New Jersey Landscape Contractor Magazine - Summer 2022

AVOID COMMON HAZARDS IN HEAVY EQUIPMENT PESTICIDE RESISTANCE WEATHER EFFECTS ON PLANTS & INSECTS The New Jersey Landscape Contractor Spring 2022 7 PLANTS THAT ATTRACT BIRDS TO NEW LANDSCAPESJERSEY DIVERSITY IN LANDSCAPE SVCS. The Official Publication of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association

President’s Message Letter from the Editor The Buzz A Mercedes or Ferrari Pavement? Offer Design/Build:TurfPesticideBoth!ResistanceTalkOpting to Charge Design LandscapeFeesAlterNATIVES: Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) Heavy Equipment Safety: How to Avoid the Most Common Hazards Pave Our Way to Change Advertiser Index What Losing on Price Really Means 7 Plants to Attract Birds to New Jersey Landscapes Beech Leaf Disease, Bacterial Leaf Scorch and Spotted Lanternfly Tales from the Landscape Side Diversity in Landscape Services, What’s Right for You? How To: Install Permeable Pavement Homeowners Will Love Stop Getting Dumped by New Lawn Care and Landscape WelcomeCustomersNew Members Contractor Focus: Castle Point Landscape Design Associate Focus: New Jersey Deer NJLCAControlGolf Classic Weather Effects on Plants & Insect-Mite Pests Landscape New Jersey 2022 NJLCA Education Fund Scholarship Program www.NJLCA.org Table of Contents Published By The New Jersey Landscape Contractor magazine is the official publication of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association, dedicated to the professional landscape industry of New Jersey. NJLCA was founded in 1966 as the Bergen County Landscape Contractors Association, and is today comprised of over 550 member companies throughout New Jersey. New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association 465 Mola Blvd, Ste. 4, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407 Phone | 201-703-3600 -- Fax | 201-703-3776 E-mail | info@njlca.org Visit our website at www.NJLCA.org Publisher/Editor: Gail E. Woolcott Contributing Writers Greg Carpenter | Doug Cherry | Chad Diller | William Errickson | Rich Goldstein | Jack Jostes | Dan Kerr, Jr. | Colin Milde | Daniel Moreland | Jill Odom | Monroe Porter | Steven Rettke | Techo-Bloc | United Rentals | Gail Woolcott | Steven Yergeau NJLCA Combined Board President | Richard Goldstein, CLT Vice President | Greg Carpenter, CLT Treasurer | Wade Slover Chairman of the Board | Justin Flatow, CLT Director | Richard Andreu Director | Jeff Baker Director | Tom Barillo Director | Hector Escobar Director | George Futterknecht, CLT Director | Scott Hild, CLT Director | Shawn Kukol Associate Director | Joe Bolognese Associate Director | David Gaynor Associate Director | Rawn Leegwater Associate Director | Adam Reisboard Advisor | Dr. Bruce Clarke, Rutgers University Advisor | Dr. Steve Fischer, Bergen Comm. College Advisor | Dr. James Murphy, Rutgers University

The

New Jersey Landscape Contractor magazine is published triennially. 600 print copies are distributed to members and over 4,000 digital issues are sent to professionals in the Green Industry of New Jersey, as well as educational and governmental institutions. Subscrip tion rates: $45.00 per year; $15.00 per copy. New Jersey residents only, please add 7% sales tax. To advertise in The New Jersey Landscape Contractor, please contact Gail Woolcott at (201) 703-3600 or e-mail Articlegwoolcott@njlca.org.andphotosubmissions are encouraged and may be sent to NJLCA at the above address. Publisher assumes no responsibility for safekeeping or return of photos or manuscripts, and reserves all rights to edit material submitted for publication. © 2021 New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher. The opinions expressed in articles do not necessarily represent the opinions of the NJLCA. PUBLISHED May 2022 Cover Photo: Thomas Flint Landscape Design and Development, Waldwick, NJ 333028272522211615107544 5856525049484742403837 3 Photo courtesy of Greenleaf Lawn & Landscape, Pennington, NJ

September 28-29- Hunterdon County Fairgrounds - Lambertville, NJ October 11th - NJLCA due October 15th!

June 9that Mr. C Fence

Welcome to the latest issue of The New Jersey Landscape Contractor magazine.

This issue of the magazine is chock full of great information. We’d like to thank our advertisers for allowing us to be able to put together such a great source of informa tion for all of you. Have a great summer and thank you all for your continued support. Gail Woolcott, Executive Director

Member Meeting

Wow, is all I can say! Our Trade Show in February was a smash hit! Record-breaking attendance and our vendors brought the excitement with new equipment and services. The Meadowlands Expo Center was buzzing and the atmosphere was party-like as everyone came out to see the world again! Thank you to all of our vendors and attendees for making this the best show ever!

In addition to providing extensions, the DEP said it has developed a selfcertification program for businesses that exclusively handle nonrestricted soil and fill recyclable materials, such as rock, soil, broken or crushed brick, block concrete glass and or clay and ceramic materials generated from land clearing, excavation, demolition or redevelop ment activities. These businesses will not have to apply for an A-901 license if they complete this annual certification process, however, they must still register. Therefore, make sure you fill out the registration form at RichardSincerely,excellentandallowonememberIfandwhichandawithInform.pdfdep/dshw/a901/soil_fill_registration_https://www.nj.gov/nolaterthanJuly14th!addition,wehavebeenworkinghardourlegislatorstocurtailandreachreasonablecompromiseonblowergas-poweredequipmentbans,arecontinuallypoppinguplocallystatewide.you’rereadingthisandnotalreadyaofNJLCA,Iurgeyoutobecometoday.Yourmembershipdollarsustocontinuetoadvocateforyousupportyourindustry.Haveansummer!Goldstein,President

Letter from the Editor

President’s Message

Northeast Green Industry Showcase

Golf Classic at Crystal Springs Golf Resort Spring 2022 4 Coming Events Landscape Achievement Award entries are

It’s starting out to be another great year in landscape and outdoor living projects! We have been so lucky the past three years to have clients become interested in recreating their outdoor living environments. They are truly enjoying their yards again and remem bering how useful these areas can be as additional living space in their homes. The NJLCA has hit the ground run ning this year. First with the best ever Landscape New Jersey Trade Show and Conference. Then we’ve had some really useful speakers at our member meetings. Up next (in addition to our regular monthly member meetings) is the Northeast Green Industry Showcase at the Hunterdon County Fairgrounds in Lambertville, NJ. In it’s 2nd year, this show is one you must come out to visit. We’ve moved the days to mid-week, so as not to interrupt your weekend family time. We have hired more food vendors and are rearranging the demo area to make it even more fun, allowing you to truly dig and play in the dirt this year. We’re getting great feedback from our vendors on how to make things even better and are so excited for you to come out and join us. I’m telling you, you have to see this location to understand how great it is. We know it’s far for some of our members and friends, but it is worth every minute to be able to see and feel the equipment and meet up with the service providers in our industry. Plus, this year we will have more education (and credits), plus mini-learning sessions throughout the day at different booths (think pruning demos, wall building, etc.). Finally, we are opening up an entire “educational” section where you can learn from the experts everything about every license, certification, educational program, etc. all under one roof. In the coming months, please speak to your vendors about how you can get complimentary passes to this year’s NGIS NJLCAevent!hasalso been very active leg islatively in the past few months. We have been concentrating our efforts on legislation surrounding the “Dirty Dirt” law and how it will affect our members. After many legislative discussions, we have reached a point where you must fill out a brief registration form no later than July 14th, but you do not have to apply for the A-901 license until after they have completed figuring out the rules and regulations.

Member Meeting

July 14th - at SiteOne Landscape Supply (Mahwah)

I Want to Mow Your Lawn Inc. is a national non-profit platform providing essential lawn services for the elderly, military veterans, and others in need through its network of helpers. Its grassroots movement consists of college students, “empty nesters”, working professionals, people in between jobs, recent retirees, landscaping contractors and socially responsible companies -- serving on both the landscaping frontlines and/or back-office.Volunteers have the option of offering services at no cost for the first time, and discount future visits, or on an ongoing basis for veterans, senior citizens and those in need. As part of the partnership, members of the NJLCA will receive a badge on their listing which denotes they are a member of the organization.

Brian Schwartz, Founder of I Want to Mow Your Lawn Inc. states, “If you have an extra 30 minutes on any given route with your landscaping equipment, it makes a world of a difference for someone that usually can’t afford to have regular lawn maintenance done or can’t do it themselves physically. They might have served in the military and made sacrifices to protect our freedoms and it’s just a small way to say thanks for their service. Although there’s not a profit to be made on those particular visits, you feel good and make an instant difference helping someone and being a hero in your neighborhood. And it comes back in other ways!”

In addition, the Pay It Forward Marketplace gives options for people who don’t have the ability to help physically but want to give back and contribute in other ways. It’s like a Facebook Marketplace but linking up equipment owners with IWTMYL’s network of volunteers. If one has any type of landscaping equipment, they can opt to either loan or donate operational equipment for volunteers in theFinally,network.funds can be donated to the non-profit if you are unable to help physically.Weare excited to partner and work with I Want to Mow Your Lawn, Inc. and look forward to further synergies we have together.

The buzz

The New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA) is proud to announce that they have partnered with I Want to Mow Your Lawn Inc. Headquartered(iwanttomowyourlawn.org).inWayne,NewJersey,

7

After almost 20 years as a manufac turers representative in the hardscape industry, arguably the most success ful product launch I have been part of is the development of porcelain paving. Don’t get me wrong: I’m a concrete paver guy at heart, so one may imagine I have naturally looked askance at other paving materials. I have always considered in terlocking concrete pavers and slabs the “Mercedes” of paving materials due their density, compressive/tensile strength, ability to resist deicing salts, appearance and interlocking properties. After 5-7 years of popularity in Europe porcelain paving, developed by ceramic tile manufacturers, was introduced into this country around a decade ago. I was immediately impressed and my initial positive impressions of this system have been time tested. Not only does it look fantastic, por celain outperforms concrete pavers. Be fore going over why, let’s address the el ephant in the room first: more likely than not porcelain paving costs more than concrete pavers. I often refer to porcelain as the “Ferrari” because of their look and performance (more on that in a second). But ironically one of the most popular manufacturers of porcelain paving is located near Modena, Italy: the home of Ferrari and Lamborghini. Here’s the thing: if porcelain is out of your client’s budget no one got laughed at for driving a Mercedes!The“Mercedes” concrete paver is still a supremely performing and aesthetical ly versatile product. Concrete segmental units are a mix of mostly natural mate rials including aggregate, sand, water, cement, iron oxides and often manufac tured admixtures mixed in a batch mixer, created one layer at a time with a shoe and a mold using compression, and kiln dried for a minimum of 24 hours. Porce lain pavers, the “Ferrari” are also made of a lot of natural ingredients, and shaped into bisques using a similar technique. However, this is where the differences arise: the rectangular/square units are kiln dried at temperatures of over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, baking the raw ma terials including color pigments into the product. This is very similar to how glass is made and while I always personally hesitate at using the word “forever” this is about as close as it gets to insuring the product will look new for let’s just say a long, long time. Finally, the porcelain paving tiles are mechanically rectified for near perfect jointBeforelines. we get into aesthetics, this is what the porcelain paving manufacturing process produces for the client: -A nearly waterproof product (.05% water absorption v 5% for concrete) www.NJLCA.org

Offerpavement?orMercedesFerrariboth!

by Daniel Moreland, Belgard Architectural Representative, Oldcastle APG Inc.

A

8

meaning porcelain is virtually freeze thaw and stain resistant and should not require specialty cleaners or sealing and is deicing salt resistant. The only chemi cal known that is aggressive on porcelain is hydrofluoric acid which is not available to the public anyway. -Color that won’t fade. -40,000 psi strength v 8000 for con crete pavers making porcelain harder to damage. Unlike a 24x24 concrete slab, porcelain can be installed over concrete in a residential driveway application. That said, landscapers that are comfort able with using a densely graded aggre gate base underneath a concrete sand setting bed can use a similar technique with porcelain for non-driveway applica tions making the barrier to installation of this product very small. Other features include a lighter weight: a typical ¾” 24x24 porcelain paver weighs 37 pounds versus over 100 pounds for a concrete slab. This makes porcelain a popular choice for pedestal set systems because they not only place a lighter load on the structure they are 1.625” thinner taking up less valuable real estate on a cross section. Designers are not limited to 24x24 shapes. Other rectangular shapes are available. Wood-style plank units are very popular for example, just without the seal ing, chemicals and splinters. Marble, etal, wood, concrete, and natural stone surfac es are available on the market. Slip resistance has been tested to meet or exceed minimums required of ceramic tiles and swimming pools are a very popular application for porcelain paving.Formore information on the Mercedes (pavers/slabs) contact myself or ICPI.ORG or for the Ferrari (porcelain paving) con tact me directly at dan.moreland@old castle.com, and good luck in 2022!

