ASSOCIATIONS THE COURTS ChemLawn files suit against ABC network for misrepresentation on '20-20' TV show Lawn Institute re-elects Jacklin as president Doyle Jacklin, Jacklin Seed Co., Post Falls, Idaho, was re-elected president of the Lawn Institute at its recent meeting in Kansas City. Also re-elected were: Gordon Miller, vice president; Robert Russell, secretary-treasurer. Dr. Gerald Pepin was re-appointed chairman of the Variety Review Board. Members are Richard Bailey, Howard Kaerwer and Peter Loft. Elected to the board of direc-tors were: Ross Allmon, Her- cules, Inc.; Richard Bailey, Me- rion Bluegrass Association; Rob-ert Buker, FFR Cooperative; James Carnes, International Seeds; Gabe Eros, OSECO Lim-ited; James Jenks, Jenks-White Seed Co.; Ben Klugman, Twin City Seed; Robert Peterson, E. F. Burlingham & Sons; Norman Rothwell, Rothwell Seeds; Rob-ert Wetsel, Wetsel Seed Co.; Kent Wiley, Pickseed West, Inc.; and John Zajac, Garfield Wil-liamson. Directors appointed to the board were: Chase Cornelius, Northrup, King & Co.; Jacklin; Loft; Ed Mangelsdorf, Mangels-dorf Seed; Miller; and E. R. Townsend, Whitney-Dickinson Seed. EDUCATION Number of turf grads is up 74 percent The number of graduating turfgrass management students increased from 466 in 1976 to 811 last year, according to a recent survey by Palmer Maples, Jr., di-rector of education for the Golf Course Superintendents Asso-ciation of America, Lawrence, Kansas. Many of these graduates took jobs in the lawn care industry. Interviews with lawn care busi-nessmen across the country have indicated that lawn care com-ChemLawn Corp., Colum-bus, Ohio, has entered into liti-gation against the ABC national television network for what the company claims was a misrepre- sentation during an early August airing of the network's "20-20" newsmagazine format television show. Chemlawn is protesting the show's ''inference" that the chemical 2,4,5-T was being sprayed on lawns by the com- pany. The federal Environmen-tal Protection Agency has said that 2,4,5-T has the potential to cause birth defects in humans. panies are hiring more and more turf graduates. The survey showed that the largest increase in graduates oc-curred in associate turf degrees. In 1977, 229 students graduated with the two-year degree, com-pared to 63 in 1976. Bachelor of science degrees were earned by 273 students in 1977, compared to only 239 in 1976. Of the 1977 graduates, 58 took jobs in the lawn care industry. A total of 201 took jobs as assistant golf course superintendents, 73 Although the show did not mention the company by name, a Chemlawn truck was shown early in the telecast as a lead-in to the report. The bulk of the show dealt with agricultural and other uses of the chemical. John Wright, ChemLawn vice president, told LAWN CARE IN-DUSTRY: "We are into litiga-tion with ABC, and are limited as to what we can say about the matter on advice from corporate counsel." Wright did say that Chem-Lawn has received numerous complaints from customers became superintendents and 81 took non-superintendent jobs on golf courses. Other choices were the nurs-ery industry (73), parks (47) and institutional grounds (23). A few students entered the chemical in- dustry, sod industry, university extension, research or teaching, fertilizer and seed industries and cemeteries. In 1976, 56 of the total gradu-ates chose jobs in the lawn care industry. In 1976, 172 of the graduates took jobs as assistant golf course superintendents, 67 became superintendents, and 73 took other positions on golf courses. The rest went to parks (32), nurseries (31) and others. LCI SURVEY Consumers say company reputation most important In a recent survey conducted by LAWN CARE INDUSTRY, homeowners rated a lawn care company's reputation as the most important quality they consid-ered when hiring a company. Other factors rated in order of importance were: a personal recommendation from a friend or neighbor, second-most impor- tant; next important was price; next important was appearance of the workers and appearance company equipment. Least im- portant was advertising. The survey was based on an 8.4 percent response rate to 1,000 questionnaires mailed in July. around the country who saw the broadcast. He said that most complaints were resolved after ChemLawn employes explained the facts of the situation to the customer. The herbicide 2,4,5-T has been banned from home lawn use since the early 1970's be- cause of its potential for causing birth defects. Wright said that the company "of course does not use the herbicide because it is not labelled for home lawn use. "We don't believe that we were singled out by ABC on this matter, we just happened to be the truck that was shown in the telecast/' he said. Dick Deering, president of Perf-a-Lawn, New Carlisle, Ohio, said that local television stations came to his company-owned outlets in Nashville and Louisville asking for statements saying that Perf-a-Lawn was not spraying 2,4,5-T on customer lawns in those cities. The re-quest came soon after the "20-20" broadcast aired. ELECTIONS Toro Co.'s McLaughlin elected OPEI president David T. McLaughlin, chair-man and chief executive officer of Toro Co., Minneapolis, was re-cently elected president of the Outdoor Power Equipment Insti-tute (OPEI). Anthony A. Malizia was elect-ed president, and Stanley J. Byers was elected secretary-treasurer. Malizia is president of McDonough Power Equipment, Inc., McDonough, Ga. The com-pany recently purchased the Massey-Ferguson lawn and gar-den tractor line from the Des Moines, Iowa manufacturer. Byers is president of Bunton Co., Louisville, Kentucky. Elec-tions were held at the OPEI's 26th annual meeting. MOST IMPORTANT H z Z o 1-UJ o z g < r\ < 1 $ 1-Z L1J GC < LU 3 n ' 2 Š Q- ~ 2 LU GC Ł o o LU GC LU O GC Q. < z UJ . CL _ D r« UJ ŁŠ GC LU ^ GC 5 o z [ £ 111 _ > 1 r\ LEAST IMPORTANT QUICK STARTS Larger spray truck saves two hours a day page 4 Managing turf in shaded areas page 8 Picking up accounts with good equipment page 10 Penn State researches sulfur-coated urea page 10 Getting new customers by phone page 20 Spray tanks, pumps, hoses, reels, guns page 18 MEMOS 2 COST CUTTINGS 4 NEWSMAKERS 5 MEETING DATES 6 TOOLS, TIPS & TECHNIQUES 8 MONEYWISE 10 MARKETING IDEA FILE 20 PRODUCTS 20 H0-9QId 13S lias oOi Mm 31V1S N191H3Id 3X31.; KlVd avi -SN-Z22E£9Zd3Id "ustry in New York, tinuing series of in-lawn care business potential lawn care re and how they go Serving lawn maintenance and chemical lawn care professionals. INDUSTRY SEPTEMBER 1978 Ł VOL. 2, NO. 9 Ł A Harvest Publication MANUFACTURERS Kansas' Westheffer forms turf division Westheffer Co., Inc., Law-rence, Kansas-based manu-facturer and distributor of agricultural chemical equip-ment, has announced the forma-tion of Westheffer Turf Divi-sion. The new division will special-ize in products for the commer- cial lawn care industry. This will include the design and manu- facture of lawn care application units, as well as a complete line of related equipment, according to company president Don West-heffer. Wayne Jones has joined the division as sales representative. He is a plant and soil science graduate of Southwestern Mis-souri State College and will represent the firm in the Mid- west. COMPANIES Jacklin Seed moves Headquarters to Idaho Jacklin Seed Co. recently moved its headquarters offices to Post Falls, Idaho, one mile east of the Idaho-Washington state line, and just 20 miles east of its former headquarters in Dish- man, Wash. The company's new address and telephone number is Route 2, Box 402, Post Falls, Idaho 83854, (208) 773-7581. The company's move into a new, 6,000-square foot office facility on a 22-acre site is phase four of a long-range corporate expansion plan, general man-ager Duane Jacklin told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. The offices are part of a complex of ware-house and seed processing equipment and maintenance buildings designed to handle a large percentage of the world's supply of proprietary Kentucky bluegrass seed. "The location is more cen-trally located relative to the com- pany's farms and those of our growers in northern Idaho," he said. In addition to the new of-fice space, additional ware-housing and processing build-ings have been built and include 113,000 square feet of ware- house space. MOWERS J.B. Foote Foundry plans major expansion A major expansion in excess of 37,500 square feet to the J.B. Foote Foundry transmission plant has been announced by Jack Fearn, president of the Fredericktown, Ohio firm. Foote manufactures trans-missions and transaxles for the lawn mower industry, as well as a line of concrete mixers and grey iron castings. MEMOS L4WN OIRE INDUSTRY Publisher: HUGH CHRONISTER General Manager: RICHARD J. W. FOSTER Executive and editorial offices: 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102 Editor: ROBERT EARLEY Executive Editor: DAVID SLAYBAUGH Associate Editor: BRUCE SHANK Technical Editor: RON MORRIS Assistant Editors: SCOTT SCREDON, MIKE CASEY Graphic Director: RAYMOND GIBSON Circulation Manager: JACK SCHABEL Research Services: CLARENCE ARNOLD Advertising Production Manager: PATRICIA KELLEY MARKETING/SALES Advertising Director: STEVE STONE (212) 421-1350 757 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017 Circulation & List Rental: TERRI HUTSENPILLER (216) 651-5500 Marketing & Merchandising Services: FRAN FRANZAK (216) 651-5500 Midwest Office: JOE GUARISE (312) 236-9425 333 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60601 Southern Office: DICK GORE (404) 252-4311 3186 Frontenac Court, N.E., Atlanta, Ga. 30319 Southwest Office: JOHN SANDFORD (213) 933-8408 5455 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1107, Los Angeles, Ca. 90036 Northwest Office: BOB MIEROW (206) 363-2864 1333 N.W. Norcross, Seattle, WA 98177 Classified: DOROTHY LOWE (216) 651-5500 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102 LAWN CARE INDUSTRY is published every month by The Har-vest Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. at 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102 (2161 651-5500. Copyright © 1978 by The Harvest Publishing Company, all rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be repro-duced either in whole or in part without consent of copyright owner. Controlled circulation postage paid at Cleveland, Ohio. SUBSCRIPTIONS: to Lawn Care Industry are solicited only from owners, managers, operators, buyers, merchandisers, agronomists, technicians, dealers, distributors and manufacturers of products associated with the lawn care and maintenance business. Position ana company connection must be indicated on subscription orders. Publisher reserves tne right to approve all subscription re-quests. Single copy cost $1.00 for current issue. All back issues $1.25 each. Foreign $1.25. Subscription rates: $10.00 one year, $18.00 two years, $23.00 three years. Group and foreign air mail rates available on request. SUBSCRIBERS: Send chance-of-address notices, correspondence regarding subscription service to Fulfillment Manager, Lawn Care Industry, 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102. Change of Address notices should be sent pro-mptly, provide old as well as new address, attach address label from recent issue. Please allow one month for change of address to become effective. POSTMASTER: Please send form 3579 to Fulfillment Manager, Lawn Care In-dustry, 9800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102. The Harvest Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., publishers of WEEDS TREES & TURF, PEST CONTROL, NPCA Extra, GOLF BUSINESS and the Scientific Guide to Pest Control Operations. HARVEST The "median" house: The national median price of a new house blasted through the $50,000 barrier this year, and with homeowners investing more money in their homes, they are also investing more money in taking care of them Š like using lawn care services. In the first quarter of this year the median house price was $54,000 and rising; that compares with $48,700 for all of 1977, and just shy of double 1972's $27,600. The median family income has not gone up in tandem. From 1972 to 1977 it rose only about 50 percent. But where there's a will to buy a house, there's usually a way. The most common ways have been for both spouses to work or for the family budget to be reappor-tioned. In 1960, the typical family spent 35 percent of its after-tax income on mortgage payments or rent, heating and home maintenance costs Š including lawn care. More recently it has been spending 41 percent. The median house in San Francisco is $79,950, with a 6,500-square-foot lot, according to statistics released by the National Association of Home Builders. In Phoenix, the me- dian house costs $60,700, with a 10,000-square-foot lot. In Minneapolis, the median house costs $57,900, with a 12,150- square-foot lot. In Philadelphia, it carries a $51,990 price tag and offers a 7,500-square-foot lot. In Washington, D.C., the median house costs $66,585 and has a 12,000-square-foot lot. Franchising: "There's a lot of green to be made making people's thumbs green," goes a recent ad in the business sec-tion of the Sunday New York Times. The franchiser is Lawn Doctor, Matawan, N.J., and it says it is "growing faster than people's grass in 24 states." The ad goes on to say: "Every homeowner is a potential source of green. Every franchise has unlimited income potential. And everybody's talking about our great TV campaign. There are still lush, green franchises left in New York, New Jersey and Connecti-cut." Factory pay: Just to let you know what you