Selling the value of a renovation helps your profits BY JAMES E. GUYETTE Editor Educating customers on the value of a turf renovation Š and knowing your own costsŠ can help guarantee that you get a good price for your ser-vices. "People don't have a sense of how much effort it takes to renovate a lawn," says Jeff Lefton, extension turf specialist at Purdue University. A successful renovation requires extensive knowl-edge and is labor intensive. Turf managers should make sure that the cus-tomer realizes this, he points out. Pitching a renovation job to a client can be more successful "if they can 
somehow bridge that to painting the house and put-
ting on a new roof," says Lefton, noting that a home-owner will pay much more for painting and roofing, yet the lawn plays an equally important role in the ap-pearance of the property. And because most lawn renovation failures are caused by inadequate wa-tering, the customer needs 
to be enlisted to help make sure the project gets enough moisture. "If you can get home-owner participation, I've got to believe that your suc-
cess rate is going to be much 
greater," says Lefton. That sense of coopera-tion can also be used to ob-tain a price acceptable to See VALUE Page 16 Lefton: Get clients involved. WWN ORE INDUSTCY Serving commercial mowing and chemical lawn care professionals VOLUME 13 NUMBER 8 AUGUST 1989 Showers bringing more challenges DROUGHT STILL HURTS SOME PERCENT OF NORMAL PRECIPITATION APRIL 1-JUNE 17,1989 Ł Areas having less than 50 percent of normal rainfal Ł Areas having 75 percent to 150 percent of normal rainfall BY JAMES E. GUYETTE Editor April showers that 
poured on into May, 
June and July showers have made the Great Drought of 1988 a distant memory. In-stead, many turf managers are 
concerned over what could be the Great Flood of 1989. Outbreaks of disease and fungus are being reported, 
mowing and treatment sched-ules are being thrown for a loop, nutrients are leaching out of root zones and saturated soils are depriving grass plants of needed oxygen. "All this rain is just driving people crazy. It's a whole new ball of wax compared to what we had during the drought a year ago," says Eliot C. Roberts, Ph.D., director of the See RAINFALL Page 12 Source National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration HYDROSEED Hydroseeding may be another option to generate additional clients and revenue. Customers calling for additional services 18 MOWING The first in a series on how to increase the efficiency of your mowing crews. 20 CLASSIFIED See what's for sale, miscellaneous items. 30 MIDLAND, MICH.ŠLCOs are expanding into new services mainly because their custom-ers are asking them too. That was the consensus among LCOs interviewed by 
the Dow Chemical Co. at the Professional Lawn Care Asso-ciation of America conference in New Orleans. Eighty eight percent said they've seen an increase in customer demand 
for new services. Ninety percent said they r B1IT 1IA11TII 3-DIGIT 488 157 00486132 10 93 PFTc COGKINGHAM LIBRARY W121 USGA TURFGRASS INpO FILE 30G MICHIGAN STATE UNIV EAST LANSING Mi 48824-1048 now provide services beyond the standard fertilization/ 
weed control program. Services other than weed control, insect control, fertil-ization and disease control were: Ł Tree/shrub fertilization and insect sprayingŠ64 per-
cent. Ł Mowing and lawn renova-tionŠ59 percent. Ł Landscape planningŠ 41 percent. Ł Landscape installation and tree/shrub pruningŠ36 percent. Ł Irrigation installationŠ 33 percent. Ł Building perimeter insect sprayingŠ25 percent. Ł Indoor pest control and See DOW Page 14 1989 MILLION DOLLAR LAWN CARE LIST See it on Page 10! Improved bermuda due on marketplace An improved seeded va-riety of bermuda-grassŠsuitable for the transition zoneŠis expected to be on the market by 1991. "No doubt about itŠit's a revolution in the entire South-ern seed industry," says Ernie Millner, vice president and general manager of the Cactus Seed Co., Inc. in Roll, Ariz. Cactus is producing the new Cheyenne bermudagrass 
in cooperation with Pen-
nington Enterprises, Inc. of Madison, Ga. It was bred at the Jacklin Seed Co. in Post Falls, Idaho. "During my visits to the re-search nursery, I have been amazed at what lies in the fu-
ture for the bermudagrass plant," reports Brooks Pen-nington. "We see bermuda with short nodes, fine textures, beautiful green color, drought 
tolerance, low maintenance requirements, the ability to hold some green color after frost and the ability to be pro-pogated by seed," he adds. Pennington recalls a Janu See Bermuda Page 12 LATE NEWS Cushman, Lawn-Boy up for sale WAUKEGAN, ILL.ŠOutboard Marine Corp. is seeking buyers for its Cushman and Lawn-Boy 
divisions. 4 This decision will enable OMC to concentrate solely on its worldwide marine business, which 
has grown dramatically in the past few years," 
said C.D. Strang, chairman and chief executive 
officer. However, the company said that third quarter earnings are at least 50 percent below last year, when it gained net earnings of $23.3 million, or $1.48 a share. The earnings reduction was attributed to a slowdown in demand for marine products and the 
continued impact of last year's drought on the 
lawnmower business. OMC did not set a purchase price for Cushman and Lawn-Boy, nor did it speculate on possible buyers or the industry impact of any sale. LCI I |U IIMIimB^M 11 li 1 MEET YOUR I TALL FESCUE NEEDS WITH THE BEST Lofts has three of the best-performing tall fescues available. Each one offers all the good looks and tough performance you need: Ł Attractive, dark green color Ł Fine-leafed texture I Resistance to drought, disease, insects and traffic 
Ł No thatch buildup Ł Adaptability to sun or shade Ł Less maintenance than bluegrasses or ryegrasses Ł New Rebel Jr.* even offers the added advantage of slower growth. All of these varieties offer good looks, tough performance and low maintenance. When you need a fescue, choose one of the best! Wrr ' ' V Ł . ! Ł Ł '' ' ' V ' v\ >.;Ł ^Wj'M y - 'V-.y' . Lofts Seed Inc. World's largest marketer of turf grass seed (617) 648-7550 Bound Brook, NJ 08805 tr\r\A V OtTO n-JAO - /onA\ COO OOrtn Lofts/New England Lofts/Maryland Lofts/Great Western Sunbelt Seeds, Inc. Arlington, MA Beltsvllle, MD Albany, OR Norcross, GA *J (617)648-7550 (800)732-3332 (503) 928-3100 or (404) 448-9932 or (800) 732-7773 (MD) (800) 547-4063 (800) 522-7333 (800) 624-1474 (NJ) (800^ 526-3890 (Eastern U.S.) Ł (800) 547-4063 (Western U.S.) * Limited quantities available Fall 1989. Commercially available Fall 1990. L4WN 01RE INDUSTRY JAMES E. GUYETTE Editor ROBERT EARLEY Group Vice President JERRY ROCHE Executive Editor CAROL HIMANGO Production Manager ROSY BRADLEY 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 (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 3475 Lenox Road, N.E., Suite 665 Atlanta, GA 30326 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 EDGELL COMMUNICATIONS INC PUBLICATIONS ROBERT L. EDGELL, Chairman RICHARD MOELLER, President LARS FLADMARK, Executive V. Pres ARLAND HIRMAN, Vice Pres./Treasurer THOMAS QREHEY, Senior V. Pres EZRA PINCUS, Senior Vice President JOE BILDERBACH, Vice President JAMES QHERHA, Vice President GEORGE GLEHN, Vice President HARRY RAMALEY, Vice President LCI ADVISORY COUNCIL MARTY ERBAUGH RON KUJAWA Erbaugh Corp KEI Enterprises Peninsula. OH Cudahy, Wl A. J. POWELL JACK ROBERTSON U. of Kentucky Robertson Lawn Care Lexington, KY 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 3475 Lenox Road. N.E. Suite 665 Atlanta, Georgia 30326 Accounting, Advertising Pro-duction and Circulation offices: 1 East First Street, Duluth. Minnesota 55802. Subscrip-tion rates: $25 per year in the United States; $50 per year in Canada. All other countries: $100 per year. Current issue single copies (pre-paid only): $2.50 in the U.S.; $5.00 in Canada; elsewhere $10.; add $3.50 for ship-ping and handling per order. Back issues, if available $10; add $3.50 per order for ship-ping and handling (pre-paid orders only). Of-fice of publication: Edgell Communications. Inc., 1 East First Street. Duluth, Minnesota 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. W VBPA LAWN CARE INDUSTRY AUGUST 1989 MEMOS 3 ŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁŁ MEMOS A new grass seed processing operation has been opened "by Pennington Enterprises, Inc. in 
Lebanon, Ore. The new $1.5 million facility consists of 40,000 square feet. It will have the capability to handle 400 railroad cars of seed per year. Each car will average 140,000 poundsŠtotaling 56 million pounds of seed per year. Growers are growing at Lofts/Great Western Seed Co. as the firm has added 5,000 acres to 
its production fields. A new warehouse has been added that's able to store 4 
million to 5 million pounds of harvested turfseed. Craig Potts lias been promoted to director of marketing and communications 
for turf at The Andersons. A proposed ordinance banning phosphorous-containing fertilizers has been postponed indefinitely in Mountain Lakes Township, N.J. after action by the Alliance For 
Environmental Concerns, Inc. AEC Executive Director Ilona Gray spoke to the township's mayor, and the measure was 
then withdrawn from 
consideration. A pesticide video produced by the American Council on Science and Health and narrated by Walter Cronkite is getting good reviews from the industry. Big Fears Little Risks: A Report on Chemicals in the Environment is available by 
contacting Rena Buchanan at 
(212) 315-3950. Dow and Blanco are uniting to produce ag chemicals. Dow is bringing insecticide and herbicide business, while Elanco 
has fungicide and herbicide 
expertise. Dow-Elanco sales are expected to top $4 billion in a decade. LCI Turf-Type Tall Fescue rated #1 four consecutive years. wmmM^mm Nationwide testing at 41 sites of turf-type tall fescues place ARID as #1, and the first choice for athletic fields, parks, playgrounds and public area lawns. Nationwide testing gives Arid the lead. Mean Turfgrass Quality Ratings of Tall Fescue Cultivars At Four Shade Locations in the United States Quality Ratings 1-9 9=Ideal Turf Name Arid Finelawn I Trident Pacer Mustang Apache Tempo KY-31 Falcon Houndog Adventure Jaguar Bonanza Olympic Maverick Willamette Rebel Clemfine Brookston Johnstone Kenhy Data from USDA National Turfgrass Evaluation Program Drought Tolerance (Dormancy) Ratings of Tall Fescue Cultivars Dormancy Ratings 1-9 9=No Dormancy ES CFI Pk BE BJTC Data from USDA National Turfgrass Evaluation Program Be sure to order Arid from your seed wholesaler or sod distributor. Another fine, quality-controlled product of Jacklfn Seed Company Brown Patch Ratings of Tall Fescue Cultivars 9=No Disease Brown Patch Ratings 1-9 Name Arid Adventure Jaguar Rebel Pacer Maverick 
Falcon Clemfine Apache Tempo Olympic Houndog Chesapeake 
Finelawn 5GL KY-31 Mustang Bonanza Trident Johnstone Finelawn I Kenhy Willamette Brookston Data from USDA National Turfgrass Evaluation Program Circle No. 107 on Reader Inquiry Card UPFRONT LAWN CARE INDUSTRY AUGUST 1989 UPFRONT Think of customers before diversifying When considering alter-native business ventures, too many LCOs choose a new service for all 
the wrong reasons. Simply put, you have to first determine if the con-sumers will accept the new offering. That's the opinion of the Services Consulting Group in Columbus, Ohio. SCG has prepared a report outlining some of the factors usedŠ 
rightly or wronglyŠwhen considering expansion. Some wrong reasons? ^ Company boredom: "We were getting bored with our old business. Everyone in the organization needed to be charged up." SCG replies that "simple boredom is never a good rea-
son to do anything without thinking deeply about the 
consequences. Companies 
that need a 'charge' should 
think about having a reten-
tion rate of 95 percent and a 
closing rate of 90 percent. 
That's a 'charge.'" Name recognition: "Ev-eryone knows our name. We JAMES E. GUYETTE EDITOR should capitalize on this." Says SCG, "Remember Xerox PC's and AT&T cop-iers? Just because your name 
is well respected in one area doesn't mean that the con-sumer will accept you in another." There's room to grow: "We've got extra capacity. We should utilize our assets more." SCG concedes that it could be a good idea, but "often the choices of the new service don't match the over-
all capacity of the company. Include management talent, capital, marketing oppor-tunity, and other major factors and maybe that 'extra capacity' can't be used for anything other than the cur-rent offerings." tr It's a natural extension: Home lawn two months after overseedinq with Turf-Seed ryegrass and bluegrass products. m Quality Turf Products Green-Up Your Bottom Line Lawn renovation can be a profitable addition to an LCO's services, but like other programs, satisfied customers are the key to continued success. Along with professional tech-
nicians, proper equipment and timely service, the grass seed used make the long lasting impression that creates referrals. And Turf-Seed, Inc. has the premium quality seed for your program ... in your region. Ask for these products 
by variety name ... because it's really your name that's on the line. Northern Turf Renovation Perennial Ryegrasses Citation II Ł Birdie II Ł Omega II Ł Manhattan II Ł CBS II Blend Ł 246 Ł 2DD Ł 
2HH 'Charged Kentucky Bluegrass Midnight Ł Challenger Ł Columbia Ł Galaxv Blend Southern Turf Renovation Tall Fescues Olympic Ł Apache Ł Monarch Ł Silverado Ł Eldorado Ł Triathalawn Blend Perennial Ryegrasses Citation II Ł Birdie II Ł Omega II Ł Manhattan II Ł CBS II Blend Ł 246 Ł 2DD Ł 2HH 'Charger5 TURF-SEED, INC. PO Box 250, Hubbard, OR 97032 FAX 503-981-5626 TWX 510-590-0957 1-800-247-6910 Use ROUNDUP® herbicide to kill undesired turf. ROUNDUP® is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company. "Carpet cleaning is a home service, so is lawn care. We should go into carpet clean -Ł _ » ing. Don't forget to ask the consumers first, warns SCG. "There are a great many home services. Some match up well with others, making 
them good combinations to 
use. Others (see above) are poor because the buying pat-terns, labor and ease of entry 
are completely different." fer The urge to buy some-thing: "There was a company for sale. We had the money. We wanted to diversify. We bought them." According to SCG, "The next line might be, 'We went broke.' Certainly all strong companies want to be aware of market opportunity and be aggressive enough to take chances when appropriate. Simply because something is available scarcely makes buy-ing it a brilliant management decision." Some right reasons? tr "We did market re-search, found out how, when 
and how much consumers want to buy, then matched 
that with our diversification 
strategy." Says SCG, "If you base your planning on consumers rather than focus it on inter-
nal needs, you're much more likely to be successful. "Planning done without an understanding of the con-
sumer is usually destined to 
failure in the marketplace," they say. "We knew the consum-ers' needs and then we also knew we had the manage-
ment capacity necessary to lead the new diversification." SCG points out that "managing different types of companies requires different knowledge and expertise. You may be a brilliant manager, but have little or no experi-ence in a new area. Checking on management capacity is a key. If you don't have it, where will it come from?" fcr The total package of services being offered is ac-ceptable to the consumer. "A package of services must have compatibility in the consumer's mind," says SCG. "It doesn't matter if the new service is easy for you to 
manage, uses up all your ex-tra truck capacity, and has a very high ease of entry, if the 
consumer doesn't think it matches with your current offering." Speaking of current offer-ings, Elliot Maras has been promoted to another Edgell publication and I've moved into the editor's slot here. Your comments and sug-gestions are welcome. I can be reached at (216) 891-2763. 
