Among the most noteworthy invasive plants are: 1) purple loosestrife; 2) Russian olive; 3) saltcedar; 4) water hyacinth. 5) English ivy; and 6) buckthorn
Invading extraterrestrial aliens are bad enough, but invasive species of the plant variety are not to be taken lightly either, at least according to the Invasive Weeds Awareness Coalition (IWAC). While most exotic plants are not a problem, the IWAC warns to be careful about selecting or planting nonnative plants, as some become invasive and can eventually destroy habitat that sustains native birds, butterflies, insects and small animals.
Mary Meyer, PhD, a horticulturalist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, notes that most garden centers are careful not to carry invasive species, but every year new species turn up. She advises asking the local extension service before choosing a nonnative plant. The most serious invaders include: purple loosestrife, Russian olive, saltcedar, buckthorn, English ivy and water hyacinth. For more information on invasive plants, visitwww.blm.gov/weeds.
Study Continues on the Growth of Salt-tolerant Plants
The Western region is an agriculturally rich area. However, soil salinity and drainage problems are common. West-side soils tend to be saline rich?EUR??,,????'?????<
For updates log on towww.cati.csufresno.edu
2004 American Standard for Nursery Stock Released
Washington, D.C. ?EUR??,,????'?????<
The ANLA is making this important resource available to everyone in the green industry at no charge through its website, www.anla.org. The pdf-format document can be viewed on line, downloaded to the user?EUR??,,????'?????<
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Executive Forum for Landscape Owners
A three-day forum for landscape business owners and managers will be presented by the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) at the Westin Rio Mar Beach in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, February 10-13, 2005. The forum is called an interactive event and will include speaker presentations and plenty of networking with industry peers.
The stated goal of the event, in part, is to ?EUR??,,????'?????<
For more information, visitalca.organd click on events.
EPA Rule Would Establish, Modify and Revoke Pesticide Tolerances
On August 4, the EPA published a proposed rule entitled ?EUR??,,????'?????<
The comment period for this proposed rule will remain open until October 4, 2004. Links to documents on these chemicals are available on EPA?EUR??,,????'?????<www.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/status.htm.
Bad Wildfire Season Predicted
According to federal fire officials, predictions of an intense upcoming fire season have sparked much preparation among state officials who are in the fire zones. The greatest threat lies in the Pacific Northwest, the northern Rockies of Idaho and Montana and the Southwest including southern California. Washington State fire officials have fought more than 70 small fires this year as opposed to the usual 20. The snowpack in the Cascades in Oregon has fallen to well below average, and fire officials are telling people to get ready by creating fire breaks. The raging fires in southern California earlier this year killed 20 people. The entire state of Arizona and the western half of New Mexico are also facing an above normal fire danger. Double the number of acres than last years?EUR??,,????'?????<
Orange County, Calif. Gets New Water Supply
A recycling plant upgrade will give rapidly-growing south Orange County, Calif. close to 3 billion additional gallons of water a year for landscape irrigation.
The nearly $40 million project will upgrade the Michelson Water Reclamation Plant in Irvine and the Los Alisos Water Reclamation Plant in Lake Forest. Funding for the upgrades was announced on Aug. 17.
Treated wastewater from the plants will be used for irrigation at parks, schools, golf courses and along freeways. Every gallon of recycled water frees up another gallon for household uses, said Southern California?EUR??,,????'?????<
Finding new sources of water has been a priority for Orange County?EUR??,,????'?????<
California Pest Advisers Slate Annual Conference
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Highlights of this year?EUR??,,????'?????<
Last year?EUR??,,????'?????<
For more information, visitcapca.comor call (916) 928-1625.
Rainmaker Called By Drought-impacted Big Bear Lake
The water level in man-made Big Bear Lake near Los Angeles is falling due to several years of below-normal precipitation.
The city of Big Bear Lake, Calif. has called a professional rainmaking company to relieve dangerous drought conditions. Drought is thought to be the root cause behind a continuing bark beetle infestation that is killing millions of trees and boosting the chance of catastrophic fire in the mountain community.
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The city will pay Fresno-based Atmospherics Incorporated an undisclosed sum to use aircraft to scatter silver iodide into moisture-bearing clouds this winter. The effort could start as early as December.
The method is based on science and will likely boost rainfall from five to 15 percent, Hamilton said.
