UAC Magazine - September/October 2016 by Georgia Urban Ag Council

Focus on

SAFETY and COMPLIANCE

URBAN AG COUNCIL MAGAZINE GEORGIA

Keeping Georgiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s green industry informed

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Advocate. Educate. Promote.1

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

UAC Magazine Official publication of the Georgia Urban Agriculture Council

Board of Directors Todd Jarrett, President Arbor Hill Nurseries Matt Lowe Swift Straw Josh Morrow Athletic Fields, Inc. Ken Morrow Sod Atlanta Chris Nelson Chattahoochee Nature Center Bob Scott Irrigation Consultant Services Ray Wiedman Outdoor Expressions Ron White TurfPride Dixie Speck, Past President Solterra Landscape

Ex Officio Ellen Bauske UGA Extension Public Service Assistant Bodie Pennisi UGA Extension Horticulturist Clint Waltz UGA Extension Turf Agronomist

URBAN AG COUNCIL MAGAZINE GEORGIA

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

UAC NEWS

4 6 8 10 12 12

Executive Director message What did you miss? UGA Turfgrass Research Field Day UAC Safety School The school you can’t afford to miss Safety T.E.S.T. Task/Equipment Specific Training Are you hiding from your customers? Your UAC web profile Gearing up for GALA? Some ways to get inspired

REGULAR FEATURES

14 16 19 20 22 24 28 30

Save the date Me & my mentor Are you playing at the OSHA casino? Have you met...Suzanne Brosche, Art of Stone Gardening Pro project Plants Creative Landscapes Pest 411 Rose Rosette Disease Safety works What’s new with OSHA? Health & benefits “Play or Pay” What the tech? The definitive social media site for landscapers

Staff Mary Kay Woodworth Executive Director Kathy Gatten Johnson Marketing Director & Editor

A member of:

32 34 38 42 44 48

Onboarding basics Setting yourself - and your employees - up for success Next steps Planning for the new overtime rules Substance abuse Do you offer a Drug-Free Workplace? Hearing conservation Using OSHA guidelines to develop a program Productivity strategies Increase your productivity - and potential Rent by the numbers When and how to rent equipment

INDUSTRY 50 52 53

New entomology head Kris Braman leads department Legislative advocacy What is it and what does it mean for you? Updated pest book Available for free download

URBAN AG

54 58 60 62 64

Digital design Rendering your landscape design ideas New Little Bluestems Striking new varieties of native grasses Southern blight Hot humid weather feeds fungus Gingers fit for royalty The crown jewels of the plant world UGA Trial Gardens 2016 trial results: annuals

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Atlanta Botanical Garden Georgia Agribusiness Council Georgia Arborist Association Georgia Association of Water Professionals Georgia Green Industry Association Georgia Urban Forest Council Georgia Water Alliance National Association of Landscape Professionals Southern Nursery Association

BUSINESS

UAC NEWS

Dear UAC Members and Supporters, It’s been a long, hot summer and we join all

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Mary Kay Woodworth Executive Director

of you in welcoming cooler temperatures. The extreme heat coupled with lower than average rainfall has stirred up rumblings of the dreaded “drought” word, and we are being proactive by reminding our members to practice efficient water use and get the word out to their customers. No one wants to be in a situation where we were during the 2006-08 declared drought, and UAC, along with GGIA and GAC, have met with new EPD Director Richard Dunn and EPD Watershed Protection Chief Jac Capp to ensure that the rules are implemented correctly and understood to protect our landscapes and businesses.

On the subject of water, the battle is about to heat up. Media outlets have reported that Governor Deal and Florida Governor Scott are attempting to reach a settlement on the longstanding Florida-Georgia water war; the reality is that a settlement is unlikely. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court appointed Judge Ralph Lancaster as the special master to resolve 25 years of water wars between Georgia and Florida, and the trial is scheduled for late October in Portland, Maine. UAC will be providing additional information to the State of Georgia, and it is likely that we will call upon our members for support. We will keep you informed as this situation unfolds.

Finding labor continues to be an issue that does not have a short-term solution, and we are committed to exploring options and solutions. Recently, H2B processing specialist Veronica Birkenstock joined us to discuss the nuts and bolts of using the program, and this continues to be an avenue for labor for many businesses. We will also continue to work CEFGA to identify high school programs to visit to “tell the story” about our industry. Unfortunately, we continue to hear reports of unethical hiring practices and bidding by landscape contracting businesses (including current members). Reports of recruiting in the field – going onsite and recruiting working crews – offering under-thetable pay, lowballing bids and underpaying labor crews are all in violation of the UAC Code of Ethics. As a reminder, when you became a UAC member, you agreed to adhere to this code:

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It seems like every UAC member that we’ve talked to in the last few months says they’ve not slowed down, and are looking forward to a short break! Here’s an opportunity to reward yourself, your employees and your clients to at least one day of fun, fellowship and competition! Join us on Wednesday, October 12 for the 4th Annual UAC Sporting Clays Tournament at Blalock Lakes in Newnan, GA. Thanks to UAC member and HighGrove Partners president Jim McCutcheon, we are delighted to be hosting this event at this exclusive private club. Register now as this event is limited to 72 participants – and sponsorships are also available.

To promote honesty and professionalism at all times; To promote and encourage best management practices; To improve my skills and knowledge and to encourage education and research; and To elevate public awareness of the professionalism of the urban ag industry through my investment in the association. Thank you for your support and membership. Your commitment to the industry and our association is appreciated. Please encourage your colleagues in the industry to join you as a member! There is power in numbers. Every company that is operating in this industry should invest in UAC.

The secret of our strength is YOU! As a member of Georgia’s premier association for green industry professionals, you have the power to make your industry stronger. Networking & marketing

Diverse educational opportunities, from monthly dinner meetings to workshops that help you meet licensing requirements

Meet industry leaders and get your product or service in front of our growing membership

UAC Magazine

Trade show & ﬁeld days

Six issues/year packed with the information you need on business, industry, and urban ag topics

PLUS:

Legislative support

Education

State and national governmental aﬀairs/legislative monitoring

Judges Choice

The latest trends, newest equipment, and cutting edge research, all brought together for you

Awards From design/build to maintenance to community service to green innovations to safety, UAC awards programs give you a chance to shine and be recognized

Reduce your costs

Advocate.Educate.Promote. PO Box 817 Commerce GA 30529 | P: 800.687.6949 | E: info@urbanagcouncil.com | urbanagcouncil.com

Tell a colleague about Georgia UAC today!

Your continued support of the Georgia Urban Ag Council shows your commitment to a strong industry.

With your help, we can grow even stronger. Your industry. Your passion. Pass it on.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

UAC Workers Compensation and Health Beneﬁts programs through WS Pharr/Snellings Walters oﬀer competitive rates and outstanding customer service.

UAC NEWS

WHAT DID YOU MISS? August 4 UGA Griffin Campus

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Griffin, GA

UGA Turfgrass Research Field Day

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

UAC NEWS

UAC Safety School

The school you can’t afford to miss Looking for ways to step up safety for

the sake of your employees and your company? UAC Safety School makes it easy to incorporate a culture of safety.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Under the “MEMBERSHIP” tab, click on “Links for members”

UAC business-level members can access safety training documents just by logging in as a member at urbanagcouncil.com. The email used when your company joined UAC is what you need here. Forgot? Call us: 800.687.6949 Forgot your password? Click here to reset. (We don’t retain password info.)

Every UAC Safety School topic includes a trainer document with the training objective, background info and course content.

Also included with the trainer document is a quiz and answer key.

UAC NEWS UAC Safety School is sponsored by Snellings Walters Insurance Agency.

A PowerPoint slide presentation with the course content is ready to download.

Attendance Sheet Company Name:

Training Topic:

Training Date:

Training Instructor:

Print Name (Clearly)

Signature

Download the attendance sheet to document your training.

Available UAC Safety School topics

Page ____ of ____

• Leaf removal safety • Machine guarding • Mosquito control and bite prevention • Pesticide safety • Pruning safety • Repetitive motion and ergonomics • Roadway and parking hazards • Silicosis • Slips, trips and falls • Small-engine safety • Struck-by safety • Sun and heat exposure • Tree safety W.S. Pharr Loss Control

The UAC Safety Committee works hard to bring you content on the topics you need. Please contact us with any additional topic suggestions:

The trainer document and the presentation are available in both English and Spanish.

Russ Chism, Solterra Landscape; Ward Frost, Arbor-Nomics Turf; Lee Lyner, Risk Management Partners; Rolando Orellana, Cobb County Extension; Erika Shields, Unique Environmental Landscapes; Rick Smith, The Pruning Guru; Kathy Johnson, Georgia UAC.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

• Biting, stinging hazards • Burn types and treatment • Call 811 • Distracted/defensive driving • Fire extinguisher safety • Fire safety • First aid kit • Flammable/combustible liquids • Global Harmonization System • Handheld power tools • Hardscape installation safety • Hearing conservation • Hygiene • Job hazard analysis • Ladder safety • Lawnmower safety

UAC NEWS

Safety T.E.S.T.

Task/Equipment Specific Training Looking for an easy way to ensure that

your new employees receive the required safety training, and that the training is uniform and thorough?

Safety T.E.S.T. is your answer. UAC business-level members can pick and choose the training sheets they need or download all documents to create a new

employee orientation package that contains step-by-step training for all of the tasks and equipment that your employees encounter. Just log in as a member on our website: urbanagcouncil.com. Click on “Link for members” (see instructions on page 8), then click on “Download Safety T.E.S.T. documents (Task/Equipment Specific Training).

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Available Safety T.E.S.T. sheets

Safety T.E.S.T. documents are onepage training sheets, available in English and Spanish. Included are PPE, basic job steps, potential hazards, and recommended procedures.

• Blade Sharpening • Blade Sharpening – Spanish • Blower • Blower – Spanish • Brush Chipper • Brush Chipper – Spanish • Chain Saw • Chain Saw – Spanish • Gas Pole Shears • Gas Shears • Hand Pruners • Hand Pruners – Spanish • Ladders • Ladders – Spanish • Push Edger • Push Edger – Spanish • Push Mower • Push Mower – Spanish • Skid Steer • Skid Steer – Spanish • Stick Edger • Stick Edger – Spanish • String Trimmer • String Trimmer – Spanish • Tiller • Tiller – Spanish • Walk-Behind Mower • Walk-Behind Mower – Spanish

Specifically selected by renowned turfgrass researchers for drought and wear tolerance from 27,700 other genotypes. Strenuously tested for two decades under extreme stresses in both research and real world production environments. A scientific breakthrough in performance and sustainability, tIftuf™ Certified Bermudagrass uses 38% less water

than tifway and is more drought tolerant than Celebration™, Latitude 36™ and all other tested bermudagrasses. fine textured and dense, tIftuf™ powers through cold, shrugs off traffic, spreads with incredible speed, greens up early and retains its color well into fall. Science has just delivered it all — tIftuf™.

Exclusive Licensing Agent: The Turfgrass Group, Inc. 1225 Savannah Lane • Monroe, Georgia 30655 (770) 207-1500 or (770) 710-8139 www.thEturfGrASSGroup.com

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

ForGed From ScIence

UAC NEWS

Are you hiding from your customers?

Use your UAC web profile to help them find you our “Sell” y any! comp Upload your logo and a brief description about what you do.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Next upload some photos of your work or products, then enter a longer company description.

First, log in as a member on our website: urbanagcouncil.com (see instructions on page 8). This feature is available to business-level members only.

What you see:

What potential customers see: Click “Learn more” to watch a brief video with tips and instructions.

VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure you complete the “services” and “areas” sections of your profile so customer searches will find you.

GALA

GEORGIA URBAN AG COUNCIL

GEORGIA LANDSCAPE AWARDS

View award-winning projects

ed No ne in! https://urbanagcouncil.com/2015-gala to log Click on “Project Details” to view a pdf with all project photos, challenges and solutions, and the comments made by the judges.

Gearing up for GALA? Here are some ways to get inspired as you put together your entries.

Video by Mary Kay Woodworth: “How to create winning entries” https://vimeo.com/105747810 This 50-minute video covers the following topics: • Award categories • Why enter? • How to enter • The basics • Telling your story • Expert advice • Examples of past entries

While you’re there, check out the winners from previous years, too.

Questions? Contact us! 800.687.6949 or kathy@georgiauac.com.

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Keep productivity high with the most dependable John Deere commercial worksite equipment.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

SAVE THE DATE

SEP

Sponsored by

Visit urbanagcouncil.com for updates and to register.

UAC Networking + Education Dinner:

Use C.A.S.H.©,not Ca$h to improve under-performing employees Barry Rinehart, Compass Leadership Training

DATE: Tuesday, September 27 TIME: 5:30 networking/cash bar, 6:30 dinner & presentation PLACE: Heritage Sandy Springs

6110 Blue Stone Rd. NE, Atlanta GA 30328



Be there at 5:45 for a special presentation by UGA’s Brian Schwartz: “Introducing TifTuf Bermudagrass - Drought Tolerance Just Got a New Standard” A look at the testing, data, and real-life applications demonstrating why TifTuf is superior.

UAC 4th Annual Sporting Clays Tournament

OCT

Blast your troubles away | Win prizes | Eat BBQ

DATE: Wednesday, October 12 TIME: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm PLACE: Blalock Lakes

GEORGIA

OCT

UAC Networking + Education Dinner: Please check urbanagcouncil.com for topic/speaker updates DATE: Tuesday, October 25 TIME: 5:30 networking/cash bar, 6:30 dinner & presentation PLACE: Heritage Sandy Springs

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

DEC

4075 New Corinth Road, Newnan GA 30263

6110 Blue Stone Rd. NE, Atlanta GA 30328

GALA

GEORGIA URBAN AG COUNCIL

Georgia Landscape Awards Early Bird entry deadline - save $$!

