Flow of immigrants from Mexico down sharply

The flow of immigrants from Mexico to the United States has declined sharply since mid-decade, but there is no evidence of an increase during this period in the number of Mexican-born migrants returning home from the U.S., according to a new analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center of government data from both countries.

The Mexican-born population in the U.S., which had been growing earlier in the decade, was 11.5 million in early 2009. That figure is not significantly different from the 11.6 million Mexican immigrants in 2008 or the 11.2 million in 2007.
The current recession has had a harsh impact on employment of Latino immigrants, raising the question of whether an increased number of Mexican-born residents are choosing to return home. This new Hispanic Center analysis finds no support for that hypothesis in government data from the United States or Mexico.

Mexico is by far the leading country of origin for U.S. immigrants, accounting for a third (32%) of all foreign-born residents and two-thirds (66%) of Hispanic immigrants. The U.S. is the destination for nearly all people who leave Mexico, and about one-in-ten people born there currently lives in the U.S.

Data from population surveys taken in the U.S. and Mexico indicate that in recent years there has been a large flow of migrants back to Mexico, but the size of the annual return flow appears to be stable since 2006. Mexico’s National Survey of Employment and Occupation estimates that 433,000 Mexican migrants returned home from Feb. 2008 to Feb. 2009. For the same period in 2007-2008, 440,000 did, compared with an estimated 479,000 from Feb. 2006 to Feb. 2007.

As for immigration to the U.S. from Mexico, data from several sources attest to recent substantial decreases in the number of new arrivals.

The inflow began to diminish in mid-2006, and has continued to do so through early 2009, according to an analysis of the latest available population surveys from both countries. This finding is reinforced by data from the U.S. Border Patrol showing that apprehensions of Mexicans attempting to cross illegally into the United States decreased by a third between 2006 and 2008.

Immigration flows from Mexico, like those from other countries, surged in the late 1990s. Immigration flows dropped by 2002 before beginning to grow again in 2004. But the slowdown in immigration after 2006 was such that by 2008, flows were down at least 40% from mid-decade. The change was driven largely by unauthorized immigrants; flows of legal permanent residents have been steady this decade.

The recent downturn in immigration from Mexico has been steep—a conclusion based on data from multiple sources. The evidence on emigration is not as clear-cut, but appears to point to a stable outflow to Mexico. It remains to be seen whether either trend points to a fundamental change in U.S.-Mexico immigration patterns or is a short-term response to heightened border enforcement, the weakened U.S. economy or other forces.

There is no single direct measure of immigrant arrivals. One particular challenge in measuring the influx of Mexicans is that most Mexican immigrants are unauthorized, including 80% to 85% of Mexicans who have been in the U.S. for less than a decade. As for departures, the U.S. does not track emigration, so any U.S. data can be obtained only indirectly. This analysis draws its conclusions from three data sources.

For the full Pew Hispanic Center Report click here.

Rain Gardening in the South

Written by North Carolina State University horticulturalists Helen Kraus and Anne Spafford, "Rain Gardening in the South", provides great information on the wise use our most precious resource—water. Rain gardens maximize rainwater, enhance the landscape, and promote good environmental stewardship.

Runoff contributes significantly to polluting our waterways. The rain garden, which functions as a miniature reservoir and filtration system, offers an effective, visually pleasing solution that dramatically reduces toxic runoff, resulting in cleaner rivers, lakes, and oceans.

The authors define the rain garden as “a garden slightly sunken below grade designed to capture rainfall, store that water to nurture the garden plants, and cleanse runoff, thus removing pollution.”

Ironically, rain gardens are more drought-tolerant than conventional gardens. Because of their plant selection and ability to store water, rain gardens flourish during dry spells, as well as rainy seasons, making them particularly conducive to the South.

“Water-wise gardeners are conscious of both the need to limit their water use and the need to minimize runoff, thereby dramatically reducing water pollution,” write Kraus and Spafford. “Not only are rain gardens extremely effective in addressing water and pollution issues, they are gorgeous.”