Belgard

Daniel G. Moreland, LEED GA, CCPR has been quoted in Philadelphia Magazine and other publications, and lives in Allen town, PA with wife Stacy and six cats. Dan is a Belgard Architectural Representative for Oldcastle APG, Inc. a company he was worked for over 19 years. He has worked on hardscaping projects with some of the world’s top architectural and engineering firms from Manhattan and the Northeast United States. Dan is an ICPI (Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute) instructor who has taught in 5 states including sev eral times at Hardscape North America (HNA). He is a member of the ICPI Technical Committee and Chairman of the ICPI Com mercial Promotion Team Advisory Com mittee. He holds a B.S. in Education from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. www.NJLCA.org 9 Belgard Catalina Slate Pavers Noon Porcelain Pavers

by Doug Cherry, Synatek

Diagramwikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=104878164showingdevelopmentofpesticideresistance in insects. Self (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pest_resistance_labelled_light.svg), „Pest resis tance labelled light“, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode 2022

How does Resistance happen? The resistant biotype survives the re peated pesticide exposure and reproduc es. The pest organism’s population may then become dominated by the resistant biotype. At this point, the pesticide is no longer effective and other management options must be used, if they exist. If re sistance is managed effectively, the pes ticide remains a useful tool specific to alternating pesticides accordingly. Preventing Resistance Reversal of resistance can occur in some pest populations by allowing time between applications of a class of pesti cide to permit resistant populations to become diluted by pesticide susceptible individuals. However, no one can predict if or when resistant pests will change back to a susceptible population.

IPM’s Role in Resistance Integrated Pest Management is an ap proach to controlling pest populations using all suitable methods: chemical and ecological. Close up of a hairy chinch bug. By Christina Butler from Georgia, United States – Hairy Chinch Bug – Blissus leucopteru, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.

Pesticides are substances that control various types of pests including: weeds, insects and disease causing organisms such as Bacteria & Fungi. Resistance to pesticides is a growing problem in the Green Industry today. Worldwide, more than 600 species of pests have developed some level of Pesticide Resistance.

10 Pesticide Resistance

What causes pesticide resistance?

Spring

Pesticide resistance is the natural ability of a biotype of an organism to sur vive exposure to a pesticide that would normally kill an individual of that species.

Off season, adults stay protected in leaf litter.

4. Determine Threshold: In healthy turf that receives ir rigation during drought, a few chinch bugs can be tolerated. Generally, 20-25 chinch bugs per square foot will result in visible damage.

• Rotate crops, particularly those with different pest problems.

• Choose selective pesticides that break down quickly.

How insects become resistant?

• Research pest-resistant crop va rieties.

• Maintain optimum crop growth through proper fertilization, ir rigation, etc. Healthy crops are more competitive with weeds and often less susceptible to dis ease and insect attack.

The goal is to bring about long-term management of pest populations that also have a minimal environmental impact.

• Control alternate hosts of insects and diseases. For example: re move Junipers to suppress cedarapple rust.

Insecticide Resistance Insecticides are organized into class es: organophosphates, carbamates, py rethroids, neonicotinoids, etc. that share a common chemical structure and mode of action. This is the process by which an insecticide kills an insect or inhibits growth. Target site of action is the precise location of inhibition, such as interfering the activity of an enzyme within a meta bolicGeneticspathway.and intensive application of insecticides are two factors responsible for the development of insecticide resistance. Insects with genes that confer resis tance to a particular insecticide or class of insecticides survive treatment and are thereby “selected” to pass on this resis tance to future generations.

Metabolic: The insect can clear its body of toxin or break a toxin down quicker than other insects.

Target-Site: The insecticide can no longer connect at its target site at a mo lecular level in the insect.

Penetration: The insects shell more slowly absorbs an insecticide. Behavioral: Certain insects can sense or steer clear of insecticide dangers.

Preferred Habitat: During the time they are causing damage, they will mostly be present in the thatch layer.

3. Learn the Pest Biology: Life Cycle: Chinch bugs overwin ter in protected areas such as leaf litter and along foundations. During Spring, adults migrate into open areas and females begin to lay eggs daily for about 3 weeks. Nymphs (small version of adults there is no larvae stage) begin to feed on plants through sucking mouthparts over a pe riod of 1-3 months, depending on the weather conditions. Adults and Nymphs frequently overlap throughout the season.

• Use tillage at times for weed control.

IPM Steps to Reduce Chinch Bugs

• Use spot treatments to better tar get pest populations or the zone where pest control is required.

1. Sample for Pest: Confirm the presence of chinch bugs prior to treatment.

Where to find while inspecting: Irregular, browning areas of turf in full sun turf areas may prove evidence of chinch bug damage. Look for adults in the thatch area of declining turf where they feed on the lower stem and crown. It is highly recommended to exercise the: “Flotation method” using a cylinder type such as an empty tin coffee can.

5. Treatment methods: Synthetic pyrethroids that are la

The best IPM practice is to reduce the chance of resistance developing in the first place. This can be accomplished in several ways including:

www.NJLCA.org 11

• Correct crop or site management tactics used to prevent a pest from becoming established.

2. Proper ID: Size and appearance: Adults are black with white markings on their wings and are only 1/5” in length. Nymphs are miniature versions that present orange-red markings.

Food Source: Turfgrass stems and leaves.

YOUR TRUSTED TURF MANAGEMENT PARTNER Helena is your full-service turf management partner and offers a wide range of innovative products, fertilizers, herbicides, plant protectants, soil and plant analysis. To achieve the quality you and your clients desire, contact your local Helena representative or visit HelenaProfessional.com.Nick Adams Branch AdamsN@HelenaAgri.com770-365-8360Manager Important: Always read and follow label instructions. Some products may not be registered for sale or use in all states and counties. Please check with your Helena representative to ensure registration status. Helena and People... Products... Knowledge... are registered trademarks of Helena Holding Company. © 2022 Helena Holding Company. HPG0422P Tim Gerzabek Sales GerzabekT@HelenaAgri.com609-221-9240Representative

Fungicides with the same FRAC Code may be at risk for cross resistance be cause they have the same target site. The mode of action of a pesticide are some times incorrectly used. MOA refers to the biochemical pathway being targeted within the pathogen. The target site is the specific process or enzyme which the fungicide active ingredient is interfering with on the Strobilurinplant.(Heritage)

New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association represents the entire Green Industry in New Jersey including landscape contractors, landscape architects, sod growers, nurseries, growers, garden centers, horticulturists, floriculture and the industries that supply them. Through educational seminars, trade shows, social events, networking opportunities, membership meetings, maga zines and professionalism in all that we do, the Association is able to fulfill its mission.

Fungicides and SDHI (Emerald) Fungicides both inhibit fungal respiration (same as MOA) but they target a different part of the respira tory system. If fungicide resistance is confirmed diverse approaches need to be incorpo rated into disease management strate gies right away. It is best to stop using the fungicide in question and rotate to another one with a different MOA that is labeled for control of the resistant pathogen. In Conclusion… Pesticide resistance in pest organisms results from using the same pesticide re peatedly allowing the ability to survive exposure. Resistant weeds, insects and fungi can limit the available management options for crop growers & turfgrass managers.Resistance can be managed in many ways so that pesticides remain a useful tool to control pest organisms now and in the future. Doug Cherry is a graduate of SUNY Co bleskill with a Bachelor of Technology in Plant Sciences. Doug has been serving his customers providing situational knowledge & insights for 27 years in the Green Indus try. He is a Technical Sales Representative for SynaTek Solutions working in the Lawn & Landscape division. Doug has a true pas sion for Horticulture along with a focused dedication to helping customers solve problems achieving positive outcomes as an end-result. This adds strong value to the growth & overall success of their business allowing them to see through a different lens with a clear perspective.

beled for chinch bugs control can be used. It is highly recommended to rotate pesticides as needed based upon population pressure.

Fungicide Resistance Fungicides are important tools for preventing and managing plant disease. They are most commonly used to protect healthy plants before infection occurs. Fungicide resistance, as used by: the Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) refers to an acquired reduction in sensitivity of a fungus to a specific antifungal agent such as fungicide.

The New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA) is a proven resource to the landscape contractor, green industry service provider and supplier, as well as the consumer. We are a community of green industry pro fessionals who are dedicated to advancing the integrity, proficiency and continued growth of the landscape and green industry. We do this through education, training and legislative advocacy.

The FRAC Code is a number or letter combination assigned to group together active ingredients which demonstrate for cross resistance. When a fungal plant pathogen is either less or completely in sensitive to fungicides in that particular FRAC group. The FRAC Code can be found in the upper corner of a fungicide label.

Mission Statement

Turf talk by Greg Carpenter, CLT, American Beauty Landscape

2022 clean ups started with a bang the first week of March! I, like many of you, was behind the 8-ball from the onset of the season. People started calling on Valentine’s Day (I hate it when they listen to me. I told people if you want something you need to call as early as Valentine’s Day.) Once the grass started to green up, I started to notice something unusual under the Amur Maples and Zelkovas. All of the Samaras were germinating, but that should have happened last fall. Very confusing. My guys blow our lawns to death; how was it that this many seeds were left behind? I couldn’t figure it out. So, what did I do? I went to the experts. I spoke with Dr. Jim Murphy at Rutgers to see what was going on here. He said he hadn’t seen it and he asked me “what is everywhere?” Well, “everywhere” is up here in North Jersey in my mind. It seems to be right here in our area. So, now I am even more confused. I thought it over and I remembered those giant mushrooms that only appear in September/October in a town close by. So, I hypothesized that at some point last fall, rain fall, temperatures and conditions were just so, and that the Samaras germinated. Now how do we kill them? Since they are primarily under the drop line of a tree, you must be extra careful in spraying them. I’m going to keep cutting over them and they should just croak off. When using a selective weed killer under a tree you have to be incredibly careful. Anyone remember acelepryn? If you even misted under a tree, said tree would die. I think a few cuts of the turf with the Samaras and they will be gone. I also think our dry weather contributed a lot to their germination and growth. Depending on when you put your crabgrass pre-emergent down, it may have not gotten watered in enough. With the sun degenerating the pre-emergent, it may be less effective. But you won’t really know until around July 4th. That seems like a blink of an eye away…I’m totally stressing Memorial Day. Everyone expects certain things to be done by certain times. I spoke to my plant supplier and they told me that everything is 2-3 weeks behind. The Vinca looks like it’s in a 36 pack not a 5” pot. Oh well, you can’t fight Mother Nature.

Greg Carpenter, CLT is owner of American Beauty Landscape since 1982. He attended the SUNY Farmingdale Turfgrass Program and is the Vice President of the NJLCA. Greg also serves on the Rutgers Turfgrass Advisory Board and the Bergen Community College Horticultural Advisory Board.

www.NJLCA.org 15

Good Luck and Keep Growing!

“Why would I give all

“It definitely does help filter down or vet our customers, which is really important to us too,” Weller says. “We know that not every single customer out there is our customer. If someone 16 noforexpertisemyawayfree?Itmakessensetome.” 2022

by Jill Odom, National Association of Landscape Professionals

DESIGN/BUILD: OPTING TO CHARGE DESIGN FEES

Since adding the design fees, Weller says they have discovered their target customer base is willing to pay for their design work.

Think of a skilled profession where you don’t have to pay a consultation fee. If you had trouble thinking of a field where this happens, it’s because it’s rare for people to give away their ex pertise for free. Yet it is a common practice for those who do offer design/ build services to not charge for their landscape designs. This can be due to a fear of scaring potential customers away or the knowledge that other businesses in the market aren’t charging for their Borstdesigns.Landscape & Design based in Allendale, New Jersey, has been charging design fees for the past 20 years.

Benefits of Design Fees

Spring

“When I was selling myself in the company, I’ve always charged a design fee,” says Mark Borst, LIC, president and owner of Borst Landscape. “We had new designers that came on board 20 years ago and said, ‘I don’t have much business I’m not go ing to charge’ so we learned pretty quickly back then that charg ing for the design makes a lot of sense. What we found when we didn’t charge for design is that we had a lot of people just shopping us.” Borst argues that people don’t value the design work if it’s for free. Cole Weller, president and CEO of Weller Brothers Land scaping, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, says with the surge in demand recently, they decided it was the right time to imple ment design fees. He says in the past they were reluctant to add fees because no one else in their market was charging for land scape“We’redesigns.adesign/build company,” Weller says. “We’re not making our money off design fees. It takes a lot of administra tive time to put together a design and a proposal for a customer, especially on the design-heavy projects that we engage in. Re ally, just to recoup some of that illustrative time is the biggest thing for us.”

He says once their salespeople un derstood the market is willing to pay for good, quality design work, they realized they should have started charging a long timeWellerago. says it’s not about defending why you charge design fees but covering your costs and placing value on your de signers’ expertise. “If you’re in design/build, you’re still incurring costs when you have a designer sitting at their desk for 10, 30, 50 hours,” Weller says. “You’re paying that individu al to sit there and do that. So, make the decision, get everyone on board and then don’t back down.”

Article reprinted with permission of National Association of Landscape Profes sionals

Once you’ve decided you want to start charging for your designs, you have to de termine how you want to set the pricing. Borst says they base the fee on an hourly rate. Their designers will look at the proj ect to estimate how many hours they will spend on the design.

“They’re probably not serious enough about the project or they aren’t willing to put the money into the project,” Borst says. “They can definitely find a competitor that would do the project cheaper. (It) sounds to me if they’re not paying the design fee that they’re price shopping already.”

“Why would I give all my expertise away for free?” Borst says. “It makes no sense to me.”

Weller says charging also helps them recuperate the administrative and design time costs. Borst agrees that adding the landscape design fees helps them qualify their leads as well.

Implementing a Design Fee

Weller says one major key to being successful when implementing design fees is to get the sales team on board.

Weller says they also charge an hourly rate with minimums. He says their cur rent hourly rate is already outdated, but they’re keeping it at $85 an hour since it’s only their second year charging for designs. You can also consider offering a good, better, best pricing model for the design fees if you serve a range of custom ers who might be more sensitive to prices.

