Mobile lawn care businesses feeling pinch from inflation

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) —  The effects of inflation are affecting more and more people, including those who make their living in lawn care. A landscaper News 5 spoke with says he’s paying way more for equipment, supplies and chemicals.

Payton Nicholson works at SiteOne Landscape Supply. He said the price of most everything has been on the rise for two years already. And, he said, costs are not going down.

“PVC pipe alone is up 55%, the PVC glue is up to 30-40%, fertilizer is up 40%, pumping well stuff is up 50, chemicals and herbicides are up 30%,” said Nicholson. “So yeah, across the board, in all landscape supplies, it’s all gradually going up.”

Nicholson also says in 2019, the price of a 1-inch PVC pipe was 18 cents a foot. Today, that same pipe is 42 cents a foot. 

When the price of materials rise, businesses typically have to raise their prices or even alter their employees’ pay, according to SiteOne.

“I mean, if you gotta pay more for something then chances are it goes in line that way,” said Nicholson.

Irrigation essentials aren’t the only lawn care supplies going up.  

A Mobile resident was out tending to his own lawn when he told News 5 that even the price of parts, like a belt for his lawn mower, is rising as well .

We spoke with a manager from SiteOne who said he doesn’t see the prices going down anytime soon as they’ve received multiple emails about price increases that haven’t even gone into effect yet.