"Rain Gardening in the South" addresses the specific environmental circumstances of southern gardens, such as climate issues, plant selection, and soil types. It details step-by-step instruction on constructing a garden, from the design stage to post-planting maintenance, including plant lists and troubleshooting tips.

Published by Eno Publishers, in Hillsborough, NC. Rain Gardening in the South, illustrated, four-color, soft-cover, 144pages. Retail price $19.95. ISBN: 978-0-9820771-0-8. — LM Staff

Where's the groundswell for organic lawn care?

James Young, president of Spring-Green Lawn Care Corp., based in Plainfield, IL, says the company offers “organic” lawn care service in addition to the traditional chemical service, but relatively few customers are opting for the supposedly more environmentally friendly organic service.

In a July 20 interview with reporter Steve Hendershot of the Crain’s Chicago Business, Young said that only about 1,500 of the company’s more than 100,000 customers take the organic service. He says price is one reason why it’s not more popular. The organic service costs 10% to 15% more than traditional service. Also, the organic lawns tend to have more weeds, the reason why homeowners select a professional service in the first place.

In spite of low demand for the organic service, Young told the magazine his company is committed to “move in this direction.”

All organic or mostly organic?

Over the past 25 years, we’ve met and interviewed more than a few lawn care business owners that promote and offer “organic” lawn care services. Some eschew the use of synthetic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers altogether. Many, however, seem to have “mostly” organic programs. For example, some will treat specific areas of a property with “natural” products (perhaps where pets are kept or kids play) and use a traditional chemical program on other more visible areas, perhaps a property's front yard. And some, under some circumstances, will get customers' approval to use synthetic pesticides, usually herbicides but sometimes insecticides, to rid properties of specific weed or insect problems.

Most markets have at least one actively promoted “organic” lawn care service provider. These companies provide a welcome alternative to customers willing to pay a premium for what they perceive to be a safer, more environmentally acceptable service. But demand for these services remains marginal in most U.S. markets, as least compared to traditional service. And evidence suggests, apart from some progressive U.S. regions, it isn’t significantly growing in spite of media reports heralding the new “green” era that we’re supposedly entering.

Results and price rule

The majority of professional lawn care services customers in the United States (a large majority) look at two things in regards to the lawn care program they select — 1.) results in terms of a green, weed-free lawn and 2.) price. If these two factors are satisfactory to them, they’re satisfied. We can only surmise from this that they see the service as being essentially safe and not harmful to the environment .

. . . At least presently that's the case.

This of course could change but not so much as a result of the companies that promote and deliver organic services who generally rely upon marketing rather than political action in seeking competitive advantages in their markets.

The threat to traditional lawn care in the United States, will come, has it always has, from individuals and organizations pooling resources and initiating well-organized campaigns directed against the use of synthetic pesticides and, in some cases, synthetic fertilizers. Generally these efforts start locally aimed at attracting positive publicity and generating public support. If these efforts gain traction and attract supporters and funds, the next step is to pressure local or regional lawmakers to bend to their will. While property owners may appreciate the results they get from lawn care companies, it's not often that they join with service providers to vigorously defend the use of the products that deliver these results.

Canada serves as an example of what can happen. Three Canadian provinces — Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick — have essentially banned the use of traditional lawn care products absent of any groundswell of support by the public for their lawn care service providers.

While it might be prudent for lawn care companies, including big companies such as TruGreen (Natural Nutrient Program) and Spring Green, to offer organic services, they realize that more than 90% of U.S. lawn care customers want green weed-free lawns at a reasonable price, and see traditional chemical services in a positive, non-threatening light — at least that’s been the history of lawn care and remains the case across the United States market. — Ron Hall

NOFA's Organic Lawn & Turf Course adds NJ stop Aug. 18

One of the aims of NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association), headquartered in Stevenson, CT, is to spread the word about organic growing methods and discourage the use of synthetic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Its members — which include include farmers, homeowners, grounds professionals and land care professionals — stress the importance of soil health and landscape diversity.

