The Scoop Online – April 2013

Crabgrass Control Plant of the Month Google Hangout

Volume 35 No. 4 Apr 2013

Hire the Right Person the First Time

Also Inside

Pinterest Part II

t h e o f f i c i a l p u b l i c at i o n o f t h e M I n n e s o ta N u r s e r y & L a n d s c a p e A s s o c i at i o n

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To find out what a Chevrolet Business Elite Dealer can do for your business, call or contact one of the experts below.

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SUBURBAN CHEVROLET

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Volume 35 No. 4 Apr 2013

contents 17

28

33 HIGHLIGHTS

17 The Impact of the Morris Plant Trials This unique facility is the testing ground for many proven plants you use in your business.    

22 Pinterest Part II Did you know Pinterest generates more revenue per click than Facebook? 

28 The $50,000 Conversation “One 10-minute conversation with a fellow trusted member is likely to save our company $50,000 this year.” 

33 Alone and Adrift in a Sea of Change?

“Participation in the MNLA has become one of my best personal and professional assets.” 

41 Preemergence Herbicides & Crabgrass Control The latest Research for the Real World article from the MNLA Foundation can help the success of your business today. 

53 How to Hire the Right Employees the First Time Hiring the wrong people now means spending more time and money dealing with it later.   Landscape & Hardscape Install & Design  Garden Services & Landscape Management  Garden Centers  Growers: Nursery & Greenhouse  Irrigation & Water Management  Arborists & Tree Services  All

13 IN THIS ISSUE 8 Events 10 From the Interim Executive Director Our first-ever infographic shows why we’re investing in online learning.

13 Google Hangout Why this free new meeting alternative makes sense.

39 Plant of the Month 48 Comparing Container Production Systems Does a bag-in-pot system compare favorably to other systems?

56 Networking News The latest takeaways from MNLA’s Networking Groups.

63 You and Your MNLA Foundation Chairman Bert Swanson reports on the progress and plans of the MNLA Foundation.

66 Member Volunteers Needed MNLA currently has a few open leadership positions. Will you serve your industry?

68 Business Briefs 70 Utility Locates An important advisory for those about to dig.

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Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association 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.TheLandLovers.org www.NorthernGreenExpo.org

MNLA Mission: The mission of the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association is to help members grow successful businesses.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

debbie lonnee, mnla-cp, president

Bailey Nurseries, Inc. 651-768-3375 • debbie.lonnee@baileynursery.com

heidi heiland, mnla-cp, vice-president Heidi's Lifestyle Gardens 612-366-7766 • heidi@BloomOnMN.com

herman roerick, secretary-treasurer

Central Landscape Supply 320-252-1601• hermanr@centrallandscape.com

bert swanson, mnla-cp, past president Swanson’s Nursery Consulting, Inc. 218-732-3579 • btswanson2@gmail.com

randy berg, mnla-cp

Berg’s Nursery, Landscape/Garden Center 507-433-2823 • rberg@smig.net

scott frampton

Landscape Renovations 651-769-0010 • sframpton@landscaperenovations.com

tim malooly, cid, clia, cic

Water in Motion 763-559-7771 • timm@watermotion.com

mike mcnamara

Hoffman & McNamara Nursery & Landscaping 651-437-9463 • mike.mcnamara@hoffmanandmcnamara.com

bill mielke

A Top Notch Equipment ................................................................................... 32 Alliance Designer Products ................................................................................ 4 Anchor Block Company .................................................................................... 55 Ancom Communication & Technical Center .................................................... 14 Bachman's Wholesale Nursery & Hardscapes .................................................... 7 Borgert Products, Inc. ....................................................................................... 16 Bridgewater Tree Farms ................................................................................... 54 Carlin Horticultural Supplies/ProGreen Plus ..................................................... 54 Central Landscape Supply ................................................................................ 31 Cushman Motor Co. Inc ................................................................................... 34 D. Hill Nursery Co. ............................................................................................ 15 Dayton Bag & Burlap ........................................................................................ 31 Farber Bag & Supply Co. .................................................................................. 44 Fury Motors ...................................................................................................... 16 Gardenworld Inc. .............................................................................................. 67 GM Fleet and Commercial ................................................................................. 3 Gopher State One-Call ..................................................................................... 15 Great Northern Equipment Distributing, Inc. ................................................... 51 Haag Companies, Inc. ...................................................................................... 57 Hedberg Landscape & Masonry Supplies ........................................................ 25 Industrack ......................................................................................................... 67 Jeff Belzer Chevrolet .................................................................................. 36–37 Johnson's Nursery, Inc. ..................................................................................... 44 Kage Innovation ............................................................................................... 14 Klaus Nurseries ................................................................................................. 31 Kubota Dealers ................................................................................................. 62 Landscape Alternatives .................................................................................... 44 Midwest Groundcovers .................................................................................... 52 Northern Family Farms ..................................................................................... 51 Orijin Stone ...................................................................................................... 71 Out Back Nursery ............................................................................................. 31

Waconia Tree Farms LLC 612-237-1728 • billmielke@waconiatreefarms.com

cassie larson, cae

MNLA Interim Executive Director 651-633-4987 • cassie@mnla.biz

Plaisted Companies .......................................................................................... 27 Prairie Restorations, Inc. ................................................................................... 67 Quality Insurance Service ................................................................................. 51 RDO Equipment Co. ........................................................................................ 34 Rock Hard Landscape Supply division of Brian's Lawn & Landscaping, Inc. .... 44

Staff Directory

interim executive director:

Specialty Turf & Ag ........................................................................................... 21

membership director & trade show manager:

TerraDek Lighting, Inc. ..................................................................................... 15

Cassie Larson, CAE • cassie@mnla.biz Mary Dunn, CEM • mary@mnla.biz communications director: Jon Horsman • jon@mnla.biz executive assistant: Susan Flynn • susan@mnla.biz receptionist: Jessica Pratt • jessica@mnla.biz accountant: Norman Liston • norman@mnla.biz

Synthetic Turf Solutions of MN ......................................................................... 38 Titan Machinery .................................................................................................. 2 Tri-State Bobcat, Inc. .................................................................................. 12, 40 Truck Utilities & Mfg. Co. .................................................................................. 15 Unilock Chicago, Inc ......................................................................................... 69

mnla foundation program director:

University of Minnesota Continuing Education ................................................ 42

advertising sales:

Ziegler CAT ....................................................................................................... 72

Jodi Larson • jodi@mnla.biz

Pierre Productions & Promotions • 763-295-5420 Betsy Pierre, Advertising Manager • betsy@pierreproductions.com

government affairs consultants:

Doug Carnival, Legislative Affairs Tim Power, Interim Government Affairs Director

6

ad list

Volume 35 No. 4 Apr 2013

➾ sectio n title

mnla .biz

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Wheeler Landscape Supply .............................................................................. 55

All original works, articles or formats published in The Scoop are © Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association, 2013, and may not be used without written permission of MNLA. The Scoop is published 12 times per year by MNLA, 1813 Lexington Ave N., Roseville MN 55113.

Address corrections should be sent to the above address.

TM

➾ calendar

june 19–22

APR 6–10

SIMA Snow & Ice Symposium

Tree Care Advisor Core Course

➾

University of Minnesota mntca.org Core Course Training is the base training for the TCA. It consists of 30 hours spread among several weeks and is limited to 20 participants to ensure individualized attention. Training is a combination of lecture, applied exercises, and hands-on experiences.

➾

MNLA Event

aug1

july23 july Widmer Golf 13–16 Tournament

Lake Service Provider Aquatic Invasive Species Training

OFA Course UofM Short Les Bolstad

➾

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(Trade Show: St. JulyPaul 14–16) Golf Course, Greater Columbus mnlafoundation.com Convention Center 651-631-4987 ofashortcourse.org Join your fellow Hackers TheHorticulture OFA Short Course for for the tradeannual show, educational 23rd Widmer sessions, and networking Golf Tournament.

This eventshas arebecome all designed event a to providefeaturing the answers tradition, lunch, you need toakeep your dinner, and day of golf business successful (and with a fabulous group of help youand sleep better to at people a chance night). win great prizes. Proceeds benefit the Research Fund of the MNLA Foundation.

Minneapolis Convention Center Sima.org/show The Snow & Ice Management Association presents its 16th Annual Snow & Ice Symposium.

Join together to discuss all aspects of the work you do as snow and ice professionals. Featuring a trade show and education on the best principles of business management, snow and ice operations, leadership, and more!

➾

DNR Central Region Headquarters Office, 1200 Warner Rd, St. Paul, MN 56106 Contact: April Rust 651-258-5706 The Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering aquatic invasive species (AIS) training to owners of lake service provider businesses in Minnesota so they can legally work in the state’s waters.

aug15 Carlin Buyerfest St. Paul www.carlinsales.com (855) 487-8108 Customers have plenty of opportunities to visit with vendors, ask questions and learn about new product offerings.

2013 MNLA seminars generously supported by John Deere Landscapes

MNLA Event

june12

july 13–16

Garden Party

OFA Short Course (Trade Show: July 14–16) Greater Columbus Convention Center ofashortcourse.org The OFA Short Course trade show, educational sessions, and networking events are all designed to provide the answers you need to keep your business successful (and help you sleep better at night).

➾

The Porch at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, St. Paul mnlafoundation.com 651-633-4987 Join us for the ‘social event of the season’!

The summer Garden Party features an evening of food, fellowship and fundraising to celebrate scholars, donors and the future of our industry.

Proceeds benefit the career development work of the MNLA Foundation.

➾

➾

Perennial Plant Symposium Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Vancouver, Brit. Columbia perennialplant.org The Perennial Plant Symposium is open to both members and nonmembers of the Perennial Plant Association, and is only annual professional education conference dedicated solely to growing, retailing, and designing with herbaceous perennials.

aug 18–21 2013 International Low Impact Development Symposium

Key:

Event Education

Saint Paul River Centre www.cce.umn.edu 612-624-3708 The LID Symposium will bring together over 1,000 professionals to share their research, implementation, policy, financing, and education strategies to build and restore cities while protecting our environment.

Certification ➾

july 21–27

SEPT18 ➾

MNLA Shootout South St. Paul Rod & Gun Club mnlafoundation.com 651-633-4987 Don‘t miss this annual sporting clays charity event that raises money for scholarships! This course runs at a beginner’s level — the focus is on fun. Proceeds benefit the MNLA Foundation Scholarship Fund.

All information on these and other industry events are online at MNLA.biz. april 13

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➾ fr om the interim e x ecutive directo r

What’s Behind MNLA’s Investment in Online Learning?

There are many ways to define online learning (also known as “virtual learning” or “e-learning”). For our purposes, online learning is defined as an organized offering of courses delivered primarily over the Internet. the rise of online learning has been meteoric in recent years, spurred on by advances in Internet services, software, and perception of collaborative learning.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that requests for MNLA to enter the online learning game have increased exponentially in number and frequency over the past few years.

As a result, the 2012 strategic plan calls for MNLA to develop a robust set of on-demand educational resources that members can access at their convenience. Team Tomorrow, the strategic planning group, realized that the effort to get such an endeavor up and running required the association to focus more time and resources in this area. The narrowing of the scope of MNLA activities made this shift in resources (both finances and personnel) possible. While I don’t believe that online education will ever completely replace the in-person experience, it will be a nice complement to the educational sessions MNLA offers each year.

