← Profits with Pajak
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I had one of those moments this week that completely stopped me in my tracks. And I was standing in the weed killer aisle looking at all the products that have replaced glyphosate, you know, Roundup. And the more labels I read, the more confused I became because many of these replacement products contain chemicals that I won't even use in my lawn care business. It's not because they're illegal, it's not because they don't work, but because of my personal views on the risks, the limitations and the potentials for misuse. Yet here they are, just sitting on the shelf, marketed directly to homeowners. And I'm just standing there reading the labels and I found myself asking, did they make the weed killers safer or did they just replace one controversial ingredient with a cocktail of ingredients most people have never heard of? So let's talk about that.
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Today's episode is brought to you by Yardbook, the all in one CRM for your lawn care business. And as an exclusive partner of this podcast, you can get started today and begin simplifying your business and maximizing your profits. Sign up now@yardbook.com the link is in. The show notes. Time now for Profits with Paycheck, an essential podcast for you in the green industry who are looking to unlock the full potential of your business. Hosted by John Pajac, your certified financial coach, the show features in depth discussions with successful entrepreneurs, thought leaders and industry experts providing practical advice and proven strategies on financial planning, operations, marketing and sales. Profits with Paycheck has valuable insights and action steps that you can implement today for creating long term success. Now, here's John Pajak.
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Welcome to Profits with Paycheck, the podcast where we dive into business strategies and financial insights for the green industry. I'm your host, John Pajek, and today we're stepping into a topic that surprised even me as someone who spent decades in the grain industry and I hold a pesticide license and I understand that the word chemical makes a lot of people uncomfortable. I was standing in the aisle looking for a product to use. I ran out of, I ran out of herbicide while I was working on my own home trying to take care of some woody brush. But I was like, well, everybody's closed on the weekend, all my suppliers and vendors and I want to get this done. So I'll just stop off at a home, you know, big box store, right? I understand chemicals and I think it's fair to say that we should, you know, that chemicals demand respect and everything we use in our industry, whether it's Herbicide, a fungicide, insecticide, or a fertilizer should be understood before it gets applied. But what bothered me was seeing a simple message on the front of a bottle that said glyphosate free. And because that statement tells the customer absolutely nothing about what replaced it, I want to kind of talk about this. Flip around some bottles and read the labels. Okay. I. It was, it was kind of unnerving because while I was there, there was a woman who just, oh, good, they don't have. This isn't. This doesn't have the cancer stuff, the glyphosate. And I'm like, yeah, but you're picking up. Like, what are you picking up? And she just grabbed the bottle and put it in her shopping cart and moved along. I'm like, like all she did was read controls Dana lines or something or, you know, whatever the tag was, you know, And I'm looking at the product that she grabbed and it's. It was just like, oh, like, I, I don't know. I mean, I know. I don't. I don't know what your view on glyphosate is. We only use it in very, very specific. We only use it in very specific situations. You know, like we're doing a lawn renovation, we're doing a total burn down. That's about the only time we use glyphosate. But in general, this is just stuff that people are grabbing to get rid of the weeds in their yard, which they're grabbing the wrong product because this is a total kill product instead of a select herbicide. But anyway, let me break down this down into what got me all riled up, because I think I'm stumbling over my words because there's so much I have to say about this topic. But you gotta understand, before we discuss a single chemical, you need to understand the two words that they get confused constantly. And it's hazard and risk. You know, for example, a product can have a high hazard and a low risk if it's used correctly. You know, look at a chainsaw. Chainsaw is dangerous. You know, we don't ban chainsaws because they can cut somebody. You know, we have guards on them. We got the kickback on there. We are ppe. We wear our chaps. Our gloves are all the stuff, right? And when we use them properly, well, the same goes for pesticides. You know, the label is the law, the dosage matters, the exposure matters. And a bottle with a scary sounding chemical name is not automatically more dangerous. And a bottle that says natural or free of Something is not automatically safer. So let's compare what I found. Now let's start with the product that everybody knows. You know, we're talking about Roundup, we're talking about glyphosate, okay? Traditional homeowner glyphosate products, they only contained one active ingredient, which was glyphosate. And it is a systemic