“If they’re thinking ‘Boy, you really shouldn’t be charging for this’ because they’re just accustomed to not charging for it, you’ve really got to get that mindset changed,” Weller says. “Get them to stand behind it, get them bought into it and then once you have that bought into it, it becomes really easy.”

“I would say just do it,” Borst says. “It’s not even something you really need to think about. You’ll save yourself so much aggravation of chasing the people that are looking for free designs. It’ll save you so much headache on wasting time on that kind of stuff.”To the design/build companies afraid they’ll lose business because no one will pay the fees, Borst points out when’s the last time you con tacted an architect, and they’ll say they’ll draw you a design for free?

tells us, ‘Yeah, I don’t think we’re willing to pay that,’ that’s not offensive to us and we understand that. We have a number of our smaller competitors we might even give them their names and say, ‘Hey, call this guy. He might be willing to draw something up for you free of charge.’”

17 www.NJLCA.org

After committing to charging land scape design fees, stay firm and under stand that some potential clients will say no to paying the fees, but there are the leads you weren’t going to close a project with in the first place.

If the client decides to do the project with Borst Landscape then the design fee is credited back to them. However, Borst says the cost of the design is built into the project estimate, so their costs are cov ered for the time spent on the design. He says they opt to reimburse customers for the design as it comes across as give and take with the client.

Spring/Summer 2021 18 www.cliffsidebody.com201-945-3970 Fairview, NJ 07022 130 Broad Ave. Landscape Bodies Dump Bodies Utility Bodies Crane ChipperBodiesBodiesStakeBodies ServiceSaltSnowplowsSpreadersBrineSystemsHookliftsLiftgatesCranes

Register Today to Attend New Jersey’s LARGEST Outdoor Living Equipment& Show! Test Drive and See the Newest Heavy and Power Equipment 10:00 am - 4:00 pm (Rain or Shine) September 28-29, 2022 Hunterdon County Fairgrounds To Register or www.NJLCATradeShows.comExhibit *Open to the Trade Only 1207 County Route 179 (Just off Route 202), Lambertville, NJ 08530 Produced by: education fund Attention outdoor ContrACtors

found at PORCELAIN PAVERS IN STOCK & READY FOR DELIVERY WOOD-LOOK, STONE-LOOK, CONCRETE-LOOK TONS OF STYLES, SIZES, AND COLORS TO CHOOSE FROM! 685 WYCKOFF AVE, WYCKOFF NJ 07481 | TEL: 201-891-3500

www.NJLCA.org 21

Native Landscape

Photo 1: A monarch butterfly and carpen ter bee feeding on a swamp milkweed (Photo Credit: Patti Dixon).

AlterNATIVEs: A

Native plants are a good way to incorpo rate sustainable vegetation into yards for clients who are environmentally minded. Native plants are adapted to local climate and soil conditions, requiring less water, fertilizers, and pesticides than non-native vegetation. For landscapers who have property owners looking for native alter natives to non-native vegetation, below is an option to meet your clients’ needs. Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) is a native flower of the family Apocynace ae, commonly known as the dogbane fam ily, as some of its plants are toxic to dogs. They can grow up to 6 feet high and can spread, through rhizomes, up to 3 feet at maturity. Milkweed gets its name from the white, sappy latex that it exudes when its leaves and stems are broken or damaged. With showy pink flowers that bloom in the summer, swamp milkweed is favored by many pollinators and acts as a host plant for the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) (Photo 1). Other insects and hummingbirds also feed off its nectar, making this plant a good choice for pol linator gardens. As its name suggests, swamp milk weed prefers moist soils, but will tolerate well-drained soils in cultivation. It grows in slightly acidic to neutral soils, although it can handle up to a soil pH of 8.0. Swamp milkweed does well in open, sunny areas and can tolerate partial shade, but not very shady sites. It can be planted alongside grasses and other flow ers if given enough sunlight. Cul tivated varieties grow in a wide variety of soil conditions, so check the specific needs of each cultivar when planting. Its affinity for insects extends to many pests that may infest swamp milkweed. Milkweed beetles, moths, and aphids are some of the pests that can plague one’s plants. Leaves of the swamp milkweed can be ‘skele tonized’ with only their veins remain ing due to pest browsing (Photo 2). Swamp milkweed is a great choice to use instead of many non-native flowers, like lilacs (Syringa species) and es pecially the butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii).

You can find nurseries in New Jersey that sell native plants by visiting the JerseyFriendly Yards website at rutgers.edu.http://ocean.njaes.ForAtlanticfessoralsoerativeandwhere-to-buy-native-plants/.jerseyyards.org/jersey-friendly-plants/http://www.StevenYergeau,Ph.D.istheDept.HeadAgriculturalAgentforRutgersCo-opExtensionofOceanCounty.HeisAssistantProforOcean&Counties.moreinfovisit

Photo 2: Milkweed leaves ‘skeletonized’ by aphids (Photo Credit: Steve Yergeau).

Landscape Guide to Plants SWAMP (ASCLEPIASMILKWEEDINCARNATA) by Steven Yergeau, Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent (Ocean & Atlantic Counties)

• Backhoes and trackhoes:210 non fatal injuries, 17 deaths • Bulldozers: 90 injuries, two deaths

22

Equipment operator training, preplanning and 360-degree awareness are keys to preventing and reducing injuries and fatalities related to heavy equipment. Here are specific tips for avoiding the haz ards that pose some of the biggest risks.

Being crushed by, struck by or caught between machinery. Sight-line issues can lead operators to accidentally strike or back over a worker. In 2020, 60 construction workers were struck or run over by a roll ing powered vehicle according to BLS, and 390 workers were injured from being struck by the swinging part of a powered vehicle.

Preventing rollovers and tipping Rollovers and tipping occur when the vehicle’s center of gravity shifts, typically when one set of wheels or tracks is lower than the other. This can happen when the ground is unstable or the operator mis judges a slope. Side rollovers can happen if the operator turns too aggressively.

Bulldozers, backhoes, graders, tren chers, compactors, excavators — these are the big machines on a construction site. They can move earth, dig founda tions and turn almost any terrain, from prairie to rocky hillside, into smooth, lev el ground. But with these powerful giants come outsize hazards.

• Check the ground for stability be fore traversing it.

• Avoid slopes that are too steep for the machine.

• Excavating machinery: 190 inju ries, 24 deaths On construction sites, some of the most common heavy equipment acci dents involve: Falls from equipment. Falls from el evated cabs can happen if operators slip when mounting or dismounting equip ment or jump off the equipment. Falls can also occur when equipment buckets are inappropriately used as man lifts.

• Don’t speed. Slow down on rough terrain and when navigating turns.

• Cut a bench for the excavator to sit on when excavating a slope.

Heavy equipment safety tips

Following earthmoving, trenching and excavation safety best practices when op erating or working near heavy equipment is not only good common sense, it could prevent an injury or save a life.

• Trenchers: 60 injuries, one death

Heavy equipment accidents

HEAVY EQUIPMENT SAFETY: HOW TO AVOID THE MOST COMMON HAZARDS by United Rentals

• Keep booms and front-end buck ets low during transport for im proved stability.Spring 2022

• Choose the flattest route possible.

Heavy equipment rollovers, while less com mon, also cause injuries and deaths.

Accidents involving heavy equipment can result in serious injury or death. Ac cording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2020 alone, accidents involving these pieces of heavy equipment led to numerous injuries that required time away from work, as well as multiple deaths:

• Don’t exceed the machine’s lifting capacity.

Electrocution. Live power lines on or near a worksite present a hazard, espe cially for machines with booms or lifts.

• Drive directly up or down slopes, not across the face of the slope.

Cabs are high enough off the ground that a fall from the equipment could re sult in broken limbs or other serious inju ries. To reduce the risk of falls:

• Wear the seatbelt. A seatbelt can protect the operator from being thrown if the machine hits a bump or ditch. It can also prevent the operator from being thrown, and potentially crushed, if the ma chine rolls over. And it helps op erators resist the instinct to jump from the machine if it starts to tip.

• Train operators to maintain a clear line of sight. When nec essary, operators should use a spotter. Spotters must wear highvisibility clothing so that other equipment operators in the area can see them.

• Look for visible leaks or fluids on the ground that suggest a leak.

• Assume lines are live. Assume every power line is energized unless a util ity employee confirms that it isn’t.

The role of pre-shift equipment inspec tions

• Create a traffic control plan. This may include a one-way primary travel path through the jobsite marked by barriers, cones, barrels or barricades to keep workers on foot out, as well as designated pe destrian travel zones.

• Maintain three points of contact when mounting and dismount ing the equipment. Keep your hands free; don’t try to carry tools or equipment. Never mount or dis mount a machine when it’s moving.

• Plan around live lines. Don’t put access roads near power lines or store materials near or under them.

• Check oil and fuel levels and look for damaged or leaking filters.

• Teach workers about equipment blind spots. Let them sit in the driver’s seat so they can see for themselves what the operator can and cannot see.

Struck-by and backover accidents are two of the primary dangers on large, busy jobsites. The most important thing an operator should watch out for is people, but that’s not always as easy as it sounds. Machines have blind spots, and worksite noise can make communication difficult. Follow these safety tips.

Preventing electrocution

Electrocution is a major cause of death in the construction industry, and for nonelectricians, power lines are often the source. Hitting a live overhead power line with any part of the equipment can result in falls, injuries and death. To reduce the risk, follow these tips.

• Park the equipment on a level surface, lower any boom or bucket to the ground, chock the wheels (when applicable) and lock the cab upon exiting.

• Scrape any mud or snow off of your boots to avoid slips. Clear steps, handholds and footholds of mud, snow and grease.

• Inspect tires, rims, fans, brakes, belts and undercarriage for exces sive wear, dirt or debris that could impact operation.

• Check hydraulic connections.

• Verify that all backup alarms, safety cameras, mirrors, warning lights and other visual and audi tory safety systems are working.

Preventing struck-by incidents and backovers

• Mark equipment entrances and ex its so on-foot workers steer clear.

A pre-shift equipment inspection can identify mechanical issues that could pose a safety hazard. Use an inspection checklist from the equipment manu facturer or your company’s inspection checklist if it has one. Below are some of the checks an inspection might include.

• Inspect grease points and reapply grease if necessary.

Preventing falls from equipment

• Utilize safety features. Make sure all machines are equipped with a backup alarm that’s louder than the ambient construction noise and that the alarm is functional. Add blind-spot mirrors, and con sider adding a radar or sonar proximity warning system if the machine doesn’t have one.

• Look for worn or broken bucket teeth.

Article reprinted with permission from United Rentals. Visit www.unitedrentals. com/project-uptime for more articles. www.NJLCA.org

• Maintain clearance. Keep every part of the equipment at least 10 feet away from energized power lines at all times. Use a spotter when necessary to help the opera tor maintain the appropriate dis tance. OSHA requires that a spotter be used if any part of equipment traveling with no load will get clos er than 20 feet to a power line.

24 www.CambridgePavers.com

Let’s set a good example for the future and PAVE OUR WAY to CHANGE. Increase the VALUE of this industry. Through OPPORTUNITY. This OPPORTUNITY. Let’s all stop TALKING about it and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

AS A TheTEAM.industry wide movement, the future of this industry depends on each of us. This Industry is the best. It’s proof that there is value beyond the dollar bill.

www.NJLCA.org 25

Pave Our Way to Change

Note from the Editor: The following was a post made on a Facebook Group from the Owner of DJ’s Property Maintenance. I found it very poignant and hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks to Dan for allowing me to share it with you. Its almost here.. the warmth. Phones ringing back to back, 8 hrs+ a day, 6 days a week. The smell of pesticides & fertilizer in the air. Sore backs, raw finger tips. Running around like mad men in the heat of the battle. Excitement. Meeting new people almost everyday. Solving problems for customers. The prideful feeling of knowing a customer wants YOU, wants (US, OUR TEAM) to be the individuals servicing them. The immediate gratification of day to day progress on a design and build project. The ULTIMATE SATISFACTION of knowing we, this team, built this finished product with our own hands. Knowing in many cases, we turned a dream into reality. We made their dreams come true. These people, we refer to them as “LEADS”. More often than not, these “LEADS” become friends. They become a part of ourThisfamily.company, as well as, all of the other companies out there sacrificing their personal lives. Time with their families. Not just to succeed, but to make this Industry: The Green Industry. The Hardscapes Industry... Better off than it was when we laced our boots up for the first time. From the top to the bottom, the owners to the foremen to the “guys holding the broom”, we each serve our own purposes and have equal importance. We are all the BACKBONE, the SPINAL CORD of this industry. It goes without saying that the upper part of the spine cannot function properly without depending on the lower section to hold up their end. To “the guys with the brooms”, you are appreciated. You are wanted. You are needed. We all depend on you. Some of “our companies” get along. Many of us have developed a sort of animosity toward each other. Somewhere along the lines, a wall of negativity was built. HUMILITY thrown out the window. Words like HATE and extreme dislike are thrown around in describing our feelings about other companies. I’ll be honest, I’m guilty of having said similar things. At the end of the day, he screwed me, he went behind my back, some of us have a human right to be upset. —— “The root of all evil = money”. I’ll also note that money is the EASIEST thing in life to replace... IF you’re willing to work for it! There is more than enough work out there for everyone. So I say this, my words may be controversial; however, I’m a firm believer we can all find a common ground. Work together. We all complain about problems we all have. Lack of labor being the biggest. Let’s face it, we are all at WAR. Instead of being at war against each other, how about we swallow our egos, swallow our pride, work together. Form an INDUSTRY WIDE BROTHERHOOD. Unprecedented. Am I crazy? Absolutely. I’ve been called worse. But I love this industry. I bleed for this industry. We all sacrifice our lives, our bodies for this damn industry. Look at what each of us can do flying solo. The projects. The designs. The workload we accomplish.... NOW IMAGINE WHAT WE COULD ACCOMPLISH IF WE ALL WORKED TOGETHER. IF WE ALL WENT TO WAR TOGETHER. FIGHTING TO MAKE THIS INDUSTRY BETTER THAN ITS EVER BEEN..... You still think I’m crazy? That’s fine. At the end of the day, we are all INSANE. We are all guilty of doing the same things year after year. I call for 2022 to be the start of a new ERA. Seasoned companies. Mid level companies. One man shows. Lets change the LANDSCAPE of our industry forever. We can continue to create problems for ourselves... or we can work together & show the world what we do. What we are capable of. What “equality & brotherhood” are truly about. The choice.. NO.. the OPPORTUNITY is up to everyone.

