Gardener News June 2016

TAKE ONE

Gardener News

June, 2016

Serving the Agricultural, Gardening and Landscaping Communities GARDENERNEWS.COM

TAKE ONE No. 158

Landscape Association Celebrates Golden Anniversary

Tom Castronovo/Photo

An executive team member and officers of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA) happily look over a New Jersey Senate and Assembly Joint Resolution they received from Senator Richard Codey, Assemblyman John F. McKeon and Assemblywoman Mila M. Jasey during their association’s 50th anniversary celebration on April 28 at Seasons in Washington Township, Bergen County, N.J. Pictured are: Gail Woolcott, Director of Operations for the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association; Richard Goldstein, Owner of Green Meadows Landscape and Treasurer of the NJLCA; Tom Canete, Owner of Canete Garden Center, Canete Landscape Design and Construction Company and Canete Snow Management, and President of the NJLCA; and Nelson Lee, Owner of Landscapeworks and Vice President of the NJLCA. Washington Township, Bergen County.

Just over 180 men and women dressed in formal The New Jersey wear enjoyed passed hors Landscape Contractors d’oeuvres as they entered Association (NJLCA) the catering hall’s main celebrated their 50th lobby around 6 p.m. Two anniversary on Thursday, photographers were staging April 28 at Seasons in pictures as if you were

By Tom Castronovo Executive Editor

walking down a red carpet event. Industry friends who haven’t seen each other for a while were reunited. Soon after a buffet of hot and cold appetizers were offered. It was like a “Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous” event.

After the formal meet-andgreet everyone was led

into the grand ballroom to the sound of a disc jockey, who was situated in front of two giant video screens showcasing the association’s members at various events.

Around 7:15 p.m., guests were officially welcomed, followed by a champagne toast, several speeches, a

delicious plated dinner, and dancing. The night concluded just after 10 p.m.

As the guests left, everyone received a commemorative champagne glass and a 50th anniversary yearbook.

It all began in 1966 when founding father, Roger (Cont. on page 20) Dammer,

2 June, 2016

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June, 2016 3

4 June, 2016 Well, it’s now the beginning of what promises to be another great season of Jersey Fresh. Farmers around every region of the state, after long periods of continuous work in winter and spring, are looking forward to harvesting many of the 100-plus crops we grow right here in New Jersey.

The sheer amount of variety and volume is really quite astounding when you consider we are all living in the most densely populated state in the United States.

Still, New Jersey has national Top-10 ranking status in so many different fruits and vegetables, like tomatoes, blueberries, peaches, peppers, squash and several more that we can all point to with much pride.

As the seasons change, of course, we realize nature’s time and temperature schedule is not something that one can predict with total assuredness. I observe in the farming community a real blend of farmers’ thinking when it comes to where and how and when they are going to plant a field.

GardenerNews.com NJ Dept. of Agriculture

By Douglas H. Fisher Secretary of Agriculture

Support Our New Jersey Farmers Naturally, there is a lot of science they have to consider when talking to Extension Service staff from Rutgers, other university sources, seed dealers and suppliers, etc. Just as, or even more importantly, there is what farmers know intuitively. In farming, institutional knowledge handed down from generation to generation is treasured and valuable information.

Some operators are willing to take a bigger chance on trying to outguess Mother Nature and will plant early with the hope they can harvest earlier when prices are usually higher. But it is a risk that can wreak a devastating financial blow if a cold snap or some other severe weather occurrence happens.

Talking to farmers about the fields they toil is listening

to someone talk about a labor of love. This piece of ground is lower and the cold will linger there and should be planted later, or this parcel is higher and will drain better for a particular crop. Last year, as an example, was the coldest winter in 36 years. The harsh winter resulted in crops being several weeks behind what was normal.

Most people rarely even consider how this affects soil temperature, which is a major factor in crops developing and ultimately making their way to market. Also last year, a hail storm hit four southern counties. Most farmers’ field work did not even get started until the beginning of April.

This year, things are different. For instance, we just experienced the sixthmildest March since 1895.

Look Who’s Reading the Gardener News!

It’s in the news

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. And that name is “NORM!” George Wendt, best known for the loveable role of Norm Peterson on the long-running, award-winning television show Cheers from 1982 to 1993, looks over the May Gardener News while visiting the great Garden State. Wendt started his career at Chicago’s Second City. He has also appeared on Broadway, several commercials, films and many well-known sitcoms. Wendt also took his years of sipping beers on “Cheers” and wrote “Drinking with George: A Barstool Professional’s Guide to Beer” (2010).

Combine that with the fact that on 13 days in March, the temperatures fell to 25 degrees at many locations throughout the state.