The address is 7500 Old Oak Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio 44130. For rapid response, use the peel-off label from the front cover PLACE COVER LABEL HERE PRINT PHONE NUMBER BEL STATE PHONE( » 101 116 131 146 161 176 191 206 221 236 251 266 281 296 311 326 341 I 102 117 132 147 162 177 192 207 222 237 252 267 282 297 312 327 342 | 103 118 133 148 163 178 193 208 223 238 253 268 283 298 313 328 343 | 104 119 134 149 164 179 194 209 224 239 254 269 284 299 314 329 344 | 105 120 135 150 165 180 195 210 225 240 255 270 285 300 315 330 345 | 106 121 136 151 166 181 196 211 226 241 256 271 286 301 316 331 346 | 107 122 137 152 167 182 197 212 227 242 257 272 287 302 317 332 347 | 108 123 138 153 168 183 198 213 228 243 258 273 288 303 318 333 348 109 124 139 154 169 164 199 214 229 244 259 274 289 304 319 334 349 110 125 140 155 170 185 200 215 230 245 260 275 290 305 320 335 350 111 126 141 156 171 186 201 216 231 246 261 276 291 306 321 336 351 112 127 142 157 172 187 202 217 232 247 262 277 292 307 322 337 352 113 128 143 158 173 188 203 218 233 248 263 278 293 308 323 338 353 114 129 144 159 174 189 204 219 234 249 264 279 294 309 324 339 354 115 130 145 160 175 190 205 220 235 250 265 280 295 310 325 340 355 iWWN OIRE INDUSTRY AUGUST 1989 This card void after Oct. 15,1989 1. CHECK BELOW YOUR PRIMARY BUSINESS AT THIS LOCATION: A. LAWN CARE COMPANY: Read each choice before answering. 10 Ł Chemical lawn care company 20 Ł Mowing/management lawn care company and/or landscape contractor 30 Ł Both chemical lawn care company and mowing/management lawn care company and/or landscape contractor B. SUPPLIER 50 Ł Chemical and equipment dealer and/or distributor C. OTHER (specify) 2. WHAT IS YOUR TITLE? I would like to receive (continue receiving) LAWN CARE INDUSTRY each month: Yes Ł No Ł Signature:. Date. BUSINESS REPLY MAIL FIRST CLASS PERMIT NO. 665 DULUTH, MINNESOTA ] NO POSTAGE NECESSARY IF MAILED IN THE I UNITED STATESL POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE READER SERVICE DEPARTMENT WWN GIRE INDUSTRY POST OFFICE BOX 6080 DULUTH, MINNESOTA 55806-9780 lililnlililuli IImJImI.I lllllllllllllllllllllll Introducing Gallery." Nothing's more terrifying than to hear a customer say, "They're back." Dreaded broadleaves. Costly callbacks. You want to scream. Your nightmares are over at last. Elanco introduces the unique preemer-
gence broadleaf weed control for turf-grassŠnew Gallery 75DF. Featuring an advanced new chemistry, it casts broad-leaves into the dungeon and throws away the key all season long. Your customers won t be haunted by spurge. Or oxalis. Or white clover. Or 41 
other tough broadleaves. And you'll be haunted less by costly callbacks. Yet turfgrass has nothing to fear. New Gallery is actually more tolerant on your turf than other herbicides. So 
there's no risk of off-site damage to nearby ornamentals, gardens and trees. Put an end to the horror of broadleaves. Instead of hearing "They're back," start saying, "They're gone." With new Gallery. 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. GalleryŽŠ(isoxaben, Elanco) MILLION DOLLAR COMPANIES REVENUE ABOVE $5 MILLION: '(Bought in 1989) 1 ' Designates franchising or licensing operation $M $M % Firm 1989 1988 Growth MILLION DOLLAR COMPANIES, 
REVENUE UNDER $5 MILLION: Firm '(Bought in 1989) $M $M % 1989 1988 Growth Designates franchising or licensing operation Firm $M $M % 1989 1988 Growth 314.7 306 1 ChemLawn Services Corp. Columbus, OH (Excludes franchise revenue) 2.8 92.3 28.5 6.5 27.2 2 Tru Green Corp. 100 52 Atlanta, GA 3 Barefoot Grass Lawn Service, Inc. Worthington, OH 4 Lawn Doctor, Inc. Matawan, NJ 5 The Weed Man, Ltd. Ontario, CN 6 Leisure Lawn, Inc. 12.2 10.28 18.6 Dayton, OH 7 Spring Green 11.7 9.9 18.6 Lawn Care Corp. Plainfield, IL 8 Lawnmark Corp. 8.67 7.79 11.2 Akron, OH 39.7 30.9 Corporate: 30.9 Franchise: 8.8 33.38 31.35 38 22 Corporate: 14 Franchise: 14 OVER $5 MILLION, FIGURES NOT RELEASED: Davey Tree Expert Co. Kent, OH Ever-Green Lawns Corp. St. Louis, MO Green Drop Lawn, Ltd. Calgary, CN Hydro Lawn, Inc. Gaithersburg, MD Lawn Medic, Inc. Bergen, NY Orkin Lawn Care, Inc. Atlanta, GA Super Lawns, Inc. Bethesda, MD Thoma Bros., Inc. (ChemLawn franchise) Erie, PA * Yearound Lawn Care, Inc. Ventura, CA 9 ServiceMaster 4.7 3.2 46.8 Lawn Care Downer s Grove, IL 10 Nitro-Green Corp. 4.5 4.1 9.7 Fort Collins, CO 11 Perma-Green 4.2 NA Š Lawn Co., Inc. Boise, ID 12 Pro-Grass, Inc. 3.7 3.2 15.6 Wilsonville, OR 13 J.C. EhrlichCo., Inc. 2.9 4 -27.5 Reading, PA 13 Monroe Tree 2.9 2.4 20.8 A & Lawntender Rochester, NY 14 The Lawn Co., Inc. 2.7 2.3 17.4 (ChemLawn franchise) South Dennis, MA 15 Central Illinois 2.2 2 .1 Lawn Care, Inc. (ChemLawn franchise) East Peoria, IL 16 A-One Lawn Care, Inc. 2 2 0 Amlin, OH 17 Middleton Pest 1.9 NA Š Control, Inc. Orlando, FL 17 Greenlon, Inc. 1.9 1.5 26.7 A Cincinnati, OH 18 Hydro-Green Lawn 1.8 1.6 12.5 & Leaf Service Warminster, PA 19 Emerald Green, Inc. 1.7 NA Š Cincinnati, OH 20 Pennington Lawn 1.7 1.7 0 Service, Inc. (ChemLawn franchise) Ankeny, IA 21 Senske Lawn & Tree Care Kennewick, WA 22 All Natural Lawns, Inc. Brighton, Ml 22 Lawn Masters, Inc. A Hawthorne, NY 22 Lawn Care Co. B (ChemLawn Franchise) Cedar Rapids, IA 23 All-American Turf Beauty, Inc. Van Meter, IA 24 Agro-Lawn Systems, Inc. Vienna, VA 25 Green Care Lawn Service, Inc. Birmingham, AL 25 Lawnscape A Systems, Inc. Ontario, CA 25 Green-a-Lawn B Hillsdale, NY 26 Green Stuff, Inc. Golden Valley, MN 26 Lawn Care of A Wisconsin, Inc. (Barefoot Grass franchise) Madison, Wl 26 Nutri-lawn B International Winnipeg, CN 27 Perfecturf USA, Inc. Mentor, OH 1.6 1.2 33.3 1.5 N A Š 1.5 1.1 36.4 1.5 1.5 0 1.4 1.3 7.7 1.3 1.2 8.3 1.2 NA Š 1.2 NA Š 1.2 N A Š 1.1 1.06 3.7 1.1 NA Š 1.1 NA Corporate: 780,000 Franchise: 380,000 1 NA UNDER $5 MILLION. FIGURES NOT RELEASED: Allgreen Lawn Care Marietta, GA Bobby Lawn, Inc. Sarnia, CN Dobson Turf, Inc. (Lawn Doctor Franchise) Stamford, CN Earthscapes Corp. Anaheim, CA Executive Lawn Care, Inc. Columbus, OH Green Lawn Care Co., Inc. Mississauga, CN Lawn Builders Cincinnati, OH Lawn Doctor of Fairfax (Franchise) Fairfax, VA Lawn Doctor of Westport-Weston, CT (Franchise) Weston, CT Lawnlife Corp. Salt Lake City, UT Lawn Ranger, Inc. Spotswood, NY Liqui-Green Lawn Care Corp. Peoria, IL Nature Plus Montreal, CN Perf-A-Lawn Corp. New Carlisle, OH Royal Lawns of Monmouth, Inc. (Franchise) Freehold, NJ Spenco, Inc. (ChemLawn franchise) Mt. Pleasant, SC Tuckahoe Lawn Care Warwick, Rl MILLION DOLLAR LAWN CARE COMPANIES PER REGION NORTHWEST NORTHEAST SOUTHWEST NEW TO THE MILLION DOLLAR LIST: Allgreen Lawn Care Marietta, GA All Natural Lawns, Inc. Brighton, Ml Emerald Green, Inc. Cincinnati, OH Green-a-Lawn Hillsdale, NY Green Care Lawn Service, Inc. Birmingham, AL Landscape Systems, Inc. Ontario, CA Lawn Care of Wisconsin, Inc. Madison, Wl Lawn Doctor of Fairfax Fairfax VA Lawn Doctor of Westport-Weston, CT Weston, CT Nature Plus Montreal, CN Nutri-lawn International Winnipeg, CN Perfecturf USA, Inc. Mentor, OH Ryan brings quality aeration from golf greens to green lawns. Introducing the new Ryan Lawnaire® 28. The revolutionary Lawnaire 28 combines the technology and preci-sion of golf course aeration with the demands of lawn maintenance. Its reciprocating, crank mounted tine arms feature a vertical coring ac-tion similar to larger Ryan aera-
tors. Tines penetrate straight in to a depth of 2V2 inches, and come straight out. The results are a more professional-looking job, better root development, greener lawns, and more satisfied customers. Make more money by the yard. Because time is money, the Lawnaire 28 is designed to cover big jobs quickly Š up to 24,000 sq. ft. per hour. But because not every job is big, it's also compact and maneuverable. Just 34 inches wide, the Lawnaire 28 easily fits 
through yard gates. The unique 
tricycle front wheel gives the unit a zero turning radius while aerating! Even the tightest spots are no 
problem. And because it's a Ryan, you can rest assured that the Lawnaire 28 will keep you on the job and out of the repair shop for years to come. Check out Ryan's reliability in your own backyard. Contact your Ryan dealer and ask for a free demonstration today. Or call toll free: 1-800-228-4444. RYAN BUILT 10 LAST A CU8HMAN Product Group 6519 Ryan, P.O. Box 82409, Lincoln, NE 68501 © Outboard Marine Corporation, 1988. All rights reserved. 1989 Million Dollar Lawn Care List Canadians boost their share of lawn care market Canada's lawn care mar-ketplace continues to increase as six Cana-dian firms are now members of LAWN CARE INDUSTRY'S "Million Dollar Lawn Care List." Two Canadian companies are debuting on the 1989 list: Nature Plus of Montreal and 
Nutri-Lawn International of Winnipeg. They join the four other Ca-nadian operations already aboard the list. (Ontario's The 
Weed Man, Ltd., Green Lawn Care Co., Ltd., and Bobby Lawn, Inc. were accompanied by Green Drop Lawn Ltd. of Alberta as they arrived on last year's list.) To reach the LAWN CARE INDUSTRY "Million Dollar Lawn Care List," a company has to have at least $1 million 
in 1988 lawn care sales. Twelve new firms were added to the 11-year-old list. Two of the newcomers were previously on the listŠbut had fallen off last year's tally. 