are up against when it comes to competing for top-notch help, the Labor Department recently reported that the average hourly pay of factory workers rose in June to $6.06. This is up from a revised $6.02 for the previous month. Organic bug killer: A recipe for an organic bug killer was published in a recent issue of Grower Talks. Robert D. Rodgers, a 72-year-old gentleman who has been working with plants of all kinds for 55 years says: Grind up 24 ounces by weight of garlic. Mix in glass or plastic container with 16 teaspoons of mineral oil. Let soak for 24 hours. Stir and mash to be sure the garlic and oil is well mixed. After the oil and garlic have soaked for 24 hours, shave off two ounces by weight of Palmolive or Ivory soap. Dissolve in one gallon of warm water. Mix garlic and oil with soap water and leave for a few hours. Stir well and drain through cloth so mix will not clog up sprayer. When ready to use, add one part mixture to 10 parts water. Don't take chances: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that last year about 65,000 people received hospital emergency room treatment for injuries associated with power lawn mowers and tractors. Another 10,000 were injured by powered hedge trimmers. Although many of these injuries are obviously consumer injuries, many were also suffered by lawn care company em-ployes. Mike Beard, president of AAA Lawn Service, Ball- win, Mo. was laid up for six months when he got careless and a mower ran over his leg. He now stresses safety with all of his employes, just as all lawn care businessmen should. New Jacobsen ID program: Distribution trucks of the Jacobsen Division, of Textron Inc., Racine, Wis. are rolling out across the country with bright new graphics, launching another phase of the identity program for the Jacobsen Turf Products Division. Silhouetted against the all-white sides of the trucks is a strip of green turf leading to a landscape set-ting in which a bright orange Jacobsen mowing tractor is posi-tioned. The white also provides a backdrop for new and bolder treatment of the Jacobsen logo. The words "turf equip-ment" appear in black within the green area. The landscape design is repeated across the rear of the truck. If it doesn't include Provel you're losing turf! No other herbicide works like Provel® to control weeds, especially the hard to kill varieties like Dandelion and Plantain Provel® has Dicamba formulation combined with 2, 4D for fast and effective control over more than two dozen hard to kill weeds. Provel® herbicide gives excellent control over weeds other herbicides miss. The unique translocation action penetrates the entire weed, roots and all, thus attacking deep root and regrowth problems that tough weeds pose. Provel® herbicide can be used in warm or cool, wet or dry weather and stores Before using any pesticide, read the label. through the winter months without loss of potency. Provel® mixes quickly and easily in hard or soft water Ł and can be applied with conventional spray equipment. Don't lose turf with poor weed control. Get Provel® herbicide for fast, economical weed control you can really depend on. From Velsicol, the turf chemical specialists. Velsicol Chemical Corporation 341 E. Ohio St., Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 670-4592 ŁVelsicol Circle 113 on free Information card COST CUTTINGS Larger spray truck saves two hours a day Don Keller, owner of Keller's Turf and [ Shrub Care in Independence, Mo. figures that he saves at least two hours a day since he went to a spray tank truck three times the size I of what he used last year. I Last year he was using 200- and 300-gallon trucks to service his 500 spray customers. This | year he went to a unit with a 1,350-gallon tank. "It was surprising when I started to keep I track of the travel time and down time," Kel-ler told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY recently. "To fill up a 300-gallon tank takes about 20 minutes; we were doing this three times a day. Then when you figure in the time it took to leave a neighborhood and come back to the shop, that is even more time added on." He also says that he was running two-man crews because he didn't have any power reels on the smaller tank trucks. "You add it all up, and I figure that it saves me two hours a day over the time it took us last year," he said. He says that his crew can make the tank last all day Š pumping between 1,100 and 1,200 gallons Š unless the jobs are very big and close together. Keller also feels that the big truck is also more impressive ot his customers, and says that it is better advertising. "Peo-ple are used to be seeing the big truck, but they know who we are because we have our trucks and equipment all painted a distinctive dark green," he said. "It costs a little more when we order them, but it is really worth it because it differenti- ates us from all of the white trucks with green letters." He is hoping to add another truck next year, and cut down on his mowing and other maintenance work. At present, he will not take on any mowing jobs unless they also get the spray contract. "We get the blame for all of the problems, be-cause our trucks are there more often," he said, "so we might as well be spraying them too." 4 TRADE EXHIBIT Š ALCA meeting features 1 equipment u demonstration C/3 The associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) has announced its 1979 trade ex-^ hibit, to be held at the Associa- h tion's 16th annual meeting in D Houston Feb. 4-9. § The trade exhibit will fea-2 ture a full day of exhibit hall dis-^ plays, and will feature Š the u following morning Š an equip-P ment demonstration program. The exhibit and annual meet-ing will be at the Galleria Plaza Hotel, and equipment demon-stration will be in a bare earth field immediately adjacent to the hotel. Last year's ALCA meeting drew almost 700 lawn care businessmen, landscape mainte-Circle 132 on free information card nance professionals and other landscape professionals to Or-lando, Fla. For further information, con-tact: ALCA, 1750 Old Meadow Road, McLean, Va. 22102. REFERENCE Landscape Data Manual is now available The third edition of the Land-scape Data Manual, published by the California Landscape Contractors Association, is now available. The book contains 160 pages with over 200 charts and tables of weights, densities, coverages, compaction, spacing and other physical aspects of a landscape materials such as soils, aggre-gates, lumbers, masonry, plant materials and more. Copies priced at $11 are avail-able through: CLCA 6252 E. Tele-graph Rd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90040. SEED PRICES Ryegrass prices down, bluegrass, fescue up Retail prices for 1978 sales of annual ryegrass seed were down nine percent from 1977 prices, according to figures released re-cently by the Crop Reporting Board of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For the comparison period of April 15, 1978 to April 15, 1977, Kentucky bluegrass seed prices were up 12 percent, and prices for tall fescue were up 31 per-cent. April 15 figures showed the price of annual ryegrass seed at $32 per 100 pounds, down from $35 last year; Kentucky blue- grass prices at $1.65 per pound, up from $1.47 last year; and prices for tall fescue $62 per 100 pounds, up from $47.50 last year. ASSOCIATIONS Two landscape groups announce affiliation The American Association of Landscape Contractors (AALC) has established formal affili-ation with the Associated Land-scape Contractors of America (ALCA) by becoming a spon-soring member of the national group. The New York City group be-comes the fifth such group to affiliate with ALCA, following California, Illinois, Colorado and metropolitan Washington, D.C. Under the affiliation agree-ment, all ALCA publications will be sent to AALC for reproduc-tion and distribution to AALC members. Additionally, AALC members will be able to attend all ALCA meetings and semi-nars at the member fee, and will be able to purchase additional copies of ALCA publications at member prices. Custom Designed for Lawn Care Consolidated Services, makers of quality lawn care equipment, offers you two standard units or we will custom-build to your specifications. These features and more are available. Contact us direct, today. Ł Choice of tanks, sizes & material Ł Low center of gravity & clearance Ł Powered rewind reels Ł One-piece welded construction Ł Mechanical or sparge line agitation P^] Consolidated Services 401 South College St. Piqua, Ohio 45356 PH: (513) 773-3109 YOU Can expand into the LAWN SPRAY business Do it the right way Š Obtain the required: TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE SPECIAL PURPOSE MATERIALS (Will out-perform your competitors products and services) LOW COSTŠCompactŠMulti Purpose APPLICATION EQUIPMENT ASSISTANCE & HELP When necessary This is not a FRANCHISEŠ No Franchise fee, No royalties, No extra costs. BE YOUR OWN BOSS OWN & OPERATE YOUR OWN BUSINESSŠCompletely & Freely START NOWŠSee the results this seasonŠBecome acquainted, and experi-enced for rapid growth & expansion in the immediate future. LEARN ALL YOU CANŠAllow us to assist youŠAttend one of our FREE DEALER TRAINING SESSIONS in September, October, November, or December. LAWNS Š WEEDS ŠTREES & ORNAMENTAL SPRAYING & FEEDING. EARNINGS & PROFITS IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE. MAKE YOUR RESERVATION IMMEDIATELYŠ SPACE IS LIMITED! FOR MORE INFORMATION Š CALL MR. GREGORY COLLECT . . . (312) 455-6900 OR WRITE AGRO;CHEM. INC. 11150 Addison Franklin Park, III. 60131 #) DERBY AERATOR Weighs 51 lbs. ... aerates tt to 1 Vt inches deep ... can be operated very effectively by young inexperienced help. Aerates 18 inches wide Weighs 51 lbs. Very easy to use. Remarkable new machine will add thousands to your profits each year. Not found in stores, sold factory direct to save you money. Good engineering + sim-ple design = low price. Powered by 2 hp Briggs Stratton engine . . . aerates % to 1 Vi inches deep . .. Very easy to control ... Works in hard to get at places. . . Safe and easy to operate. Engine warranted for 90 days . . . Gear train & tines carry 1 full year warranty ... try one for 15 days . .. your money back if not fully satisfied. Can be used as a tiller to weed beds and shrubs from 6 to 18 inches in width. One of the most versatile lawn-garden machines money can buy . . . Built by Company with 30 yrs. experience in the manufacture of tough dependable tools. For full information write to: 1 DERBY TILLER COMPANY I P.O. Box 21 | Rumson, New Jersey 07760 _ I want more information Name Street City __ State -Zip-Visa-Bank Americard & Master Charge orders accepted by phone Mon-Sat 9-5. Call (201) 741-0601 Circle 153 on free information card Circle 111 on free information card NEWSMAKERS R. W. Collins, Inc., a lawn spraying and pest control com-pany with offices throughout Florida and in North Carolina has announced placement of sev-en manager trainees in Florida. Jim Brosnan has been assigned to the company's St. Petersburg branch. He was formerly with Arello, Inc. of Holden, Mass. Mark Paschal, a University of Georgia graduate, has also been assigned to the St. Petersburg branch. Tim Flowers, a graduate of Lake City Community College and formerly with Jenkins Land- scaping of Hobe Sound has been assigned to the Jacksonville branch. Mike Steele, a Univer-sity of Georgia graduate, has been assigned to the Indian Har-bour Beach branch. Bruce Volpe, a Clemson University graduate, has been assigned to the Or-lando branch. Rick Saar, a gradu-ate of the University of Georgia, has also been assigned to the Or-lando branch. Jim Irvin, a gradu-ate of the University of Florida, has been assigned to the Fort Myers branch. The announce-ments were made by Robert M. Barry, technical director. Harry E. Butler has been named regional marketing man- ager for Jacklin Seed Co., Post Falls, Idaho, according to mar-keting manager Doyle Jacklin. Butler was formerly sales man-ager for Stanford Seed Co. of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Jacklin he was vice president of Seeds Incorporated, Horsham, Pa. Butler Diet z Paula M. Dietz has been named extension specialist in turfgrass management for Michigan State University. She holds a B.S. de-gree in Crops and Soils Š Turf-grass Management from MSU. According to Jerome R. Faul-ring, president of Hydro Lawn, Gaithersburg, Md., Kevin Mathias has been named branch manager of the company's new Springfield, Va. branch. Greg Richards is branch manager of the company's Gaithersburg branch. Both hold agronomy de-grees from the University of Maryland. O. M. Scott & Son, Marys-ville, Ohio has announced a ma-jor sales reorganization in its ProTurf Division that central-izes the marketing force and calls for a new field sales struc-ture. George Horn, ProTurf mar-keting head, moves to corporate marketing as product line man-ager. Publications expert Jim Converse, former director of technical services, moves to a management post in the market-ing-sales organization. Also, Brian Finger becomes South-west field sales manager. Bill Stinson becomes North-East field sales manager. Bill Hoopes has been promoted to manager of the Professional Turf Institute. Mark Barkhurst has joined Northrup King Co., Minneapolis as a turf specialist for the Pro-fessional Turf Products Depart-ment. He recently received a B.S. degree in agronomy from Ohio Akgulian Sylvester Barkhurst Grygera State University. Based in Columbus, Ohio, he will cover the Ohio and Michigan sales territory, representing Northrup King's complete line of profes- sional turf