State regulatory battles heating up BY ELLIOT MARAS Editor NORTH KINGSTON, R.I. Expect environmentalists to flex more of their lobby-ing muscle at the state level, warns Jim Wilkinson, exec-utive director of the Pesti-cide Public Policy Founda-tion. Heavier lobbying at the state level should be ex-pected as a result of the re-cent action at the federal level that minimizes federal regulation of pesticide use. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide 
Act (FIFRA) amendments package Congress recently adopted has been derided as "FIFRA Light" by environ-mentalists who wanted stricter pesticide-use provi-
sions. The PPPF will assume a supportive role in these state battles, Wilkinson 
says, providing factual in-
formation about pesticides. "We've discovered we're not as effective as local peo-ple fighting for them-selves," he says. "We have become more involved in providing infor-mation to the agencies," notes board member Robert Felix, executive vice president of the National Arborist Association. Charles Rock, manager of state government rela-
tions for Ciba Geigy Corp.'s agricultural division, is one 
of five product registrant representatives on the UÄI board. "We envision PPPF becoming a major spokesperson for reason-See PPPF Page 30 WWN GIRE NDUSTKY Serving commercial mowing and chemical lawn care professionals VOLUME 13 NUMBER 1 AN jilfl 1 \ PUBLICATION JANUARY 1989 Who is the lawn care customer? BY JAMES E. GUYETTE Managing Editor If your lawn care sales pro-gram targets mostly women, you may be selling to the wrong sex. According to nationwide research, 75 percent of the de-cisions to purchase profes-sional lawn care are made by men. This means that a daytime sales program is likely to miss the main target of the pitchŠ the male head of the house-hold, says David N. Duncan, Ph.D., product development 
director at the Monsanto Co. "Focus on the male deci-sion-maker," he urges. "That's no slight to the TODAY'S TURF Turf managers have several options today for optimizing shaded turf areas on properties. 16 female members of our indus-tryŠthat's just the way it is," reports Duncan, who spoke in New Orleans at the national 
convention of the Professional Lawn Care Association of 
America. Monsanto's demographic data comes from a 1986 tele-phone survey conducted by the National Family Opinion polling firm. Out of 1,000 people inter-viewed, 24 percent of them had "a tendency toward lawn 
care," meaning that they had a "do it for me" attitude about maintaining their turf. Half of them had indeed purchased 
professional lawn care in the past year. Projected nationally, Mon-santo figures that there are 16 
million Americans with a tendency toward lawn care, 
yet only 7.8 million people ac-
tually buy it. "There is more business out there than we give ourselves See PROFILE Page 29 BUSINESS How LCOs can expand beyond standard service. 20 CLASSIFIED See what's for sale, Q A miscellaneous items. ÖH Duncan: Study demographics. NEXT MONTH IA university researcher considers ways to manage turf to reduce crabgrass. I An analysis of spring fertilization options. 1988 MOWING BILLINGS $250k- $350k-$50k- $350k $500k $100k $500k-$1M About a fifth of the the Green Team Con-ference and Trade Show attendees in Orlando billed more than a million dollars in mowing last year. The convention, co-spon-sored by the Associated Landscape Contractors of America and Professional Grounds Management So-ciety, has become the 
largest gathering of the largest commercial mowing firms in the country. See MOWING Page 34 Plan a sound telemarketing program BY ELLIOT MARAS Editor When it comes to pro-moting lawn care services with tele-marketing, every LCO knows the most frequently asked question. Is it better to have an in-house operation or hire the services of a telemarketing 
company? There is no clearcut answer to that question. An in-house operation is less expensive and enables the LCO to monitor progress bet-ter. But it is also more time consuming and offers less 
chance to gear up for unex-pected changes in workload. Edward DuCoin, president of Impact Telemarketing, Inc., Collingswood, N.J., is an expert on telemarketing. He handles the telemarketing for 
about 25 Lawn Doctor fran-
chises. Telemarketing is one of the biggest promotional invest-ments LCOs make, DuCoin notes. An investment of 
$10,000 is not unusual for even 
a small company. LCOs that choose to do it in-house may pay $1,000 right away for a cross reference di-rectory of homeowners and three telephone lines. Then come the costs of ad-vertising for phone solicitors, See PLAN Page 27 LATE NEWS Posting proposed in N. Carolina RALEIGH, N.C.ŠMandatory sign posting and written pre-notification for commercial pesticide applications have "been proposed in North. Carolina, the first such regulatory initiatives ever proposed in a southern state. The state General Assembly's Legislative Research Committee on Pest Control has completed its review of pesticide laws and issued 
a set of recommendations for both indoor and outdoor pesticide applications. John Smith, pesticide administrator for the Department of Agriculture's Food and Drug Division, says the recommendations will probably be introduced in the form of a law in 1989, and could become effective in 1990. Warning signs to be installed by applicators for 24 or 48 hours after application are recommended on lawns, golf courses, playgrounds and parks, See POSTING Page 28 History tels us throwing packages into the water can be a revolutionary idea. Patriotic colonists really started something when they threw packages of tea into Boston Harbor back in 1773. Today DURSBAN* 50W in water-soluble packaging is starting a new revolution in simple and convenient insecticide handling. In handy 4-oz. packets that dissolve quickly and completely in water, DURSBAN 50W eliminates many problems which have been bugging lawn care operators for years. Ł No mess. No dust to blow around. 
Ł No operator exposure. The chemical stays in the packet. Ł No measuring. Each pre-measured packet holds exactly 4 ounces; no chance for error. Ł No waste. No accidental overuse... no skimping that can lead to costly callbacks. Ł No package disposal problems. The DURSBAN* 50W TURF INSECTICIDE Attention: Always read the label before use and care-fully follow all label directions and precautions. packet dissolves as you mix, and the fiber 
container goes in the trash. Just convenience... and lasting efficacy. No turf insecticide controls a broader spectrum of surface-feeding insects than 
DURSBAN 50W And because it's a wettable 
powder, it keeps working longer than emul-
sifiable concentrates... without their solvent 
odor. And DURSBAN 50W has an estab-
lished human safety record. Join the revolution. Throw over your old insecticide and switch to DURSBAN 
50W Eight 4-oz. water soluble packets in a 
childproof fiber 
container. 'Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company MEMOS 7 a.m. wasn't too early to get contractors out of bed when it meant a chance to share ideas at an informal "breakfast gathering at the recent Green Team Show in Orlando. It was standing room only as contractors selected the table designated by topic of their choiceŠselling new services, subcontracting, financing, liabilities, etc. "This is the best thing we've ever done," beamed Tom Garber, president of Colorado Landscape 
Enterprises. The table discussions were led by 
contractors listed in LAWN CARE INDUSTRY'S Million Dollar Mowers 
list. Breakfasts were held three days in a row. Turnout at this year's Green Team was the best to date: 450 conference attendees, 91 
exhibitors and 11,600 square feet 
of exhibit space. Last year: 287 conference attendees, 56 
exhibitors and 8100 square feet 
of space. Go Green Team. Reinhold Landscape, Inc.'s growth to the $10 million sales mark was chronicled in a recent 
issue of Crain's Detroit Business. The story of the firm's growth under owner/president Melanie Heinhold Sawka was featured in 
a special report on women-owned businesses. The company is 
based in Flat Hock, Mich. O.M. Scott & Son Co. recently completed the acquisition of Hyponex Corp.'s lawn and garden business for $111 million. Hyponex shareholders had previously approved the sale at $14 per share. Hyponex is a producer and marketer of consumer products 
that include organic soils for 
indoor and outdoor use, decorative mulches, plant care products and lawn fertilizers. Scotts markets to both consumer and professional users. LCI Used By Lawn Care Professionals BATA POLYBLEND BOOT Two-stage injection moulded, one-piece construction for complete waterproof protection. Constructed for environments where severe conditions require a high degree of chemical resistance. Features include: Ł Non-slip soles for safety Ł Pull-up and kick-off lugs for ease in entry and removal Ł Removable cushion insole allows hygienic cleansing of boot interior Ł footbed® insole available for added comfort and support Ł Steel safety toe in selected styles All steel toe items meet or exceed ANSI STANDARD Z41 Class 75 for impact and compression. BATA POLYBLEND BOOTS are specially formulated for a wide variety of applications. MEN 
Full sizes 16" Knee Boot 4-13. Full sizes 6" Work Boot 6-13. Black/Grey, Cleated Sole, Full Steel Shank Standard. WOMEN Full sizes 4-11. Black/Grey, Cleated Sole, Without Steel Shank. The jacket in the above photograph is the BATA TUFTEX 30 SERIES made of PVC/nylon/PVC material. It is lightweight and extremely tear and abrasion resistant with attached or snap on hood, raglan sleeves and storm fly front. Permeation test results are available upon request. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: 1-800-372-2282 BATA SHOE COMPANY, INC., INDUSTRIALS DIVISION Ł Belcamp, MD 21017 Circle No. 102 on Reader Inquiry Card L4WN GIRE INDUSTRY ELLIOT MARAS Editor JAMES E. GUYETTE Managing Editor ROBERT EARLEY Group Vice President KIM SESSER Production Manager CAROL LANDSTROM Production Supervisor BRYAN VOLLMAN Graphic Design JOAN SCHUMACHER Circulation Supervisor GAIL PARENTEAU Reader Service Manager THEODORE C. MATHEWS Promotion Director JOHN PRESSELLO Graphics Manager MARKETING/SALES Midwest Office: JON MIDUCKI (216) 243-8100 ext 422 FAX (216) 826-2832 National Sales Manager 7500 Old Oak Blvd. Cleveland, OH 44130 MARSHA DOVER GLORIA COSBY (216) 243-8100 FAX (216) 826-2832 Regional Sales Managers 7500 Old Oak Blvd. Cleveland, OH 44130 Southern Office: DICK GORE (404) 233-1817 FAX (404) 261-7022 455 E. Paces, Ferry Rd., Suite 324 Atlanta, GA 30305 Western Office: BOB MIEROW (206) 783-0549 FAX (206) 784-5545 1515 N.W. 51 Street Seattle, WA 98107 Classified DAWN NILSEN (218) 723-9349 1 E. First St., Duluth, MN 55802 Please send advertising materials to: LAWN CARE INDUSTRY 120 W. Second St. Duluth, MN 55802 218-723-9192 EDGELLCOMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATIONS ROBERT L. EDGELL, Chairman RICHARD MOELLER, President LARS FLADMARK, Executive V. Pres ARLAND HIRMAN, Vice Pres./Treasurer THOMAS GRENEY, Senior V. Pres. EZRA PINCUS, Senior Vice President JOE BILDERBACH, Vice President JAMES GHERNA, Vice President 
GEORGE GLENN, Vice President HARRY RAMALEY, Vice President LCI ADVISORY BOARD MARTY ERBAUGH RON KUJAWA Erbaugh Corp. KEI Enterprises Peninsula, OH Cudahy, Wl A. J. POWELL U. of Kentucky Lexington, KY JACK ROBERTSON Robertson Lawn Care Springfield, IL LAWN CARE INDUSTRY (ISSN 0160-6042) is published monthly by Edgell Communica-tions, Inc. Corporate and Editorial offices: 7500 Old Oak Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio 44130. Advertising Offices: 7500 Old Oak Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio 44130,111 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60601 and 3091 Maple Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30305. Accounting, Advertising Production and Cir-
culation offices: 1 East First Street, Duluth, Minnesota 55802. Subscription rates: $25 per year in the United States; $50 per year in Canada. All other countries: $100 per year. 
Single copies (pre-paid only): $2.50 in the U.S.; $5.00 in Canada; elsewhere $10.00; add $3.00 for shipping and handling per order. 
Office of publication: Edgell Communica-tions, Inc., 1 East First Street, Duluth, Min-nesota 55802. Second class postage paid at Duluth, Minnesota 55806. Copyright © 1989 by Edgell Communications, Inc. All rights re-served. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical includ-
ing photocopy, recording, or any information 
storage and retrieval system, without per-mission in writing from the publisher. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 
LAWN CARE INDUSTRY, P.O. Box 6200, 
Duluth, Minnesota 55806. \M> VBPA LAWN CARE INDUSTRY JANUARY 1989 mÊÈËÊÊÈÈËÈÈÊÊBÈÊBmmÊKÈKÊÊKÊM UPFRONT Safety tools for power equipment users One might logically assume that the people who apply the most chemicals are the most 
concerned about safety within the green industries. There are, after all, more regulations for chemical applicators than anyone else. A wrong assumption. The people who use outdoor power equipmentŠ landscapers and mowing/ management contractorsŠ 
are just as concerned about safety. The equipment is very dangerous if not used properly, which is why liability insurance for these 
firms is so expensive. What's been less available to these people than the chemical applications specialists, though, are the tools for training and education. Some training videos and manuals have been produced by independent consultants. And some by the California Landscape Contractors Association. But these 
efforts, in total, have been few. And not well 
communicated to the industry. That situation, fortunately, is changing. The Associated Landscape Contractors of America 
recently released its power equipment safety video seriesŠseven videos designed to teach proper equipment handlingŠwith workbooks. Twenty-four sets were sold when the series was introduced at the recent Green Team Show in 
Orlando. Some history: Six years ago, Carl McCord, president of 
Maintain, Inc. of Dallas, Tex., was unaware of any 
such tools, and this puzzled him. Outdoor power 
equipment is very dangerous 
if not properly handled and 
maintained. McCord took it upon himself to write scripts for video presentations designed to help reduce the number of accidents to power equipment operators. Video scripts in hand, he set out and began soliciting equipment manufacturers for 
support for his video productions. He thought support would be forthcoming, and was a bit 
dumbfounded when it was 
not. ALCA, with input from the CNA Insurance Co., eventually provided the 
support. McCord's experience underscores a feeling among some contractors that the power equipment manufacturers have been lax 
in providing training. Some contractors go as far as to say the manufacturers are more interested in their 
aftermarket business than worker safety. The truth of the matter is that the commercial mowing industry has been a less 
obvious market for these 
manufacturers than the much larger, institutional groundskeeping industry. But that is changing. Most of the large equipment manufacturers are starting to pay closer attention to the differences between the needs of the large, institutional ELLIOT MARAS EDITOR groundskeeper and the mowing/management contractor. Most large, in-house operations have a staff of trained mechanics, for one. The new ALCA videos provide a bird's eye view of what type of training the contractors think their employees should have. With the exception of the first video in the setŠ "SafetyŠEveryone's Concern"Šthe individual programs come with reference guides, and all have a program retention test. The programsŠabout two and a half hours of viewing altogetherŠcover safe 
operating procedures, the basics of operation, capabilities and maintenance, injury prevention, and 
accident prevention. The programs are: SafetyŠEveryone's Concern; Trim Mower; Mid Mower; Power Edger; Stringtrimmer/ Brushcutter; Power Hedgetrimmer; and Backpack Power Blower. They cost $65 apiece and $400 together for ALCA members; $95 and $600 for 
non-members. The videos 
can be ordered from ALCA at 
405 N. Washington St., No. 104, Falls Church, VA 22046. Phone: 703-241-4004. ^MMMMWMMrarara^B^HHU B rc^ , — turf performers. ŁFirst-rate disease and weed control demands a professional's touch. And here are the Turf Care products that have what it takes. Daconil 2787.® The cornerstone of a profes-sional spray program. Daconil 2787 is economical to use and the most effective, broadest-spectrum 
turf fungicide on the market. Controls 12 major turfgrass diseases. Available as a flowable or wettable powder formulation. Dacthal.® The preemergence herbicide that consistently delivers superior broad-spectrum 
control of crabgrass, spurge and 22 other tough annual grasses and broadleaf weeds. Available as a flowable or wettable powder formulation. Daconate® 6. The proven postemergent herbicide. Highly effective against pesky weeds 
such as crabgrass. (Sold as Bueno® 6 in western 
states only.) 2 Plus 2 (MCPP + 2,4-D Amine). As effective as it is economical against more than 20 hard-to-kill broadleaf weeds such as clover and dandelions. Contains no dicamba. Frigate® adjuvant. The only product specif-ically formulated to enhance the performance of Roundup* for control of perennial and annual weeds. For turf renovations and non-cropland use, too. When it comes to turf care, you'll see the difference in the professional's touch. Fermenta Plant Protection Company, 5966 Heisley Road, P.O. Box 8000, 
Mentor, OH 44061-8000. 'Roundup is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company. Always follow label directions carefully when using turf chemicals. CONVENTION REPORT Activist to LCOs: both sides must reason BY ELLIOT MARAS Editor NEW ORLEANSŠDon't ex-pect to see an end to the pesticide debate in our life-time, an environmental activ-ist told LCOs recently. But be aware that there are areas of 
agreement which the two sides 
can build upon. The "us versus them" men-tality can end if the reasonable people on both sides continue to talk. Reasonable dialogue it was when Pam Crocker-Davis, an environmental planner for 
Washington State's Depart-ment of Ecology, addressed LCOs at the Professional 
Lawn Care Association of America's conference in New Orleans. The purpose of her talk was to provide the activ-ist's perspective in the often-
emotional pesticide debate. Ms. Crocker Davis followed a presentation by Wendell Mullison, Ph.D., a consultant to the Dow Chemical Co., on the benefits of pesticides. While the format was de-signed to show both sides of the debate, it was the first time PLCAA hosted a speaker from the opposition at its annual convention. Ms. Crocker-Davis said both sides in the debate ste-reotype the other. While LCOs 
frequently accuse the activists 
of making unfair claims about lawn care, she related a story 
from her early days lobbying against aerial pesticide spray-
ing in Washington State. A logger testified at a public hearing that anyone who op-posed the spraying was a com-munist, pervert and dope 
dealer. When it was her turn to speak, Ms. Crocker-Davis af-firmed she was none of these, 
rather a Republican, a Texan 
and a bourbon drinker. "There's a great legacy of distrust on both sides," she said. "There will be many fail-ures before there will be few successes." Ms. Crocker-Davis listed the following principles of 
what she termed the pesticide reform movement: 1) The pesticide registra-tion system has failed. In many cases, adequate safety information does not existŠ only 10 percent of the pesti-
cides on the market have been fully tested. 2) Unlike smoking, expo-sure to the potential hazard is 
involuntary in the case of pes-ticides. 3) Pest management re-search is geared to chemical and not alternative methods. 
