While uncertainty surrounds the landscaping industry due to COVID-19, the numbers from 2019 show the industry was healthy before the pandemic. After three consecutive years of median revenue decreasing, it grew to $297,000 compared to $273,000 in 2018. This is a good sign for the industry, although mean revenue decreased to $1.3 million from $1.5 in 2018, meaning the smaller and larger companies – the outliers – saw a slight decrease.
Contractors’ outlook for their companies is still positive, but those numbers did see a slight decrease. About 94% of landscapers were confident their companies would grow in last year’s survey, and this year it dropped to 88%. Last year, 6% were “not confident at all” that their company would grow, and this year that number jumped to 11%.
Labor once again remains the top concern but the overall amount of concern decreased from 6.9 out of 1-10 (10 means very concerned) scale in 2018 to 6.5 in 2019. COVID-19 was listed as a concern option this year and it tied for 7th out of 27 in our rankings with a 5.5 score.
— Brian Horn, editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine
7 tips for hiring & supervising seasonal employees
Marketing guru Gretchen Rubin’s quote, “The days are long, but the years are short” is particularly apt when it comes to seasonal employment. While it may seem like you just hired last year’s team, the time to do it once again is quickly approaching.
One of the secrets to being profitable — and having fun in the process — is hiring the right team. Here are seven tips for finding great seasonal workers.
1. Start early.
Just as the early bird gets the worm, the proactive leader gets to pick from the largest pool of qualified applicants. Advertising early and getting seasonal workers hired and trained enables you to be ahead of the game.
2. Ask for referrals.
While they may not think of anyone immediately, your employees, friends and family have vast networks of acquaintances. Tap into the “hidden applicant market” by asking them to let others know you are looking for seasonal help. It’s amazing how often someone knows someone, who knows someone, who is looking for a job. When referrals come through, reward those who referred them with a gift card or a long weekend. Sincere gratitude is a great motivating factor.
3. Recruit favorite customers.
Great customers love your products, and retirees, students and individuals who don’t want to work year-round can be great seasonal candidates. If they aren’t available or interested, tap into their network by asking for referrals.
4. Pay competitive wages.
While you may be tempted to skimp on seasonal workers, other operations likely won’t. It’s generally far more profitable to pay employees well and have them return than it is to have to recruit and retrain new ones. Additionally, remember to let prospects know if they will be eligible for any perks, discounts or bonuses.
5. Interview well.
While you may need a warm body yesterday, failing to adequately assess employee suitability causes far more headaches than being short-staffed. Skillsets alone rarely indicate if someone is a good fit for the job. Ask questions, and when possible check references, to best gage if a candidate possesses the right attitudes and behaviors to fit with your team.
You can catch a glimpse into absenteeism, reliability and organizational fit by asking questions such as, “In the unlikely event you aren’t able to make it into work, what would you do?” “If you were frustrated with me, another employee or a customer, how would you handle it?” “What would previous employers and coworkers say about your ability to be a team player?” You’ll also want to know if there are any time or availability constraints that may affect their work schedule.
6. Supervise seasonal employees like everyone else.
Set seasonal team members up for success by being clear about expectations, providing great training, and erring on the side of over-communicating. Additionally, being proactive and addressing problems as they arise, and reinforcing what they are doing well enables each employee to be a better team member.
7. Recruit next season’s help this year.
The best employees are the ones you don’t have to recruit and retrain every year. Retain great seasonal help by treating each person as a valued team member who is irreplaceable. You’ll be first on their list for next year and anytime you have an unexpected need.
Just as well-tended seeds and plants yield large harvests, staying ahead of seasonal hiring garners great fruit. Making time to recruit and train reliable employees, and treating them as highly valued team members will set you, your business and your entire staff up for long term success.
The People IQ Expert®, Dr. Sherene McHenry, works with organizations who want to elevate their engagement, productivity and profitability. Learn more at sherenemchenry.com.
Biological basics
Funky Pests - Advertorial: Funky Pests with BASF
To get started with biologicals, greenhouse growers should develop a comprehensive IPM program and seek practical and reliable advice.
