Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/120635
chemical care Using plant growth regulators cuts down on maintenance time and labor costs, while giving clients a longer-lasting finished product. your region," says Goodrich, who lives in Kansas City. "Here in the Midwest, ginkgo biloba is controlled all season, but in California, the control isn't as long because there, it produces flowers all year long." In this scenario, season-long control looks like this: If a landscaper typically pulls nine (55-gallon) bags of debris off that ginkgo biloba in a season, introducing PGRs would cut it down to half of a bag. "You may not experience 100-percent control, THE BOTTOM LINE Exactly how much could you be saving by using PGRs? PBI/Gordon has developed calculators to help you determine whether PGRs could be the next big thing for your business. Punch in your numbers at pbigordon.com/ calculators/index.php. 4 8 To ta l L a n d s cap eC are.c om TLC0413_ChemCare3.indd 48 but you've greatly reduced what's coming off the tree, and we consider that a success," Goodrich says. In addition to fruit and bloom elimination and reduction in growth of trees, ornamentals, shrubs and ground covers, PGRs have proven to offer other benefits, as well. The active ingredient dikegulacsodium (Atrimmec) suppresses shoot elongation in plants but promotes lateral branching, which can help give shrubs and groundcovers a fuller, more uniform shape. There is also research to suggest PGRs can help plants weather a drought, Chen says. "Previous research suggests several GA3inhibiting PGRs improve the drought tolerance of treated plants," Chen says. "This is an important potential benefit of Type II growth regulators," especially for areas that are prone to drought-like conditions or are subject to water restrictions. tlc A P R I L 2 013 3/26/13 2:33 PM