Monday's IPM symposium at the Congress Centre had it's usual highs and disappointing lows. On the high note, Michael "Pinball" Clemons was fantastic as the keynote speaker touting teamwork, self motivation and a never quit attitude. By far, the highlight reel of the day, or as Pinball would have probably preferred, "the sweeeeeet-spot."
Yet with all the fanfare and the rays of hope of last year's 2014 symposium
not word one was said about the, "next great weed control" Phoma macrostoma, or crabgrass pre-emergent Opportune and barely a passing sentence on Phyllom grub control.
Most of the time was spent on endophytic grass studies, changing weather patterns and the relation of grubs and chinch bug infestations. So was there any new information on how to deal?
Surprise, surprise....not a hell of a lot. Most of the information passed along you can already find in past posts, right here on this blog--- application timing, ideal conditions, proper mowing height etc.
There was even a fact or fiction panel, who for the most of the time, danced around the issues with a sly smile. Questions about nematode true effectiveness, or lack there of, possible amendment to the bylaw...lol, glyphosate vs 2-4-D for the sake of public health and to treat dangerous weed infestations.
At times the panel seemed fidgety and uncomfortable with what they were being asked. After all, those in attendance have lost a stadium worth of clientele between them due to a five-year-old bylaw that has yet to show and significant decline in chemical use.
The only useful information came from one of my suppliers after the presentations. They informed me, a new crabgrass pre-emergent had been approved by the PMRA for testing but was still two years away from going to market.
So, fact, or fiction? Were the products of last year just smoke and mirrors to appease the angry natives? The Big Foot and Loch Ness Monster of the lawn care world?
I don't know? No one answered those questions.
Either way it looks like we've a few years to go until we experience the "sweeeeet spot", and I, like many others, am not impressed.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Happy anniversary to us
As we prepare to embark on our eighth season in the lawn care industry I'm reminded of the New Year's morning 2008 when I woke up to a law suit courtesy of my former employer.
It seemed they didn't take too kindly to me leaving them to start my own business on the opposite side of the GTA.
Looking back, I see how frivolous and asinine the legal action actually was--- nothing more than a scare tactic of a small child throwing a temper tantrum. There was never any documentation to support a "non-compete," or any of the other erroneous claims they were making. Yet, it wasn't how I perceived it at the time and I still had to seek legal help to defend my position.
It seems we spend much of our time complaining about the negative we have thrust upon us, but it is exactly these moments we should be grateful for. It shaped who I am and how I treat others now. It gave me the resolve and determination to push forward from the corner I had been backed into.
Without that hurdle I don't believe I would have had the focus to start the business, or been as passionate about it. In fact, I probably would have gone to work for...egad!...Weedman.
So, it is with glass raised, I toast that moment in my life and celebrate the journey. Without the flaming bags of excrement on our doorstep once in a while our voices are monotone, the sweet moments are less colorful and the victories less resounding.
A happy and healthy new year to you all.
It seemed they didn't take too kindly to me leaving them to start my own business on the opposite side of the GTA.
Looking back, I see how frivolous and asinine the legal action actually was--- nothing more than a scare tactic of a small child throwing a temper tantrum. There was never any documentation to support a "non-compete," or any of the other erroneous claims they were making. Yet, it wasn't how I perceived it at the time and I still had to seek legal help to defend my position.
It seems we spend much of our time complaining about the negative we have thrust upon us, but it is exactly these moments we should be grateful for. It shaped who I am and how I treat others now. It gave me the resolve and determination to push forward from the corner I had been backed into.
Without that hurdle I don't believe I would have had the focus to start the business, or been as passionate about it. In fact, I probably would have gone to work for...egad!...Weedman.
So, it is with glass raised, I toast that moment in my life and celebrate the journey. Without the flaming bags of excrement on our doorstep once in a while our voices are monotone, the sweet moments are less colorful and the victories less resounding.