Biologicals have a broad definition. According to BASF's Leah Van der Heide, they are the “use of any living organism to complement your pest management program.”
“The term ‘biologicals’ is broad and can refer to microbial organisms, all the way up to macro organisms,” Van der Heide, who was an IPM Technical Specialist for a biological control company before joining BASF, says. “So that could be anything from entomopathogenic fungi, like Beauveria bassiana, to predatory insects, mites, and parasitoids. Using biological controls in a pest program involves the strategic release of these organisms in a growing area.” Parasitoids, Van der Heide says, are just insects that parasitize other insects in order to complete their life cycle.
“Most of the time, growers who consider implementing biologicals into their production do so because they need to. These growers have recognized that they are no longer achieving ideal control of a pest by using previous management methods, specifically broad-spectrum conventional chemistries alone,” Van der Heide says. “The lack of control they are seeing is usually due to pesticide resistance within their pest population, which is, of course, accelerated by over-application and failure to rotate MOAs. Ultimately, growers who are dealing with resistance have no other option but to start exploring IPM techniques that include biologicals and other approaches that may be missing from their program.”
Although some are turning to biologicals “later in life,” biologicals should not be considered a last resort. Biological control is just one part of an overall approach to pest management. Both the success and the failure of biologicals is influenced by the success and failures of all other practices.
“In order to successfully implement biologicals, you must be fully committed,” Van der Heide emphasizes. “Understand that biological control is not something you can learn overnight. Just like growing a successful crop, it will take time and dedication. There may be some early small failures followed by recoveries; the final product is really beautiful.”
A predatory mite, Phytoseiulus persimilis (red), feeding on two spotted spider mite
Photos courtesy of Leah Van der Heide and Jen Browning
What to know before starting a biological program
Jen Browning has worked for BASF for almost a decade and a Bachelor’s degree in horticulture and a Master’s in entomology from Oregon State University; she also taught entomology at her Alma Mater. At BASF, she has done work to develop and troubleshoot insect and mite management programs in ornamentals, and she has a passion for IPM.
According to Browning, biologicals will have to change with the seasons, crops, and production years. Success requires a willingness to be flexible with the approach and to alter course when needed.
“It’s a dynamic system in your production,” she says. “It’s not something you deploy and get the same results each time. It won’t be the same every year. It’s like growing a crop. You stick with it, commit and invest the time and seek out the resources you need to be successful.”
Both Browning and Van der Heide recommend seeking out advice from experts and other growers when starting out.
“One thing we think is really important when seeking help is to find someone without a rigid agenda,” Van der Heide says. “So, someone who is all-in on biologicals and thinks that you should never use any conventional chemistry again, that’s an approach that’s not going to be helpful to you. They are going to teach you a lot about biologicals, but they are going to steer you in a very narrow direction.”
They note that the same is true for someone who is all-in on conventional chemistry.
“If you can find someone who embraces and really believes in the integrated approach — someone who sees the value of all branches of IPM and doesn’t have a rigid agenda — they are going to help you create a successful program,” Browning says.
To find the right person for that role, Browning and Van der Heide both suggest doing research and seeking out reliable sources. Reach out to industry experts. Don’t hesitate to lean on your professional contacts to help in your search for a resource. Van der Heide notes specifically that fellow growers who have found success with biologicals can serve as a valuable resource when starting to utilize biologicals.
“There are many factors that can affect the efficacy of biologicals, but particularly environmental factors,” she says. “If you can connect with a grower close by, or in the same region as you, who is utilizing biologicals in their production and having success — they will serve as a good resource, someone who you can learn from.”
Lady beetle feeding on aphids on rose
Putting it into action
It’s not that sexy: evaluating your overall greenhouse sanitation, as well as having a robust sanitation plan, is an important place to start.
“Good sanitation goes a long way towards helping bios be successful,” Browning says. “You should already be practicing that even if you’re using mainly traditional chemistry, but you’ll notice a difference with your bios when you are proactive about things like next level greenhouse weed management and entry controls.”