So where are we? As of this writing, it has gotten warmer again and soil temperatures are increasing, and, yes, we think we are going to be on schedule after all. Whew! Our farming families have so much to think about. I did not even mention their battles with bugs and other pests or plant disease.

I mention this because I want to remind everyone to really and truly appreciate what it takes to get the products from our land and sea to your table. Right now, today, you can find blueberries, cherries, strawberries, asparagus, beans, beets, bok choy,

broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, chard, dandelion greens, kale, mustard greens, peas, radishes, scallions, spinach, squash, and tomatoes on farmstands. Sweet corn is just about here, too!

The season is here for the best fresh fruits and vegetables you can find anywhere on Earth. Our farmers, your neighbors, have planned, plotted, and worked hard to get to this point and their success really depends now on you. Ask if it is from New Jersey. You might even ask which farm the produce came from so your dollars rotate in the Garden State.

Editor’s Note: Douglas H. Fisher is New Jersey’s Secretary of Agriculture. He is the department’s executive officer, secretary to the State Board of Agriculture and a member of the Governor’s cabinet. Secretary Fisher fulfills executive, management and administrative duties prescribed by law, executive order or gubernatorial direction. He can be reached at 609.292.3976.

For more info, please visit: http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture

GardenerNews.com

June, 2016 5

6 June, 2016

RUTGERS NJAES/RCE

Recalling the Life of Karl Maramorosch: 1915-2016 Karl Maramorosch, professor emeritus and renowned scholar, died on May 9, 2016, at the age of 101. Well known to the Rutgers community and active in teaching and research up until recently, he was known throughout the world as an eminent virologist, entomologist, and plant pathologist. His Rutgers “home” for the past several years was the Department of Entomology. He’s won multiple awards and accolades but his proudest moment came in 1980 when he was awarded the Wolf Prize, widely considered agriculture’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize, “for his pioneering and wide-ranging studies on interactions between insects and disease agents in plants.”

Tropical Plant Called Moringa Shows Promise in Health, Anti-Aging Products Ilya Raskin, distinguished professor in the Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, and his lab study the health benefits of crops and medicinal plants around the world, including the tropical plant, Moringa oleifera, also known as the horseradish tree, which is showing promise in helping revitalize aging skin. Raskin and his team are researching healthful compounds in plants around the world in an effort to find cures and treatments for ailments afflicting hundreds of millions of people.

Prof. Pal Maliga Honored for Excellence in Plant Biology Research by National Society Pal Maliga, distinguished professor in the Waksman Institute of Microbiology and professor of plant biology in the Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, has won the Lawrence Bogorad Award for Excellence in Plant Biology Research from the American Society of Plant Biologists.

Maliga received a master’s degree in genetics and microbiology from the Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary, in 1969 and a doctoral degree from the Jozsef Attila University, Szeged, Hungary, in 1972. From 1971 through 1982, Maliga held appointments at the Biological Research Center, Szeged, Hungary, where his research group pioneered mutant isolation, organelle transfer and genetic recombination in cultured tobacco cells.

New OCPE Summer Weekend Programs Help Au Pairs Earn Academic Credit Toward J-1 Visa Requirements School may be out for the children they care for, but the classroom is open for au pairs interested in fulfilling their J-1 visa academic requirements by enrolling in new Rutgers weekend summer programs.

To introduce them to one aspect of American culture, au pairs can register for “American Food – Then and Now,” an opportunity on July 30-31 to explore the technological and societal factors that have changed what and how Americans eat over the past 250 years. The interactive course features lunchtime tastings and visits to a research farm and food science research facility.

For those seeking to build their childcare skills, a second weekend course, “The Children in Your Care – Make them the Best they can be,” will offer tips, tools and techniques for encouraging healthy, positive lifestyles for children.

The Aug. 6-7 program will cover cooking and fitness for children, as well as strategies for keeping the peace when challenging situations arise.

Both courses were developed by the Rutgers Office of Continuing Professional Education (OCPE) in cooperation with Rutgers Cooperative Extension and will be held on the George H. Cook Campus. Cooperative Extension specialists with backgrounds in community outreach, child and youth development, and food, nutrition and health will be instructors. Each program will provide three of the six hours of academic credit that au pairs are required to earn under the J-1 visa.

GardenerNews.com

From the Director’s Desk

Rutgers Outreach Provided by Larry S. Katz, Ph.D. Director

Implementing a Landscape IPM Program Land care services traditionally rely on pesticides for plant pest control. However, there is concern with the use of these chemicals. Overuse of pesticides can cause increased pest resistance and natural predators may be destroyed along with the pest.

