Conserv FS News
WHAT ARE BLENDED ICE MELTS, AND HOW DO THEY WORK?
In a blended ice melt product, there are four main melting granules:
- Sodium chloride,
- Potassium chloride,
- Calcium chloride
- Magnesium chloride.
The advantage of blended de-icing materials lies in the fact that they are economically priced and still have the ability to work quickly at low temperatures. In melting ice and snow, the formation of an ice melting brine is key. Brine acts much like a lighter fluid as it ignites the melting process. The specific chloride, or combination of chlorides, that is applied and the amount applied dictates the speed and efficiency of the melting process.
Blended ice melt products bring together two or all the granular chlorides, in different percentages, for an infinite number of melting formulations. All these blends have their own unique advantages and melting temperatures based upon the percentages of each chloride used. A blend containing high percentages of calcium chloride and magnesium chloride is going to react faster and work to lower temperatures. Calcium and magnesium chloride, in their purest form, react very quickly to begin the melting process.
Potassium chloride and sodium chloride are not fast-acting and take longer to activate, or in other words, take longer to form a liquid brine. Calcium chloride and magnesium chloride are hygroscopic ice melting materials. Unlike potassium and sodium, they draw heat from the air throughout the melting process, causing a quick formation of a faster, more effective brine for de-icing. Potassium and sodium chloride do not attract heat from the air; instead, they simply react chemically with the snow and ice to lower the melting temperature. This process is slower, and the brine formed is less likely to work as the temperature drops.
When used in combination, chlorides of greater power can cause a synergetic effect to increase the melting performance of less effective chlorides. When calcium and magnesium chloride form a brine, they in turn cause sodium and potassium to form a brine faster than if used alone. It is this effect that allows blended ice melts to compete in performance with many of the stronger, more expensive straight de-icers like 100% calcium chloride and 100% magnesium chloride. Blended ice melting products deliver performance at a reasonable price and without the hazardous environmental effects of using a straight de-icing product. For more information on Ice Melt products, visit www.conservfs.com
TWOLINED CHESTNUT BORER
A collaborative effort of Deerfield, Lake Forest, Northbrook, and the Morton Arboretum is aimed at trying to assure the current attack on oak trees by the twolined chestnut borer beetle will not be as severe as the devastation to ash trees by the emerald ash borer, a few years ago.
“We can very easily treat it,” said Corey Wierema, the head forester for the city of Lake Forest. “It’s always been here, but this year the infestation has been severe.”
Deerfield, Lake Forest, and Northbrook are currently working with the Morton Arboretum to gather information about the impact of the chestnut borer on oak trees in their towns so other Lake and Cook County communities can learn the best treatment when it spreads.
Wierema said weather conditions over the past seven years made the environment ripe for the chestnut borer this summer. He and colleagues in other communities started noticing the bug in June. High rainfall for five years, followed by dry conditions the past two, caused the outbreak.
“We started to put the pieces together,” he said. “When you have these conditions, it really puts a lot of stress on trees like the oak. Oaks can be temperamental and susceptible to the chestnut beetle. It can be very destructive. The infestation was higher than normal.”
Bob Phillips, Deerfield’s director of public works and engineering, said the three communities started noticing a greater infestation of the chestnut borer leading to the partnership with the Morton Arboretum.
Phillips said the three towns all have strong populations of oak trees and noticed similar conditions, like the crown of the trees starting to lose color in the leaves. They are working with the Morton Arboretum to track data to find solutions when the borer spreads elsewhere.
“They only attack trees in a weakened condition,” Phillips said. “The arboretum is gathering data over two years to learn as much as they can about the impact on the trees. It’s not going away. The beetle is able to travel.”
Along with working with the Morton Arboretum, Wierema said all three communities are putting information on their websites to educate their residents. Discoloration of the leaves is a potential sign.
“You should use supplemental water in dry periods if it hasn’t rained for a few days,” he said. “The roots need a pretty deep watering or a deep soaking.”
