James A. Chatfield
Pamela J. Bennett
Joseph F. Boggs
Gary Y. Gao
Jane C. Martin
David J. Shetlar
Randall H. Zondag
The Buckeye Yard and Garden Line (BYGL) is one of the key ways through which Ohio State University Extension and the Extension Nursery Landscape and Turf Team (ENLTT) provide ornamental plant and plant problem information to the green industry, to Extension offices, and to the general public. The article that follows answers some questions about BYGL and provides the results of the 1997 BYGL Evaluation Survey.
The Buckeye Yard and Garden Line (BYGL) is a weekly plant update in the form of an electronic newsletter. It is written by OSU Extension agents and specialists, from a conference call held every Tuesday from April-October. BYGL is funded by the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association and OSU Extension, with additional contributions from the Ohio Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture.
BYGL is written for green industry professionals, Extension agents, Master Gardeners, and other horticulturists in Ohio and throughout the United States, especially the Midwest.
There are three ways to receive BYGL - by e-mail, by fax subscription, and directly on the World Wide Web. Here's how:
ABE Center (NW Ohio)
Amy Stone 419-354-6916
Clark County
Pam Bennett 937-328-4607
Clermont County
Gary Gao 513-732-7070
Cuyahoga County
Jack Kerrigan 216-397-6000
Franklin County
Jane Martin 614-462-6700
Hamilton County
Joe Boggs 513-825-6000
Lake County
Randy Zondag 440-350-2269
Montgomery County
Pete Lane 937-224-9654
Only the fax subscriptions have a fee ($35 a year) to cover phone line costs, and even fax subscriptions are free for members of the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association, the Ohio Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture, and the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation.
Reading time during the growing season comes at a premium, and that is why BYGL is formatted in short bytes (1-2 paragraphs) of the most relevant information on a particular topic. We also strive for a lively, user-friendly, sometimes humorous style.
This is the World Wide Web version of BYGL, and it comes not only with the text of BYGL available on the e-mail and fax versions, but also with hot links to color images of pests and plants and to more than 9,000 additional fact sheets from Ohio State and other universities.
BYGLive! is a series of informal programs at arboreta throughout Ohio on the first Monday or Tuesday of each month, May-October. The participants have a chance to see plants and plant and pest development throughout the season at sites listed here, to do some diagnostic troubleshooting, and to provide observations and insights that will add to the next day's BYGL conference call. Sites for 1998, with key contacts, are:
Number of respondents = 290
Key to Responses:
SA = Strongly Agree
A = Agree
N = Neutral
D = Disagree
SD = Strongly Disagree
Evaluation Question 1:
BYGL was useful to my job and business.
SA = 211
A = 79
N = 0
D = 0
SD = 0
Evaluation Question 2:
BYGL helped in answering clientele questions.
SA = 128
A = 118
N = 39
D = 0
SD = 0
Evaluation Question 3:
BYGL was timely.
SA = 195
A = 82
N = 7
D = 0
SD = 0
Evaluation Question 4:
I (we) changed some horticultural practices based on BYGL.
SA = 64
A = 134
N = 88
D = 0
SD = 0
Evaluation Question 5:
BYGL has resulted in improved customer service in our company.
SA = 30
A = 218
N = 38
D = 0
SD = 0
Evaluation Question 6:
In this question, we asked respondents to rate in order of preference (1-6) a series of BYGL features. We subsequently considered the results to be unreliable once we discovered that some respondents used 1 as their "most useful" and others meant 6 to indicate the most useful feature. Therefore, we will not present the confused results here, but we will try this question, with better instructions, again next year.
Evaluation Question 7:
Do you use BYGL in employee training?
Yes = 211
No = 73
Evaluation Question 8:
How many people read BYGL from access to your subscription?
From 290 respondents = 2,972
Evaluation Question 9:
Has the information in BYGL saved your company money?
Yes = 160
No = 56
Note: A number of institutional respondents responded "Not Applicable" to this question.
Evaluation Question 10:
Does your company have:
Fax = 251
Computer = 197
Compact Disc Drive = 189
Modem = 151
E-mail = 139
Web Access = 138
From 290 respondents.
Selected Suggestions and Comments
from the Evaluation Survey
[with our responses in italics]:
"I would like to see enhancements via URL links to other sites." - Doug Thompson, Cadsel-Mouristy Designs
We will improve this next year on Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine, under the tutelage of our Webmaster Tim Rhodus of the Ohio State University Department of Horticulture and Crop Science.
"Has helped us steer away from old-time favorite crabapples to ones that in the long run are more disease and pest resistant." - Also from Doug Thompson
Now there is a welcome practice change we can all be proud of!
