The Scoop - August 2021

DROUGHT CONDITIONS

JUMPING WORM BMPS

MEMBER PROFILE

FOCUS ON RETAIL & NEW PLANTS ALSO INSIDE:

HOW DIVORCE AND DEATH AFFECT OWNERSHIP PLUS:

DO PLANTS FEEL PAIN?

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THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MINNESOTA NURSERY & LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION

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WHOLESALE NURSERY & HARDSCAPES

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8 Events 35

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MNLA Appreciates YOU Thanks for all you do to support MNLA and ensure the profession remains strong into the future.

14 Member Profile Tony Yost of Twin City Lawn Maintenance talks about why it’s important to be an MNLA member.

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Focus: Plants & Retail

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Do Plants Feel Pain?

Faith Appelquist notes that beeches, spruce, and oaks all respond as soon as

18 MDA Weed of the Month

Training Retail Employees: What Is Your ROI?

japonica).

Does it make sense to invest in training your employees in retail sales? Bob

The best salespeople make big sales by developing warm relationships that start with a friendly greeting.  

Summer Trials 2021

Alisha Asleson chooses a few favorites from the lineup of new plants for this upcoming year.    

How Divorce and Death Affect Small Business Ownership

Patrick McGuiness gives a general overview of the process, consequences, and ways to control ownership if a death or divorce occurs. 

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this year’s show will be available.

This new infestation of a non-native vining milk-

24 Lost a Sale? It All Started with How You Greeted Your Customer

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August is the last month the valuable content from

some creature starts nibbling on them. 

Phibbs explains why it is a winning strategy.  

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16 Northern Green Virtual

Jumping Worm Management Guidance

Dr. Calkins presents MNLA’s best management practices for preventing the

weed turned out to be rough potato (Metaplexis

26 Persistent Drought Conditions Jim Calkins addresses this year’s dry conditions and offers watering guidelines for established and newly-planted trees and shrubs.

30 Minnesota House Celebrates Pollinator Week Pollinator-friendly plants were distributed to each member of the House to bring attention to the importance of the issue.

49 MNLA Foundation Scholarship Program The annual scholarship program is making a difference in horticulture one student at a time.

60 Member Appreciation Day & Saints Game Stop by the office on August 18th, then make time that evening for hanging out at the ballpark.

introduction and spread of jumping worms.   

 Landscape & Hardscape Install & Design  Garden Services & Landscape Mgmt  Garden Centers  Growers: Nursery & Greenhouse  Irrigation & Water Mgmt  Arborists & Tree Services  All

Cover photo: iStock.com/Tatiana_Stulbo. Table of Contents Images: Top: iStock.com/Radachynskyi. Middle: Proven Winners®. Bottom: James Calkins.

august 21 MNLA.BIZ

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DIRECTORY

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MINNESOTA NURSERY & LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION Successful Businesses Grow Here!

1813 Lexington Ave. N., Roseville, MN 55113 651-633-4987 • Fax: 651-633-4986 Outside the metro area, toll free: 888-886-MNLA, Fax: 888-266-4986 www.MNLA.biz • www.NorthernGreen.org Mission: The mission of the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association is to help members grow successful businesses.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Tim Malooly, CID, CLIA, CIC, President Water in Motion 763-559-7771 • timm@watermotion.com Randy Berg, Vice-President Berg’s Nursery, Landscape/Garden Center 507-433-2823 • randy@bergsnursery.com Matt Mallas, Secretary-Treasurer Hedberg Supply 763-512-2849 • mmallas@hedbergaggregates.com Faith Appelquist, MNLA-CP Tree Quality LLC 612-618-5244 • faith@treequality.com Terri McEnaney Bailey Nurseries (651) 459-9744 • terri.mcenaney@baileynursery.com Patrick McGuiness Zlimen & McGuiness PLLC (651) 331-6500 • pmcguiness@zmattorneys.com John O’Reilly Otten Bros. Garden Center and Landscaping 952-473-5425 • j.oreilly@ottenbros.com Jeff Pilla, MNLA-CP Professional Turf, Inc. (Proturf) 952-469-8680 • jeff@professionalturf.com Nick Sargent, MNLA-CP Sargent’s Landscape Nursery, Inc. 507-289-0022 • njsargent@sargentsgardens.com Cassie Larson, CAE MNLA Executive Director 651-633-4987 • cassie@mnla.biz STAFF DIRECTORY Executive Director: Cassie Larson, CAE • cassie@mnla.biz Membership Director & Trade Show Manager: Mary Dunn, CEM • mary@mnla.biz Associate Director: Jon Horsman, CAE • jon@mnla.biz Education/Cert. Director: Susan Flynn • susan@mnla.biz Dir. of Government Affairs: Forrest Cyr • forrest@mnla.biz Regulatory Affairs Manager: Jim Calkins • jim@mnla.biz Accountant: Pam Helgeson • accounting@mnla.biz Foundation Program Coordinator: Paulette Sorenson • paulette@mnla.biz Administrative Assistant: Louise Nemmers • louise@mnla.biz Advertising Sales: 763-295-5420 Betsy Pierre, Advertising Mgr • betsy@pierreproductions.com Legislative Affairs Consultant: Doug Carnival 6

MNLA.BIZ august 21

Albert J. Lauer, Inc. ............................................................................... 41 Anderson Nurseries, Inc. .................................................................... 48 Bachman's Wholesale Nursery & Hardscapes ................................ 3 Borgert Products, Inc. ......................................................................... 34 Bullis Insurance Agency ..................................................................... 56 Central Landscape Supply ................................................................. 56 Contree Sprayer & Equipment Co, LLC ............................................ 23 Cushman Motor Company ................................................................. 54 Edney Distributing Co., Inc. ............................................................... 59 Frontier Ag & Turf ................................................................................ 23 Fury Motors ........................................................................................... 25 Gertens Wholesale & Professional Turf Supply .............................. 2 Gopher State One-Call ....................................................................... 59 Green Turf Sod Farms ........................................................................... 4 Haag Companies, Inc. ......................................................................... 20 Hedberg Supply/SiteOne Landscape Supply ................................. 9 Jeff Belzer Chevrolet ...................................................................... 32–33 Klaus Nurseries ...................................................................................... 9 Landscape Alternatives Inc. .............................................................. 47 Mississippi Topsoils ............................................................................ 39 Monroe Truck Equipment .................................................................. 61 Out Back Nursery ................................................................................. 23 Plaisted Companies ............................................................................... 7 Plantpeddler, Inc .................................................................................. 39 Rock Hard Landscape Supply ............................................................. 9 SMSC Organics Recycling Facility ..................................................... 43 Sunbelt Business Advisors ................................................................ 52 Synthetic Grass Supply ....................................................................... 48 The Resultants ...................................................................................... 54 The Tessman Company ....................................................................... 52 Toft's Outdoor Supply ......................................................................... 31 Tri-State Bobcat, Inc. ........................................................................... 11 Twin City Seed ...................................................................................... 43 United Label & Sales .......................................................................... 39 Versa-Lok Midwest .............................................................................. 58 Wheeler Landscape Supply ............................................................... 48 Ziegler CAT ............................................................................. Back Cover

CONSISTENT QUALITY

HARDSCAPES

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Plaisted Horticultural mixes are like no other — they contain highly sought after ingredients. We custom blend mixes using a computerized Accublender™, controlling quality & consistency.

OUTDOOR LIVING

We are the midwest's largest resources for quality residential hardscapes.. We offer 3,2000 in-store, quality brands that offer exceptional strength, durability that can withstand Minnesota’s harsh winters.

HORTICULTURE

SATISFIED CUSTOMERS • Bachman’s

• Baker Lake Nursery • Cross Nursery

• Tangletown Gardens

• Twin Orchard Nursery • Varty’s Greenhouse

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Experienced drivers operate a fleet of more than 45 trucks. Our GPS locator helps us set the standard for the most responsive delivery in the 5-state area.

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WE WE ARE ARE SOIL EXPERTS SOIL EXPERTS

UPCOMING

LANDSCAPE DESIGN TOUR

AUG

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

The design tour will look a little different this year. It's a drive yourself tour that will include MNLA member gardens, lunch and a special tour at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. ➽MNLA.biz

MNLA MEMBER APPRECIATION

AUG

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

MNLA will be celebrating our members with a full day of fun. Stop by the MNLA Office during the day for treats, then continue the fun into the evening at CHS Field for MNLA Night at the Saints Game!

MNLA Office, Roseville ➽ MNLA.biz

AUG

18

MNLA NIGHT AT THE SAINTS GAME

You are invited to the 6th Annual MNLA Night at the Saints Game. Price includes game ticket and dinner — and tons of fun with colleagues and MNLA friends!

CHS Field, St. Paul ➽ MNLA.biz

JUMPING WORMS & THEIR EUROPEAN COUSINS IN MINNESOTA: STATUS, IDENTIFICATION, SPREAD, IMPACTS, & RESPONSE

AUG

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Join us on the University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus mall for a discussion about

jumping worms and the threat they pose to native ecosystems, the green industry, and designed landscapes.

University of Minnesota, St. Paul Campus ➽ MNLA.biz

MNLA SHOOTOUT

SEPT

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

The Annual Shootout is a fundraiser to support Scholarships! Enjoy a 75- round course overlooking fall colors. The difficulty level is FUN! Game Unlimited Hunting Club, Hudson, WI ➽MNLA.biz

PESTICIDE RECERTIFICATION

NOV

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

Upon MDA approval, this workshop meets MDA’s Commercial Pesticide Applicator Recertification requirements for Categories A (Core), E (Turf & Ornamentals), and optional Category L (Mosquito, Black Fly, Tick Control) Roseville Skating Center, Roseville, MN ➽MNLA.biz

NORTHERN GREEN 2022

JAN

11 –13

Save the dates for the premier event for green industry professionals in the northern region. Exhibit booths are available.

Minneapolis Convention Center ➽NorthernGreen.org.

The Scoop, August 2021, Issue 8 is issued monthly, 12 times per year. All original works, articles or formats published in The Scoop are © Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association, 2021, and may not be used without written permission of MNLA, 1813 Lexington Ave N., Roseville, MN 55113. Subscription price is $99 for one year, which is included with member dues. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Scoop, MNLA, 1813

2021 MNLA seminars generously supported by:

Lexington Ave N., Roseville, MN 55113.

Editorial Contributions. You are invited to share your expertise and perspective. Article ideas and manuscripts

WHOLESALE NURSERY & HARDSCAPES

Your Trusted Partner

should, whenever possible, reflect real and specific experiences. When submitting an article, please contact the publisher at jon@mnla.biz or 651-633-4987. MNLA



reserves the right to edit all Scoop content.

➽Information on industry events: MNLA.biz/events. Free member-only videos: MNLA.biz/OnlineEducation.

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MNLA.BIZ august 21

Business

 Skills Training

 Networking



Leadership Development

General

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TM

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

MNLA Appreciates YOU Cassie Larson

MNLA Executive Director

Every year in August we take time to pause and say THANKS to all those who support the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association.

