The second year of survey data tracking crape myrtle bark scale has provided researchers information they believe will help mitigate the pest’s effect on trees, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert.
Erfan Vafaie, a AgriLife Extension entomologist and integrated pest management program specialist, and other Texas Extension collaborators in College Station, Huntsville and Dallas, have monitored pest numbers the past two years to help determine crape myrtle bark scale’s seasonal life cycle and peak crawler activity. The data collected has helped researchers develop strategies against them.
The crape myrtle bark scale, an invasive insect species from Asia, secrete a sugary solution, known as honeydew, that subsequently results in black mold along the branches and tree trunk, Vafaie says. The crape myrtle bark scale has not shown to be fatal for plants.
Crape myrtle bark scale on an infested tree in Shreveport, La.
Allen Owings, LSU;
But the bark scale do affect the aesthetics for the popular ornamental tree, especially in the Southern U.S., Vafaie says. Observations suggest the crape myrtle bark scale could be responsible for stunted growth in plants as well as reduced flowering.
Two years of data collected by Vafaie and his collaborators show bark scale crawler, or nymph, numbers peak between mid-April and the beginning of May. He suggests two treatment options – contact spray or systemic – for landscapers or growers who have identified signs of crape myrtle bark scale based on data.
Trees can be treated with a contact insecticide spray as pest numbers peak, followed by another treatment two weeks later, he says. Insecticides with the active ingredient Bifenthrin have proved to work best during the study.
“Separate treatments in two-week intervals are good because you want to target bark scale in their immature stage,” he says. “You hit them during the peak and then two weeks later to catch those that have emerged following the first treatment.”
Erfan Vafaie, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist, Overton, checks crape myrtle trees in downtown Tyler for signs of crape myrtle bark scale.
Adam Russell, Texas A&AM AgriLife Extension service
Vafaie says systemic treatments should be applied much earlier to allow the trees to uptake the insecticide for effectiveness. The best time to apply systemic pesticides is mid-March to the end of March, after leaves begin to bud out and trees are actively taking up nutrients from the ground.
“You want to have a systemic like imidacloprid or dinotefuran that will be taken up into the plant so that by mid-April to the beginning of May it will be present higher in the tree when the bark scale are feeding,” he says. “That way it will target them and kill them.”
Some growers have used dinotefuran as a bark spray, as described on the label, because “drenching each pot individually can prove less feasible in a production setting,” he adds. “We will be trying several more potential treatments this summer to provide more recommendations for growers.”
It’s a simple fact: Clutter is postponed decisions. Many entrepreneurs and managers have cluttered offices—unless they have an organized assistant. If you don’t believe it, just start looking around you. Begin in your own organization, and then look in places like the manager’s office of your local retail store.
Entrepreneurs and managers think “big picture,” but following through on details can be a struggle. They like to start things, but finishing them can be a challenge. Often the more brilliant a person is, the messier their office. Sorting and filing seems like a lower priority than creating a new product or serving your customer. But is it? It’s easy for observers to wonder, “If someone can’t manage their own office, how can they manage a department or a company?”
According to a 2010 study by Brother International, an office products company, the cost of messy desks and time spent looking for misplaced items in corporate America is about $177 billion annually. That price tag, figuring the time spent daily hunting for misplaced files, staples or documents, added up to 76 hours—or nearly two work weeks—a year. That same study revealed that it is also taking a toll on pocketbooks, since nearly one-third of those surveyed failed to get reimbursed for a business or travel expense because they misplaced or lost a receipt.
The problem
Getting and staying organized is not easy — if it were, there wouldn’t be so many highly successful, intelligent, creative people who struggle with it. Unfortunately, organization skills are not taught in school, so unless you were born organized or had a good role model for organization when you were growing up or in a job situation, you’re out of luck.
The combination of computers, and a desire to reduce overhead expenses, means fewer administrative assistants, and as a result, messier offices.
Solving the problem
There are numerous ways an office can be organized, but statistically, most offices simply have too much stuff. Look at each item in your office and ask the question, “Does this help me accomplish my work or enjoy my life?” If the answer is “No,” but you’re still reluctant to get rid of something, ask “What’s the worst possible thing that would happen if I didn’t have this?” If you can live with your answer, “donate, recycle, or toss it,” and work happily ever after.
