ZTR mowers have taken over the commercial riding mower market. In the past, there were few low-cost models available to homeowners, but this has changed. Low-cost homeowner models are now available from several companies.

Factors such as price, performance and durability are important considerations in choosing garden tools and power equipment, but if a tool or machine is uncomfortable or awkward to use, you will regret buying it. The interaction between you and the tool or machine is called ergonomics.

The term ‘topdressing’ is used for both the material used and the process of adding a thin layer of material to the surface of a sod or seed bed.

Spreader.EZ is a computer program that allows you to analyze the patterns from broadcast fertilizer spreaders, determine the uniformity of the patterns, and select the effective swath width.

A common problem with hydraulic cylinders is rust and pitting of the cylinder rods. If equipment that incorporates hydraulic cylinders is stored outside with the cylinder rods extended, the rods are exposed to weathering. Eventually, the rods will begin to show specks of rust that develop into pits. Once rusting and pitting occur, the rod will destroy the cylinder seal the next time it is activated.

Two questions of interest to prospective purchasers are: How much do riding mowers and small tractors in the various classes cost and how long can I expect one to last?

Bermudagrass sod is a tough, fine-textured, aggressive, warm-season turf that's just perfect for a pretty lawn or well-performing athletic turf. It does not tolerate shade, so overhangs and trees are a big problem.

A new 20-acre site at the LSU AgCenter's Burden Center in Baton Rouge is now home to commercial ornamental and turfgrass activities to benefit Louisiana's green industry.

In the summer of 2000, daylily rust was reported for the first time in the United States. It has since spread across most of the country and continues to present problems for home gardeners, commercial landscapers and daylily growers.

This poster discusses natural feeding preferences, adapted feeding preferences and feeding strategies of the Argentine Ant.

A Southern IPM Center publication. When choosing a broadcast bait to control imported fire ants, consumers and professional pesticide applicators face a confusing array of brand names and active ingredients with varying product performances. This guide addresses common concerns about broadcast baits to help consumers and professionals choose products that best fit their needs and situations.

Many growers pick up plastic mulch but several machines are available for this job. Work at the LSU AgCenter has demonstrated that, in some cases, plastic mulch can be picked up by a hay baler.

Forty-five old and new ornamental pepper varieties were evaluated in 2007 and 2008 at three locations: Hammond (LA), Crystal Spring (MS), and Verona (MS). The top 10 performers in the Hammond trial are presented in this photo gallery.

Our warm-season grasses don’t like low temperatures. Some may show off colors because of chilling injury. Don't confuse this with disease and don't make it worse.

A general overview calendar of bermudagrass maintenance options for athletic turf managers.

A simple calendar for general weed control activities on sports fields.

Cost budgets are reported for 20 vegetable crops, with combinations of crop, machinery size and market channel. Each cost budget is supplemented with a table where net returns are calculated over a range of prices and yields. Crops include butter beans, snap beans, broccoli, fall cabbage, spring cabbage, cantaloupe, cauliflower, sweet corn, cucumber, eggplant, mustard, okra, southern peas, bell pepper, Irish potato, sweet potato, shallots, squash, strawberries, tomatoes and watermelon.

Iron chlorosis results when green chlorophyll in leaf tissue fails to develop properly. Iron chlorosis first develops in new growth and as the condition worsens, leaves appear yellow or almost white.

This report estimates the cost and return of a centipedegrass sod farm in Louisiana. Materials, inputs and scheduling reflect the average situation in Louisiana.

This guide for 2008 contains suggestions for management of the most important or more prevalent diseases of Louisiana plants. It includes information on fungicides, bactericides and nematicides, as well as safety precautions for using them.

Some grounds maintenance equipment is designed with metric components. This has some ramifications for service and parts.

This article provides links to Web sites of aerator sources. the list does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products.

The advantages of an ASAE standard quick hitch include faster, easier and safer hitching. To use a ASAE standard quick hitch, the implement hitch geometry must conform to the ASAE standard.

Three types of rear tires are available for compact utility tractors, and at least five types are available for the front. The different types of tires serve different purposes. You can select agricultural tires for general farming, turf tires for use on turfgrass, or compromise with an industrial tread.

Walk-behind rotary lawnmowers can handle clippings in one of three ways: they can mulch them, bag them or discharge them to the side. Some mowers can do any of the three with minimal adjustment. Any of the three modes can be useful in some situations.