These concerns, along with rising costs and environmental and health effects of pesticides, have led to the development of an alternative pest control strategy called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The goal of an IPM program is to use pest monitoring, cultural, biological and chemical control strategies to manage pest populations. While an IPM program may use chemicals to control pests, the rate and frequency of application is often reduced, compared to conventional chemical control programs.

When compared to standard pest/plant management practices, the IPM approach is relatively complex. Although many IPM practitioners have established successful approaches, some common principles need to be considered.

Finding personnel who have monitoring skills is possibly the most difficult task a landscape company will encounter when first attempting to develop an IPM program. Successful IPM monitoring requires a certain minimum level of knowledge and experience by the field technician.

Often, observant landscapers (i.e., turf managers, arborists, etc.) will naturally develop important IPM monitoring skills over several seasons. Since such knowledge does not happen overnight, it is suggested that a company first developing IPM services start slowly and only offer them to 5 to 10 percent of their client base (this conservative beginning also has financial implications).

Hiring experienced IPM practitioners outside the company will probably require higher starting salaries, but may be the fastest way to get an IPM program off and running. And once in place, the monitoring personnel should have access to reference materials. Valuable website sources and the establishment of a library of reference guides are important so practitioners can keep up on the latest information. Landscape IPM involves cutting edge information and therefore the continuing education of the practitioners is necessary.

A knowledgeable field staff is the most important resource. It would be a mistake to not involve field staff in program design and adaptations, since they can be a major source of innovative control strategies. The field personnel should be allowed to make as many decisions concerning IPM procedures and implementation as their abilities permit. Don’t force field personnel to delay actions by waiting to receive a review or approval by a non-field oversight board or manager. Such administrative systems can reduce the strength of an IPM program by interfering with or delaying required timely control actions. The only time such a system may be necessary is when the field staff is still developing experience and decision-making skills.

On-site decisions by a knowledgeable IPM scout will usually give the best results.

Some clients have little understanding or interest in the IPM philosophy. They view landscapers as primarily laborers or equipment operators. It is not likely that bargain hunters will value the more sophisticated IPM methods. Certain attitudes can be difficult to change, and it is unfair to expect landscapers to accept lower profits when providing IPM services to clients who do not value the benefits it offers.

Additionally, when marketing IPM services, do not emphasize that this landscape management approach is designed to control plant problems more effectively, since clients expect problems will be taken care of. The more successful IPM marketing strategy should stress that this approach will produce the best landscape aesthetics and provide clients valuable plant information and consulting services.

Surveys have shown that there are significant numbers of potential clients who desire “information specialists” that can provide high quality plant health care. IPM practitioners should be in an ideal position to meet these informational needs and will be viewed as true professionals.

Studies have discovered that the clients most likely to desire the IPM approach are those that have a genuine personal concern for their landscape (i.e., they have performed fertilization, pruning and pest control tasks themselves in the past). They demand a high degree of personal communication with their landscape managers. They often ask many questions about their plants, want educated advice, and usually will follow recommendations. Generally, most of the homeowners interested in IPM want more specific plant-care information. This information includes insect and disease problems, as well as the best cultural practices to improve the health and appearance of their landscape.

The IPM philosophy when properly marketed can increase business, especially when it is perceived by the client to be the best and most professional means to achieve plant health care.

Then, when their landscapes are healthy and flourishing, the client will know it is because of the knowledge, skill and dedication of the IPM practitioner. Furthermore, constant contact and good communication with the client will reinforce this understanding.

Editor’s Note: This month’s column is written by Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Nursery IPM Program

GardenerNews.com

June, 2016 7 Around The Garden

By Tom Castronovo Gardener News

Everyone’s talking about craft beer

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Last month I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the 2016 Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America in Philadelphia. The conference saw over 13,600 attendees and 835 exhibitors. I believe this was a record-setting year for attendance. And with craft beer sales at an all-time high, I had to go.

Before I go any further, I must tell you that Screamin’ Hill Brewery in Cream Ridge, Monmouth County, N.J., is the first craft beer operation to produce beer on a farm in the Garden State. They are the only on-farm brewery that I know of. This brewery is the combination of a love of beer and farming. They use their own farm-grown ingredients whenever possible. Their Pumpkin Ale is made with the same pumpkins that they’ve been growing on their farm for close to 20 years. They also use their own barley, wheat and rye to make their base malt. Their own New Jersey-grown hops is used to add that insanely delicious aroma.

Screamin’ Hill Brewery is located on the 100-acre Bullock Farms in the Cream Ridge section of Upper Freehold. The farm has been in the Bullock family since 1860.