If organizing doesn’t come naturally to you, it’s unlikely that with even the best system you will have a continuously neat desk, but cleaning it off at the end of the day, or at the very least, the end of the week, should be a cinch. So here’s your challenge: Set aside four hours. Clear your desk by putting everything on it in a box. Set up The Magic 6 to stop future clutter, and provide a SYSTEM (Saving You Space Time Energy Money) for every new piece of paper in your office. (See sidebar.)
Maintaining success
Organizing is an art. People often ask, “What should I do?” but the real question is “What will you do?”
No one likes to think about maintenance—but unless you figure out how you can maintain any system, you will fail. You can buy a Lamborghini, but if you don’t complete the necessary maintenance, you will soon have a pile of junk. You can go to a health spa and lose a lot of weight, but maintaining good exercise and good eating habits are essential if you don’t want to gain back everything you lost. One way to think of maintenance is “plan + habits.”
If you know yourself well enough to know you won’t maintain it, and you want your office to reflect the quality of the products and services you provide, hire someone to help a few hours a week. Your office will look better, you will feel better, and your leadership will shine.
Barbara Hemphill is the Founder of Productive Environment Institute, in Raleigh, N.C., and is one of the country’s leading productivity and organizational consultants.
A new path
Features - Education
The American Landscape Institute provides a new option to train horticulture students.
Photo courtesy of Swingle Lawn, Tree & Landscape Care and Lawn & Landscape magazine
The American Landscape Institute (ALI) is a new concept to bring industry and academia together to provide leadership and training to the next generation of horticultural professionals. The ultimate purpose is to develop a highly-trained workforce for the landscape industry, while offering an opportunity for students seeking a horticulture career with significant growth potential.
A group of landscape and nursery companies based in the Baltimore, Md., area created this concept to help find a local solution to solving the skilled labor shortage.
“This takes a different approach to solving the current labor problem and any future problem filling management positions,” says Alan Jones, president of Manor View Farm in Monkton, Md. Jones is on the ALI board of directors.
Students will receive hands-on field experience and mentoring from participating companies, as well as classroom education from the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), which allow them to become highly skilled in advanced landscape and horticulture techniques. Students work at the participating companies Monday through Thursday and attend classes on Friday. Students will earn a Certificate in Landscape Design and Installation from CCBC after two years or an Associate’s Degree in Sustainable Horticulture from CCBC after three years. Ultimately, program graduates should have the management training to serve as a first-line supervisor, and graduates will be matched with an area company for employment immediately after graduation. Starting management salaries in the Baltimore area range from $40,000 to $60,000 per year, according to Andreas Grothe, the program’s founder and owner of New World Gardens.
Dreamstime.com
“This is how I was educated in Germany. This program gives students an affordable option for education and provides our industry with the workforce we need,” says Grothe.
The program’s participating companies pay 80 percent of the tuition. For example, if two years of tuition costs $7,297, the partnering companies pay $5,824 and the student pays $1,456. The students are responsible for 100 percent of the costs of textbooks.
“This is a first-of-its-kind training program for our industry, and we’re happy to be a part of it and help develop the next generation of skilled professionals,” Jones says. “We got involved through our landscape distribution division, and many of the participating companies, including Andrea’s company, are our customers. The industry needs to become less reliant on H-2B. And hiring local people and working with the community is part of our goal [at ALI].”
ALI students will work four days a week with participating companies, receiving hands-on training and critical mentoring.
Photo courtesy of Pacific Landscape Management and Lawn & Landscape magazine
Although the program will target local high school graduates, it’s also an excellent opportunity for non-traditional students and veterans, Jones says.
“It’s an interesting way to help the landscape industry in Maryland, and getting high school students and possibly veterans interested in a career in horticulture and to better understand the opportunities that are available in our industry,” he says. “We’re hoping this program can be replicated with other community colleges – not just in Maryland, but other states, as well.”
Students must submit applications by May 1. And Grothe encourages more companies to join the program.