Chainsaws tend to require more maintenance than most other lawn and garden equipment. Proper maintenance will not only prolong the life of the saw and make it easier to start but will also make your work easier.

Although chainsaws are handy, they are potentially dangerous and must be used carefully to avoid serious injury.

Chainsaws are popular homeowner tools. When selecting a chainsaw, consider the power requirements and safety features.

If you have a small lawn and are willing to get a little exercise while mowing, a good manual push mower can be a good alternative to a powered mower.

Walk-behind home lawnmowers are covered by safety standards and regulations, but the real responsibility for safety rests with you, the operator.

Species and variety recommendation for field grown specialty cut flowers in the South.

The tractor by itself is of limited use. The tractor furnishes the power, but the implements allow the tractor to do useful work. Varied implements are available for compact tractors from both the tractor manufacturers and short-line manufacturers.

2007 farm value of greenhouse vegetables in Louisiana.

Many people use a rotary cutter (often referred to by the copyrighted name “Bush Hog”) to cut grass and weeds, but, in too many cases, the implement is not correctly adjusted. This can cause premature wear, poor quality of cut, and an excessive power requirement.

Mid-mount mowers for lawn, garden, and compact tractors typically have (two or) three blades and are designed for quality mowing of turfgrass. They are not designed to cut tall, weedy grass. They have multiple gage wheels and rollers that allow a relatively low cutting height with minimal scalping.

Finish (or grooming) mowers typically have (two or) three blades and are designed for quality mowing of turfgrass. They are not designed to cut tall, weedy grass. They have multiple gage wheels and rollers that allow a relatively low cutting height with minimal scalping.

In many neighborhoods, the roar of lawnmowers has been joined by the howl of leaf blowers. "The primary complaint with leaf blowers is noise," says Dr. Dick Parish, an engineer at the LSU AgCenter’s Hammond Research Station.

This article contains links to sources for landscape bed shapers and light trenchers for landscape us. It does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products.

Although most people opt for small engine-driven generators, there are some real advantages to a generator that connects to a tractor power-take-off (PTO).

Most garden tools have fixed handles. Some tools, however, are available as separate handle and toolhead components that can be interchanged.

Many lawnmowers, string trimmers, leaf blowers, and other lawn and garden equipment with small engines were inundated during the flooding from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In many cases, that equipment can be salvaged.

The LSU AgCenter's 2008 poinsettia open house is scheduled for Dec. 5, 2008 at the Burden Conference Center in Baton Rouge from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In some situations, a hand-cranked spreader is more practical than a wheeled model. When spreading granules in nurseries, beds of flowers and ornamentals, and other restricted areas, a wheeled spreader can be difficult or impossible to use. Hand- or strap-carried, hand-cranked spreaders are a viable option in such cases.

The more you learn about lawn spreaders, the more you realize how complicated they really are. The LSU AgCenter has published a bulletin that summarizes 24 years of research on spreaders.

Some spreader experts and some spreader and granular material operating instructions advise you to go over your lawn twice when spreading fertilizer or granular products, with the two trips over the lawn made at right angles to each other. Don’t do it!

Most turf fertilizers contain controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer. There are two types of controlled-release fertilizer and one type can be damaged by your spreader.

Sweet peas are an excellent cool-season annual for Louisiana. The flowers are popular for cutting and bundling because they come in an array of colors and have an intoxicating scent. Seeds should be sown directly in the garden in October or transplanted from containers in November. Sweet peas are vines so the plants need support (fence, netting, etc.) or a trellis to grow on. Sweet peas start blooming in late March and last up to two months, longer if deadheaded regularly.

To obtain the best results from your granular fertilizers and pesticides, you have to apply them at the correct rate. One easy step you can take to help assure that your spreader delivers the correct rate of material is to calibrate your spreader.

While equipment companies are doing their part to reduce corrosion of tractors and farm equipment, how well you maintain your machinery will determine its useful life. Here are some rust prevention tips.

This poster addresses habitat preferences and where Argentine ants can be found.

Poa infestations are usually combated with herbicides. Several options exist with preemergence herbicides applied in the early fall for Poa control on golf courses that will not be overseeded. However, most of these herbicides are not labeled for golf greens.