products, including straight varieties, custom and special mixes and preformulat-ed mixtures. Anthony Grygera has been named product manager for rid-ing rotary and reel mowers of the Turf Products Division, Jacobsen Mfg. Co., Racine, Wis. Also, Sy Akgulian has been appointed liaison product engineer for the division. And Ralph H. Sylves-ter, Jr. has been named manager of product training, a new posi-tion. James M. Valentine has been named sales manager of the pow- er tool division of Porter Broth-ers, Inc., Shelby, N.C. The an-nouncement was made by Chuck Bolt, vice president of market- ing. Century Rain-Aid, Madison Heights, Mich, has added two members to its sales staff. Ed- ward J. Reiss is a sales represen-tative for Illinois and Wisconsin. Greg Sedorchuk is responsible for turf sales. Edward A. Oberright has joined Aquatrols Corp. of America, Pennsauken, N.J. as di-rector of research. He has 40 pat- ents registered in his name, and previously was employed by Mobil Oil Corp. Cut the cost Of expensive horsepower and expensive manpower. -sm i T -fs&Xi* >Ł: Bolens® HT-20 Tractor. Jobs too small for big specialized equipment can add up to a punishing expense in manpower. Hauling. Mowing. Tilling. Grading. Loading. Trenching. Backfilling. The intermediate size Bolens HT-20 Tractor can cut that expense by quickly adapting to over a dozen custom matched attachments including mower, tiller, bucket loader, back hoe, rakes, blades and brooms. The foot operated hydrostatic transmission goes from forward to reverse without clutching or changing gears. Perfect for close-quarters work. Allows optimum power/speed combinations with hands free to operate hydraulics. More than just a lawn and garden tractor, the HT-20 is powered by a 19.9 hp twin cylinder Kohler engine. The channeled steel frame, massive rear axle/differential and heavy duty front axle give a full day's work. Day after day. Get more value from your big horsepower and expensive manpower. With the rugged HT-20. It fits right in-between. To save money on both ends. Bolens Mulching Mowers.M They cut the grass and the workload. In one pass. When a Bolens Mulching Mower cuts the grass, it also cuts and recuts the clippings into tiny particles that are blown down into the turf. There, they disappear and quickly decompose. No clippings. No clean-up. No thatch build-up. The fine mulch actually feeds the turf while the crew moves on to other jobs.* 3, 4 and 5 hp models are specially built for commercial and institutional use. Straight-thru steel axles, rugged all-steel deck, tough one-piece handle and positive cutting height adjustment. Bolens Mulching Mowers. Tough, economical answers to your continuing turf maintenance program. *For a free copy of a University study on nitrogen return, contact FMC Corporation, Port Washington, Wisconsin 53074. See the complete line of Bolens commercial power equipment at your nearest dealer. For his name and address, call 800-447-4700 toll-free anytime (in Illinois, call 800-322-4400). FMC Corporation, Port Washington, Wis. 53074. -FMC Consumer Products w CO c* H CO D D z w DC < u z < MEETING DATES Pacific Horticultural Trade Show, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif., Sept. 20-22. Contact: Richard Staples, 1005 8th St., Suite 303, Sacra-mento, Calif. 95814, 916-443-7373. Midwest Turf Field Day, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., Sept. 25. Contact: Dr. William H. Daniel, Department of Agronomy, Purdue Univer-sity, 2-443 Lilly Hall, West Lafayette, Ind. 47907, 317-749-2891. Northwest Turfgrass Conference, Holiday Inn, Richland, Wash., Sept. 25-28. Contact: Dr. Roy L. Goss, Western Washington Research and Extension Cen-ter. Puyallup, Wash. 98371, 206-845-6613. Turf Irrigation Short Course, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Sept. 26-28. Contact: Irrigation Association, 13975 Connecticut Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20906, 301-871-8188. Fourth Annual Garden Industry of America Conference and Trade Show, Cincinnati Convention and Exposition Center, Sept. 29-Oct. 1. Contact: Paul Anderson GIA, Box 1092, Minneapolis. Minn. 55440, 612-374-5200. Northern California Turfsrass Council Irrigation Seminar, Goodman Hall, Jack London Square, Oakland, Calif., Oct. 4. Contact: Richard Harrison, Room 201, City Hall, Alameda, Calif. 94501. Central Plains Turfgrass Conference, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., Oct. 4-6. Contact: Dr. Robert N. Carrow, Horticulture Department, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan. 66506, 913-532-6170. Professional Grounds Management Society Conference and Trade Show, Atkinson Hotel, Indianapolis, Ind., Oct. 8-11. Contact: Allan Shulder, 19 Hawthorne Ave., Pikesville, Md. 21208, 301-653-2742. Florida Turf-Grass Association Annual Conference, Orlando, Fla., Oct. 15-18. Contact: Nona Murphy, 1520 Edgewater Dr., Suite E, Orlando, Fla. 32804. 305-425-1581. 18th Annual Southern California Turf/Landscape Equipment and Materials Educational Exposition, Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa, Calif., Oct. 18-19. Contact: Ed McNeill, SCTC, 1000 Concha St., Altadena, Calif. 91001, 213-798-1715. Florida Nursery and Allied Trades Show, Curtis Hixon Convention Center, Tampa, Fla., Oct. 27-29. Contact: FNATS, Inc., 6535 E. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, Fla. 33600,813-626-4149. Landscape Industry Cost Accounting Seminar, Newporter Inn, Newport Beach, Calif., Oct. 28. Contact: California Landscape & Irrigation Council, 14408 Whittier Blvd., Suite B-2, Whittier, Calif. 90605, 213-941-4900. Eighth National Institute on Park and Grounds Management, Regency Inn, Denver, Colo., Oct. 29-Nov. 2. Contact: National Institute, Box 1936, Appleton, Wis. 54911,414-733-2301. Atlantic Seedsmen's Association and meeting of the Lawn Seed Division of American Seed Trade Association, The Colonnade, Boston, Nov. 1-3. Contact: Margaret Herbst, 101 Park Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017, 212-685-5917. COMPANIES Cincinnati's Thornton restructures company Thornton Environmental In-dustries, Cincinnati, Ohio has been established as a holding company for six divisions in the wholesale, retail and service horticulture industry. President of the new cor-poration is William Thornton, Sr. Other corporate officers are: William Thornton, Jr., vice presi-dent, production; Gary Thorn-ton, vice president, marketing; and Bette Thornton, secretary-treasurer. William Thornton, Jr. was recently chosen as presi-dent-elect by the Associated Landscape Contractors of Ameri-ca at its annual meeting in Or-lando, Fla. Five of the six divisions also have new officers and manage-ment. Spray-A-Lawn, a residen-tial and commercial lawn fertil-izing, insect and weed control service, has as its president Gary Brandt. Thornton Environmental Management will be handled by Gary Thornton, with Rick Doe- burg as vice president of mar-keting and John Haubrich as vice president of production. William Thornton, Sr. will con-tinue as president of the retail T-K Garden Store with Bruce Cate as general manager. Thornton, Sr. will also serve as president for the wholesale division, Thornton Wilson, Inc. COMPANIES Hudson releases new sprayer film A four-minute color film on proper spraying techniques has been released by H.D. Hudson Manufacturing Co., Chicago. The film, entitled, "How You Spray Makes a Difference," is available in 16mm, Super 8mm Fairchild cassette and 3/»-inch videotape cassette formats. For further information, con-tact the company at 500 N. Michi-gan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. For the first time in pesticide history, "The Silver Skunk" gives you the convenience and precision required for urban and industrial spray operations. It is a revolutionary new portable high-pressure pesticide sprayer. Utilizing the exclu- sive Micro-Injection System, "The Silver Skunk" accurately meters small amounts of pesticide concentrate directly into the high-pressure water flow. You may eliminate bulky mix-ing tanks, for "The Silver Skunk" allows you to couple directly to a garden hose for a water source. "The Silver Skunk" features portability, simple calibration, allows the operator to easily switch from one concentrate to another, records total gallons used on each job and is designed for extended service life. The unit comes complete with 100 feet of high-pressure spray hose, a wand, three nozzles and adapters. You're ready to go to work the moment "The Silver Skunk" walks through the door. Power Spray Technology, inc. Suite 8, Township Square Building Hook and Calcon Hook Roads Sharon Hill, PA 19079 Phone:(215)461-6331 See me at your nearest dealer! Healthy Turf Next Spring Starts With IBDLTThis Fall * Sure, there's more to maintaining quality, disease-free turfgrass than a couple of fertilizer applications. But turfgrass scientists across the country are report-ing that a fall application of IBDU (31-0-0) can pro-duce turfgrass with better root development and less disease problems. Dormant turfgrass plants continue to produce rhizomes and roots, even though vertical growth has stopped. During this time nitrogen should be made available to the turfgrass plant as carbohydrates are naturally accumulating. Thus, scientists say, the op-timum timing for nitrogen applications is during the fall and early winter months. IBDU (31-0-0) is ideally suited for dormant nitrogen fertilization. Because of it's slow release characteris-PAR EX® and IBDU® are registered trademarks of Swift Agricultural Chemicals Corpc tics based on hydrolysis, IBDU releases nitrogen later in the fall and earlier in the spring promoting better rhizome and root growth. A fall fertilizer pro-gram using IBDU should produce healthier more vigorous turfgrass plants and reduce the severity of several turfgrass diseases. Remember. Healthy turf next spring starts with IBDU this fall. iKir ex Ł PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS Swift Agricultural Chemicals Corporation Professional Products Division, P.O. Box 1996 Winter Haven, Florida 33880 Circle 135 on free information card TOOLS,TIPS & TECHNIQUES areas 10 steps to managing turf in shaded One of the major problems facing the lawn care busi-nessman is the maintenance of quality lawn grasses in shaded areas. According to Dr. John R. Hall, turf extension specialist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacks-burg, the competition for light, water and nutrients create plant stresses which can predispose the plant turfgrass to dis-ease attacks. Dr. Hall recently outlined several points to consider in developing plans for the establishment or maintenance of lawns in shaded areas. Select shade-tolerant grasses. The fine-leaf fescues such as Pennlawn and Jamestown are considered the most shade-tolerant cool-season grasses in the transition zone. James-town is marketed by Lofts Pedigreed Seed, Inc., Bound Brook, N.J. Varying degrees of shade tolerance have been observed in the Kentucky bluegrasses. However, as a group of grasses the fine fescues will generally persist better in shade than Ken-tucky bluegrasses. The most popular cool-season grass shade mixture for the transition zone is one containing 50 to 80 per-cent of two or three Kentucky bluegrasses and 20 to 50 per-cent fine-leaf fescues. Tall fescue is capable of persisting in moderate shade where good drainage prevails. There is a real need for shade-tolerant warm-season grasses. St. Augustinegrass, Pensacola Bahiagrass and zoysiagrass are the most shade-tolerant warm-season grasses. Seed shaded areas in the fall. Fall seedings of shaded areas are generally more successful than spring seedings because by the time fall-seeded grasses have completed ger-mination, the leaves are off the trees and full sunlight is available. Obviously, a good leaf-raking program is essential to successful establishment. Maintain adequate soil nutrition. Turfgrass plants in shade generally require less total nitrogen than plants in full sunlight simply because of the reduced rates of photo- synthetic activity. Nitrogen over-stimulation of shaded grasses contributes significantly to depletion of stored food reserves and thin cell walls which predispose the turfgrass plant to disease attack. Late fall fertilization of cool-season grasses is extremely important in shaded areas because this is essentially the only time of the year when the grass plants under trees can ef-ficiently utilize the applied nitrogen in the absence of tree competition for soil moisture and sunlight. Soluble sources of nitrogen in the November-December time frame are most ef-ficient and beneficial. "As a group of grasses, the fine fescues will generally persist better in shade than Kentucky bluegrasses," says Dr. John R. Hall, turf extension specialist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, ' Blacksburg, Va. He also says that fall seedings of shaded areas are generally more successful than spring seedings, because by the time fall-seeded grasses have completed fermination, the leaves are off the trees and u 11 sunlight is available. Slow-release sources (more than 50 percent water-insoluble nitrogen) applied at this time tend to remain available into spring and can cause over-stimulation. Raise the mowing height. In a reduced light situation the objective is to maximize the health of the individual plant. Low mowing heights tend to increase plant density, but this occurs at the cost of the reduced health of individual plants. Irrigate infrequently but heavily. An irrigation program which minimizes the amount of time shaded areas are