There’s a California native that would make any plant lover come to a screeching halt along a busy thoroughfare in spring. The California buckeye (Aesculus californica) erupts with flowers on long panicles in March or April. The San Francisco Botanical Garden describes the flowers as “bottlebrush candelabras.” But the flowers aren't the only thing going for the California buckeye. In March, apple-green leaves appear, much earlier than other deciduous trees. Fall leaves (when present) are colorful and are accompanied by chestnut-brown seeds. When the fall foliage drops, the silvery-white bark makes a stunning silhouette in the winter garden.
Photo by Eugene Zelenko
Growing to about 20 feet high, this drought-tolerant tree will drop its leaves in the absence of irrigation or rainfall, which conserves whatever water remains in the trunk and roots. In the landscape, light irrigation will save the leaves from falling.
It attracts native bees and butterflies (and photographers).
Interesting tidbit from the U.S. Forest Service: the seeds of California buckeye served as a staple for California Indians, who would mash the roasted seeds and then leach them to remove the toxin, aesculin. Native Americans also used the toxin in streams and other waterways to stupefy fish for easy capture.
Why grow Aesculus californica?
Masses of fragrant white flowers on 4- to 8-inch panicles (sometimes longer)
Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds
Drought tolerant
Year-round interest
Utility friendly tree
Sources: The Watershed Nursery, San Francisco Botanical Garden, San Marcos Growers
College and careers
Departments - Viewpoint
From scholarships to mentoring, it’s critical that we get involved in our industry’s future leaders’ education.
Some 28 years ago, I received my acceptance letter to the University of North Texas. It was the start of something I’d dreamed about since elementary school. UNT was close enough to drive home to do laundry and eat a home-cooked meal, but far enough away that I felt a sense of freedom and independence. My parents agreed to help bankroll college – as long as I passed – but did ask that I look for scholarships. That was a bit daunting, but I managed to secure some funds that first year. (Thank you, Scripps Howard Foundation.)
I’m grateful to my bosses for starting a green industry scholarship. GIE Media has established a fund to support academic scholarships for outstanding college students focused on leading in the green industry. To be eligible, you must be enrolled at a recognized two- or four-year college or university working toward a degree in horticulture, environmental science or other field related to a segment of the green industry. Applications must be postmarked by April 28, 2017. Winners will be announced by Aug. 1, 2017.
Go to bit.ly/GIE_scholarship to download the application. Please print and fill out the form completely, then mail it to Chuck Bowen, Lawn & Landscape, 5811 Canal Rd., Valley View, OH 44125.
I would appreciate you sharing this with your alma maters to spread the word. And if you know of other scholarship opportunities, please email them to me and we'll share them on our web site and on social media.
Kick off your career
The AmericanHort GenNext community, of which I gratefully am a member, is planning something pretty cool for Cultivate’17. CareerUP is a day-long workshop that provides the industry’s emerging professionals the skills, information and inspiration they need to advance their careers, love their jobs and help the industry grow. Mark your calendar for Saturday, July 15 from 10-4.
Nancy Fisher, Ohio State University professor and communications expert, will lead the “High Stakes Communication” workshop where attendees will focus on building credibility and confidence to handle any high-stakes situation. The day will also highlight four stories from horticulture trailblazers: Bridget Behe, PhD, professor at Michigan State University; Kelly Norris, director of Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden; Steve Black, owner of Raemelton Farm and Nursery Management Grower of the Year 2017; and Tyler Baras, farm manager at Dallas Grown. Please share this with your employees and consider sending some of your new hires. Find out more at Cultivate17.org/CareerUP. I look forward to seeing you at this exciting event.
Speaking of career development, be sure and turn to page 16 and find out about a new horticulture training and development program in Baltimore. The American Landscape Institute is a first-of-its-kind program that allows participants to work four days a week getting hands-on training and spending one day a week in the classroom at the Community College of Baltimore County. It’s a familiar formula in Europe, and many skilled trades are trained this way here in the states. I really hope that other communities start a similar program. You can also watch my video about ALI from MANTS at: bit.ly/AmericanLand scapeInstitute.