This manual is intended to help small greenhouse tomato growers in Louisiana and elsewhere grow a successful crop using perlite or pine bark medium. Small growers can produce vine-ripened, high-quality fruit that can be delivered to the local market on the same day of harvest.

Farm and grounds maintenance equipment is often exposed to rain, high humidity, fertilizer, pesticides and corrosive plant materials (such as grass clippings). The manufacturers of that equipment have taken steps to try to protect the equipment and reduce the potential for corrosion.

Digging post holes is a common do-it-yourself project. You have many choices as to how to dig your holes. Unfortunately, the inexpensive methods involve hard work.

When performing such light-duty operations as mowing grass or making hay, it is sometimes possible to reduce fuel consumption by shifting to a higher gear and reducing engine rpm.

You should always lower your front loader bucket and/or rear implement when you dismount from a tractor or shut down a tractor. There are two reasons for this.

(Distributed 09/08/08) Louisiana’s commercial ornamental horticulture industry received significant but not major damage from the effects of Hurricane Gustav, according to experts at the LSU AgCenter.

A breeze is blowing through storm-beaten pecan trees in Ben Littlepage’s 300-acre orchard near Colfax. The trees are almost leafless, and there’s about a handful of pecans left on one very large native tree.

When you buy a walk-behind lawnmower, you benefit from safety standards and regulations from two sources: The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

There are three primary transmission systems used in riding mowers and the various classes of mowing tractors.

Several useful and applicable reference articles for sod farming.

Community Supported Agriculture is an alternative marketing method for commercial vegetable growers. Growers sell a share of their anticipated harvest directly to consumers and deliver an agreed-upon portion of their crops to subscribers throughout the season.

Garden tools will last longer if we take good care of them, but it can be a real bother to do so. A simple trick will make it much easier for you to keep your shovels, hoes, trowels, etc. clean and protected.

Daylily is an economically important nursery crop for Louisiana growers. It was relatively disease-free before the arrival of daylily rust in 2000. Commercial growers and homeowners rely solely on fungicides for rust control, which is expensive and time consuming. Biofungicides are biological or bio-rational alternatives that control disease by different modes of action. If effective, they can reduce control cost and provide resistance management tools.

Mole crickets cause millions of dollars in turf and grass damage each year. Their burrowing in the soil breaks up the soil and causes roots to dry out. Identification, life cycle and control included.

Pine straw makes an excellent mulch and is much in demand for landscaping. If you own some land with pine trees, you can easily rake your own pine straw.

A demonstration of different landscape mulch materials is on-going at the Hammond Research Station. Here are photos of the different mulches currently being evaluated. More to come!!!

Nursery and Landscape Notes is a quarterly newsletter for Louisiana's green industry professionals. It includes production information for nursery growers and cultural practice recommendations for landscape contractors. New plant information is also included.

This is a list of new poinsettia cultivars grown at LSU in 2007. It includes pictures and grower evaluations based on how the cultivars performed at the Burden Center greenhouses. Twenty cultivars were selected for a consumer survey. A response of 1 indicated a strong dislike to the cultivar and a 7 indicated consumer strongly liked the cultivar.

Forty three coleus varieties were trialed in landscape evaluation plots at the Hammond Research Station in 2008. Top performers were Red Hot Rio, Big Red Judy, Zen Moment, Lancelot, Ruby Ruffles, Mariposa, Henna, Indian Summer (not pictured), Royal Glissade, Pineapple Splash and Fishnet Stockings. Here is a photo gallery. Results are based on plant vigor, foliage attractiveness, and resistance to flowering. Plants were grown in full sun.

If you grow a vegetable garden, you probably get tired of bending over placing seeds in a furrow. Perhaps you are also tired of making the planting furrow and then covering it over and tamping. If so, you might be interested in one of the garden seeders on the market.

Electric tools eliminate the fire hazards associated with gasoline, but introduce the hazard of electric shock or electrocution. There are some steps you can take to improve the safety of electric tools.

Depending on the type of ditch or trench you need and the size of the job, you have many choices of available tools. All of the do-it-yourself methods involve hard work, but some are not as hard as others.

Here is a list of manufacturers of chippers, shredders and grinders. It does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products.

Plans are provided to allow you to build a hydraulic lift boom to mount on a category II or category III-N 3-point hitch.