Cassie Larson

Pinterest Part II

Hire the Right Person the First Time

Also Inside

MNLA Interim Executive Director

Crabgrass Control Plant of the Month Google Hangout

Why online learning? Online education allows MNLA to reach employers and/or employees who can’t or don’t want to come to a physical location. Eliminating the need to be physically present increases the potential audience for courses and allows us to have a much wider reach across the state. It also allows for a focus on a very specific skill set. It’s extremely cost effective, there are no travel costs and multiple employees can sit at a computer and watch an online learning module for one registration fee.

So, visit www.MNLA.biz to see what courses are currently available, including nearly 50 recorded sessions from the 2013 Northern Green Expo. More resources will be added monthly so be sure to check back often!

cassie larson is MNLA’s Interim Executive Director and can be reached at cassie@mnla.biz.

Why is MNLA investing in an online learning system?

Volume 35 No. 4 Apr 2013

>

t h e o f f i c i a l p u b l i c at i o n o f t h e M i n n e s o ta n u r s e r y & l a n d s c a p e a s s o c i at i o n

on the cover

John O’Reilly writes about why he believes the biggest value of an MNLA membership is in meaningfully connecting with other members.

Though the member services at MNLA serve up savings on fleet vehicle purchases, fuel, Northern Green Expo, garden center trays, credit card processing, plant catalogs and more, he lays out a case that shows you won’t get the most out of your membership unless you regularly network with other MNLA members.

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google hangout

A free New Meeting Alternative Betsy Pierre | MNLA Communications + Technology Committee

T

oday, late night snow blew into morning flurries and served up yet another messy commute. It is days like this that a 9 a.m. meeting would typically have me in a fluster, working to get on the road with time to spare allowing for anticipated traffic and treacherous driving conditions.

But not this time. This time I stepped out of my comfort zone and into the wonderful world of technology. Thanks to Google Hangout, our committee team meeting went on as planned, without delay. Five industry professionals were able to share ideas, discuss opportunities and accomplish tasks face-to-face — each from their own office or home.

Google Hangout, albeit a bit “Jetson-ish,” is a time-saving tool that allows individuals to meet via the Internet (2–10 participants).

Unlike conference calls, Google Hangout meetings bring the visual aspect to the virtual table. Not only are participants able to hear one another but they are also able to see each other. A live video feed of each participant sits at the bottom of the screen while a larger video feed of whichever individual is talking takes up the main portion of the screen. Google Hangout is smart — it can tell which individual is talking and will toggle whomever “has the floor” to the larger video position. In addition, a screenshare option allows attendees to share visual aids from their computer with those participating in the meeting.

Faith Appelquist of Tree Quality LLC, a participant in the meeting, liked the savings Google Hangout provided in time and in fuel.

Appelquist noted, “It is perfect for a quick meeting of a few people.

It would be good for discussing complicated issues that need face

time, versus trying to communicate in an email format that may leave communication gaps.”

“I was really leery on how it would work and if I would feel a part of the meeting, but I thought it went great,” added Kris Uter of Otten Bros. Garden Center & Landscaping. “It is a perfect alternative to an actual meeting. We were able to share computer screens to see what the others are referencing and you feel like you are interacting with everyone because you can actually see all of the attendees.“ How to Get Going With Google Hangout

Not much is needed to add Google Hangout to your meeting options.

• Each individual needs a Gmail email account as well as a Google+ account (both free and very easy to set up — start by going to plus.google.com).

• A video camera and microphone are also needed to participate.

Most new laptops have these options or they can be easily purchased at a store that carries computer accessories.

• Once the accounts are set up and the tools are acquired, click the Hangouts icon on the left of your Google+ page.

The Hangout icon may be hiding behind the three dots (“More”) at the bottom.

• Click START A HANGOUT (red button).

• If this is your first time using Hangout on your computer, april 13

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➾ G OOGLE HAN GOUT

Hangout Etiquette Tips To get ready for your Hangout, login to Google Plus 15 minutes before the meeting, and click on “Start a Hangout” to test your computer and make sure the microphone and video camera are ready to use. Close Hangout window after testing.

Be in a quiet location — all meeting participants can hear your background noise!

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Mute your microphone until ready to speak.

Note what’s behind you — everyone can see it!

Prepare before meeting time, and be ready to enter the Hangout on time — those entering mid-session can be quite distracting.

you’ll get a popup that asks you to save or install a plugin. Click Save, and approve all the prompts until complete. If you don’t receive additional prompts about installing, you may have to go to your download folder and double-click the file to install.

WE WERE THERE

• A meeting leader starts the Hangout and invites the participants into the hangout. Your invite to the Hangout will most likely appear in your Google+ Home feed. If it doesn’t, check your “notifications,” which are in the upper right. Look for the red box with a number on it.

When you needed to give your crew direction.

When project coordination helped you meet a deadline.

Two-Way Communications

SALES: 952-808-0033 RENTALS: 952-890-7570 SERVICE: 952-808-7699

sales @ ancom.org

WWW.ANCOM.ORG When you needed reliable two-way communication.

MOTOROLA, MOTO, MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC and are used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 2013 Motorola Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.

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• In preparation for a Hangout meeting, add all the people in your meeting to your Circles.

Minimal effort is required to get going, but great efficiencies can be enjoyed with Google Hangout. It is not perfect for every scenario, and nothing can replace being in the same physical room with other meeting participants, but this new technology tool offers a significant saving on time without sacrificing the critical personal interaction that an audio/visual combination provides to meeting attendees. is MNLA’s Advertising Sales Manager and can be reached at betsy@pierreproductions.com.

betsy pierre

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The fast lane for small business.

the impact of trialing

at the garden in

morris Contributing authors: Steven R. Poppe | Horticulture Scientist, University of Minnesota, West Central Research and Outreach Center Dr. Neil Anderson | Department of Horticultural Science, University of Minnesota Esther L. Jordan | Horticulture Assistant, University of Minnesota, West Central Research and Outreach Center

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âžž trial garden IN M O R R I S

The Horticulture Display Garden offers a wide array of flowers, woody ornamentals and vegetables in a beautifully landscaped display.

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The AAS Display Garden provides the public an opportunity to view the new AAS Winners.

Annual Flower Trials

In the past, no other segment of the floriculture production industry has enjoyed such strong public interest and use of its product than annual flowering plants (bedding plants).

Bedding plants are an indispensable item for landscape use, presenting an array of flowers and foliage that add color and texture to the landscapes of homes, businesses, shopping malls, public buildings, city streets and parks.

Research and extension personnel at the University of Minnesota support this growing industry in many ways, including the annual flower trials conducted at the West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) Horticulture Display Garden in Morris. In 2012, species from 18 major companies were evaluated at the University of Minnesota.

West Central Minnesota represents a very distinct climate for annual flower trials. The Morris area typically has hot, dry summers with exposure to wind, which provides a unique opportunity to compare performance of bedding plant cultivars under regional conditions.

Interest in these trials is confirmed by the thousands of people each year that visit WCROC. Our gardens are open for self-guided tours throughout the growing season.

The goal of evaluating this vast array of species is to develop recommendations for our unique climate. We measure various plant traits including height and width, flower size and duration, flower power, color, and disease resistance. Each species is rated throughout the season for performance. We obtain either seeds or vegetative propagules and produce the plants we use in our trials on site.

Based on flower performance, University of Minnesota horticulture professionals determine which annual flowers are superior to the rest. The results are made available in an annual report “University of Minnesota 2012 Annual Flower Trial”. Floriculture professionals and businesses, and many gardening affiliates often request our highly anticipated report. The results can be downloaded at http://wcroc.cfans.umn.edu by clicking on “research,” then Horticulture. Home gardeners and commercial bedding plant producers can identify cultivars best suited for their locations from evaluations of over 400 annual flowers annually.

In addition to the numerous annual flower trial displays, visitors can also enjoy the All America Selections (AAS) Display Gardens. The Morris site has participated in this program april 13

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➾ trial garden IN M O R R I S

and/or private trialing of perennials. For instance, Blooms of Bressingham Perennials™ N.A. of Lapeer, MI, conducts performance evaluations and hardiness tests for each year’s new releases. This provides a gauge of performance/hardiness across various regions, although none are as rigorous as the Minnesota USDA Zone 3–4 test sites.

Trialing herbaceous perennials to test for winter hardiness and garden performance at the University of Minnesota has been ongoing since 1998. Currently, we conduct trials at four sites (USDA Zone 3–Zone 4) in Minnesota to measure performance. Regional trials generate information on plant performance in different soil, climatic, and geographical conditions. Results from regional evaluations generally define adaptability of each plant selection.

In particular, the regional conditions at the WCROC gives us the opportunity to evaluate plants in a prairie transition site with elevated soil pH (average station 7.4) and extended periods of high summer temperatures (July and Aug. means 71° and 69° F, respectively). Plants exhibiting superior performance in regional trials generally are recommended as new landscape plant cultivars for the nursery, landscape, and greenhouse industry, as well as the public and are designated as Minnesota Tough & Terrific™.

Winter Hardy Garden Chrysanthemum Research

since 1990. The AAS award recognizes a flower or vegetable variety proven to have superior performance throughout the North American continent. An AAS Display Garden provides the public an opportunity to view the new AAS winners in an attractive well-maintained setting.

AAS Display Gardens also provide educational AAS programs during an open house or field day events during the peak season for garden flowers. Additionally, the Morris site recently became the only AAS Trial Ground site in Minnesota, where AAS entries are planted next to comparisons and evaluated by an AAS Trial Judge.

Chrysanthemums are popular cut flowers, potted flowering plants, and perennial garden favorites worldwide with thousands of cultivars available. Garden chrysanthemums are the number one herbaceous perennial in the U.S. with a wholesale farm gate value in the top 15 states of $113.7 M in 2011 (USDA NASS 2012).

Numerous factors contribute to the long term popularity of garden chrysanthemums, including fall flowering, a wide range of flower types and colors, distinct plant habits (upright, cushion, groundcover), and winter hardiness (particularly for northern gardeners). A small number of private and public sector breeding programs across the globe have active chrysanthemum breeding programs. The chrysanthemum breeding program at the University of Minnesota is now the oldest public sector chrysanthemum breeding program in the world (founded in 1926) and the only public sector breeding program in the U.S. Trend-setting breeding endeavors, such as the Mammoth™ shrub chrysanthemums from its germplasm base and genetic resources, continue to bring a wide range of colors and plant habits in hardy chrysanthemums for northern gardeners.

Herbaceous Perennial Research

Summary

The herbaceous perennial trials directed by Dr. Neil Anderson and conducted in Minnesota, including at the WCROC, are the first systematic, scientific, public trialing system to evaluate winter hardiness and garden performance of herbaceous perennials. Our trials are unique in that we test replicated samples of new seed and/ or vegetatively propagated products for a duration of three years (three growing seasons and three winters). Herbaceous perennials require longer periods for breeding, selection, and crop domestication due to the need for cold tolerance testing. A national test system for herbaceous perennial plants does not exist. Individual breeders, producers or distributor companies may have organized public

While the annual flower trials and display gardens are a huge attraction for visitors at Morris, there is more to enjoy. The Horticulture Display Garden offers an educational and inspirational experience for people of all ages. Gardeners can learn and share ideas, students can work and learn about plants and the environment, and children and families can enjoy the meandering trails blooming with ideas and activities. The Garden is open from dawn until dusk during the growing season. Admission is free.

Chrysanthemums in the breeding program are grown within a protected site, all to ensure the integrity of the research project.