While pesticide use has in-creased ten-fold in the last de-
cade, annual crop damage 
from pests has remained at the same level. 4) Registration tests that do exist frequently are not met before products are put on the market. On the final point, she noted that only the active in-gredients, not the formula-tions, are subject to testing. In addition, there is no testing for synergistic effects when dif-
ferent ingredients are mixed. "We do not understand why there is anything proprie-
tary about health and safety information," she said, an-
swering an argument she has 
heard from chemical com-panies. A wide range of concerns exist within the pesticide re-form movement, Ms. Crocker-
Davis noted. Concerns about urban use differ from those about forest and farm use. Areas of agreement Some aspects that the two sides sometimes do agree on noted by Ms. Crocker-Davis were: 1) The need to eliminate unnecessary applications. 2) The need to show proof that successive applications, 
when done, are necessary. 3) Uniform notification systems. Challenge: EPA official Tom Adamczyk takes issue with some of Pam Crocker-Davis' statements in New Orleans. D1988 The O.M. Scott & Sons Company § * * 4 As youcans :m By the square inch, nobody gives you more for your money than O.M. Scott. That's because the particles of Scotts fertilizer-based pendimethalin are much finer, more con-sistently sized than typical competitive products. So you get a higher particle count per square inch for more complete, uniform coverage. And the more even release of pendimethalin means even more consistent control and fewer appli-cation breaks. Our own greenhouse and field testing, as well as independent university tests and five years of She offered her listeners the following tips on how to de-bate with pesticide reformers like herself: Ł Don't use the argument that pesticides are safe be-cause they're registered with the U.S. Environmental Pro-tection Agency. Ł Be aware that weak fed-eral laws will result in more state and local laws. Ł Realize that neither side is going to change the other's 
mind completely, so try to identify areas of agreement. Ł Realize that activists are anxious to support research 
for alternative pest manage-ment methods. (She noted that many are happy to see • We do require data on every formula and formulation sold'ŠAdamczyk some chemical companies in-vesting in this area.) Ł Respect citizen groups that choose to be responsible for non-chemical pest man-
agement programs. Ł Be willing to share health and safety information. Ł Don't assume that op-position to spraying is opposi-tion to technology. During the question and answer session, an EPA of-
ficial in the audience chal-lenged Ms. Crocker-Davis on the staff cuts she claimed have been made at the agency. Tom Adamczyk, chief of the fungicide and herbicide 
branch of the EPA's registra-tion division, said the agency's staff has swelled three-fold in the last 22 years. In addition, "We do require data on every formula as 
formulated and sold," he said. Ms. Crocker-Davis said her claim that the EPA staff has been cut under President Rea-gan was based on reports from the U.S. General Accounting Office. LCI LCOs say middle ground exists NEW ORLEANS Pam Crocker-Davis said a lot of things LCOs have been hear-ing about their industry for yearsŠthings they don't nor-mally like to hear. But she also told them there are reasonable people in the 
anti-pesticide camp that are willing to listen to the other side and try to meet them half way. People like herself. Several LCOs interviewed after her talk at the Profes-sional Lawn Care Association * » * « v - * » * 'I » « ee,we make e product practical, real life application confirm that pendi- a pre-emergent control program for your turf, methalin is unsurpassed for the number of weeds s We think it's time you started enjoying the it controls, the level of control and the duration of control. " > Call 1-800-543-0006 for more information. Or finer things in life. Pendimethalin Plus Fertilizer contact your Scott's Tech Rep for help designing Circle No. 123 on Reader Inquiry Card of America conference in New Orleans expressed hope that the two sides can find a middle ground. "I agree with a lot of her points," said Robert Magda, a vice president for Matawan, N.J.-based Lawn Doctor, Inc. "She happens to be one of the people we could agree with." He was glad she acknowledged there is some place for pesti-cides in modern society. "I've long believed in IPM (integrated pest manage-ment)," Magda added. "How do we find more like her to deal with? The people on the far left are impossible to deal with." "I think we're going to have to cooperate a little bit," said Bob McConnell, national sales manager for The Weed Man, Ltd., Ontario, Canada. "I think she had some justi-fied points," said Neal De-Angelo, president of Lawn Specialties, Hazleton, Pa. He said activists like Crocker-Davis help keep the industry honest. "It never hurts to have 
a watchdog, to keep everyone on their toes." "Excellent," said Tim Dop-pel, president of Atwood Law-ncare, Inc., Sterling Heights, Mich. "She was going to re-
spect (the fact) that some of our views she won't change and certain of her views we won't, and she could accept 
that." "She's right," said Don Shope, general manager for Davey Tree Expert Co.'s resi-dential and commercial ser-vices, "It's better to talk than to fight. I think it's a begin-ning. We should be talking to the environmentalists. We're as concerned about the envi-
ronment as they are." "She's as moderate as envi-ronmentalists go," said Jay McNalis, manager of Turftreet Lawn Service, Crys-
tal Lake, 111. "I think her ap-proach is likely to be the approach that all environ-
mentalist groups are going to be taking. We're starting to see that more and more." Rick White, vice president of ServiceMaster Lawn Care, 
Wheaton, 111., also welcomed Ms. Crocker-Davis' pliable at-titude. However, he wondered about the cost of the alter-
native pest management methods she advocated. The issue will have to be raised at some point, White 
said, since the altnernative 
methods tend to be more ex-pensive. LCI White: Questions remain. CONVENTION REPORT Contracts with clients aid sales efforts, collections BY JAMES E. GUYETTE Managing Editor Having lawn care cus-tomers sign contracts can clarify their service expectations and aid your col-lection efforts, according to J. Martin Erbaugh, president of Lawnmark Division/Erbaugh 
Corp. in Peninsula, Ohio. A law in New York requires such contracts, and Erbaugh predicts that additional legis-latures will follow the Empire State's lead. "We'll be ahead of the game here in Ohio and other states," 
he says. The contract program was started last year for new cus-tomers. Existing clients do not have to sign the pacts. In the next three to five years Erbaugh expects that 75 to 80 percent of his customers 
will be under contract. He began thinking about offering contracts three years 
ago as a means to tighten up 
the company's sales efforts. "We were looking at ways of disciplining our sales force," he says. "We had people who were promising the moon." With the contracts, "wild-eyed promises" can't be made because the sales people "have to articulate" the points of the agreement in order to close the deal. Erbaugh says this pro-cedure results in better cus-tomers. "They enter the relationship as a more in-
formed consumer." The contract also elimi-nates spending money on 
commissions and administra-tive procedures to set up a cli-ent who really doesn't want the service. In the past, a sales person might think a potential cus-tomer was agreeing to buy, 
when in reality that home-owner was just pondering the proposal. "A 'maybe' was 
taken as a 'definite,'" Erbaugh recalls. Nowadays the applications don't begin until a signed con-tract is in hand, even if the customer agrees over the phone to buy. "The process of converting Verbals' to signed 
contracts takes a little time," 
Erbaugh says, but he thinks "Be a partner" vith Special Olympians A Special Program with Special Rewards Under a bright winter sun, an icy breeze brings roses to cheeks as skiers move along a trail, some smoothly, others struggling. It could be any cross-
country skiing event. But soon differences appear. As the athletes cross the finish line, they are greeted with cheers of encouragement and congratulationsŠand hugs for every skier. The contest is a winter event of the Special Olympics, patterned on the. tra-
ditional Olympic games and conducted for athletes of all ages who have mental 
retardation. And while their movements may not be those of polished athletes, there is no mistaking the intensity of their effort, or the joy of their achieve-ment, wherever they finish. Dow and Industry to Sponsor. In 1989, Dow and the lawn care indus-try, through PLCAA and state asso-ciations, are Official Bronze Medal 
sponsors of the International Winter 
Special Olympics Games, by contributing more than $100,000. To be held in April 1989 at Lake T&hoe, the games will attract more than 1400 athletes from around the world. Events will 
include Alpine and Nordic skiing, speed skating, figure skating and floor hockey. Special Olympics: a Special Program. The Special Olympics pro-gram, founded in the 1960s, is run by more than 600,000 volunteers. It provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for more than one 
million people with mental retardation. For many of these participants, the program is their only opportunity 
to take part in activities which most 
of us take for granted. To say that Special Olympics are a bright spot in their lives is an understatement. Special Volunteers. All types of volunteer helpers, from coaches and managers to trainers to fund raisers, pitch in to keep the program going. One unique group of volunteers are the "huggers." They see to it that all 
participants at every event get warm personal recognitionŠregardless of where they finish. Competition is intense, If you'd like to be a hugger, or help some other way, contact your nearest Special Olympics office. Or see your 
Dow rep for lists of Special Olympics 
officials in your state, and ways you 
can support the year-round program 
in your area. The Partnership makes it possi-ble. Dow's contribution, in the name of the lawn care industry, is made possi-ble by a program called The Partnership, Dow's commitment to you. The Partnership brings together all the things Dow offers you. It includes 
not only the products you use, but 
many other pluses: industry-leading 
research and development, training 
for your technicians, business manage-
ment seminars, legislative lobbying and assistance at national, state 
and local levels, and industry-wide public relations programs. Dow's underwriting of indus-try support for the 1989 Inter-; j j national Winter Special ¿4 Olympics is one way of encouraging others > to become involved in worthwhile local activities. it's worth it. "There are less arguements and things where (a discussion revolves around) 'you-said-this-and-you-said-that,'" Er-baugh reports. The contract helps weed out "price shoppers" and "fringe homeowners." Because the contract spec-ifies that it will be renewed 
each year, it helps neutralize "quick cancels," the people who accept a spring treatment and then claim that they never 
ordered the application. "It's a small percentage, but an irritating one," Erbaugh explains. "We have better grounding from a collection 
standpoint." However, he says that if a customer balks at the contract terms, "we walk away from it." Erbaugh described his con-tracts while in New Orleans at 
the national convention of the Professional Lawn Care Asso-ciation of America. A delegate in the audience questioned the wisdom of having a contract if you're not going to enforce it. "The truth is," answers Er-baugh, "it doesn't make sense to spend $100 to collect $30Š 
even if you have a contract." Collection efforts are sus-pended if they start to gener-ate "ill will," but just having the contract in the first place seems to make for a smoother operation. "We'll tend to stabilize the customer base with knowl-edgeable consumers." Already the fall cancella-tion rate of new customers has 
been cut in half, Erbaugh 
points out. Existing customers are sent letters explaining the con-tracts, but they are told they don't have to sign one since 
they are already a valued cli-ent. Erbaugh says it's more im-portant to establish a correct relationship with new custom-
ers in the very beginning, 
rather than worry about cur-
rent clients. The Lawnmark contract includes a number of sections: Ł Services Provided Ł Timing of Treatments Ł Payment Terms Ł Guarantee 
Ł Service Calls/Service Continuity Ł Other Services Ł Continuing Service LCI Erbaugh: Inform the client. the Reader Service numbers of those items of interest to you. CONVENTION REPORT Proper cultural practices vital to weed control BY ELLIOT MARAS Editor TAMPAŠTo control weeds on home lawns, the LCO can fight only half the battle him-self. He needs the customer's support to get the job done right. The LCO may have com-plete control over the fertiliza-tion and herbicide applica-tions. But mowing and watering, which are just as im-
portant, are the customer's re-sponsibilities. LCOs must therefore edu-cate their customers about cultural practices. Proper cultural, agronomic and application practices in weed control were explained 
by Brian Combs, president of Vero Beach, Fla.-based Hor-ticultural Management, Inc., at the Florida Turfgrass Asso-
ciation's annual conference in 
Tampa. "It's our responsiblity to encourage good cultural prac-tices," Combs says. Pertaining 
to Florida, where bahiagrass and St. Augustine grass are the predominant turfgrasses, "The biggest problem with homeowners is they mow too close." This decreases the turfs carbohydrate synthesis and storage, causing more 
stress on the grass. Bahiagrass, for example, should be cut at a height of three inches, Combs says. Re-moving more than a third of the leaf is detrimental. Overwatering and under-watering will also encourage weeds, he says. LCOs should tell their cus-tomers what weeds they will control, and should be careful 
not to promise more than they 
can deliver. Combs notes that competition is currently pres-suring many LCOs to exagger-ate their capabilities. "Don't be afraid to point out to the client the condition of the sod which they've bought," Combs says, noting 
there is lots of cheap sod being sold. "Starting with high qual-ity sod is the first step, but it's 
one step we have no control over and many times the cus-
tomer has no control over." Agronomic practices Weed identification is the basis of the LCO's agronomic program in controlling weeds after they appear. Once the weed is identified, the LCO can determine the 
best time to apply a post-
emergent herbicide. An an-
nual weed is hardest to control toward the end of its lifecyle. Weeds have one of three types of lifecycles: annuals, 
which live one year; perenni-als, which live from year to year; and biennuals, which live two years. The growth rate of the weed should also be considered, says 
Combs. Weeds that are se-verely drought-stressed or cold-stressed will have a diffi-
cult time picking up the her-bicide. Another factor is the mor-phology, or structure, of the weed. A thick, waxy weed will have a harder time picking up a herbicide than one with a thin, dry surface. And weeds with vertical leaves are harder to get good droplet coverage on 
than those with horizontal ones. Product selection The product label lists what weeds the herbicide will con-
trol. What it may not list, how-ever, is whether the herbicide is foliar or root absorbed, and whether it can be tank-mixed 
with other products. The label will usually say what effect it 
will have on ornamentals on 
the landscape. LCOs should consult with their suppliers for this type of information if it is not on the 
label. "For many of us, a good weed control program only comes after years of trial and error," Combs says. Application methodology is also crucial. Combs says flat, 
fan-type nozzles will always 
give better coverage. "Misapplication of mate-rial is probably the main rea-
son for most failures and most 
injuries (to turf)," he says. Proper sprayer calibration will insure proper application rate. All technicians and 
sprayers must be calibrated in-
dividually. The smaller the droplet, the better the coverage. "One of the main factors in getting good coverage is droplet size," he says. Large droplets tend to 
fall off of leaf surfaces. Turning the sprayer on and off a lot will affect the calibra-tion, Combs says. This often occurs when a technician con-fronts a lot of obstacles in a yard. Herbicides should be ap-plied with 20 to 40 gallons of water per acre. LCI Questions about Pesticides? Call 1-800-858-7378 National Pesticide Telecommunications Network A long dry spell. Sure, a camel can survive it. But few herbicides can. And 
one of the best is Surflan. Many other preemergence herbi-cides begin to lose activity in only seven 
days, which means more callbacks. And more expensive reapplications. Certainly nothing to trust your good reputation to. But Surflaris a lot more depend-able due to its unique physical proper-
ties. It's more stable, so it can hold out many days for water. Yet it stays put, even during heavy rainfall. Once activated, Surflan forms a zone of protection that keeps out crab-grass and goosegrass as long as 20 weeks. And more effectively than any other product you could use. This time, put down the herbicide that waits as long as the camel for water. Surflan. See your Elanco distributor. Or 
call toll-free: 1-800-352-6776. Elanco Products Company A Division of Eli Lilly and Company Lilly Corporate Center Dept. E-455, Indianapolis, IN 46285, U.S.A. IpUAA-) Surflan®Š(oryzalin, Elanco) Few things can wait as long as Surflan8 for water. 12 CONVENTION REPORT I LAWN CARE INDUSTRY JANUARY 1989 CONVENTION REPORT Contractors hear clients on value of a landscape BY ELLIOT MARAS Editor ORLANDO Š Landscape maintenance contractors who want to impress commercial property owers and managers should dress for the occasion. And never promise more than 
they can deliver. And always 
be available for questions when they arise. That was just some of the inside dope that was available 
at the recent Green Team con-
ference in Orlando. Attendees were privy to the aspirations and pet peeves of commercial property owners, managers and developers at a session on 
how clients view the value of a landscape. The Green Team Con-ference and Trade Show is co-
sponsored by the Associated Landscape Contractors of America's landscape manage-ment and exterior contracting 
divisions and the Professional Grounds Management Soci-ety. A series of questions were posed to a panel which in-cluded Mili Boreham, vice president of Meliant Corp. of Nevada, a property owner; Tony Kaskey, vice president of property management for Picerne Development Corp., Winter Park, Fia., a developer; and Don Ellis, vice president of Fern Creek Properties, Inc., Orlando, a property manager. Dave Minor, president of Minor's Lawn Care, Ft. Worth, Tex., moderated. Questions and answers, para-phrased, are as follows: Ł What is the most effec-tive way to get on the bid list for a maintenance con-
tract? ELLIS: There is no set way. I look for whether or not a ven-dor is dressed for the occasion. He breaks down a lot of the barrier that is separated by the desk. Do dress for the occa-sion. In trying to establish 
rapport, be low key. Don't try 
high pressure tactics. BOREHAM: If you send something in the mail, make sure it looks professional. It 
makes me mad when our com-pany name is not spelled cor-rectly, or when the piece is not addressed to the right person. 
