews, track property issues, create and send invoices, estimate prices, pay our crew, help us with the bidding process, and even keep an eye on our financials. We use software to plan out the blueprint for your prospective landscape, to create goals to keep the project on track, and even to determine pricing for the amount of land that you’re looking to develop and craft. These software advancements help us better serve our clientele.

Equipment (That One’s Probably Obvious)

This isn’t 1950 and we’re not outside your property huffing a push mower through your lawn! With this gift of technology has come upgraded, efficient, and exciting equipment that makes our job far more productive.

Now, we’re gifted with equipment that can accomplish a job with the specificity it needs. Our machines can analyze data, distribute bulk materials via calibration methods, and even operate on their own time, running how they’re supposed to due to their technological advancement. Think rain sensors that can monitor for when you should be watering your lawn or not, think permeable technology that can help to collect rainwater and recycle it for more efficient use, think solar powered machines that operate after a day left in the sun rather than tanks of gasoline. There are even self-operated lawn mowers out there – what’s to stop future machinery from being self-operated as well? Software and machinery will continue to advance as technology does, making the landscaping industry more precise, more efficient, and more necessary than ever.

Did our landscaping technology article give you a new perspective on how technology has advanced our industry in the last few decades? We hope so! We might biased, but we think this technology is endless fascinating. If you do, too, we’d love to tell you more. Give us a call at (727)-201-3947. Want more landscaping info at the touch of a button? We have the technology for that, too. Check out our weekly updated blog for tips, tricks, advice, and landscaping inspiration for your property.