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6,743 ?EUR??,,????'?????<
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Source: www.bigbearlake.net
Soil Friendly Fungi
Robert G. Linderman
For thousands of years, fungi have been helping farmers. These quiet little helpers have been improving water and nutrient absorption, while getting rid of disease. Unfortunately phosphorus rich fertilizers, even though they increase crop yields and fight disease, inhibit the growth of these friendly organisms in plant nurseries. Fortunately, organic fertilizers don?EUR??,,????'?????<
At the Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon, plant pathologist Robert G. Linderman is one of the few scientists studying all the factors that affect mycorrhizial growth. He is also looking at other things that nurseries add to the soil such as peat moss and compost. Some growers are adding coir (coconut fibers). Unlike peat moss, coir has a good uniform consistency, absorbs water better, and holds more nutrients and encourages mycorrhizal fungi. However, again, it doesn?EUR??,,????'?????<
ACSP Reports Chemical Use Down
Use of Best Management Practices and IPM programs reduces chemical use and increases healthy spaces.
New members of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP) for golf courses received a copy of Environmental Guide to Stewardship on Golf Courses including information on Integrated Pest Management projects and strategies, Best Management Practices and implementing IPM programs from the EPA?EUR??,,????'?????<
86% had reduced pesticide and chemical use;
92% were using pesticides with a lower toxicity level;
90% had decreased chemical use by increasing cultural control methods.
66% had reduced fertilizer use;
84% had increased percentage of slow-release fertilizers;
78% had increased the use of natural organic fertilizers.
Southern Bark Beetle Maps Will Be More Accurate
Forest One, Inc. has teamed up with the Texas Forest Service and the U.S. Forest Service to produce more accurate maps charting the health of southern pine forests and their vulnerability to Southern Pine Beetle infestation. The effort will use satellite imagery to plot a hazard rating for tracts of timber with a resolution down to one acre.
The Southern Pine Beetle is one of the most destructive insect pests in the southern United States and ranges through Mexico as far south as Nicaragua. The pest causes damage in excess of $100 million each year.
Charting trees?EUR??,,????'?????<
More information: Clark Love, (601) 594-0479, or the Forest One web site,www.forestone.com.
Regulation Grants EPA Sole Discretion Over Pesticides
On July 29 the Bush administration passed a regulation to allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sole discretion over the regulation of pesticides under the Endangered Species Act.
Existing law requires the EPA to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service (WFS) and NOAA Fisheries. The new regulation means that the EPA need not consult with wildlife experts before deciding whether pesticides are likely to harm threatened or endangered species and their habitat, and whether any steps should be taken to limit the harm.
Proponents of the regulation point out that the EPA has rarely consulted wildlife experts in the past, except under a mandated court order, and that the decision will streamline the process of pesticide approval, increasing efficiency.
Those opposed feel that the regulation will imperil already endangered wildlife.
Source: The National Wildlife Federation,www.nwf.org
Reduced Price For School Fire Ant Programs
Bayer Environmental Science?EUR??,,????'?????<
For more information call Bayer Customer Service at 1-800-331-2867
Landscape Industry Advocacy Groups Approve Merger
The newly-unified ALCA and PLCAA will have its primary headquarters in Herndon, Va. The ALCA moved its headquarters to the new building from a location just blocks away on Sept. 1.
The merger is now official. Members of the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) and the Professional Lawn Care Association of America (PLCAA) have voted to unify the two organizations. The merger becomes effective on Jan. 1, 2005.
Members had until Sept. 3 to vote. Of those that did, more than 90 percent agreed to the merger.
The move has been in the works for several years, and will ?EUR??,,????'?????<
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The name of the new organization will be announced in November around the time of the Green Industry Conference, Bendure said. It will be made up of close to 4,000 members.
Indiana Regulates Sedimentation
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To comply with Rule 5, a developer must:
Prepare an erosion control plan (before beginning construction) that satisfies the required elements listed in 327 IAC 15-5-7 and send it to the Soil and Water Conservation District office in the county where the project will take place.
A copy of development plans must be on site and the contractor must follow the erosion control portion of the development plans.
The developer must prepare and submit a complete Notice of Intent (NOI) to the Office of Water Management, Permits Section.
Failure to comply with Rule 5 could result in heavy fines or costly work stoppage.