When I get something that looks professional I take a 
close look at it. KASKEY: I once got a very professional package that in-cluded pictures of the worst looking areas of one of our properties which they said they could do better. They took the time to look at the property and take photos. Boy, that's effective. ELLIS: I've gotten pack-ages like that too. It is effec-tive, but they shouldn't be too critical. And it won't work in all situations. Another thing you can do is call and offer to take me out to a job you've done that you're proud of. The chances are nine out of 10 that I'm going to say yes. Ł How well do you know what landscape work is and isn't good? KASKEY: There is a wide range of knowledge among property managers. You as a contractor should ask the manager how much he or she 
knows about landscape work. Ł How can a contractor get credibility during the sales presentation? BOREHAM: It's impor-tant that you get to the bottom line, meaning: Can you get the job done? It is irritating to hear a lot of promises. KASKEY: One thing I do is I go out and look at my compe-tition's sites and take bids from their contractors. Ł Do you ever bypass specifications in examin-ing bids and go right to the price? ELLIS: From a property manager's perspective, I must 
recognize how landscaping fits into the management of a property. Sometimes price is the most important item. But there are a number of jobs 
where it didn't go to the low 
bidder. Landscaping costs are very disproportionate on some properties. The landscaping is one of the first things that a prospective tenant sees. I have cut other budgets to put more into landscaping. KASKEY: I don't always take the lowest bid. We try to look at what gives us the most 
for our money. Ł How do you determine how large landscaping 
should be in the budget? ELLIS: The common de-nominator is square feet of building area. Ł If you as owner or manager don't provide specifications, is it best for the contractor to go in with a total care package 
or go in with a basic pro-posal and say we can pro-vide more? BOREHAM: Most prop-erty owners will prefer a full service maintenance contract. ELLIS: There's nothing wrong with asking a prospec-
tive client what type of pro-posal he wants. With N-SURE, more nitrogen stays on the lawn for better greenup. That's because N-SURE's patented technology delivers controlled release nitrogen and less urea. It does not volatilize like urea, so it stays right where you put it instead of dispersing into thin air. N-SURE provides easier application with less 
water, less waste and less downtime, because it is clear MORE GREEN. LESS BURN. EASIER APPLICATION, TOO: ONLY N-SURE GIVES YOU ALL THIS. LAWN CARE INDUSTRY JANUARY 1989 13 iiiiiiiiiiiiMiiii iiiiiii mm 'mmmmm^^^^^mi^mm^m^ mnnm C-Geigy bolsters turf group GREENSBORO, N.C. Ciba-Geigy Corp.'s Turf & Orna-mental Products Department has doubled its staff to manage 
an expanded product line. "The added personnel will provide increased support for customer needs," says Bill Liles, department director, in announcing the expansion. "It reflects our company's com-
mitment to service." Owen Towne becomes product manager for the turf fungicides, including Subdue, 
Banner and Pace. The latter is 
a new product which was ex-pected to be labeled late in 1988. He was previously re-
sponsible for market research. Doug Houseworth, Ph.D., technical support manager, adds two technical support representatives to his staff. Marcus Juby, Ph.D., Blue Springs, Mo., will coordinate development and product sup-port services with customers and university and indepen-
dent researchers in states east 
of the Mississippi River. Jeff Kollenkark, Ph.D., Clovis, 
Calif., will do the same for the western states. The company's staff of field marketing representatives in-creases from seven to 12. Ron Johnson was promoted to na-
tional accounts manager, and new employees include Mike Daly, Mark Jirak, Jimmy Johnson, Ray Lea, Russ Nielsen, Ken Russell, and 
Gregg Schaner. LCI often he'd like them to call. I just want to know that he's available. Ł How do you prioritize price, service and quality? ELLIS: First quality, then service, then price. BOREHAM: Same for me. KASKEY: I agree, but a lot of the time I can't afford what I want. Ł If you could offer one piece of advice, what would it be? BOREHAM: Be sure that you can offer the service you have contracted for. Too many times, the answer is an excuse when a problem is pointed out. ELLIS: I would also em-phasize you must be honest, ethical and sincere. KASKEY: Don't make a promise you can't keep. Ł Do you become of-fended if someone asks you 
what your monthly budget is? ELLIS: It isn't offensive, but there are times when the client won't answer. Ł How often do you go out to vendors' sites and 
see how well they are orga-nized? BOREHAM: We do get in-vited out to see a lot of our 
vendors. It is important. LCI Ł What are the most im-portant areas of service to you? ELLIS: The contractor must be available when the cli-
ent has a problem. There's nothing more frustrating than 
getting an answering machine 
and not a warm friendly voice. Ł What are your pet pee-ves in dealing with con-tractors? ELLIS: Crack weeds are my number one peeve. BOREHAM: Work that is left undone. KASKEY: I want someone who's available. Never say "tomorrow" unless you're going to be there. I also want someone who gives me input, Firing line: Fielding questions from mowing/management contractors at the Green Team Show are: Don Ellis (left), a property manager; Mili Boreham, a property owner; and Tony Kaskey, a developer. tells me what's wrong with the 
property and suggests some solutions. Ł How often do you want to be contacted during the 
course of the contract? KASKEY: I like a detailed weekly report, including site plans with notations and sug-gestions. BOREHAM: I also want a detailed report. I get very irri-tated when it's us that advises the contractor. ELLIS: Once a week is good. And remember, the property manager wants to deal with the highest level manager that he can. KASKEY: The contractor should ask the owner how and clean: easy to store and handle. N-SURE delivers more satisfied customers with fewer callbacks. N-SURE really is a sure thing. Its your surest way to a greener bottom line. For more information about N-SURE, write or call Triazone Corporation, One Gatehall Drive, Parsippany, New Jersey, 07054. 1-800-524-0135. 14 ! ; SS :.:»,: it : a CONVENTION DEPODT LAWN CARE INDUSTRY JANUARY 1989 Id entifying I I variabl fVio lanrlopano PViricfi' es ii art cove 1 n estimating landscape costs When your livelihood depends on your equipment, you can depend on Maruyama. Whether pest control, landscape maintenance, nursery or greenhouse operating, produce growing or farming, you can count on Maruyama equipment for durability, quality and performance. A Complete Line of Equipment: Ł Sprayers Š Manually or gas engine oper-ated; backpack, cart, or frame mounted. Ł Brushcutters Š 5 models to choose from Š 18.4cc to 40.2cc Š low vibration, lightweight. Ł Trimmers Š Dual reciprocating blades 15.9cc or 24.1cc Mitsubishi drives, clean cuts. Ł Water Pumps Š Three models, 32gpm to 132gpm for irrigation or moving murky water. Ł Mist Dusters Š Handles liquid spray, dust, or granules. Ł Granule Spreader Š 18 ft. range, dry chemical or seed, with tank agitator to bust up clumps. Ł Blowers Š Powerful air blast makes cleanup jobs easy. Ł Soil Injectors Š For precise injection of chemicals. Ł And much more. Choose an International Leader. Maruyama Š producing the very best since 1895. U.S. Office: Maruyama U.S. Inc. 15436 NE 95th St. Redmond, WA 98052 (206) 885-0811 Head Office: Maruyama Mfg. Co. Inc. 4-15 Uchi-Kanda 3 Chome 
Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo 101, Japan Q MARUYAMA The very best. Analyzing costs: Phil Christian explains the property site analysis report on the overhead projector in his talk before contractors in Nashville. He passed out copies of his property analysis report and the job card he uses. BY ELLIOT MARAS Editor NASHVILLE, TENN. You don't need to have seven years experience as an estimator to accurately determine land-
scape maintenance costs. All it takes is a proven method. Phil Christian should know. As chief of ChemLawn Services Corp.'s maintenance division in the 1970s, he helped novice estimators ac-
curately identify job costs in a 
few weeks' time. To estimate accurately, one needs the known quantitiesŠ such as the area to be mowed, the equipment and manpower. The production factorŠhow 
long it takes to get the job 
doneŠcan be adjusted to pro-tect the accuracy of the cost estimate. Christian, presently a con-sultant to lawn care and land-
scape management firms, 
shared his insights on estima-ting landscape costs at the re-cent Landscape Exposition in Nashville. The first step is to measure the amount of turf. Measuring the landscape The objective of measuring the landscape, Christian says, is to determine four basic 
quantities: 1) area of turf; 2) 
linear feet of edging; 3) area to be pruned; 4) area of shrub 
beds or mulch area. A useful tool Christian de-vised is the Property Analysis Report. One category, Other Grass Area, is for turf that could be maintained with a weedeater, bush hog or some special mow-ing equipment. Another, the square footage of tree mulch, is arrived at by 
multiplying the number of trees by an average size of 28 square feet. Large, bare spots are in-cluded in the area measured, but specially noted on the Property Analysis Report. Areas that cannot be mowed with a 36-inch or 
larger front deck mower must be noted as "push mower" areas. "We differentiate only the areas for which we use push mowers," Christian says. Such areas are usually areas where access is limited or re-stricted. Some areas might be too narrow for the 36-inch mower to pass without dis-turbing the beds on both sides. In measuring, "You've got "You estimate every activ-ity as if it were done by itself," Christian says. "You estimate every job as if it were next door to the shop." After the costs are estimated, travel time is 
added in. Making adjustments The estimator can change the production factor to com-pensate for expected condi-tions that differ from previous conditions. For example, suppose turf to be mowed with a 20-inch push mower is on unusually steep slopes, or is divided into small areas. The previous pro-duction rate of 10,000 square feet per hour can be lowered to 7,500 square feet per hour to compensate for increased dif-ficulty. Manpower costs Manpower costs will de-pend on the hourly wage employees are paid. Christian says it is especially useful to keep a daily time sheet for 
each employee. In addition, a job card for each job noting the hours spent on each activity, by date, will enable the supervisor to monitor progress. "Any fluctuation in a natu-ral flow should alert you, as a red flag," he says. If, for example, weed con-trol consumes an extra half an hour than it did the previous time that job was performed, the technician may be over-spraying. LCI We are. 'You've got to learn to trust your eye. Our eyes are so much more accurate than most of us believe.9ŠChristian to learn to trust your eye," Christian says. "Our eyes are so much more accurate than 
most of us believe." The eye can even determine the average length of an irreg-
ular landscape, he says. "Every single quantity of the landscape can be averaged with the eye." He recalls that people just estimating for a few days were surprised to find out how accu-rate their measurements were. Christian notes the follow-ing special turf areas to be 
marked on the report: 1) Rough cut areas, or areas to be bush hogged several 
times per year. 2) Steep slopes or banks that cannot be mowed safely 
with a push mower. 3) Large open areas or ath-letic fields that may require special equipment or special 
frequency. 4) Wet or swampy areas. Once all the special areas are noted, the next step is to measure the total square 
footage to be edged. This in-cludes sidewalks, back curbs, areas around flat slabs, and 
any other joint between the turf and a hardscape. Next, measure all the can-opy area of the trees and 
shrubs to be pruned. "We've got to know the number of trees on the landscape, exclud-ing the mature, native trees" which nothing is done with, Christian says. Finally, measure the areas of the shrub bedsŠthe areas that should be mulched. Production factors The production rateŠhow long it takes the crew to do a particular jobŠis based on 
past experience and produc-tion tests. You never know how long the given job will take to per-form, Christian says, but you 
do know the average length of time it will take. He points out the signifi-cance of the Law of Compen-sating Error in estimating production time. When you 
perform the same activity over the same area using the same 
equipment, the number of times you finish early will equal the times you finish late over a long period of time. "TURFLON is more effective on the broadleaves that the competition is missing."-Russ Frith, president Lawn Doctor, 
Matawan, NJ If "easy" weeds were the only ones cropping up in customers' lawns, 2,4-D would handle the job. But that's not the case. You need a tough product to keep 
tough weeds down. Maybe that's why you should move 
up to TURFLON* herbicide. The real problem with lawn care. "Weed control is the most im-portant problem," explains Russ Frith. And as president of one of the nation's most successful lawn care franchisers, he ought 
to know. In explaining how TURFLON has worked for Lawn Doctor, Russ says, "It does a better job on the tough to con-trol weeds." Prove it for yourself. How do franchisers who use it justify broadcast spraying TURFLON at about $9.50 per acre? "Reduced callbacks," Russ says. He adds that inde-pendent Lawn Doctor operators select their own products. Most are skeptical of TURFLON until they prove for themselves that it does a better job of control-ling tough weeds. "Many who use it full service started with spot (spraying)." Finally Russ says one word describes the experience Lawn Doctor franchises have had us-
ing TURFLON: "Excellent." Isn't it time you moved up to a better herbicide for better weed 
control? Call us to find out more. 1-800-3 73-4DOW (4369). Move up to TURFLON 'Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company Circle No. 106 on Reader Inquiry Card 8004 16 Ł TODAY'S TURF Ways of optimizing turf in shaded areas BY A. DOUGLAS BREDE Trees challenge the best of LCOs, who, when ap-plying certain her-bicides through the hose, are constantly looking up and 
down in attempts to avoid 
driplines. But trees are an important component of nearly every landscape. Lawns without trees and shrubs lack character. Furthermore, trees provide beneficial shade cool-ing to houses and their sur-roundings. By understanding turf growth in shade, it is possible to optimize the growth of law-ngrasses in shade and peace-
fully coexist with trees. "Turfgrasses really don't do well in shade," wrote agron-omist Stephen Cockerham in 
Wester Landscaping News. "The most obvious problem with shade is the fact that 
there isn't enough lightŠthat not being a particularly il-
luminating conclusion." Reduced light affects nearly every facet of grass growth. Particularly hard hit are 
southern grasses, which have evolved under high light in-tensities. Sunlight fuels growth in plants. With reduced light comes reduced carbohydrate 
levels. As with human beings, 
carbohydrates give plants the 
energy to grow, develop, and resist stress. Plants respond to reduced light with: Ł Reduced root systemsŠ which means less resistance to drought. Ł Thinner cuticlesŠcuti-cles are the wax-like covering of grass leaves that help fend 
off diseases. Ł Poorly developed vas-cular systemsŠthis translates to an inoreased tendency to wilt. Ł Increased succulenceŠ this makes plants more sus-ceptible to wear, drought, and temperature stress, and to at-
tack from insects and diseases. Ł Weak, stemmy, upright growth. Competition of tree roots with grass roots can be in-tense. Most people visualize 
tree roots as branches extend-ing downward. But in fact, most active tree roots occur in the same soil profile as grass roots. Trees go head-to-head with grasses in exploring the soil for water and nutrients. Know It and Grow It au-thor, Carl Whitcomb, Ph.D., has seen many a stately shade tree killed when the turf be-neath it was rototilled. This 
illustrates that tree roots are 
right thereŠ intertwined with 
grass roots, competing with them for essential elements. Trees restrict air move-ment around turf. Restricted 
air movement leads to a buildup of humidity, dew, and disease. Allelopathy may also play a role in tree-turf interaction. Whitcomb has long speculated that tree roots excrete al-lelopathic chemicals that are toxic to the growth of grasses. Whitcomb's doctoral thesis was done on tree root competi-
tion with turfgrasses. Evi-dently the trees won, as Whitcomb later became a noted nursery/ornamental specialist. Turf shade research There are several solutions available to the turf manager 
in coping with shade. "Obviously, the first step to turf shade culture is to make every effort to reduce the prob-
lem by pruning, thinning, and 
removal of excess trees and shrubs," writes Cockerham. Golf course superinten-dents are well acquainted with tree trimming as a means to increase air drainaqe. LCOs 
don't always have the option 
of pruning to minimize shade problems, though. Other op-tions are needed. Scotts, the lawn fertilizer people, recommend increasing the "feeding rates for a shaded lawn ... to compensate for the needs of the tree and grass." Conversely, Cockerham recommends that "shaded turf 
areas should receive much less fertilizer than the sunny areas. This helps to inhibit the devel -opment of succulent tissue which is more prone to injury from disease and wear." Much of what we know about management of turf in shade is based upon observa-tion and not on controlled ex-
perimentation. To the rescue is Rutger's Bob Duell, Ph.D., 
and other scientists, who are performing controlled experi-ments on the effects of shade, 
and, more importantly, what we can do to combat these ef-fects. Duell and his graduate as-sistants set up an experiment to compare the performance of turfgrass under natural chestnut shade, under ar-
tificial shade cloth, and under 
unshaded, full sun conditions. "We measured the light be-neath the trees with two kinds 
of meters," says Duell, "and we had 65 percent reduction in solar energy from the trees." Duell tested two types of plastic shade cloth for its ef-fect in creating artificial shade. Duell's artificial shade treatments would be analo-gous to the shade produced from buildings and other in-
animate objects. "The two plastic meshes we tested excluded 92 and 76 per-cent of the solar energy. Under the artificial shade, of course, the only stress was the reduc-
tion of solar energy. Under the 
trees, there was the additional stress of moisture and nutri-Luxury turf: Kentucky bluegrass' sod-forming, rhizomatous habit helps fill in bare spots. ents. We tried to maintain the plots so that these other stresses were not a significant factor." With approximately equal management levels in the sun 
and shade treatments, Duell 
got differing responses of the 
grass. "In full sunlight, we did get moisture stresses that browned the grass off. In the tree shade, in spite of occas-sional irrigation, the turf 
didn't look so well either. But under the 76 percent solar en-ergy exclusion cloth, the turf really looked nice. Under the 92 percent exclusion, the turf looked really spindly, but it did survive." Turf under the 76 percent light exclusion was soft, uni-
form, somewhat long bladed, 
and only a slight bit on the thin side. "To look at it, it was really nice turf," says Duell, "even across all six species that we tested." Hard and chewings fescues performed best in Duell's tri-als, followed closely by tall fes-
cue. Even the ryegrasses looked good, which was a sur-prise to Duell, since perennial ryegrass is not known for its 
shade tolerance. Performance of Kentucky bluegrass was mixed, depen-dent upon cultivar. Kentucky bluegrass cultivars noted for their shade tolerance from other trials also did well in Du-
ell's trials. Duell also wanted to see if chemical treatments react dif-ferently in sun and shade. He 
hypothesized that grass might be more susceptible to chemi-cal damageŠspecifically plant growth regulator phytotox-
icityŠwhen it was under the stress of shade. "In fact," says Duell, "re-sults were quite the reverse. The shading did not increase the intensity of phytotoxicity of the PGR. We got more phy-totoxicity (browning) in full sun than in either intensity of shade." Establishing turf in shade Have you ever noticed that turf seems to take more water, more tending, and more time to get established in the shade than in sun? Research has shown this to be true. If you're planting turf into an area with existing trees, the tree roots are in place and well situated for sucking most of the irrigation water away from 
the young grass seedlings. Grass seedlings depend highly on light to power their matu-
rationŠwith less light comes slower establishment. Duell has observed this phenomenon firsthand on the Rutgers University campus. "On campus, the grounds maintenance people have been trying every year since I've 
been there to reestablish a grass cover under the red oaks. 