GEORGIA LANDSCAPE AWARDS

DATE: Friday, December 2

Learn more, download forms, apply online: urbanagcouncil.com/gala-georgia-landscape-awards/submit-entry-uac-awards

DEC

EDGE Expo

URBAN AG COUNCIL GEORGIA

E D G E E��

D��

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E X P O

Quality education | CEUs | Vendor products & equipment DATE: Thursday, December 8 PLACE: Infinite Energy Center, Duluth GA

GALA

GEORGIA URBAN AG COUNCIL

Georgia Landscape Awards Entry deadline

GEORGIA LANDSCAPE AWARDS

DATE: Friday, December 30

Learn more, download forms, apply online: urbanagcouncil.com/gala-georgia-landscape-awards/submit-entry-uac-awards

Improved Turfgrass Varieties for Georgia ^Extreme Drought Tolerance ^More Shade Tolerance ^Reduced Fertilization ^Exceptional Wear Tolerance and

Divot Recovery

^ Dark Green Color and Finer Texture ^ Superior Shade Tolerance ^ Excellent Resistance to Cold and Frost ^ Exhibits Heat and Drought Tolerance

^ Blue-Green Color ^ More Durable ^ Drought Tough ^ Softer Texture

^ Good Shade Tolerance ^ Fine Leaf Texture With a Dark Green Color ^ Extremely Wear Tolerant ^ Minimal Thatch Problems

^ Top Rated in the NTEP Trials ^ Exceptional Cold Tolerance ^ Top Rated for Wear Tolerance ^ Excellent Resistance to Spring Dead Spot

SodSolutions.com

Buy Sod Soperton, GA Celebration, EMPIRE Legacy Turf Farms Cartersville, GA EMPIRE, Geo Manley Farms North Bainbridge, GA Celebration, EMPIRE, Palmetto McIntyre Turf Abbeville, GA EMPIRE, Geo Superior Turf Ashburn, GA EMPIRE, Geo, Latitude 36, NorthBridge Precision Turf Buford, GA Latitude 36, NorthBridge Pike Creek Turf Farms Adel, GA Celebration, EMPIRE, Geo Southeastern Sod Sugar Hill, GA EMPIRE, Geo The Sod Source Unadilla, GA Palmetto Tifton Turf Farms Tifton, GA EMPIRE, Geo

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

^ Exceptional Cold Tolerance ^ Excellent Traffic Recovery ^ Top Rated for Shear Strength Tolerance

Find A Producer Near You

ME & MY MENTOR

Risking it all

Are you playing at the OSHA casino? by Mark Beverwyk, Risk Management Partners Q: What are the odds that OSHA will show up at my door? As safety consultants, one of the most common phone calls we receive (with a great deal of panic in the caller’s voice) is, “I just had an employee taken away in an ambulance. When can I expect OSHA to show up?” The truth is, they may never show up. OSHA does not monitor police and fire channels and is not automatically notified when an ambulance or a fire truck is dispatched.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Keep in mind, though, that OSHA does have relationships with many mutual aid groups and is sometimes notified by them. If the injury is severe enough, under the new reporting requirements, you are required to report the injury to OSHA yourself.

So when and how does OSHA show up at your jobsite or office? Believe it or not, the most common way to get an OSHA visit is by observation. In other words, a compliance officer, concerned citizen or other party is driving down the road and observes your employees performing an unsafe act. This may include using a ladder improperly, working at heights of greater than 6’, or any variety of other hazards. In fact, at one point, compliance officers were required to make 60% of their inspections via the drive-by process. Employee complaint is the second most common way OSHA will visit you. OSHA is required by law to respond to all employee complaints it receives. In most instances OSHA will

send a letter notifying you of the complaint. Failure to respond or respond in a timely manner will demand a site visit.

What is your risk?

What are your current injury and accident rates? Are you above the industry average? The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks a variety of data including workplace injuries. OSHA will review this data. The BLS sends questionnaires annually asking you to provide your injury statistics. Once submitted you are compared to your peers. If your rates are higher than the averages for your industry, you may get a visit. In the past as many as 70,000 companies have been sent requests to submit data (see the example data below). In the example you can see that Company B stands a much better chance of having an OSHA visit than Company A because their injuries are higher than the national average for the landscape industry. Targeted enforcement is when OSHA focuses on specific industries or specific activities. For several years now, residential construction and the landscape industries have been targeted for enforcement because their injury and accident rates have not decreased.

2015 Safety Stats: Landscaping SIC Code: 561730 Company A

NAICS Average

Less than Nat’l Avg.

Total Severity Total Severity Total Severity 2.5 4.8 1.9 2.8 -2.3 -0.8 Company B

NAICS Average

Greater than Nat’l Avg.

Total Severity Total Severity Total Severity 6.6 3.5 4.6 2.8 +2.0 +0.7

Activity targeting is when OSHA focuses on specific activities on a jobsite. Recent examples have included erecting, working on or dismantling scaffolding and employees working inside trenches and excavations.

Corrective action strategies

To protect yourself from OSHA interventions you must be in compliance with their laws. Like any other law, it is expected that the minute you opened your business you agreed to comply. This is no different than your duty to pay taxes, obey traffic laws when operating vehicles or following your occupational licensing requirements.

ME & MY MENTOR

Most days, you probably don’t even think about insurance.

But when

all hell

breaks loose,

There is no such thing as partial credit; you are either in compliance or you are not.

Who do you want as your

OSHA expects you to identify all the hazards your employees face and protect employees from those hazards. The most frequently cited regulations for the landscape industry are:

OSHA law

Total fines

Personal Protective Equipment........$116,950.00 Hazard Communication.....................$26,613.00 General Duty Clause.........................$199,639.00

WORKERS COMPENSATION

When a battle takes place, we are stronger together

Audit your work areas. Look for those noncompliance items that are easily visible from the street. I tell many of my clients to walk away from the job. Stand a block away and tell me what you see. Assess work operations for hazards and correct before employees visit the site. Verify that employees have the equipment they need when on the site. Train employees to use equipment properly.

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Association Strength | Industry Expertise Cost Containment | Flexibility

Let’s talk Steve Harmon Will Pharr Michael Parker

770-396-9600 | snellingswalters.com

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

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Corrective actions for these type of inspections include the following:

Drive-by inspections

l in

cia

Head Protection...................................$40,504.00

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS | PROPERTY | AUTO

ﬃ O

Vehicle-mounted elevating and rotating work platforms.............$103,413.00

WARRIOR?

ME & MY MENTOR Complaint If you receive a complaint letter, respond within the specified timeframe (usually five days). Make sure you address the issue. If you have pictures that support your defense, send them. Address only the issues identified in the letter.

•

Written safety programs, policies and procedures

•

Company-specific training

•

OSHA logs

•

Hazard identification and remediation

Conclusion

BLS target To prevent yourself from being on the list of “high hazard” companies, keep your injury rates below the national average. This will also help you control cost and reduce your insurance premiums. At least quarterly you should validate your statistics. Are you above or below the average? Also, make sure you are only recording injuries on your OSHA log that belong on the log. Over recording is one of the leading causes of high incident/accident rates.

Remember, OSHA is an enforcement organization. You are expected to comply; if not, citations will be issued. When you’re at the casino and the dealer hits 21 but you hit 20, they do not give you your money back because you were close.

Targeted enforcement Targeted enforcement is typically an industry issue. Since the landscape industry is already in this program you must make sure you are in compliance and have the following:

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

FOURTH ANNUAL

Risk Management Partners provides safety and risk control services to UAC members on behalf of Snellings Walters Insurance.

Sporting Clays Tournament

Blast your troubles away | Win prizes | Eat BBQ DATE: TIME: PLACE:

Wednesday, October 12 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Blalock Lakes 4075 New Corinth Road, Newnan GA 30263

“Blalock Lakes is the Pebble Beach of sporting clays.” -- Garden & Gun magazine

For more info and to register: urbanagcouncil.com

HAVE YOU MET

Suzanne Brosche

Art of Stone Gardening

My first job in the green industry was... pulling weeds in a neighbor’s yard and realizing how much fun it can be! (really)

The biggest challenge in my career... continues to be to understand and keep on top of marketing and all the changes the internet has brought to our industry.

The person who has influenced my career is...my husband and partner Jason

Brosche. He brings knowledge and artistry to the construction side of our business. We met and partnered together designing and building hardscapes and gardens. Besides Jason, Dr. Ludwig and Dr. Gibson at Gwinnett Tech started me on this path 16 years ago and I am grateful for their encouragement and support.

My biggest career success so far has been...the deep, long-term relationships

we have established with our clients. We are grateful that our customers continue to rely on us to maintain and beautify their outdoor environments.

The thing I like most about my career....

meet others in your industry and learn from them.

If I could change careers, just for a month...it would be to work as a park ranger in a national park.

The one thing most responsible for my success is... remembering to stop and look at the big picture, whether it be in business or in my personal life, and to not get mired down in the day-to-day problems.

Suzanne Brosche Address: 91 Martins Ford Road

Dahlonega GA 30533

Phone:

770.519.6372

Email:

suzanne@artofstonegardening.com

Web:

artofstonegardening.com

One thing most people don’t know about me is...I am also an adjunct professor at Lanier Tech where I teach Landscape Design.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

and the reason I am in this industry is my love of being outside and working with nature. This is my second career. I was a marketing and sales person right out of graduate school and realized 15 years ago that wearing a suit and driving in Atlanta traffic was not making me happy.

One piece of advice I would give to someone entering the green industry today is...something I learned the hard way:

make sure to work for someone else before deciding if you want go out on your own. Doing it all yourself is not easy! I dove right in after finishing school, and I quickly found out that I had a lot more to learn. Also, be open to other people’s ideas and join organizations such as the Georgia Urban Ag Council so you can

When I’m not working, I like to...ride my road bicycle in the north Georgia mountains with my husband, Jason.

SAVE THE DATE PRO PROJECT

Pro project Plants Creative Landscapes The purpose of this drainage project was

twofold: manage runoff of surface water that was causing unsightly erosion issues as well as install shade-tolerant groundcover for areas where there was too much shade for the zoysia lawn to thrive.

Before

Working within such a beautiful landscape allowed us to incorporate more stone - including creek rock and boulder steps - to create a visually appealing solution that naturally blends with its surroundings.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Before

We removed the existing creek rock and created a more extensive drainage swale, continuing into the back yard, channeling the surface water towards the lake.

The existing drain box, being located at the bottom of a hill, was set too high above grade to fully function, so we hand-dug a swale around it and incorporated it within the creek bed.

PRO PROJECT

Before

The new swale meanders through the back yard ornamental bed, outletting close to the edge of the lake.

In addition to the enlarged and extended creek bed, we also incorporated additional boulder steps and dwarf mondo grass to cover the shady areas of the lawn. The dwarf mondo will fill the space around the boulders and create a natural access path from the back of the house down to the lower patio space. Before UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

PEST 411

Rose Rosette Disease

Tiny mite spreads viral disease by Shirley Bohm, Gwinnett County Master Gardener Extension Volunteer

Rose Rosette Disease (RRD), also

called witches broom, is a viral disease that affects all roses from wild multi-flora roses to all cultivated roses, including Knockout Roses. Anatomy Dept., West Virginia University, Bugwood.org

Mites carrying the virus pass it from plant to plant as they feed on the plant sap. Winds can blow the mites from plant to plant and humans can also spread the disease through grafting or carrying the mites on their gloves, clothing or tools.

There is no known cure for RRD once plants become infected. Symptomatic roses should be destroyed to prevent spread of the disease.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Cause

This disease is caused by a plant virus, the rose rosette virus. It is transmitted by a microscopic eriophyid mite (Phyllocoptes fructiphilus) which acquires the virus when it feeds on infected plants. Mites carrying the virus pass it from plant to plant as they feed on the plant sap. Winds can blow the mites from plant to plant and humans can also spread the disease through grafting or carrying the mites on their gloves, clothing or tools. Rose Rosette Disease: symptoms Abnormal red or yellow new growth

Symptoms

The symptoms of RRD are variable and depend on the cultivar of rose. Normal new growth on many roses is red turning to green later and should not be confused with RRD which remains the abnormal red or green. The name witches broom comes from the RRD symptom of a cluster of shoots or branches that originate at or near the same point, like a rosette. Defoliation and dieback are common with RRD. The plant is likely to die within two-to-three years in severe cases. Infected plants are more susceptible to other rose diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew. Symptoms of RRD may be similar to injury from herbicides such as glyphosate. Glyphosate can cause witches-broom symptoms on roses as well as stunted, narrow leaves but does not cause excessive thorniness and unusual color.

Rose Rosette Disease: management Inspect plant for signs of RRD before purchasing

Elongated and thickened shoots

Space plants so leaves of one rose do not touch leaves of another

Shortened internodes on shoots

Inspect roses monthly for RRD

Witches broom (rosettes)

Remove infected plants including roots and regrowth

Overabundance of thorns Deformed buds and flowers Atypical flower coloration Lack of winter hardiness

Overabundance of thorns Deformed buds and flowers After winter pruning, treat plants monthly with horticultural oil to control the mites.

PEST 411

Management

Early detection is important to prevent the virus from spreading to nearby roses. Pruning is not always effective because the mites may remain on the plant and symptoms may not appear for months. If symptomatic shoots appear on the plant after pruning, remove the plant. Don’t use a leaf blower in this area as it may spread the mites. Always work with healthy roses first and then RRD suspect or infected roses to prevent the spread of RRD. Most miticides labeled for spider mites do not control eriophyid mites.

Jennifer Olson, Oklahoma State University, Bugwood.org

Information obtained from: Jean Williams-Woodward, UGA Plant Pathologist, University of Georgia, Landscape Alert, Rose Rosette Virus – an emerging problem, http://www.ugaurbaneag.com

•

Millie Davenport, HGIC Horticulture Extension Agent, Clemson University, HGIC 2109, Frequently Asked Questions About Rose Rosette Virus, http://clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/ plant_pests/ flowers.hgic2109.html

•

Nicole A. Ward, Extension Plant Pathologist and Cheryl A Kaiser, Extension Associate, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Kentucky, PPFS-OR-W-16, Rose Rosette Disease, http:// www2.ca.uky.edu/agcollege/ plantpathology/ext_files/PPFS-OR-W-16.pdf

•

Jennifer Olson, Asst. Extension Specialist and Plant Disease Diagnostician, Eric Rebek, Assoc. Professor and State Extension Specialist, Horticultural Entomology and Mike Schnelle, Extension Specialist, Shackelford Endowed Professor of Floriculture, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Oklahoma State University, EPP-7329, Rose Rosette Disease, http://osufacts. okstate.edu

Edited by Timothy Daly, Gwinnett County Extension.