The brewery, owned by Brett Bullock, a sixth-generation farmer, and his friends Ryan Cole and Patrick Jones, is currently producing five varieties of beer using ingredients grown on the farm. The name Screamin’ Hill comes from the hill overlooking the farm called Screamin’ Hill, which got its name from a boisterous preacher at a church that once sat on the hill.

New Jersey had been home to many breweries before Prohibition and the Great Depression.

And now, New Jersey’s beer industry is growing steadily, with many unique beer varieties. A limited brewery, also known by some as a craft brewery, is allowed to brew up to 300,000 barrels of beer a year. In addition to its wholesaling privileges, a limited brewery is allowed to sell, with certain restrictions, its product directly to retail consumers on its premises.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture encourages the use of Jersey Fresh agricultural products in processed foods and beverages through the Made with Jersey Fresh program. Cape May Brewing Company (just inside the Cape May Airport) in Cape May County, N.J., makes a “Made with Jersey Fresh Honey” Porter.

According to the New Jersey Craft Beer Association, there are currently 52 production breweries in New Jersey, with 28 waiting on full approval to launch.

The Garden State is also home to two cideries: Oldwick Cider Works in Hunterdon County and Twisted Limb Hard Cider in Sussex County. Both use Jersey Fresh apples in the process.

By the way, Oldwick Cider Works is having a hard cider festival on Saturday June 4 from 1 to 6 p.m. at their cider mill located at Melick’s Town Farm, 19 King Street in Oldwick. $10 entry for adults includes two five-ounce glasses of our hard cider. Free hay wagon rides in the orchard for adults and children. BBQ meat and other tasty snacks will be available for sale. I might have to stop by.

Getting back to the 2016 Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America now.

This year’s conference played host to the World Beer Cup, in which brewers from 55 countries competed in “The Olympics of Beer.” A record-busting 1,907 breweries entered 6,596 beers, which were judged by an elite international panel of 253 judges from 31 countries.

Judges awarded 287 out of 288 total possible awards, reflecting the chance for one gold, one silver and one bronze award in each of 96 beer style categories. A gold award was not presented in the Fresh or Wet Hop Ale category.

It was the perfect opportunity to meet leaders in the national and international brewing arena.

This was an industry-only conference and trade show that was not open to the public.

The event provided an environment that allowed exhibitors and buyers to develop profitable business relationships and help brewing and brewery restaurant professionals encounter the latest and the best products and services industry vendors had to offer.

The conference featured 74 educational seminars covering all aspects of the beer business.

And the show travels to different cities each year. Next year it will be in Washington, D.C. on April 10-17.

Before I close it up for this month, I’ll leave you with a few statistics on the craft beer industry that I recently learned. Yes, there is a lot more to beer than drinking it.

In 2015, nearly half of breweries nationwide (49 percent) increased capacity by at least 10 percent. More amazingly, more than a quarter increased capacity by 50 percent or more. More than 40 million barrels were produced. 9.8 percent went to brew pubs. 24.2 percent went to micros. 11.3 percent were regionals. 16 percent were exported. And the average case price was $36.58.

If you would like to learn more about this industry, head on over to the AHA Hombrew Con (National Homebrewers Conference) at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Md., on June 9-11. This will be a fun, educational gathering designed to enhance homebrewers’ brewing skills and knowledge and increase homebrewing camaraderie.

As always, I hope you find the information in the Gardener News informative and enjoyable.

Until next time…Keep the “garden” in the Garden State.

-Tom Editor’s Note: Tom Castronovo is executive editor and publisher of Gardener News. Tom’s lifelong interest in gardening and passion for agriculture, environmental stewardship, gardening and landscaping, led to the founding of the Gardener News, which germinated in April 2003 and continues to bloom today. He is also dedicated to providing inspiration, and education to the agricultural, gardening and landscaping communities through this newspaper and GardenerNews.com.

8 June, 2016

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New Wheat Line Eliminates Discoloring in Foods

By Sandra Avant Public Affairs Specialist Getting rid of gray discoloring in foods such as fresh noodles, breads and refrigerated biscuits is now possible, thanks to a new white hard wheat breeding line developed by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists.

Plant geneticist Bob Graybosch, at the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) Grain, Forage, and Bioenergy Research Unit in Lincoln, Nebraska, developed a wheat that has no polyphenol oxidase—an enzyme present in all plants that causes discoloring. The enzyme causes browning in sliced apples, black spots in cut avocados and dark marks on banana peels.

The new wheat line, 070R1074, was developed by crossing two Australian wheats entered into the ARS National Small Grains Collection in the 1930s.

Collaborating with the University of Nebraska and Montana State University, Graybosch screened wheats in the Collection for polyphenol oxidase and then mated wheats with different forms of the genes that produced this enzyme.

Wheat breeding lines with very low

levels of polyphenol oxidase were generated from these crosses.