Kelly Hamill, the public works director for Northbrook, said there are things homeowners can do to protect oak trees on their property from infestation. Like Wierema, Hamill said people should let the hose or sprinkler soak the tree for a few hours.
If the tree is surrounded by grass with no ring of soil around it, Hamill said homeowners can remove a circle of grass and put mulch there to allow water to reach the root system more easily. Such treatment makes the trees less susceptible to beetle infestation.
“If you see a dying branch, remove it so the tree won’t be in stress anymore,” Hamill said. “You should separate it completely. Look for (other) signs of stress.”
Wierema said with the emerald ash borer beetle when the signs of stress appear, there is little to be done to help the tree. With the twolined chestnut borer, trimming, watering, and the help of a certified arborist.
Grub Control with Fertilizer with MERIT® 0.2 or Imidacloprid 0.2
Turf fertilizer with Merit 0.2 or Imidacloprid 0.2 will provide plant nutrients as well as control selected insect pests on turfgrass, including home lawns, school grounds, nursing homes and hospital grounds, city, county, state, municipal and federal grounds, business and office complexes, shopping complexes, multi-family residential complexes, golf courses, airports, churches, cemeteries, parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, and sod farms.
Features & Benefits
- Season-long grub control
- Low application rates (0.25 - 0.4 LBS AI/per acre)
- Broad-spectrum insecticide
- Long application window: June–July
Packaging: 50 Pound Bag
STROBE® PRO G
Strobe Pro G fungicide provides the same long-lasting, broad- spectrum disease control as Strobe Pro fungicide, only now in granular form. Strobe Pro G is a combination of two broad spectrum, preventative, and curative fungicides with systemic properties for the control of many important turfgrass diseases. Strobe Pro G may be applied by drop or rotary broadcast granular spreaders.
Granular herbicide, AI: 0.31% Azoxystrobin, 0.75% Propiconazole
Features & Benefits
- All markets can easily use Strobe Pro G without making a complete tank mix.
- LCO’s can treat localized portions of a home lawn.
- Smaller sport turf facilities that do not have large spray equipment, now have an affordable means to treat most common turf diseases.
- Golf courses can treat individual greens when the spray equipment is being used for other applications.
Foliar, stem and root diseases such as leaf and stem blights, dollar spot, leaf spots, patch diseases, anthracnose, fairy rings, mildews, molds, and rusts of turfgrass.
- Packaging: 30 Pound Bag— Item# 480411
Contact your Conserv FS Turf specialist for more information.
SOIL TESTING FOR LAWNS
Soil testing provides an estimate of the plant-available nutrients in the soil and is an essential tool for a sound fertilization program. Periodic soil testing will help to correct nutrient deficiencies, avoid excess fertilizer applications, and maintain a healthy lawn.
A routine soil fertility test (pH, neutralized acidity, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, organic matter, and cation exchange capacity) is recommended under the following circumstances:
- Before establishing a new lawn, whether from seed, sod, or sprigs.
- Every three years on established lawns.
- Annually when attempting to correct a nutrient deficiency or change the soil pH.
- When fertilizers containing phosphate or potash have been used on a regular basis for several years.
Contact your Conserv FS Turf specialist for more information.
GRASS SEED GERMINATION
Grass seed will germinate at a wide variety of temperatures; the optimum temperatures for germination are in the table below. The temperatures listed are air temperatures which would be almost identical to that in on the surface of the soil barring radiation effects.
Realize though that optimum temperature for seed germination can vary depending on seed age, cultivar, etc. Also, the optimum germination temperature of certain species may not involve a specific temperature but a rhythmic alternation of temperatures. Additionally, the maximum and minimum temperatures for seed germination are poorly defined because of the extreme slowness of germination, especially for the minimums.
Most of our cool season grasses can germinate almost throughout the summer, so there are many other factors control the success of seeding. Poor irrigation, diseases like damping off, and weed pressure are the most common causes of seeding failures.
Optimum Temperatures for Seed Germination
|Turfgrass Species||Optimum temperatures for seed germination
|Intermediate Ryegrass||45° +|
GLYPHOSATE (ROUNDUP®) SHORTAGE LOOMS LARGE
Prices have tripled, and we don’t expect much new product by this spring.