The next step is taking a careful look at “go to” chemistry. Browning advises growers to re-think the relationship with broad-spectrum products; now the conventional chemistries in your program will need to work alongside some beneficial insects and the broad spectrums will be reserved for certain seasons or situations. “Growers will need to identify the targeted insecticides and miticides they want to use, preferably ones that are compatible with beneficials, and prioritize those in the program,” says Browning.
“Basically, the chemical program is restructured to move your broad spectrum insecticides to the back line and targeted products to the front line: plan for targeted chemistries first and broad spectrums as rescues,” Van der Heide adds.
“Some people have been slow to adopt more targeted chemistries and stayed with broad-spectrum options because it relieves you of the pressure of selecting products with more narrow spectrums,” Van der Heide says. “As you start thinking about going to biologicals, now is the time to go through the new innovations and decide which targeted chemistries work for you, because ideally, the products you choose will work nicely alongside your biologicals and will actually enhance their performance in controlling the target pest population.
Two examples of selective products from BASF would be Ventigra® insecticide that targets piercing-sucking insects or Sultan® miticide that targets spider mites. Both of these products are compatible with beneficials. There are also offerings available that combine biologicals with specific chemistries that allow growers to use both approaches in a single formulated product.
Take-home message
So, what is it about biologicals that makes them “funky”? Both Van der Heide and Browning say that, while there are a handful of common ways that can cause biologicals to fail, there are a bunch of wild, unique ways growers have invented to be successful running biologicals. Want to set up a rearing chamber in plastic containers under your desk? Go for it! Establish some breeding colonies of predators in your coat closet? Why not! Protect those nematodes during the winter by stashing them in your Yeti Cooler while you wait for the spray water to come up to the proper temp? We're not going to stop you!
The point is this: biologicals are fun! There’s no reason to feel intimidated or scared about implementing them into your production. If you currently use mostly traditional chemistries, and your pest pressure is fairly low, at least some of the time, then you’re good at your job. Those same skills and practices you’ve already mastered are the same ones that will help you succeed with biologicals.
“If a grower is already good at record keeping, if they manage fertilizer and water needs properly throughout their crop, if they already make careful applications of pesticides and PGRs, then that grower is in good shape for this undertaking,” Browning says. Start exploring biologicals and integrate your approach today.
*Always read and follow label directions. Sultan and Ventigra are registered trademarks of BASF.
2020's top performers
Features - Cover Story
As tallied by trial garden managers around the country, here are the year's top-performing varieties.
This year has been different for everyone in and out of the greenhouse industry. But trial garden managers have all faced their own sets of challenges.
Not every trail garden faced the same challenges. State-to-state and location-to-location, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic presented challenges for managers to plant, maintain and even access their gardens.
Take Michigan State University’s trail garden, managed by Kristen Getter and Daedre McGrath. Preventative measures put in place by MSU leadership limited staff and the time that the garden was accessible. That presented challenges not just for maintaining the garden over a long period time, but also for simple tasks such as watering plants on schedule.
“We were very concerned that we weren’t going to be able to do it,” Getter says. “Because the trials are so important to the industry, we decided to cancel some other things first because with limited staff, we just couldn’t do everything.”
“We just kept being persistent with our administration and making the case that this is really, really important,” she says. “They finally agreed. We came up with a good argument, especially considering that Spring Trials was canceled and such.”
“For me, on a week-to-week basis, we didn’t know the status of things,” McGrath adds. “At one point, we thought we might be shut down completely — no one going into the greenhouses. We had thought we might have to let everything die, but that turned into letting the plant sale stuff die and keeping the trial material alive. There were seeds I didn’t know if I’d be able to plant outside, so there were also concerns about getting things planted on time and not knowing if we’d ever get to the end result.”
Still, gardens around the country were able to push on and grow robust trial gardens. For Greenhouse Management’s compilation of trial garden results, managers from across the U.S. submitted what performed best in their region in the following eight categories: best drought-tolerant annual, best drought-tolerant perennial, best pollinator-friendly annual, best pollinator-friendly perennial, best heat-tolerant annual, best heat-tolerant perennial, best overall performance: annual and best overall performance: perennial. On the following pages, find a selection of the submitted results.