Jennifer Olson, Oklahoma State University, Bugwood.org

Distorted foliage, deformed buds and flowers, and an overabundance of thorns are symptoms of Rose Rosette Disease.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

•

SAFETY WORKS

What’s new with OSHA? Updates and new standards

Information provided by Risk Management Partners on behalf of Snellings Walters Insurance

 

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has been quite busy in the last few

months. They have passed updates and new regulations, including but not limited to items such as updates to the OSHA reportable injuries regulation, the new silica standard, and the new construction confined space standard. The most recent update is the OSHA recordkeeping logs going to a digital reporting system for some industries. Here are some details about these additions and changes.

The OSHA form 300 is a log of work-related injuries and illnesses, simplified and printed on smaller, legal size paper. The OSHA form 300A is a summary of workrelated injuries and illnesses, a new form created to make it easier to post and calculate incident rates.



Kathy G. Johnson

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Upcoming OSHA changes include updates to confined space and silica standards as well as new electronic reporting requirements.

Electronic submission

The first topic we will go over is OSHA’s newest update. This update is for employers to electronically submit injury and illness data that most already record. (If your company employed ten or fewer employees at all times during the previous calendar year, your company is exempt from keeping OSHA injury and illness records.) These forms are referred to as the 300, 300A, and 301. The forms do not have to be filled out for near misses and first-aid incidents but they are required if your company has any injury beyond first aid including lost time, serious illnesses, or a fatality.

The OSHA form 301 is a log of injury and illness incident reporting, this includes more data about how the injury or illness occurred. The 300A must be completely filled out and signed off by the highest ranking official at that location. The previous year’s OSHA 300A also must be posted in a visible area for all to see (near a time clock or on an announcement board) from February 1st to March 1st each year. If you are wondering whether you are in a partially exempt industry, that list is based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and injury and illness data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Effective in a few months, some industries will be required to electronically submit injuries and illnesses data to OSHA. The reasoning behind this new update is to ensure employee safety. When looking at reporting requirements from a human behavior and motivation point of view, OSHA believes that since the information will become public under the update, the employer will be more focused on safety. With the increased focus on safety by the employer, accidents will decrease and more lives will be saved. There also will be more accuracy on the forms which will help the employer’s bottom line as well. This rule also helps to make sure that employers are not discouraging employees to report accidents. The compliance schedule for these updates, if you are affected, will be in phases over two years.

SAFETY WORKS OSHA states: “Establishments with 250 or more employees in industries covered by the recordkeeping regulation must submit information from their 2016 Form 300A by July 1, 2017. These same employers will be required to submit information from all 2017 forms by July 1, 2018. Beginning in 2019 and every year thereafter, the information must be submitted by March 2.” “Establishments with 20-249 employees in certain high-risk industries must submit information from their 2016 form 300A by July 1, 2017, and their form 300A by July 1, 2018. Beginning in 2019 and every year thereafter, the information must be submitted by March 2.” “OSHA State Plan states must adopt requirements that are substantially identical to the requirements in this final rule within 6 months after publication of this final rule.”

Confined space

OSHA has always had a confined-space standard under the general industry category which was followed by other non-general industries, but they have not had an official standard for construction. On August 3, 2015 that changed with the new OSHA standard subpart AA of 29 CFR 1926. ALL construction employers whose workers may be exposed to confined-space hazards will be affected by this. Here’s a brief summary of definitions for confined space and other related words in the standard: OSHA’s definition of a confined space is a space that has all three of these: •

limited means of entry and/or exit;

•

large enough for a worker to enter it; and

•

not intended for regular/continuous occupancy.

Some examples of these that might be sewers, pits, or crawl spaces.

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SAFETY WORKS OSHA’s definition of a permit-required confined space is a confined space that may have one of the following: • hazardous atmosphere; • engulfment hazard; or • other serious hazard. One hazard of any confined space when working outdoors can be snakes or other animals.

Here are a few OSHA statistics on confinedspace incidents:

The dangers of silica have been known for decades. More than 80 years ago experts began researching ways to protect workers from silica. Current OSHA exposure limits are more than 40 years old and do not reflect current scientific evidence. Strong evidence shows that the current limits do not adequately protect worker health, and are shown to cause lung cancer and kidney disease.

There were 431 confined-space incidents and 530 fatalities in the U.S. due to oxygen deficient and/ or toxic atmospheres from 1992-2005.

The new OSHA rule reduces the amount of silica dust that workers can be exposed to while on the job.

From 08/18/2009 to 12/31/2009, there were 36 worker fatalities and six worker hospitalizations related to confined spaces.

•

Employers will have to implement controls and work practices that reduce workers’ exposure to silica dust such as wetting down the silica dust or vacuuming it up before a worker can breathe it in.

•

Employers are required under the standard to limit access to high-exposure areas, provide training, provide respiratory protection when controls are not enough to limit exposure, provide written exposure plans, and measure exposures in some cases.

•

Employers also are required to offer medical exams to highly exposed workers.

The main reason for the new standard is simply because many workers are exposed to hazards in these areas without the proper testing and personal protective equipment, resulting in preventable serious exposure and fatalities annually.

    

In 2010, there were 63 worker fatalities and 28 hospitalizations related to confined spaces. From 01/01/2011 to 08/01/2011, there were 22 worker fatalities and three worker hospitalizations related to confined spaces.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Repair/maintenance and cleaning/inspection activities account for almost one-quarter of confined space-related fatalities.

disease. In the U.S. around 2.3 million people are exposed to silica at work. Because of this, OSHA has finalized two new silica standards: one for general industry and maritime and one for construction. OSHA estimates these standards will save the lives of more than 600 workers each year and prevent more than 900 cases of silicosis annually.

Silica

Crystalline silica is a common mineral that is found in many everyday materials. These materials include roads, buildings, and sidewalks as it is commonly found in sand, stone, rock, concrete, rick, block and mortar. Many landscape construction tasks involve the cutting, sawing, drilling, and crushing of concrete, brick, block, rock, and stone. This, along with operations using sand products, can result in exposure to crystalline silica dust. Workers who inhale crystalline silica dust are at an increased risk of developing serious silicarelated diseases such as silicosis, lung cancer, obstructive pulmonary disease, and kidney

Above is a summary of the OSHA updates and new standards. The complete standards, with more detailed information, can be found online at www.osha.gov.

Employee Benefits | Insurance | Workers Comp 770.396.9600 | snellingswalters.com

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

HEALTH & BENEFITS

“Play or Pay”

Tracking full-time employees Information provided by Snellings Walters Insurance 30 hours per week for the month. If she eventually decides that she wants to return to work full time, Joe’s Widget Factory will be obligated to offer coverage by the first of the month after three full calendar months that Sally was eligible as a full-time employee.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Must full-time employees be tracked under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s (PPACA) “play or pay” rules? All common-law employees must be tracked under “play or pay” rules, including ongoing full time employees.

Why would you track employees that you know are full time?

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Tracking full-time employees gives you historical information that is necessary to determine how to handle situations such as a leave of absence, a change in hours or position, and to complete related IRS reporting under the “play or pay” mandate. Employers must determine how they will track full-time employees and should inform employees of the system they will use.

Determining when an employer is obligated to offer benefits to employees in the above situations will be dictated by the tracking system the employer uses and the hours the employee worked as measured by the tracking system. Example: Sally has worked as a full-time employee of Joe’s Widget Factory for 10 years, and receives health benefits through her employer. In March she announces that she wants to reduce her hours to pursue her dream of becoming a professional athlete. She will now work 20 hours a week in order to train.

If Joe’s Widget Factory uses the monthly method, it will no longer be obligated to offer coverage once Sally drops below

If Joe’s Widget Factory uses a measurement and lookback method, Sally must be offered coverage through the end of the stability period set up by Joe’s Widget Factory. Whether she will be offered coverage for the next stability period will be determined by the hours she worked during the contemporaneous measurement period.

How do you track full-time employees?

Full-time employees can be tracked on either a monthly basis or a measurement and lookback period. Hourly employees will be credited for each hour worked. For employees that are not paid hourly, you can: •

Track actual hours worked or for which vacation, holiday, etc., are paid

•

Credit an employee with eight hours of work for each day the person was paid at least one hour of work, vacation, holiday, etc.

•

Credit an employee with 40 hours of work for each week they are paid for one hour of work, vacation, holiday, etc.

Employers can use different methods for different classes of employees so long as the classes are reasonable and consistently applied. An employer could track actual hours worked for employees at Location A and use the 40 hours method for employees at Location B.

HEALTH & BENEFITS

Are there limits on using these methods?

Yes. An employer cannot use a method that would understate an employee’s hours or the total hours worked by its workforce.

For example, an employer could not use the eight-hours method with an employee who works three 10-hour days per week to reduce him from a full-time/30-hour per week employee to a non-full-time employee.

Employee handbooks should not be the sole mechanism for notifying employees of how hours are tracked, and extra care should be taken to review them regularly to ensure they are accurate and up to date. Our access to PPACA Advisor resources can help you clear up PPACA questions and better craft your company’s benefit strategy for the future.

How should you inform employees of the tracking system?

It is best practice to update your plan documents to reflect the measurement systems you are using.

Employee handbooks should be carefully reviewed to ensure they do not conflict with plan documents, and if you wish, can include language about tracking.

Employee Benefits | Insurance | Workers Comp 770.396.9600 | snellingswalters.com This information is general and is provided for educational purposes only. It reflects United Benefit Advisors’ understanding of the available guidance as of the date shown and is subject to change. It is not intended to provide legal advice. You should not act on this information without consulting legal counsel or other knowledgeable advisors.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

WHAT THE TECH?

Houzz

The definitive social media site for landscape businesses by Kevin Bossons, Director of Internet Marketing, WebTech Marketing Services

concept brings together professionals in the field as well as a reported 25 million homeowners. The ease of navigation is one of the best features of Houzz. If you are a landscape designer, talking about patios with a client, you simply plug in that keyword and patio “ideabooks” pop up. Pictures of projects and products are easily scrolled through by the user.

With over 25 million monthly visitors, Houzz boasts a significant audience of homeowners looking for both design inspiration and local professionals to help them accomplish their goals.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

If you have a service-based business and

are looking to reach hundreds, even thousands of local potential customers Houzz may be exactly what you are looking for. Houzz is a directory, portfolio and social platform all wrapped into one slick interface. On Houzz you can publish your business details, past work and even communicate with potential customers. Whether you have heard of Houzz, have used Houzz or are hearing about it for the first time, here is your guide to becoming a part of this prominent website.

What is Houzz?

With over five million photos, two and a half million professionals and three million products, Houzz has honed in on a great way to bring designers, architects and creative people together. Founders Adi and Alon started the site as a way to have an online idea board. The two were working on their own house and found they were stuck in a sea of magazine clippings. The

Houzz is set up so that professionals and daydreamers will enjoy the site. Many young professionals planning their dream home, while living in a shoebox-sized apartment, can create their own ideabooks for use when they have finally made the climb up the corporate ladder. Credit on the image always goes to the poster, so when the new homeowner is ready, they have a network of contractors at their fingertips.

The best businesses for Houzz

Being a part of any social media network takes work and time. While you could upload a few high-resolution images to the site, unless you build the volume and represent your brand well, those images may get lost in the shuffle and not be as profitable. However, if you are able to dedicate time to curating the information and images placed on Houzz, it can be a huge benefit. Some of the best businesses for Houzz include: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Architects Bath Remodeling Companies Build Firms Building Suppliers Contractors Design Firms Furniture Designers Interior Designers Kitchen Contractors Landscape Architects Landscape Contractors Landscape Designers Lighting Designers

WHAT THE TECH?

Benefits of connecting

Sales. With over 25 million monthly visitors, Houzz boasts a significant audience of homeowners looking for both design inspiration and local professionals to help them accomplish their goals. Other benefits include connecting with other professionals, customer reviews, portfolio functionality and content marketing opportunities (articles and QA section).

Quick setup guide

Having decided to make the move to join Houzz is a great one. Getting started is easy.



Create a profile: Your profile is how potential clients will contact you. Email, phone number, website and address are a must. Many great businesses on Houzz take the time to formulate a little blurb about themselves. Share where you came from and what type work you specialize in.

On Houzz you can publish your business details, past work and even communicate with potential customers.



Upload a portfolio: This is where you show off your work. Upload high-resolution images which are at least 1000 pixels wide. Once uploaded, edit and organize them into ideabooks.

•

Contact people you are interested in networking with

•

Be helpful on the boards by answering homeowner questions



•

Ask questions on the boards to spark conversation

•

Upload new content weekly or monthly

Create tags: Tags not only identify what is in the photo, but also help people find the photo. A tag could be ‘outdoor kitchen’, but also should include ‘Atlanta’, ‘landscape’ and ‘kitchen’ to get the best response.



http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/179740/file271610781-pdf/A_Set_by_Step_Guide_To_ Creating_A_Professional_Houzz_Page.pdf

Why do sites like Houzz matter?

Sites like Houzz allow you to market your business on the internet by offering information and details about your businesses and the services you provide. All companies need to be using websites like Houzz, Angieslist, Yelp, etc. to ensure their products and services are visible for targeted customers doing searches both on search engines and these specific sites.

Maximize your Houzz interaction

About the author

•

Include a Houzz badge on your website to show clients your work

Kevin Bossons specializes in designing and building websites, and Search Engine Optimization, Link Building campaigns and Paid Search (PPC) campaigns.

•

Ask clients to review you on Houzz

Once you are up and running on Houzz, you need to show you are the best in the business. Some top tips to rising in the ranks include:

E: kevin@wtmarketing.com P: 404.348.4921 W: www.wtmarketing.com

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Share ideabooks: Generating interest and networking with area designers is what will drive business. Create ideabooks using projects you have completed or with a common theme, bringing together many projects. Be sure to make these public so people can share them. For a more detailed guide, Hubspot created this handy PDF:

These tips and tools should get you started. With a robust, attractive and active presence, Houzz can help get visitors in front of your business.