Log on to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management atwww.in.gov/idem/guides/permit/water /stormwaterconstruction.htmlfor a detailed, easy to understand guide.
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Calling salinity in water runoff ?EUR??,,????'?????<
Rising salt levels in urban and suburban areas are not predominantly the fault of agricultural or landscape irrigators but of residents who use water-softeners to remove ?EUR??,,????'?????<
The coalition helped sponsor a study that is looking at the effects of development on salt levels in the Chino basin area of San Bernardino County, Calif. Preliminary results show that rising salt levels are ?EUR??,,????'?????<
Study participants will use results to draw up a list of salt-reducing measures that will likely include a campaign for a reduction in water-softener use.
Australian Water Recycling Conference
Water runs downhill, right? That might be a good reason to hold next year?EUR??,,????'?????<
Participants at the Integrated Concepts in Water Recycling conference will focus on ?EUR??,,????'?????<More information is available at: www.uow.edu.au/eng/cme/research/ozaquarec/conferences.htm
New Irrigation Research
Scientists at Agricultural Research Service, the research arm of the Department of Agriculture, have discovered that pumping water back through the same buried pipes used to drain wet fields increases crop yields and cleans groundwater at the same time. Developed by Barry Allred and Norm Fausey of ARS in collaboration with Ohio State University, the Wetland Resevoir Subirrigation System (WRSIS) has three interconnected components: a wetland, a water storage reservoir, and a cropland area with an underground pipe system for drainage or subirrigation. Water at the test sites now flows through a wetland and is then stored for later irrigation use. The wetland traps solids and organic carbons and uses the nitrogen to fertilize its own vegetation, thus cleaning the drainage water and creating cover for thriving plants and wildlife. More importantly, the reused water sent crop yields up 40-48 percent during the drier growing seasons, reduced non-point source pollution and kept the water table constant. Landscape architects could also apply these kinds of irrigation solutions to large developments or golf courses especially now that the Clean Water Act mandates that any project over one acre must treat its own runoff storm water runoff. Further, using this kind of re-cycled water decreases fertilizer usage although scrubber filters are high maintenance and bio-swill techniques may work best.
For more information go to:www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications
Lawn Flooding and West Nile Virus
PHOENIX, Ariz. ?EUR??,,????'?????<
Lawn flooding is an antiquated method but remains common in Phoenix?EUR??,,????'?????<
Any standing water can produce adult mosquitoes in a matter of days. West Nile virus has taken a disproportionate toll on Arizona?EUR??,,????'?????<
Experts attribute the high rate to unattended swimming pools and a high number of Culex tarsalis-species insects?EUR??,,????'?????<
Irrigation website can increase efficiency
Irrigation experts know that ?EUR??,,????'?????<
The web site is produced by the Texas A&M University System?EUR??,,????'?????<
Everyone knows that landscaped areas need less water when it?EUR??,,????'?????<
Researchers estimate that close to half of irrigation water is wasted through runoff and evaporation. During summer months, irrigation accounts for as much as 80 percent of home water use, according to the university?EUR??,,????'?????<
Subsurface Drip Most Efficient, Study Concludes
A U.S. Department of Agriculture study examining four means of irrigating juvenile peach trees (furrow, microject, surface drip, and subsurface drip) has concluded that trees irrigated by subsurface drip systems were the best at getting water to tree roots. Microsprayers were the poorest performers, judging by the smaller fruit produced by the trees so irrigated. The microsprayer results may be due in part to the lack of shade in young orchards and the subsequent increase in evaporation of water from the jets.
Trees irrigated by the surface and subsurface drip also outperformed the furrow method.
The study was in conjunction with the Center for Irrigation Technology and the Agricultural Research Initiative.
The complete report, ?EUR??,,????'?????<
Irrigation Association Show is Slated for Tampa
Registration is open for November?EUR??,,????'?????<
More information:www.irrigation.org.
Air Conditioners Can Keep Gardens Green
Large air conditioning units can generate enough water to keep adjacent landscaping green, according to research reviewed by Virginia-based The Irrigation Association.
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One San Antonio shopping mall produces 500 gallons of clean, free water an hour. A city library is already diverting its air conditioner condensation for irrigation.
Systems for putting condensation to use will be discussed at this November?EUR??,,????'?????<