The rest — including results from Colorado State University, Mast Young Plants, Smith Gardens and the Gardens at Ball — are available here. All of the descriptions and photographs have been submitted by the various trial garden managers.
Bright chartreuse colored foliage on this coleus works in sun but also really brightens up a spot in the shade. Very late to flower so you can fully enjoy the foliage all summer long. Takes the heat and humidity of an Alabama garden.
Zinnia 20OS12 (All-America Selections), North Carolina State University
WOW, WOW, WOW! Uniform, well-branched plants are compact and covered, wall-to-wall, with yellow, orange and red flowers. The mix of flower colors and flower pattern are unique. This plant is a true showstopper. Everyone loved this zinnia!
Absolute stunning flowering begonia that flowered from beginning of the summer until frost. Had a continual mass of bright orange flowers all season with very little care. Did very little deadheading on the basket, fertilized weekly and watered. It took care of itself.
Bracteantha ‘Granvia Gold’ (Suntory), Michigan State University
This gigantic strawflower has looked great all season and received lots of praise from our staff and visitors. It is extremely vigorous, heat tolerant, and mildew resistant. We can only hope Suntory releases more colors in the future!
Vivid yellow with constant blooming. Held up all summer without splitting, even after torrential downpours.
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE: PERENNIALS
Southeast
Echinacea ‘Kismet Raspberry’ (Terra Nova Nurseries), North Carolina State University
Clear raspberry-red colored flowers continuously blooming on sturdy upright stems are good for cuts or you can leave the seed heads for the birds. Low maintenance, and pollinators love these guys!
Midwest
Heuchera ‘Grande Amethyst’ (Terra Nova Nurseries), Michigan State University
This Heuchera received perfect marks all summer. With vigorous mounding growth of purple wavy leaves, this variety practically formed a groundcover by mid-summer of its first year in the ground.
‘Opalescence’ is one of two new introductions of Phlox paniculata in the Proven Winners perennial program. This variety is the gold standard for powdery mildew resistance and also has the darkest green foliage of any Phlox paniculata we’ve seen. The fragrant, light pink flowers have dark pink eyes and are produced in large panicles.
Celosia is a great drought-tolerant plant. ‘Bikaver Red’ is an easy to grow celosia that just gets better as the summer goes on. Bright red flowers on a deep red foliage plant — really stands out in the garden
Gaillardia ‘Heat It Up Yellow’ (Proven Winners), North Carolina State University
Compact, uniform mounds covered in clear, bright yellow flowers. Continuous bloomer with no deadheading necessary. Great low maintenance plant. Pollinators like it, too!
Was very impressed with the growth habit of this lantana along with the flower power during the hot, dry July we had. Came in color early, stayed in color all season, and never lost its color. The pink and yellow blossoms stood out among the rest of the lantana in the beds.
Looked good, even great as a cut flower, and also good as a dried flower.
BEST DROUGHT-TOLERANT PERENNIALS
Southeast
Veronica ‘Venture Blue’ (Terra Nova Nurseries), North Carolina State University
Compact, low growing plants that are covered in dark blue flowers. Continuous flowering spikes on sturdy upright stems. Low maintenance, easy to grow and no deadheading needed. Handles the heat well.
This perennial is perfect for hot, dry climates, but performs well in a wide variety of environments. ‘Sage Advice’ has rich, lavender purple flowers that are a darker shade than other Perovskia to date. Compared to ‘Denim ‘n Lace’, this variety has darker flowers and calyces, broad (vs. dissected) foliage, and is slightly taller.
BEST POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY ANNUALS
Southeast
Cuphea Tiny Mice (Benary+), Young’s Plant Farm
Unique red and purple flowers that pollinators love. This cuphea has a nice, full growth habit with tons of flowers that the bees loved all summer long. Tiny Mice also looks good in combinations.
Salvia ‘White Flame’ (Ball FloraPlant), North Carolina State University
Easy, carefree growing plants that are very uniform in size. These plants are covered in white flowers that pollinators visit often. They have great heat tolerance, too.