NOFA has traditionally confined its educational efforts to New England. On Aug. 18 it will move a bit further south by offering one of its three, one-day Organic Lawn & Turf Courses at Duke Farms, Hillsborough, NJ.

The other two are set for Aug. 07 at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, (in conjunction with the NOFA Mass Summer Conference) and Aug. 20 at Manchester Community College, Manchester, CT.

To learn more about the NOFA events or to register, click here. — Ron Hall

Vote for one of our own in Emerging Entrepreneur contest

Here’s a chance to help one of our own receive positive national recognition. Kelly Giard, founder of Clean Air Lawn Care, is one of five finalists in the Emerging Entrepreneur contest sponsored by Entrepreneur magazine. The winner will be determined by votes on the Entrepreneur Web site.

I chatted with Giard at some length this past winter and was impressed with his environmentally friendly approach to lawn maintenance. He and his creative young team, based in Fort Collins, CO, are creating a nationwide network of companies dedicated to using biodiesel and battery-powered lawn maintenance equipment (charged with solar power).

Yes, his idea might have been a bit ahead of available technology when he started his company a couple of years ago, but recent introductions of battery-powered riding mowers by several major manufacturers suggest that Clean Air Lawn Care has a bigger and brighter future ahead of it.

To learn about Giard and his company, click here.

To see a video of Kelly and to vote for him, visit the Entrepreneur Web site here. — Ron Hall

Garden tours offer great ideas and nice surprises

Steve Tusen is a neighbor I didn’t know, not until this past Sunday that is. Steve’s Garden Railroad was one of 10 local gardens selected this year’s Garden Tour & Tea in our small city of Port Clinton on Lake Erie's south shore in Northwest Ohio.

My wife Vicky’s garden was one of the 10 selected for the Tour hosted by the local public arts council. This is the second year the council selected her garden. She was honored and she enjoys sharing her garden with friends and other visitors. But she also loves to visit other gardens. So when she, as part of the Tour, saw Steve’s Railroad Garden she hurried back to get me, knowing my love for electric trains.

Living just blocks from our home, Steve has quietly put together an incredible Railroad Garden, complete with miniature, hearty plant material. Over the years he has trained and assembled a collection of more than 50 bonsai trees and shrubs, many of which have been incorporated into his backyard, G-scale, electric train layout. While he takes the train and its rolling stock in for the winter, he leaves the track, which is brass, and the plant material in place. Both survive northern Ohio’s bitter winters nicely, he says.

Steve worked for 36 years at a nearby auto parts manufacturing facility until it closed suddenly about 3 years ago. Soon thereafter he took his skills and love for horticulture (Steve is a Master Gardener) to the Mulberry Creek Herb Farm in nearby Huron, OH. Mulberry Creek Herb Farm specializes in producing and selling certified organic herbs and miniature perennials.

He says he has been creating bonsai for about 17 years and he began building his backyard garden railroad about 13 years ago. Each year he produces more bonsai and also adds to the detail of his railroad, which is one of the biggest secrets in our small city, although Steve in a genial, generous kind of guy, and freely shares what he’s learned, both the good and the not so good, in creating miniature plants and also building an outdoor model railroad.

Even if you’re a professional landscaper (and especially if you’re a professional landscaper), don’t pass up an opportunity to tour local gardens or talk with local gardeners. My guess is that you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you see and learn. — Ron Hall

Mow higher for healthier grass and healthier environment

Why is it that people, including some professional cutters, keep mowing lawns so short?

Travel through just about any neighborhood and you will see turfgrass on most properties mowed to within a half inch of its life.

Yes, pros that mow by the calendar (billing so many cuts per season) are sometimes at fault, but homeowners are mostly to blame. For some reason (We happen to think it's a kind of therapy for many) they crank up their mowers once a week regardless of the height or health of the grass. They don’t realize that if they let their grass grow another inch higher they would have better looking lawns with fewer weeds in their yards. Beyond that they would be doing their pocketbooks and the environment a big favor.