Members support the association with time, talent, and

monetary contributions — all of which are important to maintain a strong and healthy association.

So, to those who have…

• Continued to renew their membership • Placed an advertisement in the Scoop or online • Attended or sponsored an event • Donated to the MNLA Foundation • Served on the Board of Directors • Newly joined • Responded to a legislative alert • Received or renewed their MNLA Certified Professional status • Volunteered on a committee or task team • Submitted an article for the Scoop • Attended Northern Green

• Hosted or participated in a networking event • Attended Day on the Hill or contacted their legislator • Submitted an application to the Landscape Awards program • Purchased a vehicle through the MNLA fleet program • Convinced a colleague to join For all of this and so much more, we celebrate you and your contributions to the green industry! Thanks for all you do to support MNLA and ensure the profession remains strong into the future.

As a small token of our thanks, please plan to stop by the MNLA office on August 18, 2021 for hot dogs, chips, soda, and more! And, back by popular demand, the MNLA Night at the Saints Game returns on the same date.

Details regarding both events can be found on page 60.

Hope to see you there!

➽ MNLA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CASSIE LARSON can be reached at 651-633-4987 or cassie@mnla.biz.

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MNLA.BIZ august 21

PAIN? Do Plants Feel

Faith Appelquist Tree Quality LLC

Thorns on a honeylocust deter large animals, such as mastodons, from damaging the tree. Pain is adaptive. Why would a tree defend itself if it didn’t suffer?

If plants are sensitive enough to identify nibbling insects (aphids) by their saliva, then send aerial messages to beneficial insects (ladybugs) to fight them off, why couldn’t they feel a chain saw or a lopper?

“THE QUESTION IS NOT CAN THEY REASON NOR CAN THEY TALK BUT CAN THEY SUFFER?”

iStock.com/Artzone

Jeremy Bentham, English philosopher 1748–1832

Beeches, spruce, and oaks all respond as soon as some creature starts nibbling on them. When a caterpillar takes a hearty bite out of a leaf, the tissue around the site of the damage changes. The leaf tissue sends out electrical signals, just as human tissue does when it is hurt.

What’s more, when plants are injured or stressed, they produce a chemical — ethylene — that works as an anesthetic on animals.

Plants have all the senses animals have: touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste. Plants can also tell time, remember, and know their kin.

Trees in a forest convey warnings of insect attacks, and also deliver carbon, nitrogen, and water to other trees in need. Plants evolved over 400 million years ago, eons before humans ever walked on the earth.

If plants are aware, why couldn’t they feel pain?

Yet finding out that plants respond to pain would have wide-ranging moral implications for human behavior, including land development, farming, vegetarianism, and more. If plants feel pain, then do we owe them moral consideration? We live in a world where we must eat other organisms.

We may never determine with certainty whether plants feel pain or whether their perception of injury is sufficiently like that of animals

to be called by the same word. But if we consider plants sensitive and intelligent beings, we are obliged to treat them with some degree of respect. That means protecting their habitats from destruction and avoiding practices such as genetic manipulation, growing plants in monocultures, and training them in pollarding.

Descartes was widely vilified for his justification of practices like animal vivisection. His views on consciousness allowed him to rationalize away the barks and yelps of living dogs as they were cut open for experiments. So, he dismissed their screams and howls as mere reflexes, as meaningless physiological noise. Could it be remotely possible that we are now making the same mistake with plants? If plants are conscious, then, yes, they should feel pain. If you don’t feel pain, you ignore danger and you don’t survive.

➽ FAITH APPELQUIST is an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist, an ISA Municipal Specialist MN, and an ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist®. Faith can be reached at faith@treequality.com. august 21 MNLA.BIZ

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MEMBER PROFILE

TWIN CITY Member Profile:

LAWN MAINTENANCE

Katie Mills Giorgio

Left: Circular raised patio in progress. Above: A beautiful green lawn with a nice mowing pattern.

COMPANY SNAPSHOT Company Name: Twin City Lawn Maintenance Owner: Tony Yost Date Company started: 1997 Location: Shoreview, MN Number of employees in peak season: 2 Areas Served: St. Paul and suburbs Member Category: Hardscape Contractor, Landscape Contractor, Landscape Management (including Lawn Care), Snow Plowing

TONY YOST HAS BEEN MOWING LAWNS AND SHOVELING SNOW SINCE HE WAS IN GRADE SCHOOL. But over the years, he’s been able to build a successful lawn maintenance business that keeps him especially busy through the warm weather months.

Even after two decades as an official business owner, he still loves heading out every day and mowing lawns. “I take pride in my work and the fact that I am leaving the customer's property, whether it be landscaping or lawn mowing, looking better than before I got there – or better than before they hired me. Lawn guys can be kind of goofy, because we take pride in nice patterns on the lawn,” he laughed. “But I also appreciate the flexibility in taking care of my customers and working for myself.” We sat down to talk with Tony about how he runs his business and why he’s a big advocate for joining MNLA, even as a very small operation.

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MNLA.BIZ august 21

Jared Yost (on the mower) and Tony Yost (with the trimmer).

Q. So what do you focus on at Twin City Lawn Maintenance?

A. We do a lot of mowing. Usually we try to mow four days a week, and sometimes when it’s the rainy season we will have to be mowing five days a week. Two days a week we reserve for landscaping work, chemical application, and things like that. We mow about 100 lawns a week right now.

Q. What is one element of your business operations that you feel makes Twin City Lawn Maintenance successful?

A. I still go out and physically do the mowing myself. I’ve always said it’s kind of easy work, you know, you’re just using machines. I can envision myself doing this a lot longer than lifting super heavy blocks building a retaining wall. We do that work, too, but I enjoy the mowing. And I appreciate the repetitive nature of this business. I know if I sign a customer up in April I know I can count on eight months of invoices for that customer.

I’ve heard a lot of people say, you know, I don’t like mowing because I can do better incomewise doing other things. And I think it’s because they’re sending employees out there and the employees aren’t always going to be working at the capacity that they would if the owner was standing there watching them. I’ve always had a full-time employee and they are doing the work right alongside me. I’m doing the same thing they’re doing, so I think I tend to kind of figure out what works and what doesn’t because I’m there on the job site and not just sending employees out.

Above: A before shot of an old red timber wall. Below: After with new concrete wall and fresh sod being laid down.

Q. So you really have first-hand knowledge of the work you do. How does this help you work creatively or innovate?

A. With me using the equipment every day and seeing what needs to be done, I’ve tried to become very efficient so we can get as much work done as possible in the shortest amount of time. I do have friends that tease me and ask why I do or don’t do some things or why I don’t invest in a certain piece of equipment. But if I’m not going to use it every day I can’t justify the cost. One example of our creativity is I designed these little flaps that go on the lawn mower that block all the grass that comes out. So, if I’m going by a sidewalk I’ll flip it down while mowing next to it. So when we are done with the job I likely won’t have to blow the sidewalks. I’ll see other guys out there with backpack blowers and for me that would be wasting time.

Q. What value do you place on customer service?

A. I always tell people that I will be right on site. If there’s a problem they can call me or text me or email me, and they get to deal directly with me. They will see me doing the work all summer instead of different crews coming out. So I get to know their property. I have multiple customers that have been with me for twenty-five years and that means a lot.

Q. How did you get involved with MNLA and why has that become important to you?

A. In 2015 I was looking at buying a truck and a friend of mine told me MNLA offered

a fleet discount. I looked into it and it was a no-brainer to pay the dues to become a member and then get a really big discount on a vehicle. And then when the pandemic hit and the state shut down the lawn and landscape businesses I was glad to see MNLA advocating for us, sending out emails, starting a Facebook group to support us and to let us know what they were doing on our behalf. They were taking action to get us back to work, but they also helped us understand the need for patience. That really sold me on the organization and how it benefits us as members. Since then I’ve been telling all my friends in the lawn care business that they should really join, and not just for a discount on a truck, but because MNLA is getting involved in government affairs on our behalf and that affects us all at some point. Then I ended up volunteering and am now on the communications committee. I’m excited to see where that leads.

Q. That’s a great point about the benefits of membership. Any other advice you would offer to other MNLA members?

A. If other members can at least tell a couple of friends that they know aren’t part of MNLA yet I think it would definitely benefit all of us.

If we want to be treated like professionals, having somebody like MNLA behind you is beneficial. ➽ INTERESTED IN BEING PROFILED IN THE SCOOP? Our writer is always looking for a good story. Email jon@mnla.biz to be considered for inclusion. august 21 MNLA.BIZ

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There’s still time to register and take in the tremendous VALUE that Northern Green Virtual has to offer. Learn about trends in the Green Industry, and the new equipment and materials available to improve your operations. Check out these sessions available now on www.NorthernGreenVirtual.org!

 LEARNING NEW

TRENDS The Green Industry in 2021: Will it be 2020 2.0?

In this session, CHARLIE HALL discusses the current economic conditions, the status of the lingering effects of COVID-19, and the outlook for spring 2021. He also incorporates the structural changes already brought about

by C-19 and the business responses (key success factors) for success in the green industry marketplace. Are you trying to determine your best path forward? Then you do not want to miss this session!

New and Underused Perennials and Grasses Tried and new, see which plants have stood the test of time and which will likely survive and thrive in the gardens of the Midwest. Gain insight from a grower and breeder of hardy perennials with 29 years of experience and a wide variety of tastes when it comes to plants.

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Landscape Lighting Design Ideas & Elements Experts from the field go over professional landscape lighting design and why there is a need for outdoor lighting as well as lighting design concepts. Additionally, we discuss the difference between good lighting and great lighting. Please join us to UP your lighting game.

The Plant Parenting Revolution: Connect & Cultivate Houseplant Trends to Maximize Retail Sales The zeitgeist of nurturing ownership, thoughtful collecting, and creative display is in full bloom in the world of houseplant hobbyists. Houseplants, both old and new, are hot again with homeowners, apartment & dorm dwellers, and at the office. Succulents, orchids, and unusual foliage plants fill the feeds of millions of social media users.

Indoor edible and ornamental gardening is gaining momentum. More than simply looking for ways to bring nature indoors, or grow their own food, people are also looking to collect, connect, and nurture. This session covers current growing plant-keeping trends, the future of the houseplant craze, current and future popular plants + sales & marketing opportunities and strategies for independent garden centers.

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY:

WHOLESALE NURSERY & HARDSCAPES

Your Trusted Partner

INVASIVE SPECIES

MDA WEED OF THE MONTH

VINING MILKWEEDS AND ROUGH POTATO Christina Basch Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Rough potato smothering fence and trees.

There are over 2,900 described species in

Bob Dunning, Stearns County

the milkweed family. Minnesota is home

Rough potato flowers.

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MNLA.BIZ august 21

to 14 native milkweeds, all of which are herbaceous perennials. In the summer of 2020, a vining milkweed was discovered along the Lake Wobegon Trail by a University of Minnesota Extension Master Naturalist. Though species of non-native vining milkweeds had been documented in Minnesota, this new infestation turned out to be rough potato (Metaplexis japonica).

