Fighting the Resistance
Herbicide-resistant weeds often are thought to simply be myths. Like the Loch Ness Monster, UFOs and the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series, herbicide-resistant weeds are something that you have never seen with your own two eyes, so you question whether they really even exist or occur....
Pesticide Practices
We've all seen them. The obvious signs that pests are feasting on the plants that you're paid to take care of, destroying their beauty with each bite....
FOCUS ON: Chemical Sprayers
Whether you are applying herbicides, insecticides, fungicides or fertilizer/pesticide combinations, your chemical spraying equipment must stand up to the pressure of your job applications....
PRODUCT PREVIEW
TOPDRESSER Earth & Turf Products announces the Model 24D TruFlow, a push-type topdresser for dry, flowable materials with 3 cubic feet capacity....
Pumped Up
Let's face it, most of us give the portable backpack sprayer little thought. A staple of the lawn, landscape and pest control markets, this product has long been riding the backs of industry professionals, but strangely has seen few advancements during its decades of use....
CONGRESS DENIES H-2B RELIEF
The American Nursery & Landscape Association (ANLA) expressed the growing frustration of the green industry with Congress' inability to increase the H-2B temporary guest worker program cap....
Diesel Power
There was a time when diesel power was considered something only a trucker could love. A diesel engine was fine for long haul trucks, but the ones Detroit made available were underpowered and fraught with trouble....
EQUIPMENT FORECAST
As the economy continues to show moderate growth, so do the predictions for the equipment market shipments. The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute's (OPEI's) Economic Forecast for hand-held products predicts that shipments of hand-held gasoline powered trimmers and chain saws will post moderate gains during 2005, while those for blowers are forecast to slide....
HOW TO: TANK MIX PESTICIDES
Saving labor and enhancing the effectiveness of pesticides are two primary reasons for tank mixing them. Seems like an easy thing to do, but you must keep in mind that you are dealing with chemicals, and as you may recall from high school chemistry, sometimes mixing the wrong things together leads to unhappy results....
READER POLL
Here are the reader poll results from the question posted throughout December on the Grounds Maintenance Web site, www.grounds-mag.com. In your estimation,...
40 YEARS, ONE MISSION
When Grounds Maintenance published its first issue 40 years ago this month, the mission was simple: provide practical information that readers can immediately and effectively put to use on the job....
Code Blue
Annual bluegrass, also commonly known by its scientific name Poa annua and often simply called Poa, is one of the most challenging weeds of golf courses....
FINDING ANSWERS
TRIED AND TRUE Q I have a landscape business and have decided to branch out into lawn renovation and maintenance. The list of grass varieties and the claims made on how well they grow are baffling....
CONTROLLING ANNUAL BLUEGRASS: THE SAGA CONTINUES
While some golf course managers are opting to cultivate annual bluegrass (AB) on their greens, others continue to treat the grass as a weed and attempt control....
NEW PLCAA/ALCA ORGANIZATION GETS NEW NAME
The Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) and The Professional Lawn Care Association of America (PLCAA) are now merged and have announced their new name: the Professional Landcare Network....
VIRUS INFECTS RED IMPORTED FIRE ANTS
Agricultural Research Service scientists recently discovered the first known virus to infect the destructive and costly red imported fire ant (RIFA)....
IN-DEPTH UPDATE
As the landscape industry grows, research supports or disproves common practices. The new American Standard for Nursery Stock (ANSI Z60.1-2004), published by the American Nursery & Landscape Association (ANLA), incorporates recent research and experience....
PRODUCT PREVIEW
ZERO-TURN MOWER Cub Cadet Commercial introduces the Z-Wing 48 zero-turn riding lawnmower, which allows the operator to effortlessly engage a switch, triggering the electrical mechanical-lift that folds up the sides of the deck to a 90-degree angle and allows the rider to drive through a 36-inch opening....
Bull's-Eye
Marketing is an essential ingredient in the recipe for growth even survival for any small business. Yet, many grounds maintenance professionals shy away from all but the most obvious ways to promote their businesses....
SHORT CUTS
LONGHORNED BEETLES FOUND IN CHRISTMAS TREES Federal inspectors recently detected a quarantine-significant pest, the brown fir longhorned beetle, Callidiellum villosulum, in artificial Christmas trees with wooden trunks imported from China....
HOW TO: OUTFIT YOUR LANDSCAPE TOOLBOX
Being prepared for whatever task develops can prevent delays. So if you're maintaining flowerbeds for any of your clients, you can assemble a toolbox that include everything you might potentially need to get the job done....
2005 CONSTRUCTION EXPECTED TO THRIVE
With the construction market gathering speed, higher attendance figures than in recent years and the economy moving in the right direction, McGraw-Hill Construction's Outlook 2005 Conference had a decidedly optimistic tone....
PULSE of the industry
Welcome to our very first issue focusing on the state of the green industry. As we put this issue together, we gave serious thought to information you could use as you look forward to 2005, and set out to compile what we believe is a comprehensive look at all aspects of the industry that will help you plan for the coming year....
HOUSING STARTS REBOUND
The nation's home builders wasted no time catching up on their work following wet weather conditions that kept many projects on hold in September, according to figures on U.S. housing starts released by the Commerce Department....
READER POLL
Here are the reader poll results from the question posted throughout November on the Grounds Maintenance Web site, www.grounds-mag.com. As you make plans...
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