Landscape Equipment: March 2008 Archives

Vermiculture is the raising and production of earthworms and their by-products. Some would consider Vermiculture a 4-syllable word for poop!

Earthworms are masters at turning waste vegetation into an all natural, nutrient filled soil amendment. The technical name for this soil amendment is "worm casts," and considered by those in the know as the best soil amendment available.

Worm casts can be applied around a plant's drip line; mixed directly into the plant's roots, or applied as a mulch, adding valuable nutrients to strenthen the root system, thus making plants grow unbelievably well.

Jerry Gach, Managing Partner of Blue Ridge Vermiculture (WWW.BlueRidgeVermiculture.Com) raises a variety of earthworms for use in turning waste into soil amendments.

Healthy plants need healthy soil, and “Dirt” becomes fertile soil only when nature's balance of components are in place: organic matter, Living Organisms, Moisture, and Nutrients for both plants and their essential buddies, microorganisms.

Learn more about worm castings as organic soil amendments.

Smart sprinkler controllers are quickly proving to be the single best thing a city, multifamily community, or homeowner can do to save water.

Irrigation Smart Controller Features

Most of the current smart controllers have the same basic settings that basic controllers have, such as zone time, days to water, multiple start times, multiple programs for lawn or beds.

The features that really count are settings for each zone based on soil type, slope, sun/shade, plant or turf type, application rate of the system. By Laurence Budd, CLT, CLIA
Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor

Read more about Laurence's tips on Smart  Irrigation Controllers

When living green plants replace concrete driveways, retaining walls, sidewalks, and even planting bed borders, your  landscape becomes greenscaping!

Cost-effective solutions that provide beauty at the same time are worth checking out. Soil Retention Systems, Inc. is a Southern California manufacturer, distributor, designer and installer of plantable blocks. "Fewer blocks per square foot mean lower cost. This is the only 100% plantable block available," says Niklas Jansson, Sales engineer.

"Drivable grass", a permeable, flexible and plantable concrete pavement system that increases on-site water storage and minimized water runoff into rivers, lakes and the ocean. This helps solve one of the biggest environmental problems facing our country today.

The Oceanside Fire Station needed an environmentally friendly solution to their wash down area run-off problem and they solved the problem with "Drivable grass" -- which stood up to the heavy traffic of fire equipment.

See Pictures and Contact this manufacturer.

Waterscaping to Expand and Improve Habitat Quality

Create your own private island! Islandcapes enhance the beauty and biological health of ponds and streams - providing innovative filtration and a lush growing environment for terrestrial plants. Islandscapes offer food and fun for birds, butterflies, dragonflies, fish, frogs and other wildlife.

"Many bodies of water carry an unnaturally high nutrient load, due to runoff containing lawn and garden fertilizers etc.," explains Deb Kitszke of Freedom Ponds. "This can result in a wide range of serious water quality problems. Islandscapes represent a holistic way to mine these nutrients out of the waterway and convert them into a beautiful and wildlife enhancing floating garden habitat."

Biofiltration to Improve Water Quality

Islandscapes will attract beneficial microbes that are most likely already present within your waterway. Your Islandscape will also provide water quality benefits as it filters suspended solids and colloidals from the water. However your island is likely to be even more effective at competing with algae if you dose it with beneficial bacteria.

See examples and read more about floating islands.

Water sustains every community... from the most basic needs of its citizens to the very lifeblood of the community's economic growth. In both urban and rural areas across the U.S., water rights, allocation, treatment, delivery, and supply issues are increasingly subject to legislation and regulation. Frequently, measures are passed in reaction to a crisis and without a comprehensive plan. As the focus on our water resources increases, so does the need for equitable policy and progressive water management practices.

The Irrigation Association® has developed Turf and Landscape Irrigation Best Management Practices (BMPs) for policymakers and professionals who must save and extend our water supply while protecting water quality.

Irrigation Best Practices

The five Turf and Landscape Irrigation Best Management Practices include:

1. Assure Overall Quality of the Irrigation System;
2. Distribution of Water;
3. Install the Irrigation System to Meet the Design Criteria;
4. Maintain the Irrigation System for Optimum Performance; and\
5. Manage the Irrigation System to Respond to the Changing

Read more about Irrigation Best Management Practices

California nurseries produce two-thirds of the cut roses grown in the United States, with a wholesale value of $45 million. Pest control options have been limited in the past, resulting in the heavy use of pesticides and increasing resistance in important pests such as western flower thrips and two spotted spider mites.

An Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program has been successfully developed in California greenhouse cut roses. The IPM test program was directed at the key pests of cut roses, and was based on fixed precision sampling plans, thresholds, biological control, directed sprays of reduced risk pesticides, and cultural control. This program represented the largest effort to date to implement an IPM program in U.S. floriculture. This project was initiated in 2000 with major funding from the Pest Management Alliance Program of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Eight growers spanning the major rose-producing areas of California (San Diego, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz counties) participated in the program.

The key pests of cut roses are twospotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae), western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) and rose powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca pannosa rosae).

Heavy pesticide use against key pests in the greenhouse has resulted in the widespread development of pesticide resistance in western flower thrips.

SOURCE OF THE FULL REPORT: californiaagriculture.ucop.edu

In one year, the average blower emits as much pollution as 80 new cars, each driven 12,500 miles. In contrast, the STIHL model leafblowers are nearly four times cleaner than the California Air Resources Board's standard for new blowers. Exchanging 1,500 older blowers will reduce nearly 14 tons of smog-forming pollution a year. Replacing leaf blowers with new models designed for emissions-friendly, quieter operations will help protect residents’ and gardeners’ health by reducing harmful emissions.

Read more about California's leaf blower exchange program.

One lawmower -- okay... not so much.  Millions of gas guzzling, fumes belching, single-stroke engine inefficiency monsters -- that's another story!  And that's the state of the lawn mowing industry across the manicured lawn world.

Electric lawnmowers are quieter, use less energy, and emit far less emissions than gasoline-powered engines.  It's true that electricity MIGHT emit emissions  (but you can buy green energy from a regional wind or solar power electricity provider to offset that possibility). 

Or you can turn more of your lawn into natural areas that are beautified with habitat for your local bugs, bees, birds and butterflies!  No lawnmower needed in those far reaches of your back-forty.

California is making a concerted effort to turn gas guzzlers into a silent majority.  Your community might want to try a similar electric lawn mower incentive program.  Suggest it!