Green-a-Lawn of Hillsdale, N.Y. and Green Care Lawn 
Service, Inc. of Birmingham, Ala. are now back among the top-grossing operations in North America. The other new additions are All Green Lawn Care of Marietta, Ga., All Natural 
Lawns of Brighton, Mich., Emerald Green, Inc. of Cin-cinnati, Ohio, Landscape Sys-
tems, Inc. of Ontario, Calif., Lawn Care of Wisconsin, Inc. of Madison, Lawn Doctor of Fairfax, Va., Lawn Doctor of 
Westport-Weston, Conn, and Perfecturf USA, Inc. of Men-tor, Ohio. The list now contains 61 firms, up from last year's 59. Three companies dropped off because of reduced reve-nues. Matthew Narog of the Lawn Clinic, Inc. in Moun-tainview, Calif, cites the 
drought. The firm serves the San Francisco Bay Area, and watering restrictions resulted in clients just letting their 
lawns go, he says. The Green Scene of Tar-High performance, stress tolerance (including shade and drought) Huntsville Kentucky bluegrass is recognized as a new cool season, improved' shade tolerant grass that proved so effective dur-ing the midwest's extreme heat and drought year. Testing clearly demonstrates Huntsville's outstanding qualities which include excellent resistance to powdery mildew, high ratings in shade tolerance, improved resistance to stem rust and fusarium blight syndrome. This excellent Kentucky bluegrass was discovered by Dr. C. Reed Funk of Rutgers University. It was found persisting in Huntsville, Alabama and has clearly demonstrated why it survived so well. It also scored high ratings in tests under high heat and humidity in the transition zone. Medium green in color, Huntsville blends beautifully with Arid and the newer turf-type tall fescues because of its similar color and leaf texture. ^^ Huntsville starts * with a vigorous seedling and ultimately develops deep rhizomes giving the grass staying power under drought conditions. This strength was strongly evident during testing in the Nebraska and Great Plains areas where researchers sought cultivars less susceptible to drought and low maintenance conditions. Jacklfn Another fine quality product of Order Huntsville from your wholesale seed distributor. Seed Company West 5300 Riverbend Avenue Post Falls, Idaho 83854-9499 Phone 208-773-7581 TWX 5107760582 Jacklin PFLS FAX 208-773-4846 zana, Calif, and Kapp's Green Lawn, Inc. of Fort Wayne, Ind. also fell off. ChemLawn of Oklahoma has decided not to take part in the list, says the company's Jerry Mosely, so it, too, falls off. A couple of other firms would have qualified for this year's list, but they declined to participate. Some of the bigger players of years gone by have been bought out. Tru Green purchased Ever-Green Lawns Corp. of Golden, 
Colo., Keystone Lawn Spray, Inc. of Wayne, Pa. and The Greenkeeper, Inc. of San An-tonio, Texas. Yearound Lawn Care, Inc. of Ventura, Calif, was bought this year by Orkin, so it will be 
gone from the rolls next year. Tru Green posted the strongest growth figure, rising 92.3 percent from $52 million to 
$100 million in just one year. ServiceMaster Lawn Care of Downer's Grove, 111. reports 
a 46.8 percent growth rate. It has risen to $4.7 million in sales, up from $3.2 million. Lawn Masters, Inc. grew 36.4 percent, reaching the $1.5 million mark. J.C. Ehrlich Co., Inc. of Reading, Pa. suffered a 27.5 percent reduction in billings last year, bringing its gross down from $4 million to $2.9 million. ChemLawn (excluding franchise revenue) registered a 
2.8 percent gain. LCI Eric Nelson is appointed at Northrup King MINNEAPOLISŠEric Nelson is the new director of turf re-search at Northrup King. Nelson will oversee the en-tire breeding and evaluation of cool- and warm-season pro-
prietary turfgrasses at the 
company's Tangent, Ore. fa-
cility. He received his B.S. degree in plant science, emphasizing turfgrass management, from the University of Rhode Is-land. He earned his M.S. de-gree in plant breeding at Penn State University and will com-plete a Ph.D. this year. LCI Nelson: New at Northrup King. LAWN CARE INDUSTRY AUGUST 1989 INDUSTRY NEWS 11 INDUSTRY NEWS [ mW fflHEWBM i New weed sprouts in American lawns MARYSVILLE, OHIO A tough new foreign weed is in-vading American lawns via imported grass seed. Serrated tussock, a toxic perennial weed with unusual drought and herbicide resis-tance, is already considered a problem in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Ar-gentina. It has shown up in the United States recently in for-eign-grown tall fescue, ryegrass and burmudagrass seed. In emergency legislation, 
nine states have placed it on their prohibited weeds list. The grassy, clumpy weed, Nassella trichotoma, has the potential to be a particular 
threat to U.S. turf managers, 
according to Dale Kern, presi-dent of Seed Technology, Inc. in Marysville, Ohio. Serrated tussock is an ag-gressive weed that spreads even under dry conditions. "It produces seeds rather pro-fusely," says Kern. Research has documented that serrated tussock is fatal to sheep and causes stall-out in cattle. "Turf managers might be Kern: Look for the tag. concerned about this even if 
they aren't anywhere near a farm," Kern points out, be-cause the weed's toxicity to 
deer, rabbits and other ani-mals is uncertain. It has been classified as a noxious weed by Maryland, Mississippi, Illinois, Wash-ington, Oregon, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and Missouri. No selective control is known. "Some of these weeds (from other countries) may be very 
difficult or impossible to eradi-cate once they're in your turf," he advises. "Nine-tenths of the battle is prevention." Turf managers can protect themselves by buying certified 
seed with the analysis tag still attached, says Kern. "If a person buys uncer-tified seed, a person has no 
way of knowing where that seed was grown," Kern says. "You have to make sure the tag is on the bag." Because of burning bans in the Northwest, seed producers 
are increasingly turning to for-eign-grown seed. (Field burn-ing is part of the seed growing process, but many citizens ob-ject to the practice.) Kern foresees a five-fold in-crease in foreign-grown seed over the next three years. "Unfortunately, as we see more and more imported seed entering the country, serrated 
tussock may only be the tip of the iceberg," warns Kern. He points out that in Aus-tralia alone, 184 potentially se-rious weeds are known which do not appear in U.S. noxious 
weed classifications. In regard to noxious weeds, Argentina lists 60, South Af-rica 79 and New Zealand up to 50. LCI Nor-Am set to purchase ICI facility WILMINGTON, DEL. NOR-AM Chemical Co. has signed a 
letter of intent to buy the ICI Agricultural Products Group Eastern Research Center in 
Goldsboro, N.C., NOR-AM announced in a news release. 
Terms of the sale were not dis-
closed. The center is located on 265 acres of land and includes re-search labs, environmental testing sites, a large-scale formulation faclity, green-houses, office buildings and a 
farm. The site has been operated by ICI since 1972 and has un-dergone several expansions. "The proposed acquisition of this outstanding research 
center represents a major step forward and commitment by NOR-AM," says Leo Elkins, president. "It will strengthen 
our research capabilities, sig-nificantly allowing us to bring new products to the mar-
ketplace more quickly." NOR-AM, based in Wilmington, Del., makes and markets a broad range of prod-ucts for agriculture, profes-
sional pest control, turf and 
ornamentals, and other spe-
cialty areas. NOR-AM is owned by Schering, AG, Berlin, West Germany, an international 
maker of pharmaceuticals, ag chemicals, and industrial chemical and electroplating 
products. LCI Have a SPILL? Call Chemtrec 1-800-424-9300 Grass seed harvest begins! Heading to market: A combine reaps Kentucky bluegrass seed outside of Spokane, Wash. Growers are predicting a good crop this year, but demand remains high. . limiting disposal of clippings, etc. SPRINGFIELD, ILL.ŠIllinois turf managers are looking into 
composting following the pas-sage of a law that limits the disposal of landscape waste at landfills. Lawmakers say the state's garbage dumps are filled to ca-pacity. As of Sept. 1, sanitary land-fills can't accept truckloads of 
leaves and other debris. Come July of next year that same waste will also be prohibited Green industry newsletter new from Monsanto ST. LOUIS, MO.ŠMonsanto is publishing a quarterly news-letter for professional turf managers. The publication, Green-Scene, will contain news items 
and features, says Dave Dun-can, director of the Monsanto Greens Business Group. "We also want readers of Green-
Scene to become more famil-iar with Monsanto and our dedication to making their businesses more profitable." To receive the publication, write to the Monsanto Greens Business Group, Suite 117, 1233 N. Mayfair Road, Mil-waukee, Wis. 53226. LCI Duncan: Start the presses. from being mixed in with other trash. Turf managers have opted for composting, with some buying European-made com-
posting machines, according 
to Patricia Cassady, executive 
director of the Illinois Land-scape Contractors Associa-tion. However, the state also reg-ulates composting sites, and as of presstime few had been ap-
proved for operation. "We 
don't have a lot of options as far as composting goes," Cas-sady says. Waste disposal will con-tinue to be a concern, says William J. Davids, vice presi-dent of Clarence Davids & Sons, Inc. in Blue Island. "Somehow I have to get rid of it," Davids notes, adding Fermenta changes name MENTOR, OHIOŠThe Fer-menta Crop Protection Co. 
has changed its name to Fer-
menta ASC Corp. "The name change posi-tions Fermenta in the agri-
cultural and specialty chemi-
cals industries and signals our 
desire to grow the business, 
developing new technologies 
and products in these fields and beyond," says Richard L. Urbanowski, president and chief operating officer. Fermenta is a specialty chemical company with tech-nical and marketing experties 
in agrichemicals and indus-trial biocides. Its parent company is Fer-menta AB Corp., which devel-ops, tests, registers and markets specialty fungicide and herbicide products. LCI that his company deals with a nearby composting facility. He says it's cheaper to take the waste to the compost pile than it is to take it to a landfill. Illinois business owners are trying to come up with solu-tions to the dilemma, Cassady 
and Davids report. A meeting with state of-ficials is planned, and the ILCA may consider other ac-tion once members become more aware of the situation. "There are some out there who don't know about (the new law)," Cassady points out. LCI Ringer acquires Reuter MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. Ringer Corp., supplier of natu-ral fertilizers, has acquired the assets of Reuter Laboratories, Inc., a Dallas-based supplier of natural insecticides, for an un-disclosed sum. The purchase makes Ringer the largest supplier of both natural fertilizer and pesticide products, for both the consumer and professional markets. Reuter had curtailed its op-erations in the last two years 
due to poor finances. The Dallas operations will be absorbed completely into Ringer's Mineapolis facility, says Rob Ringer, national training director for sales and 
development. "Our number one objective will be to get Reuter up to speed" in producing and mar-keting its natural pesticide products, he says. It will pick up the Ringer name in 1990. LCI BERMUDA from Page 1 ary visit to the Jacklins in Post Falls, which is just 100 miles south of the Canadian border: "Our people brushed away the snow in tem-peratures near zero to look and see a Cheyenne bermuda plant still aliveŠdormant, but with some color remaining." Cheyenne's deep root sys-tem helps it survive climate extremes, according to Jack-lin breeder Judy Brede. "The 
same characteristics that make Cheyenne cold toler-ant also make it drought tol-erant." Brede likes the plant's "meadow muffin" growth pat-tern. Rather than sprawling 
outward it maintains a lower, denser area of coverage. "You can mow Cheyenne very close to the ground," she says. In Arizona it has been mowed at 3/i6 to Vs of an inch, and it has gone up to a month without water. "Cheyenne is extremely cold tolerant and extremely 
drought tolerant," Brede em-phasizes. The new bermuda can sur-vive winters that have fewer than five days of temperatures 
below zero, she points out. Cheyenne will perform well in the transition zone, she says. Brede notes that Wash-for the Landscaper UnnTU AurniOAii nun in MmcniuMii SPECIAL REPLACEMENT ENGINES ON SALE NOW NATIONWIDE AT YOUR LOCAL PARTICIPATING TECUMSEH SERVICE DEALER REPLACES ORIGINAL 8-10-11-12 H.P. RIDING MOWER AND LAWN TRACTOR ENGINES 812701A 0VXL120 - 12 H.P. Overhead valves Cast iron Sleeve Ultra-Balanced Recoil Start Electronic ignition 3 Qt. Rust Proof Fuel Tank Multi-stage Air Cleaner Oil Pump Lubrication 2 'N 10 Year warranty $370" & FACTORY FREIGHT REPLACEMENT FOR SNAPPER AND MANY OTHER BRANDS OF ROTARY MOWERS TVXL840 a H.P. 2 Year warranty Electronic ignition Dual Air Cleaner $19235 & FACTORY FREIGHT 800109A ASK ABOUT THE MANY OTHER MODELS AT YOUR PARTICIPATING TECUMSEH SERVICE DEALER TECUMSEH PRODUCTS COMPANY ENGINE & TRANSMISSION GROUP SERVICE DIVISION Look For Your Nearby Tecumseh Service Dealer in The Yellow Pages under "Engines, Gasoline" Brede: It's moving northward. ington, D.C. gets extremely cold only about every five years or so. "We can bring it up into Washington," she adds. Jacklin's bermuda pro-gram is two-and-a-half-years old, and more than 1,000 grass plants from all over the world are being studied. One of Cheyenne's parents came from Yugoslavia. The new grass is expected to be economical because it has good seed production, which is necessary to suc-cessfully market the variety. "If the farmer can't grow seed it doesn't matter if it 
has great color and texture," Brede explains. "The No. 1 thing we look for is fertility." The production fields will Seed breeding: Jacklin's Heidi Bleasner tests new varieties. be in the Southwest. "The 
bermuda doesn't make seed except in Arizona and Southern California," says 
Millner at Cactus. The seeding aspect makes Cheye nne special for the turf manager trying to please clients, according to Millner. "We can put seed down at 20 percent of what it costs to sprig," he says. "It'll be 20 percent cheaper than sprigging." Unlike common bermu-dagrass, it is possible to use a rotary mower on the new va-
riety. "All hybrid bermudas are mowed with a reel mower," he explains. "It would be better to do it with a reel, but the appearance with a rotary would be better than with a common." Millner reports a high amount of interest already from Southern turf managers. "I think people will be quite pleased with it," Millner pre-
dicts. LCI RAINFALL from Page 1 Lawn Institute. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration, since April the spring rainfall patterns in 
many of the lower 48 states have been just the opposite of last year's. Some areas remain under drought restrictions, but oth-
ers are awash in excess water. "The eastern half the the United States has really been 
soaked," reports Dave Miskus of NOAA's climate analysis center in Washington, D.C. "Some parts of Texas had over 
20 inches." The Dallas-Fort Worth area had May rainfall that 
equaled its normal annual total. Ohio had its fourth wet-
test May in history, and the Northeast had the second highest amount of rainfall since 1895. The Atlantic and Eastern Gulf Coasts have been hit 
hard, as has the Ohio, Ten-
nessee and lower Mississippi Valleys, plus the south-central Great Plains. "Surpluses ex-ceeding six inches are wide-spread in the South and East." Miskus feels that the excess rain of this year is likely to balance out the drought condi-
tions of last year in terms of 
climate averages. It is estimated that 70 per-cent of all turf problems stem from too much water, and conditions this year seem Roberts: Timing is crucial. to be providing a textbook ex-
ample. "So many things hap-pen. . .when too much water is applied," says Roberts. A primary complaint has been the fungus among us. "The fungi just keep grow-ing," Roberts says. "When it's wet and the humidity is high there's no break (in the grow-ing cycle) to put the fungi back 
into dormancy. The fungi 
have a chance to spread through the plant without in-terruption." If that isn't enough, a fungus growing in the back yard can easily wind up in the front yard after it's mowed. "A 
little bit of the clippings stick to the mower and you can spread it." Rainfall can make treating fungi more difficult. "The 
fungicides will do a good job but you have to time them," Roberts points out. At many firms, such as Cooper's Lawn Aeration Ser-vice in Virginia Beach, Va., several fungus treatments have had to be resprayed be-cause of rain. "Cool and wet weather (has) allowed fungal diseases, especially leaf spot and red 
thread, to thrive in some lawns," says Bill Pound, Ph.D., a turfgrass specialist at Ohio State University. Some LCOs are seeing a bumper crop of weeds this year 
as the rain is keeping them healthy. "These folks are battling weeds," says James F. Wilkin-son of the Professional Lawn 
Care Association of America. "The rain has diluted a lot of the weed management materi-als that would usually have lasted for a longer period were 
it not for all the water." According to Bruce J. Bentcover of Ecolab, Inc., 
"The wet spring weather in many of ChemLawn's market-
ing areas has prevented timely lawn care and tree and shrub applications." Roberts notes that "when it rains all the time the chemical 
is washed off the plants before 
it does any good." A number of diseases are sprouting up on lawns and "crabgrass is really running rampant in parts of the coun-try where there's been a lot of rainfall," he adds. Not only are the treatments themselves often rendered 
useless, but the working day itself is shortened for crews Too much mulch putting damper on ornamentals Pound: Avoid mowing delays. that have already fallen be-hind. "Most of the time you can only get a half day's work out of our teams and then it starts to rain," says Gary Cooper, 
owner of Cooper's Lawn Aera-tion Service. On one given day he ex-pected his crews to complete 20 sprays, but rainfall was likely to limit the workload to only 15 jobs. (Cooper typically schedules 20 sprays a day "be-cause we talk to the custom-
ers" as part of the job.) Mowing routines are being disrupted, which in turn leads to additional troubles. Yellow-ing is being seen as larger por-tions of grass leaves are being 
cut, and toxic burn can occur 
when clippings are allowed to lay on the ground in bunches. It's better to mow tall grass on a wet lawn than it is to de-lay mowing in hopes that the 
lawn will dry thoroughly, says Pound at OSU. That's because mowing shocks the grass, and the taller the grass the greater the shock. At Super Lawns of Gaith-ersburg, Inc. in Gaithersburg, Md. crews are raising the mower height and cutting more often. Some LCOs are reporting insect problems, while others 
note that any bugs have yet to appear. "The growth rate of the grass can create new tissues faster than the insect can eat them," explains Roberts. "It will outgrow the insects." Be prepared, though, to battle bugs later in the season. "We're likely to see more in-sects than we have," Roberts warns. "You ought to be able 
to see the populations build." Get expert local advice to avoid extra time and expense. 