A happy and healthy new year to you all.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
To bee or not to bee
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
This post isn't about lawn care as it is about another industry I've been hearing rumblings from. In fact all year. To the point that bees are dying at a drastic rate and neonicotinoids are being blamed. This issue is now before the courts and well...
Since it isn't my area of expertise let me post something from Robert Wager of the University of British Columbia that sums it up best in this article obtained from Force of Nature. He brings up some interesting points on the pro-neonic side.
And what was the problem according to PMRA? Dust from seeding. And what did they do? Add a lubricant and some equipment changes to seeding machinery to eliminate the problem. A couple of key points not covered. A couple of things to think about re: neonics: First the western provinces use plenty of neonics and have very little CCD, Australia uses lots of neonics and has zero CCD (also has zero Varroa mits, hmmm)
Second, what do people think was used on seeds before neonics? Perhaps people should look up the EIQ of those older compounds and see how they compare to neonics before they call for a ban on neonics. This exact experiment is going on in Europe right now as they banned neonics for two years.
This whole story about Bees is very emotional but emotions make for very bad decision making tools in science based public policy.
Has anyone every asked what has changed with bee husbandry in the past couple decades? Very interesting. In Canada, colonies used to be destroyed each fall and all the honey harvested. new bees were purchased from the US each spring. Then the vorroa mite arrived in NA. That effectively ended the cross border movement of bees. So now the colonies over-winter but ask how much of the honey is left for the bees and how much is replaced with sugar water (hardly a equitable swap)?
No one wants to see bees harmed and as long as people keep shouting to fix the wrong thing, the real problems with bees will continue. It is very true there are real issues with bees and CCD but knee jerk blaming of one pesticide when evidence shows several reasons why its not that simple will not solve the real problems.
And there you have it from point A to Bee...sorry again.
A great site to learn about bees is scientificbeekeeping.com
This post isn't about lawn care as it is about another industry I've been hearing rumblings from. In fact all year. To the point that bees are dying at a drastic rate and neonicotinoids are being blamed. This issue is now before the courts and well...
Since it isn't my area of expertise let me post something from Robert Wager of the University of British Columbia that sums it up best in this article obtained from Force of Nature. He brings up some interesting points on the pro-neonic side.
And what was the problem according to PMRA? Dust from seeding. And what did they do? Add a lubricant and some equipment changes to seeding machinery to eliminate the problem. A couple of key points not covered. A couple of things to think about re: neonics: First the western provinces use plenty of neonics and have very little CCD, Australia uses lots of neonics and has zero CCD (also has zero Varroa mits, hmmm)
Second, what do people think was used on seeds before neonics? Perhaps people should look up the EIQ of those older compounds and see how they compare to neonics before they call for a ban on neonics. This exact experiment is going on in Europe right now as they banned neonics for two years.
This whole story about Bees is very emotional but emotions make for very bad decision making tools in science based public policy.
Has anyone every asked what has changed with bee husbandry in the past couple decades? Very interesting. In Canada, colonies used to be destroyed each fall and all the honey harvested. new bees were purchased from the US each spring. Then the vorroa mite arrived in NA. That effectively ended the cross border movement of bees. So now the colonies over-winter but ask how much of the honey is left for the bees and how much is replaced with sugar water (hardly a equitable swap)?
No one wants to see bees harmed and as long as people keep shouting to fix the wrong thing, the real problems with bees will continue. It is very true there are real issues with bees and CCD but knee jerk blaming of one pesticide when evidence shows several reasons why its not that simple will not solve the real problems.
And there you have it from point A to Bee...sorry again.
A great site to learn about bees is scientificbeekeeping.com
Sunday, November 2, 2014
The song remains the same
I'm reminded of a story I once heard about Neil Peart the drummer for Rush and how, when they were recording new material, Neil would always start out with a full drum kit. Yet, with each pass he would be informed that a certain instrument- perhaps the cowbell, wasn't right for the song. So Neil would remove it from the kit and toss it in the corner.
With each repetition of the song the pile of discarded instruments would grow until the right percussive mix was established.
Where am I going with all this?