BUSINESS

Onboarding basics

Setting yourself - and your employees - up for success by Erin Saunders

Actual exchange between two co-workers:



Veteran employee: “How’s your first week going, Dwayne?”

If you don’t already have a written, formal onboarding plan, take the time to create one. Get feedback from other team members on their onboarding experience to make the plan more robust.



New employee: “Picture a warrior being trained for battle with teachings of what tools are ‘offered’ for battle, but then as the warrior proceeds to the battle field, the warrior isn’t given any tools or weapons to fight with. When the warrior asks, ‘where are my weapons?’ the general simply replies, ‘somewhere on the computer database, you have to find them.’ Other than that, great!”

Order tools and equipment the employee will need and make sure they will arrive and be ready to use before the employee starts. This should include keys or access cards.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016



Employee engagement begins day one. Engaged employees are happier, more productive, and stay with organizations longer than their disengaged counterparts.

Send the employee employment or HR documents before they begin. No one wants to spend their first day filling out mountains of paperwork.

   

And with this, we are reminded of the importance of a good onboarding experience. Employee engagement begins day one. Engaged employees are happier, more productive, and stay with organizations longer than their disengaged counterparts.

Reach out to the employee before they begin. Include them in company functions that might be happening prior to their start date. Let them know you are available to answer questions. Send them a schedule of their first few days ahead of time. Inform them of any logistics including clothing requirements and when they should arrive, so they know what to expect.

The first day

The first day can often be overwhelming for new employees, but there are things you can do to help it go more smoothly.

 

Setting the stage for a positive experience will help your employee and your organization get off on the right foot.

First, have all their tools and equipment ready for them. Review their onboarding plan together and answer any questions they have. Next, cover the basics. Introduce them to other team members, show them around the workplace, and orient them with any job-specific systems or equipment they will be using.



Before the employee starts

A good onboarding experience starts before the first day. Begin with the basics.

Set up a lunch or coffee that first day to allow them to get to know team members on a more personal level. Good working relationships are partially based on personal relationships, and it’s important to help new employees feel part of the team immediately.

BUSINESS

 

The first week

Onboarding doesn’t stop after the first day. It takes many employees several weeks to get up to speed, and it may even be a few months before they are completely comfortable and performing at full capacity. There are some things you can do to help support them in their success.

 

When providing training, show not only the how, but the why. It is helpful to partner the employee with a veteran team member whom they can go to with questions. This will give them a safe place to ask questions as well as receive feedback.



Four to six weeks after they have been in the role, schedule time to meet with them face-to-face to get feedback on the onboarding experience. If they have relevant suggestions or ideas on how to improve the process, incorporate that into the written onboarding plan. Taking some time on the front end to create a smooth and organized onboarding experience for your employees will pay off for you, your newest team members, and your organization.

About the author

You should also provide regular feedback to the employee during their first few weeks. It is important to recognize the small wins as well as help support areas for development.

Erin Saunders is Sr. HR Business Partner with JLL.

Moving forward

P: 303-931-0923 E: erin.saunders@am.jll.com

As your employee acclimates to their role and your organization, continue to check in and provide regular feedback.

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BUSINESS

Next steps

Planning for the new overtime rules by Lynn C. Stewart

Now is the time to plan for the December 1, 2016 change in DOL overtime regulations. First, a short recap from our last article:



The overtime requirements for hourly workers will not change. All hourly workers, no matter how high the hourly rate, are entitled to be paid time-and-a-half for overtime.

 Kathy G. Johnson

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Proper planning will take time, so these are important steps to take well before December.

The new Rule changes one part of the twopart “salary” and “duties” white collar overtime exemption test.



Currently green industry management and administrative salaried employees earning more than $23,660 a year are exempt from receiving overtime pay no matter how many hours a week they work if their actual job duties fit within a particular “white collar” overtime exemption category.



Starting December 1, 2016, all employees who earn less than $913 per week (an annualized $47,476) will be entitled to be paid overtime if they work more than 40 hours in an administrative workweek no matter what job duties they have or their job title.

Pre-December 1st analysis and planning opportunities

Employers have a variety of ways to comply with the new Rule: you can raise the white collar salaried exempt managers and administrative employees’ salaries to make them exempt from the overtime threshold, pay the mandated timeand-a-half overtime for those who do work more in a particular week, or simply make sure salaried employees aren’t working over 40 hours a week. Proper planning will take time, so these are important steps to take well before December:

Identify the positions in your company that will be subject to the new Rule as of December 1st. See what each impacted employee is actually receiving during an entire year of paychecks, throughout both busy and slow seasons, including production bonuses/sales commissions. Run the numbers on various scenarios. There are many variations which green industry businesses can consider, including: • an increase in base salary for some of your higher paid staff who just miss the new salary cut off; • a change to hourly rates for other lower paid salaried employees; and/or • splitting up jobs and hiring more part-time employees who never work more than 40 hours a week.

Consider converting the employee making less than $47,476 from salaried exempt to salaried non-exempt. Businesses will pay overtime after 40 hours and will have to pay for 40 hours even for weeks when the employee puts in less than 40 hours. This option would be useful for businesses whose analysis shows that there are some employees who have a consistent number of overtime hours

BUSINESS each week, regardless of the season. However, non-exempt status means that all hours worked must be tracked, just like an hourly employee.

If compensation needs to stay below $913 per week for office and other salaried employees with fairly constant hours, instead consider simply converting the salaried employee to an hourly worker, at a rate determined by dividing the current salary by 40 hours. If these employees work overtime, their overall compensation will rise. Accurate records of time worked are necessary to determine total compensation for this option. If weekly hours vary greatly due to seasonal business trends consider converting the previously salaried employee to hourly, at a rate determined by dividing the current salary by total hours worked. This is more complex, and may disappoint the employee who sees a lower hourly rate, but it might result in no significant net change in compensation.

For some employees, consider whether to use a fluctuating work week salary. In this situation, which is not liked by the DOL, the weekly salary is for all hours worked, including overtime hours, except that an employee receives an extra half-hour’s worth of pay, rather than time-and-a-half, for each hour worked over 40. There are many hoops which an employer must jump through in order to use the fluctuating work week salary, and if used, your odds of being subject to a DOL audit rise substantially. If your timekeeping system is not overseen by someone who is a little OCD it may not be worth the effort. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employers utilizing this method must meet the following requirements: •

the employee’s hours must fluctuate from week to week;

•

the employee must receive a fixed salary that does not vary according to the hours worked each week;

•

the fixed weekly amount must exceed the minimum wage per hour in any given week;

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

BUSINESS •

the employer and employee must have a clear and mutual understanding that the employer will pay a fixed salary regardless of the hours actually worked. (So working 10 hours is the same pay as working 40 hours.)

Any errors in implementing the fluctuating work week method can result in the employer being required to recalculate and pay back overtime plus additional penalties.

Remember to analyze nondiscretionary bonuses and commissions. The new regulations now permit employers to count these toward up to 10% of the new minimum salary amount. However, there are special rules about this as well, including the fact that the bonuses and commissions must be determined quarterly. Accurately record all time worked by employees who are moving from exempt to non-exempt (whether they stay salary or are converted to hourly). Have a system where both the employer and the employee verify the accuracy of hours worked. Your employee handbook or other document should notify employees how to contest the accuracy of hours worked, deductions, and other payroll issues.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Revise your employee handbook to identify any gaps in describing benefits for hourly/salaried, managerial/office vs. field employees, time keeping, vacation, PTO and sick leave policies for this new group of non-exempt employees.

12.

13.

Give employees sufficient notice of the changes before December 1st.

Once the December 1st deadline occurs, remember that all the typical wage-hour compliance problems now apply to those newly non-exempt employees.

who consistently worked more than 40 hours a week are distressed to see the actual hourly rate they will now receive.

Give training on tracking hours. Converting the mindset of a newly nonexempt administrative/managerial employee into accurately tracking hours actually worked is extremely important.

It is very likely that there will be an increase in wage-hour claims. Remember the basics: compensable time includes all the time spent performing work for the benefit of the employer and may include the following: • Staying late on the job • Work done at home • Time spent waiting for work • Breaks lasting between 5 and 20 minutes • Time spent cleaning and preparing equipment • Time spent during training or safety classes • Travel time between jobs on the behalf of the employer



Focus on productivity. Emphasize to your newly non-exempt work force that work must be performed within a 40-hour work week or overtime will have to be paid. Slower employees who can’t seem to complete tasks within the allotted time will have to be counseled that they cannot work overtime without your express instruction.

10.

No working off the clock. Non-exempt workers are entitled to be paid for all hours you “permit” an employee to work – so you cannot allow a newly non-exempt employee (whether salaried or hourly) to work without paying for it. (You can fire someone for ignoring instructions about no overtime without permission – but you have to pay the overtime.)



11.

Have advance communication before December 1st to minimize morale problems when your employees are moved from salaried to hourly positions. Don’t be surprised when formerly exempt employees

Responding to email and phone calls or messages counts as time worked under the FLSA. There should be no email/smartphone/ text work-related communications after hours to non-exempt employees, unless you count it as work time. Since most people do not have the willpower to ignore their communications devices after hours you may need to totally

BUSINESS disable work emails from being sent to nonexempt employees’ smart phones.

  

Other issues and challenges to consider:



No working during unpaid lunch (answering phones, checking email, filling out paperwork). In some situations, being on call, or traveling, may count as time worked.



You cannot fire employees for discussing compensation or other terms and conditions of employment. Expect that your employees will be talking about these payroll changes. Federal law permits employees to discuss terms and conditions of employment, including compensation. You do not want the NLRB calling because you fired someone for talking with co-workers about a change in pay.



Insurance coverages. Check with your insurance carrier to determine how insurance coverages will be impacted if part-time positions are created or certain office/field management employees are moved to an hourly rate status.

Payroll records should be kept for a minimum of three years. Time cards, wage rate tables, work and time schedules, and records of addition to or deductions from wages should be kept for at least three years. If an employer fails to keep accurate time records, they may have difficulty disputing legal action from nonexempt employees who claim they were not properly paid for all hours worked.

EEOC discrimination claims. Employees in protected classes (age, race, sex, religion, disability, national origin, etc.) may conclude that their pay is unfair or discriminatory when they discuss wage changes with their co-workers. Make sure your new pay practices are nondiscriminatory. About the author

This article does not constitute legal advice. Each fact scenario differs and it is recommended that you consult with experienced legal counsel.

Lynn C. Stewart is a partner with Schreeder, Wheeler & Flint, LLP in Atlanta, practicing employment law and counseling, contracts and construction law and general business litigation. P: 404-954-9865 F: 404-681-1046 lstewart@swfllp.com

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

BUSINESS

Substance abuse

Do you offer a Drug-Free Workplace? Drugs are everywhere, it seems—from the

Substance abusers are 3.6 times more likely to have an accident on the job, and five times more likely to have one off the job. Being under the influence plays a role in 47 percent of serious workplace injuries and 40 percent of workplace deaths. And, despite prevailing stereotypes, seventy percent of people with addiction problems are employed.

legally prescribed ones, such as opiate painkillers, to the illegal ones such as crack, heroin and methamphetamine. And then there’s marijuana, legal in some states, illegal in others. Not to mention alcohol, which millions of people are addicted to, while millions of others use it responsibly.

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As a human being, you’ve been touched by this. We all know someone who has, or had, a substance abuse problem. As an employer in the green industry, if you haven’t yet dealt with an addicted employee, count yourself lucky; at some point, you probably will.

The abuse of drugs and alcohol in the workplace costs money—lots of it. The U.S. Department of Labor identifies five main areas of substanceabuse-related loss: decreased productivity; increased absenteeism and tardiness; increased use of medical benefits; shrinkage (theft); higher rates of accidents and worker’s compensation claims. Substance abusers are 3.6 times more likely to have an accident on the job, and five times more likely to have one off the job. Being under the influence plays a role in 47 percent of serious workplace injuries and 40 percent of workplace deaths. And, despite prevailing stereotypes, seventy percent of people with addiction problems are employed.

Owners of landscape and irrigation contracting companies vary widely in how they handle this issue. Some have formal, written policies mandating a drug-free workplace, with consequences clearly spelled out. Some conduct regular, random drug tests; still others test only when abuse is suspected, or after accidents. Stan Hoglund, owner of Hoglund Landscape & Biobarriers in Fargo, North Dakota, doesn’t have a drug-free workplace policy, nor does he do testing. “I only have a few employees, and I just hire people that I hope will be good,” he says. He trusts his instincts, saying that he can read people after all the years he’s been in business. He relies on the judgment of his foreman of 30 years, since he’s the one out there in the field every day with the crew members. “If he senses something’s wrong with one of his guys, he’ll just let him go. They have to be on the ball; otherwise, he doesn’t want them around.” Karl Fjoslien owns Landscape West, Inc., in Redondo Beach, California. It’s a small design/ build company that typically has anywhere from six to ten employees, all hired via referrals from trusted employees. He considers that a form of pre-employment screening. “I don’t drug-test anybody, but we do check people out ahead of time. We also tell them, ‘Don’t drink on the job.’ I don’t mind if they drink alcohol, but they should save it for the weekend. Heavy work-night drinkers won’t last here; the work is too physically demanding.” Fjoslien admits that 20 years ago, when he was younger and just starting his business, he kept things “pretty loose. It was kind of crazy back then. I’m just grateful nothing happened.” Now, his policy is zero-tolerance. Sue Thompson, co-owner of Eugene, Oregonbased Thompson Landscape Company, feels so strongly about having a drug-free workplace that she’s put a statement about it on her company’s “About Us” page.

BUSINESS Establishing such a policy was “absolutely essential,” according to her. The move was made after a number of troubling incidents, including the discovery that a member of the management team had been dealing drugs. There’s been a lot in the news lately about the widespread misuse of prescription opiate painkillers. Thompson’s workers haven’t been immune to this trend. Another prescription drug that some of her people have struggled with is Adderal, a stimulant used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder. “There are drugs out there that I didn’t even know existed. Once the drug culture comes into your workplace, well, we’ve had flurries where we’ve had to fire everybody.”