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for more information on the horticulture display garden,

http://wcroc.cfans.umn.edu.

please visit

âžž pinterest

pinterest part II In the February Scoop, I introduced Pinterest and explained how it could help your business. Early on in the site’s history, even though its statistics were strong, many were saying Pinterest wasn’t viable; there were too many legal issues; it was just a fad. However, Pinterest is still going strong and making many more business owners sit up and take notice. In fact, every day over 1 billion images are shared via Pinterest across the web!

Jacqui Austin | GardenCenterWriter.com

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P

interest now generates more revenue per click than Facebook.

Additionally, Pinterest users are twice as likely to make a purchase. Boticca.com compared Facebook and Pinterest-driven customers and found the Pinterest users spent an average of $180 versus $85 spent by Facebook users. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?

If you haven’t started using Pinterest, go over to www.pinterest.com.

You may join by using your Twitter or Facebook credentials or an email address, and you can join as either a person or as a business (more about business below). There is little difference between them, however the business board will show your business website address, which adds credibility to your board.

After you have your account, I suggest you play with it. Just explore. Under the big red Pinterest at the top of the page are “Following, Categories, Everything, Popular, and Gifts.” These are ways of searching for those you follow, categories, etc. The items in the “gifts” section are items for sale. You may also browse for specific items in the ‘search box’ on the upper left side. Believe me, use your imagination...try “avocado cookies.” Now, check out “avacado cookies.” Yes, I know this is a misspelling...but there are different pins here. (I didn’t know you could replace butter with avocado.)

Pinterest automatically suggests boards for new users. You can add others by clicking on “add” and “create a board.” Add the requested information and you’re on your way.

If you’re going to “pin” regularly, you’ll want the “pin it” button in your toolbar. This allows you to actually take a picture from the internet and pin it to one of your boards. Find it under “About” at the top of the screen. Follow the instructions…easy.

There are three ways to pin:

• Use the “pin it button” from your toolbar when you see an online image you would like to put onto your board.

• “Repin” an image already on Pinterest and add your own comments.

• Upload an image from your computer. Just click the “add” button, choose “upload a Pin” and browse your personal images (including videos!), select and put it on your chosen board. Add additional comments to explain it. If it’s a picture of food, go ahead and add the recipe. You’ll have many followers if your recipe is good!

For many people, this is all they do with their Pinterest account.

You’re right, this is like electronic scrapbooking. april 13

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➾ pinterest

Info graphic People like a quick “how-to” story. Create an s infographic to show how to do something, such as are Fantast pruning, transplanting, spraying, applying asphalt ic sealer…the list is endless. Not sure how to create an infographic? Applications include www.infogr.am, www.visual.ly, and www.piktochart.com to easily make information visual.

Many customers now use YouTube to search for information, therefore videos are hot, hot, hot!

Pin They may also be pinned using the “pin it” button.

Other ways to create videos for Pinterest include applications such as www.screenflow.com which has a free trial, www.faststone.org, www.screencastomatic.com, and www.snagit.com, which also comes with a free trial. Videos should definitely be part of your business marketing.

Videos

Timing of

Pins

If you want your pins seen by the largest number of viewers, timing is important. Studies show early morning, late evening and Saturday mornings have the largest numbers of Pinterest viewers. Makes sense to pin then, right?

Business Pinterest

One of the most exciting changes for Pinterest is the new “business account.” You may convert your personal account to a business account or join as a business. More information is available under the “About” tab at Pinterest.com. Here you can read case studies and learn about analytics to further refine your boards.

D

rive Use your pins to drive traffic to a specific URL. After uploading your pin, click the “edit” button.

Traf fic

This is probably the most important step of using Pinterest to drive traffic. Enter the information requested. Be sure to use keywords and phrases to improve the search engine optimization. Enter the URL of the specific site or page to which you want the picture to drive traffic. When a viewer clicks on the pin, they will go directly to the URL to see exactly what you want them to see. After adding this information, use a “call to action” in the comments of the pin… tell the people to “click here to see more” or something similar. In addition, if you enter a price with a dollar sign in the comments, the pin appears automatically in the “gifts” section. By editing the pin and adding the sales page for the product, Pinterest fans can go to the sales page to buy your product. Remember, statistics show Pinterest customers spend twice as much as customers coming to the same page via Facebook!

Use the templates at www.quozio.com to create a quote or “words of wisdom” pin. Use your URL in People Love the “who said it box.” Other sites that offer s e t

templates to help you create pins are o u Q

www.festisite.com, and www.polyvore.com.

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Yes, you can schedule your pins. This makes it convenient to have your pins seen by many people even if you are doing something else. Check out www.pingraphy.com to schedule your pin. You will drag the pingraphy button to your tool bar and use it (instead of the Pin It button) to pin and schedule.

This also allows bulk uploading of pins. Saves a lot of time!

Schedu Your ling Pin

This is the social aspect of Pinterest. Following others

and having others follow you is a great way to build Following and your own community and engage potential customers. g Commentin Pinning beautiful pictures, informative infographs and quotes, and providing feedback on other pins gains exposure, followers and traffic. Plus, it’s fun (just don’t let it take up too much time!).

Although this is a fun way to get business, don’t forget to use strategic marketing techniques.

This includes the use of keywords and keyphrases in the description of the pins and the comments you make about your pins. People search Pinterest using those words and phrases. Make it easy for them (and the search engines) to find your pins. For a local business, be sure to include your geographic designation. Pinners may search for “flower gardens in Minneapolis, MN” and find you.

Keyword s

Text

on

Pins

It’s easy to add text to your pins using www.picmonkey.com. Not only can you add text (with a variety of fonts) onto your picture, there are also editing tools, special effects and overlays to play with. This free tool makes it simple to

Two More Pinteresting Boards Two contrasting, but very useful types of boards are community and secret boards.

Community boards allow many pinners to pin pictures. Of course, this may require monitoring. Garden centers, landscapers and growers can invite customers to pin pictures of their gardens so others can enjoy the accomplishments and beauty of the products purchased from the center, landscaper, or grower.

Secret boards are the opposite. They are only shared between the participants and are not seen by the public. Designers and their customers can pin to the secret board to show ideas and interests to each other while working on a mutual project. Later, if they like, the board can become public to show others the various steps of the project.

create a professional looking pin. It also allows “collage” creation where more than one image can be placed on the pin. If you are concerned people may steal your original artwork, add a watermark from www.pickmarkr.com.

"Ta ll P ins"

Taller pins get more repins and attention because they take more space on a board. In other words, they really stand out. Photoshop is probably the best to use, but for a quick collage of images, check out www.pixlr.com. The image editor will set the number

of pixels but 300 high by 150 wide works quite well.

Most people love contests. It’s easy to pin a picture Contests of the contest reward. Using picmonkey.com as

described above, add the phrase “Pin It to Win It”

to your pin along with additional details. Great way to have a pin, and your URL, go viral!

Call to Action

Use Pinterest as part of your marketing campaign. On your website, place “Follow me on Pinterest” with a link to your Pinterest boards. Add “pin it” on especially attractive pictures (and videos) at your site. In addition, of course, have your pins direct viewers to specific pages at your site. The buttons and instructions can be found under the “about” tab, in the “goodies” section. And don’t forget to put a call to action in your description such as “Come see us at Happy Landscaping for more fountains.”

Use these tools to add this new dimension to your marketing.

Take advantage of Pinterest now, and develop additional traffic and revenues for your company. Happy pinning! writes for horticultural businesses to amplify their message by writing “powerful words…promoting plants.” She can be reached at Jacqui@gardencenterwriter.com or (206) 769-1531.

jacqui austin

Hedberg Scoop Apr2013outl.indd 1

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3/1/2013 3:52:29 PM

➾ MNLA HISTORY

bachman' s then & now mnla hist o ry

Dale Bachman

Bachman’s, Inc.

during a bachman family gathering in August 2012 it was suggested that we recreate the photograph of Luella Bachman Brucciani and Larry Bachman that was originally taken around 1928. In October 2012 we did just that.

Luella and Larry grew up next door to each other along Lyndale Avenue next to Bachman’s Minneapolis main store location. Most of the cousins were born within a few years of each other. They virtually grew up together, more like siblings than

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cousins. Each was taught early to work hard and to love it. Growing up there were ice cream socials, games of kick the can, and in winter, marble games in the greenhouse. Luella, along with her sister and other cousins, helped their mothers care for the family, as well as the employees. They also worked and managed the store. When time permitted, they spent time with Olga Bachman learning the art of flower arranging. During the war years, Luella and others in the third generation kept the business alive and prospering. When Larry returned from the war he continued his career in the nursery, landscape and garden center areas of Bachman’s.

Approximately 84 year later, Luella and Larry got together again. The original photo was of Luella and Larry as youngsters sitting on the running board of our original Wilcox, which was one of Bachman’s first vehicles. The 2012 photo was taken along side the replica of Bachman’s 1919 Wilcox truck, which the family had built in 1996.

âžž cover st ory

value of membership

the $50,000 co

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John O’Reilly | Otten Bros. Nursery & Landscaping, Inc.

onversation When the annual invoice for membership in any organization comes due, it’s tempting to look at the specific bottom line savings the membership has generated for you: fleet discounts, fuel discounts, shipping discounts, cardboard trays, purchasing discounts, etc. etc. — those small things are all accounted for to be sure you’re generating the value of your annual membership fee.

But I have found through the years that the value of our MNLA membership is far more than just discounts. >

april 13 mnla .biz

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➾ cover st ory

MNLA Strategic Plan Focus Area: Networking/Business Connections It’s the email address or phone number of someone that I didn’t know a year ago who has insight to share on a challenge that I’ve been wrestling with. It’s the candid reference for a job candidate.

It’s the practical advice from a supplier on what is working for other businesses like mine — or finding a new supplier for a critical product line when time is of the essence.

Thinking about the value of our membership, I reflected that the structure of our loyalty/rewards program was based on a visit to another member business who shared their program details with us.

Over the past 30 years, participating in MNLA events has allowed us multiple contact points to create and deepen relationships like these, gaining insights that saved us real dollars in time and trial and error to figure out ‘what would work.’ Just this past fall, I realized that one 10-minute conversation with a fellow trusted MNLA member is likely to save our company $50,000 this year. (Strangely enough, that specific insight wasn’t even the initial reason for the conversation!)

Who is that person for you? Have you met them yet? If not, why not? MNLA is a whole collection of real-world experts in their fields who are eager to share their successes and failures with each other.

But to get the answers, you have got to be there to ask the questions and hear the answers. Newsletters are insightful, educational programs are certainly valuable, and we all like a discount; but the real value of membership is in the community of people. Just because horticulturists are by nature introverts doesn’t mean that we’re not willing to help each other.

Similarly, you probably have the answer someone else needs — and you may not even realize that you do. We all seem to downplay what we’re great at.

If you haven’t attended one of the new MNLA Networking Group events, you need to make it a point to put one on your calendar.

These are informal gatherings of professionals in the same industry segment (garden retail, landscape, irrigation, etc.). Investing an hour or two a month in a discussion about a timely business topic can give you a connection to a regional expert with boots-on-theground experience in something you really need to know to make your business more profitable. To find out more about MNLA Networking Groups, visit MNLA.biz. Get in touch, and make your membership even more valuable: I hope to see you at the next event. john o’reilly

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can be reached at j.oreilly@ottenbros.com.

april 13

One strategic focus area that emerged crystal-clear from the member/non-member focus group was the desire for more opportunities to meet with like-minded individuals. MNLA has long provided networking and business connection opportunities, especially via Expo, education days and committee meetings. But members also asked for new kinds of business connection groupings: regional, segment, business owners, women, and more. The Strategic Plan called for a Networking Committee to be formed, whose mission would be to ensure that MNLA becomes the catalyst to help members and related professionals build business opportunities, foster industry camaraderie, provide a fun atmosphere, and serve as an incubator of ideas for educational programs, government affairs direction, and other innovations in association member services.