Although some lowpolyphenol oxidase hard winter white wheats have been developed, many U.S. white wheats still have high levels of polyphenol oxidase, according to Graybosch. High polyphenol oxidase levels make U.S. producers less competitive in domestic and export markets.

In Asia, hard white wheat is popular for making products such as fresh noodles, and white whole grain breads are gaining favor in the United States. To be competitive, U.S. milling companies need wheats with low or no polyphenol oxidase.

In their research, Graybosch and his colleagues discovered naturally occurring genetic mutations in the new wheat line, which resulted in nearly complete loss of polyphenol oxidase activity. Researchers have used the trait to improve breeding lines and could eventually incorporate it into elite lines to produce highly desirable cultivars.

Editor’s Note: Sandra Avant works for the USDA Agricultural Research Service. She can be reached at 301-504-1627 or by emailing Sandra.Avant@ars.usda.gov

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June, 2016 9

Gotta Love It!

By Jeannie Geremia Garden Club of New Jersey

You just “gotta love it!” and by that I mean, my gardening friends, the prospects of a bountiful gardening season with visions of a bumper crop of tomatoes, squash, peas, beans, berries and flowers. Yum! There’s nothing more satisfying than to be a part of a community garden and to be able to check out our fellow gardeners’ plots, sharing ideas, seeds, plants and just plain enjoying the fruits of our labor. Of course, everyone has their own idea of what and how to plant, and my focus being pollinators, I plant a variety of herbs, perennials and annuals that can provide food and host plants to our butterflies, bees and birds.

Here in the Raritan Township Community Garden, which was established in 2012, we are proud of being a “certified National Wildlife Habitat” by the National Wildlife Federation, and a Monarch Waystation by Monarch Watch.

This year finds our two bluebird houses occupied by a pair of tree swallows and a pair of English sparrows. Alas, our bluebirds (bluebirds were last year’s occupants), either were too slow on the draw or too picky. People have told me over and over again how they have bluebirds poke around their bluebird houses then suddenly disappear, much to their consternation.

Well, the female bluebird is very fussy, and I think she might have several different houses in mind before she settles. The good news is that they have on to four “broods” or “clutches” per year, so we may yet have them this year in our community garden.

I do love to see the tree swallows---a first for our birdhouses, as they are a beautiful bird the size of a

sparrow, with metallic bluegreen on the upper parts, including upper head to just under its beak, and white on the lower body. Wow! I just learned something new as I wasn’t about to leave our English sparrows out and had a difficult time finding them in “Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America.” Come to find out, they aren’t listed with our native sparrows, but are listed in a separate category under Old World Sparrows, Family Passeridae, and the English (House) Sparrow Passer domesticus was introduced here in 1840. It certainly is a survivor, and while some people may not appreciate it as all too common and prone to displacing other birds from our birdhouses, there is something to be said for its adaptability in cities, towns and countryside.

It’s important to provide water besides the food (tasty bugs and hopefully not my caterpillars), so we have put two bird baths in the community garden. It’s very cool to see the birds, not only drinking, but bathing in the bird baths, and putting a rock in the bird bath allows bees and butterflies to get some much needed liquid, too.

Besides the nesting sites, birds, bees and butterflies need shelter from the heat, wind and rain, and the perennial cup plant, Silphium perfoliatum from the Asteraceae family, a native sunflower-like plant that grows four to 10 inches provides nectar, pollen and shelter amidst its thick stems and leaves. This is its third year in our community garden and it is quite showy besides doing double duty. We have also put in a butterfly house and bee houses so I’ll keep you posted as to their future occupants.

The good news is that the “tear drop” bee houses acquired from Gardeners Supply Company and also

pictured in Xerces Society book, “Attracting Native Pollinators” have many bees nesting in their tubes in my yard. I also highly recommend a new book entitled “The Bee Book” that I just added to my collection, as it answers so many questions that we all have regarding our bees and how best to help them survive.

The book is beautifully illustrated and can steer you in the right direction.

Enlist your family, friends, and fellow gardeners in these efforts to provide food, shelter, nesting sites and water to our pollinator population and reap the rewards of a more bountiful harvest and a deeper involvement and appreciation for our wildlife and environment.

Sharing our love for gardening has no limits and the seeds you sow now with your children, grandchildren and friends will sprout in the future in so many unexpected and wonderful ways. Who knew that my 16-year-old grandson, Eli, who was totally immersed in my gardening activities as a toddler, but seemed to eschew them as he got older, is now contemplating a career in environmental science.

Gardening is a passion passed down from one generation to another. Get out there, make a difference, join a garden club!