The backbone of the UNSTOPPABLE force depends on us all to carry our own weight. Swallow our DAMN PRIDE, MAN (& WOMAN) up, find the fortitude we all use to carry us through difficult times and BECOME GREATNESS. TOGETHER.

Dan Kerr, Jr. is Owner of DJ’s Property Maintenance in Brownstone, MI. by Dan Kerr, Jr., DJ’s Property Maintenance

a Quote.” Our

options. Our

Settle

How AMT Works for You

AMT’s plans are designed to give small businesses more options with better service at lower cost. Healthcare consumers should expect and get more, so we put our profits into improving our plans, and, when possible, we pay dividends. www.amt-nj.com click on “Request easy form automatically generate several representatives can advise on selecting plan

you

When member businesses join AMT, they get superior value and service from a self-funded, not-for-profit trust that serves the needs of thousands of participating employer members.

will

the right

for your needs.

for More. We put our margins into improving our plans and service. And when claims are lower than projected, we even pay dividends.

and

Why Become an AMT Member? Member businesses benefit from: • The largest selection planself-fundedcompetitively-priced,ofhealthcoverageoptions • Access to the provider networks of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and Delta Dental • Dedicated service people who help you with plan selection, service and claims Request an Online Quote Visit

27 631.957.5106 162 Ocean Avenue • Lindenhurst C9+C7 BULBS WARM WHITE AND COLOR OPTIONS AVAIL. OREGON24"/30"/36"/48"/60"/72"MIXEDNOBLEANDFIRLEDWREATHS 6" SPACING 50 COUNT 25' SEVERAL COLOR OPTIONS AVAIL 16" & 24" SEVERALOPTIONSCOLORAVAIL 9' LED MIXED NOBLE AND OREGON FIR GARLAND H o l i d a y L i g h t i n Hg g by G i a n n i n Gi i CALL TODAY FOR A FREE CATALOG www.LIHolidayLighting.com www.NJLCA.org Advertiser Index Advance Tire Inc. www.advancetires.com........27 Al D. Landscape, Tree and Garden Supply Stop aldlandscapingandtree.com....60 Association Master Trust www.amt-nj.com..................26 Bergen Brick Stone and Tile www.bergenbrick.com..........20 Braen Supply www.braensupply.com........34 Cambridge Pavers www.cambridgepavers.com...24 Cliffside Body Corp www.cliffsidebody.com........18 Colorblends Wholesale Flower Bulbs www.colorblends.com......Enc. Downes Forest Products downesforestproducts.com......6 Foley, Inc. www.foleyinc.com................32 Helena www.helenaagri.com...........12 Holiday Lighting by Giannini LIHolidayLighting.com.........27 Landscape Materials Inc. Landscapematerialsinc.com...5 Matera’s Nursery 201-943-8288 ..........................2 Mr. C Fence www.mrcfence.com..............59 NGIS www.ngis-nj.com..................19 South Camden Iron Works www.hometownvinyl.com.....14 Tech Terra techterraenvironmental.com.....8

• Who is the client I can serve best?

What Losing On Price Really Means

The first thing “losing on price” means is that the customer didn’t understand the value you were offering compared to another vendor. It means that your cus tomer believed they could get more value at a lower price. They don’t understand why you are different and/or better. Can you blame them for choosing a lower priceTheoption?second thing that causes land scape contractors to lose on price is not properly qualifying budget early on in the sales process, which is the result of you not properly disqualifying them earlier in the sales process. I believe that talking about money IS part of your brand, and in Part 2: Unique Selling Position (USP) + Process, we’ll share how you can sys tematically qualify budget with each and every customer by making it part of your process.Thegood news is that you likely al ready have a way of doing this that IS different and better, and after you imple ment the following strategies, you’ll start communicating “why your business is better” and stop “losing on price” when selling to your ‘Hell Yes Customers’.

Target Market: Your ‘Hell Yes Customer’ Your ‘Hell Yes Customer’ is the type of client where you do a great job, make a profit, and earn referrals. These are the projects that are “in your wheelhouse,” that you’ll focus on attracting through marketing and becoming known for in your geographic service area. When the phone rings with this type of customer calling or filing out the contact form on your website, we feel “Hell Yes!” inside and promptly serve this customer to our highest standard.

• How will my business create the Freedom and Lifestyle I want to enjoy with my family?

28

Questions to consider:

• Why am I better than anyone in my marketplace at serving my ideal cli ent with my primary service?

by Jack Jostes, Ramblin Jackson

In No B.S. Price Strategy: The Ulti mate No Holds Barred Kick Butt Take No Prisoners Guide to Profits, Power, and Prosperity 2 author Dan Kennedy shares “Only 20% of the purchasing is based on competitive pricing, 80% is not. But 80% of all sellers and salespeople behave as if it was the other way around, and de vote 80% of their efforts to competing on price.”What if you weeded out the 20% of the market who is buying entirely on price and didn’t even bother selling to them? These are the folks that are telling Spring 2022

• Which service can my company produce consistently, at high qual ity, AND at my ideal profit margin?

The Three Things That MUST Overlap When Picking Your ‘Hell Yes Customer’ Some people will call this an “ideal customer,” a “target market,” “buyer per sona,” or a bunch of other names. They all essentially mean the same thing: You need to pick who you’re selling to and focus your marketing on that specific person.

At Ramblin Jackson, our ‘Hell Yes Cus tomer’ is: • Multi-million dollar landscaping and green industry companies • In the United States • Located in Cities or Suburbs with moderate to heavy competition • 10+ years in business • Looking to grow • High level of leadership, integrity, and positive reviews Typically, it’s an absolute ‘Hell Yes’ when they also: • Have a business owner who en joys leadership and personal de velopment • Already have a decent review av erage online Do they have to meet ALL of the cri teria? No. We have exceptions. But the point is: We know what we want. I see landscapers making the mistake of mar keting -- and trying to sell to -- everybody with a checkbook and pulse. The real cost of this is that you end up losing time, money, energy, and profit, trying to sell to people who are not your customer.

Jack Jostes is the CEO of Ramblin Jack son, a digital marketing and branding agency that helps landscaping companies throughout the country attract more qual ified customers with professional brand ing, digital marketing, sales consulting, website design, and search engine optimi zation. The author of the The Tree of Good Fortune, Jack hosts the weekly YouTube show + podcast, The Landscaper’s Guide to Modern Sales & Marketing. Jack has been featured in Lawn and Landscape, Colorado Green, Turf, Inc., and other green industry and business publications. He regularly speaks at regional, national, and international business conferences, including green industry events like the Landscape New Jersey Trade Show, Pro Green EXPO, Farwest Show, National Asso ciation of Landscape Professionals (NALP) events, and the TNLA’s Nursery Landscape EXPO. He lives in the foothills of Colorado with his wife and two boys, where he en joys homeschooling, playing bluegrass mandolin, fly fishing, bowhunting, and spending time in the great outdoors.

Who is your ‘Hell Yes Customer’ in 2022? Has it changed? Check out my ‘Hell Yes Customer’ Worksheet at https:// ramblinjackson.com/hellyes

www.NJLCA.org 29 you “we’re getting our ninth bid on this project” on the first call. Just don’t even bother selling to them. Sell to the 80% of the market who will pay more for a higher level of value. When you figure out who will pay more for the type of value you ex cel at offering, you’re on track to having a ‘Hell Yes Customer’.

Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium spp.) is a deer resistant herbaceous perennial that can grow to eight feet tall. It thrives in wet conditions and produc es large blooms from sum mer through fall. The flow ers are an excellent nectar source for native insects and the seeds provide food for many bird species.

SEVEN PLANTS TO ATTRACT BIRDS TO NEW JERSEY LANDSCAPES

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is native to the NJ Pine Barrens, where it tolerates a range of site conditions. This species thrives in wet to moderately wet soil conditions, with acidic to neutral pH. It can grow in sun or shade and will pro duce vibrant red flowers that attract hum mingbirds and butterflies.

New England Asters (Symphyotri chum novae-angliae) are also native to NJ. These purple flowers with yellow

Joe Pye Weed Ryan Hodnett Guelph,_Ontario_2020-07-29.jpg)wiki/File:Joe-Pye_Weed_(Eutrochium_sp.)_-_(https://commons.wikimedia.org/ Spring 2022

Many homeowners are becoming increasingly interested in having land scapes that support native bird popula tions. By selecting the right plants for the right locations, any landscape can be transformed into a backyard bird para dise. These popular native landscape plants offer attractive options for bring ing more birds to your clients’ properties throughout the year.

Blazing Star (Liatrus spicata) pro duces spikes of purple flowers that attract native pollinators, bumble bees, and hummingbirds during July and August. In the fall, the seeds of Blazing Star are known to attract goldfinches, chickadees, tufted titmouse, and indigo buntings. The seeds provided by these plants can pro vide a very important source of energy for indigo buntings before they migrate south for the winter.

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is a common sight in many peren nial gardens. This native plant is easy to grow and supports bees and butterflies throughout the summer, including mon archs and swallowtails. Hummingbirds will also visit coneflower in the summer to feed on its nectar. The flower heads will produce seeds in the fall that can be left on the plant to feed goldfinches, cardinals, chickadees, mourning doves, juncos, and downy woodpeckers. In the spring, after the birds have eaten all the seeds, the stalks can be cut down and the flowers will regrow.

30

by William Errickson, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County

Black-eyed Susans, including Rudbeckia hirta and Rudbeckia fulgida are native, drought tolerant, perennial flowering plants that bloom throughout the summer and into the fall. They provide nectar and pollen for bees and other pollinators when their golden flowers are open. In the fall, their seeds will attract Ameri can goldfinches, chickadees, cardinals, nuthatches, and sparrows.

Purple Coneflower Credit: AskJoanne File:Purple-Coneflower.jpg)(https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/

Cardinal Flower

ErricksonWilliam is an County.MonmouthExtensionCooperativeRutgersAgentAgricultureforof

Black-eyed Susan Blazing Star Courtesy Julie Makin, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center New England Aster

www.NJLCA.org 31 centers bloom from late summer into the fall and provide an important source of late-season nectar and pollen for many species of bees and butterflies, includ ing monarchs and skippers. Many birds are also migrating during this time of year and will visit New England Asters to feed. The seeds provide an autumn food source for goldfinches, chickadees, juncos, Eastern towhee, indigo bun tings, cardinals, tufted titmouse, and the white-breasted nuthatch.

meadowlarks will also feed on the seeds and use the vegetation for cover and nestingEverymaterials.landscape is part of a larger ecosystem. As we create ornamental landscapes that are also habitats for many bird species, we can play a signifi cant role in improving the biodiversity of our state, while at the same time meet ing landscape clients’ objectives.

Native grasses are generally regarded as tough, deer resistant, low mainte nance members of the garden. However, they also provide food and shelter to many pollinators and bird species. One such native grass, Big sedgeHenslow’shoppermakeusewhileskipperdii)(AndropogonBluestemgerarisahostplantforbutterflies,nativebeestheirleavestonests.Grasssparrows,sparrow,wrens,and

WWW.FOLEYINC.COM WE CREATE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES THAT CREATE CUSTOMERS FOR LIFE. Serving all of New Jersey, Staten Island, New York, Eastern Pennsylvania, and New Castle County, Delaware Whether you are looking to buy new or used, rent equipment, or have your existing fleet serviced, Foley, Incorporated has what you are looking for. In addition to Cat equipment, we offer all types of allied products, such as air compressors, light towers, trenchers, wood chippers, heaters, small compaction equipment and more. BUY HERE. RENT HERE. SERVICE HERE.

I was 19 years old and I had a Suzuki 1000. 40 years ago that bike stood out. I parked next to a Honda 750 and had lunch. When I came out the owner of the Honda, who also owned Sequoia Tree Service, was standing there. I’m 62 now. Since then, I’ve worked for some very good men and been partners with some men that weren’t good. My wife, Christie and I own Ramapo Tree & Shrub Care LLC. We have been doing well for about 20 years. I have some credentials I’ve worked very hard for and while I haven’t seen everything, I’ve seen a lot.