Each spring they'd seed, get a showing of green for gradua-tion, and then during mid-summer stress all the seedlings would die back. "We were making no pro-gress in spite of substituting 
lime and fertilizer in place of sunlight. It just didn't work." Finally, after years of prod-ding by Duell, the mainte-nance crew began seeding in the fall. By seeding in fall, the grass seedlings could become 
established while the leaves were off the deciduous trees. "There's one essential proviso, though, that they don't let the leaves accumulate under the trees during grass establishment. With their leaf blowers and vacuums, there isn't the detrimental effects on the seedlings as with other re-moval methods." Karl Danneburger, Ph.D., turf professor at Ohio State University, has also noticed a long establishment period for shade-planted grasses. Ohio State has had a long history of shade research, owing in part to a grove of large deciduous trees just adjacent to its turf research plots. "We seeded some large shade areas to turf," says Dan-
neburger, "and we waited and waited and watered. It's just my observation, but it just 
seems longer to establish grasses in the shade." "Shade cultivars" have got-ten their reputation in part from their rapid establish-ment under shady conditions. Varieties like Glade, Eclipse, Summit, Ram I, Freedom, and Huntsville perform well in the 
shade because they establish 
rapidlyŠthey utilize what 
limited light is available to the highest efficiency. A1 Dudeck, Ph.D., and Charles Peacock, Ph.D., in a technical article on shade, summed it up best: "Adapta-tion to shade ... is probably a combination of inherent prop-erties and light induced mor-phological changes." In layman's terms, certain varieties grow in shade better than others because they are efficient in light utilization and can adapt their plant form to the changing environment. Powdery mildew Many scientists believe that the main limiting factor of long-term success of a grass variety in shade is its resis-
tance to powdery mildew. Powdery mildew is a highly parasitic disease that is sel-dom seen in full sun. It may be the need for reduced light, the higher occurrence of leaf moisture, or some other un-known factor that promotes 
development of this fungus in shade. Long term survival of Ken-tucky bluegrass in shade is di-rectly dependent upon the cultivar's level of powdery 
mildew resistance. "Even in moderate shade, powdery mildew really knocks out certain Kentucky blue-grasses," says Danneburger. "If you're maintaining a high quality lawn, bluegrass vari-
eties resistant to powdery mildew and melting out are es-sential. Some cultivars can be 
resistant to melting out in full sun, but you put them in the shade and they're not." Danneburger advises turf managers to carefully select varieties for shade which have improved disease resistance. Unlike Duell's research, Danneburger finds that peren-nial ryegrass performs poorly 
in shade. "The ryegrasses look 
good when you first establish them, but they get blotchy and die out in areas. I don't think 
ryegrass is an option for shade right now," says Danneburger. Cultural solutions Pruning is not the only op-tion in combatting shade troubles. Careful cultivar and species selection is para-mount. But other things can be done to help shaded turf en-dure. Ł WateringŠDuring es-tablishment of turf in shade, the seedbed will need suffi-cient water, applied in many 
light applications. Seedlings planted in shade may take two 
to three weeks longer to emerge than in full sun. Don't stop irrigating pre-maturely because you haven't yet seen green fuzz. After emergence, be sure to watch seedling turf for signs of dry-
ing outŠ moisture stress strikes fast in shade. When turf is mature, mini-mize watering practices that leave the grass blades wet for 
long periods of time; this will 
help cut down on shade dis-See SHADE Page 32 J f .:«> J" * * f About the Author A.D. "Doug" Brede, Ph.D., is research director for Jacklin Seed Co., Post Falls, Idaho. "Our resprays have decreased by almost 50%r-Jim Gourley, owner Lawn Masters, Kenosha, W1 If you're like most LCOs using standard three-way herbicides, there are days when you wish the phone wouldn't ring again. Callbacks and cancellations 
can really get you down. Well, maybe it's time you moved up 
to TURFLON* herbicide. One good reason to switch. "We switched to TURFLON be-cause we were having too many resprays," explains Jim Gourley. And after 22 years in the busi-ness, he's happy with the results: "Our records show that we do have much better weed control 
and many fewer resprays this year than we've ever had." You'll save money in the long run. "Yes, we pay more for TURFLON," Jim says. "But when 1 figure how much it costs us per respray, 
it's saving us lots of money. And 
that justifies the extra cost." Jim adds that there's another reason he can't afford to make 
too many callbacks. "When you have to go out and do a respray, you're taking a chance on losing that customer." Isn't it time you moved up to a better herbicide for better weed control? Call us to find out more. 1-800-3 73-4DOW (4369). Move up to TURFLON 'Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company Circle No. 107 on Reader Inquiry Card 8005 Photo album can help sell turf renovation projects V-: : .-A- -. - :' Photo finish: Customers feel more at ease when they know what to expect during the various renovation steps. BY JAMES E. GUYETTE Managing Editor Selling seed jobs can be made easier if potential clients are shown pho-tographs of the entire process, according to Jeff Lefton, ex-tension turf specialist at Pur-due University. "If I were in your shoes I would use pictures," says Lefton, who also is president of the Turfgrass Technology Center in West Lafayette, Ind. An album of photos depict-ing each step of the processŠ 
such as a Roundup applica-tionŠwill help reassure cus-tomers who are dismayed when they see the so-called damage that occurs during a 
lawn renovation, he says. "It's not a magical thing that happens overnight," Lefton explains. "It takes more than a year to get the thing back in shape again." The photo album can be a selling aid in neighborhoods where other renovations are in various stages of completion, Lefton says. Knowing what to expect may also motivate the clients to practice better cultural BROUWER TURF EQUIPMENT LIMITED An Outboard Marine Corporation Company 7320 Haggerty Rd./Canton, Ml. 48187 Telephone (313) 459-3700 Woodbine Avenue/Keswick, Ontario, Canada L4P 3E9 Telex 065-24161 Telephone: (416) 476-4311 88-91 Copyright 1988 Brouwer Turf Equipment Limited. techniques. Lack of frequent light wa-tering is the No. 1 cause for lawn renovation failures, says Lefton, who was technical manager at ChemLawn Ser-vices Corp. for 13 years. He spoke in New Orleans at the 
Professional Lawn Care Asso-ciation of America's national 
convention. Lefton suggests that a 20 percent mix of annual ryegrass be added to the seeds being 
planted. Why? Because the fast-growing rye will fill in quickly to make the lawn look nicer in less time. "The customer will look out the window and be happy," he says. "I think the addition of annual rye is a good idea." The rye will eventually die, only to be replaced by the other planted varieties. In the meantime, that temporary lawn will help reduce call-backs. Even so, the cost of return visits should be factored into the price and sales presenta-
tion. "You will be going back again, I assure you," says Lefton, who has previously 
served as an assistant pro-
fessor at Ohio State Univer-
sity, and as a consultant for O.M. Scott & Sons. Each client should get a list of step-by-step procedures to follow to help ensure that the project has a better chance of taking hold. "It's how you communicate with your customers that de-cides how successful you are at this." For LCOs, part of the sales negotiations should include a requirement that renovation 
customers sign up for a year's worth of treatments "so that you can keep an eye on it," Lefton says. A bag of grass seed should be left behind at the house so that the homeowner can fill in any bare spots, Lefton advises. All you have to do is ask. "Ninety-nine out of a hundred people may agree to help you out," Lefton observes. Getting the homeowner into the swing of things can also help reduce callbacks, he says. "The name of the game is how you handle callbacks." When putting down the seed, LCOs and contractors 
should follow the rating guides 
closely, Lefton cautions. LCI Lefton: The rye grows high. Brouwer 130, 224, 235, big numbers in turf rolling* TR130. the walkbehind model that is ideal for smaller areas. Its compact size and maneuverability let you into those confined areas, between buildings and around obstacles Ł 5 H.P. Honda engine Ł Hydrostatic transmission 
Ł Large rear support roller Ł Special rounded edge roller to prevent turf damage TR224, is the ideal rider model when access may be a problem, its 32 inch width 
allows it to roll almost anywhere Ł 5 H.P. Honda engine Ł Proven single lever clutchless F-N-R transmission Ł 24 inch rolling width Ł Lever assisted steering for exceptional maneuverability TR235 f for those heavy duty "larger area rolling jobs this rider model features a extra large steering wheel for driver comfort, easy 
operation and less fatigue Ł 8 H.P. Honda engine 
Ł Heavy duty hydrostatic transmission Ł Dual fill/drain plugs in each roller Ł Rounded edge rollers to prevent turf damage For more information, a live or video demonstration of This or other fine turf care equipment Call your Brouwer dealer... TODAY "The first year we used TURFLON, we realized a $1,200 savings on service call costs."-Tim Doppel, president Atwood Lawncare, Inc. Sterling Heights, MI Keeping a lid on expenses be-comes more and more important 
as your business continues to grow. Do things right, and pro-fits will rise while the cost of 
servicing each new customer 
falls. If that's the kind of lawn care firm you want to run, maybe it's time you moved up to TURFLON* herbicide. When more is less. "Even though the product costs more, I still end up saving money by using TURFLON," explains Tim Doppel. And he has three years' worth of documented results to prove it pays to broadcast spray TURFLON 
at about $9.50 per acre. "The first and foremost advantage of using TURFLON is its effec-tiveness. It works." Reducing callbacks and 
cancellations is the key. "The first year we used TURFLON, we had a 20 percent reduction in callbacks and that has held steady over the years," Tim 
says. "We've also seen an in-crease in customer retention in 
the three years we've been using TURFLON." And using TURFLON has one more advantage, Tim adds. It's the reason he's been able to reduce callbacks and cancel-lations: "My customers are happier." Isn't it time you moved up to a better herbicide for better weed 
control? Call us to find out more. 1-800-3 73-4DOW (4369). Move up to TURFLON 'Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company 8006 CONVENTION REPORT Tips from the pioneers Breaking away from standard service BY ELLIOT MARAS Editor Black and white TV is history, and I think weed and feed lawn care is also history." The message rang loud and clear at the re-cent Professional Lawn Care 
Association of America con-ference in New Orleans. That statement from Jerry Faulring was the recurring 
theme of the standing-room-only panel discussion he hos-ted with Rudd McGary and Roger FunkŠBreaking Away 
from Standard Service. McGary went as far as to say that if you're strictly providing chemical lawn care 10 years from now, you'll be out of business. This message certainly isn't news to anyone who's been reading the trade press for the last year. Expanding into disease control, aeration, seeding and even mowing is often more economical than trying to sell new customers 
the standard weed-and-feed service in a saturated market. Diversification also serves to enhance customer loyaltyŠ customers prefer dealing with 
a single vendor for as many services as possible. And it 
also provides a longer working 
season for the employeeŠ which in turn fosters longer employee retention. The question that hasn't been fully answered in past presentations, however, is how to break away from doing what 
you know how to do best with-out risking your business secu-
rity. That was the purpose of the overflow panel discussionŠto 
enable three experts in diver-sification to share the benefit of their experiences. Faulring, president of Gaithersburg, Md.-based 
Hydro Lawn, Inc., has made headlines for his success in 
adding new services. In 1988, 
he reaped a 20 percent revenue 
increase, mostly from addi-tional services. Funk, Ph.D., director of technical and human re-sources for Kent, Ohio-based Davey Tree Expert Co., blue-printed his company's near 50 
percent reduction in pesticide use. The program resulted in a net customer gain. McGary, Ph.D., a Colum-bus, Ohio-based consultant, has assisted hundreds of LCOs with diversification and other marketing endeavors. One thing all three agreed upon is the need to ask cus-tomers what additional ser-
vicesŠor change in existing servicesŠthey want. LCOs must formally survey their ex-isting customers. The LCO must know what the customer wants, what they are willing to pay for what they want, and who they are willing to pay to get it done. Davey Tree discovered that the customers with the most money were not the best pros-pects for marketing the addi-
tional services the company was interested in providing, 
Funk noted. Davey was not in a position to provide landscap-
ing, and the wealthiest cus-tomers wanted to hire a full-service landscaper to do their 
mechanical services. "You have to be very careful how you word the survey," 
Funk said. "You probably will need help writing the survey." He noted that Davey received different answers in two ques-tionnaires pertaining to pesti-cide concernsŠbecause the wording of the questions was different. He recommended hiring a professional research firm to design the survey. McGary suggested going to the marketing or communica-
tions department of a local 
university. Providing new services also requires a new customer edu-cation program, Funk noted. Customers must be told why they should have the addi-tional services. Agronomic benefits Funk sees adding mechan-ical services as a way for the LCO to do his old job better. "If we don't change the service we're providing, we're not meeting the new needs of the 
lawn," he said. Fertilization programs have caused increased poten-tial for lawn pests and com-paction, he said, hence the need for aeration. Improved technology has allowed for more customized programs, such as selective spraying for pests. If a cus-tomer has had blanket her-
bicide applications for at least one year, it's unlikely he still needs it every year, Funk said. Davey selectively sprays for pests using its patented spray customizer. "There is no longer any justification for using full rates of the tradi-
tional petrochemicals," he said. Funk pointed out that a company shouldn't diversify if 
it isn't providing its existing These we waste. Introducing CHIPCO®SEVIN® brand SLcarbaryl insecticide, the only grub control material available to professional lawn care operators that is effective, economical, and environment-ally sound. CHIPCO® SEVIN® brand SL provides consistent and effective grub control. At a cost no greater -and usu-ally less - than anything else on the market. Plus you get the peace of mind that comes with knowing CHIPCO®SEVIN® brand SLis al-so widely used for the control of mites, tides, and fleas on poultry, pets, and game birds. So it's ideal for use on lawns, parks, golf courses, or any ©1988 Rhône-Poulenc Ag Company, 2 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. CHIPCO®, SEVIN® and RONSTAR® are registered trademarks of Rhône-Poulenc. As with any crop protection chemical, always read and follow instructions on the label. service to its customers' satis-faction. "Make sure you consider diversification from strength, not weakness," he 
said. Also consider whether or not you have the necessary la-bor. Funk noted that the al-ready-tight labor pool is 
expected to get tighter. Watch competition One reason LCOs should consider adding more services is that, in some areas, their 
competitors are doing it. Faulring said his market re-search showed customers will 
choose the company that can handle a greater variety of out-
door services. "We're losing SOME DO'S and DON'TS Jerry Faulring offers the following "do's" and "don'ts" when ex-panding into additional 
programs: DO-Ł Prepare to spend a lot of time preparing your staff for the transition. Ł Computerize your op-eration if you have more 
than 1,000 customers. Ł Plan for disaster at seeding time if seeding is a new service. Ł Use a signed service agreement. DON'TŠ Ł Offer more than three programs in your basic pro-motion. Ł Vary the number of treatments within a single program. Ł Try to sell new pro-grams to old customers through the mail only. Ł Be afraid to start vari-able pricing when several programs are offered. LCI customers now in our market area because they don't want to have these hassles (of doing 
yard work themselves)." Subcontracting services is one option, he said, but cus-tomers prefer to deal with one vendor. Presentation vital The key to marketing addi-tional services, Faulring noted, is simplicity. When he first started ex-perimenting with new services in 1985, Faulring offered his 
customers five different pro-
grams to choose from. Re-sponse was lukewarm. In 1988, he offered three programs, and response was These we dorit. area frequently used by people and animals. And with CHIPCO® SEVIN® brand SL, you not only get ef-fective control of the white grub complex,but 27other turf pests, as well. Including tough ones like chinch bugs, billbugs, army- line that includes worms, and sod webworms. CHIPCO® brand Ask your chemicals supplier 26019 fungicide for CHIPCO® SEVIN® brand SL and CHIPCO® carbaryl insecticide. RONSTAR® brand CHIPCO® SEVIN® brand SL 2Gpre-emergent is a product of the CHIPCO® herbicide. (W^ RHÔNE-POULENC AG COMPANY Ł1 Faulring: Keep it simple. great. "Number one has to be simplicity," he said. The basic programs are: 1) Healthy CareŠcomplete fertilization, pre-emergent crabgrass control, broadleaf weed management, and sur-face feeding insect manage-ment. Average cost: $225. 2) Deluxe CareŠAll of the above plus: disease manage-ment; unlimited inspections as needed; annual inspection and review. Average cost: 
