By Sharon Omahen

University of Georgia

You wouldn’t knowingly go to an unlicensed doctor or take your
taxes to an uncertified accountant. So why trust your landscape
to an amateur?

“The lawn-care industry can be anything from a company that
employs more than 100 workers to a high school student with a
leaf blower and a mower,” said Todd Hurt, a training coordinator
with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. “You hire a
CPA to do your taxes, and you should hire a professional for your
landscape needs.”

The Georgia Certified Landscape Professional Program was created
in 1993 to train landscape contractors statewide. The UGA College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Georgia Green
Industry Association, Metro Atlanta Landscape and Turfgrass
Association and Georgia Turfgrass Association started the
program.

More than 150 experts trained

“We now have 170 certified professionals in Georgia who have
completed the GCLP training,” said Hurt, who administers the
program through the Georgia Center for Urban Agriculture in
Griffin, Ga.

Hurt admits the training program isn’t easy. “Participants must
study a 300-page reference manual, complete an 18-chapter, online
study course and pass written and hands-on exams,” he said.

The hands-on parts are taught at the UGA Research and Education
Garden in Griffin. “They have to be familiar with more than 270
plants and be able to identify 50 plants during the exam,” Hurt
said. “They must recognize the plant from its leaves, flowers or
fruit. The plant list includes trees, shrubs, vines, ground
covers, herbaceous perennials, annuals, weeds and turf grasses.”

Participants must also identify pests and know which chemical to
use to control them. “They have to show that they know how to
properly mix the chemical, too,” he said.

Hands-on exams, too

Trainees must successfully complete nine hands-on tasks in
demonstration stations. These range from sod installation and
proper pruning techniques to grading and drainage.

Despite the intensity of the course, Hurt said landscape
professionals are eager to attend and graduate from the program.

“This certification is something to add to their resumes. Many
companies are giving automatic raises to employees that become
certified,” he said. “Our job is to help instill trust in our
state’s landscapers. And this program does that.”

Hurt has seen firsthand how the program creates confidence in its
graduates. “They can look their customers in the eye and answer
questions and offer solutions with confidence,” he said.

Find an expert

So how do you know whether a landscaper is GCLP certified?

Graduates are given a GCLP patch to wear on their uniforms and a
logo to use on their company business cards. Their name is also
entered into the GCLP graduates computer database.

You can find a GCLP graduate in your area or get more information
on the GCLP program by contacting the Georgia Center for Urban
Agriculture at (770) 233-6107. Or see the program’s Web site at
http://apps.caes.uga.edu/urbanag/Industry/indexFS.cfm?pg=gclp.