Turf managers can check with 
their local extension agent or favorite supplier for up-to-date information on when to 
treat. "The timing of the applica-tion will be determined by the activity of the insect," Roberts cautions. "It involves the life 
cycle of the specific insect. It's best to treat it right so you 
don't have to make a repeat application." Another difficulty likely to surface during extended rain-fall is that soil nutrients are 
subject to being washed out of the root zones. "We're getting an im-balance of the proper nutri-ents," says Roberts, who adds 
that oxygen can be scarce too. "There's not enough air in those water-soaked soils." Even if the rain were to cease immediately, it could still mean trouble. An abrupt change to hot and dry conditions like last year 
could damage lawns and other plant material, says Pound. The ideal growing condi-tions of this spring led plants 
to have a succulent growth that won't be ready for a sud-
den change to drought condi-
tions, he says. Mike Bailey, president of Super Lawns of Gaithersburg, reports that so far he's experi-enced few hassles because of 
the rain. "The grass is growing so fast that the fungus is gone by the time we get there. It's ei-ther cut off or it's gone 
through its cycle." He is pleased with the per-formance of improved tall fes-cue. "It can bounce off any dis-
ease and come back strong." Gaithersburg has had twice the normal rainfall, and people 
aren't signing up despite the condition of the lawns. "Even 
though they're weeds, they look green and thick," says 
Bailey, who notes that leads 
for new accounts are down 20 percent this year. LCI COLUMBUS, OHIO Š The rainy weather experienced by 
much of the country could damage ornamentals that are heavily mulched. Mulch-placed around plants to con-serve waterŠcould now be 
suffocating them. "A primary purpose of mulching is to retain soil 
moisture, but this year consis-tent rain has caused some soils under mulch to become water-logged," says Barbara 
Williams of the Home Hor-ticulture Center at Ohio State University. "Waterlogged soil doesn't allow oxygen to reach the roots. This causes the roots to suffocate and die, killing the plants. We usually strongly recommend mulching, which 
is also an excellent weed con-trol, but not when it rains this much." Because some soils have ab-sorbed a lot of rain, Williams says to avoid mulching until the soil dries significantly. If summer becomes very dry, be sure to mulch annuals, Give grubs an inch and they'll take a whole yard. Grubs feed at many levels in a yard, but it's at 1" to IVi" below the surface where they do their real damage. And because grubs are constantly moving from one level in the soil to the next, a single treatment of most insecticides will only get the ones closest to the surface. Oftanol is a Reg. TM of Bayer AG, Germany. ©1989 Mobay Corp. 62901 But with OFTANOL® insecticide, you have the strength to knock out those grubs closest to the surface now, and the staying power to deal with grubs, rising up from the depths, in the future. So take away that inch. And keep the whole yard. Mobay Corporation a Bayer usa wc company Oftanol. Bayer Specialty Products Group Box 4913, Kansas City, MO 64120 says Williams. There's already enough soil moisture in many areas of the country to carry perennials through the growing season without the need for summer mulching, she says. "Check under the mulches you already have down to see if the soil is waterlogged," Williams says. "If it is, remove the mulch until the soil dries." Mulch layers should never be more than three to four inches thick, Williams says. Deeper layers keep oxygen 
from reaching the roots no 
matter what the weather, she says. Shallow-rooted plants will also root in deep mulch. When the mulch dries, so will the 
roots. "If you decide to apply mulch around your annuals during the summer, put down 
only one to two inches," Williams says. "This will control weeds without the negative effect of retaining too much moisture. But don't use mulch to control weeds on poorly-drained sites. Use a hoe instead." Avoid mulches that form thick mats or are easily com-
pacted, Williams says. This also restricts air flow. An ideal mulch is hardwood bark chips. Mulches should be 
checked periodically to make sure they haven't become compacted, Williams says. "Different plants react dif-ferently when their roots are suffocated." she says. "Initial symptoms include brown leaf tips on deciduous 
trees and shrubs, as well as leaves or leaf stems that curl downward." LCI Questions about Pesticides? Call 1-800-858-7378 
National Pesticide Telecommunications Network DOW from Page 1 snow removalŠ13 percent. Other services mentioned were garden center and pool 
chemical sales; pressure clean-ing; and industrial weed con-trol. Customer turnover rates were reported as follows: 5 to 10 percent turnover, 40 per-cent; 15 to 20 percent, 28 per-
cent; 10 to 15 percent, 25 percent; 25 to 30 percent, 7 
percent. Methods cited to reduce customer attrition included: 
better customer communica-
tion and education, better and more services, and correct use of products. "Improving customer rela-tions and doing a better job on services presently offered will help cut down your customer cancellations," said Jack Robertson, owner of Jack 
Robertson Lawn Care, Inc., 
Springfield, 111. Reed Hull, spokesman for Vita Lawn Corp., Rancho Cor-dova, Calif, said a customer newsletter and periodic sur-veys of customer needs are good methods. "Doing your job right the first time will reduce turn-over," said Bill Johnston, spokesman for Pro-Mow, Inc., Kennesaw, Ga. He stressed the importance of better em-ployee training. "In order to reduce turn-over, LCOs and their custom-
ers should have a better 
understanding of their mutual 
expectations," said Dan War-chime, a spokesman for Senske Lawn and Tree Care in 
Spokane, Wash. Geographic breakdown of the repondents was: Midwest, 
45 percent; East Coast, 22 per-
cent; West, 20 percent; South, 13 percent. The repondents had an average 9.2 years in the lawn 
care business. LCI Gallery is approved as control for weeds INDIANAPOLIS, IND. Gallery 75 Dry Flowable has received federal Environ-
mental Protection Agency registration for use on certain broadleaf weeds and annual 
grasses in established warm-
and cool-season turf. The selective preemergence herbicide contains a new chemical compound called iso-xaben, which controls annual grass and 44 broadleaf weeds, including chickweed, henbit, plantain, purslane, oxalis, spurge and white clover, ac-cording to the Elanco Prod-
ucts Co. Gallery's dry flowable formulation mixes with water and is compatible with many 
other turf chemicals, so it can be tank mixed for control of 
other species, the company 
says. Gallery is stable on the soil surface, but it must be acti-vated by one-half inch of rain-fall or irrigation within 21 days. Established turf can be re-seeded in the fall after a spring application, according to the company. Application should be made in the spring or in the fall be-fore weed emergence, Elanco says. Gallery is also labeled for use on trees, ornamental shrubs and ground covers. LCI TURCAM®'s advanced carbamate chemistry goes to work fastŠand offers effectiveness that lastsŠagainst white grubs as well as mole crickets, chinch bugs, sod webworms and other 
destructive pests. This hard-working insecticide is 
odorless.. .cost-effective.. .easy to apply. What's more, TURCAM ^ NOR'AM won't tie up in thatch or damage "NOR-AM CHEMICAL COMPANY' turf and ornamentals. 3509 Silverside Road. P O Box 7495. Wilmington. DE 19803 Now available in two convenient formsŠTURCAM WP a wettable powder and TURCAM 2V2G granularŠthis versatile insecticide can take care of your toughest pest control problems. For more information on TURCAM, contact the NOR-AM Communications Department or your local distributor. CAUTION: TURCAM® is a restricted use pesticide. Copyright© 1988 NOR-AM Cheracal Company. All nghts reserwd. IMPORTANT: Please remember always to read and follow carefully all label directions when applying any chemical. LCOs to benefit as producers vie for professional markets Competition for sales of pesticides and fertil-izers to professional turf managers continues to in-crease, according to a recent study by industry consultants Klein & Co., Inc. in Fairfield, 
N.J. Faced with declining pro-fitability in the agricultural sector and increasing product development and label regis-
tration costs, manufacturers are targeting LCOs, land-scapes and other profession-als for new specialty products to improve their bottom lines, 
according to Klien. "Manufacturers are being attracted by profitability rather than the rate of market growth or even absolute mar-ket size," the report says. "For example, total U.S. consumption of pesticides and fertilizers by agriculture was approximately $10 billion in 1988, while sales of similar products to professional turf managers were approximately $780 million. "Manufacturers report, however, that sales to these specialty groups contribute al-most as much to a company's profitability as the agri-cultural products due to lower 
development and selling costs." Overall, professional turf management can be di-vided into seven dis-tinct end-use segments, according to Klein. LCOs make up the largest group, ac-counting for about 45 percent 
of fertilizers and pesticides 
consumed by these segments. Golf courses rank second with 27 percent, followed by landscapers at 11 percent. New products that target the specialized needs of turf managers are receiving in-creased attention from sup-pliers of pesticides, Klein says. Pendimethalin, introduced to the turf market in 1985, has become the leading pre-emer-
gence material in 1988 due to its performance and cost ad-vantages, according to the re-
port. Dow has introduced Turflon post-emergence her-
bicide, an alternative to tradi-
tional broadleaf herbicides containing 2,4-D and similar 
weed killers. Hoechst has introduced Ac-claim for improved post-emergence crabgrass control. The report also notes that Monsanto's Dimension and 
Elanco's Gallery are due on 
the market this year. "Recognizing increasing environmental concerns, mar-keters are launching new prod-ucts having lower levels of toxicity than products intro-duced only 10 years ago," the report notes. "At the same time," it con-tinues, "advances in the sci-
ences of plant and insect 
physiology have resulted in in-creased knowledge of the life processes of these organisms, allowing for the development of products which increasingly 
target only turf pests." Competition can be ex-pected to increase in the fu-ture, according to Klein. Since 
overall acreage maintained by 
turf professionals will exhibit slow growth, manufacturers will increase sales only by suc-cessfully introducing new products that capture market share from competitors. "Consequently, turf mana-gers will have at their disposal 
the widest assortment of prod-
ucts ever with which to main-
tain residential, commercial 
and residential lawns." The Klein report, Profes-sional Markets for Pesticides and Fertilizers 1988, can be obtained from the firm, 165 Passiac Ave., Fairfield, N.J. 07006; (201) 227-6291. LCI U.S. Consumption of Pesticides and Fertilizers by Professional Turf Managers 1988 All Other 4% Parks 6% Educational Facilities 7% Landscapers 11% Total Consumption $780 Million »s 1 A little maintenance goes a long way with Nassau Kentucky Bluegrass. Why is Nassau a low maintenance blue-grass? Because it re-quires less fertilizer to maintain a dark green color, has superior drought tolerance, pro-
duces less thatch com-pared to other varieties while having excellent resistance to Fusar-ium blight, leaf spot, red thread, pink snow mold, stem 
rust, and stripe smut. This resistance de-
creases the need for costly fungicide appli-
cations. Nassau is a hybrid variety (P-59 X Baron) developed by Dr C. Reed Funk of Rutgers University Ž LOFTS " INC. Bound Brwfc. New \crse\f 08805 I/800 52b-'3890 
1-201:356-8700 Jacklin Seed Company WVs! 5300 lacktin Avenue Post Falls. \dafio 83854-9499 I 800:635-8720 
1/208:773-7581 Circle No 109 on Reader Inquiry Card COVER STORY Cooper: Figure your costs. VALUE from Page 1 both the customer and con-tractor. The technology is not yet available to conduct a lawn renovation that falls within the price range of most peo-
ple's budgets, Lefton believes. "The equipment is not there for what the homeowner wants to spend." According to Lefton, a con-tractor needs to say, "Here's why it costs so much: Here's 
what you get for your money." If a customer still balks, he or she can become a more 
direct participant in the project, says Lefton. If your price is $900, and the customer wants to spend only $500, have the customer scalp the lawn and remove the debris. This way the customer "saves" $400 and the con-tractor gets $500. "You've quickened your dollar re-
turnŠthe time spent," says Lefton. And if the customer puts forth that type of effort, he or she will have a new apprecia-tion for the work involved. Also, the customer will be more motivated to follow through with the watering. Lefton suggests that a wa-tering brochure be left behind, 
and that the client should be 
called on the telephone to 
check on the progress of the sprinkling. A pound of grass seed should be left with the cus-tomer, too, so that any bare spots can be covered without having to make a callback. Even so, says Lefton, a ren-ovation project should never 
be priced without at least a few 
callbacks written in. "I would 
add in a couple more hours be-
cause you know you're going to 
be back there." That's right, says Randy E. Zweifel, president of Lawn Managers, Inc. in Ballwin, Mo. "The touch-up work is what kills you." His company charges a flat fee per 1,000 square feet based on the contour of the land. Zweifel says he encourages customer goodwill by offering 
a guarantee on the work. A guarantee for a complete renovation is a good selling point, agrees James R. Wat-son, Ph.D., vice president at The Toro Co. Communication is impor-tant, says Watson, because the 
customer and the contractor need to be in agreement on the price and service being offered. "There needs to be a clear un-derstanding of what's going to be done." Watson suggests that a ren-ovation contract include a provision that the turf mana-ger tend the property for at least three to four weeks after the seed is planted. "You need maintenance and supervision for whatever was done on it," he says, not-ing that watering and other tasks are sure to be done cor-rectly if the contractor re-
mains on the scene. "People are not going to do things (such as watering) re-ligiously." Knowing your costs is the key to effective pricing, say the experts. Every single factor, from transportation time to insurance premiums, has to be taken into account. The Lawn Care Co. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has a sep-arate renovation department in order to keep track of the costs involved. "The only way we make money on it is to have a sepa-rate budget," says Tom Korczyk, the president. The cost of the employees, equip-ment, gas and other materials is all computed separately 
from the rest of the business. Lefton says that an hourly fee schedule should be pre-pared, with an index of charges listed for features such as trees and hills. Experience should be able to give a good idea of how long each task takes. He emphasizes, though, to be sure that extra time is added into the price to allow for callbacks. Gary Cooper, owner of Cooper's Lawn Aeration Ser-vice in Virginia Beach, Va., charges a minimum of $20 for reseeding a bare spot after a renovation. "It stops those who say 'every little square inch isn't covered.'" However, Cooper's crews carry bags of seed on their 