Rough potato is a vining milkweed species from northeastern Asia. Vines are herbaceous and regrow from their roots every year. Flowers are a showy magenta, with five petals that curve along the edges. Flowering occurs from July to September, and hairs are present along the petals and vines.

Leaves are opposite, heart shaped, and 3–5 inches long. Vines can grow up to 25 feet long, twine with each other, and climb adjacent vegetation and

structures. Rough potato produces a fruit similar to common milkweed fruit pods.

Rough potato has only been reported once previously in the United States during the 1950s in Ames, Iowa. It is not a commonly sold plant in the United States, and it’s uncertain how it arrived in Minnesota. Missouri Botanical Gardens state that rough potato does best in USDA Zones 6b-8, yet it was discovered thriving in Holdingford, Minn. (Zone 3b). While a formal risk assessment has not been conducted yet, the vine is similar to another vining milkweed, black swallow-wort, which is a Prohibited Eradicate Noxious Weed.

Black and pale swallow-worts are toxic to monarch butterflies and are believed to have contributed to the population decline in the eastern United States. It is unknown what effects established rough potato populations will have on already declining monarch

Courtesy the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Courtesy the Minnesota Department of Agriculture

populations. Given the observed infestation severity, we recommend not purchasing and planting this species to allow time for a risk assessment to be conducted. If you suspect you have found rough potato, note the exact location with the address or GPS coordinates. If it is possible, take digital photos of the flower, vine, leaves, and fruit and email them to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) for identification.

Infestations can be reported to one of two places: The MDA by email at arrest.the.pest@ state.mn.us or voicemail at 1-888-5456684 Directly to EDDMapS through the EDDMapS app on a smartphone or tablet, or at EDDMapS.org Rough potato leaves and fruit.

august 21 MNLA.BIZ

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TRAINING RETAIL EMPLOYEES: WHAT IS YOUR ROI? Bob Phibbs

iStock.com/Radachynskyi

The Retail Doctor

iStock.com/Radachynskyi

TRAINING

WHETHER THEY’RE WITH YOU FOR A WEEK OR A LIFETIME, YOUR SALESPEOPLE ARE THE PUBLIC FACE OF YOUR BUSINESS.

“What if I train my retail employees, and then they leave?”

It seems like every time I hear from a manager who’s trying to talk themselves out of retail sales training, they come around to this line of thinking. They’re afraid of spending the time and money to train their employees, just to have the employee leave a few weeks or months later. On its face, that seems like a valid concern. You certainly don’t want to invest a lot of money in short-term employees.

However, that thinking is flawed, and overlooks a far more important question…

“What if you don’t train them, and they stay?”

Whether they’re with you for a week or a lifetime, your salespeople are the public face of your business. They interact with your customers every day. Every person who walks into your store will leave with whatever impressions your employees give them—and they’ll share those impressions with everyone they know. You know all of that… I hope.

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MNLA.BIZ august 21

Do you believe that foregoing retail sales training will save you money in the long run?

The problem a lot of people have is that they look at retail sales training as an expense.

You don’t calculate the ROI of an expense; you just pay it. Retail sales training is and must be viewed as, an investment in the longterm prosperity of your business.

There are a huge number of factors that can go into your ROI calculation. For now, let’s keep it simple. We’ll take your cost of training and subtract it from what you can expect your salesperson to make after training.

Full-Time Employee ROI Assuming that it takes about twenty hours to train a salesperson, and you’re paying them $10 per hour, you’ll be into the training for about $200. With a modest twenty percent increase in sales after training, a salesperson who made ten sales a week will now be making twelve. At $50 per sale, that puts your payoff time at about two weeks. That leaves

you fifty weeks of added profits that would add up to over five thousand dollars in the first year. And all of that is based on a minimal training investment with a modest return.

Studies have shown that higher investments in training will yield higher returns.

Part-Time Employee ROI A part-time employee — working twenty hours a week at $10 per hour — will still put you out about $200 for training. Using the same rough numbers from above, you should be able to expect their sales numbers to rise from five to six per week. That puts your training payoff time about a month out and leaves you eleven months to profit from the increased sales. That’s an eleven-fold return on your investment in the first year alone.

Commissioned Sales ROI Many commissioned employees are paid a minimum wage during training. This can give you a little more bang for your buck when it comes to retail sales training. Since your

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      Lost a Sale?

It All Started with How You Greeted Your Customer Bob Phibbs, The Retail Doctor Greeting a customer is the most important thing you can do right... or wrong in a brick and mortar retail store. I’ll cover that shortly, but first picture it ...

You and your custom motorcycle hurtle down Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. You turn around at the intersection and stop in front of an apartment building. You grab your precious cargo — two extra-large meat lovers’ pizzas with extra cheese and extra sausage and hurry into the building. Within moments you have bounded to the second floor to knock on your friend’s door 20 minutes before the start of the game – the semifinals of the NCAA Division I basketball tournament. No one answers.

You can hear the TV on, but no one comes to the door. You wait, then cautiously enter, and see two of your friends talking. They stop and notice you, but go on talking. You shut the door, take off your leather jacket, and go up to them.

“Hey,” one says and looks past you. The other looks at the counter and yells, “Hey the pizza is here!” and they all run over as if you weren’t there. How would you feel? Well, that’s how first-timers might feel entering your store or showroom when they are ignored.

That’s how many salespeople ultimately lose sales opportunities.

If a friend knocked on your front door, how would you answer? “May I help you?”, “I’ll be with you in a minute?”, “Finding everything ok?”, of course not! Yet, the curt actions of poor clerks often give that message. As their excuse for not greeting a customer, some trainees tell me, “But I don’t like to be bothered when I shop. I like to be left alone.”

Well introvert, retail is not about what you want. It is about what customers want. Leaving the shopper alone costs your company big money. 80% of customers never return to businesses due to perceived indifference from staff. 80% want to be noticed. 100% want a friendly greeting.

Greeting anyone with “Good afternoon, welcome to (your store name). Feel free to look around and I’ll be right back,” is not pushy, it’s good manners and the first step to making a successful sale. Doing it within 15 seconds is the best (that’s not that long — try counting as you walk into your store.)

Sometimes brick and mortar employees size up the shopper long before they actually say anything to them. I used to have an employee like this — he felt he could “read” everyone and if they were just looking, he’d let someone else wait on them. It would be like the hostess of your local diner giving the Prime Rib menu to only those she felt could afford it, while the others got the menu with hot dogs.

If you’re with a shopper and another walks in, first ask the person you’re helping, “Would you mind if I greet this person, I’ll be right back?”

Any reasonable person will say, “Yes.” When you meet the new customer, greet her with, “Good morning! Welcome to (your store name). While I’m with another person right now, please look around and I’ll be right back.”

No reasonable person will be offended, and you can go back to your first shopper. The person who entered can relax and look around and the first shopper doesn’t feel you abandoned them.

In Sum

The best salespeople make big sales by developing warm relationships that start with a friendly greeting. Whether they are white, black, straight, gay, single, a couple, a mom, etc.

They’re all purple and their money is green.

If you don’t use retail sales training to master this first step properly — greeting shoppers like they are coming to your home — your brick and mortar employees often make their job much harder. Learning how to greet customers in retail should be a given.

DON’T GET CAUGHT UP ON THESE EXAMPLES; PLUG IN YOUR OWN NUMBERS TO SEE WHAT YOU REASONABLY COULD EXPECT. AND DON’T FORGET TO FACTOR IN THE HIGHER RETURNS, REPLACEMENTS, AND DISCOUNTS UNTRAINED EMPLOYEES OFTEN BRING TO YOUR SALES.

initial investment is lower, you can reasonably expect your ROI to be higher.

Instead of starting off with a $200 expense, you’ll only have paid something like $145. It’s also not unreasonable to expect your commissioned salespeople to be performing at a higher level, to begin with. For those who live by their sales, let’s again assume a low fifteen weekly sales.

After training, a twenty-percent increase would put that figure at eighteen – or, an extra $150 per week. The first week after training, your program will have paid for itself, and then some. In the remaining fifty-one weeks, you’ll make nearly $8,000 in additional sales! That’s not bad for an initial investment of less than $150.

In Sum Don’t get caught up on these examples; plug in your own numbers to see what you reasonably could expect. And don’t forget to factor in the higher returns, replacements, and discounts untrained employees often bring to your sales. Retail sales training is the most profitable ROI you can make besides owning your own building. The key is to challenge your assumptions that training is an expense, not an income generator. Change your thinking, train your employees, and you’ll discover the ROI for all your employees can’t be beat. ➽ BOB PHIBBS, The Retail Doctor, is a nationally recognized business strategist, customer service expert, sales coach, marketing mentor, and retail author. To learn exactly how to provide retail sales training in a system that is easy to duplicate and train, contact Bob at www.RetailDoc.com.

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MNLA.BIZ august 21

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DROUGHT Persistent

CONDITIONS

Dr. James Calkins Research Information Director Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association Foundation

James Calkins

Figure 1. As a consequence of the warmer than normal temperatures experienced earlier this month and below average precipitation, many lawns in the upper Midwest have gone dormant and look like this. Although it is better to allow turf to remain dormant until drought conditions improve, some water is needed to keep the crowns alive.

AS DRY CONDITIONS EXTEND INTO SUMMER, here are watering guidelines for established and newly-planted trees and shrubs.

There is always a danger in writing an article

iStock.com/chonticha wat

like this because meteorological conditions

can change rapidly. But, as most nursery and landscape professionals and homeowners are well aware, most non-irrigated Minnesota lawns and landscapes showed distinct and increasing signs of drought stress this year, and in some cases significant stress. Drought is perhaps the most common stress experienced by plants and this year is no exception.

Limited precipitation combined with an extended period of record warm temperatures during the first half of June that were unusual for the time of year are the cause.

As a result, most of the lawns in my neighborhood at the end of June were more brown than green, and in some cases, even the weeds were showing signs of drought stress.

And the August-like, straw-colored turf in many yards across Minnesota and neighboring states, is supported by the latest Drought Monitor reports that document the impacts of below average rainfall across Minnesota and most of the upper Midwest this spring

and early summer. At the same time, flooding rains have been the norm south of us along a stalled front extending from southeastern New Mexico to southeastern Michigan; a trend that is predicted to continue.

In addition to turf, other plants are also showing signs of drought stress like the ostrich ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris), hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.), mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum), and bleeding hearts (Lamprocapnos spectabilis; formerly Dicentra spectabilis) growing in my yard. The fronds of many of the ostrich ferns in drier locations have dried to a greenish tan with only the central rachis containing moisture, while some of the hydrangeas have wilted and the mayapples and bleeding hearts are quickly and prematurely going dormant in response to the persistent, abnormally dry conditions.

It is also not unusual to see signs of drought stress on plantain lilies (Hosta spp.) growing in sunny exposures. And in some areas, and especially on sandier soils and high spots in fields, corn and soybeans are also showing signs of stress as are trees and shrubs in residential and commercial landscapes. And given the prevailing, low soil moisture levels, even plants that are not showing obvious signs of drought stress at this time are likely still experiencing stress. In the short term, watering drought-stressed plants and

mulching to conserve moisture is the logical solution to help alleviate drought stress and keep landscapes looking good. In the longer term, replacing drought sensitive plants with species that are more drought tolerant may also be a wise decision.