Signs and symptoms

Like poor poker players, substance abusers often have ‘tells’ that can signal the problem they’re trying desperately to hide. A pattern of calling in sick on Mondays and Fridays, for instance, or frequently appearing ‘hung over.’ Flaky behavior from someone who was previously reliable is another. Fjoslien recalls one man who worked for him a few years ago. The giveaway in his case was “his overall attitude. Very schizophrenic; just a grumpy guy.”

It’s important not to jump to conclusions, however. Bizarre behavior on the job might have nothing to do with drugs or alcohol, but rather, with stress at home. “Sometimes, a worker just needs the time and space to figure out a family crisis or financial issue,” Thompson says. “Or maybe he’s slipping

Richard I. Lehr, Esq., Birmingham, Alabama, is a partner in Lehr Middlebrooks Vreeland & Thompson, P.C. He is general counsel for NALP (the National Association of Landscape Professionals, formerly PLANET) and provides human resources assistance to the organization’s members. When asked if he’d advise any landscape firm, large or small, to have a stated, written drug and alcohol policy, he says, “Absolutely.” Lehr says it’s a matter of safety, both for a company’s employees and for its clients.

“In the landscape and irrigation business, you deal with power equipment and vehicles. A policy should require pre-employment drug screening and random testing, as well as testing after job-related accidents, injuries or damage to property, or when there’s reasonable suspicion of drug or alcohol abuse based on observation of behavior.” ~ Richard I. Lehr, Esq., Birmingham, Alabama

If you think your company needs a drug-free workplace policy, there are many resources available. NALP offers its members sample drugfree workplace policies and guidance regarding testing protocols. There are also companies that help set up drugfree workplaces. Working Partners of Canal Winchester, Ohio, is one of those companies. Manager Anna Vizmeg turned to the firm when her company decided to start bidding on state DOT jobs, and found that a drug-free workplace program was required. Vizmeg Landscape, Inc., is a Stow, Ohio-based design/build and maintenance company.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Through her company’s drug-free workplace program training, Thompson’s supervisors have learned how to recognize behavioral signs that someone may be abusing a substance. Doing things like ‘losing it’ with an outburst of rage, mishandling a piece of equipment, or having a sudden decline in one’s quality of work will result in a drug test.

and falling on jobsites because he needs a new pair of boots.” A person could look hangdog because a new baby is keeping him awake at night. He could also have a medical condition.

BUSINESS Dee Mason, Working Partners’ founder and CEO, says a drug-free workplace program, no matter where you get it, should include the following five components:

Have a written substance-abuse policy. This should outline the responsibilities of both the employer and the employee. It should explain what type of conduct is prohibited, the types and circumstances of testing, and the consequences for violations. Educate the employees. Give them information about the effects of alcohol and drug abuse on their health, their personal lives and their work. Tell them about resources available to them through the company and the community, should they or their families need help.

Train your supervisors. They need to know that when documenting an employee’s behavior, one must stick to very objective, documentable facts, figures and dates, with an eye towards, “How would this look in court?”

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Have an employee assistance plan of action. If an employee is discovered to have a substance abuse problem, what then? Are you going to terminate him, or give him a chance to seek treatment? Can he return to duty afterwards?

In some states, a contract with an outside employee assistance program (EAP) is required as part of a drug-free workplace program. Having an EAP doesn’t mean you’ll be footing the bill for a stint in rehab. All that the EAP may need to do is refer the person to community resources already paid for by tax dollars.

Conduct drug and alcohol testing. This gives you objective, scientific evidence that a certain level of a substance exists within an employee’s system.

Medical marijuana

Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medicinal use. Other states will probably join them. Recreational marijuana use is fully legal in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington.

Even if marijuana isn’t legal in your state, this is an issue that every employer—not just those in the green industry—needs to start thinking about. Many companies operate across state lines, and draw employees from other states as well. Thompson says her Oregon-based company wasn’t significantly impacted once marijuana became medically, then recreationally, legal there. “For us, marijuana is no different from anything else, if it impairs someone’s ability to stay safe and work efficiently and effectively. We have far more problems, frankly, with alcohol.” “Our workers just need to show up sober, period,” said Thompson. Employees are allowed to test positive for THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) up to a certain level. Lehr said the general principle is this: even if a state permits the medical use of marijuana, an employer still has the right to prohibit it in his workplace. The analogy is that states allow alcohol to be sold, but that doesn’t mean employers have to tolerate someone who comes to work drunk. Nor does an employer have to accept someone who tests positive for drugs that are illegal at the federal level. He said that so far, courts have backed employers on this issue. If a worker has a prescription for medical marijuana, and the employer is concerned about this person’s safety performing certain job functions or using certain machines, he could say, “If and when you no longer have that prescription, and you want to be reconsidered for employment, then contact us and we’ll see what’s available.”

A second chance

Thompson has fired and rehired several individuals who’ve been caught abusing crystal meth. If they return with a Narcotics Anonymous sponsor and can demonstrate that they’re in recovery, they’re given another chance, as did one man who currently works for her. He’s doing really well, and even has his own crew.

BUSINESS Vizmeg’s company also gives employees who ‘tested dirty’ the opportunity to clean up and come back to work. Such individuals are subjected to monthly random drug testing over the following year. Test dirty again, and they’re gone. Having a drug-free workplace has a lot of advantages. A lot of people with drug and alcohol problems won’t even apply if they know that’s your policy. It can even change the entire atmosphere of a business. “Not too long ago, I had an employee who’d previously worked for another landscape outfit that didn’t have the policy,” said Vizmeg. “He was just amazed at what a difference there was between there and here. People had better attitudes; they showed up on time more. The quality of the people was simply superior. I think having the policy sets a higher standard.”

Thompson has done a lot of thinking about this issue, far beyond the effect drug and alcohol abuse has had on her bottom line. “A drug culture is a culture of deceit and desperation,” she said. “We need to be able to care for and respect our employees. It’s an issue of both safety and self-respect. We can’t provide quality professional services with drug abuse going on.” “If we allow that, we’re essentially saying, ‘We don’t care about your wellbeing, your future or your ability to provide for yourself and your family,’ and that’s just not the case. We’re a small, family-run company, with some 30 employees, and every one of them matters.” Ultimately, you’ll have to make the decision if having a drug-free workplace is the right move for your operation. There’s no single right answer to this; it will depend on your evaluation of your business and the people in it.

Reprinted with permission from Irrigation & Green Industry Magazine.

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BUSINESS

Hearing conservation

Using OSHA guidelines to develop a program edited by Risk Management Partners for Snellings Walters Insurance Agency The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires all

This program and its elements are defined in the OSHA regulation 29 CFR 1910.95, CFR means Code of Federal Regulation. All OSHA regulations are the law; employers are expected to obey these laws.

employers to develop and implement a hearing conservation program if employees are exposed above the defined Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL).

This program and its elements are defined in the OSHA regulation 29 CFR 1910.95, CFR means Code of Federal Regulation. All OSHA regulations are the law; employers are expected to obey these laws.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

The specific elements defined in this law are:

Written Hearing Conservation Program APersonal Dosimetry)Monitoring of employees (Personal and Annual Audiograms Baseline Protective Equipment (PPE); Ear plugs, Personal Ear Muffs or Canal Caps Employee Training Post the Standard 1910.95

Written program

A written program defines how you will accomplish all the elements of your program: • • • • •

Who will provide PPE? Who and when will training be conducted? When is PPE required? What are the hazards at our facility that cause hearing loss? How will we conduct our annual audiograms?

These are just portions of your written program, it has many more elements.

Personal dosimetry

You must make sure that the PPE you provide to your employees gives them adequate protection from noise hazards. Hearing protection is required by law to post or stamp its Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) on its packaging. The NRR tells you how much protection is being provided by the PPE you selected. For example: •

Ear plugs typically have an NRR of between 28 and 33

•

Ear muffs on the other hand have an NRR between 22 and 28

Personal dosimetry will tell you exactly how much noise your employees are being exposed to. To accomplish this you would place a noise dosimeter on an employee during their work day (eight hours is preferred). The dosimeter will then provide you with the employee’s exposure for the day.

Baseline and annual audiograms

These tests are conducted by a medical professional, you can either send your employees to a clinic or have a van come to your location. The baseline is required within six months or one year, depending on which of these methods you use. If you send your employees to a clinic you must do your baseline within six months; if you use a van it is one year. This helps establish your employees’ hearing abilities. After establishing the baseline you are required to test employees annually to verify that they are not losing their hearing on the job. If an employee does have a threshold shift (hearing loss measurement), you must re-test

BUSINESS them. You may also request a “Work Relatedness Study” if you do not feel the loss was the result of their working at your facility.

PPE

If you determine that you need a hearing conservation program, you must provide employees with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). OSHA requires that you provide them with at least two types so they may select the PPE that makes them feel most comfortable. For example, you can offer them ear plugs and ear muffs, or ear muffs and canal caps.

Training

OSHA requires the employees are trained on all PPE provided by the employer. Topics required in this training (but are not limited to): •

When is PPE required?

•

How do I wear PPE?

•

How do I maintain PPE?

•

How and when do I dispose of PPE?

Post the standard

OSHA requires that you print the 1910.95 standard and post it in your workplace. Employees must have access to the standard as they desire. A break room or office area should suffice, provided your employees have access.

Recent OSHA fines

Sample OSHA fines for companies without a hearing conservation program:

company Manufacturing Winterville, GA; $9,000 and Serious Specialty Company Wood Washington, GA; $4,900 and Serious

A serious OSHA violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

Citations with $23,400 in penalties have been issued for four serious health violations, including an unsanitary restroom, exposing workers to noise levels that exceed OSHA standards, and failing to provide hearing protection and annual audiograms for workers exposed to excessive noise.

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BUSINESS

Productivity strategies

Increase your productivity - and your potential by Steven Cohen, Consultant, GreenMark Consulting Group

What many landscape professionals sometimes forget is that productivity is integrally tied to the bottom-line. When clients say that their profits are low, it often can be traced back to how the business itself functions. To Kathy G. Johnson build and maintain a In simple terms, productivity is a successful landscape business in today’s means to an end…it contributes to world, increasing operational excellence, business productivity growth and improved profitability. is essential for maintaining and increasing your profits over the long term.

So, what is productivity?

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And how does it translate for you as a landscape business owner?

Productivity is simply a measure of your organizational effectiveness and efficiency in generating outputs from your operational activities. In simple terms, productivity is a means to an end…it contributes to operational excellence, business growth and improved profitability. Historically, operations have been the main target for productivity improvement within the landscape industry, in part because physical operations are easier to measure. Yet, internal-external business support functions also offer significant opportunities for productivity improvement within an organization. What productivity isn’t: getting bogged down! While productivity is a broader measure of business success, it is clearly not a measure of profitability. Whilst it is common to regard profit as a key measure of firm’s success, it can imply that a business will benefit more if costs like

labor and capital depreciation are reduced. This approach may work in the short term but can undermine long-term performance and makes it increasingly difficult to continue making substantial gains.

Why increase your businesses’ productivity?

Productivity is critical for the long-term competitiveness and profitability of your landscape business. The way to increase profit in a sustainable way is to increase the value added by your business through higher productivity. The most successful landscape businesses are the ones whose productivity exceeds its competitors. By pursuing productivity improvement initiatives, your landscape business can more efficiently produce its outputs, thus potentially generating greater profits. As a result, your landscape business will continually improve, your employees will grow personally, professionally and financially which leads to growing the business itself. Productivity improvement is a business-wide process of doing lots of things right along with continuous improvement. Productivity can be raised when managed in a holistic, planned and systematic way. Key drivers of productivity include investment (technology, etc.), innovation, skills, enterprise (seizing new opportunities) and competition (incentive to innovate). Today, innovation is the number one driver for growing landscape businesses.

12 steps to better productivity

Want to improve your landscape company’s productivity—and your potential for increased profitability? Try these 12 eye-opening ways to improve profits through increased productivity:

BUSINESS Show leadership first and foremost. Management must create and maintain a productive culture conducive to higher performance. Leaders must set the strategic direction of the business and communicate it to all employees. Every employee needs to understand the organization’s goals and commitment to continuously improve productivity and win-win outcomes for all those involved.

Objectives and targets need to be clear and highly visible. Unclear objectives confuse people and reduce productivity. Leadership must be committed, persistent, enthusiastic, collaborative, empowering, transparent and respectful. Appreciation and recognition of good performance and behaviors should be frequently given.

Engage and involve every employee. Employers and team members working cooperatively towards a common goal can increase productivity. People are often capable of producing at a higher level. Frequently, the more complex and intangible a job, the greater the difference found between top and bottom performers.

View work as results that need to be achieved for which someone is held responsible and accountable. Teams can be encouraged to focus on business productivity through performance management, recognition and rewards. Develop your employees’ skills and capabilities. Your team members are key factors in improving productivity. Productivity is increased by improving the knowledge, skill and capability of staff to absorb new ideas and technology, problem solve and innovate. Increased employee motivation, engagement and loyalty, through effective recruitment, selection, development, retention

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BUSINESS and leadership, can also significantly improve productivity. Build a continual teaching-learning environment within your organization.

Organize your people. Your organizational chart will be your best friend if designed and used; configuration and organization of your team members is an important factor in productivity. Teams tend to work more efficiently if they complete an entire process. Alternatively, greater productivity may result by developing expertise in a particular part of a process. Teams that are doing the job know what works best and what doesn’t and are best placed to identify improvements in work processes or activities.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Invest in productive technology... today. Landscape businesses are investing heavily in technology and achieving “more for less.” Both off-the-shelf and industryspecific technology solutions and enabling technologies (like workflow tools) are providing new ways to maximize the value added from knowledge-based activities and not just for automating standardized or repetitive tasks.

Technology can be used to create a competitive advantage by enabling your business to organize its workflow processes, better manage human resources, equipment, materials and to obtain critical time-sensitive data for tracking and improving all facets of a job’s financial performance.

Measure your productivity. Before deciding on a path to increase productivity you must know where you are starting from (how productive you are now) and decide your destination (your target level of productivity). Productivity objectives are needed to provide direction and productivity measures are needed to monitor and control your progress. Measurements are also a communication tool to motivate and reinforce performance by linking them to recognition and reward.