Louisiana and the southeastern United States has an abundance of native plants that have potential for ornamental and fruit crop use. One of these that LSU AgCenter personnel have been investigating in recent years is the pawpaw.

This article contains links to sources for nonpowered backpack and hand-pump sprayers. It does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products.

A dirt scoop is a handy attachment for small tractors. It will allow you to dig, move, and dump small quantities of soil, gravel, sand, or other materials much easier than you can do with a shovel and wheelbarrow and much less expensively than with a front-end loader on your tractor.

The key components of the effective use of fungicides for pecan disease control are timing, coverage and concentration. The updated 2008 fungicide list is included.

To harvest an acre of sod on a sod farm will require more than an acre to be cut because it is virtually impossible to harvest all the grass as a saleable item. Losses will come from several sources.

Fruit thinning is a time-consuming task that is often required to produce good quality fruit. It can be very beneficial for peach, plum and apple trees.

Carefull examination of the spark plug(s) can yield insights into other maintenance needs on your engine.

One of the most important things you can do to maintain your small engines is to service the air filters as needed.

This list contains links to sources for utility vehicles.

Putting the correct grease in your grease gun and using it religiously can prolong the life of your equipment.

Maintaining quality turfgrass sometimes requires that lawn waste be picked up. This trash can include leaves, pine needles and grass clippings as well as twigs, seed pods from trees and pine cones.

This document describes the diseases that occur most frequently on pecan trees in Louisiana.

ZTR (zero turning radius) riding mowers can do a wonderful job of maintaining turf, but the rapid response and maneuverability that make them so handy can cause problems if you aren’t careful.

Managing nematodes in golf greens is quickly going to change over the next two years. The current nematicide that is being use is being phased out.

Links to some of the numerous ants of Louisiana discussing identification, biology and treatment.

One of the most hazardous substances most of us have to deal with is gasoline. We tend to take it for granted since it is so common and familiar, but we should pay it more respect.

Several heavy-duty hand tools canl help you with intermediate pruning jobs and allow you to avoid the cost and hassle of a chainsaw.

Pruning shears come in two basic styles and in a wide range of sizes and price ranges.

A new coleus for shade has been impressive in LSU AgCenter trials at Burden Center in Baton Rouge.

This article contains links to sources for lawn and garden carts.

A properly designed and operated irrigation system will ensure that the critical factor of soil moisture will be there to sustain healthy plant growth.

The relatively new Son series of lantanas from Jim Covington at Clinton Nursery in Clinton, Miss., have been very impressive in Louisiana and Mississippi plant trials the last few years.

Cut flowers can be a profitable crop in the Southern U.S. This manual provides basic information on the production of specialty cut flowers.

Areas that receive a lot of traffic usually become compacted. Soil particles are packed closer together, creating a root zone where there is little air, poor percolation of water and a tough medium for roots to grow in. The most effective form of relief for a compacted lawn is core aerification.

Several models of small walk-behind stump grinders are aimed at homeowners, rental use and smaller professional operations. Most are reasonably safe if used carefully, but a few are not safe no matter how they are used.

These photos and drawings show how to use an ASAE standard 3" x 8" hydraulic cylinder to provide a power-adjustable upper link for a tractor 3-point hitch.

One of the factors that most affects both the capability of a lawn/garden tractor, and the price, is the engine.

This article contains links to sources for nonpowered walk-behind sprayers. It does not constitute a recommendation of any of the companies or products.

All compact tractors currently sold have Rollover Protective Structures (ROPS), and most larger zero-turn mowers now have this safety feature also. A ROPS that is properly designed and used can prevent serious injury in most overturn accidents. One of the most important considerations in ROPS protection is to wear your seatbelt.

Removing the bucket from the front-end loader on your tractor is very easy (on newer loaders) and makes your tractor much more maneuverable. You should develop the habit of removing the loader bucket whenever you use your tractor for mowing, tilling, etc.

Post hole diggers mounted on tractors and powered by the tractors’ PTO shafts are useful tools for setting posts, planting trees, and other uses, but they can cause serious injury if not used correctly. The Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association (FEMA) is an organization whose members manufacture post hole diggers. They have developed some guidelines to help you use their products more safely.

Compact utility tractors are small diesel tractors with less than 40 horsepower. All current models come equipped with two important safety features: a rollover protective structure (ROPS) and a seatbelt. These two safety components can go a long way toward protect