The U.S. Drought Monitor report released on Thursday, June 24 confirmed the ongoing drought and showed that drought conditions got worse since the report on June 17th. Based on the most recent data, 100% of Minnesota is experiencing abnormally dry conditions, 75% of the state is experiencing moderate drought, and 14% is experiencing severe drought conditions. Soil moisture is low, fire danger is high, flows in many streams are near the record lows experienced in 1988, and a number of cities in the Twin Cities metro area have implemented watering bans in response to record demands for water.

Although near normal temperatures and precipitation are predicted in the short term, such conditions are not likely to alleviate the existing soil moisture deficits. The Drought Monitor is a joint effort of the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC; University of Nebraska-Lincoln), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Current maps for the United States, Minnesota, and Wisconsin (as well as other states) august 21 MNLA.BIZ

27

DROUGHT

James Calkins

are available at the following links and are updated each week on Thursdays: • United States Map – Current Map | U.S. Drought Monitor (unl.edu) / https:// droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ • Minnesota Map – Minnesota | Drought. gov / https://www.drought.gov/states/ minnesota • Wisconsin Map – Wisconsin | Drought. gov / https://www.drought.gov/states/ wisconsin Given the dry conditions, this is a good time to assess the moisture status of landscape plants and consider current and future irrigation needs.

James Calkins

Figure 2. Although they are still green, even tough weeds like blackseed plantain (Plantago rugelii), dandelions (Taraxacum officinale), and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus cornuculatus) in this poorly managed turf are showing signs of drought stress in some lawns.

James Calkins

Figure 3. Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), a native woodland perennial (spring ephemeral), showing signs of drought stress and early senescence.

Figure 4. An ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) showing signs of drought stress. Such plants are unlikely to die unless drought conditions become very extreme but will not be very attractive for the rest of the growing season.

28

MNLA.BIZ august 21

Watering Guidelines for Lawns Specific to lawns, remember that while Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), the dominant turfgrass species in most Minnesota lawns, can be quite drought tolerant once established, becoming straw-colored and going dormant during dry periods as a survival mechanism, it will need to be watered if drought conditions persist or it will die. In general, Kentucky bluegrass needs 1.0 to 1.5" of water per week, including precipitation, to stay green and healthy. To reduce stress during dry periods, increase mowing height to between three and four inches, water deeply and uniformly but avoid runoff, avoid fertilizing, applying herbicides, aerating, and dethatching, and water early in the morning to minimize disease and evaporative losses. For turf that has gone dormant in response to drought conditions, limit traffic (including mowing) to minimize damage to leaves and crowns and irrigate with 0.25 to 0.5 inches of water every two to four weeks to keep the turf crowns hydrated. In the future, when establishing new lawns or replacing an existing lawn, consider using more drought tolerant turf selections.

Watering Woody Plants Don’t forget woody plants; even though it may take longer for obvious symptoms to occur, they can suffer drought stress and require supplemental irrigation during dry periods, too. And remember that newly planted trees and shrubs need more frequent watering than established trees and shrubs. New plantings should, of course, be watered well at the time of planting and then daily to every other day or so depending on site conditions for the next few weeks, being careful not to overwater depending on the soil and weather conditions. Thereafter, watering every two to

BE AWARE THAT IT TAKES TIME FOR NEWLY PLANTED LANDSCAPE PLANTS TO BECOME ESTABLISHED; OFTEN MORE TIME THAN MIGHT BE EXPECTED.

three days for about three months and then weekly as needed until the plants are established should generally be sufficient.

Be aware that it takes time for newly planted landscape plants to become established; often more time than might be expected. For most trees, the first three years after planting are the most critical but larger trees tend to experience more transplant stress and will take more time to become established.

Research indicates that it will typically take one year or more per inch of trunk diameter for newly planted trees to become established in USDA Cold Hardiness Zones 2–6. Keeping this timeframe in mind and as a general rule, apply at least two gallons of water to the root ball and backfill area for each inch of trunk diameter measured six inches above the soil and be sure to also keep the surrounding backfill moist to encourage root growth into the surrounding soil. The radius of the area watered should be increased by about 18 inches each year to account for root growth and the volume of water applied should, of course, also be increased. For example, it will take about three years for a newly planted tree with a trunk diameter of three inches to become established and about two gallons of water should be applied to the root zone at each watering while a 6-inch diameter tree may take nine years or more to become established and will require about nine gallons of water at each watering if additional water does not come in the form of precipitation.

For newly planted shrubs, apply a volume of water equal to about ¼ to 1⁄3 the volume of the root ball (i.e., container) at the time of planting and, once again, increase the area watered and volume of water applied over time.

For trees and shrubs, avoid competition with turf and weeds for water and nutrients by mulching. Do not pile the mulch up around and against the trunks of trees (i.e., volcano mulching) as is too often seen, even in landscapes that are maintained by alleged professionals who should know better.

Urban and Suburban Considerations Established trees and other landscape plants need water too and especially in urban and

suburban landscapes where temperatures tend to be higher in response to extensive hardscapes and heat island effects, where soils are typically compacted, graded to move water away from structures, and lower in organic matter, resulting in reduced water infiltration and soil water recharge and increased runoff, and where soil volumes are often limited (a condition that should be avoided but is still too often the case). And don’t forget boulevard trees which are often in especially stressful locations. They are important components of community forests and the cost to water them when needed is minimal and especially when compared to the benefits they will provide if maintained such that they survive and grow to a larger size.

The amount of water a tree will need when the water provided by Mother Nature is insufficient will depend on the species and size of the tree, the characteristics of the soil the tree is growing in (e.g., soil texture — sandy versus clay at the extremes, organic matter content, compaction), and location. And, of course, these factors are just as important for shrubs and other types of landscape plants. At minimum water the area within the drip line and a 2-inch caliper tree will need about twenty gallons of water each week. Larger trees will of course require more water.

Watering Best Practices Water early in the day before temperatures warm and wind velocities increase to reduce losses from evaporation and help ensure more water gets to the plants and water deeply to ensure water gets down to the roots and to promote deeper rooting. And don’t forget plants growing in containers which are especially susceptible to drying out quickly and may need watering daily or even more than once a day if the containers are small and the plants pot/rootbound. Remember, too, that the color (dark vs. light colored), composition (porous clay or wood vs. plastic, resin, or glazed ceramics), and exposure of containers (sunny vs. shady locations) will also influence water loss and water requirements.

And while watering is an important maintenance practice and is especially critical

during periods of drought, be careful not to water too often, especially on poorly drained soils, as saturated soil excludes oxygen and roots need oxygen. Allow sufficient time for soils to drain and check moisture levels before watering. If needed, continue watering until the soil freezes in the fall/early winter.

For addition information and detail about watering trees and shrubs, the following University of Minnesota Extension resources may be of interest: • Watering Newly Planted Trees and Shrubs; Watering newly planted trees and shrubs | UMN Extension / https://extension. umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/ watering-newly-planted-trees-and-shrubs • Watering Established Trees and Shrubs; Watering established trees and shrubs | UMN Extension / https://extension.umn. edu/planting-and-growing-guides/watering-established-trees-and-shrubs#howmuch-water-to-use-1261761 Even if conditions change and Mother Nature provides rain, supplemental irrigation may still be needed depending on plant needs, site-specific conditions, and how much precipitation is received and how much is lost to runoff if it comes faster that it can infiltrate into the soil. With precipitation deficits of nearly three inches or more across most of the state, it will take time to make up the current shortfall and recharge soil moisture.

Fortunately, near normal temperatures and precipitation are forecast in the short term, but even if these predictions hold true such conditions will not alleviate the current moisture deficits; above average precipitation will be needed to accomplish that. Believe it or not, it has decided to rain as I’m finishing up this article. Maybe the trend is changing; but if not, the three-tenths of an inch received is not going to do much for the straw-colored lawns in my neighborhood.

➽ To comment on this research update, suggest research topics of interest, or pass along a piece of research-based information that might be of interest to your industry colleagues, please email us at Research@MNLA.biz.

august 21 MNLA.BIZ

29

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

The Minnesota House Celebrates Pollinator Week Forrest Cyr

MNLA Director of Government Affairs

Pollinator Week was observed June 21–June 27, and the Minnesota House of Representatives celebrated by distributing pollinator-friendly plants to each member of the lower chamber to bring attention to the importance of pollinators, the declining bee populations statewide, and ongoing state-led efforts to protect these essential members of the ecosystem.

This event was led by Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL, South Saint Paul)

the Chair of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee (pictured below), and bipartisan members of his committee, including GOP lead, Josh Heintzeman (R, Nisswa). The Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association applauds the House of Representatives for their efforts and coordination and recognizes the entire Minnesota Legislature for funding important pollinator protection projects in the state’s 2022-2023 budget, which was finalized during a two-week special session in late June.

On June 22, 2021, Rep. Hansen and his bipartisan group of colleagues dedicated to protecting pollinators distributed 150 pollinator plants to members of the MN House of Representatives to celebrate National Pollinator Week. The pollinator plants were purchased from Bachman’s of Minneapolis, MN, and Glacial Ridge Growers of Prior Lake, MN. Rep. Hansen highlighted the importance of pollinators to agriculture, horticulture, and Minnesota’s ecosystem, and coordinated with the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association’s Government Affairs Committee, association staff, and leadership at Bachman’s to find the plants for the event and to ensure that the plants distributed were Minnesota-native plants and friendly to pollinators such as bees, butterflies, bats, and birds.

Pollinator Week occurred during the middle of the special legislative session. Members of both the House and the Senate worked around the clock to assemble, debate, and pass the state’s budget, a task that wasn’t completed during the regular legislative session. Once finalized, the 30

MNLA.BIZ august 21

Now Open!

Colored Mulches Natural Mulches Rep. Rick Hansen with pollinator-friendly plants!

POLLINATOR WEEK OCCURRED DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

budget included funding for programs to protect Minnesota’s natural resources. The legislature continues to work to protect pollinators in Minnesota, and MNLA is committed to working with our partners in the Minnesota House and Senate to protect pollinators.

Through the funding of vital programs that preserve and expand pollinator habitats, fund research into pollinator and bee protection, and provide grants to homeowners looking to establish pollinator-friendly yards, the legislature continues to work to protect pollinators statewide.

Following an hours-long debate on the state’s budget on the floor of the House of Representatives, members of the House Environment and Natural Resources Finance Committee from both the House DFL and House GOP caucuses distributed the plants to their colleagues, followed by a floor speech

by Rep. Rick Hansen commemorating Pollinator Week, highlighting the important work being done to protect pollinators in Minnesota, and thanking various groups, including Bachman’s, Glacial Ridge, and MNLA for their help in organizing the event. MNLA is committed to working with all stakeholders to continue to protect pollinators and expand pollinator habitats.