$275 3) Emerald ClubŠAll of the above plus: grub control, powerslit seeding; core cultivation; soil testing; and 
lime application according to soil test results. Average cost: 
$450. Percentage new sales and percentage new revenue were as follows: Healthy CareŠ23 percent new sales, 20 percent new revenue; Deluxe CareŠ46 percent new sales, 40 percent new revenue; Emerald ClubŠ 
30 percent new sales, 40 per-
cent new revenue. Another benefit One of the most important benefits of adding new services is the additional opportunity it gives you to talk to your cus-tomer, noted McGary. "You've got to understand that there are sales calls and there are retention calls," he said. "Don't confuse the two." He said every customer should be called just to see how the service is going. "Don't tell me you can't afford to call your customers." A personal call or visit should follow every re-treat-
ment. The technician should speak to the customer person-ally when he visits the prop-erty. If the customer isn't home at that time, someone 
should call in the evening. McGary advised LCOs against expanding into indoor services. Buying times are dif-ferent and oftentimes the per-
son making the decision for 
outdoor work Š usually 
maleŠisn't the same person 
deciding on indoor work. McGary also advised LCOs to consider using the term "in-tegrated environmental man-agement" instead of "inte-
grated pest management." "'Pest' has a negative con-notation." LCI Funk: Wording is crucial. MEBH8» V ^ y* fto.ft» ; s V » HfgMM THE IW1TK1) STATES OF AMERICA ; C 39182912 C THUS NOT S IS UM. TENÖIR FOR §Í 0£8*S. Mti® p8 C39182912C Female-owned firm in Texas has roots in treework Happy duo: Helen Parra and Mary Buckno BY JAMES E. GUYETTE Managing Editor GARLAND, TEXAS They call her La Mujer De FerreoŠ "The Lady of Steel." Mary Buckno, co-owner of Happy Landscaping in Garland, Texas was given that nickname by her Spanish-speaking employees. Buckno, 44, and her partner, Helen Parra, 37, have been running the business in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex for 16 years. They don't know what it means to be discouraged. Sure, their company has felt the pinch of the drop in oil prices that has drained Texas' economy. But Parra and Buckno are confident that business will improve. "It can only go down 
so far." Already things have been looking brighter. "It's picking up a little bit," Buckno says, adding that she and her part-ner have confidence in them-
selves to turn things around. "We're strongŠwe're not going to give up Šwe're 
fighters. You can sit back and 
give up or you can struggle un-til there's no struggle left," she Pre-register for a Mauget seminar and save $10. Sign up now for a 1988-89 Mauget seminar and trim $10 from the registration fee of $45 per person. Mauget Distributors Prof. Tree Care & Injection 5471 Lake Howell Rd. #179 Winter Park, FL 32792 Mid Western Tree Experts 7635 Michigan Road N.W. Indianapolis, IN 46268 Forrest Lytle & Sons 740 W. Galbraith Road Cincinnati, OH 45231 Bradshaw Tree Service (Distributor Representative) P.O. Box 15430 Tulsa, OK 74158 Tree Inject Systems 9505 High Street Clarence Center, NY 14032 Grand Rapids Tree Co. 310 Marion S.W. Grand Rapids, Ml 49504 Canadian Shadetree Service Ltd. 1540 Claire Crescent Lachine, Quebec Can H8S 4E6 Scientific Tree Care 1026 W. 8th Street Panama City, FL 32401 Arbortech Inc. P.O. Box 11451 Clayton, MO 63105 Lanphear Supply Division 1884 Green Road Cleveland, OH 44121 Micro Injections Inc. 15108 Lake Magdalene Blvd. Tampa, FL 33618 Farm and Forest Research Ltd. 1476 Wallace Rd. Box 295 Oakville, Ontario Can L6J 5A2 Poulson Tree Service 2919 Jansma Billings, MT 59101 Warne Chemical Co. 2680 Commerce Road Rapid City, SD 57702 Artistic Arborist Inc. 706 W. Montecito Phoenix, AZ 85013 Target Chemical Co. 17710 Studebaker Rd. Cerritos, CA 90701 Gem Spraying Service 519 S. 100 East Jerome, ID 83338 Cortese Tree Specialists 617 Deery Street Knoxville, TN 37917 R.C. Humphreys "539 Ferdinand, PO Box 87" St. Francisville, LA 70775 Cole Tree Service 1201 Entrada Bonita S.W. Albuquerque, NM 87105 The Tree Doctor Inc. P.O. Box 1340 Hendersonville, NC 28793 Pruett Tree Service 550 SW Rosewood Lake Oswego, OR 97034 Harrod's Tree Service P.O. Box 5511 Fort Worth, TX 76108 Tree Lawn Inc. 3424 Doniphan Drive El Paso, TX 79922 Liqui-Green Lawn & Tree Care 9601 North Allen Peoria, IL 61615 I Send this coupon or facsimile to your Mauget Distributor today! Save $10 on the registration fee for a 1988-89 Mauget seminar. Regular price $45. With pre-registration coupon, $35. 0 Yes, I'm interested in saving $10 per person at a Mauget seminar. Send me the date, time and location of the meeting closest to me. | Names : I Utah Spray Service 8574 S. 7th East Sandy, UT 84070 Guardian Tree Experts 12401 Parklawn Drive Rockville, MD 20852 Trees of Hawaii Inc. (Distributor Representative) 91-326 Kau hi Street Ewa Beach, HI 96706 Tree Clinic P.O. Box 50179 Austin, TX 78763 Enfield Tree Service 408 Park Road Elkhorn, NE 68022 D.H.D. Systems Inc. 2467 S. 170th Street New Berlin, Wl 53151 Arbo Service Inc. 25 Celtic Drive Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Can G9A 5L9 satieiiees Firm. Address _ City. . State _ -Zip. Phone ( .) ' Send this coupon or facsimile today. Mail to the Mauget distributor closest to you for $10 off the registration of a 1988-89 Mauget seminar. Coupon only valid for names listed. Attach additional names to pre-registration coupon. ' LCoupon must be received by Mauget distributor 10 days prior to seminar. Coupons received less than 10 days will not be eligible for discount. Postmark determines eligibility for pre-registration discount. LCI J.J. Mauget Company says. "I have something a lot of people don't have, stick-to-
it-ness." The firm's pool of laborers hails from an extended clan of Mexican immigrants. "They're good men, they're legal, they're a good family," Buckno says. Happy Landscaping has three Ford trucks, all with more than 200,000 miles on them. Jacobsen commercial mowers and McClain edgers 
are used. Most of the accounts are residential, although com-mercial work is done, too, in-
cluding stonework and tree-work. "We'll take anything that comes along," she says. Buckno began her career as a treeworker. "My 
dad had a tree business in New Jersey and for 10 years I was his right-hand man," she 
explains. In her later youth Buckno left home to join a friend in the Lone Star State, and it was there that she met Parra. Parra consequently asked Buckno to join her business, 
although she was unaware of the depth of Buckno's skills. "She wanted a silent part-nerŠso that's the way it was." Buckno took her role se-riously, meaning that she kept 
quietŠuntil the two moved to New Jersey. There they attempted to take down a big elm tree that 
had Parra baffled, and Buckno stepped in and was able to fig-
ure out how to get the job done, she says. After that episode Parra saw a renewed opportunity for 
success in Texas. "She said, To hell with this, let's go back to Dallas and do it right.'" Parra came up with the name, Happy Landscaping. "Helen was always happyŠ she thought that was a good 
name for it. We've gotten some good jobs just because of the 
name. We've had a lot of re-peat business, too, and that's 
the most important." Buckno reports that she has run into sexism on the part 
of some people. "They're always going to look down on women, but we're here and we're doing the work. I think a woman can do anything a man can do if she 
tries," she says. "I think a woman can meet any chal-lenge." Buckno finds the Texas cli-mate attractive. "I like it be-
cause you can plant anything from tropical to northern spe-
cies. You can make a yard look 
good ... all year round if you plant right." Buckno deals with the beastly hot summer heat by wearing a sun visor and tying her hair into two pony tails. She has another method, too: 
"I don't listen to the weather-manŠif you don't know how 
hot it is, it won't bother you," she points out. LCI Mauget Micro-injection seminars are designed to help you save trees. Each seminar discusses tree health and care. Topics include tree nutrition, Insect and disease control, and application procedures. Seminars and workshops are open to all arborists, city foresters, lawn care firms, landscape architects and contractors, golf superintendents and grounds managers. Complete the coupon below. Send it to your nearest Mauget distributor. Safety program cuts insurance rates, wins award BY JAMES E. GUYETTE Managing Editor ANevada firm's safety program has resulted in a 43 percent reduc-tion in accidents, a $3,000 drop in its insurance rates, and an award from the state. The safety program cost virtually nothing to imple-ment, reports Michael L. King of Reno Green Landscaping, Inc. "There's a lot of things that you can use for free," he adds. The company had previ-ously been plagued with a rash of careless accidents. "It was just people not thinking," says King, who is manager of the 
Lawn Magic Division. However, in the last 12 months Reno Green was able to cut those "lost time" mis-haps by 43 percent. The Nevada State Indus-trial Insurance System was so impressed that it honored the firm for its "outstanding effort and achievement in providing 
a safe working environment." The award also praised the company's voluntary com-pliance with the Nevada Haz-ardous Communications Act. "I had everything in lineŠ and that was before the law was to go into effect," King recalls. He says he hit the books and studied the requirements because "we could see the writing on the wall." Also, experts from the State Industrial Insurance System 
came in and did an evaluation of the in-house safety pro-gram. The SIIS people provided some tips, films and other ad-vice. And company officials got busy to help eliminate the problems. "Safety's really a concern of ours to begin with," says King. The company has 40 peak employees, and they are all briefed on proper safety stan-dards. They know how to op-
erate the machines correctly, they know the proper clothing 
to wear and they know where the closest hospitals are. The techniques are inter-preted for the non-English speaking employees, too. "We don't exclude them," says Of-fice Manager Teresa Wolfe. (Wolfe proudly notes that a ... The employees get a paid day off for every three months that they are on the job with no lost-time accidents, no property damage, and no vehicle damage. jobsite was recently inspected by officers from the Immigra-tion and Naturalization Ser-
vice, and that Reno Green's workers all had their papers in order.) As another safety incen-tive, the employees get a paid day off for every three months that they are on the job with no lost-time accidents, no property damage, and no vehi-cle damage. (A lost-time acci-
dent is one where the injury 
removes the worker from the 
field.) Rewarding those workers does cost some money. How-
ever, Reno Green's insurance premium has dropped to $4,000 after paying a high of $7,000, King points out. The safety program basically consists of twice-monthly meetings that last a 
half hour to an hour. This helps keep safety issues fresh 
in everyone's mind. Discussions about the equipment play a big role in these meetings. Bad tires, 
weak brakes and burned out lights are pointed out and re-
medied, Wolfe says. In addition, the company was able to line up free safety seminars just by asking. "We had the loss expert from our insurance company 
come in," says King. Representatives from Reno Green's chemical suppliers also came out to the firm to instruct employees on the proper handling of the various 
products available for use. Reno is the second-largest metro area in the Sagebrush State. The company handles landscape installations, plus maintenance, hydroseeding 
and fertilization. LCI King: Get free expert advice. In the bigger picture, isn't what we do really just making sure that one more piece of a customers American Dream is picture perfect?" "And thanks to Lebanon quality, we do it quite well/' There's more to a beautiful lawn than meets the eye. It's the part of a homeowner's American Dream 
that depends on you Šand the products you select. Lebanon Pro fertilizer products are formulated for quick green-up. Uniformly sized for even distribution. 
Clean and easy to spread. Plus Lebanon quality delivers one of the most efficient cost-per-thousand figures in the industry. And that's a pretty picture Šfor everyone. For more information on our complete line of Professional Turf Products, call our Greenline at 1-800-233-0628 or 717-273-1685. John Nugent, Lawn Medic, Inc., Bergen, NY SSOCIATE MEMBER / ~~ ŁŁ Ł Ł Ł Ł \ t^ilÄy v jpr j I Lebar non TOTAL TURF CARE A division of Lebanon Chemical Corporation P.O. Box 180 Ł Lebanon, PA 17042 BUSINESS SENSE LAWN CARE INDUSTRY JANUARY 1989 i^mËÊÊÊË^mÊmÈ^^ÊSÈËmË^^ Monthly budget facilitates planning and forecasts Most firms in the green industries base all their planning on an-ticipated sales volume. Sales forecasting, therefore, be-
comes the first step in the bud-geting process. The following factors must be taken into consideration: Ł HistoricalŠWhat has been your performance in the market over the past five years? Based on this informa-
tion, you can set projections for the coming year. Start with your known cus-tomer count, then factor in the expected change in sales vol-ume, month by month. This must be based on past perfor-mance. Do this with each of the ser-vices you provide. Start with 
the full-service customers, 
then move to those who only take one service. Ł TrendsŠDepending on the number of years you've been in business, there are some patterns to the timing of sales and cancels. There have also been trends in the growth 
of your business by type of ser-vice. Ł New factorsŠWith the changes in various regula-
tions in the different states, the company must consider 
what impact these laws will have on the growth of the busi-
ness. Pre-notification, prod-uct registration and sign posting will all have some im-
pact on sales. Ł Management judg-mentŠEven with the devel-opment of the most sophisti-
cated techniques for sales projections, management gen-erally makes decisions based 
on its own experience in the industry. One of the best ways to fine tune a sales budget is to have the service technicians de-
velop their own sales and can-cel projections and then 
compare these to those of the manager. Variable or operating expenses Once the sales projections have been finalized, the vari-able expenses can be fore-
casted. Ł Materials Š Your agronomic program deter-Developed by Dr. Rudd McGary and Mike Hiller, with All Green Management Associates, Inc. This course has been taught dozens of times throughout the U.S. with excellent results. <3> This program combines watching the video, reading materials and practicing and video taping roll plays The best way to teach. Personal feedback for each of your people and recommendations, via video 
taped roll plays. For every Participants Manual you order you'll receive a detailed evaluation for each person along with recommendations for future development. Specifically for the lawn care industry. Training that works, o Better closing ratios. More confident salespeople. O Make more sales. Easy to use. WHERE TO ORDER: Acme-Ritz Productions 3592 Corporate Drive Suite 103 Columbus, Ohio 43231 ORDERING INFORMATION. Mail a Cashiers Check or Money Order for $295.00 (includes video tape, and one Instructors Manual and one Participants Manual) plus $9.95 for each additional Participants Manual to Acme-Ritz Productions. Questions, please call 
614/891-3111. mines this budget. Be sure to allow for extra material for re-treatments. Ł LaborŠThe pay rate in your market and the hours to be worked by your service technicians will determine this budget. Allow time for non-productive activities such 
as vehicle service, training and 
meetings. Ł EquipmentŠThis cost will depend on the number of vehicles and the type of equip-ment that will be used. Do not 
limit your thinking by the type of equipment used in the past 
if smaller, more cost-efficient items have been developed. History will guide you in the cost of maintenance, fuel, 
etc. for vehicles and equip-
ment. Ł AdvertisingŠThe ad-vertising budget will be deter-mined by how much you wish to invest in customer attrac-tion and retention. Any pro-motional activities should be part of this budget as well. Ł FringesŠState and lo-cal taxes, unemployment com-pensation, disability insur-ance, health insurance, life 
insurance, pension, salary ad-justments and other costs for your personnel should be bud-geted here. Ł Sales commissionŠ Any expenditure paid to indi-
viduals that you anticipate to acquire new business should be budgeted here. In addition, costs for sales travel, signs and other items used in sales work should be part of this budget. Ł Business insuranceŠ The variable cost for liability 
insurance needs to be bud-geted based on the volume of business that it relates to. Make sure that you are match-
ing revenue types and pre-mium rate categories when budgeting this cost. Administrative expenses Now that you have all of your variable expenses bud-geted, it is time to address the budgeting of the remaining costs. Look at your 1988 adminis-trative costs month by month and decide which will not be 
needed in 1989. Then decide which will increase. Ł Zero-based adminis-trative budgetŠThis is an 
opportunity to decide if some of your administrative costs 
have grown at a pace in excess of their benefit to the com-pany. It assumes that all of McGary Wandtke About the Authors Rudd McGary and Ed Wandtke are senior partners with All Green Management Associates, Columbus, Ohio. mm^rn^mmmmmim m wmmm wmmmrn. m i your administrative costs do not have to be incurred for the new year. Once you have finalized the administrative budget, review the projected profitability. If results appear reasonable based on your firm's historical performance, this can be the final budget. If not, go back to each cost line and determine 
what can be cut there. Contingency planning It would be a mistake to as-sume that the plan you have 
developed will, in fact, work. 