Midwest
Lobularia Stream Lavender and White (Danziger), Plantpeddler
Lobularia is one of those flowering annuals that keeps on giving all season long. If you give it a little care, it will give you total flowering enjoyment all season. In addition, you can get a great crop of honey as a bonus. Bees love it! We had swarms of happy bees hovering over it throughout the season.
Salvia Bodacious Smokey Jazz (PlantHaven), Raker-Roberta’s Trial Gardens
Hummingbirds love this plant. The black caLyx with bright purple leaves and lighter green leaves really stand out.
Salvia ‘Lancelot’ (PanAmerican Seed), Michigan State University
Lancelot is a Salvia canariensis, which typically have a wild and wooly habit. This variety, however, has been tamed. This unique border plant will reach almost 4 feet high by the end of the season. It has silvery-white, fuzzy and aromatic leaves followed by lavender flowers, which appear mid-summer. Insect pollinators just love it!
BEST POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY PERENNIALS
Southeast
Echinacea Kismet Series (Terra Nova Nurseries), North Carolina State University
All colors — intense orange, red, white and raspberry — provide continuous flowering on sturdy upright stems that are good for cuts or you can leave the seed heads for the birds. Low maintenance, attractive flower colors and easy to grow. Makes coneflowers a gardener’s favorite!
Midwest
Allium ‘Serendipity’ (Walter’s Gardens), Michigan State University
Serendipity is in its second year of evaluation in our perennial trial. It is a sport off of the popular Allium ‘Millenium’, but with blue foliage. The clumps of drumstick-shaped flowers are very impressive en masse and are a favorite food source for honeybees and native pollinators alike.
Nepeta Whispurr Blue (Darwin Perennials), Raker-Roberta’s Trial Gardens
Bees love this one. Lots of flowers. My cat also really enjoyed this plant.
Origanum ‘Drops of Jupiter’, (Proven Winners), Walter’s Garden
Origanum ‘Drops of Jupiter’ is a new introduction to the Proven Winners perennial program. This ornamental herb has beautiful chartreuse foliage with mauve pink flowers appearing later in the summer. The purple calyces remain on the plant after the flowers drop, extending its appeal into fall. This plant is great in the landscape and in containers, and is an attractive pollinator plant for both bees and butterflies.
BEST HEAT-TOLERANT ANNUALS
Southeast
Helianthus Sunbelievable Golden Girl (Danziger), Young’s Plant Farm
This helianthus just got bigger and better during the summer heat. Features a shrub like growth habit that is absolutely full of bright, yellow sunflowers. Golden Girl was a showstopper in our summer garden!
The best bracteantha in the market by far. Large, long-lasting flowers on top of lust dark green foliage. Stunning in the gardens. Loved the hot summer weather in July and August in Iowa. There is also a new Pink in the series, but it’s hard to beat the mass of vivid gold flowers.
All the lantanas did well this summer. The Bandana series always performs and this one was full and robust all summer long.
BEST HEAT-TOLERANT PERENNIALS
Southeast
Penstemon ‘Dakota Verde’ (Terra Nova Nurseries), North Carolina State University
Glossy, green leaves provide long term interest. Flowers are a lavender/pink color; the showy dark seed heads that form after bloom are attractive. Can use both the flower and seed heads for cuts. Pollinators like these plants, a bonus!
The six colors of Kniphofia in the PYROMANIA Collection are tropical looking perennials but are hardy to zone 5b. ‘Backdraft’ has wide flower spikes that start out an intense reddish orange and open to a peachy yellow for a two-tone color effect. All members of the collection have excellent rebloom until late into the season and grass-like, textural foliage.
Will your crops survive a power outage?
Departments - Tech Solutions
Put the proper precautions in place to avoid costly losses in the event of a power problem.
An 8-kw portable generator will provide power to operate heaters, fans and inflation blowers for several hoophouses.
Photos courtesy of John W. Bartok Jr.