➽ TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW YOUR INVOLVEMENT in advocacy can help your business and the green industry in Minnesota, contact Forrest Cyr at

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It takes a lot of time to prepare a winning Landscape Awards entry. Is it worth it? We think so. Even if you don’t win, building your photo 20 22 library for an entry gives you more content for your marketing. Plus, the feedback you’ll receive from the judges can provide opportunities to improve professionally. Your team will have a chance to discuss the comments on your project, and compare your work to others by utilizing the project binders at the Landscape Awards Display at Northern Green. The value of this program goes beyond winning an award, but should you win you’ll be able to: • Boost your marketing. We’ll provide you with artwork to use in your promotional pieces.

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CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT

Job Description 8.75” Chevy Retail Planning Flyer 11.25” Bleed Trim 8.5” x x11” 8.75” x 11.25” Chevrolet, 50Bleed & Cedar, Box 965, Trim Live 8.5” 8.25”x x11” 10.75”

Publications None

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Job # GMC1-12-03178 Job # GMC1-12-03178 Job Description Chevy Retail Planning Flyer JobJob #Description GMC1-12-03178

PROMASTER VANS IN STOCK! Vehicles ready for work at a moment’s notice.

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John Zadurski 952-469-6818 jzadurski@jeffbelzer.com

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2021 Summer Trials

REPORT

Alisha Asleson BFG Supply

HELD AT THE END OF JUNE, THE 2021 CALIFORNIA SUMMER TRIALS (FORMERLY CALIFORNIA SPRING TRIALS) IS WHERE THE HORTICULTURE INDUSTRY CELEBRATES ITS LOVE FOR NEW PLANTS. THIS PRIMARILY OUTDOOR EVENT ALLOWED BROKERS TO REVIEW FLORICULTURAL INNOVATIONS WHILE

iStock.com/Povareshka

ALLOWING BREEDERS TO SHOWCASE THEIR FULL LINEUP OF NEW GENETICS.

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SUMMER TRIALS

hew! What a world we live in! I found myself saying this quite a bit the past 15 months and I do not believe that I will retire that saying anytime soon. Nothing seems to surprise me anymore in the world of plants, and consumers are as enthusiastic as ever. The lineup of new plants for this upcoming year is quite the class.

There are fun new additions to traditional genetic lines and new genera for others.

I have chosen a few of my favorites to highlight; lets dive in.

Benary®

Begonia Nonstop® Joy Orange, Red and

Rose Picotee: Who doesn’t love a good Non-

stop®? They are known for their outstanding semi-trailing habit and suited well for patio pots and baskets. Consumers love them for their single and double blooms that produce all summer long. Rose Picotee is replacing Rose Petticoat.

Marigold Super Hero Deep Orange: The orange coloring on this one is exceptional.

This series is earlier to flower with a clean and stable flower pattern. Like with a lot of other new introductions, this one is earlier to flower than others with a compact habit.

Danziger

Bacopa Scopia® Gulliver™ Compact Blush:

Great addition to the ever-popular series. Large cascading blush-colored flowers are ideal for container pots and hanging baskets. This plant boasts a controlled habit that makes a great component in combinations and can be grown in quart or gallon containers on the bench.

NEWS & NOTES

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MNLA.BIZ august 21

Landscape Alternatives Brochure Available from MIPN

board of directors of

members, including

maple and burning

landscapes. Minnesota

the Midwest Invasive

a newly-revised

bush are being added

is at the northwest

Plant Network (MIPN),

Landscape Alternatives

to invasive species

corner of MIPN’s

a non-profit whose

brochure, available

and noxious weed

geographic range, so

by Tim Power, MNLA

mission is to reduce

in electronic form at

lists locally and

a few of the invasives

Government Affairs

the impact of invasive

the following link:

regionally and are

and suggested

Consultant

plant species in

https://www.mipn.

addressed in this

alternatives are not

One of the things

the Midwest. MIPN

org/publications or

brochure. Customers

hardy here, but a

I am still doing

(www.mipn.org) has

in hard copy directly

will be looking

surprising number are

in retirement is

developed a number

from MIPN. A few

for alternatives

hardy for us and the

representing the

of products that might

common landscape

to replace these

brochure is both useful

Green Industry on the

be of interest to MNLA

plants like Norway

invasives in their

and well put together.

Osteospermum Osticade™ Daybreak: To be honest, I am normally not a big fan of this genus but, I do like this one!

The Osticade™ series is a controlled, trailing habit that is great for baskets and is an early flowering plant. Usually, if it is blooming on the bench, customers are more likely to buy. There are large coral, beige and terra cotta flowers that are on top of the foliage and are an attractive container component. j Petunia Splash Dance™ Poppin’ Pink: What a fun name to match unique coloring. This is a nicely mounded plant with large flowers. Coloring will vary from flower to flower, so it will always be a surprise! There were others in this series that were introduced last season that were a top seller.

Dümmen Orange®

j Begonia I’Conia® Scentiment Peachy Keen: Talk about a SHOW STOPPER! These luscious blooms are something to stare at. There is a beautiful display of bicolor blooms with single and double flowers. The cherry on the top is the fresh citrus scent.

03 From the brochure:

sold but are still

reasonably easy to

what to do about them,

Many invasive

commonly found in

grow in the region.

or to get an electronic

MNLA Welcomes New Members

woody plants

urban and suburban

The Midwest Invasive

copy of this brochure,

Grand Stone Design;

were purposefully

neighborhoods.

Plant Network also

visit woodyinvasives.

Huskins Properties LLC;

introduced to be grown

Alternatives were

has a free mobile app

org.

JCF Builders, LLC.

in the landscape. This

selected based on

full of information on

brochure provides

shared ornamental

invasive landscape

alternatives to invasive

features, no evidence

plants to avoid,

woody plants still

of spreading from

as well as suitable

found in the trade

cultivation, availability

alternatives. For more

and to invasive plants

from nurseries and

information on woody

that are no longer

garden centers, and

invasive plants and

august 21 MNLA.BIZ

37

SUMMER TRIALS

Begonia I’Conia® Lemon Berry: The upright habit of this plant truly makes it a must buy.

It is great for hanging baskets with smaller flowers than the previous variety, but there is more of them. Just as the name says, there are lemon blooms with touches of pink.

i Salvia Hummingbird Falls: How fun are cascading Salvia baskets? Talk about a hummingbird magnet. This plant is full of vigor with heat-tolerance for harsh conditions. The dark calyces are stunning with vivid-blue blooms that will continue all summer long.

Coleus Main Street Bourbon Street: This one is late to flower and can handle both sun and shade. Beautiful, scalloped edges with bicolor foliage.

PanAmerican Seed®

 Petunia E3 Easy Wave™: When it comes to flowers, it is all about timing. This brand-new Wave® series is more attractive than ever. They are early, efficient and an evolution of this tried-and-true fan favorite.

They are daylength neutral for flowering and are ready for early season sales. They can be grown at lower PGR rates for extraordinary performance.

38

MNLA.BIZ august 21

i Petunia Surprise® Raspberry Jam: What a great mounding habit this plant has. Great for windy conditions and has tremendous vigor.

It is daylength neutral for flowering and is an early bloomer.

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Healthy Soil,

Healthy Plants,

Healthy People.

Look for us at Fall Buying Shows!

Cold Spring, Minnesota

Specializing in: • Professional Growing Mixes • Retail & Private Label Bagged Soils • Bulk & Various Packaging Options

www.MississippiTopsoils.com • 320-685-7676 • brad@mississippitopsoils.com

SUMMER TRIALS

Leucanthemum White Lion: What is the most exciting thing about this plant? It is a zone 3 plant! Can be grown on short days and is for the front of your garden. It only gets to be 8–10" tall and is a first-year flowering perennial.

i Gerbera ColorBloom™ Bicolor Red White: This series was designed for quart production. This series has a uniform habit that is compact and does not require PGR’s. This series flowers 10 days earlier than competitors.

i Marigold Xochi™ Orange: Beautiful F1 introduction that is ideal for cut flower production. This variety has strong stems and a deeper color than other varieties.

Marigolds have an excellent vase life of over 10 days.

Tomato Red Velvet: This plant is a part of the Kitchen Minis® collection. Ideal for quart and 4.5" pots. Maturity from transplant is 70–84 days with a compact determinate habit.

Basil ‘Everleaf Thai Towers’: Well-branched columnar variety with shorter internodes than others on the market.

Ideal for container gardens and in-ground plantings. It has a licorice flavor that compliments well with Thai cuisine.

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MNLA.BIZ august 21

i Pepper Candy Cane Chocolate Cherry: What a way to spice up summer salads! The fruit is striped with chocolate, red, green, and white stripes. It is an early-maturing fruit with a sweet texture and flavor. j Pepper Pot-a-peño: Great cascading habit makes for a great hanging basket. It matures early in 60–65 days from transplanting.

Consumers can harvest them green for a spicy flavor or let them ripen to red for a sweeter taste.

august 21 MNLA.BIZ

41

SUMMER TRIALS

Tomato DarkStar F1: Beefsteak type with an indeterminate habit. Elevate your garden with this heirloom tomato flavor. This variety matures early with a purple, beefsteak fruit.

Grows best in the ground with a cage. j Tomato Loki F1: If you are looking for flavor, look no more! This indeterminate, slicer tomato is jam packed with flavor with high yield performance. Best grown in the ground versus containers.

Proven Winners® Angelonia Angelface® Cascade Snow: Early bloomer that will be ready for spring sales.

Great for hot and humid conditions.

Ageratum Artist® Pearl: Nice mounded habit with lots of floss like flowers. Spent flowers shed quickly which encourages new growth. Height of 8–12" and width of 6–10".

Evolvulus Blue My Mind® XL: Everything you love about this plant, but now 30–50% larger.

Great heat and drought tolerance with true blue flowers. 4–8" high with 12–20" spread.

i Heliotropium Augusta® Lavender: Strong upright habit with lavendar flowers. A little different from the others that are on the market with smaller flower clusters. This is a butterfly magnet! Can tolerate part sun.

Helianthus Suncredible® Saturn™: Who does not love a lovely sunflower? Not me! I love the bicolor yellow and red sunflower coloring that continues to flower into the fall. Very vigorous and grows to be 24–36" high by 20–32" wide.

Great crop for late summer sales.

Petunia Supertunia Vista® Jazzberry™: Similar habit to Vista® Paradise with magenta flowers. Flowers are self-cleaning with an upright, mounded habit. 12–24" high with 24–36" spread.

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MNLA.BIZ august 21

SMSC

Organics Recycling Facility

YARD WASTE

DROP-OFF Visit smcorf.com for commercial services and pricing.

SMSC Organics Recycling facility

smscorf.com 952.233.9191 • Shakopee, MN

MNLA CERTIFICATION

SUMMER TRIALS

WHO | WHEN | WHERE | WHY WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

To register for the exam you must meet the following requirements: • Have either two years of study in an accredited post-secondary nursery and/ or landscape program that includes a structured internship, OR • A minimum of 2,000 hours in nursery or landscape-related employment.