You get what you measure and reward. Measurement systems vary depending on the needs and operations of particular organizations. Ideally, productivity should be measured by looking at a system as a whole. You must identify and focus on your core processes and capabilities that are critical to delivering competitive advantage for your business. To do so you must engage with your customers to understand their needs. You must also involve team members in the design and implementation of measures and give them a sense of ownership However, productivity is not the only measure of a firm’s performance. You must still consider your overall competitiveness, including quality and customer satisfaction, and not just make productivity improvement a cost-cutting exercise.

Involve sales and marketing staff. Sales and marketing have control over the price and volume of output. Increasing the volume of sales and increasing sales per unit cost of production (i.e., higher margin or value added) can increase overall productivity. Equipment productivity can be sensitive to economies of scale, by maximizing asset utilization and spreading their costs over greater volumes of sales output can have a significant and positive impact on how your company produces. Improve your core processes. Big gains are achieved by streamlining systems and processes. Continuous improvement tools can be used to improve the productivity of any business process. An obvious way to increase productivity is to reduce all forms of waste in a process that is not seen to add value by the customer. At GreenMark, we suggest that our clients follow our “4 Cores to Landscape Business Success” model, which is centered around business standardization of each core:

BUSINESS

   

Core I Organizational Mindset/Company Culture Core II Operational Processes/HR-Business Management & Finance Core III Brand, Marketing & Sales

Core IV Service Delivery Model - Internal & External

Develop and use your knowledge. Knowledge management is often talked about but undervalued. Knowledge management needs to be an active part of day-to-day operations, bringing together different functions to achieve improved productivity and actively networking with customers, suppliers and experts to gain knowledge and apply what you’ve learned.

Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. Be transparent, communicate and share with your team the goals and objectives for your productivity improvement goals - both short and long term and make sure they buy into the process before you start.

12.

You must consider the needs and characteristics of all potential stakeholders, both internal and external. Use a good mix of various modes and different channels (downwards, upwards and sideways). Consider what different stakeholders need to know (What’s-In-It-For-Me, What’s-In It-ForEveryone) and seek to influence thoughts, feelings and actions in line with the objectives. Enable the sharing of information and knowledge and avoid leaving a vacuum for a grapevine to fill.

Get ready for a productive future We refer to this as building a teaching-learning culture.

Implementation. Statistically, most business improvement initiatives fail because of execution. Depending on the size of your productivity initiative, you may divide initiatives into sub-streams with individual project owners with set responsibilities. Use project management tools to identify risks and mitigate them and to establish resource requirements and milestones. Cross-functional interdependencies should be clearly identified, planned and managed.

11.

About the author Steven Cohen, Principal of GreenMark Consulting Group, is a business management and operations consultant with more than 25 years of landscape/snow industry experience. Steven has an extensive background in managing cross-functional business operations, business strategy and market growth projects. He prides himself as being both an analytical and a conceptual thinker who effectively partners with business owners to assess opportunities, facilitate strategic decisions, and drive successful implementations. GreenMark Consulting Group specializes in helping growth-oriented companies see through challenges and map out operational and growth strategies.

www.greenmarkgroup.com www.greenmarkbootcamp.com www.greenmarkgroupcoaching.com

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Monitor performance. Monitor performance by comparing performance against a standard. Track productivity levels against suitable internal or external benchmarks and track trends in productivity growth. Use KPIs (key performance indicators) with an appropriate operating dashboard to see your information in an organized and real-time manner.

10.

Taking the 12 productivity-enhancing actions suggested here can help your landscape business ensure its competitiveness and profitability for years to come.

BUSINESS

Rent by the numbers

When and how to rent equipment By Kate Spirgen If you’re working outside of your normal service area, taking on

a special job or looking to expand your offerings, rental equipment can help you get the job done without putting a big equipment cost on your budget.

Before you sign that agreement, there are a few things you should know about training, insurance, hidden fees and more.

But before you sign that agreement, there are a few things you should know about training, insurance, hidden fees and more.

The right time

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Grounds Guys of Dothan in Headland, Alabama, rents pretty much every time they need heavy pieces, since they only have eight to 10 jobs per year that call for earth-moving equipment.

So co-owner Jessica Hollerman says there would just be too much downtime to justify purchasing large pieces. “A damage waiver – it can be good for you, but most of them just cover freak accidents that are never going to happen.”Jessica Hollerman, Grounds Guys “The numbers don’t lie, so there’s not enough call for this equipment on the jobs,” she says. The company most often rents for land-clearing jobs, opting for a Harley rake or Land Shark and spending $10,000 to $12,000 a year on skidsteers and attachments. Matt Hutton, owner of Hutton’s Landscapes in Savannah, Georgia, uses rental equipment when he does out-of-town jobs to save on

transportation costs or when he starts work in a new community. “Until I’m sure of the work environment and if I don’t want to have a long-term expense on my books, we’ll typically rent equipment for a month or two in that situation,” he says. He’ll also rent when a piece of his own equipment breaks down. In total, the company spends about $100,000 per year on rentals, usually renting things like skid-steers, specialty attachments, mini-excavators and sleepers. The company also sometimes rents jackhammers and augers. While Grounds Guys of Dothan breaks down rental costs between jobs that call for rental equipment, Hutton’s Landscapes charges the cost directly to each job.

The right place

Both Hollerman and Hutton generally stick to the same rental companies. About 70 percent of Hutton’s business goes to Sunbelt and the rest goes to Hertz and a few local companies. He says Sunbelt isn’t always the cheapest, but the equipment is always in good working order, so the extra cost is worth it. Hollerman generally uses the same company, but makes a point of introducing her company to everyone in town. “I’m trying to find someone who’s willing to provide a discount because that helps us be able to provide our clients with a more competitive proposal, which lands us more jobs, which in turn brings them more business,” she says.

BUSINESS

The details



If you haven’t rented big equipment before, there are a few things to consider.



If you don’t have vehicles to haul larger pieces around, Hollerman recommends having the rental company deliver them to the jobsite and pick them up. “If you pull it with just a regular Chevrolet 2500, I mean, it’s going to pull it, but it’s going to take you twice as long to get to the job,” she says. “Then you have the headache of pulling it and the gas that you’re going to use and the extra time you have to spend.” Hollerman says it only costs her an extra $60 or $65 for delivery, so it’s money well spent.



And watch out for fueling charges since it can cost twice as much to have the rental company refuel a vehicle as it would to fill up before you return it.



Along with providing his own gas, Hutton keeps his own rental insurance policy since going through a dealer can be extremely expensive. “They charge astronomical fees,” he says.



Grounds Guys of Dothan doesn’t carry its own insurance, opting instead for the damage waiver. But Hollerman does recommend that companies ask their insurance agents whether or not they’re already covered.

“A damage waiver – it can be good for you, but most of them just cover freak accidents that are never going to happen,” she says, noting that holding her own policy would be an extra $600 a year. So, Grounds Guys opts to pay the $60 damage waiver on a case-by-case basis.

The training

Neither Hutton nor Hollerman provide specific training for their operators when it comes to rental equipment. Instead, they hire skilled operators who have experience. “We probably should,” Hutton says. “We don’t have a rental program, but we’re big on instruction here and I could say that’s a hole in my network that I don’t have training for that type of thing.” Hollerman says she never puts someone on a machine unless they’re familiar with it, and the company makes sure to stay up-to-date on any changes to safety rules in the industry.

The purchase

If the work is going well and you find yourself using a piece of rental equipment often, look at your numbers and see if buying makes more sense for your business. According to Hollerman, all you have to do is look at the numbers. Ask yourself how many jobs you’ll need the equipment for in a given year and know the needs of your operation, he says. Otherwise, it’s not an investment; it’s a drain on your operation.

This article originally appeared in the March 2016 issue of Lawn & Landscape magazine. Read more: magazine.lawnandlandscape.com/issue/march-2016

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

“A lot of people have it and don’t even know it, and are still paying the damage waiver to the rental company,” she says. “And there’s a lot of small print when it comes to damage waivers. Every company is different.”

And don’t forget to look at the weekend rental rates, Hutton says. Some companies will charge and some will “let you slide until Monday,” he says.

INDUSTRY

New entomology head

Kris Braman leads UGA Department of Entomology by Sharon Dowdy Twenty-seven years after joining the faculty as a

fledgling researcher, University of Georgia professor Kris Braman has been named the head of the university’s Department of Entomology.

Sharon Dowdy

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

UGA entomologist Kris Braman has been named head of the Department of Entomology. Braman has been a member of the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences faculty since 1989.

“The entomology department at the University of Georgia is highly ranked and widely recognized for the strength and balance of its programs in core areas,” said Braman, whose appointment was effective July 1.

As the new department head, Braman sees the entomology program continuing to address current and emerging priorities in the discipline in a way that meets the needs of agricultural, urban and industry clientele. A native of New York state, she earned a undergraduate degree in forestry at the State University of New York (SUNY) and a doctorate in entomology from the University of Kentucky. “All SUNY forestry students were required to take entomology because insects are so important in managing forest health,” she said. “I was hooked for life before I was out of my teens!” Braman joined the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences faculty in 1989, working on the college’s campus in Griffin,

Georgia. Since then she has conducted research on pests and beneficial insects of turfgrasses and ornamentals in urban settings. Her research ensures turfgrasses stay lush and aren’t destroyed by insect pests like chinch bugs, two-lined spittlebugs, mole crickets, grubs and a variety of caterpillars. By first studying the biology and behavior of both the pest and its predators, Braman develops control methods that include the use of natural enemies, pestresistant plant varieties, alternative control technologies and insect scouting. She plans to continue conducting research as it keeps her “grounded and cognizant of issues faculty face on a regular basis,” she said. “All of my research projects have contributed to the development of decision-making guidelines that provide support to the green industry. I am exceptionally proud of the students and staff who made these projects possible, and I enjoy celebrating their successful careers.” In 2011, Braman was named director of the university’s Georgia Center for Urban Agriculture, located on the UGA Griffin Campus. In addition to conducting research and leading the center, Braman teaches general entomology and biological control classes for both UGA undergraduate and graduate students. Most recently, she temporarily stepped into another leadership role on the UGA Griffin Campus as the campus’ interim assistant dean of CAES from October 2014 through October 2015. “Leadership just became a natural extension of wanting to help other people and programs grow and succeed,” she said. About the author

Sharon Dowdy is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

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INDUSTRY

Legislative advocacy

What is it and what does it mean for you? by Mary Kay Woodworth, Georgia Urban Ag Council This describes the scenario of the relationship that UAC has with the Georgia Agribusiness Council (GAC). Since 2005, UAC has worked side-by-side with this statewide group, and takes pride in the successes that we’ve shared in the legislative and regulatory arena.

Why GAC?

What makes legislative advocacy important is that it is using our collective voice, our expertise and our constitutional right to help shape the way we are governed. One of the most important benefits of your membership in the Georgia Urban Ag

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Council - which your membership supports – is legislative advocacy, monitoring and action. The importance of this advocacy cannot be overstated. What makes legislative advocacy important is that it is using our collective voice, our expertise and our constitutional right to help shape the way we are governed.

The University of Kansas’ “Community Toolbox” describes legislative advocacy:

“Actual legislative advocacy can involve anything from working personally with a legislator or aide on the wording of a bill to mobilizing hundreds, or even thousands, of supporters to bombard a legislature with phone calls about an issue. It includes educating legislators, supporters, and the public about the issue; working with the media; continuously seeking out allies; and being persistent over long periods of time.”

They know the players and leaders involved in Georgia state government. Those players and leaders recognize GAC as a trusted source of information both under the Gold Dome and among various state agencies. Whether it is the Georgia General Assembly, the Department of Natural Resources, the Environmental Protection Division or the Department of Agriculture, GAC has the relationships, experience and track record to advocate on our behalf and with our members and board for urban ag and our shared agribusiness interests.

Expertise GAC serves as a resource to policymakers for issues like tax policy associated with agricultural inputs and property assessments, including the Georgia Ag Tax Exemption (GATE) program.

Initiatives With GAC, we are fully engaged in water policy initiatives that enable our industries to continue our record of environmental stewardship and we challenge regulations that will hurt our economy.

Issues We take on tough issues like immigration because we understand the importance of a strong, legal workforce to our industry.

Updates During the winter legislative session, we provide a weekly review of what’s happening under the Gold Dome, compiled by GAC and targeted to our industry. We hope that you review this important information, and we appreciate when you respond to a call-for-action on critical issues.

INDUSTRY Truck weight  These reports, and updates throughout the year, Debit card payroll remind us not only of important legislation that  we’ve been able to modify, put on hold and pass, Landscape buffer limitations but – oftentimes more importantly – bills that we tax deduction extensions at state and Equipment “kill.” federal levels condemning WOTUS (Waters of the Resolutions Fruits of our labors United States) For your review, here are some recent issues where UAC/GAC have engaged and had impact:Changes to Seed Development Commission Off-road vehicle use expansion Immigration reform; limited impact enhancements; Extension; turfgrass Budget Looking ahead research facility As fall approaches, we will be involved in water GATE advancement and protections issues again, as the State of Georgia attempts  to settle the long-running tri-state “water war” rights/regional water planning/drought Water with Florida and Alabama. The Georgia/Florida protection act trial is scheduled to commence in late October, Outdoor water use: law and regulations  and we will keep you updated on the status. This issue has serious implications for our state, our Strengthened metal theft laws  industry and your business. Your support of Workers comp this association is greatly appreciated moving Landowner liability protections forward. 

Action

Updated pest book now available online

2016 Turfgrass Pest Control Recommendations for Professionals urbanagcouncil.com/turfgrass-pest-control-handbook

FREE download! Prepared by: The University of Georgia

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COUNCIL

GEORG

2016 Turfgrass P es

t Contr

ol dations fo r Professio na

Recommen

Calendars Formulation

Content provided by:

Tank mixin

Evaluation

Patrick McCullough and Clint Waltz Crop and Soil Science

site usage

Disease con

trol

Chemical gro

ups of fungic ides Fungicide site usage

Afredo Mart inez-

Espinoza, UGA

Weed contro

Pre & Poste

Compiled by: Clay Bennett and Alan Wise

tion forms

Insect contro Insecticide

Kris Braman and Will Hudson Entomology Alfredo Martinez Plant Pathology

and applica

Insect pests

mergence

Turf tolera

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Herbicide site

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usage Also:

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Revised January 2016

University of Georgia Turfgrass Tea Georgia Cou m nty Extens ion contac ts

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Digital design

Rendering your landscape design ideas Not that long ago, producing a

Kathy G. Johnson

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

“Anyone who has transitioned from hand drawing to software will say there’s a learning curve they had to go through. They’ll also say that once they got through it, they never turned back.”

design plan for a client’s property was a time-consuming process. You visited the property, checked out the landscape, then went back to the office to labor over a drawing table. It then took as much as several hours to put together a rendering.