The Networking Committee is currently chaired by Nick Sargent, Sargent’s Landscape Nursery, Rochester, and under his direction, the committee has so far focused the bulk of its efforts on making small groups a cornerstone of networking and business connection, and has undertaken forming segment-specific and other networking groups. These groups are open to all members, with non-members welcome to join for a meeting as well. If non-members decide the meeting was valuable to them, they are welcome join MNLA. There are ten industry segment (plus CEO) networking groups up and running, and more on the way! These groups are an opportunity for members to informally get together and obtain “just in time” information from peers on hot topics.

There have been twelve meetings since January 1 and five more are scheduled before April 15.

Top takeaways from these meetings are posted online and in the Scoop for all members’ benefit (see page 56).

Feedback from these meetings is sent back to staff and passed on to appropriate committees.

As noted in this issue’s cover story, one member reported saving his business $50,000 based on an idea he got at one of these groups!

Members of the Networking Committee include Heidi Heiland, Heidi's Lifestyle Gardens, Inc., Duggan Kelly, Kelly Green Irrigation, Inc., Jeff Pilla, Bachman's Floral, Gift & Garden Center, Jim Wilson, Wilson's Nursery, Inc., Matt Mallas, Hedberg Landscape & Masonry Supplies, Patrick McGuiness, Zlimen & McGuiness PLLC and MNLA staff liaisons Susan Flynn, Jon Horsman, and Cassie Larson.

DNR names Forrest Boe Director of Forestry Division

T

he Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has named Forrest Boe as director of the DNR's Forestry Division.

For the past 29 years, Boe has worked for the DNR in numerous leadership positions, most recently as the deputy director of the Parks and Trails Division. He spent 20 years of his career in northern Minnesota with the agency’s former Trails and Waterways Division.

One of Boe’s first jobs during and after college was operating his own forestry business, which included tree planting and management. The business was inspired by his father, a DNR forester for 39 years.

Boe said one of his main goals will be to balance needs of the forestry industry with the environmental aspects of forestry.

As Forestry Division director, Boe will oversee a $70 million annual budget and a staff of 350 employees. The division is responsible for protecting people, property and natural resources from wildfire on 45.5 million acres of land in Minnesota.

Boe earned a Bachelor of Science degree in natural resource management from the University of WisconsinStevens Point. He lives in Hastings, Minn.

We’re digging

SHADE & ORNAMENTAL

Research Characte Trends Within th

By Dr. James Calkins, Research Information Director MNLA Foundation

I

ngenuity and the ability to embrace change, try new ideas, and take managed risks, based on a clear understanding of markets and market trends and an everchanging production environment, are the keys to current and future success in the nursery and landscape industry. Survival, Dr. James Calkin and any potential for new growth, will be dependent on having the requisite skills needed to respond to change and maintain profitability in an increasingly competitive environment.

With a new growing season fast approaching, and with continued uncertainty about the U.S. and global economy, understanding the status of the nursery industry and current production, marketing, and employment trends should be of interest to all sectors of the nursery industry and its partners as

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alone and adrift in a

sea of change?

Maybe This Is the Answer

Quite a dramatic question, isn’t it? Now that I have your attention, here’s my spiel.

I have been involved in the MNLA for over thirty years and believe me — I’ve seen a lot of change. Most of the change has been a result of extraordinary growth; and most of that growth has been good. But as we all know, over the last few years most of us as well as the MNLA have faced a shrinkage in our lives, forcing us to re-evaluate what we are doing.

Jim Wilson | Wilson’s Nursery, Inc.

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➾ netw orking

T

he MNLA board and staff, as part of its due diligence, recently completed a strategic planning session. As a result of this and the recommendation of several focus groups, the idea of networking groups came about.

What is a networking group? It is an informal, volunteer, special interest group of MNLA members. These groups are more casual, and don’t necessarily meet at the MNLA offices around a conference table. Networking groups were created at the request of members and serve several purposes including: • Creating more ways for members to connect with each other • Providing opportunities for enhancing organizational and personal success • Producing a vehicle for special interest group input to MNLA on educational, government affairs and professional development programs • Establishing a platform for future leader development within the organization

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Several networking groups have begun to function and others are beginning to form.

These groups are: Garden Centers, Commercial Arborists, Landscape Designers, Commercial Flower Growers, Professional Gardening Services, Nursery Grower, Irrigation, Landscape Contractors/Hardscape Contractors, Landscape Management, Sustainable Environment, and CEO. As an MNLA member, you may attend any and all of these group meetings if you so desire. If you’re interested (and I hope you are), please go to MNLA.biz for information and schedules. The more the merrier; I think you’ll be surprised how fun and fulfilling participation can be!

35 years ago I was alone and adrift in a sea of change. I had just moved to Minnesota from Michigan to work for Walter Carpenter at Minnesota Tree. Walter invited me to get involved with what was then called the Minnesota Nurserymen’s Association. And here I am, still involved in the MNLA. I believe that my participation in the MNLA over the years has become one of my best personal and professional assets.

Will you join me in growing these networking groups? jim wilson is a member of the MNLA Networking committee and can be reached at wilsontrees@hotmail.com.

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➾ plant of the month

plant of month the

Common Hackberry — Celtis occidentalis

or Celtis occidentalis is a tough native that is an excellent choice for the landscape and urban areas. This is a spreading to rounded tree with pendulous branches. It is extremely cold hardy, thriving in zones 2–7, and is native from Quebec to North Carolina to northern Oklahoma. This

the common hackberry

moderate to rapid grower soars to a height of 50–75 feet and a similar width.

This member of the elm family has a similar stature to ash and makes an excellent alternative. In ideal conditions, it will live 150 to 200 years. Hackberry prefers full sun and rich moist soils, but is tolerant of unfavorable conditions such as wind and alkaline soils. It is an excellent choice for urban areas because it stands up to extremes such as poor, compacted or rocky soils, drought, and pollution. It is native to flood plains and can handle saturated soils. The fibrous root system allows this variety to be easily transplanted from a container or bare root.

In the spring, greenish flowers bloom.

The foliage is a bright green with an alternate leave pattern. In the fall, the leaves turn to yellow. In autumn there are orange fruits that transform to purple. They have little ornamental

significance, but attract birds. This tree exhibits winter interest with its light gray, rough, corky bark. The twigs are also light gray with a zigzag pattern.

They lack terminal buds and often have a knobby appearance. The wood is not valued for commercial uses. However, this tree is not storm prone.

One of the few drawbacks to this plant is it is susceptible to nipple gall on the leaves and witch’s broom. However, this is only unsightly; it does not affect the health of the tree. A variety that shows resistance to these diseases and has dark, glossy leaves is Magnifica Sugar Hackberry, a cross between Common Hackberry and Sugar Hackberry.

The Common Hackberry is an excellent option when looking for a tough, cold hardy, low maintenance tree that thrives even in some of the most extreme conditions.

plant of the month was written by vickie pondell bailey nurseries, inc. She can be reached at vickie.pondell@baileynursery.com.

Top photo by cyberenviro.org on Flickr. Top left photo courtesy of Bailey Nurseries.

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➾ Research for the R eal W o rld

Preemergence Herbicides & Crabgrass Control Research indicates preemergence herbicides can provide season-long crabgrass control in turf in the upper midwest.

Dr. James Calkins

Research Information Director MNLA Foundation

RESEARCH FOR THE REAL WORLD

Information compiled by the MNLA Foundation to help the success of your business today MNLA.biz _________ The Scoop _________ MNLA eNews

crabgrass (Digitaria spp.) is a familiar weed to most Minnesotans interested in turfgrass. Two species are commonly found in Minnesota landscapes including lawns — Digitaria sanguinalis (large crabgrass; also called hairy crabgrass) and Digitaria ischaemum (smooth crabgrass). Both species are warm-season annuals, but smooth crabgrass tends to be a little shorter and is less coarse and less hairy than large crabgrass. Smooth crabgrass also tends to be more bluish in color than large crabgrass. Both species are native to Europe, but are now widely distributed in the United States.

A single crabgrass plant can easily produce 100,000 to 150,000 seeds. Seeds germinate in late spring and early summer when temperatures reach about 60 degrees Fahrenheit and can continue to germinate throughout the growing season. Seeds can germinate earlier in microclimates that warm up earlier like areas along sidewalks, driveways and streets, and southfacing slopes. Although infestations can vary from year to year depending on environmental conditions, crabgrass can become a serious perennial problem as a consequence of this ability to produce copious amounts of seed and is often especially problematic in lawns that are poorly managed ­— drought stressed, under fertilized, poorly drained. Crabgrass plants are killed by frost.

Crabgrass does not compete well with healthy, vigorous turf and can be managed by mowing lawns frequently to reduce height by no more than ⅓ at each mowing, setting the mowing height at 2.5" to 3" during the hot summer months, providing supplemental irrigation as needed when rainfall is less than 1.5 inches/week, fertilizing primarily in the fall, and aerating lawns on compacted or clay soils in early fall.

When crabgrass is a problem, preemergence herbicides are frequently recommended for crabgrass control.

Prodiamine, pendimethaline, and dithiopyr are some of the most commonly used preemergence herbicides for crabgrass control in turf. Dithiopyr has also been shown to have postemergence activity on young crabgrass plants and can improve control in situations where crabgrass has already germinated. Preemergence herbicides are typically applied in late April or early May in the Twin Cities area.

A recently published study designed to provide information regarding the use of preemergence herbicides for crabgrass control in turf was conducted on established Kentucky bluegrass turf in West Lafayette, Indiana, and Wymore, Nebraska. The research was designed with two primary objectives — to determine if sequential applications of different preemergence herbicides would influence season-long crabgrass control and whether single applications of tank-mixed preemergence

top takeaways The research results support recommending sequential applications over single applications for improved full-season crabgrass control.

Single herbicide applications were applied in mid-April (April 15) and sequential applications were applied in mid-April and early June (June 1).

Sequential applications of prodiamine, pendimethalin, and dithiopyr consistently provided seasonlong crabgrass control regardless of which herbicide was used for the initial and sequential applications.

Crabgrass cover was evaluated in mid-June (June 15) and mid-August (August 15). Crabgrass cover in mid-June was less than 7% for all of the tank mixtures evaluated compared to 35% crabgrass cover in the untreated control plots.

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➾ Research for the R eal W o rld

Figure 1. Crabgrass is a common problem in stressed, cool-season turf. Photo by Matt Lavin.

herbicides would provide season-long crabgrass control in the upper Midwest.

Methods and primary findings:

• The turf plots consisted of loam soils with a pH between 6.6 and 7.2 and organic matter levels between 3.8 and 8.1%; the turf plots were fertilized in fall the year prior to commencement of the study, irrigated to prevent drought stress, and maintained at a mowing height of 3.8 to 5 cm (1.5 to 2 inches).

• Various single, full-rate and sequential, half-plus-half and half-plus-quarter application rates of prodiamine, pendimethalin, and dithiopyr were compared.

• Single herbicide applications were applied in mid-April (April 15) and sequential applications were applied in mid-April and early June (June 1).