"I would like an index/table of contents at the beginning of each BYGL. Kind of lets me know what is coming up, especially if I have to zero in on an article of immediate interest." - Larry Kaplan, Purdue
One of the BYGL writers, Randy Zondag, has argued for this the last several years. He wins!
"Appreciated it when Zondag gave planting recommendations because timing for extreme northeast Ohio is always a little different from the rest of the world." - Northeast Ohio landscaper
This is one of several requests for more horticultural information to complement the pest and disease items in the BYGL. We shall gladly comply.
"I would prefer it if all the advertising, warnings, and caveats be moved to the end of the post."
We will improve this next year. Acknowledging those who help make BYGL possible, making sure that people know who is responsible for the text, and assorted caveats are very important, but we agree that we must find a more user-friendly way to include them in each BYGL.
"Keep the information as direct and brief as possible."
Each year we receive many pleas such as this, and we have concluded that the essence of BYGL is the short bytes of information that can be digested readily during the horticulturists' busy season. If BYGL is too wordy and long, users will simply become non-users, so we take this concern seriously.
"More specific pesticide information."
We get one or two of these requests yearly, and we do include pesticide information where it is essential. But, referring to the last concern regarding brevity, we continue to be wary about extensive listings of available pesticides.
"More turf management information."
We have taken this to heart, and there will be more timely turf information available to the industry next year. Stay tuned.
"BYGL saves us time and time is money!" - Dan Balser, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
"It has reduced the urge to apply pesticides when results would be marginal or ineffective." - Bob Avenius, TruGreen-Chemlawn
"Lower overall plant losses due to being informed." - Rick Riccardi, University of Akron
"Saved on tree damage claims." - Al Klonowski, First Energy
"We have used lots of PPFAX (the Boggs FAX BYGL+) info on new Tip Sheets that bring customers in. Our replacements are down due to info on certain varieties that have changed our product mix." - Denny McKeown, Radio Host and Blooming Garden Center
"By using better timed pesticide and fungicide sprays. Also we are more time efficient with diagnosis and course of action." - Keith Manbeck Manbeck Nurseries
"By not treating past the application window." - Landscape manager
"Valuable as a backup - if it's in the BYGLine then we are fine." - Landscaper
"Particularly useful in not chasing the rainbow of control of certain pests." - Landscape manager
"Made us more professional." - Several respondents
These last 10 comments are representative of how people are putting BYGL to use and are the sort of thing for which we constantly strive. So keep letting us know of ways that BYGL is useful to you and how we can make it better.
"The BYGL is far-reaching." - Deb Brown University of Minnesota
The BYGL does get around, even to Hawaii, and there are quite a number of international hits on Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine. We may even have gone galactic with this response - "I've enjoyed BYGL since learning of it at a pesticide conference in Mars earlier this year"- though I suppose it was really Mars, Pennsylvania.
"Less playful banter - more useful information."
We do try to take it seriously when readers have had enough of the humor and playfulness that is part of BYGL. However, for every comic concern we receive many comments that a hint of humor is what keeps people reading. Here is one such note from Chris Starbuck from the University of Missouri.
"Bravo! The info is always timely and helpful, but most of all I love the humor. Entertaining education is hard to come by. I particularly like the piece that wove in all the herbicide names. Keep up the good work!"
To close this article, then we will repeat one of our responses this year to our BYGLMail.
"One BYGLer recently received a query regarding an item entitled 'Artillery Fungus Fusillade' from BYGL 97-2. It read, 'I am confused about the inclusion of the herbicide Fusilade in the article. What bearing does this have on the article as written? Is there some connection between the herbicide and the artillery fungus? Please let me know if there is a link or if this was just a misprinted word.'
"Assuming that this ole hound's leg is not being pulled, we shall clarify. We were referring not to the herbicide 'Fusilade' (spelled with one 'l' by the way), but rather to the word 'fusillade' (spelled 'll') in the dictionary sense of 'a discharge from a number of firearms, fired simultaneously or in rapid succession.' This seemed like good imagery to describe the shooting into the air of the spore masses from the shotgun or artillery fungus onto siding, cars, and plants.
"Our dual goal is to manage to educate within the dimension of lively writing. Some give us acclaim for this. Others would like to stomp on us, to torpedo us, to oust, to pounce with the full force of all the ammo in their arsenal. Scimitar in hands, they would confront us at the barricade, to force a showdown to some grand finale. We welcome the point-counterpoint. We salute you. Bravo!"
We hope you noted the 16 pesticide trade names in that last paragraph and conclude by saying: "Ain't communication fun!"