moist will be beneficial in reducing disease incidence. Infrequent watering will also tend to minimize the probability of com-paction and not favor shallow surface rooting. Maintain strict traffic control. Maintaining traffic control is more important in shaded areas than it is in full sun because of the lack of recuperative potential in shade and the inability of the thin walled grass to bear traffic without in-jury. In areas where traffic is uncontrollable, annual fall sod-ding is a reasonable solution. Maintain an adequate tree care program. Remove un-necessary trees that are not essential to the landscape plan. Judiciously prune trees as much as possible to maximize light penetration to the lawn. Periodic tree root pruning may be necessary where excessive tree root surface feeding is oc-curring. Utilize tree "spike" methods of fertilizing trees as opposed to surface area feeding of trees. Provide good drainage and air flow. Installation of drainage tile is necessary in any situation where quality turf is desired and drainage is inadequate. Providing adequate channels for wind entry and passage through shaded areas is essential to reduce humidity and disease incidence. Remove leaves and debris promptly. Quick removal of leaves and debris all year long is essential as they only serve to shade the lawn and reduce its food-making potential. Fall leaf removal is most critical to the production of a quality lawn in the shade. Provide adequate pesticide protection. Powdery mildew on shaded Kentucy bluegrass and Helminthosporium dis-eases on the fine fescues are severe. Periodic application of fungicides for controlling these pathogens and others may be necessary. Control of unsightly weeds and damaging insects will improve the appearance of the lawn and reduce the com-petition for light, water and nutrients. Garfield Williamson WHOLESALERS & DISTRIBUTORS Products for the Professional Ł Grass Seed BULK SIZES/SPECIAL MIXES NEWEST VARIETIES — Ł Fertilizers Ł Chemicals Featuring-wean FINE LEAF PERENNIAL RYE GRASS Garfield ZJtUiamson, e&c, 1072 West^de Avenue. Jersey City. N.J. 07306 201-435-3500 Circle 140 on free information card NOW PROVIDING OUTSTANDING EQUIPMENT FOR THE LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. Ł LAWN CARE UNITS Ł SPRAYERS Ł PUMPS Ł TANKS WESTHEFFER TURF DIVISION Box 363 LAWRENCE, KS. 66044 Tele 913-843-1633 Circle 144 on free information card Pelletized Profit? Now, big limestone & gypsum profits in a virtually dust-free pellet form. Ł Opens up a whole new market segment for your lawn care business . without the mess of dusty, uncontrolled spreader applications. Ł Economical, yet highly profitable. Ł Works with any type spreader, including broad-cast. Ł Lets you increase customer service plus decrease your fertilizer costs. Ł Ideal for slack periods because REVEILLE can be applied practically year 'round. Available in bag or bulk, both REVEILLE Limestone and Gypsum fit perfectly into liquid or dry lawn care operations. LIMESTONE & GYPSUM PELLETS American Pelletizing Corp Ł P O Box 3628 Ł Des Moines. Iowa 50322 Circle 102 on free information card r > z n > w z a c cn H po ^ (/> W Jack Lynn, licensed landscape architect. Owner, Landscape Designers, Franklin, Tenn., consultants to Vanderbilt University. ukiiLAJEJkfckAAhtAiiN fciUfcluiLfcki imyUtf^^ tfj^itlU^liU ^yn^^lilg^li^iyifcMII^I Kobe's Spikes are a good opportunity to make money in the winter." lobe's Tree and Shrub Spikes help Jack Lynn make money in the off-season. They extend his business well into winter, when crews would otherwise be idle. Lynn adds, "Jobe's Spikes take the guesswork out of feeding trees and shrubs. We wouldn't use anything else." IM» Jobe's Spikes build profits from the ground up Join the tree care professionals who make more money by using Jobe's® Tree and Shrub Spikes. In every type of climate. . . every kind of soil from sand to heavy clay, Jobe's Spikes have proved their effectiveness. They're better than broadcast fertilizer because plant food gets down to the roots without danger of run-off, burned turf or flMH^fl excessive leaching. And you I know exactly how much fertilizer Ł you've applied. A plastic cap I makes driving easier and SH^P* protects the spikes while they're being driven, Jobe's Spikes require no expen-® sive equipment or skilled labor. Just tap into the ground around ^^ the drip line at the rate of one spike per inch of trunk diameter. lAIIdn uwt iLA Hi.it Rainwater or soil moisture does the rest. Jobe's® Tree and Shrub Spikes feed trees in about one fourth the time, at less than half the cost of drilling. A 5" diameter tree takes about 5 minutes labor. Compare that to 30 minutes to drill holes, plus time and cost to apply 10 pounds of fertilizer. Jobe's Spikes are a pre-measured I amount of fertilizer formed into easy-to-drive spikes by means of a patented binder. The binder pro-vides uniform release of nutrients. Tree and Shrub Spikes are 16-8-8 analysis. Evergreen Spikes are 12-6-8. Fruit Tree Spikes are 5-15-15. W Call your local Jobe's distributor or SBW order direct. $30 per case (105 Spikes) prepaid, 5 case minimum. 15 or more cases, $25 per case. 36 or more cases, $22.50 per case. Jebe>* TREE & SHRUB SPKES The easy method for professional tree care. International Spike, Inc., P. O. Box 24207, Lexington, Kentucky 40524. Tel. 800/354-9360. In Kentucky 606/252-1721. u CO H CO D D Z u OS < u z £ < J MONEYWISE Picking up accounts with good equipment "Our equipment never breaks down," says Paul McGuire of McGuire Lawn Care in St. Paul, Minn., "at least as far as our customers are concerned." Obviously, McGuire doesn't mean that his equipment doesn't break down; he just never lets his customers wait while he has something in the shop being worked on. He does it two ways Š buying good equipment in the first place, and having enough equipment on hand so that a breakdown does not pull a crew off a job. He also used to have an in-house me-chanic, but is moving away from that. "Just about everybody in the business has a place where they can their equipment fixed when they need it Š same-day service," he told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. "Our customers never know if we have any problems, we get the job done the day we are supposed to no matter what." He has built his maintenance business into a $400,000 gross in part by adding three to five major accounts a year by taking them over from companies who let equipment breakdowns do their scheduling for them. He had been using other walk-behind mowers, but calls them "light duty." This year he went, to two-cycle heavy duty rotary walk-behind manufactured by Toro Co., Minne-apolis. The unit features a remote air cleaner for longer life and a five-quart fuel tank. He also uses 60-inch Hesston Corp. (Oregon, 111.) mowers, and likes the cut he gets from National Mower Co. reel mowers, manufactured in St. Paul. He also uses 52-inch Bunton Co., Louisville, Ky. mowers for slope work, and says he likes the units because they have a low cen-ter of gravity and a wide deck. He says the best thing equipment companies could do would be to sponsor some type of regional trade shows, "the kind where you can get out in the field and try out the equip-ment for yourself," McGuire says. "It's surprising how hard it Paul McGuire of McGuire Lawn Care, St. Paul listens to Toro's Bill Albert describe the features of the company's new two-cycle heavy duty rotary for commercial use: remote air cleaner for longer engine life and five-quart fuel tank. is to find equipment for the type of jobs you want it for, and the best way is to see it in person, not through some data sheet in the mail." Another of McGuire's selling points is his distinctive pitch when a prospective customer gets his answering service. Read in his best Irish brogue, he says: Best of the summer to ye, always a hot dry time in the 'ol sod. Your lawn needs lots of fertilizer, and with the passing of the bloom your shrubs need to be trimmed back. Get Paul McGuire's help. Leave yer name and number when ye hear the sound of the o' the Irish Green. FERTILIZERS Penn State researches sulfur-coated urea Research results at Penn-sylvania State University and other research stations have shown that various formulations of sulfur-coated urea are satis-factory sources of slow-release nitrogen for turfgrass. According to Dr. Donald V. Waddington, Penn State pro-fessor of soil science, this new product offers lawn care busi-nessmen an alternative to other common slow-release nitrogen sources, such as ureaform, IBDU (manufactured by Swift Agricul-tural Chemicals Corp., Winter Haven, Fla.) and natural organics. Waddington explains that to manufacture sulfur-coated urea, urea, (a soluble nitrogen source) is preheated and then sprayed with a molten sulfur. A sealant such as wax is often applied over the sulfur coating. The final nitrogen percentage is in the range of 32 to 38 percent, he said. The coating delays the release of nitrogen from the urea, and different release rates can be ob-tained by varying the coating weight (thickness) and coating technique.) Degradation of the coating and/or diffusion of soluble nitro-gen through coating pores releases nitrogen. Microbial ac- tivity is not a major factor affect-ing nitrogen release. Release in-creases with temperature and may be decreased under water- logged conditions. Coatings are not the same on each urea parti- cle. Imperfectly coated or cracked particles release nitro-gen quite rapidly. Particles with thin coatings or thin spots in the coating release at an intermedi-When your reputation depends on your being #1, your sprayer should be #1. The PC WO Complete Pressure Spray Unit shown above with Hypro 12 gallon minute pump with pressures up to 300 PS! Z o > 70 m Z a c CD H 50 C/3 w "O H LAWN CARE INDUSTRY Marketplace New York For the most part, the lawn care industry in the New York metropolitan area can be spelled out in six-and-a-half words. Lawn Doctor, Lawn King and Lawn-a-Mat. Next year at this time, it might take eight-and-a-half or 10-and-a-half words Š adding Chem- Lawn Corp. and Lawnrite Corp. to the list. And further down the line the names Lawn Masters, Lawn Genie, Tech Turf and a lot more will have to be reckoned with Š not to mention estab-lished companies such as Green Thumb Spray Corp. who have carved out a substantial market for themselves and are not really interested in making quantum jumps in their number of cus-tomers. But back to words; there are a few more that can capsulize the New York lawn care industry Š which basically includes Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Is-land, northern New Jersey, southern Connecticut and West-chester County of New York to the north. The words are: seed, dry fer-tilizer application and service. "The metropolitan area is ori-ented to turf, not chemicals," Joe Reyes, president of Lawn-a-Mat of Summit, N.J. told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. "Rutgers in the area is big on turf varieties, and people are educated to want a particular grass seed in their lawns." The big three companies Š Lawn Doctor, Lawn King and Lawn-a-Mat (all with between 50 and 100 franchise dealers in the metropolitan area) Š all origi-nally offered seed along with dry fertilizer application and insect control, weed control and aer-ation. Lawn-a-Mat, Mineola, N.Y. was started by Dan Dorf-man in the early 60's. Tony Giordano, an original Lawn-a-Mat dealer, started Lawn Doc-tor, Matawan, N.J., in the late 60s after breaking with Dorf-man. But Giordano's program was still pretty much the same. Joe Sandler, another original Lawn-a-Mat dealer, started sell-ing Lawn King franchises out of Fairfield, N.J. in the early 70's. These three companies, along with Lou Sachs of Suburban Lawn Service on Long Island have all had some financial diffi-culties over the years. Lawn-a-Mat still is in Chap-ter 11 bankruptcy status, al- though they have very many thriving dealers in the metro-politan area and across the coun-try. Lawn King and Sandler are appealing an antitrust decision against them by the New Jersey State Superior Court (see "Lawn King Out of Chapter 11; Appeal-ing Anti-Trust Action," LAWN CARE INDUSTRY, August, page 1). Suburban Lawn also went the Chapter 11 route for awhile. And two years ago, Lawn Doctor ap-plied for and received a loan from the Small Business Admin-istration Š and they have been going great guns since with a few major changes. The first change was in the equipment it offered its fran-chisees. The switch was from the larger combine that Lawn-a-Mat and Lawn King use to what Gior- dano calls his "speed machine," built by the company at a cost of $600. "We were beating our heads against the wall trying to reach the 10 percent of the homeown-ers who had lawns that were dead and needed seed and to be built up," he said recently. "Now we are going after the 90 percent of the lawns that need less main-tenance." Most of the Lawn Doc- tor dealers, according to Gior- dano, have between 800 and a 1,-000 customers with average lawns of 7,000 square feet. The base charge is $80 for five appli- cations, and fungicide applica-tions and lime applications on an as-needed, extra-charge basis. Most Lawn King and Lawn-a-Mat dealers offer four or five applications with a number of check-back calls. Sandler says his dealers average almost 300 customers with lawns between 6,500 and 7,000 square feet. The average annual charge is just over $200 per lawn, he said. Bill Neville, Lawn-a-Mat of Scotch Plains, N.J., says that his aver-age annual charge for five appli-cations is $284, which is