A signature of an educational advisor or work supervisor is required on the exam registration form to verify completion of the prerequisite.

i Salvia Unplugged® Pink: The Unplugged® series is half the size of the Rockin’ series.

Fuschia pink flowers with dark calyxes and a compact, upright habit. 14–30" high by 12–20" wide.

WHY DOES IT BENEFIT ME IN MY CAREER?

N

AL

C

D

O PR

• Identifies you as a professional.

• Gives you credentials TIFIE ER and proves your qualifications.

• Provides you instant credibility with FE SSIO your clients, and increases opportunities for advancement with many employers.

• Demonstrates your commitment to your profession.

• Distinguishes you from the competition.

• Qualifies you to do expert work and give expert advice.

EXAM FORMAT

The exam is given in an electronic format with inline photos and videos and immediate results. It is a two-part exam: you must pass a Basic Knowledge Exam and a specialty of your choosing (Landscape, Garden Center or Grower) to become MNLA Certified.

RECERTIFICATION

To maintain certification status, all individuals must compile at least 18 continuing education points every three years, and pay a $15 recertification fee. NOTE: The recertification process is now done online at www.MNLA.biz.

i Caladium Heart to

Heart® ‘Burning Heart’: This

UPCOMING EXAM DATES

When: Oct. 22, 29 and Nov. 5, 12 Where: The MNLA Classroom 1813 Lexington Ave. N, Roseville, MN 55113 Only seven seats are available for each test date. Please apply early!

HOW TO PREPARE:  ONLINE STUDY CHAPTERS  PRACTICE TEST 44

MNLA.BIZ august 21

i Coleus Colorblaze® El Brighto:

How fun is this tricolor coleus?

It offers a little bit of something for everyone with deep purple, orange, yellow and red foliage.

This variety is disease resistant to downy mildew and has been bred to bloom late. 24–40" high with a spread of 18–36".

fancy leaf variety boasts brick red leaves with coral and pink flecks. One of the taller varieties that gets to be 15–20" high by 10–14" wide. Thrives in full sun.

We are always amazed at the continuing innovation of our industry’s plant breeders. In fact, we couldn’t fit all the plants we wanted to showcase in this issue. Thus, we will conclude Alisha’s report in the September issue of The Scoop.

➽ ALISHA ASLESON can be reached at alisha. asleson@bfgsupply.com.

UPGRADE YOUR EXPERIENCE JANUARY 11-13, 2022

CEO & MGMT. TRACK

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THURSDAY, JAN. 13

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*Requires Wednesday Registration, plus paid upgrade.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 12

HEARTSAVER® CPR AED TRAINING Training provided by CPR Professionals CPR training is important. It can save your life, a loved-one’s life, a co-worker’s life, or even a stranger’s life. CPR training helps people learn the skills and develop the confidence to provide CPR when encountering a cardiac arrest victim.

And while AEDs can be used by the public regardless of whether the responder has been trained, even minimal training improves performance, timeliness, and efficacy. This interactive, hands-on training is intended for anyone with little or no medical training who needs a course completion card for job, regulatory (e.g., OSHA), or other requirements. This training can also be taken by anyone who wants to be prepared for an emergency in any setting. Everyone completing the training will receive a two-year certification.

THERE’S NO “I” IN TEAM:

USING CULTURE, HR STRATEGY AND PEOPLE PRACTICES TO STRENGTHEN YOUR BUSINESS Kristen Ireland and Erin Mies, People Spark Consulting Businesses typically approach HR in one of two ways. Many look at human resources responsibilities as compliance officers, a necessary evil, a have-to-do…. These businesses are looking for the safe routes, the ones that keep them out of legal trouble. They are not truly leveraging the power of their employees: their team. They are playing NOT to lose.

Other businesses know that their success depends on their team. They know that whether customers return depends on the interactions with their employees. They work with their employees to drive business success, they are an employer of choice and they are able to retain their high performing employees, even in a tight labor market. These are the businesses that are taking aim for their target. They are playing to WIN. Playing to WIN doesn’t have to be hard or take a lot of resources. It’s not about trendy perks or game rooms. It’s having employees who know what is expected of them, managers that provide direction, clarity, and coaching, and having goals and rewards are aligned to drive business results – and they do exactly that.

In our interactive, 2-part session, we will share a variety of simple and practical tools business owners and managers can put to work in organizations of any size, and discuss the important role they play in making things stick. In doing this, leaders develop the culture and reputation that not only attracts great talent, but that keeps it, too.

• Session 1 - Culture, Compliance Basics, and Recruiting & interviewing • Session 2 - Hiring/Onboarding, Managing Performance, Engaging & Retaining Your Employees By the end of the workshop, attendees will better understand and know how to: 1. More clearly set your business direction, clarify your teams’ goals, and get your team going in the same direction.

2. Reduce your organization’s risk for preventable lawsuits and other third-party actions using practical tools and guidance.

3. Minimize avoidable HR issues like bad hiring decisions.

4. Confidently address performance concerns with employees.

5. Improve employee communications to increase high-performing employee retention.

When it comes to human resources, are you playing to WIN or are you playing NOT to lose?

Kristen Ireland

Erin Mies

LEGAL ISSUES

How Divorce and Death Affect Small Business Ownership Patrick McGuiness

A client recently asked, “What happens to small businesses upon the death or divorce

Zlimen & McGuiness,

of an owner? What documents should be in place prior to those events to smooth an

PLLC

ownership transition?” These questions can have many different answers depending on the facts of a specific situation, but here’s a general overview of the process, consequences, and ways to control ownership of a business if a death or divorce occurs.

What happens to a small business if an owner dies?

The answer depends on the type of business. If the business is a sole proprietorship or a partnership, the death of an owner will normally terminate the business. This is because those types of business structures are inseparable from their owners. The deceased owner’s share of the business assets or the value of those assets will generally transfer to the owner’s estate like other property. If the owner has a Will, it will guide who inherits those business assets. If there is no will, Minnesota law (known as intestacy statutes) will determine who gets the deceased’s business assets.

If the business is a corporation, limited liability company, or other business entity, it will continue to exist and will maintain ownership of all business assets. The deceased owner’s stock or other ownership interests will transfer in accordance with his or her Will or, if there is no Will, the Minnesota intestacy statutes.

What happens to a business ownership interest if one of the owners gets divorced?

Contrary to what many people believe, a business owner’s spouse is not a co-owner of the business just by virtue of marriage. If a spouse doesn’t own a stake in the business (e.g. his own shares or her own partnership interest), that spouse is not an owner of the business. If there’s a divorce, however, the value of the owner’s interest in the company will be counted as an asset, and the spouse could be entitled to half of that value. When there aren’t

46

MNLA.BIZ august 21

enough other assets available, the ownership interests can get assigned to the spouse to fulfill the owner’s divorce obligations.

Consequences When ownership interests transfer due to death or divorce, many problems can arise. One problem is that the remaining owners may now find themselves in business with people that they don’t know or don’t want to be in business with. This could be the ex-spouse of a former owner or a stranger who inherited shares and knows little or nothing about the company.

Another is figuring out how to determine a value for the deceased owner’s interest in the business. There are many different ways to calculate the value of a business, and the results can vary widely depending on the method used. Parties that receive ownership interests, such as ex-spouses or estate representatives will likely choose a method that provides the highest value if the remaining owners wish to buy the transferred interests. Those remaining owners would generally argue for a lower value to make repurchasing interests possible. Disputes regarding valuation can be expensive, time consuming, and stressful for all involved.

What documents should a business owner have in place?

Though the consequences of transfers upon death or divorce are serious, there are steps that business owners can take to prevent issues and determine in advance

iStock.com/ridvan_celik

TIME TO RENEW!

ANOTHER IMPORTANT DOCUMENT FOR BUSINESS OWNERS TO CREATE IS A WILL OR OTHER ESTATE PLANNING TOOL.

Feel free to contact the MNLA office if we can be of any assistance to you during the renewal process or for more information on any of our products and services. We are available at 651.633.4987 or mnla@mnla.biz.

Your continued support and involvement as a member of the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association is greatly appreciated! Providing you with education, legislative support, networking, and other member services is why MNLA exists.

exactly how these types of situations should be handled. The most important step that business owners can take is to create a buy-sell agreement (“BSA”). BSAs govern the transfer of business ownership interests and create a structure that ensures transfers occur in an organized and fair manner. They allow owners to anticipate and control how a death or divorce will impact the business, reducing the likelihood of disputes. For example, a BSA might require a party that acquires shares by involuntary means (such as death or divorce) to sell those shares back to the company at a set price. They can also create ways to fund that repurchase, such as creating provisions for life insurance policies.

Another important document for business owners to create is a Will or other estate planning tool. These documents can be drafted to comply with the provisions of a buy-sell and ensure that business interests are transferred or otherwise resolved in a way that meets the owner’s goals and ensures that only desired transfers occur.

No one wants to spend time planning for a death or divorce, but if you’re a small business owner, it’s especially important to have a plan for the distribution of your business ownership. Otherwise, you’re risking setting yourself, your loved ones, and your business partners up for a terrible headache at a an already challenging time.

d v c w y c i o h y t

➽ THIS ARTICLE PROVIDES GENERAL INFORMATION on business matters and should not be relied upon as legal advice. A qualified attorney must analyze all relevant facts and apply the applicable law to any matter before legal advice can be given. If you would like more information regarding business law, collections, or other legal matters, please contact Zlimen & McGuiness, PLLC at 651-331-6500 or info@zmattorneys.com.

W august 21 MNLA.BIZ

47

– i

For over 30 years, Wheeler Landscape Supply has been serving contractors in the metro area with superior service and quality products like Rockwood Retaining Walls from Rochester Concrete Products.

Rockwood’s Vintage 6 is a three-piece, spilt-faced, tumbled, freestanding or retaining wall system that builds an 8' radius without cutting. In Beechwood, Bluestone, Santa Fe and Desert Buff colors.

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MNLA FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Making a Difference e m i t a t a t n e in Horticulture ...one stud

Demonstrate your commitment to the future of the region’s green industry — sponsor a student scholarship!

The deadline for 2021–2022 participation is August 31, 2021. You can act today by completing the application at www.MNLA.biz/scholarships. Your generosity will be cherished by the student winners — the future of our industry. Contact us with any questions or for additional details at Paulette@mnla.biz or 651-633-4987.

Partner with the MNLA Foundation INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF THE GREEN INDUSTRY

Advertorial

All photos courtesy of Bachman's Wholesale Nursery & Hardscapes

PLANTING FOR THE FUTURE

Serviceberry Trees grown for the Bachman’s-Grown Field Direct program.

Though the importance of trees has changed and evolved over the years their beauty and grandeur remain a constant in every landscape, be it at your home, the community where you live, or the places you visit throughout your lifetime.

When Henry Bachman founded Bachman’s in 1885 the importance of trees was starting to take shape in Minnesota as saw mills and milling towns were sprouting up, especially in Northern Minnesota.

These trees provided jobs for thousands of people and a myriad of opportunities for how to utilize the lumber and appreciate their value, aside from the wildlife benefits trees already provided.