When I mention a control I include the active ingredient, the trade name and the vendor. The vendors are the ones I use and not recommended by anyone mentioned in this article. I want the readers to be able to reproduce what I am doing. I’ll be introducing some peo ple that have helped me. Once we have met them I’ll use their first names be cause this is not a formal paper, it’s just what I’m doing when faced with prob lems that have very little history. Beech leaf disease, (BLD)

www.NJLCA.org 33

In the beginning of June 2021, a small group of friends started discussing BLD. Not much was known about it, so mostly we shared pics for identification purposes. The leaves of effected trees have discoloration between the veins. Five days later I received a call from Ann Cranston in Allendale, NJ expressing concern about her beech trees (Fagus grandifolia). Her yard wasn’t that big but the back was all beech trees. I was pre pared for a couple things, maybe noth ing, maybe a little heat stress, aphids or bleeding canker. Thinking out loud I said “Ann, you have aphids”. I continued, still thinking out loud, “There is a new dis ease, but it’s unlikely I’m going to find it first”. Hey, wait a minute… Ann has about 30 beech trees in her yard. The surrounding homes have a lot of beech es too. Every beech in the area had dis coloration between the veins. Every tree had a thinning canopy and most of the leaves were small with browning on the

Bergen County New Jersey is 20 min utes northwest of New York City (at 4:00 am). Our trees are facing a perfect storm this year. For a brief background, warm winters and increased moisture, exacerbated by improper plant ing depth, have weakened trees. Wind has increased substantial ly and emerald ash borer will finish any remaining ash trees (Fraxinus spp), trees in a couple years. But wait, there’s more, a lot more. There are three problems com ing our way for 2022. Any one of theses pests would be a big prob lem but all three at once will be overwhelming.Theyarebeech leaf disease, bac terial leaf scorch and spotted lan ternfly. The following article briefly describes symptoms and controls.

Beech Leaf Disease,LeafBacterialScorch,andSpottedLanternFly

by Colin Milde, Ramapo Tree & Shrub Care Beech Leaf Disease

www.braensupply.com 400-402 Central Avenue, Haledon, NJ 07508 1434 Ringwood Avenue, Wanaque, NJ 07420 228 NJ-10, Randolph, New Jersey 07869 THE LARGEST LANDSCAPE MATERIAL SUPPLIER IN NJ

Reliant® is sprayed on the trunk and is used to mitigate bleeding canker. At this point we can’t tell if the Reliant® is pro moting improved health or actually con trolling the pathogen. When beech trees die, people get upset, unlike ash trees. Nobody likes ash trees. Bacterial Leaf Scorch, (BLS) I started writing this article in summer of 2021. At that point I thought BLS was the going to be the big magilla for 2022. Wrong. A little later in the summer of 2020 I received a call from a homeowner in Montclair.Thetrees in Montclair were Red and Black Oaks (Quercus rubra, Q. velutina) previously diagnosed with bacterial leaf scorch. BLS causes the margins of the leaf to brown with a yellow rim that sepa rates the brown part of the leaf form the green part. Unlike BLD, two materials are labeled for BLS. One is Oxytetracycline Hydrochloride, trade name Mycrojet Ul tra® from Mauget. Mycrojet® is an antibi otic. The other is Mono- and di-potassium salts of Phosphorous Acid, trade name Whippet® from Arbor Systems. Whippet® is a fungicide. Both materials are trunk in jected. There were five large oaks on this site. One tree had a lot of deadwood, so we trimmed that tree and we air spaded all five trees prior to treatment. We trunk injected all five with Mycrojet Ultra® and applied Paclobutrazol, trade name Cam bistat® from Rainbow, to two trees. Cam bistat® is a growth regulator. It increases

35 www.NJLCA.org tips. I sent some pics to a couple friends and we agreed, beech leaf disease. I sent a sample to Rutgers Diagnostic Lab and the report came back positive for BLD.

Around the same time I received a call from Jean Epiphan, the steward of the Glen Rock Arboretum. She and I in spected the Beeches. We didn’t find any beech leaf disease, but I received a call from Jean an hour later and she stated she had found infected leaves on a tree we had not inspected. Five days later we were trunk injecting 15 large beech es with Boxer® using a Wedgel Device®. There were two other properties in Sad dle River NJ where I sprayed and trunk injected the beeches. In 2020 I had not heard of BLD , last year, 2021, about half the beeches I in spected were infected. BLD is distinctive so l don’t need to send out samples for confirmation unlike BLS whose symp toms are similar to several issues. It turns out I wasn’t the first to detect it in New Jersey or even Bergen County. Oh well, next time. Rutgers, The State Univer sity, Bartlett Tree Experts and Rainbow Ecoscience are conducting trials. Hope fully the results for 2022 will point us in the right direction. I will not know how well the applications of 2021 worked un til spring of 2022. Even then I might not know a lot more than I know now. Now I am recommending treating Beech trees preventatively. I spoke to Mark Ware of Rainbow and he said some of his clients were reporting that Phosphorus Acid, trade name Reliant®, from Rainbow, showed some promise. Mark provided a wealth of information on all three topics.

Bacterial Leaf Scorch

I called Rutgers to see if Dr. Rich Buck ley, (Director of Rutgers Plant Diagnostic Laboratory, or Sabrina Tirpak, (Senior Laboratory Technician of Rutgers Plant Diagnostic Laboratory), could flesh this out for Richme.answered the phone and was very helpful. He focused on the fact that this disease is new to the region. It is caused by nematodes. Trunk injec tion with ememictin benzoate, trade name Boxer® from Arbor Systems, was discussed as a possible control, though very expensive. Rich also mentioned that abamectin, Lucid® from Rainbow Ecoscience, has a similar mode of action but emphasized there was no research to back this up. Ememictin benzoate is trunk injected, the same material used to control emerald ash borer, and abam ectin is applied to the foliage for mites. Both pesticides exhibited some control for nematodes on pine trees. That means it might work on this problem. I wasn’t going to trunk inject 30 trees, especially when I wasn’t sure it would work. So Ann and I decided to use Lucid® as a foliar ap plication. Lucid® has a short residual, so we decided on three foliar applications. I included my client in the decision making process because after some discussions she knew as much as I did and they were herThetrees.third week in June we applied Lucid® to the trees. It was very hot that week so I kept my expectations low. The leaves were already stressed so the best I could hope for was that trees ceased to decline. I went back at the end of June and as I pulled up I expected to see brown leave blowing in the street. Not the case! The trees looked better. I thought I was seeing what I wanted to see until Ann and her husband said they thought the trees looked better. We did end up trunk inject ing three of the bigger trees too.

By now everyone has heard of this one. SLF is invasive. I saw three SLFs in 2021. One was the on the floor of a McDonalds. It was having a kids meal (yes I saw it on the floor of McDonalds, the floor was pretty clean except for the bug, no it wasn’t eat ing anything just crawling along the floor). The control for SLF is more straightforward than for BLD and BLS. SLF becomes a pest as it matures in the middle of summer.

Spraying the bark with Dinotefuran, trade name Transtec®, from Rainbow, will provide control for the remainder of the season. Foliar applications of Bifenthrin or Permethrin will do the trick if you need something fast acting. I prefer bark spray because it provides more coverage than foliar applications and nobody yells at me because of drift.

Dutch Elm Disease or Chestnut Blight. I suspect BLD and BLS have been around for long time but have now become problematic because of increased heat and moisture. Spotted LanternFly...not so much. The control measures described must always be pre ceded by proper culture practices. If the root flare is not visible then it’s too deep. We do a lot of air spading. We still get dirty. If it rains a lot, turn off the sprinklers. I’ll be on a site and my first recommendation is to turn off the sprinklers. If I am met with skepticism I tell the customer “You don’t have to believe me, but I’m right”. Probably don’t get that job. My trucks all say ”Large trees, save the ones you can”. I am trying to leave as many healthy trees as possible for the arborists that come after me.

Colin Milde, Owner of Ramapo Tree & Shrub Care of Mahwah, NJ, has over 40 years of experience in the tree in dustry. He is a Board Certified Master Arborist and a Certi fied Treecare Safety Professional. He is also a NJ Licensed Pesticide Operator and a NJ Licensed Tree Expert.

root development and reduces water requirements. The reason we are using it here is because it also acts as a systemic fungi cide with a long residual. Like BLS, I won’t know how well the controls worked until spring. Even though the control material is labeled for BLS, I prefer to see the results for myself. Going forward I plan to use Whippet®, but I need a client before I try it. I sent six samples to Rutgers last year and two of them came back positive for BLS. As I drove through Montclair, it looked like half the trees had BLS so I expect to see the percentage of posi tive samples to increase. All six of the reports stated “No oak wilt was found on this sample”, so I get the feeling there is more trouble on the way. Spotted LanternFly, (SLF).

36 Spring 2022

There is a guy who quotes Shakespeare, “When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions”. He also quotes Sponge Bob Squarepants. I have been in the tree business for a long time. The assault on our trees is going to be reminiscent of

In the mid-summer of 2020, I reached out to our members to ask about their most memorable customers. I expected horror stories of the worst, most de manding, craziest and funniest custom ers. What I ended up receiving was truly amazing. Most of the stories you sent in to us were heartwarming and spoke of your favorite customers, those that took time to reach out and tell you what an impact you had on their lives, those that became like family and those that became lifelong friends. I also received some funny and wacky customer stories, but even those didn’t talk of the angry and discontented customers I had ex pected. I decided that instead of creating one story, I will include a few in each issue of The New Jersey Landscape Con tractor. So, keep those stories coming to me, the good, the bad and the ugly. You can send your story to gwoolcott@njlca. org (along with pictures if applicable) and I will include them in this column in future issues. Thank you all for brighten ing our days with some of your tales from the landscape side!

Check the “P”, or It’s Going For a Trip! by Anonymous Picture if you will, a bright, sunny morning. A cool breeze coming thru the trees, birds singing in the background. Squirrels running up and down the trees foraging for spring’s offerings of food to be stashed away for the winter slumber. Dogs being walked by their owners, some leaving for work in their freshly washed cars. The friendly landscape company drives up to the calm cul-de-sac to start the maintenance of several yards on that street. The trailer is dropped, and equip ment unloaded. As the last piece of equip ment is driven off, a skidding sound can be heard from one of the yards. Two and a half minutes prior, Mrs. Jen kins, whose house was directly in back of one of the maintained houses on the culde-sac, was late for work. She scrambled feverishly to get ready, grabbing her keys, windbreaker, lunch bag, coffee, etc. As she dove into her car, placed everything on the front seat and switched into re verse, she realized she hadn’t grabbed her purse. She jumped out of the car and ran inside to get it. Within seconds of re turning to continue her drive into work she noticed something very odd. Her car wasBackGONE!on the cul-de-sac, the skidding noise was getting louder and louder. A few crashing sounds as garbage cans flew into the air, workers noticed the backyard fence was broken through and out of no where came a running car! Mrs. Jenkins was on a higher elevation so the car had picked up momentum and was barreling through the yard.

Before anyone could say a word, the car came screaming out of the yard, down the driveway and drove right over a fire hydrant before slamming into the Land scape trailer, which helped the car come to an abrupt stop.

TALES FROM THE LANDSCAPE SIDE

NJLCA MEMBERS AND THEIR ADVENTURES

~ Gail Woolcott, Executive Director Stupid Money by Anonymous I have one customer who appears to be very wealthy. She gives me her credit card number and tells me to just charge it for whatever the job costs. She won’t tell me what she does for a living, just that she is a CEO of a well-known company. I guess they want to be treated as “normal” people. Anyway, we did a huge patio on her property that came out beautifully. It had seat walls, a natural gas fireplace, lighting, speakers, etc. Big money job. I stopped by the house a week after finish ing the job to make sure everything was ok and that she was happy. I always do this with her because she usually wants to add something on. Well she tells me, “I don’t like the way the color looks now that it is installed.” Therefore she wants us to rip everything up and install a new color. This $50,000 job just cost her $120,000 and she didn’t bat an eye. In fact, she has asked me to head over to her daughters house as soon as we have an opening to do something similar. How much do you want to bet that her daughter will do the same thing?

Just as all Outdoor Living Industry Contractors should do as well, everyone needs to be aware of what they are do ing at all times. And even if you are late, check your vehicle and make sure it’s in “P”ark before you get out or it’s going to go on an expensive and dangerous trip.37www.NJLCA.org

Suddenly a frantic woman came yelling through the yard “Watch Out!!!” It was Mrs. Jenkins. Thankfully, no one was injured.

by Monroe Porter, PROOF Management

DIVERSITY IN LANDSCAPE SERVICES, WHAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU?

Stick with the size and type of jobs your organization can han dle. It is natural to think bigger is better. Shifting from residential to new construction can be particu larly dangerous. Remember, when you deal with homeowners, you are dealing with the person who is ul timately going to own the project. When you work with a general con tractor or builder, you are working for someone who is an agent of the owner. In reality, quality to a gen eral contractor is on time, within budget and no owner litigation.

“Don’t servicesExpansionmorethinkerroneouslybiggerisprofitable.ofyourisnotgoingtoautomaticallymakeyoumoremoney.” 38 Spring 2022

Landscape contractors are noto rious for their entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to take risks. Plus, happy customers tend to ask con tractors to perform tasks they may not normally do. More sales and more diversity may not equate to more profits and success. Trying to be everything to everybody might mean you end up being nothing to no one. Expansions are best under taken when they match your core competencies. The problem is that a contractor’s entrepreneurial na ture, a desire to please customers and a false illusion such as expan sion will increase profits can cloud ones judgment. When expanding, consider the following potential pitfalls: Diversity and expansion requires capital. Don’t erroneously think bigger is more profitable. Ex pansion of your services is not go ing to automatically make you more money. Profits alone may not fund your expansion. If your business is unprofitable, fix what is wrong with your business, become profit able and use those profits to fund growth. If you were not profitable at 500k in sales, buying another piece of equipment or adding an addition al service is not going to help.