Prices for glyphosate and glufosinate have gone through the roof as supplies have been low and are forecast to be low going into this spring.
Multiple factors are to blame, says Dwight Lingenfelter, Extension weed specialist with Penn State. They include lingering supply chain issues from the COVID-19 pandemic, getting enough phosphorus mined to make glyphosate, container and transportation storages, and the shutdown and reopening of a major Bayer Crop Sciences plant in Louisiana because of Hurricane Ida.
“It’s just a whole combination of factors going on right now,” Lingenfelter says. Generic glyphosate that went for $12.50 per gallon in 2020, he says, is now going for between $35 and $40 per gallon. Glufosinate, which could be bought for between $33 and $34 per gallon, is now going for upward of $80 per gallon. If you’re lucky enough to get some herbicide ordered, be prepared to wait.
WHAT IS GOING ON WITH FERTILIZER, GRASS SEED & CHEMICAL PRICING?
Many factors influence fertilizer availability and price.
- Global fertilizer prices have reached record highs this year, in part due to soaring prices for the natural gas used to produce them and the severe storms in the U.S. that have disrupted production.
- Pricing on all inputs, not just fertilizer, including grass seed, weed & feeds and pre-emergence chemicals are at record highs as well, climbing a historical average of at least 12% across commodities.
- This bay of fertilizer cost $18,000 in 2021. Today it is just over $40,000.
- A tote of Roundup last year was $4,900, today it is just over $14,000.
- From September 2020 to September 2021, prices in the U.S. for ammonia increased 210%, liquid nitrogen rose 159%, urea increased 155%, potash was up 134%, MAP increased 125%, and DAP rose 100%, according to an ABF report.
- Between 75% and 90% of the costs to produce nitrogen are related to natural gas, AFBF economists say.
- As the pandemic cut use of natural gas, plants cut back on the volume of the fuel. Meanwhile, as 2022 gets underway and the economy is recovering from the pandemic, demand for natural gas is going higher.
LANDSCAPE INDUSTRY STATISTICS
The landscape industry encompasses a wide range of service lines, areas of expertise and job positions. Here are some statistics and reports on the size and scope of the industry.
Size of the Industry
Statistics from the IBIS World Landscaping Services Industry Report shows that the landscape services industry has a market size of $105.1 billion in 2021. The industry employs more than 1 million people and represents 604,163 landscaping service businesses, an increase of 4.9 percent from 2020.
The market size of the industry in the U.S. has been growing 2.5 percent on average between 2016 and 2021.
Florida (8,758 businesses), California (8,288 businesses) and New York (6,958 businesses) are the states with the greatest number of landscaping businesses in the U.S.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks industry employment and wages and employment in the following categories:
- Landscaping Services
- Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers
- Landscaping Groundskeeping Workers
- Tree Trimmers Pruners
State of the Industry
In mid-2020, landscape companies were mostly optimistic about things and lawn care companies were experiencing significant revenue gains.
Find data about the landscape industry in the following reports:
PROTECT YOUR CUSTOMERS' EVERGREENS THIS WINTER
Anti-desiccant spray applied in the fall coats the foliage of your plants with this layer of organic "sealant" to help the plants resist the drying power of winter winds and conserve the moisture vital to their good health. Properly applied, a winter protection spray will safeguard your valuable plants through the cold months and gradually break down as warm weather approaches and your trees and shrubs begin spring growth.
FALL ARMYWORMS: WHAT NEXT?
By: Doug Richmond
A fall armyworm caterpillar with characteristic stripes and inverted, light-colored Y-shape on the head (John Obermeyer Photo).
The entire Midwest just experienced one the worst fall armyworm outbreaks in decades, but for turfgrass professionals and enthusiasts, it’s not over yet. These seasonal, but sporadic insects made their appearance at the end of August, decimating lawns and other managed turfgrass. But, now that the damage is done, our focus shifts from crisis to recovery, with an eye open to the next generation.
