Tuesday, September 30, 2008

IDOT offers plan to fight ash borer beetle




(PEORIA, Ill. — In an effort to stop the spread of invasive emerald ash borer beetle, the Illinois Department of Transportation says it won't plant ash trees in any more of its landscaping projects.
Craig Mitckes is a maintenance manager for the department. He says IDOT would like to be proactive in stopping the beetle's spread across Illinois. He also says department crews will remove any ash trees that are infested.

Juliann Heminghous is the emerald ash borer outreach coordinator for the Illinois Department of Agriculture. She says any help from IDOT would provide significant help in fighting the beetles.
Emerald ash borers feed on ash trees, eventually killing them. The insect has been blamed for killing millions of trees in the Midwest.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Green Industry Star Certification Program: Modules 1 & 3 Testing


Missouri Landscape & Nursery Association’s Green Industry Star Certification Program: Modules 1 & 3 Testing
Date: Monday, Jan. 5, 2009 3-5 p.m.
Location: Overland Park Convention Center (Courtyard Level) Meeting Room 2
Registration Information: In order to participate in Missouri Landscape & Nursery Association’s new Green Industry Star Certification’s testing, you will need to register for BOTH the 2009 WESTERN Annual Meeting and Trade Show AND with the Missouri Landscape & Nursery Association. For more information about our new state and nationally recognized professional Five Star certification, the various specialized module options and the Green Industry Business Star qualification if you are already PLANET CLP certified click here
Missouri Landscape and Nursery Association Registration
Deadline: December 5, 2008
Register By:
Phone: Call MLNA at 636.939.9079
Online: Click here
Mail: 6209 MidRivers Mall Drive Suite 128 St. Charles, MO 63304
Minimum Registrants: 10
Maximum Registrants: 40
2009 WESTERN Annual Meeting and Trade Show Registration
Deadline: None
Register By:
Phone: Call WESTERN at 888.233.1876
Online: Click here

State and federal quarantines have been established for Wayne County


Both state and federal quarantines have been established for Wayne County by the MO Dept. of Agriculture and USDA-APHIS Plant Protection & Quarantine, respectively. See these web sites:
http://www.mda.mo.gov/news/2008/PR09032008.htm
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/emerald_ash_b/quarantine.shtml

- A recent one-hour webinar discussing the status of EAB in Missouri can be viewed online. It's hosted by MU Extension and can be viewed at this web site:
https://admin.na3.acrobat.com/_a799913848/p87216095/

- Current EAB information for Missouri can be obtained at these web sites:
http://mdc.mo.gov/forest/health/ashborer/
http://www.snr.missouri.edu/forestry/extension/emeraldash.php

- If folks think they might have EAB in their trees, we recommend that first they check the above Missouri EAB web sites or the national site ( www.emeraldashborer.info/ ) to learn exactly what signs and symptoms to look for. Then, they can report suspect trees by either calling the EAB toll-free phone: 866-716-9974 , or reporting via the web with the online form at:
http://mdc.mo.gov/forest/health/ashborer/

---------------------------------------------------
Rob Lawrence
Resource Scientist - Forest Entomologist
Missouri Department of Conservation
1110 S. College Ave.
Columbia, MO 65201

Voice: 573-882-9909 ext 3303
Fax: 573-882-4517
Email: Robert.Lawrence@mdc.mo.gov
---------------------------------------------------

Thursday, September 18, 2008

February 5th 2009

SAVE THE DATE - Note New Location, more room -beautiful facility!
February 5th, 2009

MLNA Annual Winter Short Course New location: Holiday Inn Select Executive Center / Convention Hotel, Columbia, MO.
We are working on the program to coordinate with our Missouri Landscape & Nursery Association's Sustainability Platform. The year long focus for 2009 Protect and Preserve; Planning For the Future

Date To Be Set In October


”Green Roofs & Walls Are Growing” Tour –Hosted By Jost Greenhouse and Green Roof Blocks
MLNA ends the traveling workshop series on a high note with our Green Industry Pro Tour. Missouri Landscape & Nursery members, industry professionals and Allied Industry Organization (AIO) Member, the St. Louis Regional Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects are invited. If you are interested be sure to contact me @636-939-9079. More information will be sent out in an e-mail blast as soon as we tie up the details! We are working on a full day of touring green walls and roofs in the St. Louis area. This is a great networking and educational opportunity. The date looks to be after Oct 7th, 2008. Watch for details coming soon!