One use was in the construction of homes.

According to the Minnesota Historical Society, the peak year for white pine logging was 1900. Because of this

logging, over 2.3 billion board feet of lumber were cut and helped to create over 600,000 two-story homes in the state.

Bachman himself started on a plot of land in south Minneapolis, not in the tree nursery nor flower business, but rather the vegetable business. His first crops were potatoes, lettuce, onions, and squash. A far cry from trees.

Yet, as the years carried on, Bachman, along with his sons, changed course for their growing business and decided to venture into the flower market instead.

Generations of Bachman’s and employees found beauty in flowers and have continued to share that beauty with the world in the decades that have followed.

By the 1990s a new vision for Bachman’s was taking shape, keeping in mind and remembering the importance of trees and how they have as many positive qualities today as they did one hundred years earlier.

Evergreens, deciduous shrubs, and trees – fruit, flowering, or shade – add beauty to the landscape, value to a home, have positive environmental effects, give shelter to wildlife, and much more.

Advertorial

Today the tree market is booming at the Bachman’s Lakeville farm, where there are 670 acres dedicated to raising trees, shrubs, and evergreens, as well as seven acres of greenhouses. That includes over 160 varieties of shrubs, 50-plus varieties of trees, and nearly 200 evergreen varieties to provide greenery and color throughout all four seasons.

In particular, trees and shrubs help the environment by improving air quality. Trees will filter dust and pollutants, such as carbon dioxide and ozone from the air we breathe, while providing oxygen we need to survive. Trees and shrubs also reduce the amount of stormwater runoff, which helps with erosion, water pollution, and flooding.

Though any tree or shrub can help the environment, Swamp White Oak is an excellent shade tree that will grow at a moderate pace and has the potential to live for several hundred years. It grows well in low-lying, swampy areas, as well as urban and suburban settings.

At its mature state, it grows to a height of 50-60' and has a spread of 40-50'. It has a rounded form and its leaves have a two-tone appearance of dark green on the topside and silver-white on the underside.

Swamp White Oak

Swamp White Oak is a fast-growing native oak with flaky, gray-brown bark, that grows 13-24" in height every year, until reaching maturity. Some of its finest features include fall colors in shades of yellow, bronze, and red-purple; oblong acorns in pairs, a resistance to oak wilt, is well-adapted to areas with poor drainage, but will also tolerate conditions of compacted soil, drought, and minimal salt exposure. Keep in mind, however, that it does require acidic soil to remain healthy.

Over the course of a year, in general, there is a potential to reduce your home’s heating and cooling costs by 10 to 50

percent when the right trees and shrubs are landscaped appropriately. Well placed trees and shrubs can also reduce energy consumption during the hot summer months by providing a cover from the suns rays. While in winter, evergreens make an ideal windbreak, especially when placed on the north side of the house. They will help block those bone-chilling winds that whip around in the dead of winter.

An evergreen with great wind blocking ability is the Fat Albert Spruce. It features dense, silver-blue needles and grows in a pyramidal shape. It will grow to be between 40-60’ tall and 15-30’ wide, similar to the Colorado Spruce. It is best to plant this spruce in an area where it will benefit from lots of sunshine and air movement.

The combination of sun and air will help reduce the tree’s inherent risk of fungal diseases. In addition, it is best to keep the soil moist during the first few years of its life, as this will help to establish an extensive root system and give the tree a better opportunity to thrive in its environment.

Both Fat Albert Spruce and Swamp White Oak are available through the Bachman’s-Grown Field Direct program, an exclusive program of Bachman’s. Through this program we aim to produce the best selection of plant material offerings by employing a variety of cultural practices to guarantee a well-structured, properly pruned, and pest free high-quality product. Choosing “Field Direct” product during the digging season also comes with the added benefit of special cost savings.

These trees are great for any landscape and can also provide shelter for wildlife and a lifetime of entertainment-value watching nature at its finest.

To complement evergreens and other trees in your landscape, fruit trees are another attractive addition that can provide a food source for not only yourself, but the wildlife that enters your yard.

The serviceberry is an ornamental tree that offers beauty in the spring, edible fruit in the summer, and brilliant fall colors. It is a great attraction for pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

Bachman’s Wholesale Nursery offers four varieties of the serviceberry.

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Autumn Brilliance™ has white flowers that bloom in abundance in the spring and leaves that turn a brilliant red in the fall. During the summer the tree’s berries turn from red to a deep purple-black color, indicating the fruit is at its peak ripeness. The fruit itself is edible for both people and wildlife and tastes like a mild blueberry with a hint of almond flavor.

Autumn Brilliance™ is also available as a “Bachman’s-Grown Field Direct” tree.

With the help of a horticulturalist expert at Bachman’s, we invite you to find the perfect trees and shrubs at our wholesale nursery today. Options are available to tag your own trees or let an expert find them for you. Also choose to come to the farm to pick up your trees or have one of our trusted drivers deliver directly to you. We offer free pick up, convenient curbside check-in, and affordable delivery services throughout the Twin Cities metro area and beyond.

Add beauty to your landscape tomorrow by finding the right product from Bachman’s Wholesale Nursery today and keep your landscape looking beautiful throughout the seasons for years to come.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the content of this advertorial, feel free to reach out to Joel Hylland, Bachman’s Wholesale Nursery & Landscapes at jhylland@bachmans.com, or visit www.bachmanswholesale.com.

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MANAGEMENT GUIDANCE FOR NURSERY AND LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONALS Dr. James Calkins

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Research Information Director, MNLA Foundation

JUMPING WORMS

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AS MOST NURSERY AND LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONALS ARE LIKELY AWARE, invasive jumping worms from Asia, and the negative impacts they can have on native ecosystems and designed landscapes, have recently been getting considerable attention from the gardening public, extension educators, and the press.

Recent coverage includes The Atlantic (“Cancel Earthworms” / January 23, 2020), Smithsonian Magazine (“Highly Invasive Jumping Worms Have Spread to 15 States” / April 22, 2021), and locally in the Star Tribune (“DNR Warns Minnesotans About Spread of Invasive ‘Jumping Worms’” / September 2, 2020; Minnesota’s ‘Jumping Worm’ Invasion Upends Spring Plant Sales” / April 24, 2021). Agricultural and natural resource researchers and state and federal agencies are also becoming more focused on jumping worms and their harmful impacts. As a result, horticultural professionals who haven’t yet heard much about jumping worms will probably be hearing about them from their customers as gardeners and homeowners become increasingly aware of the concerns associated with jumping worms and seek to prevent the introduction and establishment of jumping worms on their properties by asking if landscape plants and other horticultural commodities are free of jumping worms. In particular, nursery growers, garden center personnel, landscape maintenance professionals, and suppliers of horticultural commodities like compost and landscape mulch should be aware of this invasive species.

The term jumping worms is the collective and most frequently used common name for several species of earthworms that have been introduced to North America from southeastern Asia ( Japan and the Korean peninsula). Amynthas and Metaphire spp. are the species of concern and they are the newest arrivals on a long list of invasive earthworms that have been brought to North America from Europe and Asia. As a result of these introductions, 60 of the 182 species of earthworms found in North America (33%) are introduced species. One of the most familiar and humble animals on earth, earthworms are often referred to as ecosystem engineers

James Calkins

Figure 1. Adult jumping worms collected from a residential compost pile; note the clitella (singular – clitellum; the non-segmented bands that encircle the body of each jumping worm near the head end) which are only present on adult jumping worms and is part of the reproductive system of an earthworm; compared to European earthworms where the clitellum is pink to reddish-brown, raised, and saddlelike, the clitellum of a jumping worm is milky white to light gray, flush with the rest of the body, and completely encircles the body.

as a consequence of the foundational role of earthworms in many native and managed ecosystems and the incredible soil mixing (bioturbation) activities of earthworms combined with their impacts on the breakdown of organic matter, soil formation, and the soil physical and chemical characteristics that ultimately impact plant growth and performance and the function of ecosystems as a whole. This central role of earthworms in ecology was recognized by Aristotle (384–322 BC) and Charles Darwin (1809– 1882) who studied earthworms for most of his life culminating in his final scientific dissertation published in 1881 and entitled The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms, with Observations on Their Habits. In this tribute to earthworms Darwin states that “It may be doubted if there are any other animals which have played such an important part in the history of the world as these lowly organized creatures,” a statement that, regardless if they are native or introduced, remains as true today as it has been throughout history since worms first appeared in the evolutionary record about 220 million years ago.

Historically, and especially in agroecosystems, earthworms, including non-native species, have generally been viewed as

beneficial organisms, but this perspective has changed relative to some non-native species in recent years as a result of their negative impacts on native ecosystems and especially forest ecosystems. This has proven to be true for the European nightcrawler (Lumbricus terrestris) that is well-known to Minnesotans as a common earthworm and as fishing bait, and even more so for the more recently introduced jumping worms from Asia which are suspected of being much more detrimental. This fear is based on a growing body of evidence that suggests jumping worms can impact soil characteristics and ecosystems much more dramatically than European earthworms. For example, research indicates that the Asian species of earthworms that have been introduced to North America develop and reproduce more rapidly than their European cousins. They are also more voracious feeders and can reach much higher densities than European species. As a result of these inherent abilities, jumping worms can consume organic matter more rapidly and impact the environment more quickly and dramatically, and in ways that are much more detrimental, than European earthworms and can even outcompete and displace European species where they are already present.

While much has been learned about

jumping worms and their impacts on North American ecosystems, there are many questions about jumping worms that still need to be answered. Research will hopefully be able to answer these questions and provide the tools that will be needed to manage jumping worms effectively and thereby mitigate the damage they cause. The unfortunate reality is that there are currently no labeled products for the control of jumping worms and attempting to prevent their spread to new areas is the only option available at this time. Once they have become established, there is no feasible means of control, so prevention is key.

Although jumping worms are currently classified as unlisted nonnative species by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and may not be intentionally introduced into the environment, the DNR is considering listing jumping worms as prohibited invasive species with the goal of preventing new introductions and the spread of jumping worms in the state [ Jumping worm (Amynthas species) | Minnesota DNR (state.mn.us)].

A prohibited listing would make it illegal to possess, import, purchase, transport, or introduce jumping worms in Minnesota without a permit, prohibitions that would impact a number of Minnesota industries that handle commodities that could inadvertently harbor jumping worms including the nursery and landscape industry. Further information about jumping worms is widely available online and in a previous Research for the Real World article published in The Scoop (“Be on the Lookout for Jumping Worms – Amynthas agrestis L.” / January 2016).

As a result of growing concerns about the environmental impacts of jumping worms, and an increasingly aware customer base that is increasingly asking questions about jumping worms and whether landscape plants and other horticultural commodities like compost and mulch might be a source of jumping worms, the MNLA has developed a set of jumping worm best management practices (BMPs) as guidance for MNLA members. It is hoped that these BMPs will be helpful to MNLA members as they consider their response to the environmental and production, marketing, and landscape management threats posed by jumping worms and the potential role of the green industry in the spread of jumping worms to new areas.