The lawn care industry is much the same way. Think of each season as a different song that needs the right mix of instruments. This year the song was exceptionally good but there was still a problem with the overall sound.
In the summer chinch bugs came in full force and caused damage, but one discouraging result I found, was most of the damage I saw revolved around my customers with Eco-Lawn- a grass seed that I was told, flat-out, by my supplier was an endophytic cultivar.
Simply, this means it is a grass type meant to withstand chinch bug and grub invasions. However, I witnessed many of my eco-lawns destroyed by chinch. In one case where we treat adjoining fronts of two lawns the feeding only took place on the Eco-Lawn side and stopped once it reached the more traditional blends of perennial ryes, fescue and blue grass.
That raises some serious questions not to mention my frustration.
Now not all my Eco-Lawns were affected, but I have now seen chinch and white grub dine heavily on this supposedly insect resistant grass. Since I too, have touted the insect resistant value of this seed, I must now remove that statement from my vocabulary.
Don't get me wrong, I still feel Eco-Lawn grass seed is a useful instrument in the right situations. However, for this year's song it ended up in the corner and with chinch bug becoming a frequent problem I can't see it returning to the kit anytime soon.
With each repetition of the song the pile of discarded instruments would grow until the right percussive mix was established.
Where am I going with all this?
The lawn care industry is much the same way. Think of each season as a different song that needs the right mix of instruments. This year the song was exceptionally good but there was still a problem with the overall sound.
In the summer chinch bugs came in full force and caused damage, but one discouraging result I found, was most of the damage I saw revolved around my customers with Eco-Lawn- a grass seed that I was told, flat-out, by my supplier was an endophytic cultivar.
Simply, this means it is a grass type meant to withstand chinch bug and grub invasions. However, I witnessed many of my eco-lawns destroyed by chinch. In one case where we treat adjoining fronts of two lawns the feeding only took place on the Eco-Lawn side and stopped once it reached the more traditional blends of perennial ryes, fescue and blue grass.
That raises some serious questions not to mention my frustration.
Now not all my Eco-Lawns were affected, but I have now seen chinch and white grub dine heavily on this supposedly insect resistant grass. Since I too, have touted the insect resistant value of this seed, I must now remove that statement from my vocabulary.
Don't get me wrong, I still feel Eco-Lawn grass seed is a useful instrument in the right situations. However, for this year's song it ended up in the corner and with chinch bug becoming a frequent problem I can't see it returning to the kit anytime soon.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Witch hunt!
Recently, I was applying a fall fertilizer with Fiesta spot control when a woman went off on me about how I was poisoning her and defying the bylaw by spraying the lawn.
She was quite adamant and even had a flu mask pressed to her face as she yelled at me.
I made repeated attempts to explain Fiesta was a class 11 weed control approved by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, but she wouldn`t listen. She just kept going on about what I was involved in an illegal activity and backing away from me like I was ham at a Bar mitzvah.
The sad part, she's not the only one. At least once, or twice a day, mostly from May through June, I have watch-dogs asking me about what I'm spraying. Usually Fiesta (no smell), or Super Green 3 (eucalyptus), or a mix of them both.
The scary reality Is, this is how your lawn care technician is perceived by some people - like Al-Qaida lurking in your bushes, or a drug dealer with the turf's next fix of illegal substances.
Has the government been that effective in their propaganda that they have tied all pesticides to environmental terrorism?...because that s how it feels to me. It has become a sad state of affairs when I have to endure verbal accusations while I'm trying to make an honest living.
For god's sake people! It's been 5 years since the law changed. Where the hell do you think I have access to stock piles of tri-kill?
I've done nothing to incur this behavior yet, I feel like I've been tied to the stake as the flames encroach ever higher. Persecution? Discrimination? They are two words I use mainly because two word expletives seem to fall on deaf ears. Maybe I just need to get out of Salem until some sanity is restored. I definitely need to grow some thicker skin.
On the bright side...at least if the lawn care industry goes ass end up, I can always start pedaling meth. I'd probably come under less scrutiny.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Bombs away!