Thus the need for contingency planning. There should be both an optimistic and pessi-mistic plan in place. The optimistic plan as-sumes sales will match or ex-ceed projections, and/or that 
cancels will fall below expected levels. Operating expenses then need to be reforecasted. The pessimistic plan means cutting costs if sales and can-cels don't match planning. LCI PLAN from Page 1 hiring phone solicitors, train-
ing them, and additional office 
supplies, not to mention the 
monthly phone bills. "Most companies don't consider all the fixed costs," DuCoin says. An LCO who can maintain a fixed hourly cost of $11 to $13 
is doing a good job, he notes. The next thing to consider is the quality of the leads gen-erated. Most solicitors will get four leads per hour, but how good will they be? "It doesn't matter how many leads are produced, it matters how 
many sales are produced," he says. Just less than half the peo-ple contacted will agree to a free lawn analysis, DuCoin 
says. Of these, about half will 
actually qualify. The closing 
rate on those that do qualify is about 20 percent, on the aver-age. How good are the leads? The solicitor should always talk to the homeowner. The solicitor will be able to deter-mine how good the lead is by getting the following informa-tion from the homeowner: 1) The full name. 2) Full address and phone number. 3) Any factors, such as a dog or a fence, that will impair ac-
cess to the property. 4) Any specific problem the homeowner would like to have looked at. DuCoin says many LCOs make the mistake of having 
solicitors get minimal infor-mation so they can get more 
leads. Solicitors must be closely monitored to be sure they are getting the right information, 
he says. LCOs should be aware that some solicitors are more interested in getting a "yes" 
response than qualifying the 
lead. There are expenses incur-red in going out to the home 
and measuring the property. "The important thing is how many sales are generated and what was the cost per sale," DuCoin says. One advantage of an oustide company is that the 
quality of soliciting is gener-
ally better. Hiring a company An outside company will charge a startup fee of at least 
$150, DuCoin says, then an hourly rate. "When you hire a 
service there must be an ele-
ment of trust, especially when production is low," he says. The best advantage, he DuCoin: Supervise solicitors. notes, is that the outside com-pany can raise or drop the amount of soliciting being 
done on a moment's notice. This would be advan-tageous in a situation where a 
bunch of sales people quit, leaving no one to service leads, 
or if there were a rush of leads 
and no one to service them. If you are considering an outside company, DuCoin suggests asking it the follow-
ing questions: 1) How long have they been in business? 2) Do they have experience in lawn care? Do they have at least five telephone operating stations? (Anything less would not indi-cate a long-term commit-ment.) Soliciting should start in February, DuCoin says, in March at latest. He says LCOs can get good results in the summer, depending on how 
heavily solicited the area is. DuCoin can be contacted at 601 Haddon Ave., Col-
lingswood, NJ 08108. Phone: 609-854-1500. LCI Questions about Pesticides? Call 1-800-858-7378 
National Pesticide Telecommunications Network hy our post should be part of your pre plan for crabgrass. ACCLAIM makes your pre work better* Because weather can affect the performance of preemergence herbicides, many lawn care M professionals have resorted to making two pre applications. But now, Acclaim' 1EC Herbicide provides a new approach. IHkj^^By tank mixing Acclaim with your late pre applications, you can skip the early ^ pre treatment. An Acclaim/pre tank mix provides low-rate postemergence ^control of emerged crabgrass and insures that the pre will be at full strength PPPp later into the season, minimizing the need for later rescue treatments. PP^^^ ACCLAIM works better on reseeded lawns. After aseason of drought, you don't want a herbicide to interfere with H^HM crabgrass isdying, you're replacing it with lush, beautiful turf. Br ACCLAIM for total flexibility. Acclaim gives you new confidence against crabgrass, both early and late. As a rescue, Acclaim provides control you can count on without turf damage. By treating borders and sidewalk areas early, you' 11 control crabgrass before your customers ever see it. ^e money-saving ACCLAIM prosram^^p^fl^^^^BSn Read and follow label directions. Acclaim is a registered trademark of Hoechst Celanese Corporation. The name and logo HOECHST are registered trademarks of Hoechst AG. The name and logo ROUSSEL are registered trademarks of 28 Wímíím, MANAGEMENT TOOLS Cash position analysis will help avoid cash crunch Cash Position Chart: Evergreen Lawn Service, Inc. Period: January 1,1988 - December 31,1988 Beginning Cash Balance $ 2,000 PLUS: Cash Operating Receipts 114,300 Sales of Capital Items Borrowings for Operating Expenses (added this period) Borrowings for Capital Purchases (added this period) 5m EQUALS: Total Cash Available $121,300 LESS: Cash Operating Expenses (excluding interest) 96,104 Cash Capital Expenses Capital Purchases with Borrowings (this period) 5^00 EQUALS: Cash Available for Dept Payments $ 20,196 LESS: Principal & Interest on Operating Loans 1,180 (existing + new this period) Principal & Interest on Capital Loans (existing + new this period) 17,451 EQUALS: Net Business Cash Position $ 1,565 Cash crunches are often a problem in the begin-
ning of a business, but they can occur years later 
when the business tries to ex-
pand or suffers financial strain. In many instances, 
however, these crunches can be avoided. Debt repayment capacity is fast becoming the leading fac-tor that lenders consider in evaluating a company's finan-cial well-being. The common problem is the business's fail-ure to generate enough cash above cash operating expenses to meet current debt commit-ments. A useful tool in avoiding a cash crunch is the cash posi-tion analysis, which is de-signed to show the ability of the business to meet its debt obligations. Cash position analysis charts may be current, histor-ical (completed for a desig-
nated past period of time) or projected (estimates for a des-ignated future time period.) The cash position chart should be completed for some 
future time period, preferably 
a business year, and moni-tored with actual figures on a quarterly or monthly basis. This will enable the manager to ascertain the company's cash position status as the year progresses. The accompanying illustra-tion shows a cash position for the calendar year 1988. The 
dollar entries are self-explana-tory with the final figure, $1,565, representing the pro-jected estimated cash position for the year. The figure indicates that with management's best esti-mates, the business should generate sufficient cash above 
its operating expenses to cover 
its debt commitments, includ-
ing payment on $5,000 of new 
investment in 1988. In other words, $1,526 is left for risk and uncertainty. Although the sample analy-sis shows a positive cash posi-tion for 1988, the balance is precarious. There could be se-rious cash flow problems dur-
ing periods within the year. For example, a 2 percent re-duction in sales volume, or in-
crease in operating expenses, 
an uncollected account or some combination could throw the business into a cash crisis position. This would suggest at least two management actions: 1) Increase the gross margin ei-ther through more business or higher prices; 2) Careful con-
trol of costs. Cash flow deficiencies dur-ing the year could be such that 
additional borrowings to cover 
operating expenses (not shown in the above example) would be necessary. Payments in 1988 on additional borrow-ings of this kind, depending on the level needed and when dur-ing the year, could more than 
offset the positive cash posi-tion shown. A cash flow statement (to be discussed in a future article) on a monthly basis would be helpful in ascertaining the 
need for operating loans. Covering payments Information contained in the cash position chart will also allow management to de-termine how much of the cash operating receipts are needed to cover current debt pay-ments (current debt ratio). In the example, 16 percent of cash operating receipts are required to cover principal and interest payments on opera-ting and capital loans: ($1,180 
plus $17,451) divided by $114,300, times 100, equals 16.3 percent. A general rule is that debt payment (principal plus inter-est) should not exceed 25 per-
cent to 30 percent of the cash operating receipts. When it is 
necessary to use more than 25 percent of the cash operating receipts to meet current debt, the business is likely to experi-ence cash problems in cover-ing its operating expenses and 
maintaining a sound rela-tionship with its creditors. Fifteen to 25 percent is con-sidered to be reasonably safe. Less than 15 percent of the cash operating receipts re-
quired to meet current debt 
commitments indicates that a problem is not likely to occur with regard to meeting debt obligations. However, one needs to ex-amine the frequency and the stability of cash income in in-terpreting these percentages. The more stable and frequent the cash income, the less risk of failure to meet current debt obligations. In the example, if the cash position had been negative in-stead of positive as shown with debt payments requiring 16 percent of cash operating receipts, this condition would signal a cash crisis with exces-POSTING from Page 1 for commercial applicators 
only. In addition, the committee recommends written notices be given to occupants of sin-gle- and multi-family dwell-
ings at the time of application. Residents must be notified who to contact for additional information on the pesticides. The commmittee also rec-ommends mandatory training and certification, Smith says. 
Anyone who applies a general 
or restricted-use product on a for-hire basis would have to be 
certified within a certain pe-riod of time. The certification require-ment would also include in-R.K. Reynolds W.R. Luckham About the Authors R.K. Reynolds and W.R. Luckham are associate professor emeritus and extension marketing specialist, respectively, in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Virginia Tech. sive operating costs rather than debt load as the major contributing factor. The "cash crisis" is the basic characteristic of failure for many lawn care businesses today and will likely be the case in the future. Constant evaluation of business fi-nances is crucial. LCI house employees for commer-
cial properties, Smith says. The committee recom-mends that the North Car-olina Pesticide Board study methods for obtaining reliable data on pesticide sales by deal-
ers and on pesticide use by ma-jor end users. Ron Wilson, owner of Perf-A-Lawn Corp. of Charlotte 
and Winston-Salem, says the sign posting would be no prob-lem. He notes that most of the companies are already doing it. The pre-notification re-quirement, however, is a dif-
ferent story. "I don't like the idea of hav-ing to notify people prior to doing the service," Wilson adds. LCI FLAGS Less than 6C ea. (Min. 1000) Actual Size: 4"x5" flag BLACKBURN MANUFACTURING COMPANY/ TOLL-FREE 800/942-5816 East of Rockies 800/552-3524 West of Rockies P.O. Box 86 Ł Neligh, NE 68756 P.O. Box 276 Ł Cambria, CA 93428 Circle No. 133 on Reader Inquiry Card PUMPING SYSTEMS INC. E091-20 200 GAL. LAWN SPRAYERS FROM $1375 Choose from our complete line of lawn sprayers featuring diaphragm, piston or centrifugal pumps. Pumping Systems Inc. also offers a complete line of replacement parts and accessories for most makes of sprayers. CALL ABOUT OUR SPECIAL PRICE ON HOSE 800-638-1769 Circle No. 126 on Reader Inquiry Card Designed especially for the lawn care industry Ł 9 flag colors Ł 8 ink colors Ł 90 bend in staff Shipped straight. You bend when used. Ł 18" or 24" PVC staff (Vs" diam.) Ł Custom printed if you like c the Reader Service numbers of those items of interest to you. GET MORE PROFILE from Page 1 credit for," Duncan observes. About 5 million home-owners have purchased lawn care previously, yet for some reason they have dropped it. "There's a significant amount of the population who are inclined toward lawn care, 
and they can be brought back," he says, "which is a heck of an opportunity if peo-ple get out there and talk to 
these customers." Who are these home-owners who are in-
clined toward pro-fessional lawn care? Ł They are most likely in their forties, with 73 percent of them being older than age 40. Ł They tend to have higher incomes, with 70 percent earn-
ing more than $25,000 an-
nually. Ł They have a "traditional" household with two children. Ł Educational levels are high, with 40 percent of them 
having a college degree, and 50 percent of those graduates earned advanced degrees. Ł About 42 percent live in markets of more than 2 mil-
lion people. Ł Approximately two-thirds of them live in markets of more than 500,000. Ł These people are most likely to live in the Northeast, especially the Mid-Atlantic states. Ł They believe that an at-tractive lawn is important as a source of pride. Ł They prefer to use brand-name products. Ł They consider profes-sional lawn care to be worth the expense. On a local level, Duncan suggests that LCOs do some research of their own to deter-mine who is actually living in their service area. "If I were a lawn care oper-atorŠeven the president of the companyŠI'd get out in 
the neighborhoods," Duncan says. "I'd take the time to talk to people and do my own sur-vey." He emphasizes that the lo-gistics of the sales pitches play 
a crucial role: You have to make the contact at the cor-
rect time. "It's far and away predomi-nantly a male decision," Dun-
can notes. "You have to figure out ways to get to the male decision-maker." He tells of an LCO who set up a marketing program that 
was to make its big push dur-ing the day. After talking to 
Duncan, "he said he was going to go back and change some 
things." Telemarketing and other sales efforts should be made 
during the evening or on week-
ends to reach the men who make the purchase choices, 
says Duncan. "I think a lot of companies should use telemarketing just ism like large companies have been using it for years," he says. Reaching out to the do-it-yourselfer should be made a top priority, Duncan believes. Many do-it-yourselfers are doing it themselves simply be-cause they have not heard an effective sales presentation. Duncan feels that even a contented do-it-yourselfer can be sold if the pitchŠand 
priceŠis right. "You have to recognize that the do-it-yourselfer has a dif-ferent approach to things, and 
a different mind-set toward what they'll be paying for it," he points out. Who Is The Customer? Lawn Care Demographics Ł People most likely in forties (73% over forty) Ł Income higher than other clusters -70% with $25,000 or more Ł Traditional HH with two or more children Ł Educational level highest of all clusters -40% college grads (50% advanced degrees) Ł 42% live in markets over 2M people 
Ł Approx. 2/3 live markets over 500K Ł Most likely to live in N.E. (Esp. Mid-Atlantic) Lawn And Gardening Practices Ł 49% purchased lawn care service in last 12 mo. 
Ł 85% fertilize their lawns 
Ł Males involved In fertilizer decision-making to greater extent than other groups Decision Š 75% male/25% female "You may have to tailor a program for them," Duncan adds. "It could be that they just don't want to pay for the whole service." As an example, a do-it-yourselfer may be perfectly happy tending his or her lawn, yet taking care of the trees and shrubs is viewed as a dreadful chore. An LCO with a tree and shrub care-only option can sign that customer up. "They don't want to do the whole job, but they didn't know that someone specialized in that particular area." Duncan is a big fan of news-letters, and he maintains that an LCO's newsletter should 
also be sent to the do-it-your-selfer non-clients. The newsletter should con-tain general information (such as tips on what types of grass seed grows best in the area) that any home gardener can 
put to use. Sorry, crabgrass. Sorry, goose-grass. You won't be checking in here this season. Not on turf areas treated with Team preemergence herbicide. Only one group has reservations. Your turfgrass. Even bentgrass can relax, Team is that gentle. That means with a split applica-tion you can take an all-season vaca-
tion from weeds. From upset golfers, 
callbacks and costly reapplications. Application is easy and accurate. Team gets to the ground where you 
want it. It won't leach out, even in heavy rainfall. Once activated, it forms a zone of protection that shuts the door on weeds for up to 20 weeks. Team is widely available on dry fertilizer from leading formulators, 
and in granular form from your distributor. So if weeds are planning to visit your turf this season, tell them sorry. You've booked Team for the season. See your Elanco distributor. Or call toll-free: 1-800-352-6776. Elanco Products Company A Division of Eli Lilly and Company Lilly Corporate Center Dept. EM-455, Indianapolis, IN 46285, U.S.A. TeamŽŠ(benefin+trifluralin, Elanco) /MX/^AJ Refer to the Team label for complete use directions. * * With Team on your turf, weeds won't check in all season long« I W'W ^ w^m^M -Ł Ł m WIÊÊUHKBKÊBÊÊÊBÊÊKKÊIÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ The First Affordable Tool for Precise Chemical Application MT3000Ž SPRAYER CONTROL The MT3000 pays for itself many times over by eliminating costly over and under application of herbicides, pesticides and liquid fertilizer. Ł Automatically Controls Flow Ł Compensates for Vehicle Speed Ł Monitors Spray Rate (GPA) Ł Measures Volume Rate (GPM) Ł Measures Gallons Applied 
Ł Measures Speed Ł Measures Area Covered (Acres) Ł Manual Overide for Spot Spraying Ł Pressure Gauge on Console Ł Individual Boom Control Switches Ł Easy Installation Ł Easy Calibration Take the guess work and waste from your spray program and watch the savings go in your pocket. CAUZAWACRE SPEED, AREA and DISTANCE MONITOR FU>PRO Liquid Chemical Application Monitor. Monitors the flow from: three separate tanks with 
variable set points. 
Electronic memory stores 
daily totals. Ideal for the lawn care professional. Direct measurement Direct measurement of MPH, spray rate, of MPH, acres gallons applied, covered, and feet acres covered, and traveled, feet traveled. For complete information on Micro-Trak products call -TOLL FREE: 800-328-9613 Collect in MN: 507-257-3600 SYSTEMS, INC. An Electronics Company ©Copyright 1986 Circle No. 122 on Reader Inquiry Card 1 k 4Vil from Precision Tank & Equipment Co. for the Lawn Care Industry Precision, a leader in agricultural fertilizer application equipment for over 30 years Š now brings the lawn care professional the NEW GN600. Just look at these impressive GN600 features: Ł 600 gal. stainless steel tank for 200,000 sq. ft. coverage. Ł One ton Ford truck with 6.9 liter IH diesel engine. Ł PTO driven 2-C-95 Myers Pump. Ł Stainless steel plumbing, sparge line and full sump. Ł American Nordic reel with 500 ft. of V2" hose. Ł Industry-proven Chem-lawn Spray Gun with nozzles. Other models - the GN1000, GN1200 and GN1600 offer the same top-of-the-line components with larger chassis and payloads. All Precision systems are available for mounting on customer-owned chassis. NEW Š a Portable Slide-in Skid Unit. HOME OFFICE P.O. BOX D VIRGINIA, IL 62691 217/452-7228 ffx) PRECISION TANK & EQUIPMENT CO. ATHENS LOCATION R.R. 2 Ł BOX 42 ATHENS, IL 62613 217/636-7023 Circle No. 125 on Reader Inquiry Card "You'll build a clientele who really looks for that newsletter," Duncan ob-serves. "Then you have the male deci-sion-maker on the hook." Who are these do-it-your-selfers? Ł They are most likely to be under age 40. Ł About 45 percent of them have incomes ranging from $15,000 to $35,000 annually. Ł Forty-three percent of the house-holds have one person who is em-ployed. Ł Half of them have some college experience. Ł They are likely to live in markets containing less than 500,000 people. Ł More than half of them have fer-tilized their lawns themselves within 
the past year. Ł Only 4 percent of them have used professional lawn care. Ł They consider price important. Ł They are not impressed by brand names. Ł They don't mind spending time on lawn care or housework. Ł Buying decisions are made by the males 70 percent of the time, and 
females make the choice 30 percent of the time. Ł The No. 1 concern is the safety of the products they are applying to the 
turf. Close to 70 percent of them consider safety to pets and children to be "ex-tremely important." That figure is just slightly less for current lawn care cus-tomers. Duncan says an emphasis on safety can help LCOs make more sales. Regulations prohibit advertising that says right out that certain chemi-cals are "safe," yet that point can be 
made, for example, by showing a pho-tograph of dogs and children romping on a lush lawn. You can also note that your chemi-cals are approved for use by the EPA and that they are registered under FIFRA. In addition, mention that the man-ufacturers themselves do extensive testing, and they would not release a dangerous product. A description of the many safety precautions taken by the LCO can help drive that point home, too. LCI Our Man of the Year Remembering a friend: Bob Earley, left, publisher of LAWN CARE INDUSTRY, presents a plaque honoring the late Jim Marria as the magazine's 1988 Man of the Year. Accepting the plaque at the Professional Lawn Care Association of America conference in New Orleans is Mike Spicer, president of Perma Green Lawn Co., Boise, Idaho. Spicer was Marria's first employee when the company began in 1978. PPPF from Page 1 able regulation for urban, suburban and industrial use of pesticides." Rock says it is important for the different segments PPPF represents to realize they have a common goal. He 
says regulations that impact one seg-
ment one day will impact another the 
next. In many cases, they use the same basic products. Coalitions needed Forty-four states have no pesticide coalition, and that alarms Wilkinson. "The state is where the real challenges lie," he says. He notes that many over-zealous proposals come out of the 
states, where the pesticide users fre-quently have no organization to defend 
their interests. To poise itself for these efforts, PPPF has broadened its support from the lawn care industry to include all 
urban pesticide using industries. The 
board of directors recently voted to ex-
pand its size to 22 directors, leaving room for 12 associations, five users and 
five product registrants. As a result of this broadened focus, the organization's support has grown. Wilkinson says support in 1988 was 
double that of 1987. "We're relying more and more on other associations that are not strictly lawn care," he says. Associations represented on the board include the Professional Lawn Care Association of America, National Arborists Association, Associated Landscape Contractors of America, Utility Aborist Association, and Na-tional Pest Control Association. While the focus has extended beyond the lawn care industry, it has narrowed to include just the urban user. Prior to Wilkinson's tenure in late 1987, PPPF also addressed agri-cultural issues. Besides providing information to state agencies, PPPF retains attorney Robert Kirshner in Washington, D.C. as a Capitol Hill representative. Noting that users provide about half of the foundation's support, Wilkinson says support is presently strongest 
among LCOs and arborists. One objec-tive is to increase the visibility among indoor pest control operators. Support has also been strong from manufacturers, he says. He hopes to 
see more from distributors and 
formulators. LCI NEW PRODUCTS New video helps train lawn care sales people Effective Lawn Care Selling, a video sales training program, has just been released by Acme Ritz Productions in Colum-bus, Ohio. The course, designed by Rudd McGary, Ph.D., of All-
green Management Associ-
ates, Inc., and Mike Hiller, 
Acme vice president, is specif-ically geared toward the lawn care industry. The package includes a 35-minute video tape and man-uals for the course instructor and participants. Class members watch the video, use the written mate-rial, and then engage in role playing. The "how-to" course con-tains little theory, and the easy-to-understand format can be used by large or small companies. The program costs $295. An instructor's manual and 
one participant's manual is in-cluded. Additional manuals cost $9.95 each. LCI Circle No. 150 on service card. Tecumseh making rotary OHV engine The first North American en-gineered and manufactured 
overhead valve engine for ro-tary lawnmowers is being in-troduced by the Tecumseh Products Co., Grafton, Wis. The new 4-hp OVRM40 model has additional power, 
fuel economy and longer en-gine life, according to the com-pany. Tecumseh has been pro-ducing overhead valve engines in high horsepowers for more than 20 years. LCI Circle No. 151 on service card. LESCO making selective 
herbicide for turffgrass 
LESCO's Three-way Bentgrass Selective Herbicide effectively controls black 
medic, buckhorn, chickweed, clover, spurge, purslane and other common turfgrass weeds 
on bentgrass and other spe-cies, according to the firm in Rocky River, Ohio. Labelled at rates of three to four pints per acre, the active ingredients are dicamba, MCPP and 2,4-D. The company says a wider range of broadleaf weeds is 
controlled when the product is 
used on other grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass, fescue, bermudagrass, ryegrass, bahia and zoysiagrass. LCI Circle No. 152 on service card. Hustler Snow Track 440 
handles snow and mows The Hustler Snow Track 440 clears snow in the winter and converts to a rotary mower in the summer. The machine has a hydraulically controlled, front mounted blade that gives 12-way action. Retractable wings on the blade enhance snow-handling capabilities, and it is particu-larly well-suited for maneu-vering through wooded areas, according to the company. Quick-connect hydraulic fittings allow for the use of al-most any rear attachment. In addition to grooming ski and snowmobile trails, the Snow Track 440 can be used for snow removal in parking lots and around buildings. It has a pressurized heated cab with tinted glass to reduce glare. LCI Circle No. 153 on service card. Doggett turf fertilizer 
has 4 forms of nitrogen Total 35-5-6 Turf Fertilizer from Doggett Corp., Lebanon, N.J., is a water soluable, liquid 
applied, concentrated formula with four forms of nitrogen. It has nitrate nitrogen, am-monium and urea nitrogen 
and ureaform nitrogen. The formula also has addi-tional calcium and iron. Tests showed a 25 percent increase in root and shoot growth, according to the com-pany. The low-volume product has a low salt index and is chloride-free. LCI Circle No. 154 on service card. Pendimethalin .86 Plus 20-5-5 Fertilizer Performance Pendimethalin .86 Plus 20-5-5 Fertilizer in its granular form is easy to apply. "One reason we used it was we beat the wind. Even with windy conditions in the spring in our area, we could go out in moderately windy conditions with the granular on the lawn where we couldn't with a spray." Dave Murphy of Green Valley Company Shawnee Mission, Kansas Pendimethalin .86 Plus 20-5-5 Fertilizer is cost effective, covering in a single application with fewer callbacks. "Price wise it's even with everything. We used a lot less weed spray this year, two barrels rather than four or five. I have to attribute that to Pendimethalin." John Skomal of Custom Lawns of Omaha Omaha, Nebraska Pendimethalin .86 Plus 20-5-5 Fertilizer is a performance product from The Source, your performance supplier. Ask John C. Prusa about Pendimethalin's Performance. "Finally, we have a non-staining, quality dry fertilizer and Pendimethalin product for our use! Our branches are all real happy with the product quality and demonstrated effectiveness. We plan on using the material again in 1989." John C. Prusa Vice-President Lawnmark Rochester, New York For more information on Pendimethalin .86 Plus 20-5-5 Fertilizer, call UAP Special Products for your nearest location. SfreclcU *P*6dcict¿ 1035 E. Dodge Street Fremont, Nebraska 68025 (402) 727-8689 SHAPE from Page 16 eases. Water infrequently and deeply, preferably during the late morning hours so the turf can dry before night. Ł Mowing Š Turf in shade tends to be upright and 
stemmy. Cockerham recom-
mends that, "most cool season species be mowed at about two and one-half inches (in shade). 