a little higher than most Lawn-a-Mat dealers in the metropolitan area. Just about the time Lawn Doc-tor was going to its new pro-gram, ChemLawn, the predomi-nant lawn care company in the country, was opening up branches in the metropolitan area. It now has three branches. Ray Sharets is manager of the by Bob Earley Editor Left: The Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island, and across the wide bay is Manhattan. At left center is the spire of the Empire State Building, in the cen-ter the twin towers of the World Trade Center, and at far right the Brooklyn Bridge. Above and right: Some of the competition that knocks heads in the New York metropolitan lawn care market. /#/' Ł L&lVlHitutV ^ Orta/onta/*/Jfiaw// ',/>/<Ł/-o*rwi " MNUUNOK JCOSTS LESS THAN DO-IT-YOURSELF FR.9-7277 Nassau County branch, Tom Kor-czyk is manager of the Suffolk County branch, both on Long Is-land, and Carl Ofsik is manager of the lone New Jersey branch, just down the street from Lawn King offices in Fairfield, N.J. "We're the new guy on the block," Ofsik told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. "When we first started, people were saying 'hey, you're not putting down any seed,' and they were a little skeptical. But now they are beginning to see the success of our program, and we are start-ing to get less questions and more referrals." ChemLawn offers a five-application spray program, similar to what they offer in other parts of the country. The average annual charge is about $120. Paul Kampe, president of five-year-old Lawnrite, Bo-hemia, N.Y. does a substantial business on Long Island with 35 total employes and 16 turf spray technicians. His basic charge is $16.50 for 3,000 square feet of lawn as a minimum for four applications. He says his aver-age annual charge per customer is $139. Lawn Masters, Hawthorne, N.Y. owned by Bill Carey and Tom Moscati, has just about 1,000 customers in Westchester Coun-ty. They offer both liquid and granular applications and tailor the program to meet the custom-er's needs. Their average annu-al charges are usually $225 for the first year the customer is on their program and usually $180 after that. Dick Ziskind and Lee Grub-man began Green Thumb Spray Corp., Hempstead, N.Y. almost 20 years ago. They say that most of their customers employ land-scape gardeners for mowing and maintenance and Green Thumb for tree, shrub and lawn spray- ing. They have between 1,500 and 2,000 customers, at an aver- age annual charge of almost $300 for the customers that have both lawns and trees sprayed. This in-cludes anywhere from seven to 10 trips a year, depending on the customer and the severity of the season. Whether it be dry applica-tion or spray, all of the lawn care companies in the New York metropolitan area stress service. They have to. "This is the toughest market in the country," Giordano says. "The people are tough and mis-trustful, they are used to getting ripped off and they are suspi-cious. But it goes both ways Š if you give them good service, they will keep coming back and tell their neighbors." "If we get a call or a com-plaint, we are on that lawn with-in 24 hours, it's as simple as that," says Jerry Schwartz, co-owner with Gerry Merblum of a Lawn-a-Mat franchise based in Baldwin, N.Y. on Long Island. Lawn-a-Mat's Neville says that he can trace 30 customers who left his service last year because of a scheduling mixup that did not allow his men to service lawns within 24 hours of a call. Most New York area lawn care businessmen say that ad-vertising and promotion is im- portant to reach the homeown-er. Lawn Doctor probably has the splashiest marketing plan, util-izing television ads during the Johnny Carson show and also during other programs, and hav- ing 200,000 tee-shirts printed up the with distinctive green thumb Lawn Doctor logo. "It takes a check book to mar-ket in New York," Lawn Doctor vice president of operations Fred Diegtel told LAWN CARE IN- DUSTRY. "We are spending ag-gressive dollars to get our share of the market." It is estimated that the sum total of advertising dollars spent by Lawn-a-Mat dealers in the New York areas is between $500,000 and $1 million. Neville says he spent $13,000 last year; Reyes said he spent $8,000. Lawnrite's Kampe estimates that his company mailed out 600,-000 direct mailers last year on Long Island alone, and says that this is 40 percent of his advertis-ing budget. He estimates that he spends another 40 percent of his budget in newspaper advertis- ing and 20 percent on radio ad-vertising. Sheldon Ofshe, Lawn-a-Mat dealer based in Bellmore, N.Y. says that he and many other lawn care businessmen utilize ads in "pennysavers" Š weekly shopper newspapers. Chem-Lawn has had much success with inserts in newspapers, news-paper ads, clipout coupons in ads and also "pennysavers." On the other hand, Green Thumb's Ziskind says that they have never realized a good re-turn on advertising, and are at the point where tbey depend al-most completely on referrals for new customers. What does the future hold for the lawn care industry in the New York metropolitan area? Lawn care businessmen offer nothing but promise. Two years ago, Lawn Doctor grossed $15,000 in the metropoli-tan market. This year they have 50 dealers and will gross $6 mil-lion on about 50,000 customers, Diegtel says. In five years, he says the company hopes to have 250,000 customers and be gross-ing $35 million. "We are going to be the McDonald's of the lawn care industry," he says. Lawnrite's Kampe says he hopes to have 50,000 customers in five years, and that he hopes to expand out from Long Island. John Gallignani, a Lawn Doctor dealer in Islip on Long Island for seven years, put on a marketing push this spring and wrote $200,-000 worth of business, adding 1,-600 customers to the 1,000 he built up over six years. And al-though ChemLawn is still getting established in the market, they have tripled their business in the last year and hope to dou-ble their employe numbers be-fore next lawn care season. Businessmen indicate growth figures anywhere from 10 to 40 percent. Lawn-a-Mat's Ofshe ap-tly capsulizes the situation of the lawn care industry in New York (and elsewhere across the coun-try). He describes it as a "bibli-cal business" Š because "cus-tomers beget customers." Bill Neville, Lawn-a-Mat, Scotch Plains, N.J.: "It is just as hard to sell a customer on a $50 program as it is on a $300 program. Other companies were stop-ping work in mid-October, and we started a fifth application program that took us through Decem-ber. Everybody said our customers were going to quit. We raised our price from 3V2 cents to 4V2 cents per square foot, we lost 20 customers and we gained 80 at the higher price. We now can provide disease control and lime at the higher price." Tom Moscati, Lawn Masters, Hawthorne, N.Y.: "We are a full service company, and have the ability to do almost anything the customer needs. We have about 950 customers, about 100 of which are full ser-vice, including mowing. About 25 percent of these are commercial accounts. Our operation is pri-marily granular using larger commercial spreaders. We are just setting up procedures for our chemical accounts, and are using tractors with pull-behind combines for our work. We are doing some liquid application too." Carl Ofsik, branch manager, ChemLawn Corp., Fair-field, N.J.: "This is a relatively new branch, we have been here about IV2 years and are in our second season. We are the new guy on the block and getting established, but the potential is definitely here. We are doing something a little new this year in that we are hiring our people this fall for next spring. This way we get them trained and ready to go for next year when the season starts. Once we get over the questions about spraying, we'll start getting more referrals." Bill Carey, Lawn Masters, Hawthorne, N.Y.: We started in 1974, and have realized a 35 to 40 percent growth rate in gross dollars. We offer three differ-ent programs plus a top-of-the-line customized pro-gram. We are making an effort to get away from the totally standardized programs. We have a work sheet that our men use that suggests to the customer what his lawn needs. Our costs are generally about $225 average up-front to get a new account on our program, and then it drops down to an average of $180 the second year. We also have a 'bare bones' program." Tony Giordano, president, Lawn Doctor, Matawan, N.J.: "For every 100 homes, only 10 have lawns that are bad enough they need aeration and seed. Before we changed to a basic fertilization/weed con-trol/insect control program two years ago, we were beating our heads against the wall for only 10 per-cent of the total home lawns. . . . The secret of doing well in the lawn care business is the people, not the technical knowledge. Our franchisees are inde-pendent businessmen, who are building equity in their business and future. I can't say enough about our people." Lee Grubman, Green Thumb Spray Corp., Hemp-stead, N.Y.: "Our average customer spends almost $300 with us Š probably $180 for his lawn and $90 for tree spraying. . . . We put down six pounds of nitrogen a year, and we used to go up to eight pounds in the past. Our lawns just look better than our com-petitor's; we are interested in giving our customers an outstanding lawn, not just an acceptable lawn." 1 Joe Sandler, president, Lawn King, Fairfield, N.J.: "We have about 70 dealers in the New York metro-politan area, the bulk of them are full-time and serv- ing close to 300 customers each. We have over 20,000 customers on a Lawn King program in the metro-politan area. Our average price for the typical cus-tomer is about $200 for a lawn that is 6,500 to 7,000 square feet. . . . Television advertising makes a tremendous impact, but the cost is going sky high. We used to be on the radio 110 times a week, but it doesn't work as well because lawn care is a very visual thing." Dick Ziskind, president, Green Thumb Spray Corp., Hempstead, N.Y.: "We have built our business on a high standard of quality. Almost all of our 2,000 customers have gardeners for mowing and trim- ming, and we do the spray work. We charge $180 for 4,000 square feet, and anywhere from $20 to $400 for tree and shrub spraying. Our basic program is fertilization, weed control and insect control Š probably seven visits a year. We provide fungicide spraying if it is needed, and we can tell because we are out on the lawns often enough." Fred Diegtel, vice president, Lawn Doctor, Mata-wan, N.J.: "Two years ago, we grossed $15,000 in the New York metropolitan lawn care market. This year, we have about 50 dealers, more than 47,000 customers, and we will gross $6 million. We've done it by being aggressive and using all the marketing tools we can, including mailers, doorknob hangers, newspaper ads, television ads, tee shirts with the distinctive Lawn Doctor green thumb logo. Forget naming a percentage, the lawn care market in New York is untapped." John Gallignani, Lawn Doctor, Islip, N.Y.: "We have 2,600 lawns on the books now Š 1,600 of which we added this spring. We put on a heavy sales cam-paign, and everything just clicked; we wrote $200,-000 of business this spring. . . . Our average lawn is about 7,000 square feet, and our average billing is $139. . . . We charge about Vfe-cent to apply a fungi-cide per square foot, and about one cent to seed per square foot.. . . Our 10 sales people hang door-hang- ers by the day and make phone calls at night." LIQUI-SYSTEMŽ horticultural service machine. A new specialized tool for feeding, spraying and treating plants, trees and lawns. Protected storage provides var- ied supplies for a 2000 gallon day's work. This versatile machine sprays at 800 psi, fertilizes with standard corrosive fertilizers and pumps interchange- ably from its ten formula tanks. The patented two pump injector and control system reduces by five the tank sizes and multiples by five the speed of refilling. Distributed by Hill's Liqui-System Victoria, Texas 77901 Joe Reyes, Lawn-a-Mat, Summit, N.J.: "The lawn care business-men operating in Union County Š where Summit is located Š have the highest renewal ratio in the country. My renewal ratio is between 69 and 70 percent. This might sound low compared to what some people say, but they just total up their number of cus-tomers and include their new customers when they do their fig- ures. They say 85 percent, but it is probably closer to 55 percent for most companies. . . . This state is oriented to turf and seed, not chemicals Š consumers want a particular grass, and that is why companies that provide seed in their lawn care program do so well here. ... We are now doing soil testing for all of our customers; psychologically it helps retain the customer, and, scientifically, it shows them why we are doing what we are doing for their lawn.... In all of our mar-keting and promotion, we emphasize the word 'program', this is a word the custom-er already understands, and he knows it means more than just a number of applica-tions." Paul Kampe, president, Lawnrite Corp., Bohemia, N.Y.: "We have found out how to communicate with our customers. First, you have to be available, and that is why we have a six-person customer ser-vice department that handles all correspondence and any com-plaints. Second, you have to guarantee your work. If our custom-ers are not satisfied, we go back and do it over or give them their money back.. . . We only offer one program; we are not going to get into the position of offering only two-thirds of a program. The im-age we want to portray is that when our customer