Watch for our Ads

Missouri Landscape & Nursery Association has taken the next step with their 2008 Green Industry Professional Awareness Campaign.

Already connecting members to members and members to the public with the MLNA "Green Pages," they will now also run informational ads in The Kansas City Gardener and The Gateway Gardener.

"This will increase recognition for our members, the green industry professional and support these important regional publications that provide valuable communication links between the public and the green industry community" said MaryAnn Fink, Excutive Director of MLNA. "Both magazines will also be a special feature on MLNA's new website @ http://www.mlna.org/"

MLNA offers Butterfly Host Plant List on Request


Do you need a list of Missouri’s butterfly host plants?
The MLNA has it. MaryAnn has a list of native plants that support our native butterfly population. Please Contact her if you'd like this list of plants sent to you.

Membership Special For New Members


Pre- Calendar Year MembershipSpecial for New Members
This Pre-January Membership special is available to first time members only!
(returning members not included in this promotion)Don’t wait till January to join MLNA. Begin enjoying MLNA Membership advantages now!
- Membership Discount Programs, Marketing & Advertising on the MLNA website Green Pages
- Monthly E-Newsletters/ Communication
- Ongoing Education and newly revised Green Star Certification Program
- MLNA Member Products and Service Benefits
- MLNA Member to Member Network Listing / Contact Information File (requests to be added or removed are honored)
We look forward to welcoming you into our organization.

G.R. Robinson Seeds & Service New Member


Featured New Member:
G.R. Robinson Seeds & Service Co.
8674 Olive Street
St. Louis MO.
63132
314.432.0300
314.432.0388
Contact Person: Glenn Kraemer
gmmseed@sbcglobal.net
Years in Business 9
Business Category Horticulture Supply for landscapers, municipalities and homeowners-specifically for turf grass and landscape.
Key products are: Grass seed, fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides & herbicides for turf and landscape. Turf grass consulting for commercial & residential clients
Glenn Kraemer is owner/operator of the G.R. Robinson Seed & Service Company, home of "George’s Magic Mix." This grass seed mix is specially formulated for St. Louis-area lawns, and is available in three types: sun, shade and heavy traffic. A native of St. Louis, Glenn specializes in practical, hands-on advice for residential, commercial and athletic fields. St. Louis lawns present particular challenges, Glenn says, because of our hot and humid summers. Glenn can assist landscape professionals as they encounter difficulties in controlling diseases and turf management. St. Louis typically has a range of weather situations and a challenge, as a Best Management Practice Counselor, Glenn specializes in appropriate chemical use, mowing issues and water application technique. Glenn draws on his horticulture degree and years of experience in teaching at Missouri Botanical Garden. Many landscapes have become top rated examples of well managed turf following his recommendations including for an extended period, The Lang Family Bird Garden at the Kemper Center for Home Gardening at Missouri Botanical Garden. He has taught at the Missouri Botanical Garden since 1998, and has been featured at their Spring Educational Events. He has also taught turf grass classes at St. Louis Community College- Meramec. You can reach him by email at gmmseed@sbcglobal.net.

EAB Update


MLNA Pest Alert
Update on the Emerald Ash Borer
MLNA is advising the public, communities /municipalities to update their tree inventory and take notice of their number of ash trees and consider making adjustments to long term planting programs. Click here for a short and long list of tree alternatives that are recommended to perform well in Missouri.
How to identify an ash tree and ash borer damage- click here How to identify lilac borer which also attacks ash trees and is much more common ( there are several borers that can damage ash trees but none have the same traits or have as serious potential) click here. There will be continued monitoring of the traps in place but no more traps will be installed this year.The traps in use are still being modified and improved for production. Due to this evolution they are not available for purchase.There has been an emergency permit applied for the use of Tree-age for control. It is not currently approved for use in Missouri. For information on Michigan’s effort to control EAB with this pesticide click here

EAB Update


MLNA is advising the public, communities /municipalities to update their tree inventory and take notice of their number of ash trees and consider making adjustments to long term planting programs. Click here for a short and long list of tree alternatives that are recommended to perform well in Missouri.
How to identify an ash tree and ash borer damage- click here How to identify lilac borer which also attacks ash trees and is much more common ( there are several borers that can damage ash trees but none have the same traits or have as serious potential) click here. There will be continued monitoring of the traps in place but no more traps will be installed this year.The traps in use are still being modified and improved for production. Due to this evolution they are not available for purchase.There has been an emergency permit applied for the use of Tree-age for control. It is not currently approved for use in Missouri. For information on Michigan’s effort to control EAB with this pesticide click here