• Crabgrass cover was evaluated in mid-June (June 15) and mid-August (August 15).

• All treatments significantly improved crabgrass control in mid-June and mid-August compared to the untreated control treatment; crabgrass cover tended to be higher for all treatments later in the season (mid-August compared to mid-June), 42

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DCP0489_08_HortAdScoopMag_outlines.indd 1

2/12/13 11:31 AM

All treatments significantly improved crabgrass control in mid-June and mid-August compared to the untreated control treatment; crabgrass cover tended to be higher for all treatments later in the season (mid-August compared to mid-June), but cover remained significantly lower for all treatments compared to the control treatment in mid-August. but cover remained significantly lower for all treatments compared to the control treatment in mid-August.

• Single, half-rate applications of all three herbicides resulted in higher levels of crabgrass cover by mid-August than any of the single, full-rate treatments or any of the half-rateplus-half-rate or half-rate-plus-quarter-rate treatments.

• Half-rate and half-rate-plus-quarter-rate tank-mixed treatments were less effective than the half-rate-plus-half-rate tank-mixed treatments; however, the authors reported other research has indicated that lower herbicide rates can provide effective control when applied following a full-rate application the previous year.

• Crabgrass cover in mid-June was less than 7% for all of the tank mixtures evaluated compared to 35% crabgrass cover in the untreated control plots.

• Sequential applications of prodiamine, pendimethalin, and dithiopyr consistently provided season-long crabgrass control regardless of which herbicide was used for the initial and sequential applications.

• Half-rate, two-product tank mixes of prodiamine, pendimethalin, or dithiopyr also provided good crabgrass control compared to single, full-rate applications of these three herbicides.

• Dithiopyr provided postemergence control of young crabgrass plants.

• The research results support recommending sequential applications over single applications for improved full-season crabgrass control.

The researchers believe the results of this study will provide turf managers with additional options and more flexibility for controlling crabgrass more effectively based on differences in herbicide costs and crabgrass pressure.

Citation: Proctor, C.A., M.D. Sousek, A.J. Patton, D.V. Weisenberger, and Z.J. Reicher. Combining Preemergence Herbicides in Tank Mixtures or as Sequential Applications Provides Season-long Crabgrass Control in the Upper Midwest. HortScience 47(8):1159-1162. http://hortsci. ashspublications.org/content/47/8/1159.abstract (abstract only).

A number of related studies that may also be of interest to turf managers are referenced in the study. to comment on this month’s 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.

letter to the editor (Refers to Research for the Real World in Feb. Scoop) jim walsh, vineland tree care

I read the February Scoop article, ”Should We Be Mulching Newly Planted Trees?” by James Calkins, regarding the questionable role of mulch in root ball water usage with great interest. As I’m sure many of my arborist friends will admit, the meat of the article was as enlightening as it was satisfying to our inner tree geek.

The subtitle, “Research indicates applying mulch to newly planted trees may not be beneficial.” seems to be off the mark. Of course mulch can have drawbacks if it’s misapplied and it certainly will not help a tree planted too deep. Many of the benefits of mulch were outlined in this article and in further depth in the companion article “The Future of Mulch?” If mulch does nothing else, it pays off by both keeping the lawn mower away, reducing mowing time, and providing stem protection. I worry for the non-tree geek, who might read the title and the subtitle only, and think mulching young trees is not beneficial. Or am I missing the point? dr. james calkins, mnla foundation research director responds:

All things considered, I tend to be a fan of mulch and, so long as mulch is applied correctly, there are few situations where I would not recommend mulching.

The mulch research reported in the Research for the Real World column in the February Scoop supports the idea that mulch has little benefit in reducing evaporation from the root zones of newly planted trees and suggests keeping the soil bare may be a better choice. The authors of the study cited their findings and those of a number of other studies that showed little benefit and in some cases detrimental effects of mulch on soil moisture as reasons why landscape managers might want to consider keeping the soil over the root balls of newly planted trees bare. They also cited concerns about mulch being in contact with the trunk and the formation of stem girdling roots when roots grow up into landscape mulch.

While these are valid concerns, others would argue they have more to do with irrigation practices and how mulch is applied than whether mulch should be used or not. The difference between organic and inorganic mulches relative to these concerns is also germane. The specifics of the site and the many benefits of mulch must also be considered; things like aesthetics, the addition of organic matter to the soil, the moderation of soil temperature, and preventing soil crusting while promoting water infiltration. Mulch also helps control weeds and reduces the potential for mechanical damage to the trunks of trees planted in turf from mowers and string trimmers. In this case, a bare soil ring maintained with herbicides can provide the same protection and this option is the choice of many landscape managers, but bare soil also raises erosion concerns.

It is important to consider many factors when deciding whether to mulch or not. Whether to apply mulch and the type of mulch used, as with any landscape management practice, should be a site and situation specific decision.

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www.MNLA.biz | ocTober 2012

four reasons incentives can

backfire and what to do about it

Incentives — rewards meant to encourage and motivate employees to be more productive — all too often backfire and create unintended consequences: internal squabbles, cynicism, distraction, and diminished performance. However, when used correctly, they can produce wonderful results.

Jeffrey Scott, MBA

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âžž incentives

T

he trick with incentives is avoiding the pitfalls and common myths.

Following are the four most common myths regarding incentives:

Myth #1 Incentives should be focused only on what a person can control.

While this makes sense on face value, it ignores a huge factor in motivation: peer pressure. Many managers and contractors think that a person needs to have full and complete control in order for an incentive to be effective, but this just isn’t the case.

You can create a very quick and dramatic improvement in your company with the use of a peer-based incentive program.

For example, an entire division or company can share in a bonus (e.g., when everyone comes to work on time all week, the entire company gets free coffee and donuts the following week.) Think about the corporate world where stock options are awarded to employees as incentives, and yet the entire company has to perform in order for the stock value to rise.

Peer-based incentives can be used to create change in many different areas: getting crews out on time, reducing equipment loss and vehicle damage, improving client retention.

You should not have a problem with your employees accepting this incentive as long as the rules are clear and as long as you clearly explain why the incentive is being applied companywide (or division wide) as opposed to individually. Treat your employees like adults and explain the reasons clear and simple, and you may be surprised at how well your employees will enjoy the peer-based approach.

Myth #2 An incentive should be holistic.

Some business owners try to wrap up all the critical success factors into an incentive, but this can be confusing to track and can send mixed signals to the incentive recipient.

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For example, I recently worked with a contractor who thought up a comprehensive incentive for his office staff. It was very artful in engaging his office manager and addressing all the key aspects of her job, except that it was too complex; it covered too many facets of her job and thus made it hard to prioritize what was important. Incentives should be straightforward, easy to memorize, and easy to calculate. If your incentive recipient cannot wake up in the morning, remember his or her incentive, it is probably too complex.

Myth #3 Incentives will create a change in behavior.

This is not true. Unfortunately, managers often put incentives in place expecting them to be a silver bullet and magically fix all that ails their companies. The important truth is, an incentive is merely a mechanism for how you measure the change, i.e. the improvement.

But, in order to motivate the change, you need to give employees consistent feedback, and engage them in discussions on how the company is performing as compared to goals. Your employees need to understand why the change is important. Throwing money at them is not a replacement for explaining why it is important to hit the goal. Incentives will not automatically create accountability.

Most employees want to do a good job, but they often lack the tools or understanding needed to do the job well.

An incentive is not meant to replace a job description and is also not meant to replace the company operations manuals or handbook.

Myth #4 Incentives must pay out monetary rewards in order for employees to buy in.

This myth further states that monetary rewards should be significant in order for employees to really care. Neither is true.

I have seen incentives programs with no money at all attached to them work wonders.

Take, for example, a company with four crews, and imagine that these crews compete against each other each week to see who can finish the week most efficiently under budget. Each crew is rated on how well it performs compared to its budgeted time. The results are shared in percentages; for example, 100 percent means they met budget, 90 percent means they beat budget by 10 percent, and 105 percent means they were over budget by 5 percent. Whichever crew ends the week with the lowest percentage, wins.

In fact, when a company is setting up a monetary-based incentive program for the first time, it may make sense to do a dry run and execute it with no money attached. This will allow you to work the bugs out of the system, and then later, if you wish, to add a monetary reward.

In fact, when a company is setting up a monetary-based incentive program for the first time, it may make sense to do a dry run and execute it with no money attached.

This will allow you to work the bugs out of the system, and then later, if you wish, to add a monetary reward.

If you do create an incentive based on money, it should be selffunding. The incentive should be paid out based on incremental profits earned by the company based on the incremental results achieved. When incentives are self-funding, everyone wins.

jeffrey scott, mba,

Consultant, author, grew his landscape company into a successful $10 million enterprise and is now devoted to helping others achieve similar success. To learn more visit GetTheLeadersEdge.com.

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âžž C ONTAIN ER PRODUC TI O N SY STEM S

comparing

container Production systems How does a bag-in-pot system compare to other container production systems?

Dr. James Calkins | MNLA Foundation Research Information Director

Figure 1. Maximum and minimum root zone temperatures are two of the many factors that should be considered when choosing a nursery production system. Photo courtesy of Jim Calkins

A

n experiment was conducted at the University of New Hampshire Horticultural Research Farm (Durham, NH) to assess the growth of woody plants in several container production systems compared to plants grown in a field setting. The experiment evaluated root zone temperatures, overwintering requirements, root system architecture, and the effects of each production system on root growth after transplantation into the landscape.

For the production phase of the experiment, bare-root flowering crabapple (Malus ‘Donald Wyman’) and container-grown common lilac (Syringa vulgaris ‘Monge’) liners were grown to marketable size (two and three growing seasons for the crabapples and lilacs, respectively) using five production systems. The production systems compared included: • Field-grown (FG) — the bare-root crabapples and containergrown lilacs were planted directly into native soil (fine sandy loam).

• Container-grown (CG) — a standard, above-ground, container-grown nursery production system using No. 7 black plastic containers (Nursery Supplies, Inc., Chambersburg, PA).

• Pot-in-pot (PIP) — a standard, container-growing-in-theground (CGIG) system wherein plants were grown in socket pots inserted into semi-permanent outside containers set in the ground and lined with copper hydroxide-treated geotextile to inhibit root growth through the drainage holes of the inside container.

• Bag-in-pot (BIP) — a system similar to CGIG, but the inground containers were lined with copper hydroxide-treated, geotextile bags (Texel, Inc., Quebec, Canada) into which the liners were planted.

• Above-ground system (AGS) — standard nursery containers inserted into tapered, above-ground containers with flared bases (Nursery Supplies, Inc.).

The same No. 7 (24,600 cm3) nursery containers used for the CG system were also used as the inside and outside containers for the PIP system, the outside containers for the BIP system, and the inside containers for the AGS. The inside surfaces of the containers used in the CG production system and the inside containers used in the PIP and AGS production systems were painted with latex paint with added copper hydroxide in the form of Spinout (Griffin Chemical Corp., Valdosta, GA) in an attempt to reduce root circling within the containers. A commercial nursery mix composed of 80% pine bark and 20% peat was used as the growing medium in the container and bag production systems (CG, PIP, BIP, and AGS).

All plants were irrigated and fertilized and plants grown in the three above-ground systems (CG, PIP, and AGS) were overwintered in an unheated poly house covered with white plastic.

