COLUMBUS, Ohio -- This was the 85th year of the Ohio State University’s Nursery Short Course, produced in conjunction with CENTS by OSU’s Horticulture and Crop Science Department. The 2013 program ran from Jan. 13-16 and featured more than 100 technical and business sessions, providing education on hot topics in every segment of the green industry: nursery, greenhouse, urban forestry, landscaping, pest management, retail garden center, turf management, and more. Although it was physically impossible to attend all of them, here are some of the coolest things I saw at CENTS 2013.
Dr. Michael Dirr’s keynote speech Tuesday night “In Praise of Noble Trees” featured plenty of insight and humor, packed into a rapid-fire slideshow of jaw-dropping, magnificent trees. Some of the standouts included the swamp white oaks planted at the World Trade Center ‘s memorial plaza, a Persian ironwood that was featured in the December 2012 issue of Nursery Management, and a few trees from Mt. Vernon that were around in George Washington’s time.
Dirr also sang the praises of white oak, including one important use that isn’t often considered at a tree talk: whiskey barrels.
Aside from what Dirr liked, the attendees also learned what he doesn’t like.
“The road to Hell is paved with Bradford pears,” he said.
Major progress has been made in returning elms to the landscape. Daniel A. Potter, University of Kentucky professor of entomology, presented the findings of six years of research on the susceptibility or resistance of disease-resistant elms to certain pests. The research is tremendously detailed, with information on which species or cultivars are resistant/susceptible to particular pests, and will help growers and landscapers select varieties that will require little to no pest control. The study was part of the National Elm Trial, so all the recommended varieties are DED resistant. Field trials were planted in 15 states, evaluating American, Asian and hybrid cultivars. Look for a full write-up in an upcoming issue of Nursery Management.
There were also educational sessions about insects that growers intentionally let loose in their greenhouses. Carly Kelly-Scholtz and Huub Kemmere of MGS Horticultural spoke about biological controls, with detailed descriptions of the beneficial insects that can be sent after thrips, spider mites, aphids and more.
Also, Dr. Hannah Mathers, associate professor and OSU extension specialist, as well as chair of the NSC, presented the latest findings in field and container weed control. Mathers provided herbicide recommendations for five common Ohio container weeds. There were several presentations providing an overview of the plant diseases and problem pests of 2012 and looking forward toward 2013.
Another fascinating session was Greg McPherson of the USDA Forest Service’s talk on the carbon offsets of plants, and their effect on the ecosystem. McPherson’s project assessed the long-term carbon sequestration in woody and herbaceous ornamental plants – a stated goal of “enhancing the perceived value of plants.”