trucks, and if they spot a bare area while making their rounds it is reseeded for free. These we waste. Introducing CHIPCO®SEVIN® CHIPCO SEVIN* brand SL mind that comes with knowing brand SLcarbaryl insecticide, provides consistent and effective CHIPCO SEVIN* brand SL is al-the only grub control material grub control. so widely used for the control of available to professional lawn At a cost no greater -and usu- mites, ticks, and fleas on poultry, care operators that is effective, ally less - than anything else on pets, and game birds, economical, and environment- the market. So it's ideal for use on lawns, ally sound. Plus you get the peace of parks, golf courses, or any ©1988 Rhone-ftxilenc Ag Company, 2 T. W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. CHIPCO1, SEVIN* and RONSTAR Ł are registered trademarks of RhoneFbulenc. As with any crop protection chemical, always read and follow instructions on the label. Watson: Handle the upkeep. Cooper charges $7 per 1,000 square feet for aeration, and that nets him a 55 percent pro-fit. Dethatching costs $23.50 per 1,000 square feet, which 
generates a 22 percent profit. Rebel II Turf-Type Tall Fes-cue is sold at the current retail price per bag. (Wholesale cost is about $65 per bag; it is sold 
retail at $107 per bag, leading to a 25 percent profit for Cooper.) Liquid iron is applied to all of his accounts in August, and 
every property is inspected then. "We will look at each lawn and see what it needs," explains Cooper. In the fall each client gets a letter containing Cooper's rec-ommendations. About 80 per-
cent of the customers will request that the recommended work be done. Cooper does not own a slit-seeder. A LESCO spreader is used following a core aeration 
treatment on most properties. A chain link fence is then dragged across the yard on a lawn tractor to induce soil-to-seed contact. Seeding is included in the yearly contracts offered by Super Lawns of Gaithersburg, 
Inc. in Gaithersburg, Md. The client pays 7 cents a square foot for a complete package, with a minimum of 5,000 square feet. For the first year seed is applied at $3 to $4 a pound. In subsequent years 
the seeding is free if the cus-
tomer renews. The company has a 92 per-Bailey: Seeds twice in the fall with improved tall fescues. cent renewal rate, according to Mike Bailey, the president. If needed, each lawn is spike aerated and seeded in 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 2G pre-emergent is a product of the CHIPCO herbicide. fP RHONE-POULENC AC COMPANY the fall with 5 pounds per square foot of improved tall fescue. (He maintains that the spike aeration does a better job than core aeration: "I buck the 
trend, but I have done it effec-tively.") "I repeat that same seeding service six weeks later," says 
Bailey. "You're getting two seed-ings at the optimum time. With that two-seeding format I am assured of at least 60 per-cent germination." Bailey adds that "you can't miss with a fall seeding, espe-cially with these improved tall fescues." When advertising his ser-vices, Bailey avoids listing the prices at a set rate. He tells of colleagues who have run into 
trouble when unsuspected problems crop up while using such a strategy. "They adver-tise at a set rate and then they 
get stuck." All the expenses are fac-tored into his fees. His mar-keting plan is accepted by customers because Bailey is "pushing the program with the service aspect." The majority of his custom-ers value the increased service he offers. Bailey adds that his costs may be a bit less than 
others because 70 percent of his customers live within 5 
miles of the company head-quarters. In addition to monitoring your own costs, pay close at-tention to what other local turf managers are charging, says Bob Brophy of Cushman in Lincoln, Neb. "It's totally by market," he observes. Outfits in Southern California or Chicago, for ex-ample, can charge much more than an operation in Memphis, Tenn. "It's really a hard thing to put a finger on," he says. LCI Brophy: Check local prices. SPECIAL REPORT Hydroseeding touted as alternative revenue option i These new yards can result in steady accounts. "If they do good work, this would be a great door-opener to get the lawn maintenance 
work," Stinson explains. Selling hydroseeding ser-
vices to homeowners shouldn't be too diffi-cult because of the price and 
the quality of the turf, accord-ing to Carolyn Santoro of Southern California Hydro-seed and Hydromulch, Inc. in 
Temecula, Calif. "There's no way that you can tell the difference, and it's a fraction of what you'd pay for sod," Santoro points out. The rates vary according to the job at hand, but Santoro's 
company may charge, for ex-ample, $175 to hydroseed a 2,000 square-foot front yard 
located within 20 miles of the 
firm's headquarters. "It's very economical." Hydro-Seeding Service, Inc. of Anaheim, Calif, charges about 1.5 cents to 2.5 
cents per square foot for a typ-ical job, according to Scott Helm, vice president of mar-keting. The cost to the contractor is about 1.5 to 2 cents per 
square foot, says Reinecker at Reinco. (Pricing will depend on the market and costs in a given area.) Stinson at Finn observes that hydroseeding works well 
when applied to residential renovation projects. Some hydroseeders have more than 200 feet of hose, and "you can actually leave 
the machine in the driveway and be seeding in the back-yard." The use of a hose applica-tion permits seeding close to 
buildings and in other hard-to-reach places, and the equip-ment can be parked away from the prepared seedbed, says Stinson. The use of a remote valve on the hose and a recirculation system on the hydroseeder al-lows for one-person operation, which reduces the required manpower, he notes. "Hydroseeders are not la-bor intensive," Stinson says. "The most time-consuming part of it would be the ground BY JAMES E. GUYETTE Editor Offering hydroseeding services can generate additional revenue and obtain new accounts, accord-ing to industry experts. "I think it's up and coming for lawn care companies," says Neil P. Reinecker, vice presi-dent of sales and marketing at Reinco, Inc. in Plainfield, N.J. "We've tripled our sales in the last four years." Hydroseeding involves using a machine that applies a spray mixture of seed, fertil-izer, water, mulching materi-als and perhaps other 
amendments. The process is particularly suited for use on properties 
that are hilly or that contain obstacles to preclude the use of a slitseeder, according to Re-inecker. Large areas requiring seed-ing, such as strip mine recla-
mation projects and highway rights-of-way, can be targets 
for a hydroseeding marketing program. "It is used on real steep ter-rain because it sticks so well," 
notes Jill Dulaney, an inspec-tor for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Division of Reclamation. Dulaney, who is based in the Southeastern Ohio town of Jackson,works extensively with erosion-prone coal strip mine sites that are being con-verted into grassy hills. She points out that a dye added to the hydroseed mix 
can help eliminate bare spots 
by insuring adequate coverage. Bob Stinson, marketing manager at the Finn Corp. in Fairfield, Ohio, suggests that turf managers make arrange-ments with a developer to hy-droseed entire new housing 
projects. Along driveways Along flower beds and planters Edging along fencelines preparation," and that has to be done anyway no matter what type of seeding is used. Hydroseeding provides a good germination rate provid-ing that the area has adequate moisture, says Helm. "The seed will germinate, it wants to germinateŠbut it needs the proper environmentŠand that environment is well-wa-tered." Adequate drainage plays a role, too, says Reinecker. Nutrients, nitrogen, potas-sium and pH are also impor-tant. "I recommend that every hydroseeding con-
tractor pay close attention to soil chemistry." Investing in a hydroseeder 
should be well thought-out before taking the plunge. "The first question I have (for a potential buyer) is, 'How much work do you have lined up?'" Reinecker observes. He adds, though, that a $20,000 hydroseeder can pay for itself in just 52 hours of use. Smaller machines sell for $12,000 and up. Reinecker and Stinson both say that LCOs are expressing increasing in-terest in the "entry lever' hy-droseeders. Santoro and Helm have large machines costing about $75,000 at their operations. 
An investment like that re-
quires that the machine be 
used full-time. "You have to have that equipment working every day," says Helm. A hydroseeding contractor needs to pay the workers an adequate salary to insure that a skilled operator remains on the job, says Helm. Santoro and Helm recom-mend that turf managers sub-contract from an experienced hydroseeding contractor if 
they wish to have that type of 
work done. LCI ChemLawn saves day in Syracuse SYRACUSE, N.Y. 
ChemLawn Service Corp.'s Syaracuse branch won ac-colades from the community after a response crew cleaned 
up a spill from a competitor's 
truck. The incident was re-ported in Ecolab, Inc.'s third quarter shareholder's report. Nine branch employees spent an hour cleaning chemi-cals that had spilled when a truck rolled over and burst into flames. ChemLawn was called by an anonymous passerby who mistook the truck for a Chem-Lawn truck. Since neither the com-petitor nor the assistant fire chief was sure how to handle 
the accident, the ChemLawn 
crew went into action. The crew explained the equipment in the "spill pallet" 
to the fire officials. The "spill 
pallet," an emergency re-sponse kit that ChemLawn 
trucks carry, contains Hazorb pillows, activated charcoal, shovels, rakes, transfer pumps and other items. ChemLawn was congratu-lated by the fire department, which asked the branch mana-ger to conduct a workshop this fall to prepare officials for chemical spills. The company 
was also commended by the lo-
cal press. LCI Herb Gundell dies in Denver DENVER, COLO. Š Noted horticultural expert and au-thor Herbert Carl Gundell, 69, 
died recently of a heart attack following a golf outing. He was a county extension agent in Denver for 30 years 
until retiring in 1979. He then became a consultant for Ever-Green Lawns. "The passion he carried for his profession was incredible," 
said John Eden, regional trainer. "Whether it was a dis-
cussion of plants over coffee or a formal seminar in front of hundreds, Herb's enthusiasm was indeed inspiring." LCI Gundell: Enjoyed his work. Around tree bases Along sidewalk cracks I Now's the time to Remember ROUNDUP® herbicide for all kinds of jobs around the customer's lawn. Remember that ROUNDUP con-trols a broad spectrum of weeds, roots-and-all. With no time wasted on retreatment, you'll have more time for new business. Remember that ROUNDUP stays where you put it...so there's no washing or leaching to harm desirable vegeta-tion. And Remember that ROUNDUP is biodegradeable and won't build up Monsanto For complete information on the many benefits of trim-ming and edging with Roundup, call 1-800-225-2883 in the soil. That fact gives you the flex-ibility to use ROUNDUP just about any-where a trimming, edging or weed problem pops up. Spray with confi-dence - Remember the ROUNDUP. Always read and follow the label for Roundup® herbicide Roundup® is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company. © Monsanto Company 1989 RIP-9-101 DR MAINTENANCE METHODS Increase the mowing crew's productivity Increased productivity by mowing maintenance crews is the challenge fac-ing contractors in the 1990s. The consumer's demand for high quality, full-service land-
scape management must be 
met. Consistently improving profits by increasing crew pro-ductivity will encourage good 
companies to remain in busi-ness. The symptoms of low out-put by maintenance crews in-cludeŠbut are not limited 
toŠlow levels of customer sat-isfaction, unacceptable or in-consistent profits, high turn-
over in the work force, 
equipment downtime and frustrated production mana-gers. In the past we have blamed the weather, an unreasonable customer or the quality of the work force for these problems. No matter what the cause, an 
increase in productivity on a day-to-day basis is a large part 
of the solution. In the next three months this column will explore the 
basic elements of increased field productivity as they ap-ply to the industry. Each of these elements of production has a "quality con-nection." Convention tells us that increased production 
comes at the expense of qual-ity. If quality is viewed as sim-ply doing good work, and you believe good work takes more time, then increased produc-tivity and maintaining high 
quality are not compatible. Phil Crosby, in his book, Quality Without Tears, sug-gests: "Convention says that quality is goodness and there-fore something vague; reality says that quality is con-
formance to requirements and therefore very specific." Conforming to require-ments in this industry is diffi-cult because requirements 
cannot be spelled out in spe-
cific terms. We must, there-fore, depend on procedures that, if followed, will yield the 
desired result. The landscape mainte-nance business is a non-prod-uct, intangible, service deliv-ery business. The business requires mobile, multi-person crews delivering complex ser-vices to the property owner/ manager's front door. In 30 visits, or deliveries, per year we perform an aver-age of seven landscape mainte-nance activities using six dif-ferent pieces of power equipment. Landscape maintenance activities are considered by the average person as a series 
of menial tasks that anyone can perform. Experience suggests, and tests confirm, that everyone who mows turf correctly must 
be trained on how to mow on schedule, at the correct height, while using the correct equip-ment in accordance with a set procedure that will yield a quality result. Such procedures are not menial work. The people per-
forming the work cannot be 
managed as non-skilled work-ers. Let's look at some winning companies that have orga-nized so-called low-skilled tasks into high-powered, high-
profit, production units. United Parcel Service has given new meaning to the de-livery business. Waste Man-agement revolutionized collec-
tion of solid waste. Domino's Pizza built its business on the premise that you can get a good pizza delivered to your home while it is still hot. The modern lawn care in-dustry is an example of a well-
organized production unit. All these successful com-panies have several things in common: Ł They improve the image of the delivery people. The most visible people in the company are those deliver-ing the services. Whether they are delivering packages, pizzas or lawn care, they are the com-
pany to the customer. The cooks, warehousers and agronomists are impor-
tant players, but they do not 
share the spotlight with the production people. Ł These companies set un-compromising standards of About the Author Philip D. Christian III is a business consultant based in Alpharetta, Ga. He was chief of ChemLawn Services Corp.'s maintenance division in the 1970s. Handle your grub situation fast, before things get really ugly At the very first sign of grub damage, apply DYLOX® insecticide. Nothing kills all species of white grubs faster. Within hours, the grubs are dying and the turf is recovering. When grubs threaten, act fast. DYLOX is a Reg. TM of Bayer AG. Germany ©1989 Mobay Corp. 74541 Use DYLOX. And turn an ugly little problem into a lot of beautiful turf. For more information, contact Mobay Corporation, Specialty Prod-ucts Group, Box 4913, Kansas City, MO 64120. Dylox Mobay Corporation A Bayer USA INC COMPANY Bayer performance, and the quality is built into the performance standard. The standard may be measured in stops per day, but the stop that does not con-form to requirements does not count. Ł They introduce and train their people to use high-tech equipment and procedures to increase productivity and maintain high-quality output. Ł They manage the busi-ness by the numbers. The per-formance of production people 
is not a matter of opinion. The system is designed to identify the winners so they can be re-