Eventually, you’d return to the client and attempt to showcase what you ~ Eric Gilbey could do with the Vectorworks, Inc. property if you got Columbia, MD the job. If there were any changes, it was literally back to the drawing board. You’d go back and forth like this until the design was squared away and you were finally ready to get to work. Those were the days when, because of all the time it took, you were happy to outsource this to someone else. All the time that went into getting on the same page with a client could have been spent on any number of other things. Ultimately, if you did subcontract the design portion of the job, you left money on the table instead of time. With six of one and half a dozen of the other as your options, it all amounted to a great deal of inefficiency. Then again, remember the time when computeraided programs were very expensive and handdrawn renderings were standard operating procedure? No one competitor had a gamechanging edge over the other when everyone moved at a relatively slow pace.

Technology changed the game

Here, as in so many areas of the economy, technology has turned the status quo on its head. More and more contractors use a number of gadgets and innovations to make their work more efficient, from smart phones to GPS trackers on company vehicles. Surely, it only makes sense that we would turn to computers for our design needs, as well. In fact, many of us are finding that we can use design software to create visually appealing digital renderings quickly and easily. The emergence of this trend has the potential to set a new industry standard, if it hasn’t done so already. Software allows you to plan and design a landscape project in an entirely digital format. A typical program helps you create renderings using photo imaging, a method of editing an image or photograph. To use this tool, the first thing you do is take a photograph of the portion of your client’s property that you will be renovating. Next, open that photo in the program, where you’ll be able to edit the image to modify the current landscape. Now you can add in the changes you intend to make. This is done by clicking and dragging pictures of plants, fountains, pavers, benches—anything you could put in a landscape design—from the program’s database onto the picture you took. Most programs also include black and white and color CAD tools, as well as 3-D rendering. Choose the right format for the circumstances, and then you can go back to the client with the rendering and very quickly get a sense of whether he likes what you’ve done.

Explore the options

If you haven’t used design software yet, don’t be alarmed by all the options. Many contractors in the industry have stayed away from the idea out of cost, fear or skepticism. When considering the investment of purchasing a software program, you might be doubtful about its potential for a return. In reality, contractors who have made

URBAN AG the leap report that once you get the hang of it, design software can save you a lot of time and money, help you build a closer relationship with your client, and even stretch your creative muscles. “Anyone who has transitioned from hand drawing to software will say there’s a learning curve they had to go through,” said Eric Gilbey, a landscape architect and product marketing manager with Vectorworks, Inc. in Columbia, Maryland. “They’ll also say that once they got through it, they never turned back.” The reason for this is that using software to digitally produce and store all your design plans reduces inefficiencies that are inherent to the hand- drawing process. Instead of making a base plan for the umpteenth time, you can load a template. Instead of recreating a plant symbol—“Tedious as all get out,” Gilbey said— most software programs come with a database of thousands of plants, trees, and other reuse, modify and repurpose any design features that you can use, number of times. Time is money, and many small businesses are short on both. Using a design software program, business owners often find it’s possible to come back to the client within the same hour of discussing the project. Some programs make this even easier through the inclusion of an app that can be installed on a tablet or smartphone.

Contractors who already use design software will attest to its high degree of speed and functionality. “A design that would’ve taken me two or three hours to map pencil and draw in 1996 takes me 15 minutes using a software owner of Immaculate Outdoor, program today,” said Joshua Cerda, Austin, Texas. (‘Map pencil’ is a Southernism for the drawing tool others know as a colored pencil.)

Any design software worth your trouble will include a database of thousands of landscape elements, including plants, trees, grass, and hardscape features that you can splice into a photograph you’ve taken of your client’s property. Typically, the plant database will include a profile of information about each plant. If you want to place plants on the shady side of the house, you can search the database for low sunlight or shade-friendly flora, and a list of all the ones on file will come up. Pick one you like and drop it into the photograph you took of your client’s yard to see how it works. The same goes for other plant characteristics, including watering needs, color, size, flowering season and so on. You can even add your own tags to a plant profile, to make it easier to find exactly what you’re looking for. Most programs also allow you to add not just your own tags, but your own images to the database. This can come in handy when you have a very specific vision. For example, say your idea is to plant a Japanese loquat in a client’s yard and prune it into a round shape to better complement some other aspect of the landscape. If the database doesn’t have an image of a Japanese loquat in that shape, you can always

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

With these tools in hand, landscape contractors can consult, design and sell a project all on the same visit to a client’s property. Locking in a job so quickly is good for both your watch and your wallet.

This is important because, whether digital or hand drawn, a rendering is often essential to getting a project sold. The faster it comes in and the clearer it is, the better your chances Photo courtesy of PRO Landscape of netting a new job. “The problem with “The problem with customers is customers is they they often can’t visualize what their often can’t visualize contractor is verbally proposing to do.” what their contractor ~ David Sloan is verbally proposing Drafix Software, Inc. to do,” said David Kansas City, MO Sloan, sales and marketing manager at Drafix Software, Inc., Kansas City, Missouri, which produces PRO Landscape design software.

URBAN AG create one yourself. If that’s a design element you use frequently, you can save it to the database for later retrieval. “Every one of these software programs is adaptable to the designer’s needs,” said Susan Cohan, APLD, principal of Susan Cohan Gardens in Chatham, New Jersey. She purchased DynaSCAPE, another choice among landscape design software tools. “I probably don’t use it as it was intended, but I use it in the way that it works for me.”

Encouraging collaboration

From design to pricing

Design software programs make this very easy by automatically producing an estimate based on the elements you click and drag into a rendering.

Say you’ve got your digital rendering, and you pull it up on the program’s mobile app while sitting with your client at his dining room table. He takes a look and says, “I’m not sure I like that lantana right there. It might look better on the other side of the house.” You can modify the rendering right there with him and see how he likes it. He’ll be gratified by the instantaneous change based on his input, which can mean good things for you.

“There are a lot of apps out there that will draw landscapes, but they won’t actually merge to your Quickbooks or other tools,” Cerda said. “You can draw it, but then you have to price it. With the design software, I just input the market value for the plants I’m using, and it will automatically price out my design based on those figures.” UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

When you plan your work properly, you’re providing a more valuable service to your clients. Satisfy your customers and you’ll be building lasting relationships, which, in turn, will lead to more referrals down the line.

Landscape design software can be especially helpful in fostering a sense of collaboration between you and the client.

Whatever your style, completing the rendering isn’t the whole story. Once you’ve got that done, you need to think about pricing out the project.

Prioritizing quality landscape design can increase your long-term profitability.

You can input all the costs associated with a job, including the plant material, labor, overhead and even your markup percentage. This way you know all your costs—no surprises. Cerda said landscape design software saves him from overplanting, as well. Putting too many plants in a landscape, or plants that will grow too large for their location, will lead to an overgrown look. “In contrast, if you set a design and you really study it, you can plan to not overwhelm the landscape,” he said. There’s an important point to this.

You can also invite him to the office to look things over on a desktop screen. Either way, you’ll be working shoulder-toshoulder and giving him the opportunity to take a sense of ownership over the design he’s buying from you. If he feels that he put his own creativity into the design, he’ll be more inclined to see it—and like it— in reality. Cerda tells a story about a recent experience with a client who owns a large piece of property. The client wanted to totally redo the landscape; meanwhile, his wife was somewhere between neutral and disdainful of the whole project. Given that she held a degree in interior design and worked professionally in that field, she told Cerda that she didn’t care much about the yard. Cerda invited her to his office, where they spent some time looking over plant images, going back and forth.

URBAN AG He proposed Italian cypress trees along the side of the house, for scale purposes. He showed her a few different pictures; she said she hated how they looked. Cerda’s wry reply was, “And here I thought you didn’t care one way or the other about how the landscape looked.” The next time Cerda spoke to the client, he learned that his wife said that she hadn’t had so much fun in a long time as she did working with him on the design plan. She now felt that she had helped create the design, and thus was set on seeing it become realized. With this in mind, Cerda was now able to get down to business in full confidence. When a client—or a client’s wife—can get that invested in a project, it’s a win for everyone. That’s the meaning of a true business relationship, as opposed to just an exchange of a service for payment. “I don’t sell a client a lot of plants so I can squeeze more money out of a job,” Cerda said. “I sell a good design and a working relationship.”

The creative process

Cerda said that using design software has been so inspiring to his work that he even bought a drone for taking better pictures of clients’ landscapes. “By getting a shot from eight feet off the ground, I can get a better angle of a house to then take to the photo imaging tool. After doing this, I think I could’ve been a photographer, if I weren’t already in the landscape industry.” Cohan, the New Jersey landscape designer, was also very enthusiastic about expressing her creativity in her digital renderings. “One of the reasons I use the software is that it’s the closest design tool to a pencil that I can find,” she said.

The main advantage over hand drawing is, again, that the software is so much faster. “Say I want to move a tree over here and see how it Photo courtesy of DynaSCAPE looks. If I don’t like “One of the reasons I use the software it, I can move it right is that it’s the closest design tool to a back. In that process, pencil that I can find,” she said. “The I’ve wasted no time process is very much the same and the or paper in testing output is beautiful. It ends up looking my idea,” she said. “I don’t need to redraw; like a hand drawing.” I don’t need to have millions of little pieces ~ Susan Cohan, APLD Susan Cohan Gardens of tracing paper with Chatham, NJ tape over my drawing until I figure out what I want, and then I don’t need to overdraw all of the changes that go into the final product. They’re already there.”

Best of both worlds

Nothing is wrong with doing things the good old-fashioned way. Cohan still starts her renderings by hand, in many cases. We each need to do what works for us. Bells, whistles and high tech just for high tech’s sake won’t necessarily change your business for the better. However, if working with a design software program appeals to you, you might want to give it the old college try. It could very well revolutionize your landscape design process by making it more collaborative and more creative as well as more productive.

Reprinted with permission from Irrigation & Green Industry Magazine.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

After all this talk of figuring out what the client wants, how about looking at how design software can help with your own creative process? If the term “creative process” doesn’t ring a bell for you, you might be surprised at how well a software program can bring out the artist within, if you give it a chance.

“The process is very much the same and the output is beautiful. It ends up looking like a hand drawing.”

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New Little Bluestems

Striking new varieties of native ornamental grasses by Bodie Pennisi, Carol Robacker, Melanie Harrison, and Maria Putzke Little Bluestem (scientific name

Schizachyrium scoparium) is a drought-tolerant, low-maintenance native plant. This ornamental warm-season perennial grass tolerates a wide range of soil conditions and is easily grown. Its purplish bronze blooms and vertical clusters of slender leaves make it a lovely addition to any landscape. It is cold hardy in Georgia, although in the North Georgia mountains it may suffer moderate damage in cold winters.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Dr. Carol Robacker of the University of Georgia and Dr. Melanie Harrison of USDA have worked

‘Good Vibrations’ has an upright growth habit in early summer that becomes softly arching by late June or early July. It is slightly shorter than ‘Cinnamon Girl’, growing to just over three feet. Unlike other Little Bluestems which have mostly green-blue foliage, it displays lovely cascading foliage of greens and greys and red purples throughout the summer season. ‘Good Vibrations’ has a visually appealing upright rounded form.

to create new cultivars with an improved form, reduced height, and more intense red or blue foliage. Here are the newest Little Bluestems. All of the following plants are in the process of being patented. This new ‘Hit Parade’ series of Little Bluestem cultivars includes: ‘Cinnamon Girl’, ‘Good Vibrations’, and ‘Seasons in the Sun.’ Plant one or all of these native little bluestem cultivars and get a reliable performance in the sweltering humid and dry Georgia summers.

‘Seasons in the Sun’ grows to a height of just over three and a half feet. Its upright culm exhibits a fine red-purple, and its delicately arching foliage is a lovely greyed-purple with a greyed-green underside. Its colorful, flowing foliage remains from spring through fall. Unlike other Little Bluestems on the market which are more broadly rounded, with width greater than foliage height, this grass has an attractive upright rounded form.

URBAN AG ‘Cinnamon Girl’ has graceful soft arching foliage and upright flowering culms that are a stunning red-purple in the spring, changing to a soft yellow-green. It grows to four feet. Its leaf color ranges throughout the season from greyed-purple and greyed-orange to yellow-green and red-purple. Its foliage cascades in the summer, unlike other Little Bluestems which remain upright throughout the season. ‘Cinnamon Girl’ appears as tall as it is wide.

ugaurbanag.com/certiﬁcation

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

770/233-6107

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Southern blight

Hot humid weather feeds fungus by Mary Kay Woodworth, Georgia Urban Ag Council Summer 2016’s hot, humid, dry weather created an

outbreak of Southern blight, caused by a soil-borne fungus, Sclerotium rolfsii.

Small seed-like structures (sclerotia) are found with fungal growth, white at first and later turning dark brown to black. Plants wilt and die suddenly after the fungus girdles the stem.

Many common ornamental plants and vegetable crops are susceptible to this fungus, including hosta, impatiens, daylily, blue star creeper, ajuga, creeping jenny, tomatoes, beans and peanuts.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Whitish fungal growth develops around the base of herbaceous plants (and a few woody plants) at the ground line. Small seed-like structures (sclerotia) are found with fungal growth, white at first and later turning dark brown to black. The sclerotia are the overwintering structures, allowing the fungus to survive for years in the bed.

Plants wilt and die suddenly after the fungus girdles the stem. Look closely and you’ll see some “webby” stuff between leaves and stem and soil, which is called hyphae. They are the root strands of a fungus that’s decomposing the plant’s stems. The fungus is in most Southern soils. It attacks plants when they are weakened by shade, excess moisture around the stem, or physical damage. Information provided by Jean WilliamsWoodworth, UGA, Texas A&M Extension and Walter Reeves.