The Northeast suffered from a tropical storm in August that left more than 1 million Connecticut customers without power for up to a week. A couple of days after the storm, I visited a grower who thought he had been prepared with an automatic transfer generator that was connected to the electric panel. When the power went off the generator started, but failed to generate electricity. He said that it had not been started for over six months. And repair parts were not readily available.
How would a power interruption affect your business? Are any changes needed to cope with future interruptions? It’s surprising the number of growers that don’t have a backup power unit.
A reliable generator is necessary for greenhouse businesses to keep essential equipment operating when the utility power is interrupted. Interruptions of more than a few minutes during a cold winter night or a hot summer day will allow the temperature to exceed the acceptable limits. Heating equipment, fans, vent motors, and control systems need to be kept running. Lighting, water pumps and other essential equipment are also needed.
Select the best type of generator.
There are many models of generators available. They can be classified as engine driven or tractor driven. Engine-driven units are self-contained with the engine integral with the generator. These can be portable in sizes up to about 15 kilowatts (kw) or pad mounted above that size.
Engine driven units can be powered by gasoline, LP gas or diesel fuel. LP gas units tend to burn cleaner and require less maintenance. Diesel units cost more but have a longer life. When selecting a unit consider the type of fuel that is normally available on the farm.
Tractor powered generators have a lower initial cost because they don’t require an integral power source. A tractor large enough to power the unit should be available at all times. Generally it requires 2-1/2 horsepower of engine capacity for each 1,000 watts of generator capacity. Accurate control of tractor speed with a tachometer is essential to maintain the 1,800 or 3,600 rpm needed.
Proper voltage is essential for safe operation of electrical equipment. It must be matched to the greenhouse equipment. Most large generators are available with multiple voltages. Common voltages are 120/240. Some units will provide both single and three-phase power. Most generators manufactured today utilize solid state diodes to eliminate brushes on the commutator.
Generators are usually rated for continuous duty and load. Heavy duty units will take considerable intermittent overload that helps in starting larger motors.
A location for the generator near the electric distribution panel is best. Portable units can be stored indoors and then moved outside when backup power is needed, as some protection from the elements is desirable. In these scenarios, quick connect wiring of adequate size should be provided.
Permanently mounted units should have weather protection, and adequate ventilation is needed for engine heat removal. The exhaust must be vented outside, and the pipe kept at least 6 inches from combustible material. A muffler or insulated enclosure will keep exhaust noise at an acceptable level.
This 150-kw diesel generator with automatic start should be run at least half an hour once or twice a month.
Size to power all equipment or just essential pieces.
A standby generator can be sized to power all the equipment on the farm or just the essential equipment that needs to be operated when a power interruption occurs. Full load systems are expensive. A 5,000-watt generator will usually operate all the essential equipment for three or four hoophouses. A 25-kw unit is commonly installed for a 1-acre gutter-connected house.
Discuss your needs with the electric supplier’s farm representative as well as a couple of standby generator suppliers. Most companies have a computer program that will help to determine the size of unit that is needed.
Install to meet safety codes.
Except for a small standby generator that you can plug in a few heaters or fans, all units should be connected to the electrical distribution box by a transfer switch. This transfers or changes the source of electricity being used from the power company wires to the standby unit. It protects power company employees from feedback that could endanger their safety. The transfer switch is usually located next to the distribution box for ease of wiring.
Develop an operation and maintenance procedure.
A standard operating procedure should be developed for use during an emergency. Before starting the generator, shut off all electrical equipment. Place the transfer switch in the position to operate the generator. After the unit is started check the voltage. Then place the essential equipment into operation starting with the largest motor first.
If you already have a system in place, have you started it recently? A strict maintenance schedule should be followed so that the generator will always be ready to operate. Exercise the equipment at least once a month under load and keep a record of the testing dates. Store extra gasoline or diesel fuel in a safe place. Train someone else to operate the unit in the event of a power interruption in your absence. Be sure that power interruption and high-low temperature alarms are in good operating condition.
A standby generator is a good insurance policy for times when the utility power is interrupted. It can save your crops and keep the greenhouses heated or cooled.
Dr. Sherene McHenry
John Bartok Jr.