turns his lawn over to us, we will take care of all of its needs except mowing and watering. . . . Our minimum charge is $16.50 for 3,000 square feet for fertilization, weed control and insect control. We apply fungi-cides as needed and spot seed as needed at no extra cost. . . . We have three levels of turf technicians, depending upon where they are in our training program. They all have a territory assigned to them, but they do not handle sales Š we presell all of the work that they do." f ^ Marc Sandler, Lawn King, Fairfield, N.J.: "Many com-panies today Br X^U are reverting to a cat and dog syndrome of competing with each other rather than doing their best to get their own share of the market. ... It incenses us when companies advertise that they provide one more service than their competi-tors, but don't put down any more material than they do nor-mally, and charge for that extra trip." Jerry Schwartz, Lawn-a-Mat, Baldwin, N.Y.: "Our trucks are self-suffic- ient, they carry everything they need, in-cluding a powered aerator and 50-gallon spray tank for fungicide spraying. This has cut down on the time lost travel-ing back to the office for some-thing one of our operators forgot to put in his truck in the morning. . . . We offer a full program to our customers, and are out on their lawn every three to four weeks." Pat Lore, vice president, Lawn-a-Mat, Mineola, N.Y.: "Our dealer organizations on Long Island and New Jer-sey are one of our strong points. They are all solid, and willing to help each other with problems that might gome up. Nobody in this area has as much experience as our dealers do. Our dealer with the least experience has been in business more than eight years." Frank Claps, Frank Claps Landscape, Larchmont, N.Y.: "We need our im-age promoted to get the en-tire industry at a level where the home- owner will recognize us; customers still think of us as domestics. Plumbers and elec-tricians have passed us, and get up to $35 an hour just for walking in your door. This is because we are an industry oriented to giving free estimates." Vin Tirolo, 27, Lawnrite Corp., Bohemia, N.Y.: "This year for the first time we are using a $60,000 IBM System 32 com-puter. In a series of master printout books, we have 400 characters of information about each of our customers, in- cluding information on front and back lawns, how much thatch is present at any given time. NASSAU AND SUFFOLK COUNTIES Long Island landscape gardener revenues $138 million in 1976, Cornell study shows The metropolitan New York City area is one of the most ex-tensive and highly maintained turf areas in the country. Main-tenance of this vast area is ac-complished by homeowners themselves and an ever-increas-ing number of landscape gar-deners and lawn chemical appli-cator businesses. These busi-nesses abound as do numerous local and regional trade associa- tions. One of these on Long Island, the Nassau-Suffolk Land-scape Gardeners' Association, initiated a project to determine the nature of the landscape gar-dening business and the dollar volume of services they gener-ate. lo page 16 Average yearly charge for services by plot size and business size for landscape gardener businesses on Long Island, 1976. Plot Sizes Small Businesses Total Charge per Charge 1000 Sq. Ft. Medium Businesses Total Charge per Charge 1000 Sq. Ft. Large Businesses Total Charge per Charge 1000 Sq. Ft. 5,000 Sq. Ft. 5,000-10,000 10,000-15,000 15,000-22,000 22,000-44,000 1-2 Acres* $ 377 545 635 719 1,105 1,517 73 51 39 32 32 S 508 713 915 1,334 1,334 1,513 $127 95 73 58 40 23 $ 543 822 1,108 1,482 2,010 2,503 $136 110 89 80 61 38 * observations on plots in excess of 2 acres were too few to tabulate. That's why Nitroform® ureaform is used when turf quality counts. A good slow-release nitrogen requires sound processing. For over 50 years, Hercules has been produc-ing products that give predictable results... like Nitroform. Specifications for Nitroform are in the range desirable for the slow-release WIN (water insoluble nitrogen) that makes good turf food. Ground plastic plates could be labeled for WIN, but like the WIN in some fertilizers labeled urea-formaldehyde, the ni-trogen is useless as fertilizer. When urea and for-maldehyde are not processed carefully, the WIN does not release. Ask for Nitroform. It is 38% ureaform ni-trogen with a WIN that's been proved in years of field tests and successful use. Released by soil bacteria, Nitroform is available during the growth-cycle when nitrogen is needed most. It is nonburning and nonleaching. For dry application, use granular BLUE CHIP®. For liquid application, use POWDER BLUEŽ, the only sprayable organic. For information, write to Nitroform Sales, Agricultural Chemicals, Hercules Incorporated, Wilmington, Delaware 19899. Phone: 302/ 575-5000. CO 05 W CO vc p C/D D D g u OS < w z a c C/3 H 33 C/3 H 3 Š 00 5,000 sq. ft. 5,000-10,000 10,000-15,000 15,000-22,000 22,000-44,000* $162 232 429 525 875 $41 31 34 28 27 * observations in plots in excess of one acre were too few to tabulate *one man equivalent Ł 1,600 man hours per season and fungicide if needed as well as spot reseeding where re-quired. Labor in this industry often consists of the owner-operator of the business and his crew. As one would expect, the number of laborers required increases with the size of the business. Crews swell in spring and fall to han-dle the heavy cleanup chores but tend to level out during the sum-mer season. The degree of mechanization of each firm in part determines the ultimate labor force required. For exam-ple, lawn chemical services are often highly mechanized and re-quire few laborers to service their accounts. According to another recent Cornell University survey, there are 1.1 million acres of turfgrass in New York State and over 800,-000 acres involve residential and commercial properties. The actu-al figures indicate 763,437 acres residential and 67,792 acres commercial. Nassau and Suffolk counties account for 22 percent of the residential turf in New York State. To arrive at these figures, the Cornell group used Land Use Natural Resources (L.U.N.R.) photos to calculate total residen-tial housing density in three broad categories, high, medium and low density, and the actual turf area in each density cate-gory. These aerial photo surveys indicate the following for resi- dential properties in these two counties. Note that these local figures do not include other maintained areas such as commercial busi- nesses, golf courses, sod farms, schools, parks, cemeteries, churches, and health-related facilities. Multiplying the area data by the average of charges per 1,000 square feet in a given size cate-gory, it is possible to calculate the total potential residential maintenance revenues avail-able to landscape gardeners. One-fourth of this amount (the proportion estimated to be pro-fessionally maintained) is the estimated total gross revenue for maintaining residential proper-ties by landscape gardener busi-nesses in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Roundup.There^s no better grooming aid for unruly turf. Roundup* belongs in your turf renovation program. Renovation of a weedy fairway, sod farm or other grassy area used to be a laborious and time-consuming chore, but not any more. Not with Roundup® herbicide by Monsanto. Because one application of Roundup will control many annual and perennial weeds, yet allow you to proceed with tillage and planting operations as soon as seven days later. Roundup also makes sense wherever treatments for grounds maintenance are called for. One man with Roundup in a backpack sprayer can replace many of the herbicides and frequent repeat treatments that are often necessary. Roundup gets to the root of the problem. Including many of your toughest vegetation problems, like: bluegrass, bermudagrass, quack-grass, bindweed, johnsongrass, fescue and vaseygrass. Can you afford to let another season go by without Roundup in your turf renovation and arounds maintenance programs? Your local Chemical dealer is the one to see for your supply of Roundup herbicide. Roundup has no residual soil activity. That's why you can go in seven days later and re-plant. Roundup won't wash, leach or volatize from the treated area to injure desirable vegetation. Naturally, normal precautions should be observed to avoid spray drift. "Translocation" is the key. Roundup is applied to the weed foliage, absorbed through the leaf surface, and "translocated" throughout the entire plant. In this way, Roundup destroys the entire weed, including the roots or rhizomes. ALWAYS READ AMD CAREFULLY FOLLOW THE LABEL DIRECTIONS FOR ROUNDUP HERBICIDE. Roundup" is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company, St. Louis. Mo. C Monsanto Company, 1978. There's never - been a herbicide like this before. Monsanto RI78-04 Spray I What to look for in tanks, pumps, nozzles, hoses, guns, reels Al Brown [left], Altop Lawn Spray, Sterling Heights, Mich: "We are stuck with what our nearest distributor offers." Ray Timm, Greentop Lawn Spray, Warren, Mich.: "We know the equipment is out there, it just isn't always available to us." Ray Timm owns Greentop Lawn Spray in Warren, Mich. Al Brown owns Altop Lawn Spray in Sterling Heights, Mich. When the picture of them that accom-panies this article was taken they were discussing the problems they, and other lawn care businessmen have trying to find equipment suited to their opera- tions. "We know that the equipment is out there Š it might have to be modified somewhat for lawn spray Š but it is often not available to us," Timm told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. "We are stuck with what our nearest distributor offers," Brown added to that. That is the situation in a nutshell. There is not a lack of manufacturers and equipment for lawn spray, just a lack of communication channels and distribution networks to get the spray equipment to the industry. On the part of the lawn care businessman, there is a lack of knowledge of what is available. There is also number of products being manufactured for the pest control or agricultural markets with applications in the burgeon- ing lawn care market. LAWN CARE INDUSTRY asked a num-ber of spray equipment manu- facturers for their comments on products available for the lawn care industry and what they had on the market. We couldn't fit it all into this issue, so look for further product information in upcoming issues. On with the information. Not necessarily for this lawn care season Š it's more than half over in most parts of the country Š but to help you make intelligent decisions for next year. A. G. Garoust, president of Ecor Spray Systems Division, Melbourne, Fla., said: "Ten years ago, our lawn sprayers and others on the market needed to be redesigned to make them more efficient and durable. At that time, almost the entire construction was of steel, including the tanks and the skirting. Of course, this resulted in rapid deterioration of the en-tire unit since rust contamina-tion spread quickly to all parts of the sprayer. "Another of the problems en-countered with steel was the in- credibly high weight factor that was experienced as a result of the heavy steel needed to com-pensate for the erosion of the metal. This high weight factor caused undue strain on the trucks which resulted in fast tire wear and premature truck chassis problems, such as front axle kingpin failure." The goals that Garoust said his company set to redesign sprayers may be good tips on spray equipment. First, the unit should be corrosion-resistant, in-cluding the skirting, he said. Second, the unit should be light and well-balanced for proper weight distribution. Third, the tanks should be designed to per- mit better agitation flow characteristics. Lastly, the unit should be strong and durable. "To eliminate the problem of corrosion, we made all fiber-glass tanks and one-piece molded skirting, which is not only considerably lighter, but stronger too," he said. "We suggest air-tight lids for the tanks to prevent spillage of chemicals onto the truck frame. We also suggest high-grade stainless steel for hardware and other assem- blies." Garoust also says that me-chanical agitators are trouble-some and ineffective and suggests non-corrosive jet agitators that produce a more thorough mixing of the agents in the water. He also suggests that pumps be matched to the requirements of the standard lawn care application rather than random selection as has of- ten been the case in the past. "Too often" he said, "60 gallon-per-minute (gpm) pumps were installed on spray rigs when 25 gpm was more than suf-ficient. And with today's high fuel costs, pump efficiency is more than a convenience if the applicator expects a favorable profit from his investment." He said that the increasing use of liquid fertilizers has gained popularity for use of two-stage contrifugal pumps because of the pump's greater corrosion resistance and lower mainte-nance costs. In addition, the in-The LawnFeeder by Finn, sprays granular and liquid lawn PQfP 11 C* Ł breakthrough of the Finn LawnFeeder provides you, the lawn ^ vritllvivji maintenance contractor, with a unique ability to spray dry granular lawn care products in slurry form along with other liquid products in one economical operation. Slow release,water insoluble, granular fertilizers can now be incorporated into your program without multiple applications to the turf. The LawnFeeder, uniquely engineered, incorporates mechanical paddle and slurry recirculating agitation and pumps the material through it's centrifugal pump. Ł Pinpoint Spray