Data collected included plant growth (height, trunk diameter, and annual growth and fruit, shoot, and root dry weight and root/shoot ratios for crabapple; height, width, and a height/width growth index and flowering for lilac), air and root-zone soil and growing medium temperatures, and mortality.

Following the production phase of the experiment, assigned subsets of crabapple trees from each production system were transplanted into a simulated landscape situation. After three years, the trees were harvested such that their root systems could be compared based on root deformities and the level of root growth outside the transplanted root ball.

Primary findings:

• Caliper growth of the FG trees was reduced compared to the other treatments during the first year, but there were no significant differences in caliper or shoot dry weight after two growing seasons.

• Root dry weights were the greatest for trees from the PIP system and were significantly greater compared to FG trees; april 13

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➾ C ONTAIN ER PRODUC TI O N SY STEM S

Bare-root flowering crabapple (Malus ‘Donald Wyman’) and container-grown common lilac (Syringa vulgaris ‘Monge’) liners were used as the test subjects. Photos courtesy of Harold Pellett

not surprisingly root/shoot ratios were also higher for the FG trees as much of the root system was lost at harvest.

• Copper hydroxide mixed with latex paint had no effect on root circling, but geotextile bags treated with copper hydroxide did — the root systems were smaller and had fewer defects.

• For lilacs, there were significant differences in top growth and shoot dry weight with FG and PIP plants being largest.

• As would be expected, root-zone temperatures were similar for the two in-ground production systems (FG and PIP) and were warmer in winter and cooler in summer than for the above-ground production systems; the AGS and BIP systems did not insulate root systems from exposure to excessively high or low temperatures compared to the standard CG system and the CG, BIP, and AGS systems all exceeded lethal high and low root-zone temperature thresholds resulting in root damage.

• Following transplantation into the simulated landscape, the FG trees appeared to suffer more transplant shock (slower to leaf out and wilting), but there were no significant differences in survival or top growth for any of the treatments after three years.

• Root architecture following transplantation was superior for the BIP and FG trees as they had the fewest root defects and the greatest number of roots extending into the landscape soil; the BIP system was very effective in reducing the root system defects often associated with the production of woody plants in containers (root circling and bent roots at the perimeters of the original root balls).

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Interestingly, an above-ground, copper hydroxide-treated bag-in-pot (BIP) production system was not included in the study. Although winter protection would be required in northern climates as it is for standard above-ground container production systems, based on the superior root systems produced for both lilac and crabapple and the establishment success of crabapples, this type of system may deserve further consideration. The same would be true relative to the exposure of root systems to potentially damaging high temperatures during the growing season. Finally, the growing medium pH and whether the root system architecture observed for the BIP system was influenced by the copper hydroxide or the geotextile bag alone was also not really discussed and these factors should be investigated further.

While the cost of the geotextile bags and nursery containers would depend on the volume purchased, based simply on the cost of the copper hydroxide-treated geotextile bags and the No. 7 nursery containers used in this study ($2.00–$2.10/bag and $0.90–$0.99/ container, respectively; personal communications with the manufacturers), the BIP system used would increase the per-plant production cost.

For additional detail about this experiment see: Neal, C.A. 2010. Crabapple and Lilac Growth and Root-zone Temperatures in Northern Nursery Production Systems. HortScience 45(1):30-35. (abstract only)

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.

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➾ legal issues

How to Hire the Right Employees the First Time So you are in need of some new employees. You need them to start soon, as in now.

There is work to be done and the hiring process takes too much time.

Ok, STOP.

Patrick McGuiness

Zlimen & McGuiness, PLLC

hiring the wrong employees quickly will cause you to spend tenfold the time dealing with them later. You know the employees I am talking about because you currently have them on staff. You spend more time dealing with the mistakes from one bad employee than you do dealing with all of your good employees.

Put a stop to this merry-go-round of bad hiring by putting a process in place. It is simple and can prevent headaches in the future by helping you hire competent, responsible workers. Follow these steps and you will be on your way to solving many of your future employeerelated problems.

What To Do:

• Take the time to set up the hiring process. I know you are in a hurry, but if you need employees immediately, use a labor agency. To truly hire the right people, force yourself to take the time to set up a hiring process.

• Write a good job description. Draft a job description that tells a little about what the job entails. Nobody wants to work in an unfriendly, not fun work environment, so don’t make your job description sound that way. Set a deadline for applications and list what materials the applicant should submit.

• Have an interview process. Work with an attorney or HR consultant to develop a set of questions to ask each candidate you are interviewing. Come up with questions that will give you clues to the candidate’s abilities to perform well on the job for which you are hiring. Set a time limit for each of the interviews and stick closely to it.

The idea is to create a level playing field for the candidates so they can be evaluated objectively.

• Consider a simulation. It can be a good idea to include a simulation as a part of the job interview. Have the candidate perform a simple task that would be a part of what they would be doing for the job. It could be as simple as changing the spark plug on the cement saw, or having them show you how they would load/unload the truck. Just make sure it isn’t something that is going to injure them during the interview. Also, make sure you have everyone you interview do the same simulation so that you can accurately compare their abilities.

What not to do

• Do not hire someone that is very similar to you, unless of course the job you are hiring for is the same as yours. Look for skills and traits that will work well in the role you are trying to fill.

• Do not assume that you will have an epiphany when interviewing people. The process should be put in place so that you can objectively evaluate and rank all of the candidates. Assuming you will ‘know it when you see it’ can leave you asking who was the best candidate after all the interviews have been completed and you haven’t had that ‘a-ha’ moment.

• Do not hire friends of current employees. Sure, it is fine if you do this after the friend has gone through the same application process as all the other candidates and then ends up being the one april 13

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➾ legal issues

best suited for the job. However, do not simply rely on your current employee’s recommendation that their friend is a great worker. Chances are your employee is looking out for their friend’s interest more than they are looking out for your bottom line.

Follow these steps and you will be on your way to setting up a great hiring process. It will eliminate headaches further down the road and yield quality workers, which will improve your bottom line. If you would like more information on how to hire the best, stay tuned for future columns.

As always, don’t hesitate to email me with your questions and article ideas!

This article provides general information on employment law 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.

is a partner at Zlimen & McGuiness, PLLC. His law practice focuses on assisting small business owners on a wide range of legal issues. He can be reached at pmcguiness@zmattorneys.com. If you would like more information regarding employment law or other legal matters, please contact Zlimen & McGuiness, PLLC at 651-206-3203 or www.zmattorneys.com.

patrick mcguiness

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. North , MN 55443 0

Scoop_Rinn Hydropor Laziano_JAN-2013.indd 1

1/18/13 2:37 PM

➾ NE T WORKIN G GROU PS

networking news Professional Gardening Services Leader:

Julie King, Sage Landscape Design

Meeting Date:

Mar. 7 at Field Outdoor Spaces Topic:

Marketing a Professional Gardening Business

Top Takeaways: 1. Participate in large home and garden shows like the Minneapolis Home & Garden Show if you can, but smaller neighborhood home improvement fairs are also an option for marketing.

2. Other advertising: Direct mail postcards, local neighborhood newspapers, signs, newsletters and free newspaper coverage – you just need to think like a journalist.

3. Stay in touch with past and existing clients. Ask for referrals. Remember that no landscape is ever “done.”

Top Takeaways: 1. Quality product along with knowledgeable staff; must develop a training program to educate staff.

Garden Center Leader:

Jeff Pilla, Bachman’s, Inc.

2. Increase amount of displays that are solution-based.

Meeting Date:

3. Reduce varieties and focus on what is in color and looking great.

Topic:

4. Improve perceived value of product when the market allows by reducing promotions offered and increase margins.

Feb. 19th at Purple Onion Café in Minneapolis Solutions for Improving Nursery Sales

Commercial Arborists Leader:

Chris Muehlick, St. Croix Tree Service

Meeting Date:

Feb. 19th at Champps in St. Paul Topic:

5. Offer “great buy” pricing on a select group or “bread and butter” and offer alternatives that are improved varieties with a higher ticket price.

Top Takeaways: 1. There’s a need for education on crane use regulations.

2. You’ll need to get cooperation of utilities (Xcel).

3. Crane use training is needed.

Crane Use and Regulations

Sustainable Environment Leader:

John Moe, Earth Wizards

Meeting Date:

Feb. 27th at the MNLA Office Topic:

What Has Inspired You?

Irrigation Leader:

Todd Cradit, Irrigation by Design

Meeting Date:

Feb. 27th at Caribou Coffee in Plymouth Topic:

Irrigation Licensure

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Top Takeaways: 1. Writing articles is good for you and your business.

2. Two good resource books 1) ”Principles of Ecological Landscape Design” — Travis Beck; and 2) “Holy Shit — Managing Manure to Save Mankind” — Gene Logsdon.

3. Marketing as we know it is broken. Don’t market to the middle, find your Otaku (as referenced by Seth Godin in a TED talk watched during the meeting. Otaku (おたく/オタク) is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests.)

Top Takeaways: 1. Licensure: setting standards for irrigation, combining certifications, i.e., LSP, PLT. 2. MNLA education has been good – but more is needed on commercial style irrigation.

3. Distribute information as to the progress and facts of licensure.

beware of unqualified

tree workers Last fall, a fellow MNLA member working as a landscape designer and installer related this unfortunate story to me.

Faith Appelquist | Tree Quality

A

favorite client of Alice (not her real name) asked her to recommend someone to prune his trees. Not knowing anyone in particular, she naturally went to the MNLA directory to see who was a member and also offered services as a tree worker. She chose someone close to her client’s home, offering services as an arborist.

“Good fit”, she thought. Unfortunately for Alice, things went horribly wrong from there. It turned out that the arborist did a hack job on the trees and her client was furious. Alice lost a good long-term customer.

What happened here is a common misunderstanding in terms.

In Minnesota, anyone can call themselves an ‘arborist’ or ‘tree worker’ as long as they have a truck, hard hat and chain saw. This was a summer chock full of stories about homeowners getting ripped off by unprofessional tree care companies. It’s no wonder, because the State of Minnesota has no licensing requirements for tree care workers. It’s up to the homeowner to check a contractor’s insurance and credentials.

An important credential is the designation of International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist. Individuals who are certified should be able to show you their certification number. Certified Arborists are individuals who have achieved a level of knowledge in the art and science of tree care through experience and by passing a comprehensive examination developed by some of the nation’s leading experts on tree care. Certified Arborists must also continue their education to maintain their certification. Therefore, they are more likely to be up to date on the latest techniques in arboriculture.

And, without workers compensation insurance, any tree worker who has an accident could sue a homeowner for the damages suffered in the line of work. It is a dangerous and expensive occupation.

According to the American National Standards Institute, very few industries have a fatality rate above 30 per 100,000. Tree workers have an annual fatality rate that rarely dips below 30 per 100,000, and sometimes is even higher. The chances of a tree worker dying are greater than police officers, which have an annual fatality rate of about 13.5 per 100,000.

A common abusive treatment is removing many or all interior low branches. ‘Over- thinning’ or ‘lions-tailing’ is no more than an incomegenerating scheme practiced by uninformed, untrained people practicing arboriculture.

How do you find a professional arborist when you need one?

• Ask to see current certificates of liability insurance, city license, and permits.

• Make sure the person that will care for your trees is an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist.

See http://www.isa-arbor.com/ • Ask if the company will follow ANSI Z133.1 safety and ANSI A-300 tree care standards.

• Check if the company belongs to professional tree care organizations such as the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) or the Minnesota Society of Arboriculture (MSA).

• Insist on a signed contract as to costs, dates when work is to be performed, and exactly what is to be done.