The U.S. EPA says that Americans spend more than 3 billion hours annually using lawn and garden equipment, and that a gasoline-powered push mower emits as much hourly pollution as 11 cars and a riding mower emits as much hourly pollution as 34 cars

The U.S. EPA and lawn & garden manufacturers are working to address the question of emissions. Beyond looking to technology and installing catalytic converters on mowers, the best way to reduce emissions is to mow turfgrass only when it needs mowing, and not according to a calendar.

Follow these 3 easy tips and you will save time, reduce emissions and have healthier turf with fewer weeds:

— Never cut more than one-third of the turfgrass at a time
— Keep your mower blades sharp
— Set your mower high

Here are the recommended heights for the various species of turfgrass (consider a higher cut during periods of dry weather):

Fine-leaf fescues — 2 in. to 3 in.
Turf-type tall fescues — 2 in. to 3 in.
Perennial ryegrass — 2 in. to 3 in.
Kentucky bluegrass — 2 in. to 3 in.
Zoysiagrass — 1.5 in. to 2 in.
Buffalograss — 2 in. to 3 in.
Common Bermudagrass — 1 in. to 2 in.
Hybrid Bermudagrass — .75 in. to 1.5 in.
Centipedegrass — 1 in. to 2 in.
St. Augustinegrass — 2 in. to 3 in.

Try mowing a bit higher, if for no other reason, than as an experiment. We think you will be very happy with the way your property or properties look after a while.

The LM Staff

We're doing better than most...so far anyway

For $3,300 you can buy a report from Packaged Facts telling you that the lawn and garden industry is cranking along relatively well in this sick economy, especially compared to other industries. OK, so the landscape/lawn service industry is not going gang-busters like it was in the 1990s and earlier this decade. To my knowledge, nobody in the industry has yet had to slink to Washington D.C., hat in hand, begging for a handout, right?

That said, here are some interesting tidbits — read into them what you want — culled from an online article by Media Post Publications:

— the lawn and garden market now stands at $24.12 billion, a decline of -0.1% this past year.

— spending on lawn care has been dropping since 2004 when total sales rose 4.9%. the '05 sales rise was 3.6%, with 1.6% in '06 and a half of a percent in '07 and '08.

— lawn treatment services (fert/pest controls) are expected to decline 1% to 2% the next three years then rebound slightly.

The biggest positive in the article was the growth of the "organic" segment of the industry that until recently was growing at a double-digit rate. This year it's expected to post 5% growth and reach about $485 million in sales.

For a more industry-focused view of the landscape/lawn service industry, read the '09 State of the Industry report in the June issue of Landscape Management magazine, almost certainly the source for some of the data used in the $3,300 report.) — Ronnie Hall

Joe says get ready for the 'blue-collar' revival

I like the name “Joe”. Everybody that I’ve known by that name has been a regular guy, hard worker, dependable, uncomplicated.

So it’s not surprising to me that a guy named Joe Lamacchia wrote a book titled “Blue Collar and Proud of It.” I’m happy to report, though not surprised, that Joe is a landscaper. He owns and operates Joe Lamacchia Landscape in the Boston area.

Joe’s proud of being a blue collar guy and being a landscaper, and he writes that America is going to need a lot more blue collar types — guys and gals — once this blasted recession starts loosening up.

His message to young people is that there will be no shortage of career opportunities for people that enjoy working with their hands and are willing show up everyday with a lunch pail and eager to put in an honest day’s work for an honest day’s wages.

Joe predicts that the services of trained, skilled tradespeople will be in ever greater demand as the U.S. population ages. And who do you think is going to install, maintain and repair all of the water- and energy-efficient systems that will give the green generation its complexion? You got it — the plumbers, electricians, roofers . . . and, of course the landscapers, says Joe.

Check out the Web site http://bluecollarandproudofit.com and let Joe know what you think. — Ron Hall

Mortgage companies not good neighbors make

My wife, Vicky, and I live on a brick street shaded by massive silver maples in a city of approximately 6,000 people in northern Ohio. Apart from the silver maples, which occasionally shed a huge limb and crush a car during a storm, peace and tranquility reign in our neighborhood of 70- to 90-year-old, wood-frame homes. Several of our neighbors use lawn service companies to maintain their properties, but most of them do their own mowing and cleanups. The lots are small, some as small as 50 X 100 ft., so there generally isn’t much to mow or maintain.