herbicide. You spray the leaves and it moves through the plant, it travels down into the roots and it slowly killed the entire plant. Now was it effective? Yes. Was it slow? Absolutely. And I think that was a downside from a marketing perspective in some things because it wasn't exciting. You know, you didn't spray it at breakfast and come out at lunch and see a dead weed. You know, sometimes it took a week or two, but it worked. And it was also relatively low in acute to toxicity. It, you know, you don't pour this stuff on your skin, you don't drink this, you don't get in your face and eyes, okay? But you know, I'm just saying, exposure wise, it is low. You know, the toxicity is very low. I'm not talking about chronic toxicity, but just acute symptoms. Okay? So anyway, let's not dabble with that right now. But it also had no meaningful soil residual. So like it was like you sprayed it and it only goes to the plant. There was nothing that was going to stay in the soil. The glyphosate basically would. Its half life was just a few days in the soil and then after a week or so it's, it's gone, you know, and it was simple again, one ingredient, one mode of action, one job. Now let's look at what replaced it. And I'm going to kind of rank these in from least to most concerning from my aspect, okay? So there's, there's the least concerning which. These products contained diclot, Luaza, Fop and Dicamo. And these are the ready to use products. Okay? These are premixed. You don't have to do anything. You can spray them right out of the bottle. They're good to go. Now two examples of this were Ortho Ground Clear Weed and Grass Killer and Spectracide Weed and Grass Killer 2. Okay, so these are the ready to use versions now. And honestly, they're actually pretty clever formulations, okay, because you get diclot, which provides instant gratification. You spray it and then within a few hours the weed starts turning brown. But the problem is diquat is a contact herbicide. It burns the top growth and it doesn't move very well into the roots. So to help out with this, the manufacturers added fluosoph. And Fluosoph is a systemic grass killer. Now this only targets grasses, but it moves into these, into these plants and kills them at the roots. And then because fluosoph is really grasses, they needed to take, have something that takes care of the weeds themselves. So they add dicamba. And dicamba is a systemic broadleaf herbicide that controls, you know, the common things like dandelions and clover, plantain and you know, a lot of other broadleaf weeds. So what you actually have is three part team. Now this is not to be confused with a three way selective herbicide because these are just, they're killing everything. Okay? Remember, this is not a non selective herbicide that's going to kill grasses, the desirable ones and the undesirables as well as the weeds. Okay? But you know, with this formulation you get, you know, diquat's like the fireworks. It's like, oh, it's fast acting. You know, you're, I feel like it did something. You know, you could go spray weeds or grasses in your landscape bed and all of a sudden, you know, oh, hey, I'm a hero. Look, they're already turning brown. Yay. My wife's going to be not ma at me. You know, you got fluaza flop for the grasses and then you got dicamba for the broadleaf weeds. And the only thing that I'm concerned about is that this is going to homeowners, okay? And diquat has a higher acute toxicity than glyphosate and it really deserves respect, especially around eyes and accidental ingestion. Okay. Because, you know, I have tons of photos that I've taken over the years where I'm out there doing a professional application and then I see a homeowner over there just like literally doing everything improperly. You know, I've seen people that wear all the right PPE except they're shooting it right by their feet and they're wearing sandals. I mean, they're wearing gloves or wearing a respirator mask, they're wearing goggles, they're wearing a face shield. They're wearing all the stuff except their feet are exposed. And most people don't realize that skin, our skin, will take in the chemicals very quickly we absorb them. Or you'll see somebody just standing there with nothing on, you know, Well, I mean, they're wearing a wife beater and pair of shorts, but you know, they're just hosing it down. They're standing on One weed, and they're just spraying, spraying, spray and spraying, spraying, because it's one of these ready to use formulations, which I think the manufacturers expect the people just to stand on them. So that's why the dilution rates are so much weaker. But again, you know, because these are ready to use products, the homeowner isn't mixing concentrations which does, you know, lower their exposure risk. But now we take a step up. I saw one bottle that was a little more concerning to me, and it was the Roundup weed and Grass Killer 4 concentrate. Now, this bottle contains Triclopyr at 2.5%, Loazifop at 2% and Diquat at 1.5%. But even though those are not equivalent to a professional product, we are still flirting with a concentrate. And this is where in my professional brain it starts to go, what, what, hey, what's going on here? You know, now the diquat is much stronger, the triclopyr. It also adds, you know, triclopyr is great for woody plants and vines. And actually that's why I was looking for, I was just looking for a, trying to find a product