The fungus develops rapidly during hot weather when temperatures are over 85°F. It grows on living and non-living organic matter and becomes most severe when such matter is present around the base of the plant. The fungus builds momentum by using energy from the decaying organic matter.

The fungus develops rapidly when summer rains occur after a drought. The first moisture event (either rainfall or irrigation) following the first sustained 3-5 day period with temperatures over 95 °F will signal the first severe outbreak of the disease. This stimulates germination of the sclerotia and furnishes needed moisture for fungal growth. If the fungus finds ample organic matter and host plants, a large supply of sclerotia are produced for next year. When viewing a photo of a diseased area, Dr. Jean Williams-Woodward said, “As a pathologist, I have to say that this is gorgeous. As a gardener, I am sorry for you. I’ve had many reports and samples in the plant disease clinic. The sclerotia can be spread in dirt on tools, on a pet’s paw, shoes, and water splash.” As air temperatures cool, the fungus growth will slow and eventually stop. Next year, it will come back in July. Dig up the dead plants and place them, along with the top couple of inches of soil, in the garbage. Then, dig and flip the soil so that the soil surface is buried 6-8 inches deep. The pathogen needs oxygen and only infects at the soil line. If the hyphae and sclerotia are buried, they won’t infect. You can add new soil to the area and replant. There is no easily available homeowner fungicide for controlling Southern blight. The best control is to maintain an environment favorable for plants and unfavorable for the fungus: don’t water frequently, change water drainage patterns and add gritty sand or expanded slate (PermaTill, Soil Perfector) if you think the soil doesn’t drain quickly enough. Terraclor 400 is an effective soil fungicide for prevention and control of soil-borne diseases. It works as a preventative agent through contact activity, and should be applied before disease symptoms appear to achieve optimum results.

The world is bringing Their besT To rio. so did we. For the first time in over a century, golf is returning to the Summer Olympic Games. And just as important as the sport, is the turf selected for it to be played on—Zeon. With contributions from leading golf organizations to showcase a course that is sustainable both environmentally and economically, only one turf came out on top. With deep rich color and a thick lush canopy, this playing surface is absolutely visually stunning. This year, only the world’s best make it to the Olympic circle.

exTraordinary has a name — Zeon.

The Turfgrass Group, Inc. 1225 Savannah Lane • Monroe, Georgia 30655 (770) 207-1500 or (770) 710-8139 www.TheTurFGrASSGrOup.com

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

For more information about certified Zeon Zoysiagrass, or to locate a licensed producer in your area, please contact:

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Gingers fit for royalty

The crown jewels of the plant world by Norman Winter, UGA Extension Names like ‘Queen Lily’ and ‘Emperor’ belong to an incredible group, or genera, of gingers called “Curcuma.” To me, they are among the most beautiful plants you can grow in the landscape. As the names suggest, they are indeed fit for royalty.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

The Emperor ginger lily is showy with bloom and variegated foliage.

This Jewel of Burma offer a bold tropical look to the partly shady landscape.

In addition, I want to tout a few more that might best be described as the “crown jewels.” ‘Jewel of Thailand,’ ‘Jewel of Burma’ and the new one, ‘Garnet,’ are showing up in the marketplace with exotic flair that takes your breath away. While ‘Garnet’ may pay tribute to a semiprecious stone, I liken it to a fine ruby. These gorgeous plants are also among the easiest to grow, as many are cold hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness zones 7 and 8. What about zones 5 or 6? Incredibly, these Curcuma gingers want to go dormant and go into what might be considered plant hibernation during the winter. All you have to do is place them in a frost-free location.

When I introduce gardeners to gingers, I am usually inclined to direct them to the hidden ginger, Curcuma petiolata. The foliage and flower are usually enough to sink the proverbial hook and thus I have a new convert. It has lush, Canna-like foliage and a bloom that would make you swear it originated in Tahiti. Also called ‘Queen Lily,’ the bloom is a cluster of colorful, pinkish-purple, waxy bracts with yellow flowers. There is also a wonderful variegated form called ‘Emperor.’ These two curcumas are cold hardy to Zone 7. It’s the ‘Jewel of Thailand’ that is even more riveting. It produces its bloom higher than the foliage, making it a great cut flower. The flower is larger and, though the bracts have similar colors, the flower appears even more vibrant. ‘Jewel of Thailand’ is cold hardy to Zone 8, but in the world of botanical nomenclature, it has some issues. Taxonomists want to give it a new species name, but the industry isn’t falling in line. You will still be buying it under the name Curcuma cordata. The ‘Jewel of Burma’ is another absolutely stunning plant. Its color is from the warm or hot side of the color wheel and it produces a tall bloom that is a rich and showy orange. You would not want to grow these two jewels next to each other, but I promise you will want both. Like the others, the foliage is similar to a canna lily, except with some crinkling or pleating. The ‘Jewel of Burma’ will reach 2 to 3 feet tall. I have always grown it in Zone 8, but others say it can survive Zone 7. The ginger that has gardeners talking is ‘Garnet,’ a hybrid that is somewhat shorter, but mesmerizing, with a bloom comprised of ruby or garnet red bracts and big, showy yellow flowers. These and the other Curcuma blooms last a long time in the garden and will capture your visitors’ attention for weeks.

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Cultural needs

Gingers thrive planted in fertile, organic, rich soil that is well drained in the winter. (They will be dormant in the winter, so excess water will prove fatal.) The best location receives morning sun and afternoon shade that is dappled, shifting or filtered. Moisture and fertilizer will keep them growing vigorously.

Planting

If you buy container-grown plants, set them in the ground at the same depth they are growing in the pot. If you buy rhizomes, plant them about 4 inches deep. Curcuma gingers are slow to emerge in the spring, so be patient.

‘Garnet’ is a shorter hybrid with ruby or garnet red bracts and big, showy yellow flowers.

In the tropical landscape, plant them in clusters on the shady side of bananas or among large elephant ears, philodendrons and palms. They look at home in a woodland setting with hostas, ferns, hydrangeas and the tropical-looking fatsia.

Feeding

Winter care

Remove frostbitten stalks in the fall and add a protective layer of mulch. In colder areas store containers indoors in a protected location. Dig up rhizomes, remove top foliage and store in a cool, dry environment in sawdust or peat until winter is over. While these gingers represent the best choices for a bold, tropical look, one of their cousins, Curcuma longa, is turmeric. Though they may be scarce at the garden center, the mail order industry is alive and well with selections.

About the author Norman Winter is director of the University of Georgia’s Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens at the Historic Bamboo Farm in Savannah, Georgia. Follow him on Twitter @CGBGgardenguru. For more on the Coastal Georgia Botanical Garden, please visit the website: coastalgeorgiabg.org All photos courtesy of Norman Winter

Curcuma gingers blooms like this Jewel of Thailand are actually comprised of colorful bracts.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Feed in early spring and again in midsummer with a slow-release, 2-1-2 ratio fertilizer or 12-66 with minor nutrients.

The Queen Lily or hidden ginger is a great choice for beginners and is cold hardy to zone 7.

URBAN AG

UGA Trial Gardens

2016 trial results: annuals Every two weeks at the UGA Trial Gardens in Athens, every annual cultivar is evaluated for “horticultural” performance based on: • • • • •

number of flowers; leaf color; uniformity of habit and flower; resistance to insects and diseases; and overall appearance.

The data are combined into a single performance rating, based on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being exceptional, 1 being almost dead. The ratings are then used to generate a graph of performance over time, and are updated at every evaluation date. This allows a real-time viewing of performance and more importantly, an in-depth understanding of how a plant performed from spring to fall. This is a sampling of plant data through July 2016, representing the best performers.

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

For a complete list of annuals and perennials and updated info, please visit ugatrial.hort. uga.edu

Genus

Species

Cultivar

Source company

Rating

Caladium................................................Tiki Torch......................................................Classic Caladiums...................5 Caladium................................................Candyland sun.................................................................................................5 Caladium................................................Freckles sun......................................................................................................5 Caladium................................................Scarlet Flame sun.............................................................................................5 Caladium................................................Bombshell sun.................................................................................................5 Caladium................................................Classic Pink sun...............................................................................................5 Caladium................................................Radiance........................................................Classic Caladiums...................5 Caladium................................................Carousel sun.....................................................................................................5 Caladium................................................Burning Heart sun...........................................................................................5 Caladium................................................Creamsickle sun..............................................................................................5 Caladium................................................Allure sun.........................................................................................................5 Calibrachoa............................................Cabaret® Blue Sky 2.........................................................................................5 Calibrachoa............................................Starshine&#8482; Violet.................................................................................5 Calibrachoa............................................Cabaret® Orange...........................................Ball FloraPlant.........................5 Calibrachoa............................................MiniFamous® Yellow Red Vein 2...................................................................5 Calibrachoa............................................Starshine&#8482; Violet 2..............................................................................5 Calibrachoa............................................Cabaret® Lemon Yellow 2...............................................................................5 Calibrachoa............................................Calibasket&#8482;Sunny Side 2....................................................................5 Calibrachoa............................................Starshine&#8482; Apricot..............................................................................5 Calibrachoa............................................Superbells Evening Star 2...............................................................................5 Calibrachoa............................................Superbells Red Improved 2016-17 2............................................................5 Calibrachoa............................................MiniFamous® Neo White Yellow Eye............................................................5 Calibrachoa............................................Starshine&#8482; Apricot 2...........................................................................5 Calibrachoa............................................Cabaret® Orange 2...........................................................................................5 Calibrachoa............................................MiniFamous® Neo Orange Red Eye 17.........................................................5 Calibrachoa............................................Cabaret® Lemon Yellow...............................Ball FloraPlant.........................5 Calibrachoa............................................MiniFamous® Neo White Yellow Eye 2.........................................................5 Coleus.....................................................Under the Sea Sea Monkey Rust................Hort Couture...........................5 Coleus.....................................................Inferno...........................................................Ball FloraPlant.........................5 Coleus.....................................................Under the Sea Sea Monkey Apricot...........Hort Couture...........................5 Coleus.....................................................Flame Thrower&#8482; Habanero.............Ball FloraPlant.........................5 Coleus.....................................................Dutch Mill Drive.............................................................................................5 Coleus.....................................................Under the Sea Sea Urchin Neon.................Hort Couture...........................5 Coleus.....................................................Under the sea Pink Reef..............................Hort Couture...........................5 Coleus.....................................................Ruby Slipper..................................................Ball FloraPlant.........................5 Coleus.....................................................Under the Sea Sea Monkey Purple.............Hort Couture...........................5 Coleus.....................................................French Quarter.............................................Ball FloraPlant.........................5

URBAN AG Genus

Species

Cultivar

Source company

Rating

UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Coleus.....................................................Under the Sea Sea Urchin Copper.............Hort Couture...........................5 Coleus.....................................................Abbey Road......................................................................................................5 Coleus.....................................................Under the Sea Sea Urchin Red...................Hort Couture...........................5 Coleus...................... scutellaroides.......Premium Sun Pineapple Surprise.................................................................5 Pelargonium............ interspecific..........Caliente® Fire.................................................Syngenta...................................5 Pelargonium............ interspecific..........Calliope® Hot Pink.......................................Syngenta...................................5 Pelargonium............ interspecific..........Calliope® Crimson Flame............................Syngenta...................................5 Pelargonium............ interspecific..........Calliope® XL Pink.........................................Syngenta...................................5 Petunia....................................................Big Deal Pinkadilly Circus..........................Westhoff....................................5 Petunia....................................................Sweetunia Strawberry Morning....................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Amore Joy 2......................................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Big Deal Pinkadilly Circus 2..........................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Perfectunia® Lavender..................................Westhoff....................................5 Petunia....................................................Cascadias Rim Fantasy 2................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Sweetunia Purple Spotlight 2.........................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Amore Fiesta....................................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Hells® Bells Orange 2.......................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Crazytunia® Cherry Cheesecake.................Westhoff....................................5 Petunia....................................................Hells® Glow....................................................Westhoff....................................5 Petunia....................................................Sanguna® Patio Blue Morn..........................Syngenta...................................5 Petunia....................................................Amore Mio.......................................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Supertunia Vista Silverberry.......................Proven Winners.......................5 Petunia....................................................Sanguna® Patio Blue Morn 2..........................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Hells® Glow 2....................................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Crazytunia® Moonstruck.............................Westhoff....................................5 Petunia....................................................Amore Mio 2....................................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Hells® Flamin’ Rose......................................Westhoff....................................5 Petunia....................................................Supertunia Daybreak Charm 2......................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Amore Queen of Hearts.................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Classic Blue Ray 2............................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Sanguna® Patio Pink Morn..........................Syngenta...................................5 Petunia....................................................Sweetunia Strawberry Morning 2.................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Classic Blue Ray...............................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Hells® Flamin’ Rose 2......................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Sweetunia Purple Spotlight............................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Amore Fiesta 2.................................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Perfectunia® Lavender 2..................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Cascadias Rim Cherry 2.................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Whispers&#8482; Star Rose........................Syngenta...................................5 Petunia....................................................Littletunia Bicolor Bliss..................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Crazytunia® Cherry Cheesecake 2.................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Sweetunia Orange Flash 2..............................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Sanguna® Patio Blue Vein............................Syngenta...................................5 Petunia....................................................Amore Joy.........................................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Sanguna® Patio Blue Vein 2............................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Big Deal Salmon Shimmer..........................Westhoff....................................5 Petunia....................................................Crazytunia® Passion Punch.........................Westhoff....................................5 Petunia....................................................Amore Queen of Hearts 2..............................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Perfectunia® Orange Morn..........................Westhoff....................................5 Petunia....................................................Littletunia Red Fire.........................................................................................5 Petunia....................................................ColorRush&#8482; Blue 2..............................................................................5 Petunia....................................................Supertunia Picasso in Purple......................Proven Winners.......................5 Petunia....................................................Cascadias Rim Fantasy...................................................................................5 Portulaca.................................................ColorBlast Tangerine...................................Westhoff....................................5 Rudbeckia................ hirta......................Tigereye&#8482; Gold....................................................................................5 Scaevola..................................................Scalora&#8482; Pearl...................................Westhoff....................................5

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UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

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UAC MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016