In addition, it is also hoped that these BMPs will be useful in answering questions about jumping worms from customers and others seeking information about jumping worms august 21 MNLA.BIZ

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JUMPING WORMS

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Figure 2. Immature jumping worms (hatchlings) collected in mid-May in a Minnesota landscape; although they lack a clitellum because they are not yet reproductive, they still thrash and jump when disturbed and move side to side like snakes rather than inching their way forward like European earthworms.

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Figure 3. Commercial, bagged woodchip mulch stored off the ground on pallets; at the time of production, certified compost and mulch should be free of jumping worms and storing these products off the ground, and otherwise attempting to mitigate infestation during shipping and storage, can help prevent post-production contamination with jumping worms.

and the nursery and landscape industry’s role as a potential pathway for the spread of jumping worms and the industry’s response to this difficult challenge. It is important for the nursery and landscape industry to be proactive rather than reactive relative to the jumping worm threat and to demonstrate leadership with a thoughtful, consistent, and positive message. Although many questions about jumping worms and their potential impacts remain to be answered, including questions about potential regulation and the critical need for effective and safe methods of control for established jumping worm infestations, the following best management practices are based on the most current information available and will hopefully be of value to the MNLA membership.

Best Management Practices (BMPs) to Reduce the Potential for Spreading Jumping Worms (Amynthas & Metaphire spp.)

There are no native earthworms in the glaciated regions of North America including Minnesota and the earthworms present in these areas are non-native species that have been introduced from Europe and Asia. Although the European earthworms that most people are familiar with have been in Minnesota for many years, jumping worms, 56

MNLA.BIZ august 21

which are native to southeastern Asia and are also known as Asian jumping worms, crazy worms, snake worms, crazy snake worms, and Alabama jumpers based on their wild and distinctive, snakelike movements when disturbed, have only recently been documented in Minnesota and are believed to pose a much greater threat to the environment than the European species. In part, this is because jumping worms grow much faster and reproduce more quickly and efficiently than European earthworms (a single worm is all it takes) and populations can reach extremely high densities very quickly. Jumping worms are also voracious feeders that live near the soil surface (epi-endogeic) where they rapidly devour surface (the litter or duff layer) and soil organic matter and change soil structure and chemistry (including nutrient content and cycling), making soils more subject to erosion, inhibiting seedling establishment, damaging the relationships between soil fungi and plants, possibly reducing the soil’s ability to absorb water (research ongoing), and even damaging the roots of plants in nurseries, gardens, and native ecosystems.

As for all invasive species, prevention is the best approach to avoid the introduction and spread of jumping worms to non-infested areas including designed landscapes and natural areas and nursery production and retail facilities; once present, they are difficult if not impossible to manage effectively with the tools that are currently available.

And because the activities of people are the primary pathways for the spread of jumping worms to new areas, it is important to be proactive in taking precautions to avoid bringing jumping worms onto your property — including production, holding, shipping, and sales areas — and to avoid the introduction of jumping worms to the properties of others. As a result of the public’s concerns about jumping worms, and regardless of the very real challenges involved, it is imperative that green industry professionals are aware and take the public’s concerns about jumping worms seriously to avoid the possibility of negative repercussions. It is not in the best interest of individual nursery and landscape operations, or the green industry as a whole, to be perceived by the gardening public as a potential source of jumping worms which can happen quickly and has unfortunately already occurred in a few instances. Educate yourself about jumping worms and be proactive in taking steps to prevent their spread so you

will be prepared to answer any questions that your customers may have about jumping worms and your response to the challenges they pose. Unfortunately, jumping worms are in Minnesota and in the news; and from a public relations perspective, ignorance or Indifference about the jumping worm threat will not be a viable defense.

The following best management practices are

recommended to help prevent the introduction and spread of jumping worms to new areas:

• Educate yourself and others about jumping worms, including their impacts and means of spread, and to recognize jumping worms and the telltale signs of their presence including granular soil that resembles coffee grounds. The University of Minnesota Jumping Worm Project website is a good place to start; updated regularly, it includes self-guided jumping worm training and weekly Zoom-based training sessions.

• Be vigilant and always on the lookout for jumping worms and signs of their presence.

• Only buy horticultural commodities from reputable suppliers that are knowledgeable about the jumping worm threat and the potential pathways for their introduction and spread.

• Only use, sell, plant, purchase, and trade landscape plants and landscape and garden materials that appear to be free of jumping worms; in the case of jumping worms, appearances can be deceiving so err on the side of caution as newly hatched jumping worms (hatchlings) can be difficult to see in early spring and cocoons are always difficult to detect.

• Only sell, purchase, and trade compost, woodchips, and woodchip mulch that has been heat treated to at least 40° Celsius (104° Fahrenheit) for a minimum of three days (based on initial research specific to jumping worms) or even better to at least 55° Celsius (130° Fahrenheit) for a minimum of three days following the recommended processes for further reducing pathogens (PFRPs; 40 CFR Appendix B to Part 503 – Pathogen Treatment Processes) to kill jumping worms and other horticultural pests.

Certified compost, mulch, and manufactured soils will have been exposed to temperatures and other processes that should kill jumping worms during production. Although it is understood that

•

•

•

•

•

these types of treatments are difficult for larger volumes, similar precautions are also recommended for soil, growing media, and growing media components that might harbor jumping worms as feasible and appropriate. When feasible, exposure to higher temperatures up to 82° Celsius (180° Fahrenheit) for a shorter duration (e.g., 30 minutes) may also be an option depending on the material being treated, the facilities available, and the pests of concern. Whenever possible, certified commodities are the safer choice and nursery and landscape professionals should choose the best course of action relative to jumping worms based on their individual circumstances.

Whenever possible, store bagged compost, bagged organic soil conditioners, bagged mulch, and landscape plants in a manner that avoids contact with the ground to help prevent infestation.

Raised benches and elevated storage platforms for bagged compost, mulch, and soil are a good idea.

Arrive clean, leave clean; always clean soil and debris from vehicles, equipment, tools, and personal gear (footwear, gloves, clothing) before moving from one location or property to another.

Do not sell, buy, or use jumping worms, or earthworms from sources that may be contaminated with jumping worms, for composting (vermiculture/vermicomposting), soil improvement, or fishing bait.

Report suspected jumping worm infestations using EDDMapS Midwest (Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System Midwest) or Arrest the Pest (Minnesota Department of Agriculture).

A map of the current distribution of jumping worms in the United States (including Minnesota) is available on the EDDMapS website.

Remove and destroy any jumping worms that are found by placing them in a sealed polyethylene bag and placing them in the trash. Immature and adult jumping worms may also be killed by placing them in a container of rubbing alcohol or solarizing or freezing them in a polyethylene bag before disposing of them in the trash.

Although the MNLA understands that these BMPs are not perfect, they are based on the most current information available on august 21 MNLA.BIZ

57

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how to prevent the spread of jumping worms at this time and, in lieu of formal regulation (which is being considered), individual firms are encouraged to determine how they will respond to the challenges posed by jumping worms and how they will share this information with their customers. The association is committed to supporting research on the management of jumping worms and these BMPs will be regularly updated based on the findings of jumping worm research. This includes the ongoing jumping worm research at the University of Minnesota that is being funded by the Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center (MITPPC) and includes the development of improved jumping worm BMPs as an objective.

These BMPs are adapted from jumping worm best management practices originally developed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and a committee of Wisconsin green industry professionals and have been reviewed by horticultural professionals and MNLA partners at the local and national level.

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Rosen, Julia. Cancel Earthworms. The Atlantic (theatlantic.com), January 23, 2020. Jumping Worms Are Taking Over North American Forests — The Atlantic Gamillo, Elizabeth. 2021. Highly Invasive Jumping Worms Have Spread to 15 States. Smithsonian Magazine (smithsonianmag.com), April 22, 2021).

Highly Invasive Jumping Worms Have Spread to 15 States | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine Walsh, Paul. 2020. DNR Warns Minnesotans About Spread of Invasive ‘Jumping Worms.’ Star Tribune, September 2, 2020. DNR warns Minnesotans about spread of invasive ‘jumping worms’ — StarTribune.com Hudson, Gail. 2021. Minnesota’s ‘Jumping Worm’ Invasion Upends Spring Plant Sales. Star Tribune, April 24, 2021. Minnesota’s ‘jumping worm’ invasion upends spring plant sales — StarTribune.com

➽ IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS or would like to comment on this research update, suggest research topics of interest, or pass along a piece of research-based information that might be of interest to your industry colleagues, please email us at Research@MNLA.biz or contact James Calkins at jim@mnla.biz, 952-935-0682, or 612-258-7744 (cell).

august 21 MNLA.BIZ

59

JANUARY 11-13, 2022

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Pending approval by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), this workshop meets Commercial Pesticide Applicator Requirements for Category A (Core) and Category E (Turf and Ornamentals).

Licensed applicators with Categories A and E who last attended a recertification workshop in 2020, and newly-licensed pesticide applicators in 2021, must attend an MDA-approved workshop by December 31, 2022. By attending the Pesticide Recertification track and scanning in and out onsite with staff of the Department of Agriculture, applicators will obtain recertification credit.

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LANDSCAPE DESIGN CHALLENGE

Design Leaders: Jason Rathe, Field Outdoor Spaces; Alyson Landmark, Southview Design, and Michael Keenan, Urban Ecosystems Inc. Coordinator: Julie Weisenhorn, University of Minnesota Time for some design fun! The Landscape Design Challenge brings MNLA designers together to flex their creative muscles!

Design leaders will offer up a series of diverse design challenges, and teams will be put marker to paper to develop and present their solutions. Leaders will share the real-life solution that was implemented. This is an opportunity to stretch your design skills, learn how challenging problems can be solved, and have some fun with fellow designers!

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JANUARY 11-13, 2022 Generously supported by:

Facilitator: John Kennedy, John Kennedy Consulting Join international speaker, strategist, and author John Kennedy as he explores the right ingredients needed to build a workplace culture that supports the needs of the customer and the wants of its employees.

John’s morning session will address the four stages of building a strong service culture and the systems needed to drive that culture each and every day. From vision, values and volition to rewards, recognition and respect, John will set the right balance of both to drive alignment and engagement into 2022 and beyond.

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Presented by: Frank Bourque, Landscape and Hardscape Business Consultant The one-day classroom Segmental Retaining Wall (SRW) Installer Course teaches installers fundamental SRW installation guidelines, material and system component properties, soils and compaction, the effect of water, and site practices.

The SRW basic installer course is intended for contractors new to the business and for new employees of established installer companies who want to become NCMA certified. Those who successfully complete the classroom training and pass a written examination become certified as a Certified SRW Installer (CSRWI).

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TO THESE BUSINESSES FOR THEIR CONSISTENT SUPPORT OF THE SCOOP MNLA would like to thank the below companies for being frequent Scoop advertisers this year. We are proud that The Scoop is consistently a top-rated member benefit, and MNLA appreciates these businesses for their help in making this magazine happen! (Companies listed by area of product/service.)

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