Dean Ricci of Ricci’s Landscape Manage ment offers some valuable insight into this area. “When an irrigation subcontractor we knew and used on occasion told us he was getting out of the business to do something else, buying him out seemed like a no brain er. He had a solid customer list, what we thought were key employees and a good reputation. We did our due diligence but the reality is that I had to jump in and make it all work which was a huge headache and distraction from the rest of the business.”

Culturally, the small maintenance job can be a nuisance to that install contractor looking for a trophy job. Vice versa, a tro phy install job can lock up a maintenance organization and impact service abilities. Establish a realistic volume target. Knowing how much volume you need to do to make the expansion work is a key ingredient. Suppose a maintenance con tractor is going to expand into lawn ap plications or even pesticide. How much volume will you need to perform until you get to that point and how you will you get the work done in the meantime? Estab lish a minimum and maximum timeframe and budget. Don’t over spend on equipment and facilities. Yes, you like shiny stuff and in your mind, it is cheaper to own than to rent. However, spending a lot of upfront money in an area you may not succeed or want to stay in does not make sense. Rent equip ment and ease into capital expenditures. In closing, diversity can be a key ingre dient in business profits but expansion should be carefully planned and bud geted. Don’t let customer requests “drag” you into a business you have not fully thought through.

Monroe Porter is President of PROOF Management and PROSULT Networking Groups for landscapers. For free business help by phone, call him at 804 267-1688.

Understand install and maintenance are driven by different success factors and core competencies. Install success is driven by good estimating/sales ef ficiency skills and jobsite effectiveness. Estimating and sales are much more complex and time consuming than main tenance. Jobs are larger and the culture of the company is different. Maintenance success is driven by customer retention and density. Since jobs are smaller, jobs must be estimated more efficiently. Main tenance routes are not profitable until they are complete and compact.

Be careful of new commercial con struction, particularly if those proj ects are low bid. You can suddenly find yourself in a sticky contractual situation with poor cash flow and other issues you are not familiar dealing with. I was talking with Sid Sexton of Sexton Lawn and Land scape about this. Sid commented, “Hav ing a new construction landscape install go south creates absolutely havoc in your organization. Traditionally, I was a resi dential contractor but I had done several successful new construction commercial jobs, so a phone call from an out of town GC looking for a price seemed ok. The job was a little larger than normal, so I put some extra markup on it and thought all was ok. Boy was I wrong. Working with an incompetent GC superintendent, a project manager who had change order amnesia, bad weather, a tough schedule and my foreman’s lack of documentation experi ence created the perfect storm. I survived but it was an expensive education.” Make sure you have the time to dedicate to the expansion and the per sonnel to help you. Learning new skills takes time, patience and costs money.

Time and time again I have seen contrac tors who hired “the magic foreman or manager” to oversee the expansion only to have it all blow up. Good people are al ready employed and finding new ones is hard. Hiring a new person may work out great but you should be prepared to jump in and fix it.

Understand that sophistication of the customer and type of work impacts the type of employee needed. Kirk Wag ner of Upstream Waters Landscapes re ports, “one side of our maintenance busi ness is high end properties. Over time, I discovered that it takes a totally differ ent kind of person to do gardening at a $20m residence than it does at a $300k brick rancher. Matching the person to the property is a key ingredient in making ev eryone happy.”

For contractors, profit loss from rain de lays and settlement issues — a well-known risk with traditional paving methods — can be avoided by using permeable pavement. Ensure your clients know that these can prevent flooding, ice accumulation, and other issues that can occur with sur face water accumulation. Not only do they last longer than asphalt and per form in harsh winter climates, but when properly installed by professionals, they increase home value.

How WillHomeownersPavementInstallTo:PermeableLove

One of their strongest selling points for homeowners? Many municipalities across North America offer tax incentives for permeable paver installation. For ex ample, Ottawa’s Rain Ready Ottawa pro gram offers eligible residents up to $5,000 for the implementation of proven rain water management practices like porous pavers. Furthermore, the design flexibility of permeable installations allows them to bypass local laws that dictate how much of a space can be paved.

Techo-Bloc’s Blu Grande Smooth patio slabs paired with river rocks are the ideal permeable design Spring 2022

by Techo-Bloc

When compared to traditional op tions, permeable pavements are the clear choice for the environment. By allow ing rainwater to pass through the paving stone’s joints and into the ground natu rally, they prevent runoff into the sewer system and suspended solids from pol luting the water stream.

40

Pro Tip: Check with the municipalities in your service area to see which ones of fer tax rebates for permeable pavements and include the cost savings breakdown in your presentations.

Well-manicured, weed-free lawns are giving way to lush vegetable gardens, so lar panels, and even backyard coops for chickens as homeowners become increas ingly environmentally conscious while also embracing their outdoor spaces as everyday hangouts. Your clients are look ing for environmentally sustainable land scaping solutions and permeable pavers are the perfect mix of style and function. Whether you present clients with a variety of specially designed permeable pavement options or use regular pavers to create a permeable effect, we’ll take you through the basics of how to install a solution homeowners will love.

Why Permeable Pavement

An open-graded base allows water to permeate through the base material with minimal resistance. It’s achieved using two different types of aggregates: ASTM #57 and ASTM #8 using the following installation process: 1. Plan, Prepare and Excavate Identify and Soil Polymeric Sand and Edge Restraint

Amend

Article and photos courtesy of Techo-Bloc. Techo-Bloc’s Permeable Pavers Installation Guide provides contractors with detailed, step-by-step instructions, key considerations, and useful tips on achieving a seamless finished design. To download TechoBloc’s installation guides visit www.techo-bloc.com/NJLCA

From paver style and area design to soil classification and the type of aggregate used, there are a lot of factors to consider in the installation of permeable pavement. The climate as well as the intended use of the finished areas (i.e., driveway, patio, etc.) will also affect the instal lation process. In the end, your clients are looking to you for a green, modern solution that’s sustainable, safe, and designed with their needs and aesthetics in mind.

10 Steps to Installing Permeable Pavements

Achieving Permeability with Regular Pavers

3. Install Geotextile, Impermeable

www.NJLCA.org 41

1. Relevant Data the Area Liners

2. Excavate

Installing Permeable Pavement

Using traditional pavers with an open-graded base will add a contemporary touch to your projects. To tie everything together, fill the gaps with stones, or let the grass grow in between for a pop of “Goingcolor.green” has gone from being a trendy tagline to a nec essary practice. Your clients are asking for environmentally sus tainable solutions, local by-laws are mandating them and your competitors are offering them. With permeable paving installa tions becoming more commonplace, you have an opportunity to become your area’s top installer. And our experts are here to help.

and Drain Pipes 4. Prepare Sub-Base 5. Install Edge Restraint 6. Lay Base 7. Add Bedding Course 8. Install Pavers 9. Fill Paver Joints 10. Post Installation

3. Install Geotextile Fabric 4. Install Base 5. Lay Interlock and Install

For those clients who want the best of both worlds — traditional paver design and permeability — both can be achieved. Installing an open-graded base will give home owners a wider variety of paver styles to choose from while allowing for all the benefits that come with permeability. This solution saves hardscapers time and money due to the ease of installation, ability to install in any weather condition and reduced callbacks from washout or settle ments issues that are commonplace in traditional installations.

What’s an Open-Graded Base?

Collect

Let nature become part of the overall outdoor design aesthetic

2.

Getting Dumped By New Lawn Care or Landscaping Customers

• Thoughtful

STOP GETTING DUMPED BY NEW LAWN CARE & CUSTOMERS:LANDSCAPINGDEVELOP AN ONBOARDING PROCESS

42

Customer Onboarding: Preventing Breakups

• Dancing in the cold to our favorite songs at the park. • Checking off her bucket list item of “flying a plane” with a flight lesson.

• 50% No Process • 25% Sending a Welcome Email/Letter Spring 2022

by Chad Diller, Landscape Leadership

Cue the romantic music and start to dance.

Customer Onboarding in the Lawn & Landscape Industry

When it comes to how you treat your new lawn care or landscaping customers, it may be good to take a lesson from this.

Some of you are working really hard to get “the first date” with your customer. You get their business. But then something happens. They’re just not that into you. Or worse, they break up with you and move onto someone else. Your relationship wasn’t what they’d hoped for. It turns out they didn’t dump you because of price. You didn’t make them feel all that special. You broke your promises. Turns out you’re just like their ex (company). Ouch. New customer relationships are fragile. Excitement levels can quickly diminish (AKA, your new customer gets buyer’sRelationshipremorse).capital doesn’t exist... which means little grace for mistakes. Not much has been invested so far. It’s easy for them to lose interest and move on. You’ve been dumped... [Cue the song lyrics, “All by myself… don’t wanna be, all by myself….]

• Poetry. • Candlelit dinner. This hopeless romantic pulled out all of the stops. No way was I letting this one get away. And the romantic gestures continued. If we ever meet, ask me to tell you the story of how I eventually proposed to her.

You can set the tone for that kind of relationship, early on. Don’t wait until it’s tooImplementinglate. a formal “Customer Onboarding Process” is the first part of delivering great service that makes your customer see you in that light. The first step in serving a customer is not spreading fertilizer, trimming shrubs, or digging out for a new patio. If you’re missing selfless, purposeful, and thoughtful steps first, it puts your new relationship on shaky ground. But if you can figure it out, your customers will feel good and you will, too.

A few weeks back, I polled my 1400+ LinkedIn connections in the green industry and our clients. I wanted to know what everyone was doing to onboard their new Question:customers.Whatdoes your customer onboarding process look like?

Lawn care or landscaping customers will stay with you for the long-haul if they see you as:

• Selfless • Purposeful

My wife and I were friends for an excruciating period of time until I got the firstWhendate. it did happen, I did not want to disappoint her.

If part of your customer onboarding process shows your customer how to get their questions answered quickly, that’s all about their needs first.

This article will help you to learn more about developing a process plus give you some ideas to consider with your team.

It follows a precise outline with predetermined steps, details, and intervals to accomplish specific purposes, whether checking for an invisible fence or anticipating other problems.

Customer: “They cut my invisible dog fence with the aerator! I wish they would have asked so I could mark it for them!”

• Maintaining two-way communication

Customer: “Ugh...it’s so frustrating trying to figure out when my mulching is going to be completed. I call multiple people and all I get is voicemail! They cared about getting the sale and now I’m ignored. I’m just going to hire someone else!” I get it. Taking calls can be disruptive to your workday. There may be someone else they need to contact, but how would they know?

Selfless Customer Onboarding Tips

A great customer onboarding process is also “purposeful”. It doesn’t happen when you feel like it. It doesn’t happen some of the time.

• While some of the ways you do business may not be flexible (and for good reason), there are some ways you could cater to your customer’s preferences. Being Purposeful You can predict potential failures better than your new customer can.

•

ThereOuch. was no “Invisible Fence?” checkbox on the proposal (or the question wasn’t asked during the sales conversation).Allofthiscould have been avoided by asking a few questions every, single time.

• Affirming the customer’s decision

• Determining customer preferences

www.NJLCA.org 43 • 20% Formal Process with a Few Steps • 5% Robust Process

What is Customer Onboarding?

Another thing I noticed during my poll was the confusion of when customer onboarding starts. While it is true that your customer relationship starts during the marketing and sales stages, that’s not what I’m referring to.

Regardless of your intentions, your new customer may see you as self-centered.

• While you can explain your processes, it’s more important to explain it in a way so the customer feels why this really matters to them and makes their life easier.

• While you can define your expectations, it’s even more critical to learn about theirs.

I was disappointed (but not surprised) by theThisresults.isahuge opportunity for your lawn care or landscape company. You know how hard it is to generate new revenue. Keeping business (and upselling accounts) is much easier than landing a new customer. Happy customers turn into raving fans. Raving fans refer their family and friends. You get the picture. To make this happen more easily, you need a selfless, purposeful, and thoughtful customer onboarding process.

The customer onboarding process begins the moment the prospect signs their agreement. They’re no longer a “prospective” customer, they’re the real dealThenow.process itself can take form in a variety of ways and steps. You can utilize mediums such as: Customer Onboarding Mediums Company Events Gifts or Resources Being Selfless

Purposes of Onboarding Customers • Gathering data (like the dog fence)

• Connecting the customer to key team members

A formal process outlines the steps and intervals and aims to provide an experience that is most valuable to your customer, not necessarily you. You need less of your “self” in your attitude toward this.

• Defining mutual expectations

• In-Person Meetings • Emails • Text Messages • Phone/Video Calls • Print Assets • Pre-Produced Videos • Personalized Videos •

But avoiding calls is all about YOU…. (selfish)

Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape: Email Campaigns I love the slogan our client, Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape uses, “Let us give you the royal treatment.” Krisjan Berzins and his team of professionals serve over 4,000 residential clients in the Alexandria, VA area and their goal is to make their customers feel like royalty.

• Purposeful: The emails affirm the customer’s decision, introduce them to the Kingstowne team, provide more useful advice, and often ask for customer satisfaction feedback.