The property adjacent to our property, however, is twice the size of ours, and one of the worst eyesores in the city. The couple that lived there for more than 30 years is gone. The woman died of heart failure perhaps five years ago, and her husband suffered a stroke three years ago and was placed in the county home by his children. We miss them. They were good neighbors. Nobody has lived in the home since, and that's the heart of the problem.

Nobody apart from the neighbor on the other side of the property and myself have mowed the lawn, trimmed the shrubs or removed the weeds since then. We shared this chore for more than two years. For all practical purposes the house and property seemed to have been forgotten. Apart from a “for sale” sign placed in the front yard of the property for several months the first year of the home’s vacancy, there’s been no activity there. None. That was until this past April when a contractor showed up and informed us, the nearest neighbors, that he had been hired by a mortgage company (he wouldn’t tell us the name of the company) to maintain the property. He gave us a phone number to call if anything, such as vandalism, happened to the property.

He also informed us that his company had been contracted to mow and maintain 600 properties, most of them, we surmised from our brief conversation, wards of banks or mortgage companies.

He also informed us NOT to mow the property anymore.

“The mortgage company doesn’t want ANYONE on the property,” he said as friendly as he could.

More than six weeks later, nobody has mowed the property, that is apart from a scout leader and his son, who cut the front yard two weeks ago, an act of community service. Even they viewed mowing the back of the property, trimming overgrown hedges and cutting down the huge weeds growing alongside the property’s fence and house as more of a job than they cared to tackle.

When we called the number given to us by the contractor to report a gutter falling from the house and also the disintegrating condition of the property, we were assured both would be taken care of. The lady answering our call again warned us NOT to mow or ENTER the property. And no, she would not tell us the name of the mortgage company responsible for the home.

If you’re a contractor and you’ve read this far, share your experiences in maintaining foreclosed properties owned by banks or mortgage companies.

Has it been a profitable experience? Or a pain you know where?? — Ron Hall

There are wilder events than a turfgrass field day, but go anyway

There are more exciting ways to spend a summer day than to walk around under a hot summer sun and check out the differences among small rectangles of turfgrass at a research farm or university facility. A turfgrass field day is, well, basically a day devoted to looking at grass — and, of course, learning the best ways to keep it healthy and attractive.

OK we've established a field day won't be remembered as one of the more lively events in your life, although every field day generally serves up some other enticement – usually a barbeque or pig roast or something along those lines. Add that to the equation and a field day is always a day well spent and you'll learn more than you imagined, things that will make you a better turfgrass manager.

In the end, that's what it's all about, right?

Consider this: Your customers see you as the expert who can deliver the goods when it comes to green, healthy grass. It's a good thing that you can. Few of them know squat about turfgrass. They may understand that there are different species of turfgrass (Kentucky bluegrass, fescue and ryegrass, for example) but not much more. Because they’re essentially turfgrass illiterate they’re prone to buy seed based on price.

(This is probably true for many contractors as well. How else do we explain the quantities of seed sold in “contractor’s mixes”? These are usually mixtures of several species of less-expensive, common varieties that don’t perform to the level of newer varieties that have been bred for characteristics such as pest resistance or drought tolerance.)

Remember this: With turfgrass seed you get what you pay for.

A lot goes into today's improved turfgrasses. Developing, producing and marketing high-performance varieties is lengthy, expensive and often frustrating. It typically takes 14 years to go from initial variety concept to bulk seed production.

Plan on attending or sending some of your best technicians to the next turf field day in your region or state. Most universities with turf programs offer them. Most take place in mid-summer when the turfgrass is taking a nap and lawn care activities have slowed. — The LM Staff

Why 'the forgotten man' matters today

The generation of the Great Depression has faded away, and so too has the political ranker of that era. Few individuals remain of that era who came to regard Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, in all of its manifestations, as the grand mechanism that pulled the nation of out the depths of economic despair.