that was just triclopyr, but couldn't find one, so had to put my purchase off. Anyway, long story short, and again, we look at, we have the diquat, we have the triclopyr, and we have the fluosoph which handles the grasses. Now, performance wise, this is probably one of the closest replacements to the old glyphosate. But from a homeowner safety standpoint, I don't love that this requires measuring and mixing because the greatest exposure risk in pesticide applications is often during the mixing and loading. And this is why professionals, when we're mixing our tanks and our machines or whatever we're doing, we're wearing gloves, eye protection, and we've read and understood that label. Now, most homeowners, they're not going to go through the same processes that we do, so they're exposing themselves to more stuff. So if they're afraid of glyphosate, which again, I'm not saying it's 100% safe, I don't know anymore. Okay? I thought I knew, but I don't know. The thing is, it's like we're dealing with chemicals and the general public does not really respect anything, I'll tell you that. You know, I, I can't. I literally, literally just driving down the road, going to, in between stops on my route, and I will see Harry homeowner, and he will be mixing up, you know, a jug of something, and he's not wearing anything. You know, he's just wearing a wife beater, some shorts, and, you know, maybe some flippy floppies. It's like, dude, you don't understand. This stuff could blind you. And that's what scares me. But this is the, I'll tell you which one. I saw the product that I saw that scared me the most. And it was ortho ground clear year long. Okay, that's, that's a weird ortho ground clear year long. This one contains Pel organic acid at 2% and imazapyr at 0.09%. And you're like, well, whoop de do. That's not a very high concentration of Imazapyr. But the thing is, it's, you know, this is some stronger stuff. You know, at first glance, you know, consumers look at it, they're like, oh, it's just some kind of acid, okay? What they don't realize is that pelarganic acid is a fatty acid. And it may sound natural, and yes, it is naturally occurring. But poison ivy is natural too, right? Natural does not mean harmless. And pelargonic acid burns plant tissues very quickly. But the real story is the Imazapyr, because it's a systemic herbicide with that has a long life in the soil. And that's why that label can promise year long control. But this is where I get concerned about the average homeowner, because they spray it along the fence, they spray it around a patio, they spray it next to a landscape bed, and then six months later, their ornamental shrub is like dying. And you know, they don't realize that by applying that near a tree's drip edge, you know, the tree's roots can extend way beyond that drip line. And many people have no idea that a product applied to the soil can be absorbed by roots kind of far away. And for me, this is the product with the highest potential for homeowner mistakes. Back when I was getting my lawn care business off the ground, I was juggling routes, invoices and customer notes with paper and prayers. It was chaos. Until I found Yardbook. Yardbook gave me the structure. It helped me track chemicals, route efficiently, invoice faster, and most importantly, it helped me grow a profitable business. If you're tired of duct taping your systems Together, go to yardbook.com and sign up for free. And if you're ready to go premium use promo code Pajak to get your first 30 days on me. Hey, guys, John Pajak here. Equip Expo is the biggest event in the green industry. So let's do some quick math. Today, Equip Expo's registration is $30 with promo code PAYJACK. That gets cut in half, so your ticket's only $15. But if you keep waiting, the price is going to continue to go up until you're looking at $120 for a ticket. So the question isn't whether you're going to Equip Expo. The question is whether you're going to pay $15 or $120. Now, I've attended Equip for years. I've hosted on Pod Row, I've emceed the morning show, and every year I leave with new ideas, new friendships and new opportunities. So go to equip expo.com, use promo code PAYCHECK and lock in the lowest price before it goes up. Links in the show Notes
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Are you mowing lawns, running crews, and still wondering where all the money went? You're not alone. Naylor Taliaferro of LCR Media has been there. And that's exactly why he created Pro Profit Accelerator Live. Join Naylor and expert speakers John Pajak and Eric Triplett for two powerful days of hands on workshops designed specifically for lawn care and landscaping business owners in Richmond, Virginia, June 26th and 27th. This isn't a conference where you'll sit in the back and take notes. You'll leave with an actual business plan in hand, knowing exactly what to charge, how to manage your time, and how to attract better customers. Tickets are just $299, but right now you can bring a partner or a fellow business owner free. With our two for one special, tickets are just $299, but right now you can bring a partner or fellow business owner free. With our 2 for 1 special, only 75 spots are available and they will fill up fast. Use the link in the show description or go to profitacceleratorlive.com to secure your spot today. Put more money in the bank and more time in your schedule with Profit Accelerator Live.