• Before your tree faces someone wielding a chainsaw, make sure you are protected. After all, once that limb is cut off, it cannot be put back on.

An ‘ice cream cone tree.’ Many people refer to this as topping, hat-racking, dehorning, lopping or rounding over. This practice essentially creates a ‘lollypop’ effect and spoils the structure and health of the tree.

Unfortunately, these damaging techniques are practiced worldwide.

To verify an ISA Certification or Find a Tree Care Service in your area: http://www.isa-arbor.com/faca/findArborist.aspx

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.

faith appelquist

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"Extra row"benefit garden centers can

garden marker minneapo lis healthy f o o d shelf net w o r k Kristen Klingler

Minneapolis Health Department

MINNEAPOLIS HEALTHY FOOD SHELF NETWORK

EVERYBODY NEEDS HEALTHY FOOD

PLANT AN

EXTRA ROW MINNEAPOLIS HEALTHY FOOD SHELF NETWORK

EVERYBODY NEEDS HEALTHY FOOD

PLANT AN

EXTRA ROW

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Support your community and increase garden center sales through the “Plant an Extra Row” initiative. garden marker

that most food shelves in Minnesota welcome donations of fresh vegetables and fruits?

did you know

MINNEAPOLIS HEALTHY FOOD SHELF NETWORK

Many people do not know this, but donations of fresh, nutritious produce to food shelves provides a welcome and well-received alternative to the typical donations of canned and boxed foods.

“Visitors to our food shelf love it when fresh produce has been donated,” says Rachel Henderson, coordinator for the Waite House food shelf in Minneapolis. “Like anyone, those who visit food shelves want to eat healthy, too. When we receive a donation of fresh fruit and vegetables, they go out the door the same day they come in.”

A growing way of providing additional fresh produce to food shelves is by encouraging local gardeners to add an extra row (or two) of vegetables and designating them for the nearest food shelf. The same can be done with home-grown fresh fruits.

Formal efforts to encourage gardeners to plant an extra row to help feed the hungry began in the 1990s, through an initiative by the Garden Writers Association. The effort has since grown nationwide.

In Minneapolis, the program is called “Plant an Extra Row.” “Plant an Extra Row” and programs like it create a “win-win” for food shelves, gardeners and nurseries. Food shelf administrators and recipients welcome the additional bounty of fresh produce.

Gardeners enjoy the “feel-good” of being able to donate a portion of their efforts for the benefit of many others. And garden centers enjoy additional sales of plants, seed and supplies to support the extra-row efforts.

“It’s a great idea to encourage individual gardeners to designate part of their gardens to help local food shelves, considering the small amount of extra effort involved and the great benefit it provides,” says Scott Endres, co-owner of Tangletown Gardens in Minneapolis, which itself donates “thousands of pounds” of vegetables each year to local food shelves. Tangletown Gardens operates a farm near Plato, Minn. “Part of being in this business is being a part of the community and responding to its needs.”

Through your efforts, you’ll join a rapidly growing initiative to help end hunger. Now that’s what I call a victory garden!

To learn more about food shelves in Minneapolis accepting donations of fresh produce, visit www.healthyfoodshelves.org.

Visit http://hungerfreemn.org/get-involved/give-where-you-live to identify food shelves outside of Minneapolis.

EVERYBODY NEEDS HEALTHY FOOD

PLANT AN

EXTRA ROW

promoting “plant an extra row” to spur sales MINNEAPOLIS HEALTHY FOOD SHELF NETWORK

If you’re interested in increasing your nursery sales and supporting your community through a “Plant an Extra Row” initiative, here are PLANTsome AN suggestions: EVERYBODY NEEDS HEALTHY FOOD

EXTRA ROW

Learn about local hunger and nutrition issues — In 2011, there were more than 3 million visits to food shelves in Minnesota. Hunger costs the state up to $1.2 billion annually in direct and indirect health care and education expenses. Only 15% of all Minnesotans consume the recommended number of fruits and vegetables daily.

Be a connection for hunger relief — Help your customers understand that they can help address hunger needs in the community by donating fresh produce from their garden.

Identify nearby food shelves — If most of your customers come from your immediate area, you can help them by identifying the food shelves closest to your location. Compile a brief list of local food shelves and make it available to your customers.

Learn the most popular produce items for food shelves — Food shelves particularly welcome donations of root and starchy vegetables, dark greens, squashes and fruits. They also enjoy receiving melons, peppers, onions, cucumbers and cabbage. You can help your customers by suggesting which types of “extra row” items to plant.

Promote the idea of planting an extra row — Since the concept of planting an extra row may be new to many of your customers, it’s up to you to plant the seed! Create signs encouraging gardeners to plant an extra row, and place them right next to your plants and seeds – so that they’re top-of-mind as your customers are shopping.

Provide your customers with lists of local locations for food donations, and popular home-grown items for food shelves.

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➾ mnla foundation

You and Your MNLA Foundation The MNLA Foundation has had a very busy year and a very good year.

Bert T. Swanson

Chair of the Foundation Board of Trustees Swanson’s Nursery Consulting, Inc.

if you are interested in the Foundation’s year-end Financial Statement, it is available at the MNLA Office. this year’s financial statement is different in that it shows the separate Equity Balances for the dedicated functions of the Foundation. This allocation allows the dedication of funds to the specific causes and it accommodates the Boards efforts and distributions in accordance with available funding. The Foundation’s Financial Balance is strong and the Board of Trustees is working hard to keep it that way and to make it stronger.

The following MNLA Foundation Board of Trustees members were ratified at the MNLA 2013 Annual Meeting at EXPO 2013: • Dale Bachman, Bachman’s Inc. — 2nd term • Van Cooley, Malmborg’s, Inc. — 2nd term • Jay Siedschlaw, Hennepin Technical College — 2nd term • Dennis Ullom, St. Croix Tree Service — 1st Term, New Trustee Congratulations to all of these Trustees and welcome Dennis Ullom.

Special thanks are extended to Roger Landsburg, Landsburg’s Landscape Nursery, who has now completed his term on the Board, for all his time, effort and advice to the Foundation Board of Trustees. We are grateful for the financial wisdom he has provided to the Board.

Even though many of the Foundation activities have been published in the Scoop, some MNLA members are not fully aware of all that the Foundation is doing, and some members want additional information. Therefore, I want to provide an update and a description of some of the inner-workings of Foundation Activities and/or the Board of Trustees so that everyone knows how the Foundation works and how you can become involved.

We believe that people are as important to the Foundation as is the Funding. Therefore, we need as many people as

possible working with, and supporting the Foundation.

We all know that “Many Hands Make Light Work,” so we want all of you involved in some manner.

Focus Areas

The Foundation’s work plan provides a strategic and operational roadmap for action in four Focus Areas.

A short description of these areas is provided below: 1. Research Information and Research Projects

The “New Research for the Real World” articles by Dr. Jim Calkins have been running regularly in the Scoop, in MNLA eNews, and on Twitter for several months. Dr. Calkins searches the literature, world-wide, for new and functional research and information applicable to the Green Industry. He then collects and condenses this information and publishes it in the Scoop for utilization by all MNLA Members so that you can be abreast of new and useful innovations. In addition, the Foundation can also fund directed research projects, as well as be open to specific research projects on demand by the members.

2. Career Development and Promotion

The previous MNLA Careers Development Task Force has now been placed under the auspices of the Foundation rather than the MNLA Association. Herein, it has been re-named the Green Industries Career Team (GICT) and has been revitalized to a new active Core Team of twelve Industry and Academic Members, plus a large Ring of Resource Members. This new GICT is chaired by Scott Frampton, Landscape Renovation, Inc., with Tim Oberg, Southview Design, as Vice Chair. This new Core Team and Resource Ring will become even more active in the development and promotion of Green Industry Career Development at several levels.

This will include, but not limited to development of april 13

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➾ mnl A FOUN DATION

All MNLA Members can provide a scholarship and request matching funds from the Foundation.

This is a great opportunity to support your local Educational Institution with matching funds.

This cooperative effort provides approximately 26, $1,000 scholarships each year.

Grade School and High School Horticultural curricula, working with High School and College Advisors, working with Government Agencies, establishing Green Industry Career Pathways and Career Position Descriptions, as well as other career development activities such as Internships, Certifications, Mentorships and other career enhancing opportunities. This is a major effort to make it possible for our Industry to locate, educate and hire qualified and professional employees.

3. Scholarships

The MNLA Foundation Scholarship Program remains strong now within the Foundation. The Foundation, rather than the Association, is now matching Individual Industry Member Scholarships to a college of their choice. All MNLA Members can provide a scholarship and request matching funds from the Foundation. This is a great opportunity to support your local Educational Institution with matching funds. This cooperative effort provides approximately 26, $1,000 scholarships each year.

4. Fundraising

Fundraising is the huge Engine that drives the Foundation and makes all these good things happen. To support all of these wonderful member benefits, it takes a significant amount of work and resources.

Jodi Larson now works two-thirds time doing an excellent job of executing several events, conducting administrative work, and coordinating cooperative activities with Educational Agencies and Institutions on Career Development. She also coordinates Sponsor and Student Scholarships. We are grateful to Jodi for her excellent work.

I will expand further on the Foundations Fundraising activities because with all of the Foundation’s activities for the Industry in a growing mode, the time and financial requirements increase as well.

However, we are very fortunate to have a very active Board of Trustees that has stepped up to meet these challenges. Each Trustee has accepted Team Leadership roles for a Board Function, and/or a Foundation Event or Activity.

Fundraising Activities

To make sure the MNLA membership knows what the Foundation is doing, I will describe some of these activities. The key MNLA Foundation Fundraising activities include the following:

now become a Collecting Partner. We also want to thank Pauli and Herman Roerick of Central Landscape Supply as they are now in the process of becoming a Collecting Partner. And most recently, Gertens Wholesale has signed on to become as Research and Education Partner. Sincere thanks to Susie Johnson, Gino Pitera, Glen Gerten and Lewis Gerten for joining in this great support of the MNLA Foundation. So Bachman’s, Central Landscape Supply and Gertens Wholesale have now joined the existing, distinguished group of Collecting Partners: Bailey Nurseries, BFG Supply and Wilson’s Nursery. A big thank you is extended to all these Collecting Partners and to all of their customers who take advantage of this opportunity to contribute the ¼ of 1% to Industry Research and Education.

2. MNLA Foundation Scholarship Program

Solicitation of Scholarships is under the Team Leadership of Dr. Mary Meyer and Jay Siedschlaw. Their work never ends, but it is rewarding for all concerned. If you are interested in providing a Scholarship that will be matched by the Foundation, to a college of your choice, please contact Mary Meyer (952-443-1447), Jay Siedschlaw (763-488-2555) or Jodi Larson (651-633 4987).

3. MNLA Foundation Golf Event

The Golf Event is one of the Foundation’s oldest successful events as it is a carry-over from the Widmer Foundation. The Golf Event is under the Team Leadership of Van Cooley. This is a great fun, and happily competitive event that brings out the club swingers at all levels. A good attendance shows up for this event, but just a few more would push us into a much more profitable level. Thus, we need a few more golfers, so please see Van Cooley if you can attend and help promote this event on July 23, 2013 at the University of Minnesota Golf Course.

4. MNLA Foundation Shootout Event

The Shootout Event is a newer event and is under the Team Leadership of Andy Petersen of Spectrum Sales, and Bert Swanson.