warded. The system is also designed to identify the lower perform-ing personnel, always in the minority, so they can receive the support and training needed to become winners. Common ingredients of successful service delivery companies may take different forms as they relate to the 
landscape maintenance busi-ness. Most successful service businesses have a one-person 
crew delivering one basic product or service. Our intangible product is, by nature, people intensive, 
and often requires a crew of 
two to five people to make an 
effective delivery. We also perform a series of servicesŠsome being per-
formed more than others. Accurately tracking the performance of each activity is much more involved than counting the money or invoi-
ces that are brought in by a 
one-person delivery crew. The following five steps will provide the foundation to 
build a high-powered produc-
tion organization. Production people, production equipment and production procedures will be covered in detail over 
the next three months. What's there to produce? The first step in the devel-opment of a production 
organization is defining in specific terms what's out there to produce. If we measure the land-scape, it can be defined in 
square and linear feet or total acres to be maintained. If we do not measure, the only other choice is to have an 
experienced landscape mana-ger estimate the time it will 
take a standard crew to pro-duce the work. In this case we have defined the work in crew-hours and converted it to man-hours. In either case we know approxi-mately how long it will take to do the work. What is the standard? The contractor sets the standards available to the cus-tomer and prices them accord-ingly. In some cases standards are defined by the frequency 
with which the activity is per-formed. For example, a five-day mowing cycle would be consid-ered a higher standard than a seven- or ten-day mowing cy-cle, and would, of course, cost more to deliver. Mowing the grass at the correct height with sharp 
blades on a properly adjusted mower is part of the procedure of correct mowing. Only the supplier of the service can set and enforce a standard of that nature. The consumer, or property owner/manager, may select the standard to fit the need and budget for that prop-erty. How does a contractor or property manager know when such a standard has been reached? The visual or es-thetic value of the property may be good evidence. The real test, however, is the accurate tracking of the 
procedures to determine if they were properly done. In the uncontrolled outdoor envi-ronment, visual feedback can be misleading because of ab-rupt changes in the use of the property or weather patterns. The schedule In order to meet the stan-dard set by the contractor, and expected by the customer, all 
activities and procedures must 
be performed on schedule. The company must write a mmmmmm detailed step-by-step pro-
cedure for the correct perfor-mance of each activity. The procedure should in-clude the order in which the work is performed, and the material, equipment and peo-ple used to perform the activ-ity. When high-tech or spe-cialized equipment is used, the 
procedure for unloading, ad-justing and operating the equipment should be included. Management by mumbers To identify the winners in your production units, the 
process must be managed by the numbers. In the case of the lawn care work units, the tickets or in-
voices can be totaled each day. The production manager will know how each person per-
forms on a daily basis. Our crews do not bring in invoices that directly relate to the amount of work completed 
on each trip. Production crews 
track their productivity by hours spent on each activity each day. We can compare the hours spent to the projected hours 
required, and identify those crewsŠand crew membersŠ who are on target in their pro-duction levels. Increasing production at the crew level is a process not AMERICALIST AMERIDIAL: The names, numbers and know-how to help you reach more prospects, faster! CONSULT US FREE! AMERICALIST-1 -800-321 -0448 1-800-321-4911 (In Ohio) Ł 8,000,000 Business phones on file Ł 70,000,000 Residential phones Ł Tailored to your needs: cards, tape or diskette Ł Send us your list to append phone numbers, verify or update or send us phone numbers to append name and address AMERIDIALŠ1 -800-445-0421 Ł Outbound from 50 computerized stations Ł Autodialing cuts wasted calls, doubles our speed so you save Ł Your message and our live voices make a winning combination Put fifty years of direct-marketing experience on your team! We've been helping America sell thingsŠand raise funds, tooŠsince 1932! AMERIDIAL Complete Telemarketing Services Circle No. 101 on Reader Inquiry Card 0 % FINANCING % Install the #1 software for the lawn and tree care industry by September 29, 1989 and receive a 2-year INTEREST FREE loan $895 down, $208.50 per month gets you a complete system: computer, printer and Lawn Assistant software! Software only terms also available. REAL GREEN COMPUTERS 3130 Crumb Rd. Walled Lake, Ml 48088 (800) 422-7478 Inside Michigan call (313) 669-1118 ° Circle No. 121 on Reader Inquiry Card The Growing Choice Hydrograssers & Power Mulchers Reinco Hydrograssers and Power Mulchers offer you the dependability you need because they are designed with the operator in mind. Our Hydrograssers range in capacity from 800 to 3500 gallons and feature easier to maintain "Hydro-Jet" agitation. Reinco Power Mulchers utilize time proven straight through drive while the M80C offers as standard a variable speed automated bale feed system, Low Maintenance Design Dual and Quad "Hydro-Jet Agitation with Verticle Homogenizers High Speed Mulch Grinder No Clog Mulch Chamber Direct Drive Reinco Hydrograssers and Power Mulchers off the dependability you need because they are c with the operator in mind. Our Hydrograssers i capacity from 800 to 3500 gallons and feature maintain "Hydro-Jet" agitation. Reinco Power f utilize time proven straight through drive while M80C offers as standard a variable speed autc bale feed system. FAST FOOD THAT'S GOOD FOR YOU. LEBANON PRO 32-4-8 To keep your customers satisfied, you need the fast feeding and quick response of Lebanon Pro 32-4-8. This premium blended fertilizer pro-vides an ideal balance of N-P-K with 37% con-trolled release urea nitrogen from Sulfur Coated Urea. At an economical cost-per-thousand, that's good for business too! From your source 
for premium quality turf products. Lebar anon TOTAL TURF CARE A division of Lebanon Chemical Corporation Circle No. 112 on Reader Inquiry Card necessarily requiring you to hire better people. The "Top Gun" production unit you intend to build will help attract and retain more productive people. But for now, you can work with the personnel you cur-rently employ. The implementation of the five steps described above does not involve the production people as much as upper man-agement. The process must begin with a strong, long-term 
commitment from upper man-
agement. LCI NEXT MONTHŠProduction people and how to motivate them. G-Team announces keynoter FALLS CHURCH, VA. Dayna Waitley, Ph.D., nomi-nated by the President's 
Council as Woman of the 
Year, will give the keynote ad-dress at the 1989 Green Team Conference and Trade Show, Nov. 9-12 in St. Louis, Mo. The address is titled, "Gateway to the 90,s." Waitley holds a doctorate degree in psychology from the University of California at San Diego. She served as a goodwill ambassador to Mex-ico and was honored in the U.S. Congressional Record for 
an inspirational essay on the 
United States. The convention will be held at the Sheraton St. Louis and 
the Cervantes Convention Center. It is sponsored by the 
Associated Landscape Con-tractors of America and the Professional Grounds Man-agement Society. LCI PLCAA filing suits over local posting BY JAMES E. GUYETTE Editor Local posting ordinances 
are being targeted for legal action by the Pro-fessional Lawn Care Associa-tion of America. PLCAA has sued two com-munities and is considering 
lawsuits against several oth-ers. "By challenging the au-thority of local governments to regulate the use of 
pesticides, PLCAA seeks to halt the proliferation of irra-tional and ill-conceived ordi-nances which have begun to appear in certain areas of the 
country," says a statement is-sued by PLCAA. "These ordinances present the industry with vastly differ-ing requirements from city to city, making compliance vir-
tually impossible," the PLCAA statement maintains. A Federal Court ruled in a Maryland case two years ago that such laws are unconstitu-
tional when enacted by muni-
cipalities, yet some towns 
continue to defy that decision. "It has not stopped local communities from saying, 'Screw thatŠwe're going to do that anyway,"' says James F. Wilkinson, Ph.D., director of regulatory and environmental affairs for PLCAA. While such laws have been around for a while, PLCAA is just now suing under its new "issues management" pro-gram because of a previous lack of money, Wilkinson ex-plains. "Regulation in this area needs to remain at the state and federal level," he says. "State governments have the resources and expertise neces-sary to review the relevant is-
sues and draft any regulations deemed to be in the public's interest." PLCAA does not oppose reasonable regulation efforts at a statewide level, adds James R. Brooks, executive vice president, but local laws are unacceptable because mu-nicipalities "do not have the expertise, resources or au-
thority to act in these areas." Lawsuits have been filed 
against Milford, Mich, 
and Mayfield Village, Ohio. The Mayfield ordi-nance, passed in 1987, calls for pre-notification of a cus-tomer's neighbors. Village officials, in the wake of the suit, were considering 
dropping the ordinance if they 
think that the new state post-ing law would adequately pro-tect the residents. (Ohio's posting regulations do not call for pre-notification 
unless neighbors request it.) Buckeye State LCOs wel-come the PLCAA lawsuit, ac-cording to Lauren S. Lanphear, who is on the board of trustees of the Ohio Pesticide Applicators for Re-sponsible Regulation. "I think it will be helpful to have this decided in court," says Lanphear. Mayfield is "clearly in vio-lation of state law," but OPARR lacks the funds to launch a legal battle itself, he 
notes. LCI Call Now to See PERFCOS Full Line of 4-COLOR LAWN CARE AND LANDSCAPING BROCHURES NOW YOUR COMPANY CAN AFFORD BEAUTIFUL, 4-COLOR BROCHURES... AT 2-COLOR PRICES! Ł Lawn Care & Landscaping, Many different styles and sizes to choose from. Ł 4-Color Aeration & Disease Doorhangers. Ł Project a professional image. Ł Personalized to fit your company's needs. Ł Large order custom designs. Ł Eliminates costly agency fees! PLCAA Booth # 825, 924 FOR FREE SAMPLE PACKAGE CALL OR WRITE TODAY 1-800-543-0900 Ohio 1-513-845-3897 85 Quick Rd New Carlisle, OH 45344 ONLY THE PRICES ARE UNBELIEVABLE! Davey halves pesticide useage, gains new market NEW ORLEANSŠThe first question everyone asked when Davey Tree Expert Co. an-nounced its pesticide reduc-tion program last year was: Would it be profitable? (See LAWN CARE INDUSTRY, April, 
1988). The answer, now that Davey has marketed the pro-gram to its lawn and tree care customers for a full season, na-
tionwide, is "yes." "We have discovered an en-tirely new market because of our pesticide reduction pro-
gram," said Roger Funk, Ph.D., the Kent, Ohio-based company's vice president of 
technical and human re-sources. He was referring to homeowners who are con-cerned about potential health 
risks associated with syn-thetic pesticides. Funk spoke at the Profes-sional Lawn Care Association of America conference in New Orleans. Use of 2,4-D restricted in Massachusetts BOSTONŠThe sale or pur-chase of products containing more than 20 percent active 
2,4-D will be restricted to cer-tified applicators, Massachu-setts regulators have decided. A subcommitee of the state pesticide board devised the regulations, which take effect 
in October. "We're trying to take 2,4-D out of the hands of home-owners and put it into the hands of professionals," ex-plains Debbie Karan, super-vising inspector of the Massachusetts Pesticide Bu-
reau. "We were concerned about the homeowner." Karan adds that the lawn care industry is unlikely to feel much impact. "We find that 
many of the applicators are al-
ready certified." A number of home garden-ing materials containing 2,4-D will remain on store shelves for the do-it-yourselfer. "Most of the 2,4-D products are un-der 20 percent anyhow." LCI Davey cut its lawn pesticide use in half with its specially-
designed customizer, which al-lows for selective spraying with no pre-mixing. Tree pesticide use was cut 70 per-cent by using insecticidal soap and selective spraying. Davey's program, titled the Plant Health Care program, was tested in selected markets in 1988. A survey of the customer base showed customers 
wanted less pesticides used if quality and price wouldn't be 
affected. "If we don't regulate our-selves, if we don't stop the practice of blanket applica-
tions, then we will be regu-lated," Funk told his colleagues in New Orleans. On lawns, Funk said insec-ticide applications were cut 40 percent; herbicides 50 percent. "If our industry really com-mitted itself to that goal, we would improve on the (appli-cation) equipment that is now available," he said. The Davey customizer costs a total of 
$4,000 to install on a truck, he said, but the cost was made up 
in savings on materials in less than a year. Davey is presently studying milky spore for insect control and sulfur for disease control, Funk said. In tree care, insecticidal soap proved just as effective as 
synthetic pesticides, except for controlling mites in certain areas. Horticultural oils and bacillus thuringensis were also used. Fifty percent of the reduc-tion in tree pesticides was due 
to the soap, Funk said, while 20 percent was from monitor-
ing and selective spraying. "We're going to increase our use of horticulural oil," he said. "We're also looking at vegetable oil. I would like to use these products from a per-
ception standpoint." Added benefits One additional benefit from the program was that custom-
ers' neighbors complained less 
about pesticides. The company also had its pollution insurance restored. Funk said the company's in-
surance carrier of 33 years had stopped providing coverage because of pesticides, even 
though there were no environ-mental problems. LCI It's a Way of Life at Tyler. 'As a smaller lawncare company, Tyler goes out of their way to take that "Extra Step" to be sure I'm satisfied." "I like Tyler because of the personal touch they have." says Mr. Roger Bong, President of Roger's Lawn Care. "The quality of their product is the best I've ever seen and the Tyler salesman goes out of his way to be sure I'm satisfied. He spends the time to answer any technical questions that I may have." "Tyler's competitive pricing, superior quality, and on-time delivery cant be beat." The Tyler Sales Staff is committed to serving you with the best technical support available. We also have university support available to us to help solve your individual turf problems. Tyler Offers Greensward® Custom Formulated Fertilizers in liquid or dry, large or small quantities, in bag or bulk. Ask us about our grass seed and chemical control products for your turf grass program. If you want the very best in technical support, quality products and service, write or call us today. Mr. Roger Bong, President Roger's Lawn Care C 1989 Tyler Enterprises. Inc. Enterprises, Inc. Quality Ł Service Ł Convenience P.O. Box 365 Ł Route 53 Ł Elwood, IL 60421 Telephone (815) 423-5551 r i 
i i 
i L Please send me information on the Tyler products checked below: Name Company Name Area Code & Company Phone_ Address City . State . Zip Ł Tyler Greensward custom formula fertizlers Ł Chemical control products for turfgrass programs Ł Grass seed blends Ł All Tyler products. i i i 