On the opposite end of the political spectrum were those who decried FDR’s efforts as an unnecessary and dangerous expansion of the authority and reach of the federal government into and at the expensive of the private sector.

Who was right? In the hindsight of history, the easiest call to make is that they were both right and they were both wrong.

In light of what’s often being described as our worst economic disaster since The Great Depression, I decided to learn what I can of that era and, hopefully, get some sense of what to expect in terms of a recovery, especially since there seems to be similarities, not to draw too fine a comparison of the eras or causes.

The most obvious similarity, of course, is the ascendancy of a Democratic President and Congress bent on massive government intervention into the private sector. This following an unpopular Republican administration.

If you’re interested in gaining a better perspective of the role of government during an economic crisis, and you want ammunition to buttress your biases one way or the other, I suggest the book “The Forgotten Man: A New History of The Great Depression,” by Amity Shales.

It’s an excellent starting point for understanding how FDR and his New Dealers expanded the size and power of the federal government in an attempt to force the economy into recovery, a recovery, that in spite of massive and often experimental government efforts didn’t materialize until America’s entry into WWII.

So, to get back to central question, who is “the forgotten man,” listed in the book's title?

Is the common man, the wage earner or the unemployed where much of the New Deal’s efforts were and today’s economic reforms are directed?

Or is the forgotten man the business owner, whether of that era or this? The producer of goods and services? The generator of jobs and the cornerstone of America’s successful market economy?

In the end this the heart of the question, whether it was posed during the New Deal era or in regards to today’s ambitious efforts to expand government into previously unimaginable sectors of the private sector.

OK, what did I get out of Amity Shale's book, admitting that one book or point of view is merely a start?

While some of the results arising from the New Deal (the implementation of social security and many of the public works projects, in particular) can be counted as positive results of FDR and his administration's efforts, nevertheless I'm even more concerned that our U.S. economy (and our society in general) cannot sustain itself if the business owner, i.e. the employer becomes “the forgotten man” to a government bent on over-regulation and wealth redistribution. — Ron Hall

He's a lean, green, mobile landscaping machine

If you’re a young owner or just starting your landscaping business you might want to follow the example of Columbus, OH-area company owner Tim Chiles, the 36-year-old founder of two-year-old Structural Gardens LLC.

This guy is one lean, green, mobile landscaping machine that uses the latest communication and computer technology to do business on the fly. Chiles carries a laptop computer in his service vehicle. He doesn’t even have to leave his truck, or perhaps he’ll stop at a coffee shop or other location with wireless access to whip out a design or proposal. He probably knows every WiFi spot in his service area.

“There is just a huge productivity increase,” Chiles, a certified landscape professional, told Business First of Columbus recently.

Is it working for Chiles? You bet it is. His fledging company has grown by more than 100% this season, generating revenues north of $250,000, even in this crappy economy, reports the magazine.

Here’s a valuable tip for you, check out Tyler Whitaker’s InfoTech column in each issue of Landscape Management magazine. Whitaker, the industry’s premiere “technologist” offers valuable information about time and money-saving technologies in every issue of the magazine.

We're betting that even Tim Chiles, as hip as he is to using technology to keep on top of things, might learn some neat stuff from Whitaker who is constantly finding ways to increase productivity using cutting-edge technology. — The LM Staff, shamelessly promoting one of magazine's sharpest and the industry's most valuable resources.

Avoiding a tall fescue feud on a farm in North Carolina

Which is the better turftype tall fescue cultivar — Tarheel II or Wolfpack II?

An innocent enough question, given that the question surfaced at a turfgrass field day.

But this wasn’t just any field day; this was the Scotts Professsional Seed/Pure-Seed Testing, Inc., Field Day in Rolesville, NC, which is within easy driving distance of both North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the University of North Carolina (UNC).

You see where we’re going with this, right?