The higher cutting height in-creases the leaf area, thereby providing a greater capability to absorb light and synthesize carbohydrates." Scotts recommends that, "once growing, the grass should be mowed 1/2 inch higher than grass in full shade." A particular mowing prob-lem arises in the south. When bermudagrass is grown in the sunny part of a lawn and tall 
fescue in shade, one or the 
other species has to "take it on the chin" when it comes to mowing height. More often than not it's the shade grass: the tall fescue ends up getting mowed at 3/4 inch in the shade, and the 
homeowner wonders why it 
doesn't survive. Ł Weed controlŠShade comes with its own gentry of 
weeds. Weeds we seldom see in full sun can be real problems in 
shadeŠground ivy in particu-lar. Controlling these weeds can be complicated by limita-tions of the use of certain her-bicides under the drip lines of 
trees. On the positive side, how-ever, there are several problem weeds we seldom see in shade. "Many turf weeds are elimi-nated in shade," says Duell. "You seldom if ever see crabgrass under trees." LCI If you are interested in obtain-ing any available or additional editorial information research 
or reference materials published in this or previous issues, please 
direct your inquiries to Kathleen Maciuszko at (216) 826-2839, ext 839. ChemLawn will appeal verdict SOUTHFIELD, MICH.ŠChemLawn Services Corp. will ap-peal a verdict awarding $1 million to a postal worker who was doused with pesticides when a spray hose broke while she walked across a lawn. The accident occurred two years ago. Karen James, a postal worker in Southfield, Mich., claimed she suffered health problems from the pesticides. 
The jury in the Eastern District Court of Michigan awarded her $700,000 in actual and $300,000 in punitive damages on Sept. 14. "We're very disappointed with that verdict and we'll be appealing that," says Steve Hardymon, ChemLawn spokesman. A hose from a tank containing a fertilizer/insecticide mix broke and sprayed Ms. James as she walked across the lawn. She claims she suffered a skin rash and had blurred vision as a result. LCI Tests Prove Bio-GroundskeeperT is Best for Thatch Reduction* ( { Bio-GroundskeeperŽ has shown excellent results...it makes our job easier...}} Jerry Haupt, Lakeland Landscape Services, Inc., Manitowoc, WI. £ t I'm very pleased with KLM Bio-Systems' product}} Robert Hansen, Groundskeeper, New York Jets. * Michigan State University research rated Bio-GroundskeeperŽ most effective for reducing thatch. For Thatch Reduction KLM Bio-Systems, Inc. 10700 Normandale Blvd., Bloomington, MN 55437 1-800-884-4081 Circle No. 118 on Reader Inquiry Card It's time! To order your own Customer Newsletters for 1989. It's quick, easy, and you can still save with Full Subscription rates and an Early Order Discount. Call for FREE samples and an '89 planner. 1-800-525-6999 ! Focal Point Publications 11171 Embassy Dr. Cincinnati, OH 45240 Circle No. 115 on Reader Inquiry Card LAWN ASSISTANT # 1 Ł # 1 Call us to find out why 110 companies in the last 12 months have chosen the Lawn Assis-tant. Making us the #1 company for lawn and tree care software. To get a Free 80 page in-formation booklet on the industry leader. Call Toll Free: 1 -800-422-7478 1-313-669-1118 (In Michigan) Real Green Computers 2775 Haggerty Road, Walled Lake, Ml 48088 Circle No. 127 on Reader Inquiry Card FinallyŠA Spray System That Won't Give You A Workout. downtime repair bills. It's built by C&S Turf CareŠleaders in rug-ged, reliable turf care equipment. We can show you how you can spend more time building your client list, and less time building muscles. Call today for complete information on the ProTank Elec-tric Spray System. The ProTank Electric Spray System is the only true com-mercial electric sprayer on the market today. Instead of giving you the workout gas engines and other spray units do, it gives your customer's turf a workout and saves you valuable time. The ProTank Electric Spray System is equipped with a V2 horsepower motor capable of spraying 6 to 7 gallons a minute at up to 150 p.s.i. And all you lose are bulky pull-start engines, and the in-convenience of gas, oil, spark plugs, noise problems, and nox-ious fumes. The ProTank Electric Spray System will also take the crunch out of those expensive We offer a complete line of electric and gas spray equipment and can custom design a spray system to fit your specific needs. (216) 453-0770 C&S Turf Care Equipment, Inc. 3425 Middlebranch Road, N.E. Canton, Ohio 44705 DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME 304 S.S. 600 gallon tank ELP Ł dual stage centrifugal pump (100 GPM or 200 PSI) Ł sparger agitation Ł PTO drive Ł 12 volt electric reel Ł low to the ground work platform Ł Options: 5 gallon hand rinse tank & bracket Ł SOLO 425 (475) 435 485 Knapsack Sprayer and stand m Westheffer Westheffer Company, Inc. PO Box 363, Lawrence, KS 66044 1-800-332-0003 In KS 1-800-362-3110 USA 
1-913-843-4486 FAX WE ARE MASTER DISTRIBUTORS FOR: Myers pumps & replacement parts Call for quantity discounts 1-50 Hypro diaphragm pumps & parts GPI digital meters Hannay reels HOSE 300' & 400' lengths Green Garde, Kuri-Tec HANDGUNS: Chemlawn, JD9-C, Hypro, Myers, stainless steel CATCH A RISING STAR with the best in components design and servicing. Circle No. 104 on Reader Inquiry Card Circle No. 132 on Reader Inquiry Card Share the Abooklet featuring fun-filled facts on the pluses of having well-tended turf is now available for use by in-
dustry professionals. LCOs and mowing/man-agement contractors can incorporate this material in 
sales presentations and news-
letters, or it can be utilized in 
neutralizing pesky lawn care 
critics. The 31-page booklet is en-titled Lawn and Sports Turf Benefits, and it was put to-gether by Beverly and Eliot Roberts of The Lawn In-
stitute in Pleasant Hill, Tenn. The non-profit institute is funded by the seed industry, and the booklet sells for the bargain price of $2. "We sent 2,400 out to garden writers," Beverly ex-plains. In addition to serving as a reference for newspaper people, the booklets have 
been put to use for industry seminars and talks before en-vironmental groups. It is already heading to-ward its second printing. The turf manager who in-vests a pair of bucks in the tome is rewarded with oodles and oodles of good stuff just waiting to be inserted into the next press release or sales pitch. Some examples: Ł Did you ever wonder just how much grass there really is? The total turfgrass area in the United States is esti-mated to be 25 to 30 million acres (the size of the five 
New England states), with 81 percent of this being lawnsŠ which amounts to more than 20 million acres. Community parks keep about a million acres green. Ł Surveys show that a spiffy landscape adds 15 per-cent to the selling price of a home. The recovery value for a landscape investment hovers between 100 to 200 percent, compared to recov-ery rates of 40 to 70 percent 
for a new deck or patio. Crisp curb appeal can add 6 percent to the value of a commercial property. Ł Undesirable noise levels can be reduced 20 to 30 per-
cent by grass areas that 
absorb sounds. Ł Lawns are important for lowering temperatures. Grass 
can be 30 degrees cooler than 
asphalt and 10 to 14 degrees cooler than bare soil. Ł A 50 by 50-foot lawn produces enough oxygen to meet the needs of a family of 
four. On a block of eight average houses, the front lawns have the cooling effect of about 70 
tons of air conditioning. (The average home-size central air 
conditioner unit has a three to four-ton capacity.) Grassed surfaces reduce temperature extremes by ab-THE LAST WORD joys of a lawn with your clients sorbing the sun's heat during the day and releasing it slowly during the evening. Ł Grass plants will trap much of the 12 million pounds of dirt and dust re-leased annually into the 
atmosphere, and an acre will soak up hundreds of pounds of sulfur dioxide during a year. (This ability to soak up particles is one reason why airport runways are separated by grassy fields.) Ł A mowed lawn can mol-lify allergies by controlling JAMES E. GUYETTE MANAGING EDITOR dust, pollen, seeds, spores and stinging and biting insects. Ł A healthy lawn absorbs rainfall six times more effec-tively than a wheat fieldŠ and four times better than a hay field. Ł Grass serves as a natural filter of chemicals and other pollutants, such as acid rain. Ł "Groundwater recharge" is another benefit of turf. An acre left in open space pro-vides an average of 600,000 gallons of water table re-
charge per year. Ł Lawns help prevent soil erosion. Nearly 6 billion tons 
of soil either washes, or blows, away each year. Every taxpayer helps foot the bill for the annual cost, which 
hovers somewhere near $16 billion. The booklet is written in an easy-to-understand style, yet it also contains scholarly footnotes for all the facts. A companion pamphlet suitable for mass distribution is available from the Lawn Institute. Entitled The ABC's 
of Lawn and Turf Benefits, it 
features more of the above 
information in a breezier 
form. You can contact The Lawn Institute at PO Box 
108, Pleasant Hill, Tenn. 
38578. The phone number is (615) 277-3722. ss ÉËS WiÊÈÈW*-r -àmm iri' v )< n ÈM mm r/S V H í iff M k mm Ł X Ł ìm M y if ' mmm~M m mm .i.-V^-.J-C-.;'-^. ; Remember your roots. Just dig beneath the surface a bit and you'll see why it pays to make Dacthal your preemergence herbicide. With Dacthal you won't have to worry about stressed or damaged roots in desired turf. Because most turfgrass root systems have a high tolerance for Dacthal. So while you may save a few bucks with less expensive herbicides, you may not save turf root systems. And healthy turf is the bottom line in terms of satisfying customers and minimizing callbacks. What's more, Dacthal has a proven record of performance on more than 20 annual grass and broadleaf weeds. Including the tough ones 
like crabgrass, spurge, annual chickweed, foxtail and Poa annua. Given recent problems with crabgrass control and damaged root systems, it's no wonder lawn care professionals are making the Dacthal choice this season. Remember, Dacthal is not water soluble, so it won't leach during wet conditions. And 
Dacthal is biodegradable, so ^ accumulation in the soil has never been observed. So why not make Dacthal your preemergence herbicide this season? Why not join a growing grassroots movement? Fermenta Plant Protection Company, 5966 Heisley Road, RO. Box 8000, Mentor, OH 44061-8000. Ciioi back to Dacthal! Always follow label directions carefully when using turf chemicals. CLASSIFIED RATES: $1.00 per word (minimum charge, $35). Boldface words or words in all capital letters charged at $1.25 per word. Boxed or display ads charged at 1X $85; 3X $80; 6X $75; 9X $70; 12X $65 per column inch (one inch minimum). (Frequencies 
based on a calender year). Agency commission allowed only when camera ready art is provided by agency. For ads using blind box numbers add $15 to total cost of ad. Send ad copy with payment to: DAWN NILSEN, LAWN CARE INDUSTRY, 1 E. 