This event is huge on fun and also includes a bit of friendly competition. This event is growing, but we need a few more additional shooters to get us into a better profitability category. Andy’s goal is to have 120 shooters attend this event, so please sign up for this fun event of shooting and eating on September 18, 2013 at the South St. Paul Gun Club.

1. MNLA Foundation Research and Education Partners Fund

The Research and Education Partners Fund (REPF) provides the opportunity for all members to contribute ¼ of 1% of their orders from the Foundation’s Key Cooperating Suppliers. The REPF is under the Team Leadership of Mike McNamara, Dale Bachman and Bert Swanson. We are grateful to Dale Bachman as Bachman’s have 64

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5. MNLA Foundation Garden Party

A Foundation Gala Garden Party was held for the first time in 2012. This event is under the Team Leadership of John Mickman.

John worked very hard on this successful event in 2012 and he is already on track for another great Party at Como Park on June 12,

2013. Please see any Foundation Trustee to make your Reservations now for a great beneficial evening of fun and fellowship in the Garden.

6. MNLA Foundation Investments and Grants

2013 MNLA Foundation Board of Trustees

This very important aspect of fiduciary responsibility has been under the Team Leadership of Roger Landsburg and Dean Engelmann. Dean will continue with this work and since Roger in no longer on the Board, our newest member, Dennis Ullom has accepted this responsibility as well. Mary Meyer is also part of this Team in providing leadership in the area of Grants. Any suggestions on Grants that the Foundation could apply for or would benefit from would be greatly appreciated.

Dale Bachman: Bachman’s, Inc. 612-861-7645

7. MNLA Foundation Family Staff Event

Dean Engelmann: Tangletown Gardens 612-822-4769

Last year we pursued a “Women in Horticulture” event. However, we did not get all the stars aligned just right so we could not make it happen. We have not given up, as we are now pursuing a more comprehensive event. Under the Team Leadership of Dr. Mary Meyer and the assistance of Debbie Lonnie, Jayne Roberts, Amanda Clark, Mark Laberee and Dean Engelmann we are on our way to a newer and fun-filled “Family and/or Staff Event.” This could include such activities as a Twins game, an award winning landscape visit, an evening at the theater, or other Family or Staff affair for members who would prefer another or different category of activity to become involved in the Foundation. A surprise event of this nature may be in the wind for this summer, so stay tuned!

8. MNLA Foundation Board of Trustees “Personal Touch” Effort

To make it even more possible, and even easier for more people to become involved in the MNLA Foundation, each Trustee is applying their “Personal Touch” to obtain a contribution from 25 people known to that Trustee. Not only is this a Personal Effort by each Trustee, but it again speaks to the fact that getting the Personal involvement of all Industry Members, and their Employees, in the Foundation, is as important as their Financial Involvement. This Goal also centers around the fact that “Many Hands Make Light Work”. Thus, we are looking for several smaller contributions from many people. We would like to see every member of MNLA contribute $25.00 or more if possible. This invitation is extended not only to owners, but also to all individual professionals within companies looking to improve their profession. This Fundraising effort is very economical for the contributor and the Foundation and could be our largest Fundraising event. So when your Trustee calls you, or taps you on the shoulder, please respond to that Personal Touch and make a small contribution. Or better yet, seek out your favorite Trustee and provide that personal involvement with your contribution. Many of these contributions of whatever you can give will be huge in total, and they will make a difference in the Foundation’s work to improve your Profession.

All of these efforts not only fund the three major Equity Accounts to get the work done, but they also serve to increase our base Endowment so that our Investments can also help sustain the Foundation and all of its work for MNLA Members. We do not

Van Cooley: Malmborg’s Greenhouse and Garden Center 763-535-4695

Mike McNamara: Hoffman/McNamara Nursery and Landscape 651-437-9463 Mary Meyer, Ph.D.: University of Minnesota 952-443-1447 John Mickman: Mickman Brothers, Inc. 763-434-4047 Jay Siedschlaw: Hennepin Technical College 763-488-2555 Bert T. Swanson, Ph.D.: Swanson’s Nursery Consulting, Inc., Chair, MNLA Foundation 218-732-3579 Dennis Ullom: St. Croix Tree Service 715-749-3475 Cassie Larson: MNLA Interim Executive Director 651-633-4987 Jodi Larson: MNLA Foundation Program Director 651-633-4987

expect all members to participate in all activities, but we are striving to provide opportunities that meet your desires so you can become involved. We highly encourage all members to participate in one or more Foundation activities for your Professional Enhancement.

Please join your fellow MNLA Members and Individuals in support of your MNLA Foundation.

Personally and behalf of all of the Foundation Trustees which are listed below, I want to thank all of you for your on-going support, guidance and contributions. Your assistance is greatly needed, appreciated, and it will make a difference. bert t. swanson, ph.d is chair of the MNLA Foundation and can be reached at btswanson2@gmail.com.

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➾ volunteer

mnla

member

volunteers needed o pen leadership p o siti o ns

The best part about belonging to MNLA is the opportunity to participate. When you give your time to make MNLA and the green industry better, you’ll find personal connections, knowledge, and wisdom you won’t gain anywhere else. Personally and professionally, you will grow with MNLA.

MNLA currently has a few open leadership positions to fill!

Have you thought about giving time to serve the industry?

COMMITTEE MEMBERS NEEDED The following committees are currently recruiting:

Get involved! We know you’ll be given more than what you invest.

The Education & Certification Committee is searching for a landscape designer to help with educational planning initiatives.

Interested in applying for one of these committee positions?

Visit https://mnnurserylandscape.wufoo.com/forms/mnlacommittee-member-application/ and submit an application for consideration today!

The Networking Committee is searching for members interested in helping to foster small group networking experiences for members.

What would the responsibilities entail?

You would be required to attend 3-4 meetings per year plus spend time outside of those meetings to help develop and implement ideas and programs created by the group.

NETWORKING GROUP LEADERS NEEDED We are also looking for leaders to coordinate the following industry segment networking groups: Landscape design networking group Nursery growers networking group What would the responsibilities entail?

Selecting meeting dates and securing a site for the in-person group gatherings (this might be a coffee shop, a restaurant during happy hour, or a business member location).

Developing the content/discussion topic to be discussed.

Helping to recruit participants.

Starting and moderating group discussion on the topic of the day.

Soliciting and recording the top three takeaways from the group discussion, any ideas regarding MNLA education, MNLA programs or government affairs, and emailing this information back to MNLA staff.

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➾ mnla news

business briefs april 2 0 1 3

Reliable Property Services and The Bruce Company form Strategic Alliance

mnla welcomes members new

Reliable Property Services LLC, headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota, has entered into a strategic alliance with The Bruce Company of Middleton, Wisconsin. Reliable Property Services is the seventh largest snow and ice management company in the United States with offices and customers throughout the Midwest. The Bruce Company is one of the 50 largest landscape supply and services companies in the United States, with an award winning landscape architectural design/ build service and extensive wholesale nursery operation in the greater Madison, WI area.

As part of the agreement, Reliable will acquire the lawn maintenance, snow and ice management and agronomics businesses in the Milwaukee, Racine and Madison markets and The Bruce Company will expand its Wholesale Nursery sales and design/build architectural practice to Minnesota and Iowa while retaining its design/build business in Wisconsin.

Balsam's Lakeside Landscape & Garden Center, Balsam Lake, WI Conserva Irrigation, East Bethel, MN GreenLine Lawn Inc., Cottage Grove, MN Landscape Love, Minneapolis, MN Sylvester Farms, Luck, WI

congratulations!

New M N LA C ertified Professionals

The following individuals passed the MNLA CP Exam on January 25, 2013:

From left to right, front row: Susan Dahlen, Mickman Brothers, Inc.; Alisha Aasness, Colorful Seasons Garden Center; Emily Dusek, Vintage Garden; Catherine Stoefen; Susan Frame, Chippewa Valley Technical College; Mary Supina, Arteka Companies; Elise Eide; Lindsey Gadtke, Linder’s Greenhouses, Garden Center & Flower Marts; Sandy Wesely, Berg’s Nursery From left to right, back row: Robert Cramer, Blackstone Hardscape; Darwin Novek, Greener Grass Systems /dba The Greenskeepers; Tim Staudahar, University of Minnesota-Crookston; Garrett Anderson, Fertilawn; Daniel McCullough. Also passing, but not pictured: Paul Hassing, Bailey Nurseries, Inc.

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From left to right: Lisa Wichmann, Wichmann Gardening Services and Julie Heggestad

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➾ don't forget

utility locates imp o rtant advis o ry t o members

mnla advises its members to remember the following: Anytime Anytime you you are are going going to to dig dig anywhere anywhere in in a a landscape, landscape, CALL CALL BEFORE BEFORE YOU YOU DIG. DIG. In In the the metro metro area, area, call call the the Gopher Gopher State State One One Call Call at at 651-454-0002 651-454-0002 or, or, outside outside the the metro, metro, call call toll-free toll-free 800-252-1166 800-252-1166 at at least least 48 48 hours hours in in advance advance of of anticipated anticipated excavation. excavation. In In the the busy busy spring spring season, season, be be aware aware that that experience experience has has shown shown that that it it can can take take even even longer longer for for markings markings to to occur. occur. You You have have 96 96 hours hours (4 (4 days) days) to to begin begin digging digging after after the the markings markings are are placed. (Both (Both the the 48-hour 48-hour rule rule and and 96-hour 96-hour rule rule exclude exclude Saturdays, Saturdays, Sundays Sundays and and holidays.) holidays.) placed.

After markings have been made, excavators are required to maintain a minimum horizontal (side to side) clearance of two feet (24 inches) between an unexposed facility and the cutting edge or point of any power operated excavating or earth-moving equipment. For example, if the markings indicate a 6" pipe is buried, the hand dig zone is 54" wide (6" + 24" on each side of the mark). If excavation is required within the hand dig zone, the excavation must be performed very carefully, with vacuum excavation or hand tools, and without damage to the facility or undermining lateral support. Remember that facility depths may vary due to installation practices, changes in the grade, erosion and other variables.

In the course of digging, if you expose a utility line, it is your responsibility to inspect and support the facilities before backfilling. If you damage the utility line, it is your responsibility to immediately notify the utility owner directly.

For a Professional Excavators Manual, call 651-454-8388 (do not call this number for locates) or see the website www.gopherstateonecall.org. Once at the website, click on “site map” in the lower right corner; in the “select-a-link” section, choose “Professional Excavators Manual;” and then click on the picture for the table of contents.

MNLA also reminds members of the following information: Gopher State One Call now has a free mobile app, which offers quick access to many of Gopher State One Call’s resources from a smartphone or tablet, whether you’re at the office or working at a job site. The app is available for both Apple and Android devices. To download the free GSOC app, visit the Apple App Store or Google Play and search for “GSOC” or “Gopher State One Call.”

Minnesota Statutes section 326B.35 clearly identifies that communication utility work is covered by the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC). “Communication utility work” includes burial of telephone and cable TV lines. (Source: Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry Construction Codes and Licensing Division) National Electrical Safety Code table 352-1 requires communication cables to be installed at a 24" burial depth. A lesser depth is allowed if the cable is provided with supplemental protection.

If you cut a communications line during routine lawn work such as aeration, or if you have followed ALL of the utility marking procedures required, yet inadvertently cut a communications line that has not been properly buried, it may be a reasonable business practice to bill the offending utility for any inconvenience caused to you or your customer.

Remember, follow the rules and call before you dig!

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