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

MLNA Member Hortica Insurance announcement


CONTACT: Amy Burger
(314) 265-1372
amy@amyburger.com

HORTICA ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD CHAIR
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill., September 16, 2008 – Hortica Insurance & Employee Benefits announces that, effective immediately, former chairman of the board M. James Leider will re-assume the role of chairman until the company’s February 24, 2009 policyholders meeting. He replaces Todd Bachman, who was killed tragically in Beijing last month. Leider had served as chairman of the board from October 1997 to February 2008.
Jim Leider is Chairman & CEO of Leider Horticultural Companies, Inc. Based in the Chicago area, the company operates a commercial greenhouse operation and seasonal retail garden centers in Buffalo Grove, Ill., a nursery and farm in Knox County Ill., and a foliage plant nursery in Boynton Beach, Fla. He has served as past chairman for several industry organizations including the Society of American Florists and the American Floral Endowment.

About Hortica Insurance & Employee Benefits
Hortica Insurance & Employee Benefits, a 120-year-old mutual insurance company, specializes in providing business insurance, employee benefits and personal insurance to the horticultural industry. Since 1887, Hortica has grown its customer base to include all types of businesses in the horticultural industry. Hortica is a member of numerous state and national industry associations, including the Society of American Florists, American Nursery & Landscape Association and Professional Landcare Network. For more information about Hortica, call 800-851-7740 or visit hortica-insurance.com.

Flash Flooding In Missouri


Major disaster assistance requested of FEMA following September 14th’s flash flood by
St. Louis County Executive, Charlie Dooly. More than 720 residents and over 100 private businesses were affected, many of which do not have private insurance coverage to insure property restoration. Click these links for more information: http://www.co.st-louis.mo.us/index.cfm?ViewMe=11875 and http://www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=576 Affected MLNA members please share your experiences over this event, what advice, suggestions or directions you would like to share and let everyone know what can be done to help!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Missouri Native Plants Cultivating Care and in the Commercial Landscape


MLNA Traveling Workshop Programs for 2009. Members are invited to submit requests now or any time during the year. Several topics are in the planning stages including “Missouri Native Plants; Cultivating A Care & Management Plan in the Commercial Landscape” (St. Louis Area) and Tree Inventory Basics (Kansas City area) More details available soon.


Monday, September 15, 2008

2009 Summer Meeting and Field Day In Springfield


June 2009
Summer Field Day Springfield Missouri - Plans are underway for next year's summer event which will include a tour of the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden · Botanical Gardens at Close Memorial Park. Details Soon!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

MLNA Green Leaders Pharm Solutions In the News


MLNA Green Leaders In the News
Missouri Landscape & Nursery Association’s Member, Pharm Solution’s Products receives USDA Organic Certification
National Organic Program Certification: The Company says its Rose Pharm, Veggie Pharm, Indoor Pharm, Flower Pharm, Fungus Pharm, Oil Pharm, and Soap Pharm are the only pesticides to qualify as USDA Certified Organic. The Pharm Solutions line of patent-pending organic pesticides has been available since 2004. "The process has been challenging," said Susan E. Lewis, founder and president. "We believe we have set a new standard for pesticides and hope this accomplishment motivates other pesticide manufacturers to follow suit”. For more information about this new MLNA member visit: http://pharmsolutions.com/
Please use the Event News Release Form or send an email to let us know what you are doing in the news and for our communities. Your event will be included on the MLNA website, the MLNA blog and enewsletter when space allows!)

Revises EAB Quarantine to include Houghton and Keweenaw Counties in the U.P.



