Letters to the Editor

A fungus among us
I just finished reading the article titled Upselling fungicides by Matthew Noon in the May 2011 Edition of Lawn & Landscape Magazine.

I am deeply disappointed in your publication for accepting an article of this poor quality, content, and tone. I would like to spend a day with Mr. Noon and his lawn technicians to see how they go about diagnosing turf diseases, especially when he clearly doesn’t even use the correct word when referring to more than one fungus.

Ask any plant pathologist – turf diseases, especially root diseases, can be difficult to identify without microscopic examination – at the very least – and often require plating on culture media or other laboratory techniques.  Whatever happened to the green in Green Industry and the move towards reduced pesticide use?  Professional turf managers can be proactive with their clients by selling IPM, rather than unnecessary pesticides and fertilizers.

With that said, I do enjoy reading Lawn & Landscape and usually find the articles well-written and balanced.  It allows me to keep up with the trends and concerns of the industry of our stakeholders.

Sharon M. Douglas Ph.D.
Plant Pathologist and Head, Department of Plant Pathology & Ecology
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
New Haven, Conn.

In the interest of equal time, we asked Noon to respond. Here’s what he had to say:
Unfortunately, I think that Sharon Douglas missed the point of my article. My article on fungicide refers to a bigger challenge in our industry.  That is to be proactive with customer service. It is about engaging the customer and bringing the lawn care experience to an entirely new level of service.  Clearly the reader lacks the real world experience in the trenches of lawn care as she resides in her ivory tower.

I understand that certain fungi can be difficult to diagnose and I respect the efforts of any pathologist to diagnose the correct prognosis. Red thread or snow mold can be easily recognized by our technicians and arborists many of whom have over 20 years of experience in this area and can detect these issues and diagnose the condition instantly without laboratory analysis.

This is lawn care and not brain surgery. If one goes to a doctor with a finger that is fractured and causing pain, a doctor’s observation can replace an X-ray to diagnose the problem.

On a side note, I respect the reader’s opinion on the science of laboratory diagnosis, but in my opinion the article was well written and our clients appear to be quite satisfied with our service. 

Mea culpa
I have written to L&L before and wanted to bring something to your attention pertaining to two articles in particular in the May 2011 issue. The article on page 122 deals with entering the property management sector as if anyone can do it on a whim. In Georgia, one must have a realtor broker’s license to operate property management services. To do so without one is a crime. Perhaps other states have similar requirements.

On page 124, the chemicals dithiopyr, prodiamine, pendimethalin, quinclorac, and fenoxaprop-p-ethyl are listed as grub control products. Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t those products control weeds only? I personally would have suggested Dylox or Merit for grub control.

Benjamin Bodnar

Turf Wars
Facebook feedback: We asked our followers their thoughts on the growing number of homeowners removing lawns to save water and money.

Response: There’s a balance. Take out the lawn in tough to mow, shady areas that don’t make sense. Build your soil and follow good watering practices - you’ll save water and money - a great looking lawn does not have to be expensive.

We have seen an increase this year in lawn replacement/renovation work. We have made the above recommendations.

Rick Longnecker
Owner
Buds & Blades Landscape Co.
Olympia, Wash.
 

Thoughts on phosphorus
I’ve been in the professional lawn business since 1983. My first boss was in his 80s and always said this element was not needed in most areas of Ohio because the soil is abundant in it.

Look at the Grand Lake in Ohio, contaminated by P and farm run-off. P should only by applied during summer months, with a permit with a soil test to prove it is required application.

Our business needs to change for the better.