Control Ł Granular Products Applied in Slurry Form Ł Simple One-Man Operation Ł Mechanical Agitation Ł Centrifugal Pump Ł All Steel Construction Ł Hydraulicly Powered Drive Ł tip to 300 Foot Hose 2525 DUCK CREEK RD Ł CINCINNATI, OHIO 45208 TOLL FREE 800-543-7166 Ł OHIO COLLECT 513-871-2529 I For ad on preceding page circle 117 on free information card Circle 125 on free information card itial cost of the pump is less than half that of comparable piston pumps. For pump drives, he suggests either PTO (power-take-off), as in the case of one- to 2V2-ton trucks, or auxiliary gas engines. "As fuel costs become a more im-portant factor, auxiliary engines are gaining acclaim in many parts of the country despite usually higher maintenance costs. "We have always felt that the tanks are the single-most impor- tant element of a sprayer, and shape and size should be care-fully designed to meet the criteria of the application," he said. "In addition to regular spray tanks, we also manu-facture specialty tanks like the 200-gallon mixing tank, com- monly referred to as the 'drop tank' used primarily in the Southeast on full-size lawn spray trucks. This tank, situated on the rear of the rig, is gravity-fed from the large tank and enables the operator to mix small batches of solution without having to mix the entire large tank." Hill's Liqui-System, Victoria, offers these points to look for when buying lawn care equip-ment: w To produce maximum profit, Hill says, equipment must be fast. Treatment of 1,000 to 2,000 square feet per minute should be provided. No helper should be needed. Time between jobs is important too, so equipment that can move quickly has an advan-tage. A good appearance should be designed into professional lawn care equipment. Ample space should be provided for signs. Easy cleaning of surfaces is desirable, and fertilizer stains and rust should never be seen. Fiberglass and stainless steel are low-maintenance materials, Hill'said. Steel is very costly to care for in a lawn care rig. Finally, lawn equipment is ex-pensive and its cost should be spread over many years of use. Corrosion-protected equipment easily justifies a higher initial cost. Skip Strong, Strong Enter-prises, Miami, Fla.f agrees with the cost factor. "One of the worst things lawn care companies can do in buying equipment is look only at the cost of the unit," he said. "Anyone that buys equipment for price and not performance is fooling himself. "There have been many cases where we have lost a sale due to a price difference, only for the customer to find out a year or two later that the cheaper piece of equipment will no longer do the job. Also, anyone getting bids on two comparable units Š one with a steel tank and another with a fiberglass tank Š must ex-pect a higher cost for the fiber-glass unit. Fiberglass is more ex-pensive than steel, especially with the special chemical-resistant resins needed to handle today's mixtures." He offers this cost comparison: A 1,200-gallon steel tank with an initial cost of $1,000. Five-year a maintenance costs include sandblasting, patching and repairing at a cost of about $500. Then the unit will need to be replaced after 10 years, with a replacement cost of $1,600 due to inflation. Total cost Š $3,100. A 1,200-gallon fiberglass tank has an initial cost of $1,800. Maintenance costs for 10 years would only be about $325 for compounding, wax or repainting once a year. Total cost over 10 years Š $2,125, or a difference of $975. Al Henjum of Hypro, Division of Lear Siegler, Inc., St. Paul, Minn., offers a tip to the lawn care businessman Š use the pump best-suited for the particu- lar job. "Centrifugal pumps are developing into the best all-around choice," he said. "In many instances they develop the moderate pressures with good capacity and long life at low cost that the lawn care businessman is looking for. The centrifugals offer long life and good wear characteristics for the wettable powders that are widely used in the industry. They are also helpful when the operator mixes herbicides and insecticides to do a balanced lawn spraying opera-tion." Even with good abrasive han-dling characteristics of the pump, an agitator should be used to make sure the liquid is pro-perly mixed and kept in sus-pension, Henjum says. Another advantage of centrifugals is that no relief valves or unloader valves are required. A throttling valve is a good addition to it in order to balance the system. "The total piece of equipment should be sized to do the job right with the proper strainers, spray nozzles and other equip-ment," he said. "Equipment should be kept clean and flushed regularly after use to prevent contaminants from building up and running the system and/or 'botching' a future job." Frank X. McGarvey, vice president of Micron West, Inc., Houston, Texas says that there is no sub-stitute for selecting good equip- ment which utilizes the latest in-novations. "The costs of labor and chemicals are going to continue to rise," he said. "We must develop equipment, chemicals and application programs which will keep us competitive in our market." He believes that the biggest threat to continued growth in the lawn care industry is the cost of services. "The consumer has reached the point where he weighs the cost/benefit ratio between letting a professional care for his lawn or doing it himself," he said. "We believe the controlled droplet application spraying can reduce chemical cost and application time. An example of reduced chemical cost is the reduction of Monsanto's herbi- cide Roundup from two to three quarts per acre to as low as one-half pint per acre in recent ap-plications." Micron West's "Herbi" spray applicator offers better distribution of pesticides because of a smaller droplet size, McGarvey said. The best size of a tank for a lawn care company is one that will carry a load that will last all day without refilling, according to Bob Person, Finn Equipment Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. "Ideally, the mixture in the tank should be concentrated so that a maximum four gallons of mixture will cover 1,000 square feet," he said. "To cover 200,000 square feet per day requires an 800-gallon tank and 300,000 square feet will require a 1,200-gallon tank." Person says that it is most im-portant to have an agitation system that will uniformly mix the materials so that the first lawn and the last lawn of a tank mix receive the identical concen-tration of materials. A mechani-cal paddle agitator has proven to be the most uniform system, Per-son said. The speed of the agitator should be variable to properly work with the various products used through the lawn care industry. "Different brands of granular fertilizers will require different levels of agitation," he said. "Those that do not break down in water require more agitation to keep them suspended while others which may have a ten- dency to foam can be controlled by reducing the agitator speed." He says that centrifugal pumps are best-suited to pump granular products. Certain models can pass large solids and have a high degree of abrasion resistance. Their reliability is high with low maintenance. "Independent power is more economical than PTO, but the noise level is higher and reliability is lower," he said. "A PTO drive off the truck is easier to operate and productivity is generally higher. A hydraulic drive from the PTO is perhaps the best system. It offers reliability in addition to the flex-ibility of variable pump and agitator speed control." He says that V2-inch and 5/s-inch hose diameters are most common in the lawn care in-to page 20 TRAILER MOUNTED SKID MOUNTED ACCESSORIES HOSE REEL G-GUN GREENS BOOM ALSO CHOOSE FROM FIBERGLASS TANKS/MECHANICAL AGITATION/PUMPS AND ENGINES/BOOMS/HAND GUNS, ETC. WRITE OR CALL: Special Products Division HANSON EQUIPMENT CO. 301 CHARLES ST., SO. BEL0IT, IL 61080 815 389 2261 Circle 127 on free information card ROCKLAND PROFESSIONAL TURF PRODUCTS FOR THE "REAL PROS" THAT CARE LAWN CARE MANAGERS GOLF COURSE SUPT. LANDSCAPERS AND OTHER TURF EXPERTS INSIST ON ROCKLAND QUALITY TURF PRODUCTS GRANULARS Ł LIQUIDS Ł WET POWDERS FERTILIZERS, FUNGICIDES, INSECTICIDES, HERBICIDES FOR FREE NEW 1979 PROFESSIONAL CATALOGUE WRITE TO ROCKLAND CHEMICAL CO., INC. BOX 809, W. CALDWELL, NJ 07006 SPRAY from page 19 dustry. The Vfe-inch is easier to pull, while the Vb-inch works bet- ter with heavy loads of granular material. As for nozzles, he says that to apply most granular fertil-izers a single-hole nozzle is nec-essary. Three available patterns are: flood jet Š a six- to eight- foot wide swath with the nozzle held stationary; veejet Š a flat vee pattern that is moved from left to right; and hollow cone Š a round pattern that is moved from left to right with excellent overlap coverage. Elaine V. Barkoulies of Spraying Systems Co., Wheaton, 111., offers these tips to lawn care businessmen: Ł Maintain a periodic pro-gram of cleaning and main-taining spray equipment, es-pecially spray tips. Ł Check for wear. Ł Test spray tips regularly for proper capacity and calibration, tion. Fred Dountz, Dountz Equip-ment Co., Columbus, Ohio says that the most important things to look for when purchasing a lawn care unit are good tank agitation, a positive displacement pump for an even delivery of material and matching the gun with the pump output. Don Westheffer, president of Westheffer Co., Lawrence, Kans. says that lawn care businessman should purchase sprayers designed for their specific type of spraying. Also, it should be durable and easy to operate and maintain. "Tanks should be well-vented with manholes that allow easy access to filling and cleaning," he said. "When tank gallonage is over 200 gallons or when using wettable powders, mechanical agitation is definitely recom- mended. Corrosion-resistant tanks add to the life of your unit as well as to the ease of daily maintenance. Stainless steel and fiberglass tanks are recom-mended. The adequate plumbing system includes good drainage and an easy-to-reach strainer. Strainers should be cleaned a minijnum of once a day." "When in the market for fiberglass tanks for lawn care, there are several important fac-tors which determine the highest quality product for your invest-ment, " says Mike Sayward, president of Tuflex Mfg. Co., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "Avoid tanks that are manufactured by joining two halves together utilizing only polyester paste," he said. "This type of construction can be recognized by viewing the seam area through the access hatch. Polyester paste used in con- junction with reinforced fiberglass laminates to make a well-constructed tank joint that will not deteriorate in a chemical environment." He says that the type of resin used by the manufacturer is very important. There are three types of resins: general purpose (or orthopthalic resin), used primarily for boat manufac-turing and should not be used in a chemical environment; isophthalic resin, which is suitable for most chemical environments; and premium resins, which are available for those chemicals which are highly corrosive. "Non-gelcoated or non-pigmented tanks tend to yellow due to ultra-violet degradation even though ultra-violet pro- tectants uare used," he said. "Gelcoating prevents this reac-tion to sunlight, and will prolong the life of the tank. Also, tanks with flimsy sidewalls are to be avoided due to probably failure. Weight is a good indicator of structural soundess." He says that a superior tank will have an interior that is free of burrs and fibers, and is finished with a final surface coating resin. Mike Zievers, Master Sprayers, Inc., Ontariom, Calif., says that many lawn care businessmen don't pay as much attention as they should to taking care of their spray equipment. "It is what keeps you in business," he said. "Put grease through the pumps and keep them clean. Match the equip- ment to the job, don't try to over-extend equipment. Watch for wear. Calibrate correctly." He also suggests using stainless steel or hard stainless steel spray tips. "They cost more than brass or nylon tips, but you will get less clogging and more wear," he said. He also suggests using a round tank with mechanical agitation. A round tank of course has no flat spots, and no corners, and this allows for better suspen-sion of fertilizer and pesticides. He says that mechanical agitation with use of a propeller paddle is better than jet agita- tion, because "you have to have a pump two to two-and-a-half times what you actually need to recycle with the jet system. The paddle system maximizes your pump's ability." He also suggests use of low-pressure spray tips and check valves on all spray equipment. He says low-pressure spraying gives better coverage because of droplet size. Check valves stop residual dripping directly after the sprayer is turned off. "In viewing the lawn care market," Strong said, "I think due to the fast increase in pro- fessionalism of lawn care com-panies in the ways they educate their customers, we are involved in one of the fastest-growing in-dustries in the country." Henjum said: "We view the market as a good one and cer- tainly a growth market with a lot of potential. "It does not appear to be limited to homes. There are a lot of commercial applications that tie in equally well and offer good growth potential. It appears the industry and the firms in it are becoming well-organized, and there is a good professional feel-ing emerging that certainly is a credit to the industry and the people in it. This growing pro-fessional approach to the job will certainly go a long way towards building customer confidence in an industry that once may have been characterized as a 'fast- buck' operation." McGarvey said: "I believe the lawn care industry has enormous growth ahead if the cost to the consumer is not increased above today's prices and the industry attempts to control the entry of 'fly-by-nighters' with some sort of applicator certification and the formation of an association of lawn care operators." Dountz said: "The lawn care industry, in our opinion, has one of the largest growth potentials of any industry in the country. There are numerous metro-politan areas that are completely untapped." MARKETING IDEA FILE Getting new customers by phone Tom Crowley, 54, began his Lawn Doctor of East Suburbs outside of Cleveland five years ago after a career as a comptroller for a Cleveland firm. He has built his customer list up to 1,000 and hopes to add a 1,000 new cus-tomers a year for the next few years. I Although 50 percent of his business is re-ferrals, he uses quite a bit of telephone solici-tation to obtain new customers. He pays $3.50 an hour and allows his solici-tors (usually older women) to work in their own homes. He says the minimum he will allow is two leads turned in an hour, although on good days he might get four. "But I'm happy with three." If the telephone workers cannot meet these stan-dards, he just discontinues their work. Speaking of the Lawn Doctor equipment, he says: "We have unique equipment, and it allows us to treat each lawn differently." His equipment aerates at the same time it ap-plies granular materials, including grass seed. His program is basically five trips to a lawn in one season, but it can vary. For example, for large estates, he might offer two fertilizer applications and two weed control applications to keep costs down and ultimately get the business. "We try to base it on whatever the customer needs," he told LAWN CARE INDUSTRY. Free from Hypro Sprayer Pump Handbook New Edition! 