The person asking the question (and he asked it with a sly grin on his face) was Dr. Charles “Charlie” Peacock, Professor of Crop Science at NCSU. He was one of several turfies respresenting the Wolfpack at the field day. For the record, there didn’t appear to be any Tar Heels standing among the 100 or so attendees checking out the test plots containing Wolfpack II, Tarheel II and several dozen other tall fescue varieties.

Peacock's question was directed at Dr. Melodee Fraser, who was hired to start the research farm 18 years ago and has led the breeding effort there ever since.

Sensing danger, Melodee wasn’t about to pick favorites considering the intense rivalry between the neighboring universities. Here answer: both varieties show significant improvement over previous varieties, particularly in their resistance to brown patch disease.

In the end, who can blame Melodee, who has devoted much of her adult life to developing the cultivars (along with many other improved grasses) for not publicly picking one of her “babies” over the other?

— by Ron Hall, who neglected (yet again) to wear a hat to a field day and suffered another sunburn on the top of his hair-deprived head.

Artificial turf offers landscapers a nice opportunity

If you’re in the landscaping business and looking for a new revenue opportunity, take a couple of minutes to investigate adding synthetic turf installations to your service mix. If you’re unfamiliar with the product, we suggest you visit the Website for the Association of Synthetic Turf Installers. It has an incredible amount of information on it that is helpful to contractors.

Artificial turf, for sports fields and for home and commercial properties seems to be immune to the lingering U.S. recession. Installations continue to climb at a brisk double-digit annual rate. More and more landscape contractors are offering installations.

Nowhere has this been more evident than regions of the country with expensive water or with watering restrictions, especially for homeowners and commercial property owners in the U.S. Southwest. Some water agencies there are even offering property owners financial incentives for taking out turfgrass and installing synthetic turf, as much as $1 a sq. ft.

Water agencies are targeting what they feel is wasted water. They claim that as much as 60% of the water that property owner use goes to outdoor irrigation. The majority of that is wasted, they say. Synthetic turf does not require irrigation, they reason, so it makes sense to encourage people to install fake grass to save water.

With or without cash incentives, synthetic turf is especially popular on properties where it’s very difficult to grow grass, for backyard putting greens and for dog runs, which homeowners appreciate because their dogs do not wear out the grass in their yards and get muddy.

Synthetic turf marketers stress the savings that artificial turf offers over turfgrass — the savings in water use, fertilizers, pest controls and maintenance costs because, obviously, you don’t have to mow synthetic turf. These are legitimate savings. But artificial turf requires maintenance, mostly sweeping, cleaning and, in some cases, sanitation. Who wouldn’t clean up the waste left by dogs on what is essentially an outdoor, weatherproof carpet?

Artificial turf is not inexpensive. The cost of a professional installation can vary from $6 to more than $20 a sq. ft., depending upon factors such as the prep work needed to lay the poly grass, property size and layout. The presence of small, odd-shaped areas within a landscape would increase the cost because of the extra time required to cut and fit the turf onto them.

Here’s a quick look at artificial turf versus natural turf on a home landscape:

Artificial Turf

— substantially higher initial cost to install
— lower ongoing maintenance costs
— 10-15 year life with minimal maintenance
— much hotter on sunny days
— while some communities offer cash incentives to install it, it is not allowed in some communities or HOAs
— does not provide a natural filter for runoff
— eventually will have to be disposed of

Natural Turfgrass

— lower initial cost
— higher maintenance costs
— often requires irrigation
— provides a cooling effect, reduces urban heat buildup
— a proven bio-filter and cleanser for stormwater runoff
— sequesters carbon, releases oxygen

Again, here's the website for the Association of Synthetic Grass Installers — http://www.asgi.us. — Ron Hall

Can this remote-control mower break into the commercial market?

Labor is the single largest expense for landscape companies. In these economically challenged times when everybody is looking for every efficiency, a remote-control mower that would reduce labor costs would be very attractive to some owners. To this point, in spite of some interesting tries, nobody's been able to come up with a unit that appeals to commercial cutters.

John Wright, owner of Southern RobotX, is the latest entrepreneur to give it a try. He says his hybrid remote control SRX22T commercial mower reduces fuel consumption by 40% and increase productivity for lawn care professionals.