i Funk: No blanket applications BUSINESS SENSE Defining your role in tomorrow's market Of the top 100 U.S. com-panies in 1900, only two exist today. The others went out of business be-cause they failed to plan for the future. Some thought their market conditions would be the same 
forever. If you assume the customer you have today is going to have the same needs and expecta-
tions for the next decade, you 
are making a mistake. If you look at all the changes that have occurred in the lawn care industry in the last decade, it's not hard to imagine that there will be ad-ditional changes in the coming 
decade. As markets become more saturated with service offer-ings, the customers will come to expect these different offer-ings. Offering just chemical 
lawn care will not be enough in the 1990s. Many LCOs don't like hearing this, but the markets are demanding it. Let's consider some of the methods of planning for the 
future. 1) Budgeting/Variance The budgeting/variance system is the oldest; you put together a budget based on past experience and then mon-itor for any deviance from that budget. If, for example, an ex-penditure surpasses what the budget projects, you figure out what went wrong and correct 
the situation. This type of planning as-sumes that the past will repeat itself. It is done periodically, usually once a year. 2) Long Range Planning This consumes more time than the above method. Man-
agement identifies ways to use personnel and equipment to accomplish the goals. It includes a process known as gap management, meaning 
that if the stated goals aren't met, management looks at the Clarification COLUMBUS, OHIOŠMillers National Insurance Co. was purchased in 1988 by Forum Holdings U.S.A., Inc., a Dela-ware subsidiary of Forum Re Group, Inc., according to John P. O'Brien, Millers' vice presi-dent. O'Brien also notes that 
Forum has made "significant 
capital infusions" into the firm. Another company spokes-person provided incomplete information during a previous 
interview that led to an error identifying Millers' owners in the May issue, page 13. LAWN CARE INDUSTRY regrets any inconvenience this situation has caused either Millers or Forum Holdings U.S.A. LCI various ways that are available 
to remove the gap. The underlying assumption with this method is that past trends will continue, once 
again ignoring much of the ac-tual input that happens to companies every working day. The long range process, as with the budget/variance pro-cess, is usually done periodically. 3) Strategic Marketing The above-mentioned sys-tems fail to consider the impact of certain external 
market forces. If a general fails to consider the actions likely to be taken by an enemy force before send-ing his troops into battle, he will most likely be defeated. Successful strategy depends on the reaction of the other forces. Many companies in the green industries forget to lis-ten to what the customers say 
they want, and thus there is no possibility of having a suc-cessful marketing strategy. Other outside factors in-clude government regulatory 
actions, the overall economic climate, and new technologies. Some of the important keys to a successful strategy are knowing your strengths and weaknesses as well as your 
competitors', and understand-ing how your competitors are 
likely to react to your actions. Your strengths and weak-nesses can be ascertained by examining your personnel, fi-nancial capacity, operational 
methods, market position and 
information controls. Listen to what the cus-tomer has to say and start planning for change. LCI About the Author Rudd McGary, Ph.D., is a senior partner with All Green Management Associates, Columbus, Ohio. How to make your career grow. Join PGMS. GROUNDS MANAGER: The Pro fessional Grounds Management Society treats your career with lov-ing care. Ł SHARE KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS at the Annual Conference and Trade Show. This yearly forum brings together grounds mana-gers, top speakers and suppliers to give you ideas to grow on. Ł DISCOVER NEW IDEAS EVERY MONTH through the newsletter 
mailed to members. Ł RECEIVE PROFESSIONAL CER-TIFICATION: A peer review earn 
you the title of Certified Grounds Manager. It should be worth money in your pocket. Ł GET SMARTER. The Society conducts surveys on operational practices. These surveys are made available to members only. Ł GET ADDITIONAL INSURANCE AT NO ADDITIONAL COST. Your membership entitles you to $5,000.00 accident and dismem-berment insurance. Ł GET RECOGNIZED. Be one of those good enough to receive an award for outstanding achieve-ment in grounds management. Ł LEARN. Workshops all over the country give you management 
skills covering all aspects of 
grounds management. Ł SAVE MONEY. Members receive discounts on Hertz, Avis and Alamo rental cars and on the hor-ticultural publications you need to grow. Ł MAKE YOUR PERFORMANCE SUPERIOR with Ł the Grounds Maintenance Estimating Guide Ł the Grounds Maintenance Management Guidelines Ł the Grounds Management Forms and Job Descriptions Guide. They're free to members. Join today. Your career will take root and grow. and mail to PROFESSIONAL GROUNDS MANAGEM ENT SOCIETY. I2 Galloway Avenue. Suite IE. Cockeysville MD 21030 or phone (301) 667 1833. Professional Grounds Management Society TO: PROFESSIONAL GROUNDS MANAGEMENT SOCIETY 12 Galloway Avenue Suite IE, Cockeysville, MD 21030 YES! I want to give my career a green thumb. Please send more information on what PGMS can do for me. Name Company Street City & State Zip Area Code and Telephone Number LAWN CARE INDUSTRY AUGUST 1989 ŁMMHMHMHHHHH I NEW PRODUCTS Larger tilt-bed trailer now has tandem axles Ravens Metal Products, Inc., Parkersburg, W. Va., is ex-panding its tilt-bed trailer line 
with a new, larger-capacity, 
tandem-axle trailer. The aluminum trailers can be custom-designed with a va-riety of axle, tire and floor op-tions. The trailers can carry loads from 3,000 pounds and above, and they can be ordered with a flat bed or aluminum or oak sides. A swirled aluminum finish is standard, and there are a number of other options. LCI Circle No. 130 on service card. Exmark offering Briggs engines on lawnmowers Exmark Man. Co., Inc., Beat-rice, Neb. now offers a 12 hp Briggs and Stratton I/C en-gine for its 36-inch and 48-inch commercial lawnmowers. The 4-cycle, air-cooled engine features a recoil starter and is syncro-balanced for smooth operation. The 12 hp engine rounds out the selection of Briggs and Stratton engines offered by Exmark. An 8 hp engine is available on the 32-inch com-mercial mower, 4 hp or 5 hp. Briggs and Stratton engines are available on the 21-inch push mower, and a 4 hp Briggs and Stratton engine is stan-dard on the 21-inch self-pro-
pelled model. The Exmark Turf Rake features a 5 hp Briggs and Stratton engine. Exmark offers a 12.5 hp Ka-wasaki engine on its largest commercial mowers. LCI Circle No. 131 on service card. BOOKSTORE 010 - ADVANCES IN TURFGRASS PATHOLOGY $27.95 665 - ARBORICULTURE: THE CARE OF TREES, SHRUBS AND VINES IN THE LANDSCAPE $56.00 220 - CONTROLLING TURFGRASS PESTS $36.00 345 - COST DATA FOR LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION 1989 $35.00 410 - DISEASES & PESTS OF ORNAMENTAL PLANTS $37.95 800 - THE GOLF COURSE $35.00 510-H0RTUS THIRD $135.00 415 - INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO PLANT DISEASE CONTROL $52.50 690 - INSECTS THAT FEED ON TREES & SHRUBS $49.95 300 - LANDSCAPE DESIGN: A PRACTICAL APPROACH $41.00 305 - LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT $29.95 
370 - LANDSCAPE OPERATIONS: MANAGEMENT, METHODS & MATERIALS $38.00 365 - LANDSCAPE PLANTS IN DESIGN $58.95 375 - RESIDENTIAL LANDSCAPES $43.00 230-LAWNS $25.95 
235 - LAWN CARE: A HANDBOOK FOR PROFESSIONALS $36.00 INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS 01 - PROFESSIONAL SOD LAYING TECHNIQUES $85.00 02 - PLANTING AND STAKING LANDSCAPE TREES $85.00 
03 - SUCCESS WITH BEDDING PLANTS $85.00 
04 - WORKING WITH PESTICIDES 2 videos $143.95 total All Others $60.00 Instructional and technical material designed to aid you in your work. 810 - LIABILITY AND LAW IN RECREATION, PARKS AND SPORTS $33.00 645 - MANAGEMENT OF TURFGRASS DISEASES $26.70 
400 - NATIVE TREES, SHRUBS, AND VINES FOR URBAN AND RURAL AMERICA $79.95 500 - 1989 PESTICIDE DIRECTORY $75.00 125 - SCIENTIFIC GUIDE TO PEST CONTROL OPERATIONS $49.95 Domestic 720 - SHRUB IDENTIFICATION $12.95 
755 - TREE DETAILING $32.95 750 - TREE IDENTIFICATION $14.95 760 - TREE MAINTENANCE $49.50 
225 - TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT $42.00 
640 - TURF IRRIGATION MANUAL $27.25 615 - TURF MANAGEMENT FOR GOLF COURSES $52.75 620 - TURF MANAGEMENT HANDBOOK $25.25 110 - TURF MANAGERS' HANDBOOK $32.95 630 - TURFGRASS SCIENCE AND CULTURE $42.00 405 - WOODY ORNAMENTALS $32.50 05 - PROFESSIONAL TURF MANAGEMENT $85.00 06 - LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION $85.00 
07 - PLANT PROPAGATION 2 Videos $85.00 each 08 - ELEMENTS OF PRUNING $89.95 Mail this coupon to: Name. Book Sales, Edgell Communications One East First Street, Duluth, MN 55802 Street Address P.O. Box Number. City/State/Zip Phone Number { ) Purchase Order Number. Signature Date. Please send me the following books. I have enclosed payment* for the total amount. Please charge to my Visa, MasterCard or American Express (circle one) Account Number _ Expiration Date _ BOOK NUMBER AND TITLE QUANTITY PRICE TOTAL PRICE DomesticŠ"Please add $3.00 per order plus $1.00 per additional copy for postage and handling. All othersŠ'Please add $5.00 per order and if ordering multiple copies, also add $2.00 per additional copy to cover postage and handling. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Prices subject to change. Quantity rates available on request. Questions? Call 218-723-9471 or 9472 (postage & handling) Total Enclosed LCI ŁI 7 a e m « <= ® n Ł 1 s 3 Ł Ł ° Ł Ł Ł Pay Master calculator figures out time cards Calculated Industries of Yorba Linda, Calif, is introducing a calculator designed to com-pute payroll. The Pay Master features special keys for figuring time card values. Different pay rates, overtime and special hours can also be accounted for with the pocket-sized cal-culator. Using the Pay Master can eliminate over- and under-payments, according to the company. The suggested retail price is $97.95. LCI Circle No. 132 on service card. New electronic meter measures wind speed Spectrum Technologies, Inc. in Plainfield, 111. has intro-duced a handheld wind speed indicator that enables ap-plicators to measure wind speed when applying pesticides. The pocket-sized Turbo Meter features four elec-tronic scales: MPH, knots, feet per minute and meters per second. The measuring turbine is suspended on sapphire jewel bearings, and its rotation is sensed by an infrared light beam that adds no friction. Powered by three AAA bat-teries, the Turf Meter can doc-
ument and assess the impact of wind speed. LCI Circle No. 133 on service card. Use ^ this coupon to place your 
order.^ To the Editor: Your recent article "PL-CAA stops referring LCOs to insurance agency," (May, 1989) is an unfortunate mis-representation of events, PLCAA's position and re-marks made by myself in re-gard to your investigation of the liability insurance market. My remarks were made in the context of a general discussion of the liability insurance prob-lems experienced by our in-dustry, yet appear to be a direct implication of a particu-lar provider. I am concerned that the thrust of the article and re-marks attributed to me give the impression that PLCAA had first-hand knowledge of what you claim in the article and initiated the investiga-
tion, neither of which is true. Let me share a few exam-ples of where your editorial copy does not correctly repre-sent my remarks: The questions you raised about the business practices of American Group Marketing and National Insurance Con-sultants were the basis for my remarks, not any questions or complaints made by PLCAA members. It was on the basis of these questions that PLCAA merely stopped in-forming members of a possible 
source of pollution liability in-
surance. PLCAA has been nei-ther the defender nor the accuser of any liability insur-ance company. Specifically, "PLCAA has stopped referring LCOs to a 
Florida-based insurance 
agency because of some ques-tions about its insurance pol-icies. PLCAA had been directing LCOs to Orlando-
based Wilson, Wheeler and Schmidt for liability insur-ance. "PLCAA stopped referring the agency after learning that 
one carrier it was writting pol-icies for, Stone Mountain In-surance Co. of Marietta, Ga., 
was ordered to liquidate." PLCAA stopped referring Na-tional Insurance Consultants (not Wilson, Wheeler and Schmidt) only after you pre-sented the results of your in-
vestigative research. After several paragraphs dealing with paper trails, dis-
connected phone numbers and multiple company names, you 
follow with my remark "there are enough questions there not 
to recommend anybody to 
them until we get this straightened out," with the last sentence highlighted as a special quote elsewhere on the page. I feel this gives the im-pression that we are raising questions about their business 
practices, when I was merely responding to the results of your investigation. The trade press and PLCAA have a good working relationship and a great deal of 
mutual respect, especially in our dealings with LAWN CARE INDUSTRY magazine. I wouldn't want this single arti-cle to change this relationship, but I am obviously concerned over the implications of the ar-
ticle upon the reputation of PLCAA and myself. I ask that you consider a follow-up arti-cle that clarifies and amplifies your findings and PLCAA's position. I'd like us to keep in mind that PLCAA has simply pro-
vided members with a possible source of pollution liability in-
surance as a service, much as we would about any of our As-sociate Members, making no 
endorsements or guarantees. Douglas K. Moody Professional Lawn Care 
Association of America. EDITOR'S NOTE: Moody was quoted correctly. LCI Tupersan is pulled from California SACRAMENTO, CALIF. The E.I. DuPont Co. has de-cided not to renew its registra-tion for Tupersan in Cal-ifornia because of the state's costly registration require-ments. Tupersan is a crabgrass control agent. Frank Gasperini, sales manager for DuPont's turf and ornamental division, says not enough product could be sold in California to justify the environmental impact testing 
the state was asking for. "If we had done the work, Fm sure we would have re-tained the label," he says. Gasperini says California asked for the same tests as the U.S. Environmental Protec-tion Agency, but different pro-
tocol. "They set themselves up like a separate EPA," he says. The registration was also not renewed in Arizona, which 
Gasperini says copies Califor-nia. Gasperini says DuPont also chose not to renew registra-
tions for certain agricultural products. Tupersan, a trade name for siduron, is so far the only turf pesticide not to be re-regis-tered because of the California registration requirements, says Ali Harivandi, cooper-ative extension advisor in Hayward, Calif. "We are going to see more of this in California," Hari-
vandi says, meaning that other turf pesticides currently being used will not be re-regis-