8 pages of helpful information to help you select and use your pumps better. Hookup diagrams for piston, roller and centrifugal pumps. Graphs of pump outputs, flow through spray nozzles. Data on pump and sprayer component selection plus much more. Send for your free copy now. When you need pumps for sprayers or pressure wash systems, make your choice Hypro A DIVISION OF LEAR SIEGLER. INC 319 Fifth Ave NW. St. Paul. MN 55112 Ł (612) 633-9300 SPRAYERS Whether your needs are for weed control, lawn insect or fungicide spraying, ornamental and shade tree spraying, or any general out-door work, we have the exact sprayer you require. Our reinforced fiberglass low profile tanks are available in the following sizes: 50, 100, split 100 (2 x 50), 200 and split 200 (2 x 100) gallon sizes. The reinforced fiberglass tanks are a low profile square design to minimize space, look attractive, and reduce chemical sloshing that you get in higher round style tanks. These tank sizes can be incorporated into many varieties of sprayers using Hypro, Bean, Cat or Sherwood pumps, either electric or gasoline powered. All our spray units come complete with tank, pump unit, welded steel chassis and hose reel, either skid or trailer mount. P.O. BOX 124 AMITYVILLE, NEW YORK 11701 516-799-7805 Circle 128 on free Information card Offering a complete one-stop source for chemicals and equipment, consulting and training. "Working together to better our environment" Get 10% off current price of Diazinon 25E for control of ornamental & lawn insects. Call free, refer to this offer or return coupon below. 1978 SCHEDULE OF TRAINING COURSES Training Center, College Pork, Go. Advanced Pest Control Technology September 28, 29 and 30 Basic Pest Control Technology November 17 Jacksonville, Fl. Basic Pest Control Technology October 31 Son Juan, P.R. Advanced Pest Control Technology November 29 and 30 Stephenson now formulating Diazinon 25E for control of ornamental and lawn insects. Labeled for cockroaches, fleas, brown dog ticks and many other nuisance pests in outdoor areas. All sizes available. Call free or return coupon. Stephenson also offers training and consulting in turf and ornamental pest control, basic pest control, advanced pest control and wood-destroying organisms. r 1 Ł Send information on training & consulting services Ł Send amount Diazinon 25E @ 10% off current price. Name. Address. City State. -Zip-Phone. P.O. Box 87188 College Park, Ga. 30337 404/762-0194 Outside Georgia Toll free 800/241 -3343 member Stephenson Services ŁEST F< # > r^TIONAL PEST FCOHTROL ASSOCIATION U oc p CD D Q g w a: < u z £ < BEHIND THIS ISSUE Whew.This has been one of our busiest months since we start-ed LAWN CARE INDUSTRY Š in a number of ways Š and we're taking a few minutes to look back and look ahead as we close the September issue. We started out the month attending the press conference put on by the Bolens Division of FMC Corp. It was scheduled at the Lake Geneva Playboy Club, but unfortunately, we only had time enough to check out their new mowers and tractors Š not the bunnies. Then it was on to the New York metropolitan area to interview lawn care businessmen there for a MARKETPLACE feature, which begins on page 12 of this issue. The lawn care activity is phenomenal, which is to be expected, since the area is the home of three of the largest lawn care franchises Š Lawn Doctor, Lawn-a-Mat and Lawn King. Not to mention the number of customers that companies such as ChemLawn, Lawn Masters and Lawnrite have under contract. And to hear the New York area lawn care businessmen talk, the surface has not even been scratched. At just about the same time, assistant editor Mike Casey was inter-viewing lawn care businessmen in Baltimore for next month's MARKETPLACE. Then it was on to the national headquarters of Perf-a-Lawn Corp., New Carlisle, Ohio, and the TUCO Division of Upjohn Co., Kalamazoo, Mich. Look for news of Perf-a-Lawn's expansion and some of the thoughts of the TUCO marketing staff in future issues. And top of all this, your humble editor moved into a new home in the western suburbs of Cleveland Š with a lawn that looks like a "before" picture in a herbicide ad. Wish me luck on getting it into shape. Good News for the LAWN CARE INDUSTRY After serving the mid-south for 4 years, tried and proven TORCO lawn spray units are now available nationally! TS-1250 1250 Gal. capacity with 20-20 Bean turf pump Ł Designed and built to outlast the second chasis Ł stainless steel tanks Ł mechanical agitation with 4 support bearings (plus jet sweep to lift bottom settlings after equipment has been turned off) Ł low profile tank mounted on frame Ł easy access to Bean pump, filter, and only 2 belts with safety guards Ł calibrated sight gauge Ł easy access to tank with 18" heavy-duty, leak-proof man-way Ł heavy-duty electric driven reel with stainless steel roller guides Ł dependable light-weight hose with special gun and nozzle Š free wheeling pull out. TF-300 300 Gal. capacity with 10-10 Bean turf pump Ł Heavy-duty fiberglas tank Ł skid mounted Š adapt-able for 3/4 ton pick-up Ł mechanical agitation Ł cali-brated sight gauge Ł 6 HP gas engine Ł heavy-duty electric driven reel Ł large 18" leak-proof man-way. TORCO'S DESIGN, field service and computerized parts department mean less down time and longer life. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL TOLL FREE 800/626-1818 or 502/366-1415 T0RC0 EQUIPMENT 207 Eiler Street COMPANY Louisville, Ky. 40214 Distributors of Asplundh aerial baskets, and chippers, RO digger-derricks, utility bodies, and fabricators of special allied equipment. ADVERTISERS INDEX CLASSIFIED Agro-Chem 4 HELP WANTED American Pelletizing 8 Consolidated Services 4 BRANCH MANAGERS Š National Deere & Co 16 automated lawn service in franchise Derby Tiller Co 4 market seeks experienced EsscoMfg 20 individual to start and head up Finn Equipment Co 18 company areas. Tremendous growth FMC Corp 5 potential for one presently with li-Garfield Williamson 8 quid spray management experience. Hanson Equipment Co 19 Send confidential resume to Lawn Hercules, Inc 15 Doctor, Inc., P.O. Box 525, 142 Hill's Liqui-System 14 Highway 34, Matawan, New Jersey Hypro Div., Lear Siegler Corp 20 07747. International Spike 9 Jacobsen Mfg. Co 23 SALES Š Well established regional Lawn Pride 22 Manufacturer/Distributor of turf-Lofts Pedigreed Seed 24 grass products seeks experienced in-Monsanto 17 dividual for sales to turf professional Power Spray Technology 6 and commercial trade in Metro N.Y., Rockland Cnemical Co 19 N.J. area. Excellent growth potential Sierra Chemical Co 11 for one with ability to formulate as Spraying Systems Co. . v 10 well as execute sales programs. Stephenson Chemical 21 Reply in confidence to Box 8, Lawn Swift Agricultural Chemical Corp 7 Care Industry, Cleveland, Ohio Torco Engineering 22 44101. Tuflex Mie 10 Velsicol Chemical Corp 3 FOR SALE Westheffer Turf Division 8 FOR SALE: Custom lawn combine. Excellent condition. Stainless steel construction. Aerates, rolls, seeds, fertilizes and sprays from 50 gal. tank. Combine comes with custom transport trailer. Combine Š $2,500. Trailer Š $1,200. Call: 914 634-8444. The LAWN PRIDE 500 . .. regulate flow with finger tip control Ł sprays low and wide for drift control Ł cover wide turf areas AND go low under shrubs Ł Viton-O-Rings Š lasting performance Ł corrosion resistant Š easy maintenance pattern for low volitivity of corrosion resistant materials for longer life Ł course spray pa Ł manufactured o PRICE: $47.95 includes gun, extension & exclusive nozzle For further information contact: Lawn Pride 223 Big Run Road Lexington, Kentucky 40503 Phone (606) 277-1112 FOR SALE: Finn lawn fertilizer feeder, 800 gallon, 16 horsepower Briggs, 1 year old, like new. Call 219 747-3298 or 747-1370 between 8:00-5:00. DEALERS WANTED MOW LARGE LAWNS FAST. New flexible hitch connects second mower to tractor mower. Free information. Carson's Inc., Faxon, Oklahoma 73540. REAL ESTATE CHEMICAL LAWN SERVICE for sale in N.Y. Metropolitan Area. Business established 1972 and grosses $60,000 plus as a one man operation with owner working part time. Excellent opportunity for serious operator to aouble or triple. Owner willing to work with buyer until takeover is complete. $55,000 or best offer. Inquire to Box 7, Lawn Care Industries, Box 6951, Cleve- land, Ohio 44101. USED EQUIPMENT 2 TON CHEVY C-5 with Hanson 1000 gallon skid mounted spraying unit. 715 344-0110 Circle 164 on free information card Circle 108 on free information card How to spend less time lubricating and more time mowing with gang mowers. It's so easy you'll why all mowers aren't made like Jacobsen makes them. And that's with a sealed housing design that requires lubrication only once a year. Not every time you use the mowers. Just once a year. Which is one good reason why you see so many Jacobsen gang mowers out cutting turf instead of being out for lube jobs. Another reason you see so many Jacobsen gang mowers out there is because we make so many of them. In fact, we offer the world's most complete line. It includes (and it's quite a list): Fairway gang mowers with your choice of 5, 6 or 10-blade units. In 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11-gang pull behind combinations. With adjustable cutting heights. Plus Blitzer gang mowers (for rougher turf) with 4 or 5 blade units, and bigger 10" reels. In 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11-gang combinations. With adjustable cutting heights. - . J® ^ And here's another Jacobsen exclusive. For quick parallel alignment of bed knife ends, simply turn two adjustment knobs by hand. Both Fairway and Blitzer units offer you three different wheel styles. Steel, semi-pneumatic and pneumatic, each in two sizes. Yet another Jacobsen exclusive. Then, there's our Ram Lift Ranger frame for 3 or 5 gang units. The reels raise and lower hydraulically. And 5, 7 and 9-gang mowing tractors to top it off. Ask your Jacobsen Distributor for a demonstration. He'll show you a whole line of gang mowers that do more mowing and less getting ready for it than anything you've ever seen. Jacobsen Manufacturing Company. Racine. Wisconsin 53403 An Allegheny Ludlum Industries Company Circle 105 on free information card For ad on back cover circle 130 on free information card » «« There's no bluecirass better than KENTUCKY BLU "Baron assures me of quick germination, a deep green color and a thick stand. That's what my customers want. That's what Baron gives them. Of course there are those homeowners who abuse their lawns. Baron stands up to more of this abuse better than any other bluegrass. 'I'm convinced the less nitrogen you use, the less disease you'll have. Baron performs very well with less fertilizer than other bluegrasses. Plus Baron has a natural disease resistance all its own. My customers love trouble-free lawns. 'I service a heck of a lot of lawns each year and I get a fantastic renewal rate. I must be doing something right. Dealing with Lofts has surely been a help. They're reliable. When they say they'll deliver.. .they deliver. Today, that's almost miraculous. I know Baron and Lofts will continue to be a major part of my program for a long time to come." Lofts Pedigreed Seed, Inc. Bound Brook. N.J. 08805 / (201) 356-8700 Lofts/New England Arlington, Mass. 02174 617-648-7550 Great Western Seed Co. Albany, Ore. 97321 503-926-2636 Lofts Kellogg Seed Co. Milwaukee, Wis. 53201 414-276-0373 ..v . Lofts/New York Cambridge, N.Y. 12816 518-677-8808 Lofts/Maryland Landover, Md. 20785 301-322-8111 Oseco Ltd. Ontario, Canada 416-457-5080 t .. , " - . r ' Ł , -V XT? v. sv W? V*