Editor’s Note: Jeannie Geremia is the Community Gardens Chair, the Butterflies & BeeGAP Chair, and the Backyard Wildlife Habitat Chair for the Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc., and is a National Garden Clubs, Inc. Accredited Flower Show Judge for the GCNJ. Jeannie can be reached by emailing: jeannieg42@earthlink.net The Garden Club of New Jersey website is: www. gardenclubofnewjersey.com and phone number is: 732249-0947.

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10 June, 2016

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Every now and then, a group of us gets together as volunteers to build something for the State of Maine Parks & Recreation Department.

Organic vegetable gardens, flower gardens, camping lean-to’s, paths, trails, small bridges over streams and vernal pools, etc.

We also clean up fallen trees across trails, and that means using chainsaws, comealongs and other pieces of equipment that you need to be trained and experienced to use.

Not allowing a heavy tree branch to fall on a fellow volunteer is important. Maine also has numerous statefunded vegetable gardens where the fresh organic produce is distributed at the food banks and is very appreciated. The state recently was given some land for just such a garden project, but there was a catch. The land was not accessible.

What does that mean? It means we had to remove trees and stumps, grub the property and install approximately 2,000 linear feet of roadway that we were going to grade, put stone on and then

down and told him “Do NOT move!” The bulldozer operator had over 37 years of experience. He calmly put the blade down and hydraulically lifted the tracks up off the man’s legs, ankles and feet, jumped down, dug the dirt out from around his feet and slowly pulled him out from underneath the tracks. He then jumped back in the dozer, put it on the ground and shut it off.

Three days later, the doctor released my friend from the trauma center with a hematoma to his left ankle.

A very sore and tender ankle, but he still had one. If it wasn’t for the experience and quick thinking of the bulldozer operator, things could have been much worse.

Needless to say, we all had a meeting about communicating with the equipment operators as we finished the job to put fresh organic veggies on the plates of young children.

Thanks for reading and see ya next month.

The Miscellaneous Gardener

By Richard W. Perkins Freelance Writer

Volunteering and Smart Teamwork compact with a roller. This was a relatively big job, but if it meant putting fresh organic vegetables on the plates of growing children, it was going to be worth it.

Our group, the Weekend Warriors, was joined for this project by a medium-sized construction company who donated the excavator to dig up the stumps, a bulldozer to grade the road and the roller to compact it. The equipment was on-site when we got there with two volunteer operators.

They were there for one day only, so we all had to work hard to get this job done.

There was a wetland where we had to install a culvert that the road was going to cover.

One team was installing the culvert and another team was setting the grade with grade stakes, string and a

level while the bulldozer was grading the now stump-free dirt.

Around 9 a.m., I decided that we could all take a quick coffee break and hopped in my truck to get a Box of Joe and some donuts. Halfway to the donut place, my cell phone rang. A very emotional voice told me that the Bulldozer backed up over the legs of the guy setting the grade, 911 had been called and I needed to get back there right away!

I spun the truck around, put my flashers on and punched it. I have a one-touch button for the local police and hit that. My phone is set on speaker. I told Dispatch what was happening and that I was headed back to the site.

They told me a cruiser was on the way. God bless our police!

He met me, put his lights on and we both blasted down the road. We arrived on site and the worker was sitting on the ground. The bulldozer was sitting there turned off and everyone was relatively calm. The EMTs arrived seconds later.

I asked my friend how he was and he told me that he thought everything was OK. I thought to myself, he must be in shock. I was afraid to look at his legs and feet. The EMTs wrapped him up, put him on the gurney, and off they went.

The bulldozer operator then told me a story. At the time, he did not even know he was on the ground behind him, kneeling down to set a grade. After he heard the man yelling, he stopped.

He opened the door, looked

Editors Note: Check out Richard’s photography at; rwperkinsphotography.com

Juneberry

By Hubert Ling What is a Juneberry?

The Juneberry or Shad-bush is a shrub or small tree, 15 to 25 feet tall, which is covered in pure white, shimmering, lightly fragrant flowers that appear in April even before the leaves.

This shrub has goodtasting berries which ripen in June, of course, when the Shad make their runs. The berries are blue-purple, the size of blueberries, but they taste more like sweet black cherries or blackberries with a hint of apple or almond. In addition, the foliage turns a pleasant orange or rustyred in fall which adds to its value in the home garden.

Although Juneberry bushes are common in New Jersey, relatively few people have tasted them.

But there is an effort to raise them and introduce them to the general public; about a dozen small farms in New

York State are engaging in commercial ventures.

The commercial species is Amelanchier alnifolia, or Saskatoon berry, which grows naturally in Canada and the Northwestern U.S. and produces more numerous berries than other species.