tered. LCI ibuwant A grass with good color, A That shrugs off disease and insects, That shows ofifinthesunj And even grows where there isn't that much sun. We've got it! Even in low fertility tests, Eclipse gave impressive performances in the USDA national test at 37 different locations. Zajac Performance Seeds, 33 Sicomac Road. North Haledon, NJ 07508 201/423-1660 George W. Hill 8c Company, P.O. Box 787. Florence. KY 41042 606/371-8423 Jacklin Seed Company, W. 5300Jacklin Avenue. Post Falls. ID 83854-9499-800/635-8726-208/773-7581 Peterson Seed Co., Inc., P.O. Box 346. Savage. MN 55378 800/328-5898 612/445-2606 Rothwell Seeds (in Canada), P.O. Box 511. Lindsay. Ontario, Canada K9V 4S5-705/324-9591 Eclipse: U.S variety protection Cert. * 8000154 and Canadian License *2391. For rapid response, use the peel-off label from the front cover NAME TITLE FIRM ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP PHONE( 101 116 131 146 161 176 191 206 221 236 251 266 281 296 311 326 341 102 117 132 147 162 177 192 207 222 237 252 267 282 297 312 327 342 103 118 133 148 163 178 193 208 223 238 253 268 283 298 313 328 343 104 119 134 149 164 179 194 209 224 239 254 269 284 299 314 329 344 105 120 135 150 165 180 195 210 225 240 255 270 285 300 315 330 345 106 121 136 151 166 181 196 211 226 241 256 271 286 301 316 331 346 107 122 137 152 167 182 197 212 227 242 257 272 287 302 317 332 347 108 123 138 153 168 183 198 213 228 243 258 273 288 303 318 333 348 109 124 139 154 169 184 199 214 229 244 259 274 289 304 319 334 349 110 125 140 155 170 185 200 215 230 245 260 275 290 305 320 335 350 111 126 141 156 171 186 201 216 231 246 261 276 291 306 321 336 351 112 127 142 157 172 187 202 217 232 247 262 277 292 307 322 337 352 113 128 143 158 173 188 203 218 233 248 263 278 293 308 323 338 353 114 129 144 159 174 189 204 219 234 249 264 279 294 309 324 339 354 115 130 145 160 175 190 205 220 235 250 265 280 295 310 325 340 355 WWN GIRE INDUSTRY AUGUST 1989 This card void after Oct. 15,1989 1. CHECK BELOW YOUR PRIMARY BUSINESS AT THIS LOCATION: A. LAWN CARE COMPANY: Read each choice before answering. 10 Ł Chemical lawn care company 20 Ł Mowing/management lawn care company and/or landscape contractor 30 Ł Both chemical lawn care company and mowing/management lawn care company and/or landscape contractor B. SUPPLIER 50 Ł Chemical and equipment dealer and/or distributor C. OTHER (specify) 2. WHAT IS YOUR TITLE? I would like to receive (continue receiving) LAWN CARE INDUSTRY each month: Yes Ł No Ł Signature: Date. BUSINESS REPLY MAIL FIRST CLASS PERMIT NO. 665 DULUTH, MINNESOTA POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE READER SERVICE DEPARTMENT WWN ORE INDUSTRY POST OFFICE BOX 6080 DULUTH, MINNESOTA 55806-9780 I,I,I..I.I.U.II....II..I.I..I.HII.,I.II 1.11 GET MORE For the long run. Introducing a powerful new force in riding rotary mowers. Now there's more to Cushman® Front Line® Mowers than top cutting performance. More power. More operator comfort. More endurance. Now there's the new diesel-powered model Cushman 807. Its totally integrated power train and new hydraulically-powered steering gives you un-matched performance over the long run. The 807 dispatches thick, wet grass on tricky maneuvers around obstacles without losing ground speed. No other rotary mower gives you a cleaner cut. At the heart of the new, four-wheel 807 is a powerful 21.5 horsepower, 3-cylinder Kubota 950 diesel engine. We've also included a heavy-duty Donaldson air cleaner and a new, heavy-duty Cushman PTO clutch to 
keep your new Cushman Front Line 
running longer. A complete family of Cushman Front Lines and a wide 
range of accessories are avail-
able to meet all your needs all year 'round. Choose a 3 or 4 wheel design with 60- or 72-inch side or rear discharge mower deck. Or add the exclusive Cushman Grass Caddy® 
system, which lets you cut, catch, 
and hydraulically dump 16 
bushels of clippings without leaving the seat. For a convincing demon-stration contact your Cushman dealer today. Or call toll-free: 1-800-228-4444. CUSHMAN BUILT TO LAST 3458 Ryan, P.O. Box 82409, Lincoln, NE 68501 © Outboard Marine Corporation, 1987. All rights reserved. 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 1XS85; 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 CURBMATE-THE MONEY MACHINE. Patented, electrically driven and self-propelled machine pro-duces beautiful continuous concrete landscape edging. Simplifies the installation of concrete bor-ders between lawns and flower beds, along driv-eways and sidewalks, etc. Applications for residential and commercial settings, golf courses, etc. Turn $5,000-$10,000 equipment purchase into $50,000-$100,000 potential annual income. (801)273-3938. 8/89 CURB KING: Curbing machine that lays continu-ous concrete landscape borders. Low investment, high returns. For information call 303-434-5337 or write PO Box 40567, Grand Junction, CO 81504. 9/89 PROFITABLE FRANCHISED LAWN CARE BUSI-NESS FOR SALE. PRICE INCLUDES EQUIPMENT AND CUSTOMER LIST, IN AN AREA OF 70,000 POP. PRICE REASONABLE - TERMS NEGOTIA-BLE. CALL 608-784-1650. 8/89 HELP WANTED Excellent positions in the irrigation & landscape industry are available now. Call Florapersonnel, the international employee search firm for the or-namental horticulture industry. Completely con-fidential. Employer pays fee. Florapersonnel, P.O. Box 1732,1450 S. Woodland Blvd., Suite 201, De-Land, FL 32721-1732. (904)738-5151. Jim Bambrick, Jeff Brower, David Shaw, CPC, Bob Zahra, CPC. TF MAJOR LAWN CARE COMPANY needs to fill mid-dle management field staff position in the Dallas area. Related degree preferred, but must have hands-on experience In lawn and ornamental care. Must have strong communications skills and be willing to travel. Good benefits. Resume and salary history to LCI Box 210. TF PEST CONTROL: Our Landscape Maintenance Firm has a career opportunity for a Certified Oper-ator in Charge. Licensed in Florida. If you are tired of high pressure job and want to work normal hours, call (813)488-0688 or send resume to: Lawn Care Extraordinaire, 395 Havana Road North, Venice, FL 34292. 8/89 LAWN CARE MANAGER in charge of production wanted for fast growing lawn care company. Tre-mendous potential for advancement and pay in-creases. Pleasant working conditions. Call 203-372-3511 (Bridgeport, CT) Ask for Tony or Bob. 8/89 FOR SALE MIGHTY SPIKE AERATOR/SEEDER: Bought new in August 1988. Used 1 season. Excellent con-dition. New models sell for just under $3000. Can be yours for $1900. Profit maker. Call 703-323-0000 - collect. 8/89 FOR SALE: 1986 Howard Price Hydro 180. Rebuilt Hydraulic and Electrical Systems. Many new parts and new paint. Low hours. MUST SELL. Asking $15,500. (508)430-1533. 8/89 FOR SALE: APPROXIMATELY 400 CUSTOMERS in Dayton and Xenia, Ohio area. I am planning to reduce the area I service with my Lawn Care Busi-ness so I am offering these customers for sale. Call (513)828-1321, Ohio Toll Free (800)368-5296. 9/89 BIG OX FACTORY CLOSE-OUTI 1989 Commer-cial 60" Estate Mowers - $795. 1989 60" Rotary Tillers - $695. F.O.B., Galva, Illinois. Call Jack Dalton (309)932-2184. 8/89 HANNAY HOSE REELS: New in the box. E1526's and E1530s - $349.00 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 ROYER DIRT SHREDDER Model 182. In Excellent Condition. $9,000 or B/O. 313-243-3382 or 313-243-8522 Evenings. Jack's Lawn Service, Monroe, Mich. 8/89 Spray Truck: 1985 F-350 diesel with 750 gallon stainless steel tank; new Myers PTO pump, 2 elec-tric Hannay hose reels. 912-897-4279. 8/89 LAWN MOWING/LANDSCAPING SERVICE. 300K + per year. WITH OR WITHOUT REAL ESTATE. (Income producing 6000 sq. ft. offices and ware-houses.) Palm Beach acounts "Land Of Rich And Famous." Training - equipment - employees. Write: W.B. Ent., P.O. Box 14082, N.P.B., FL 33408. 8/89 FREE PARTS CATALOG - If you own a 32-36-48-52-61" walk-behind or riding mower and feel you're paying too much for your parts and equipment call PRECO DISTRIBUTORS today. We have BELTS, BLADES, WHEELS, GRASS CATCHERS. Replacement parts that fit Bobcat, Bunton, Kees, Exmark, Scag & others. Engines and Parts for Honda, Kawasaki, Briggs & Stratton and more. Order your free catalog 24 hours a day. TOLL FREE 1-800-428-8004, US, in Mass. 1-800-421-3900. Preco Distributors, 97 Center St., Ludlow, MA 01056. TF Bowie Hydromulcher 1100: Trailer mounted with extra duty suspension and extra wide tires, Kubota Diesel powered with heavy duty clutches and powertrain, centrifugal pump and electric hose reel with hose. Well maintained. No rust. $11,900. Call Gary at (317)873-5231. 8/89 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. 8/89 WANTED 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 MISCELLANEOUS 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: Don Karnes Senior Vice-President TRU GREEN CORPORATION (404) 442-8700 STRICT CONFIDENTIALITY MAINTAINED | TRU GREEN LANDSCAPE TRAINING VIDEOS Intermediate mower maintenance field and shop repair; efficient/profitable mowing techniques; professional shrub trimming, plant installation, basic landscape plan drawing, etc. ENGLISH AND SPANISH. Write for free brochure. C.D. Anderson Landscape Videos 515 Ogden Avenue Downers Grove, IL 60515 1-800-937-0399 miike it National Safety Council NO. ADVERTISER ADVERTISERS INDEX PAGE NO. ADVERTISER PAGE 101 Americalist 21 102 American Cyanamid CO. 30 103 Cushman 9 104 Cushman 29 105 Elanco 7 106 Finn Equipment 31 
107 Jacklin Seed/Arid 3 108 Jacklin Seed/Huntsville 10 
109 Jacklin Seed/Nassau ...15 
110 Jacklin Seed/Eclipse ...26 112 Lebanon Chemical 22 113 Lesco 32 114 Lofts Seed 2 115 Mobay/Oftanol 13 116 Mobay/Dylox 20 
117 Mobay/Oftanol 24-25 118 Monsanto 18-19 Nor Am 14 Perfco 22 Real Green 21 Reinco 21 Rhone Poulenc 16-17 Tecumseh 12 Turf Seed 4 Tyler 23 New Products 130 Ravens Metal Prod. Inc 25 Exmark Man. Co., Inc 25 Calculated Ind 25 Spectrum Technologies, Inc 25 119 120 121 122 123 
124 125 126 131 132 133 This Index provided as an additional service. The publisher assumes no liability for ommission or error. send a Classified Advertising Message,.. ... write here. (Please Print) 1. Number of insertions: (circle) 2. Start with (month) 3. Amount enclosed: $ 1 2 3 6 9 12 TF (Til Forbid) issue. (Copy must be in by 1st of preceding month.) To keep our rates as low as possible, payment must accompany order. SIGNATURE NAME COMPANY DATE STREET CITY .STATE ZIP PHONE NUMBER MAIL AD COPY TO: Dawn Nilsen, LAWN CARE INDUSTRY, 1 East First Street, Duluth, MN 55802. 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 1 x$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 number, add $15 to total cost of the ad. Organization's survey sheds light on image issues BY JAMES E. GUYETTE Editor CLEVELANDŠMany turf managers in northeastern Ohio believe that their indus-try suffers from a serious im-age problem, according to results of a survey conducted by the Ohio Landscapers As-sociation. A 31-page questionnaire was filled out by 87 OLA mem-
bers, and the results were tab-
ulated by computer. It is believed to be the most detailed local survey in the in-dustry, according to Herrick A. Mann, an OLA past presi-dent and the owner of H.A.M. 
Landscaping in Warrensville Heights. "The Cleveland market is doing the best survey in the United States here tonight," an excited Mann told as-sembled OLA members who gathered to fill out the ques-tionnaires. "This should be the Super Bowl of all surveys." This year's results echo last year's in that the membership is still troubled by an image problem. When asked to rate the industry image to consumers on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 meaning 
best), the average response was only a 5. The average consumer im-age rating of their own opera-tion was an 8. Overall industry-wide qual-ity netted a 6 rating. Their in-dividual company's quality rating averaged out at 8. Mann believes that low sal-aries coupled with a high vis-ibility factor are main elements of the image prob-lem. "We're not behind walls or in a store all day," Mann ob-serves. "We're always in the public's eye. They always see you, they always see your em-
ployees, and when you're gone they always see the work you've done." Noting that enrollment in Ohio State University's land-scape horticulture program 
was down 55 percent, Mann comments that "it's hard to 
get students enthused about the green industry if you have an image problem." Mann was telling as-sembled OLA members about media accounts that featured 
neighbors' comments regard-ing a suspect in the sensa-tional murder of a teenaged girl: "'He was such as nice 
guyŠhe was saving up money 
to become a landscape con-tractor.' "They made sure you knew he was a landscape contractor. We have to shake that image." Low salaries remain trou-blesome. "It's hard to entice people into the industry when we can't pay them what we'd like," he says. "Why do people cringe when they pay us $20 an hour for our labor? How come we work from morning to night, 
and how come we don't have 
any money? We have to get 
that public image where we're 
worth what we're asking." This year's survey results show that the median annual salary of a com-pany owner is $30,000 to $34,999. The typical produc-
tion manager earns $22,000 to $24,999. A foreman makes a median of $17,000 to $18,999Šabout $7 to $7.49 per hour. A mainte-nance labor technician with no experience earns about 
$8,000 to $9,999 annuallyŠ$5 
to $5.49 an hour. A person 
with a year's experience who displays leadership qualities is likely to take in $10,000 to 
$11,999Š$6 to $6.49 an hour. (To indicate buying powerŠaccording to a na-
tional survey of median rent prices ŠClevelanders pay $380 monthly, New Yorkers are charged $444 and Bosto-
nians and San Franciscians tie at a $586 monthly rent. People in Washington, D.C. pay $601, and the average of 25 selected U.S. cities is $425.) Northeastern Ohio firms that charge customers at an hourly rate report a median figure of $25 to $34.99. A fertilizer application for a 5,000 square foot lawn is likely to cost $25 to $29.99. The average Roundup lawn reno-vation and reseeding will cost a client 18 cents to 20 cents per 
square foot. When plowing snow in the winter, contractors aim to bring in a minimum of $60 to 
$79.99 per hour when doing residential work. Commercial accounts are expected to gen-
erate at least $40 to $59.99 per hour. In the 1988 survey, 40 per-cent of the responding com-panies paid their employees "under the table" for work performed during the winter. "That's highly illegal and a good way to run into a prob-lem," Mann points out. This year, 34 percent report paying under-the-table wages; 59 percent say they don't do that. About half the respondents report that they do not pay for holidays and sick time. Over-time is paid by only 48 per-cent, yet 76 percent do issue an annual bonus based on perfor-mance. Most companies do not have an official employee in-centive program or any type of 
profit-sharing/retirement plan. A majority of firms have medical plans that include a deductible; 53 percent of the 
plans are company paid, while 43 percent are a shared ex-pense between employee and employer. The average employee worked 8.3 hours a day, 4.83 days a week. (Because of a lim-ited response to this question, the OLA does not consider 
this figure statisically valid.) Supervisors worked 51 to 55 hours a week. Mandatory company uni-forms are found at 56 percent of the companiesŠup from 46 
percent last year. "Anyone who's in a visible position has a uniform," says Mann, refer-ring to police officers, drivers 
for the United Parcel Service and employees of chemical lawn care companies. The average company com-position in the survey is 44 
percent maintenance, 25 per-cent landscape installation, 13 percent landscape construc-
tion, 8 percent snowplowing, 3 
percent irrigation, and 7 per-cent "other" categories such 
as nursery or trucking opera-
tions. The median company gross is $150,000 to $199,999 an-nually. Five respondents re-port grosses of more than $1 million. A copy of the survey for a non-OLA member costs $28. To order, contact the Ohio Landscapers Association, 3031 West Streetsboro Road, Richfield, Ohio, 44286. The OLA currently has 216 members. Most are from northeastern Ohio. The orga-
nization was founded 24 years ago. The surveys have been a fixture for a decade. Members can use the re-sults to compare their opera-tions with others in the industry, Mann explains. "We were really curious as to what 
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