Wright, a distributor of remote control mowers based in New Albany, MS, says that lawn care professionals typically use a bunch of men equipped with 2-stroke weed eaters to maintain slopes over 30 degrees. They are now able to maintain slopes up to 70 degrees with one man and a SRX22T hybrid remote control lawn mower. The hybrid power system on these mowers also keeps the battery charged, he says.

For more information on hybrid remote control lawn mowers, visit RemoteMower.com.

This physician makes house calls . . . . but with a mower

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Emergency room doctor Nathan Arnold makes house calls.

But he won’t be bringing a little black satchel of pills and ointments. He’ll be showing up in a pickup truck sporting a solar panel on its cab and a trailer carrying a battery-powered lawn mower.

Arnold is a franchisee of Clean Air Lawn Care, an environmentally focused landscape service started by a Kelly Giard and a handful of other sharp young people in Fort Collins, CO, four years ago. It offers mowing and trimming with rechargeable battery-powered equipment and organic lawn care services.

You might wonder why a doctor would get into lawn care, as we did when we read the article in The Grand Rapids Press.

“I just feel good about doing it,” he told reporter Garret Ellison of the newspaper.

Obviously, he also thinks he sees a potentially profitable business opportunity, this in spite of Michigan’s economy, one of the hardest hit in the nation.

Checking the Clean Air Lawn Care Web site we see that the idea is growing with new franchise locations in Illinois, North Carolina, Texas and several in the Inner Mountain West and the Pacific Northwest.

By the way, Arnold just charges $40 for a house call . . . meaning mowing a standard-sized lawn. — The LM Staff

The Bahamas starts its own landscape association

NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS — The Bahamas Landscape Association (BLA) launched this spring. As of the end of May more than 50 individual and company members had signed up.

The BLA has partnered with the Florida Nursery Growers Landscape Association and is in discussions with The Bahamas Ministry of Education to acquire funding to provide professional certification to its members. The first “Certified Horticultural Professional” program is being offered to its members online.

The BLA sees certification as very important in creating standards in the Green Industry and providing training to industry members. — The LM Staff

Mississippi landscaper gives away a house

Not all the news you read in the newspapers or see on television makes you want to jump off a tall building. Every once in you see something in the news that makes you appreciate the goodness in people. Here’s one of those stories.

Richard Drummond, who runs Landscaping Logistics, in Biloxi, MS, knows what it’s like to lose a house to a disaster. Hurricane Katrina wiped out his home a couple of years ago.

So, when he learned that a long-time sheriff’s deputy in his area had lost his home in a recent fire and was living with relatives, Drummond offered to give him a house. This week a moving truck is picking up the 3-bedroom house and moving it to the property of the 75-year-old fire victim and former sheriff’s deputy, Glennis Pops Rayburn.

Drummond said he intended to sell the house, which he didn’t need anymore, to make room to expand his landscaping business. That was when he learned that Rayburn had been burned out of his.

"I had something that I didn't need anymore. And here was a man who has a great need for it," Drummond told reporter Brad Kessie of WLOX ABC 13 in Biloxi, MS.

Click here to see the WLOX video interview with Drummond.

Anti-pesticide documentary gets premiere

Paul Tukey's film, Hudson: A Chemical Reaction, premiered in Hudson, Monday night. Hudson is the small town in Quebec Province that set off the chain reaction that has resulted in the banning of lawn care chemicals in Quebec and Ontario provinces.

The film chronicles how Hudson, rallying behind a determined local dermatologist, battled the lawn care industry in court and, receiving a favorable Supreme Court decision in 2001, banned lawn care chemicals.

In the last several years, Tukey has emerged as organic lawn care’s most vocal and recognizable proponent, crafting his organic message into what appears to be a pretty nifty cottage industry. On his website he describes himself as “magazine publisher, best-selling author, public speaker and 2006 Gardening Communicator of the Year.”

In light of his new movie, he’ll need to update it to include filmmaker, too. — Ron Hall