Our local common Juneberries are Amelanchier aborea and A. canadensis (both names are often used interchangeably). A. canadensis grows naturally on the Eastern seaboard from Canada to Georgia.

It generally forms a multistemmed bush but a singlestemmed tree will develop if you remove the suckers which tend to sprout up around the base of the plant.

Juneberry has been widely used as an ornamental plant in informal settings. It grows well in a variety of soils but prefers a fertile, slightly acidic to neutral soil, in full sun or partial shade, and is quite tolerant of damp soil.

Propagation is by use of the suckers. Seeds also grow well if they are planted a little green just before the seed coats have fully hardened, or dried seed may be planted in late-spring. After being subjected to summer heat and winter cold, germination is expected the next spring.

The plant is not subject to any serious diseases or insect problems and is selffertile. It is tolerant of wind, so it will make a beautiful hedge or windbreak and it is sometimes used to create bonsai specimens.

Juneberries were much prized by Native Americans, who took pains to cultivate and share good-tasting strains. The natives ate the berries fresh, dried or boiled in a broth with fat meat for feasts. Dried fruit was also mixed with corn-meal, used for pudding, and young branches were used to brew tea. In addition, a decoction of Juneberry, cherry and young oak roots was drunk for dysentery, and children

who had pin worms were given a bath in Juneberry bark tea. Extracts from the inner bark were also used as disinfectant washes.

To d a y, some Amelanchier is eaten fresh, but more is used for preserves, pies, muffins and sometimes dried and used as raisins. Remember, as with all wild fruit plants, the quality of the fruit, from a human standpoint, varies greatly in different plants, from great to really bitter; the safest bet is to take a sucker from a plant known to produce great fruit or buy a large specimen with proven good fruit. Juneberries are packed with nutrients and are rich in antioxidants, calcium, copper, iron and protein.

Since the plant is in the rose family, along with several popular fruits, Juneberry root stock can be used as a dwarfing root stock for apple and pear trees. This would be particularly useful in damp

areas where apples and pears would normally not do well. Juneberry wood is dense, hard, and close grained. It is useful for tool handles and young, straight Juneberry branches were a favorite as arrow shafts.

Juneberry nectar is avidly sought by bees, butterflies and other pollinators. The berries provide food for robins and bluebirds and 24 other animal species; birds are so enamored by the fruit that they will often completely strip a fully ripe tree of all berries.

This is fine if you are an animal lover, but not so fine if you are a farmer. If you have the room, give this beautiful plant a try; the wildlife will thank you and so will your children.

Editor’s Note: Hubert Ling is the Horticulture Chairman for the Native Plant Society of New Jersey. He can be reached at milhubling@verizon.net

GardenerNews.com

June, 2016 11

June Bugs… What Better Month To Feature Them?

By William A. Kolbe B.C.E. June bugs are a common name for June beetles. Technically, they are beetles and not bugs, so June beetle is the proper name to use.

These beetles are in the Family Scarabaeidae (scarab beetles) and are a large group of insects.

It has a small cousin we all know and love, the Japanese beetle. Both of these beetles can do major damage to plants.

The Green June beetle (Cotinus nitida) is being recognized as a turf grass pest. Severe and extensive injury from the larvae to lawns starts as the weather turns consistently warm.

Adult beetles are threequarters to one inch long.

The adult’s upper body is velvety green to dull brown, with lengthwise stripes of green with yellow-orange margins on the hardened front wing.

The underside of the body is shiny metallic green or gold. Adults also have a distinctive small, flat horn on the head. Green June beetle grubs are threeeighths (first instar) to one and a half inches long, with a white stubby body and short legs. The grubs have an unusual habit of crawling on their backs rather than relying on their small legs, which are extended upward as they move across surfaces.

Ridges located on the upper surface of the grub’s body are covered with short, stiff hairs that assist them in moving on the surface of the grass.

This insect completes one generation annually.

Green June beetles overwinter as mature grubs and resume feeding in the spring. Pupation occurs from May through June. Prior to pupation, the third-instar larva forms a protective case composed of soil particles bound together by a sticky

secretion.

Adult development usually requires 16 to 18 days. Then adults emerge from the soil to mate. Females fly over the turf’s surface early in the morning, while males fly from mid- to latemorning. Females produce a substance that attracts the males to them prior to mating. After females mate, they dig into the turf to lay a cluster of 10 to 30 eggs in a compacted ball of soil about the size of a walnut. Females prefer moist organic soil.

The eggs are nearly round, about one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter, absorb soil moisture, and hatch in 10 to 15 days. The grubs are nocturnal feeders and consume decaying organic matter. Larvae molt three times until they reach the third instar. As cool fall temperatures arrive, the nearly mature, one and a half-inch thirdinstar grubs dig deeper in the soil to overwinter.