Thoughtful Tips for a Lawn Care or Landscaping Customer Onboarding Process

You don’t necessarily need to have a step for each of these as some may be covered together in various steps in your process. Being Thoughtful This is where creativity plays into onboarding customers at your lawn or landscaping company. Here’s a positive example when you get this right:

Additional Recommendation: Kingstowne is currently exploring a new business software program that will provide trigger events in real-time as services are happening or data is input into the system. I recommend allowing Spring 2022

• Customize communication when possible. The customer should often feel that you understand them and their specific property needs instead of lumping them in with everyone else.

44 • Building value into the relationship • Assessing additional needs • Asking the customer for feedback/online review •

As I mentioned, most lawn care and landscaping companies I polled don’t have much of a process in place. However, I did get a few examples that I wanted to share and explain why I think they are so great.

Asking for a referral

• Utilize their preferences whenever you can. If there is a way to mention unique interests or motivations, be sure to include those. This can be as it relates to why they use your service or even to personal elements you’ve collected through your relationship with them.

• Spend time focusing on them. Even if some steps are automated, putting a lot of thought and customization into those steps can really impress your customer.

• Look outside of the lawn and landscape industry for innovative examples. There may be some good ideas in the green industry but don’t end up being “Just Another Landscaper”. This is your time to become unforgettable.

• Thoughtful: The email intervals are considered to prevent annoying their customers. Segmented customer lists only offer up relevant suggestions. Memes, GIFs, fun subject lines, and clever copywriting makes the email open worthwhile to the customer.

One of the ways we’ve helped them to accomplish this is by utilizing email marketing. These emails are triggered when a contact becomes a customer in their CRM software. We also periodically send seasonal campaigns.

Your customer understands that companies sometimes show appreciation withButgifts.ifthey also realize that you were thoughtful enough to learn what their interests were during the onboarding process (and went to lengths to customize your gift), that will blow them away.

Customer: “I was blown away! When my outdoor kitchen was finished they actually got me a Notre Dame football grilling set! This is just awesome that they remembered that!” Maybe part of your process is giving customers who purchase a project over $50k a gift. But are you giving them all the same thing?

Customer Onboarding Examples From Lawn & Landscape Companies

Here are a few things I love about how email enhances their customer onboarding experience:

• Selfless: They give more value than they ask for in return. Instead of begging for more business, they focus on offering up resources and answering questions. The emails are concise and visually appealing on any type of device.

Lessons in (Customer) Love I’m sure most of us have been dumped in the past, both professionally and personally. Learn from it. Don’t

• Thoughtful: The account manager regularly takes pictures of the property and sends these to the property/facility manager to show progress or point out specific challenges. They also proactively plan for the next 90 days to help their client worry less and focus on their other duties.

Additional Recommendation: Utilize your library of insightful blog articles that tackle specific problems or case studies that highlight certain commercial property similar to your client’s. This will help them to answer questions they may have or feel more confident in their decision to trust you. Earth, Turf, & Wood: Print Media, Outreach, & Meetings

Michael Hatcher & Associates: Meetings

Here are some things I love about their customer onboarding process:

• Selfless: In many cases, Jarod visits the customer in the first few days after they sign. For companies of this $4M size, the relationship is commonly managed by a landscape designer/ architect. This additional step is something that a busy company owner wouldn’t need to do but Jarod has found this means a lot to their clients.

• Thoughtful: Each year, proactive site visits are scheduled a year or more after projects are completed. Instead of waiting for clients to inquire about warranty issues, the ETW team makes this their responsibility. As this is not the industry norm, clients are often “blow away” and in many cases end up inquiring about additional projects.

• Selfless: Initial meetings are the expectation, but they aren’t enough. The account manager visits the properties once or several times each month and communicates with the property/ facility managers so there are no unpleasant surprises. They also often host educational events for customers at their facility.

You can tell that Jarod Hynson and his team at Earth, Turf, & Wood have given a lot of thought to how they nurture the relationships with their high-end residential design/build clients. They utilize multiple communication methods and mediums throughout their process. In a lot of instances, it can be several months from the time a customer signs an agreement until they get to enjoy their new backyard resort.

When I talked to Kelly Ogden, the VP of Sales & Customer Service, he explained the specific process they walk their new commercial clients through. I have to say I was impressed at how thorough their processTheis.team at Michael Hatcher & Associates has multiple meetings both on-site with the client and internally with their team. Some of the things I loved about this process were:

• Purposeful: The multiple meetings help everyone on the Hatcher team to be in-the-know and the client knows when this extra step happens. The client also understands why and when the handoff happens between the business development manager and the account manager as the work begins.

Additional Recommendation: Create blog articles or videos for all of the common questions your new clients may have. Address what happens initially, during, and after the project completion and deliver them up at the right times. These assets can also be valuable to prospects during the marketing process. As they see what you do for your customers, it will make it easier to close sales.

• Purposeful: Someone from the ETW team has weekly conversations with new clients before their project starts months later. There are material selections to be made and things clients need to do on their end to prevent delays. Clients also receive a “Who To Call” document to eliminate confusion during the design/construction process.

www.NJLCA.org 45 customers to subscribe to customized messages from the crew leader or technicians that highlight specific things they saw that day on the property.

just blame others. In most cases, there is something you can learn, and often something you need to change to do better in the future. And relationships don’t reach an end with the first date (sale). Customer relationships are a lot like a happy marriage. You have to continue to look for ways to improve them and to be your best self. You have to find new ways to be selfless, purposeful, and thoughtful. In fact, right now I’m mentally planning my trip to the flower store…it’s been a while. Chad is the Vice President at Landscape Leadership. Prior to joining the team he served as a marketing manager for one of the Top 150 Companies in the Green Industry. In addition to his vast marketing experience, he also has held certifications such as an ISA Certified Arborist and Landscape Industry Certified Technician. He currently resides in beautiful Lancaster County, PA.

46 Spring 2022

Joaquim Lyndhurst,MatiasNJ Lawn Dog Landscaping Courtney Bridgewater,WilliamsNJ Migman Media LLC Michael Oakhurst,BellinaNJ

David Teaneck,ChalekNJ

Meredith Wrightstown,DaupharsNJ Homestead Structures, LLC Ashley Dennis New Holland, PA

New Jersey Landscaping Services

Chuck Lovett Saddle Brook, NJ Rue Insurance Chris Hamilton,KoestnerNJ

Ruthy Walkin Lakewood, NJ Student Sprout Farms and Gardens

Michael Cranford,BushNJ Cameron Landscaping, LLC Clyde Cliffwood,CameronNJ Camillo Pirone Landscaping

Eagle Wings Landscaping

Vincent Capozzoli South Hackensack, NJ Watch Us Grow Andy Westwood,Ott NJ www.NJLCA.org

Stan Montville,BukowskiNJ Plant Solutions

Progressive Hydraulics, Inc.

Abma’s Farm

J Matias Landscaping

Kelvin Warwick,VegaNY Vermeer North Atlantic

Gassib Landscape Design, LLC Ben HasbrouckGassib Heights, NJ Gil Santos Landscaping, LLC Sergio Gil Park Ridge, NJ GoMaterials Shireen Pincourt,SalehiQC Helena Agri Enterprises, LLC Tim Woodbury,GerzabekCT

A warm welcome to our new and returning members

PomptonMilidantriPlains, NJ Blue Pine Snow and Landscaping

Vega Brothers Landscaping & Construction

Kevin Lyndhurst,SpenceNJ Evergreen Landscaping & Maintenance

Joseph Venezio Linden, NJ AMP Lighting Douglas Miller Lutz, Florida B & B Sustainable Landscape & Irrigation Mark

Vincent Signs & Lettering, Inc.

Sotirios Galanos Saddle Brook, NJ Bush Landscaping Contractors

Josh Wyckoff,AbmaNJ All Seasons Lawn LLC

David Monsey,RottenbergNY

Stephen Lumberton,RaffoNJ

Tony Princeton,DuncanNJ Corbett Landscape Design Taylor Ramsey,CorbettNJ Darren Rafferty, Inc. Darren Hillsborough,RaffertyNJ DPH Bio Andrew Pomona,AldridgeNY

Herman’s Trucking, Inc.

Michael Bernardsville,HaskellNJ

47 WELCOME MEMBERS...

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is “that little something extra.” Operating under that belief, Castle Point Landscape Design’s team works alongside it’s customers, handin-hand, throughout the entire process—from the initial consultation to the project’s comple tion to the follow-up check-in.

“We truly enjoy what we do and we care greatly about each and every one of our customers. After all, without our amazing clients, we wouldn’t be able to do what we love!” 48 Two

Castle Point Landscape Design traces its roots to 1989. Starting the business when he was just 11 years old, owner Steve Graul channeled his love for the great outdoors into a success ful enterprise. Originally called Steve’s Landscaping, the business was renamed Castle Point Landscape Design in honor of Steve’s college alma mater.

CONTRACTOR FOCUS: CASTLE POINT LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Steve Graul and his team (who are like family) have won several NJLCA Landscape Achievement Awards in the past several years. They pride themselves on quality and creativity, as well as going the extra mile! For more info, visit www.castlepointlandscape.com. of Castle Point Landscape Design’s projects

Spring 2022

New Jersey Deer Control®, LLC (left to right): Chris Markham, Mark Jameson and Spiro Economou. These are before and after hydrangea pictures of one of NJ Deer Control’s clients.

Since 2002, Chris has been protecting landscapes from deer damage at a very high success rate. The success enabled Chris to add his two business partners, Spiro Economou and Mark Jameson in 2007 to form New Jersey Deer Control®, LLC. They use their own proprietary deer repellent that cannot be found in stores and is extremely weather resistant, virtually odorless and transparent. A unique element to their company is that they actually produce their product on a daily basis which lends to its potency and is a key component to the success of their spraying service. For more info, visit www.njdeercontrol.com.

New Jersey Deer Control®, LLC president and founder, Christopher J Markham, is a wildlife biologist from Rutgers University who started a landscaping business in northwest NJ in the late 90’s. His landscape designs were being ravaged by deer damage and he experienced very minimal success with using over the counter repellents. He decided to shift his focus and dedicate his time and energy in cre ating a superior deer repellent that would provide long term success. After years of research, experiments and field testing, Chris patented a natural product that is extremely effective and has achieved amazing results.

ASSOCIATE FOCUS: NEW JERSEY DEER CONTROL

“Our success has enabled us to grow an extensive customer base...and build great working relationships with many landscape and nursery professionals over the years. ” 49 www.NJLCA.org

ü 10:30 am - Registration & Driving Range ü 11:00 am - Lunch ü 11:00 am - Putting Contest Begins ü 12:00 pm - Shotgun Start ü 5:00 pm - Dinner and Awards Early bird discount on foursomes ends on September 14, 2022. No exceptions! • No rain date or refunds. • Registration will not be processed without full •payment.Pleasemake checks payable to NJLCA. • For further information or in the event of rain, contact the NJLCA office at (201) 703-3600. • Return this form to NJLCA at 465 Mola Blvd., Suite 4, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407, fax to 201703-3776 or email to gwoolcott@njlca.org. $215 per golfer Includes: Greens Fees, Cart, Bag Drop Service, Club Cleaning Service, Lockers, Lunch and SpecialDinner Foursome Price - $800 (save $60)! (if you register by the Early Bird Deadline) $100.00 per non-golfer - If you’re not a golfer, join us for dinner and the awards! Early Bird: September 14, 2022 Registration: October 1, 2022 Golf casual, collared shirts. No cut-offs or blue jeans. Soft Spikes are mandatory! at Crystal Springs Golf Resort 1 Wild Turkey Way Hamburg, NJ 07419 It’s our turf Please join NJLCA members, colleagues and friends at the 2022 Golf Classic on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at Crystal Springs Golf Club, for a day of golf, friends, food and awards! Plus a special appearance by Kelsey Grammer, award-winning actor and founder of Faith American Brewing Co. G LF To learn more call 201-703-3600 For Online Registration: www.njlca.org

4. Golf Hat. $1,750. Includes company logo on hats and all pre-outing promotions plus two (2) golfer registrations and two (2) SuperTickets. ($470 value)

6. Golf Towel. $1,500. Includes company logo on towel, all pre-outing promotions plus (1) golfer. ($195 value)

5. Golf Gloves. $2,500. Includes company logo on gloves and all pre-outing promotions plus two (2) golfer registra tions and two (2) SuperTickets. ($470 value)

51

7. Golf Balls. $1,250. Includes company logo on balls and all pre-outing promotions.

13. Special Holes (Closest to Pin, Straightest Drive, Longest Drive). $500 for one special hole or all three for $1100. (Includes two signs). Includes company logo sign at hole and on green and in all pre-outing promotions plus one (1) SuperTicket. ($40 value)

2. Golf Shirt. $3,000. Includes company logo on shirts and all pre-outing promotions plus four (4) golfer registrations and two (2) SuperTickets. ($860 value)

1. Awards Cocktail Reception and Dinner. $3,000. Includes company name on promotional materials, banner at Awards Cocktail Reception and Dinner; Presentation of trophies to low gross Winners; plus four (4) golfers registra tions and four (4) SuperTickets. ($940 value)

Sponsorship

8. On-Course Beverage and Snack Cart. $750. Includes company promotional signage on each cart, logo in event promotional brochure, plus one (1) golfer registra tion. ($195 value)

11. Golf Bottled Water. $500. Includes company logo on water bottles in each golf cart.

3. Golf Gift Bag. $2,000. Includes company logo on bags & pre-outing promotions plus four (4) golfer registrations and two (2) SuperTickets. ($860 value)

10. Pre-Tournament Lunch. $500. Includes company promotional signage at the luncheon, and your logo in event promotional brochures.

m I will play in this year’s tournament ($215 per person, $800 per foursome). m I will sponsor this year (include amount of sponsorship from reverse side) $____________ Sponsorship Type: _______________________ m I will attend the dinner only ($100 per person) CityAddressCompany St Zip EmailPhone m Payment enclosed (make checks payable to NJLCA). m I would like to pay by credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Amex and Discover accepted). Card # Type Exp Date Signature Golfer Name(s): Crystal Springs Golf RESORT October 11, 2022

12. Hole In One. (Three available). $400 plus must pro vide own insurance. Includes company logo sign at hole and in all pre-outing promotions plus your representative may sit at the hole and greet golfers on the day of the event.