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All right, when I walked into that aisle, I was looking for a Triclopair product to get rid of some, you know, I got some mulberry trees that I gotta hack down and make sure they don't come back right? And what I ended up seeing was an entire aisle filled of bottles that said Glyphosate free on it. So I'm looking and I would, you know, I expect to see a simple replacement, maybe a new single ingredient, maybe something that was less controversial. But in my opinion, what I found was it was the opposite. The old product had one active ingredient. The new products often had three or four active ingredients designed to recreate the same experience. You know, they had the quick visual burn down and they had the, you know, they basically had to put something in there to create the root control. And they had also create some long term control. And in some cases they introduced chemistry that requires a completely different level of understanding. So I know homeowners aren't listening to this, you know, but what I want for you as a professional to remember is, is that the words on the front of the bottle are marketing. You know, I don't buy my chemicals from big box stores. You know, I go to a supplier, the supplier and the vendors that I have, we basically just have professional products. There's no marketing on it. It's literally the name of this stuff. It has the big label that you unfold active ingredients on it. It doesn't have any marketing on it at all. Almost, you know, if they're up on a line, the only thing that we notice is like maybe, you know, Qualapro or Nufarm or something like that. That is the company that makes the stuff, right? That's about the only thing that's marketing on those jugs. It's not saying like, oh, glyphosate free or you know, kills weeds quick or whatever it is, you know, natural, it doesn't have any of that stuff. The words on the front of the bottle are marketing. The words on the back of the bottle are science. So, you know, if you look at glyphosate free, it doesn't mean risk free. Okay? Natural does not mean harmless. Every pesticide has a place and every pesticide has risks. So every single pesticide that we use deserves respect. And as professionals, our responsibility is to not fear chemistry. Our responsibility is to understand it. So I really just hope that today this, if you're still having to grab stuff off of like a shelf of a store like I did, just to try to, you know, do a project at the house. I'm hoping that the next time you walk down the weed killer aisle, you turn the bottle around, you read the active ingredients and you understand what they do. Because sometimes the things we replace a product with isn't necessarily simpler and it isn't necessarily safer. So just some word for the wise here, but until next time, God bless. Keep pushing through and we'll catch you on the next one. Thank you once again for listening. If you've enjoyed the show. Please leave a review and share it with fellow business owners. Your support means the world to me and helps keep the show going strong. I want to give a special shout out to our friends at Yardbook. Their continued support has been instrumental in bringing this podcast to you week after week. If you haven't checked them out yet, visit yardbook.com and see how they can give you the tools to streamline and manage your lawn care business. Also, don't forget to explore the resources and upcoming events that I've collected just for you in the show Notes. These are curated to help you stay ahead in your business with the latest tips, tools and networking opportunities. Whether it's a new tool, an insightful article, or an event you don't want to miss, I've got you covered. Until next time, keep pushing through and God bless.
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Sam.