First St., Duluth, MN 55802. (218) 723-9505. Fax 
Number (218) 723-9615. BOX NUMBER REPLIES: Mail box number replies to: LAWN CARE INDUSTRY, Classified Ad De-partment, 1 E. First St., Duluth, MN 55802. Please include box number in address. BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Diversified lawn service company located in Iowa City. More than 600 accounts with 65% having continuous service for 5 or more years. Also power equipment, (Snapper, Cub-cadet, Echo and Green machine), sales and service, lawn mainte-nance and indoor pest control. Call 319-354-7038. 1/89 For Sale: Western Colorado landscape con-tractor. In business since 1979. Revenue for last fiscal year around $1,000,000. Sales derived from pest control, lawn fertilization and maintenance, and reclamation seeding. Asking price $500,000, includes equipment value around $200,000. Fur-ther information write: Eric P. Wallace, CPA, 580 24 1/2 Road, Grand Junction, Colorado 81505. 1/89 FOR SALE HANNAY HOSE REELS: New in the box. E1526 s and E1530's - $339.00 We will ship and pay freight anywhere in the U.S.A. and Canada. Immediate delivery. Other size reels and parts available at fabulous savings! Call 313-543-2200, in Michigan. Outside Michigan - 1-800-843-LAWN. TF FOR SALE: 1986 Howard Price Hydro 180. Rebuilt Hydraulic and Electrical Systems. Many new parts and new paint. Low hours. MUST SELL. (203)828-8640. 2/89 LANDSCAPE TRAINING VIDEOS. Intermediate mower maintenance field and shop repair, effi-cient/profitable mowing techniques, professional shrub trimming, plant installation, etc.ENGLISH AND SPANISH. Write for free brochure. C.D. An-derson, Landscape Videos, 515 Ogden Avenue, Downers Grove, IL 60515. TF USED CHIPPERS, BUCKET TRUCKS, BOOM TRUCKS: Stump grinders, stake bodies, tree trucks and dumps. New Morbark and Woodchuck Chippers. Rayco stump grinders at discount prices. We also buy trucks and equipment. Op-dyke, Inc., Hatfield, PA (Phil, area) 215-721-4444. 1/89 1983-1985 Lawn Care Spray Trucks ~ Chevrolet C30,1 ton, dual wheels, H.D. suspension, 6.2 die-sel engine, P.S.P.B., 4 speed transmission, spray unit with 600 gallon fiberglass tanks, mechanical agitation, P.T.O. Driven 10 gallon Bean Pump, belt driven hose reels with hose and gun. Ask for Vern or Jim. 513-845-0517. 1/89 EXCELLENT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY for moti-vated entrepenure in Chicago Suburbs. Estab-lished lawn care franchise includes computer, equipment, and customers. Training and Financ-ing available. Build equity for yourself and become part of a rapidly growing service franchise. Write to: Service Master Lawn Care, P.O. Box 1281, Addison, IL 60101. 1/89 SPRAY TRUCKS: 1979 GMC one ton, manual transmission, 2 new tanks 700 gallon capacity. 1978 Chevrolet 3/4 ton, automatic transmission, 500 and 40 gallon tanks. Both units equipped with John Beam R-10 dual piston pressure pumps, Hypro agitation, hose reels, new paint and rubber, well maintain and clean. Call Jim at (507)532-7313. 1/89 Ryan Mataway Seeder $2000.00, Exel Huster 261 & 262 with Kohler engine & BAC-VAC $3000. each. 216-659-9700. 1/89 SPRAY SYSTEM 300 Gallon Fiber Glass Tank 5hp Briggs l/C engine hydrocell pump 205' hose with electric reel $1,900.00. Write LCI Box 208. 1/89 SPRAY TRUCK - 1985 Ford 1-ton. 600 Gal. SS tank. 14 H.P. Kohler engine. Hannay elee reel with 300 ft. 1/2" hose and Chemgun. Beautiful spray unit. Will send pictures on request. We will deliver. $10,750.00. (402)334-7066 or (402)493-8113 after 5:00. 1/89 SPRAY TRUCK - '78 Ford LN6001100 gal. SS tank w/mechanical agitation, 2 reels, 20/20 pump, 16 HP engine. Excellent condition. Make Offer. 317-966-7397. 1/89 TRUCKS, TRUCKS, TRUCKSII9 International Har-vester 1973-1978 with complete spray package. 1600 and 1700 V365 and V446 gas engines, 1200 and 1400 gallon tanks with 10 gpm and 20 gpm bean pumps. Single and double reels available. Well maintained, selling at READY TO PRODUCE prices. Call Mr. Reid 612-884-3663. TF SPRAY TRUCK - 1982 International S1700 9 litre diesel with 800 gal. Finn lawn spray system. Incl. PTO -mechanical agitation- 2 elee, reels w/400' Michlen hose ea. -excellent condition. Priced to sell $10,500.00. Call F.R. Haskett (216)364-7544. 1/89 OLATHE SWEEPER - Model #48, hydrostatic drive, riding turf & grounds sweeper w/48" swath and 11/4 cu. yd. hopper. Also incl. utility bed and 3 pt. hitch -excellent condition. $4,500.00. Call F.R. Haskett (216)364-7544. 1/89 SPRAY TRUCK -1979 International S1600 345 V8 with 800 gal. Finn lawn spray system. Incl. PTO -mechanical agitation- 2 elee, reels w/400' Michlen hose ea. -excellent condition. Priced to sell $8,000.00. Call F.R. Haskett (216)364-7544. 1/89 MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY Mid-manage-ment position with established lawn & tree com-pany. 30 miles north of Washington D.C. Solid base in growing community. Aggressive, honest individual to lead & manage operations & major accounts, plan & implement sales programs, & assist with budgeting, recruitment & training. Un-dergraduate degree & proven experience re-quired. Excellent compensation and opportunity. Send resume and salary requirements to: Bill Har-rigan, Green Life Lawn & Tree Care, 4539 Mack Avenue, Frederick, MD 21701 2/89 LAWN CARE BRANCH MANAGER: National lawn care company seeking experienced manager for a midwest branch. Ideal candidate will have a proven track record of providing customer satis-faction, team building, and producing bottom-line results. Will be handsomely rewarded for growing an already large operation. Fantastic opportunity for the right person looking for a change and to better himself. Send resume, experience history, and salary requirements in confidence to LCI Box 205. 1/89 Lawn Care |£!m" Career opportunities coast-to-coast. Employer retained. Experts in personnel since 1968. USA Careers 515-394-2556 New Hampton, IA 50659 HELP WANTED LAWN CARE - Applications are now being ac-cepted for the following permanent positions in the Akron - Canton area. 1) Sales & Service Mana-ger to direct all of our sales activities including field sales, direct mail & telemarketing. 2) Special Ser-vices Technician to perform aeration, renovation and tree & shrub care applications. 3) Turf Spe-cialist to make standard lawn care applications. Persons selected for these positions will be com-pensated with above average wages & bonuses and receive all standard benefits including major medical insurance with dental coverage plus paid vacation & holidays and a company supplemented retirement plan. If you are interested in working for a fast growing company which offers a full range of landscape services to its customers & excellent opportunity for employee promotion, we encour-age you to send your resume with salary require-ments to: GRASS MASTER, INC. 204 Steiner, Canal Fulton, Ohio 44614. 1/89 ServiceMASTER If you are in the lawn care business,... in a related field, or... just looking to get 
started... WE CAN HELP YOU GROW! Our network of over 3600 independently owned franchised businesses worldwide testifies to our ability to help the small business owner to flourish. If you are enthusiastic, growth-oriented, and interested in learning what ServiceMaster has to offer, then we are interested in getting to know you! For more information call: Roger Nondorf ServiceMaster LawnCare 1-800-255-9780 I am looking for a working manager for expansion of my company in the Washington, DC area. Gran-ular seed and areation format. Full benefits. $25-30K. Must be aggressive and willing to excel. (301)963-8996. Ask for Mike. 1/89 GROW WITH TURF: Career opportunities are available for professionals with experience in lawn care, landscaping and irrigation. We're looking for aggressive self-starters to join our organization. Thrive on the challenge of our growth. Enjoy above average earnings and excellent benefits. Send re-sume and salary requirements to Turf, P.O. Box 433, Moorestown, NJ 08057 or call 1-800-678-TURF. 1/89 CLEVELAND OHIO EMPLOYMENT OPPOR-TUNITIES We offer excellent salary and benefit package and opportunities for advancement in our design/build firm. Our expansion plans include es-tablishing a branch office. We are accepting appli-cations for people with skills in landscape architecture, design-sales, supervision of land-scape installation, maintenance, tree crews and nursery. Please send your resume or give us a call. Yardmaster, Inc., 1447 North Ridge Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44077. (216)357-8400. 4/89 MANAGEMENT Ever-Green Lawns Corporation, a divi-sion of the multi-national ADT Limited, interested in discussing management opportunities with lawn care profession-als looking for a change. Please respond in writing only to: Corporate Recruiting Manager Ever-Green Lawns Corporation 1390 Charlestown Industrial Drive St. Charles, MO 63303 GROUNDS MAINTENANCE/LANDSCAPE/LAWN CARE- Expanding grounds management and lawn care firm in Cincinnati seeks qualified and experienced personnel to fill openings in grounds maintenance, landscape construction, lawn care, and general pesticide application. Quality con-scious individuals knowledgeable in ornamentals, turfgrass, landscape installation, grounds mainte-nance, irrigation, or pest management should re-spond. Outstanding compensation and benefits available. Letter or resume to PROLAWN PROS-CAPE, 11488 Deerfield Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45242; Attn: Dave Osborn. (513)489-2433, days; 677-9108, evenings. 1/89 BRANCH MANAGER One of the nations leading Lawn Care Com-pany's is seeking responsible, aggressive and self-motivating individuals for management positions. Qualified candidates must possess excellent communication skills, prior experience and a degree preferred. Competitive salary, bonus and benefits with a tremendous opportunity for advancement. All inquiries are strictly con-fidential. Please reply to: LCI Box 206. EEOC/MFH ENTRY LEVEL SALES All Green Corporation is one of the fast-est growing national lawn care firms in the country. Newly organized in 1987. We are in need of highly motivated indi-viduals looking for a long term oppor-tunity in sales and sales management. Applicants should have some college and/or sales experience. Positions 
available throughout Texas and 
Oklahoma. We offer; straight salary in upper teens, annual training program leading to management, gas allowance, full benefit package and relocation ex-pense. Please send resume to: ALL GREEN LAWN CARE CORP 6100 WEST BY NORTHWEST BLVD, SUITE 110 HOUSTON, TX 77040 INDIANAPOLIS BRANCH MANAGER - Chemical lawn care, entry level. Grow with us in our new branch! Excellent opportunity for senior techni-cians or assistant managers looking to move up! For details, call Mike, collect, at Kapp's Green Lawn, Inc. 219-436-2901. 1/89 Career Opportunity. Established Southwest Flor-ida firm seeks qualified individual to take over pest control portion of business. Must be quality and result oriented. Salary limited only by your abilities. Send resume to Lawn Care Extraordinaire, 395 Havana Road N., Venice, FL 34292. Or call 813-488-0688. 1/89 Echo-Wood Services, Inc., a family owned & oper-ated lawn care business for over 20 years is now expanding into the tree/shrub care business. We are looking for experienced men & women who wish to have a career (not just a job) in estimating, selling & treating trees & ornamental shrubs. Must have experience & knowledge of the types & needs of all landscape plantings and trees. Salary, Commission, ESOP, company vehicle, division management position available the first year. Send resume, educational background & salary desired to Echo-Wood Services, Inc., P.O. Box 104, Califon, NJ 07830, Attn: Michael Papp. 1/89 REGIONAL MANAGER Tremendous opportunity for the right person as a Regional Manager with a leader in the Lawn and Tree/Shrub Industry. Degree and managerial experience with multiple locations preferred. The qualified candidate must have excellent communication and people skills. Excellent salary, bonus and benefits. All inquiries are strictly confidential. Please reply to LCI Box 207. EEOC/MFH KT ENTERPRISES INC., a commercial landscape management firm servicing the Washington D.C. Metropolitan market, is now accepting applica-tions for employment in the landscape mainte-nance department for the 1989 season and beyond. All positions offer excellent salary, health benefits, retirement and most important, an un-comparable opportunity to work in a quality orga-nization that will continue to offer gross and pro-fessional satisfaction. Please send a resume to and/or call our Personnel Director Caroline Sen-nimore if you are interested in any of the following positions. Department Manager Plant & Turf appli-cations. Supervisory-applications, Maintenance, Prunings, Floral. Sales, New Sales, Service Rep-resentatives, Landscape Senior Estimator - famil-iar with large commercial landscape projects. KT Enterprises Inc., "The Landscape Management Professionals," 7950-1 Woodruff Court, Spring-field, VA 22151. (703)764-1870. 4/89 Landscape Maintenance Area Supervisors. Com-mercial & Residential Contractor seeks knowl-edgeable and hard working experienced field su-pervisors. Excellent Career opportunities for responsible, ambitious and self-motivated individ-uals with 4-yr. Horticultural Degree preferred. Ex-cellent salary and benefits. We are one of the largest landscape contractors in the country and located in one of the fastest growing States, Flor-ida. We welcome your resumes, Oyler Bros. Com-pany, 1930 Silver Star Road, Orlando, FL 32804. 4/89 LAWN CARE - BRANCH MANAGER: Applications are now being accepted for the position of Branch Manager for a rapidly growing major lawncare company. Applicants must have a minimum of six years of chemical lawn care experience and three years sales and management experience. Com-petitive salary, bonus and benefits. Send resume and experience history in confidence to: P. O. Box 73, Dayton, Ohio 45449, Attn: B. Clements. 2/89 SALES MANAGER Turf Ornamental supply business seeks a mo-tivated person to direct sales in the Mid-Atlan-tic area. Applicant should have sales training and market planning experience. Competitive salary, benefits, with opportunity for profes-sional growth. Send resume to: Moyer & Son, Inc. P.O. Box 198 Souderton, PA 18964 Attn: Ken ADVANCE YOUR CAREER ...Seeking turfgrass technicians for positions that want to grow in one of the largest leading landscape - lawn mainte-nance companies in Akron, Ohio. Forty years es-tablished; dynamic, professional, progressive in growth and quality. Send resume confidentially to: R.B. STOUT, INC. ATTN: MR. SEEBACH, P.O. BOX 287, BATH, OHIO 44210. 2/89 LAWN EXPERT: Individual with education and ex-perience to manage lawn service for progressive Central Jersey tree expert company. Growth op-portunity. Send resume to P.O. Box 230, South Plainfield, NJ 07080. 1/89 TEN GOOD REASONS TO WORK SAFELY 0 National Safety Council iHi MISCELLANEOUS FREE 1989 CATALOG of Sprayers and parts from Perma Green Supreme includes custom made fi-berglass tanks, Poly tanks, twin hose injection gun systems, hose reels, pumps, fittings and more. Hundreds of items for lawn and tree. Call toll free 1-800-346-2001 or 219-769-1630. 3/89 SERVICES TRAINING & CONSULTING SERVICES: Tech-nical, operational and managerial assistance available. Please contact: Philip E. Catron, M.S., P.O. Box 375, Damascus, MD 20872. 301-253-5652. 1/89 WANTED Ever-Green Lawns, a division of ADT Limited, an interna-tional service company doing in excess of a billion dollars in sales, wants to acquire lawn care companies of all sizes. All inquiries strictly confidential. Please contact: Steve Hirshmugl Director of Finance and Acquisitions Ever-Green Lawns Corp. 1390 Charlestown Industrial Drive St. Charles, MO 63303 314-946-9700 Wanted to Buy - Lawn care companies of all sizes anywhere in U.S. wanted to purchase by national corporation. If interested, please respond to LCI Box 197. Strict confidentiality maintained. TF WANTED TO ACQUIRE Lawn care companies of all sizes in U.S. and Canada being sought by national cor-poration. Complete buy out or stay and grow with us. If inter-ested, please call me directly: John Hayes President TRU GREEN CORPORATION (404) 442-8700 STRICT CONFIDENTIALITY MAINTAINED I TRU GREEN SPRAYABLE TEAM PRE-EMERGENCE NEW SPRAYABLE FORMULA Ł EASY TO HANDLE FAST DISSOLVING FORMULA Ł ECONOMICAL Made only by <zjp/iLng v vciLLzij DIVISION VOGEL SEED & FERTILIZER 1891 Spring Valley Rd. Ł Jackson, Wl 53037 414-677-2273 Orkin Lawn Care, a division of the world's largest pest 
control company, is buying lawn care companies of all 
sizes nationwide. Make your company part of an organi-zation with a proven growth and management record. All replies confidential. Please contact: JOHN RAYMOND Director of Acquisitions Orkin 2170 Piedmont Road N.E. Atlanta, GA. 30324 404/888-2802 Division of Rollins, Inc., a NYSE Company MOWING from Page 1 A survey completed by 77 conference attendees revealed that for many com-panies, mowing is the number one ser-
vice, both in terms of revenue and expenditures. The LAWN CARE INDUSTRY asked Green Team attendees about their mowing sales, expenditures, types of 
equipment used, and payment meth-
ods. Some results are as follows: LAWNAMERICA, INC. a diverse lawn care com-pany, is seeking acquisition candidates in the South Central Region of the country. We are a publicly traded company making your company and personal growth potential very unique. Send information in confidence to: LAWNAMERICA, INC., P.O. Box 470445, Tulsa, OK 74147, Attn: Lee Ellis, President. 1/89 ADVERTISERS INDEX NO. ADVERTISER PAGE NO. 101 All Green 26 102 Bata Inds 4 133 Blackburn 28 103 Brouwer 18 
104 C & S Inds 32 105 Dow/Dursban 2-3 106 Dow/Turflon 15 107 Dow/Turflon 17 
108 Dow/Turflon 19 110 Dow Chemical 8 111 Elanco/North 11 109 Elanco/South 11 
112 Elanco/Team 29 113 Fermenta 33 114 Fermenta 5 115 Focal Point 32 
116 Hoechst-Roussel 27 
117 J.J. Mauget 22 
118 K L M Bio Sys 32 
119 Lebanon Chem 25 
120 Lesco 36 
121 Maruyama 14 122 Micro Trak.f: 30 
123 O.M.Scotts 6-7 
125 Precision Tank 30 126 Pumping Sys 28 
127 Real Green Computers 32 
128 Rhone-Poulenc 21 
129 Spring Valley 35 130 Triazone 12-13 
131 U.A.P 31 
132 Westheffer 32 New Products 150 Acme Ritz/Video 31 151 Tecumseh/Valve engine 31 152 Lesco/Herbicide 31 
153 Hustler Snow Track/Tractor .31 154 Doggett Corp/Turf Fertilizer . 31 This index provided as an additional service. The pub-lisher assumes no liability for ommission or error. Customer base Single family -18% Multi-family -15% Commercial/industrial - $52% Gov't/lnst'l -15% Average size properties (in square feet) 5k-20k -19% 20k-50k -13% 
50k-100k -12% 
100k-200K -19% 
5 to 15 acres -16% 
15 to 115 acres-14% Over 115 acres-6% Equipment presently owned Rotary riding mowers - 88% 
Reel riding mowers -18% Rotary walk-behind mowers - 84% Reel walk-behind 
mowers - 27% Hand held power tools - 88% Zero-turning radius mowers - 43% NY regs final; industry sues NEW YORKŠThe New York Depart-ment of Environmental Conservation recently released the final version of its 
controversial pesticide regulations. A coalition of pesticide users, mean-while, filed suit to halt enforcement. The regulations which the DEC and industry groups have been battling 
over for two years include sign posting, 
customer information sheets, 48-hour pre-notification, and other require-ments. The New York State Pesticide Coalition has sued the DEC in federal court, claiming the warning signs, in-
formation sheets and other printed materials violate federal law. The Professional Lawn Care Asso-cation of America, the Pesticide Public Policy Foundation, the National Pest Control Association and the National Arborists Association are named as plaintiffs in the suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the North-ern District of New York. The suit, filed by attorney Thomas West of Albany, claims the Federal In-secticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act gives the federal government con-
trol of pesticide labeling. The warning signs, customer information sheets 
and other printed material DEC is re-
quiring falls under this category, the suit claims. LCI Wrong name CLEVELANDŠSteve Bizon, 
owner of Bizon Maintenance Co., Wilsonville, Ore., was in-correctly identified as owner of Pro-Grass, Inc. of Wilson-ville in last month's LAWN CARE INDUSTRY.. Pro-Grass 
is owned by Paul Bizon. LCI f Ł So now you don't have to Until now, getting rid of ugly clumps of tall fescue was no easy task. The weed had to either be physically removed by digging or chemically removed by spot treating with a non-selective herbicide that left unsightly brown patches for weeks. LESCO TFCŽ Herbicide changes all that. It's the first product to provide selective spot control of tall fescue in established Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, bentgrass, bahiagrass and bermudagrass turf. Active at a rate of just a few ounces per acre, the convenient water dispersible granule formulation exhibits both contact and residual soil activity. It slowly eliminates tall fescue, while allowing the desirable grass to fill in. For tall fescue control without the digging, make LESCO TFC Herbicide part of your application program. Order today. Contact your LESCO sales representative, visit the nearest LESCO Service Center or call us toll free. (800) 321-5325 (800) 686-7413 NATIONWIDE IN OHIO LESCO, Inc., 20005 Lake Road, Rocky River, Ohio 44116 (216) 333-9250 Always read and follow label instructions before using any chemical product. ©1988, LESCO, Inc. Circle No. 120 on Reader Inquiry Card For selective spot tail fescue control Id established Kentucky bluegrass. fine fescue, bentgrass. bahlegrasa and bermudagrass turf Dispersible Granule Turf Herbicide tCwp Oui of Reach o1 Children CAUTION SEE SACK «KHFCLR» AOOMTTTIAL »SCOUR (QHARY STATEMENTS.