Fall armyworms, as their name implies, usually show up in the late summer and fall in this part of the country. These insects remain in subtropical climates for most of the year, but hurricanes and tropical storms that sweep northward during hurricane season can carry enormous numbers of adults into the interior of the continent, sometimes raining fall armyworms over the entire Midwest and Northeast. Once they fall out of the sky, those adult lay eggs in masses on vertical objects including the sides of structures and even the flags marking golf holes. When enough egg masses are laid near one another, the resulting larvae can be so numerous that they eventually overwhelm surrounding turf, chewing it to the ground. The larvae that consumed your turf over the last few weeks have now pupated and are beginning to emerge as adults, so our efforts should shift accordingly.
A stand of turfgrass damaged by fall armyworm larvae at the end of August in West Lafayette, IN (Jim Scott Photo).Giving turfgrass the best opportunity to recover should be the top priority. While soil temperatures remain high, disturbing plant crowns should be avoided, so raking out dead material, core cultivating and slit seeding should be put on hold if possible. Instead, consider irrigating the turf if the soil is dry. Irrigation can help reduce soil temperatures and stimulate plant re-growth. If the turf is not fertilized, a very light fertilization (<0.5 lbs. of N per 1000 ft2) may be in order, but keep in mind that well-maintained turf will generally not require additional nitrogen. If the turf isn’t growing, don’t mow it. In other words, do everything you can to protect the plant crowns as these will produce the new tillers and leaves that mark recovery.
Keep an eye out for the next generation of fall armyworm larvae. Almost all of the previous larvae have pupated and a few adults have begun to emerge. The adults resulting from the previous larval generation will soon busy themselves mating and laying eggs that will produce another, potentially destructive, larval generation. It’s still early in September and there is likely plenty of warm weather left this season to move larval development along. However, the next generation is not likely to reinfest the same stands of turf. Adults will disperse and find “greener pastures” that are more suitable for their offspring. That means scouting for egg clusters and soap flushing for larvae are the best ways to identify potential infestations before they cause serious damage. If we get lucky, temperatures will moderate and put the brakes on fall armyworm development, but I wouldn’t bet on it. The last half of September and first half of October could be interesting.
Fall armyworms are easy to manage and there are a number of insecticide active ingredients that will keep them in check (Table 1). Liquid applications are almost always preferable to granules since liquids provide better coverage and work more quickly. Granules also require rainfall or irrigation to release the active ingredient. Mowing just prior to application can increase penetration of the insecticide through the canopy and into the spaces where fall armyworms are active and feeding.
|Insecticide Active Ingredient||Insecticide Class|
That’s it 3/4 focus on turfgrass recovery and regrowth, and be alert to egg masses and developing larval infestations. If another generation of fall armyworms unfolds, its potential impact on turfgrass winter-hardiness and spring green-up could be a significant concern.
SEASONAL NEEDLE DROP
Every year, evergreens experience a seasonal needle drop that is a normal part of the plant's cycle. Needles of conifers have varying life spans and do not remain attached indefinitely to the tree. Many evergreen needles, as they age, will turn yellow, then brown, and drop off after one to several years. The change can be gradual or, with some species, quite rapid. Seasonal needle drop can cause concern to homeowners who are not familiar with this natural occurrence. In times of drought, needle browning may be particularly noticeable because more needles are shed in response to environmental stress. White pines show the most dramatic needle drop change.
Their annual loss of needles can be especially alarming on mature white pines, as the number of yellow needles outnumbers the current season's green growth. Typically, white pines will retain needles for three years, but in autumn, 2-or-3-year-old needles will change color and drop, leaving only the current season's growth still attached. Austrian and Scots pines usually retain their needles for three years. Red pine drops its needles in the fourth year. Spruce and fir needles also turn yellow and drop, but the change is usually less noticeable because their older needles are thinned progressively, making the process more gradual than in pines.
Control There is no control required. As long as needle drop is restricted to older growth and is not excessive, the "problem" is simply seasonal needle drop, a normal and natural process. Always follow good cultural practices to keep trees healthy.