15. Tee & Green Hole Signs (36 available). $250 each. Includes color logo sign at tee or green and in all preouting promotions.

14. Own the Hole. $350. Includes color logo signs at the tee and green (two signs) and in all pre-outing promo tions, plus great opportunity to meet and greet at the hole.

9. Golf Tees. $750. Includes company logo on tees and all pre-outing promotions.

The old saying that talks about the weather” is cer tainly true when it landscapers/arborists and their clients are always discuss ing various factors are New Jersey trends be from chart below

one growing season to the next. How do rain, wind and temperature changes impact plants and their corresponding insect/mite pests? The

WEATHER EFFECTS ON PLANTS & INSECT-MITE PESTS

how

by Steven Rettke, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County

affecting plants. The

weather

variable

weather

lists four weather conditions & categorizes how these conditions positively or negatively influence some of the key landscape insect/mite pests. Hot-Dry Weather Pests: Some of the common landscape pests that are most active in Hot-Dry conditions are listed in the Table within column “A.” It is well their known that lace bugs 52 “A” Hot-DryPestsWeather “B” Cool Weather Pests “C” Pests Damaged by Excessive Rains “D” Pests Attracted to Stressed Plants Lace Bugs Aphids (some) Lace Bugs (fungus) Aphids (some) Scales Adelgids Aphids/Mites (impact) Scales (some) Leaf Beetles Root Weevils Scale Crawlers (impact/ wind) Whiteflies Caterpillars Cool Season Mites Caterpillars (fungus) Caterpillars (some) Warm Season Mites Eriophyid Mites (some) Black Vine Weevils (fungus) BORERS!! TABLE: PESTS AFFECTED BY SPECIFIC CONDITIONS (Source: David Shetlar, Ohio State Cooperative Extension) Spring 2022

“everyone

involves landscape plant managers. Profes sional

can often

www.NJLCA.org 53 reach highest populations on plants lo cated in sunny-dry locations. There are few predators in these areas, and the shallow root systems of plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons & andromeda are often under drought stress. Lace bugs typically thrive under these conditions. Scale insects also generally will do better in hot-dry weather primarily be cause the immatures are not knocked off the plants by raindrop “bombs.” Recently hatched scale crawlers are unprotected for a few days as they move about the plant looking for a place to settle down. If rains do cause the crawlers to fall to the ground, it is unlikely they will be able to climb back up the plant before they die (their short-stubby legs do not work very well). The timing of the rainfall to sup press the scale crawlers is critical because they typically are active for only a few days. Once they settle down and insert their mouthparts into the plant tissue, they are less vulnerable to the raindrops. Various leaf beetles and caterpillars usually prefer hot-dry conditions not be cause they may get knocked off the plants (they will often simply climb back up), but since they can be infected by fungal dis eases if a lot of free moisture is present. For example, the Entomophaga fungus has been decimating most of the spongy moth (formerly “gypsy moth”) popula tions for several decades. Most often it does an excellent job of keeping these caterpillar populations in check in cool, moist springs. However, when warm and dry springs occur, this pest typically re turns to become a problem again in cer tainOneareas.ofthe most common of the warm season pests is the two-spotted spider mite. These pests thrive in very dry con ditions, and they will reproduce more rapidly when it is warmer. Mites are vul nerable to being dislodged by heavy rains unless they are under protective leaf cov ering. Invariably, the worst spider mite populations within the landscape occur when plants are sited under over-hanging structures. In the landscape, two-spotted spider mites can have between 10 to 15 generations per year.

Euonymus scale crawlers can easily be knocked-off plants by raindrop impacts. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)

This dead spongy moth caterpillar was killed by the Entomophaga fungus. This fungus is most viable during cool, moist springs. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)

When a burning bush is defoliated by twospotted spider mites in mid-summer it will not have the bright red colored leaves during the fall. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.) Aphids are often plentiful on the early spring plant growth. In the landscape, aphids are often thought of as “junior varsity pests.” Damage to most plants is usually mild. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)

Two-Spotted Spider Mite adult showing two prominent dark spots on each side of body. As the mites feed & age, the spots become more prominent. (Photo Credit: Univ. of California)

Cool Weather Pests: The insects listed within column “B” in the Table are some of the common landscape pests most active during cool weather. Many aphids are the earliest insects noticed in the spring, feeding on new, soft, and suc culent plant growth. Additionally, some species of aphids are more active in the cooler weather to avoid predation (many common beneficial insects (i.e., lady beetles and lacewings perform best dur ing the summer months). Some of these Hawthorn Lace Bug signs showing adult, late instar & fecal “tar spots” at leaf underside. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.) Hawthorne Lace Bug stippling symptoms on young serviceberry leaves. This spe cies overwinters as adults. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)

Black Vine Weevil adults & larvae will feed higher-up on the plant stem to avoid wet soils & fungal infections. (Photo Credit: Ohio State Coop. Ext.)

Spruce Spider Mite feeding symptoms on previous year growth. New year growth will remain green throughout the sum mer. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)

Hot, dry locations will usually have fewer predators such as parasitoids or green lace wing larvae as shown above. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.) Pine Bark Adelgids will often proliferate within cooler, shady conditions at the interior of a tree. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)

Some of the eriophyid mites, such as the hemlock rust mite, are adapted to temperatures even colder than the spruce spider mite. They may begin activity as early as late-February in some situations. Look for them on the sunny side of coni fers during late winter weeks. These eri ophyid mites are only one-third the size of spruce spider mites. Therefore, they are just 1/150th of an inch in size. Other species of eriophyid mites are adapted to warmer weather such as the bald cypress mite shown in the photo at right.

aphid species will disappear when warm er weather persists but will return the following fall season as the cooler condi tions develop again. Most of the adelgids will do well in cool weather. The immature spruce gall adelgids, for example, overwinter on the terminal buds and are not adversely af fected by extremely cold temperatures. Also, pine bark adelgids seem to have their greatest populations on those pines that are in shaded locations. Often, a mass planting of pines too closely spaced in the landscape will have these adelgids infested on the interior stems or branches of trees.Theroot weevil grubs (e.g., black vine weevils) prefer cool-moist conditions within the soil. If the soils become too wet, however, they become susceptible to fungal and bacterial infections. The larvae will often be forced to feed higher up the stem of the plant, where it is not as wet. This may cause the stem to be gir dled, causing death to the plant.

Insects/Mites Damaged by Excessive Rains: The insects and mites listed within column “C” in the Table are some of the pests that may be adversely affected by excessive rains. These pests have already been discussed in the above sections. Rain can be detrimental to pest survival and proliferation because of the insect disease fungus it promotes, as well as the physical impact it causes (direct kill). Spi der mites & scale crawlers are two of the best examples of how rain negatively af fect pest populations.

The cool season mites, such as the spruce spider mite, are happiest when temperatures are 60° F. or less. During the late spring, populations can explode, and webbing may be highly noticeable. By summer, conifer foliage damaged by mites during the spring often desiccates, turning the inner needles from yellow to brown or orange in color. Only newer present year growth remains green. Come the hot summer months, spruce spider mites usually become inactive (However, if the daily high temperatures remain consistently below 85° F. for ex tended periods of time, then spruce spi der mites may continue activity). These cool season mites begin to rebuild their populations in September and reach their peak in November. The last active spruce mites may be present into the month of December, and the overwintering eggs are not laid until nighttime temperatures consistently drop below freezing. Spruce spider mites can have between 7 to 10 generations per year.

Pine Needle Scale Crawlers are vulner able to being knocked-off needles from raindrop impacts. This scale species has two generations per year & crawlers will be active in May & July. (Photo Credit: Ohio State Coop. Ext.) 54 Spring 2022

The uniform bronze discoloration of bald cypress needles from eriophyid mites. They require magnification to observe. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)

Stressed Plant Pests: The insects list ed in column “D” are examples of pests that are attracted to plants under stress. Aphids and whiteflies are drawn to plants with yellowing foliage. Plants under stress often lose some of their chlorophyll and become yellowish in color. Yellow sticky cards are often hung in greenhouses to monitor for some of these pests. Some species of caterpillars (not gyp sy moth) are “samplers” when they feed. These caterpillars will sample individual leaves to determine if they contain plant defensive chemicals such as tannins or al kaloid toxins. If these toxins are contained within the leaves, the caterpillar may find it distasteful and move on to sample oth er leaves. A weakened plant under stress may not have enough energy to produce these defensive chemicals and therefore, be more attractive for these caterpillars. The greatest concern with stressed plants in the landscape is from borer in festations. The best examples of borerprone plants are when drought condi tions and elevated temperatures stress non-native plants. Pine bark beetles, bronze birch borers, and the two-lined chestnut borers are all encouraged when stressed tress are forced to “shut-down” their vascular systems (xylem & phloem tissues). When trees have low sap pres sure, the borers can easily penetrate and cut through vascular tissue. Furthermore, trees with compromised vascular systems cannot readily transport defensive chemi cals to areas invaded by borers.

Steven Rettke has been employed by Rutgers Cooperative Extension since 1996. His primary responsibilities include promoting the IPM (Integrated Pest Man agement) Philosophy to professionals working within the landscape, turf, nurs ery, & greenhouse industries. His areas of expertise include the key insect & disease pests of ornamental plants/crops. Each season, for 26 years, he has traveled ex tensively throughout New Jersey providing pest monitoring & consulting information to selected nursery/greenhouse growers & commercial landscape/turf managers participating in the Rutgers Greenhouse, Nursery, & Landscape IPM Programs. Dur ing his career with Rutgers, he has deliv ered more than 850 presentations within the areas of Integrated Pest Management. The two-spotted spider mite species pro duces the greatest quantity of webbing of any spider mite species within the land scape. However, they are still negatively affected by rain despite the protection. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop.

Stressed trees (especially drought stress) are attractive to wood borers that tun nel under the bark & destroy the tree’s vascular tissues. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.) www.NJLCA.org

SpongyExt.)Moths (formerly “gypsy moths”) are less selective feeders & can success fully digest numerous toxins from many different plant hosts. (Photo Credit: Ste ven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)

Pine Bark Beetles are attracted to stressed pines & will often be the “final straw” that kills the tree. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)

56 LANDSCAPE NEW JERSEY 2022 TRADE SHOW & CONFERENCE Spring 2022

57 www.NJLCA.org

Applicants will be evaluated based on academic achievement, potential to become a leading professional, employment history, extracurricular activities and the recommendation of a current academic advisor. Previous recipients may reapply as long as they meet all eligibility requirements. children, grandchildren or stepchildren who will be enrolled as a full-time student during the 2022-23 school year at a college or institution of higher learning; OR

Eligibility Criteria

1. Any active member (dues must be current) of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association as well as their spouse, 2. Any student enrolled at Bergen Community College, County College of Morris or Rutgers University in a course of study related to the “Outdoor Living Industry” (i.e. Horticulture, Landscape Design/Build, Turf Management, Weed Science, etc.).

Why Choose Mr. C. Vinyl Fence? • VOTED #1 FENCE MANUFACTURER AND INSTALLER IN NEW JERSEY • Mr. C.’s vinyl fence is the perfect choice if you are looking for a fence that is lowmaintenance, and eco-friendly and nontoxic. • Our fences will not require painting nor will they corrode, rot, rust or decay. • Our vinyl fence is also resistant to damage from acid rain, mold, mildew stains and splitting. • Mr. C. Fence manufactures all of our vinyl fences in our Garfield, NJ factory. • If you are looking for beauty, class, protection, durability, and longevity in a fence, contact us at Mr. C. Fence. You won’t be disappointed! • Our unique/proprietary vinyl fence construction combined with the highest quality product and overall durability eliminates the most common causes for repair, weather and termites. • With your exact measurements Mr. C. Fence can guarantee your order will be precise. info@mrcfence.com973-478-8885www.mrcfence.com

Contractors Welcome 174 Sedore Ave. Fairview, NJ 07022 Bulk & Bag Mulch and Topsoil Pickup or Delivery Grass Seed, Fertilizer, Hand Tools and Accessories Complete Tree Service • Trimming • Pruning • Trees • Shrubs • Fertilizing • Stump Removal • Land Clearing • Storm Damage Rubbish and Debris Removal • Seasoned Firewood Our family has been serving the community for over 100 years! No job is too small, we offer competitive rates Fully Insured • Year-Round Service • Free Estimates Albert DeMuro - CLT, LTCO #129 Brian DeMuro - CLT, LTCO #633 God Bless America! (201) 945-0069 Al D Landscaping Tree Service and Garden Supply www.aldlandscapingandtreeservice.comStopfacebook.com/aldlandscapingandtreeserviceRegistered with the NJ Department of Consumer Affairs #13VH00121800 and the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts #NJTC768014