For Immediate Release: September 11, 2008
Contact: James Bowes, 517-373-1085
Michigan Revises EAB Quarantine to include Houghton and Keweenaw Counties in the U.P.
LANSING - Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) today announced an amendment to the state’s Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) interior quarantine to help prevent the further spread of the exotic insect in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.).
Effective immediately, Michigan’s EAB interior quarantine has been revised to include all of Houghton and Keweenaw counties in the U.P. In August 2008, an EAB infestation was discovered near the Village of Laurium in Houghton County.
"Michigan’s natural resources continue to be at risk," said Ken Rauscher, MDA’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division Director.
"Over the past several weeks, MDA staff, including EAB response partners, has conducted surveys around the Laurium site to determine the extent of the infestation. The current quarantine revision continues to prohibit the movement of ash material or hardwood firewood from quarantined areas in the U.P. or from the Lower Peninsula."
The Houghton County quarantine is divided into two levels: the City of Hancock and the townships of Calumet, Franklin, Hancock, Osceola, Quincy, Schoolcraft, and Torch Lake are quarantine Level II; and the remaining portions of Houghton County are quarantine Level III.
Keweenaw County is designated as quarantine Level III due to its geographic location to the EAB infestation in Houghton County. The movement of hardwood firewood and other regulated articles out of quarantine Level II and III areas of the U.P. is prohibited except regulated articles may move from Level III into Level II areas.
EAB is an exotic insect native to Asia that attacks ash trees. In its larval stage, EAB feeds undetected under the bark of ash trees, disrupting water and nutrient flow - ultimately killing the trees in three to four years. First discovered in 2002, the borer is responsible for the death or damage of approximately 25 million ash trees in the Lower Peninsula.
The movement of hardwood firewood is still prohibited from leaving the Lower Peninsula as it is the leading cause of spreading EAB. The inspection station at the Mackinac Bridge will also continue to prevent hardwood firewood and other regulated ash material from entering the Upper Peninsula.
Individuals or businesses found violating the state’s EAB quarantine are subject to fines ranging from $1,000 to $250,000 and jail time of up to five years for moving regulated ash materials, including firewood.
Additional information about EAB, quarantine details and a map of the quarantine boundaries are available at http://www.blogger.com/www.michigan.gov/eab or http://www.blogger.com/www.emeraldashborer.info.
###

Robin M. Usborne
Communications Manager
Michigan State University
312 Agriculture Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824
ph: 517-432-1555 x 169
fax: 517-355-1804
http://www.blogger.com/www.emeraldashborer.info

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Membership Meeting and Hospitality Reception at Western


Join MLNA Members at the 2009 Western Annual Meeting and Trade Show
January 4 - 6, 2009, Overland Park, KS.
MLNA will have our 2009 Business Meeting, followed by a Missouri Landscape and Nursery
Association sponsored Hospitality Reception for MLNA, Horticulture Co-op of Metro St. Louis and Hort NetWORK members & guests. The Hort Coop of Metro St. Louis and The HortNetWork of the Kansas City Metropolitan Region are our local allied organizations. MLNA encourages membership in local, state and regional associations. All Green Industry Professionals Welcomed!
Also the Missouri Landscape & Nursery Association’s Green Industry Star Certification Program Modules 1 & 3 Testing will be Monday, Jan. 5, 2009 3-5 p.m. Overland Park Convention Center (Courtyard Level) Meeting Room 2 . In order to participate in Missouri Landscape & Nursery Association’s new Green Industry Star Certification’s testing, you will need to register for BOTH the 2009 WESTERN Annual Meeting and Trade Show AND with the Missouri Landscape & Nursery Association.
For more information about our new state and nationally recognized professional Five Star certification, the various specialized module options and the Green Industry Business Star qualification if you are already PLANET CLP certified click here.

Compost Helps Manage Water Runoff


Compost Helps Manage Water Runoff
The Iowa Department of Transportation provided funds for Dr. Thomas Glanville, professor at Iowa State University, to conduct a study to determine how compost blankets would control erosion and sediment runoff at highway embankment sites.
The study compared subsoil compaction, a 6” topsoil cover and a 2-4” compost blanket.
What they found in the study was that the highway embankments blanketed with compost stopped erosion to a significantly greater degree than the Iowa DOT’ conventional methods of compacting the subsoil or adding topsoil. For more information, click here.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Survey Request for Green Industry Professionals

Special Feature: MLNA Member Survey sponsored by Lewis Evergreen.

Which way is your business headed? Good busineses need to know what they are looking for and where to find it to be successful. Please take this short and interesting survey to help MLNA and Bert Lewis know if you are his future customer. This survey will also help idenify who else might be able to help your buisness "grow"! We will share back the results with you to help you find customers, materials and service sources.

Visit Bert Lewis at http://www.lewisevergreen1.blogspot.com/ and watch for his new website this month!

Calculating Materials Is Easy


MLNA Local Expertise Q & A
Q: I need a fast and easy way to figure product for my job particularly my mulch and top soil needs.
A: If you have internet access, there are several websites with calculator functions including this easy one that was recommended to me at Soil Builder’s website. Here is the link: http://www.soilbuildingsystems.com/CubicYard.php. If anyone has other favorite sites for this type of help please send them to us and we will post them on the blog!