This happy little contraption is a Japanese Beetle trap and they have been appearing in gardens everywhere since the beginning of July. Yet, from what I've been hearing/ seeing, the numbers are far below previous years. So, what this means is, grub damage is probably going to be minimal to non-existent this year. This is not to say, lay off the nematode application. It's always a good idea to do what you can especially when you only get 50% efficacy from these microscopic worms that attack grub larvae.
It is also recommended, you take a walk through your lawn to see if there is any white moth activity. I've been seeing a lot of it this year and it is an indication that sod webworm may be a problem on your lawn.
Even though grubs look to be less of an issue this year, don't set off the fireworks yet. Chinch bug damage is approaching its peek and I'm starting to see a lot of stress out there despite the frequent rain and cooler temperatures. Unlike grubs, Chinch are harder to control with the products we still have on the menu, (the use of Sevin is not permitted under the bylaw). Still, your best defence is a healthy lawn able to withstand this sudden intrusion- endophytic grass comes to mind.
As mentioned in previous posts Chinch are an insect very active when it's hot and dry and can cause extreme damage in a short period of time.
To slow down feeding apply a mixture of dish soap and water to the affected area and reseed the damage near the end of August with a high quality, endophytic grass seed. Forget Met 52 EC, or nematodes for control, they simply do not work well enough to warrant your time and money.
It is also prudent to add annual aeration to your lawn regimen since these insects hide in bunkers of thatch much of the time where they are harder to control.
So, "bombs away people!" Just make sure you have the right ammunition.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Anticipate the fall
Really the title of this post is a selfish shout-out to my buddies in the band Crawl who released a new CD of the same name over the past week. It can, however, also be the mantra of every lawn care professional at this time of the year.
Whether you cut, lay sod, or control weeds and insects like I do, all it takes is a few hot, humid days to see all your hard work from the spring vanish into a sea of dry dormant grass. Especially if you have a client who wants their lawn kept short and then doesn't water the turf. It's a recipe for disaster and many times you'll get the brunt of the frustration.
Ready or not here it comes. I'm sure you've noticed the emergence of crabgrass in the sunny hot areas of not only your lawn but others as well. For those of you who applied corn gluten way back when, you'll excuse the sarcasm but, that was money well spent. Yet, until we get a new control like Opportune, which may, or may not work, you are left with pulling the ubiquitous weed, just dealing with it until it dies in the fall, or killing everything with vinegar or Glyphosate. Not much in the options department if you ask me.
You really can't win with whatever weather you're dealt. If it's hot and dry, it favours the chinch bug and crabgrass camp, wetter...the grubs and turf diseases like brown patch.
Your lawn must seem like Switzerland between two warring insect nations and you can't win for losing.
So as many of you continue to enjoy the summer, I say bring on the fall when I can restore some lawn and order and repair the damage done.
Whether you cut, lay sod, or control weeds and insects like I do, all it takes is a few hot, humid days to see all your hard work from the spring vanish into a sea of dry dormant grass. Especially if you have a client who wants their lawn kept short and then doesn't water the turf. It's a recipe for disaster and many times you'll get the brunt of the frustration.
Ready or not here it comes. I'm sure you've noticed the emergence of crabgrass in the sunny hot areas of not only your lawn but others as well. For those of you who applied corn gluten way back when, you'll excuse the sarcasm but, that was money well spent. Yet, until we get a new control like Opportune, which may, or may not work, you are left with pulling the ubiquitous weed, just dealing with it until it dies in the fall, or killing everything with vinegar or Glyphosate. Not much in the options department if you ask me.
You really can't win with whatever weather you're dealt. If it's hot and dry, it favours the chinch bug and crabgrass camp, wetter...the grubs and turf diseases like brown patch.
Your lawn must seem like Switzerland between two warring insect nations and you can't win for losing.
So as many of you continue to enjoy the summer, I say bring on the fall when I can restore some lawn and order and repair the damage done.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