Green June beetle grubs, especially third instars, burrow to the surface at night to feed and may at times graze on turf. Soil accumulating at the surface resembles earthworm castings. Early instar grubs frequently can be found tunneling in the top four inches of soil. They will loosen the soil and eat or thin out the thatch. However, their disruptive burrowing and mound-building activities can disfigure turf.

The latter mounds frequently are two to three inches in diameter; plus, grubs leave distinctive open, vertical soil burrows averaging six to 12 inches in depth. The diameter of the burrow is about the size of your thumb.

University of Maryland researchers have reported that drought-stressed grass that is maintained at a very short height succumbs easily to this type of damage. Likewise, mounds of soil can dull

reel-type mowers. It is also interesting to note that after a rain, grubs may end up on sidewalks, in the garage, or in ground-level swimming pools. Adult beetles injure various types of ripening fruit.

Control measures would be directed toward the larval stage. There are biological controls as well as organic measures. Consult your Rutgers Extension Agent for current cultural, biological, organic, least toxic and chemical control.

Editor’s Note: William A. Kolbe, BCE is a Board Certified Entomologist for Viking Pest Control based out of Warren, NJ. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Entomology with a minor in Ecology from the University of Delaware.

He is a member of The Denville NJ Community Gardens.

He can be reached at 800-618-2847 or visit www.vikingpest.com

12 June, 2016

GardenerNews.com

Last month, colleges in New Jersey and across the country recessed until the fall.

In June, our state’s over 2,500 elementary and secondary schools will also ring their last bell for the 2015-2016 school year.

That’s right parents, it’s summer! You and your kids will be juggling schedules and hopefully finding some time to get away on a family vacation, or at least spend a few days down the shore. Even if you do not take a formal vacation, you can still find time to spend in your home landscape, in a public garden, or on a nature hike. Trust me, you’ll be better off for it.

So what does any of this have to do with “Growing the Garden State?” You have heard me promote New Jersey’s nursery industry as a national leader, as well as discuss how high quality the trees, shrubs and flowers grown in the Garden State really are. Part of promoting an industry is, of course, promoting the products that industry produces, and as such I wanted to take some time to talk about the plants themselves and the many benefits to you and your life

landscapes in your home and community.

Have I sufficiently teased you yet? If you didn’t love plants, you most likely wouldn’t be reading this column anyway. So let’s go on this journey together over the next few months and really gain a deeper understanding of all the glorious benefits plants possess.

As my own kids finish out their school year, I am already thinking about the busy summer ahead and how we are going to spend it. We do not have big vacations plans, but we have every intention of spending as much time in the garden or the woods as possible. It’s often the little things that make a big difference in our lives and the lives of our children.

Growing New Jersey

By Dominick Mondi NJNLA Executive Director

More Than Pretty: The Real Value of Plants they bring.

I want to share with you, in this column as well as the forthcoming summer month columns from me and NJNLA, just precisely how plants can help you live a better life.

All too often, gardeners, retailers and landscapers focus solely on plant aesthetics to determine whether or not to make a purchase. Flower size, fall color and fragrance are huge selling points for sure, as anyone who has ever stood under a large sugar maple in October or walked through a greenhouse of Hyacinth in early-spring can attest.

The truth is these are the equivalent of that “new car smell” or the “sizzle” that sell so many cars and steaks, but they are not the real value.

These things are great, but the real value is often not

immediately visible. I am confident that the more you know about the benefits of plants, the more eager you will be to head to your local independent garden center and buy some!

What makes plants so incredibly important in our lives is the many environmental, health, wellbeing and economic benefits they carry along with all those sweet smelling flowers and fabulous autumn shades.

It’s not hyperbole, rather it’s documented and studied.

Plants really do make our lives better. Gardening is the original “going green” activity.

It is not by accident, for example, that after centuries of societal advancement, an industrial revolution, and the last few decades of technological innovation, we

still bring flowers to a first date, a wedding, and a funeral.

We routinely mark important occasions with bouquets, corsages, centerpieces, arrangements, or that perfect single rose. Brides scout for gardens and landscapes to capture the perfect lasting images in.

It’s not just tradition; it is because it makes a difference. Somehow we just know that flowers and landscaping make good events better and sorrowful events a little more tolerable.

The “power of plants” is real! Over my next three columns, I am going to break down in as much details as space allows first the environmental benefits, then the economic benefits, and finally the health and wellbeing benefits of purchasing, planting and enjoying

Editor’s Note: Dominick Mondi is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association, a trade association representing the nursery, greenhouse, garden center and landscape industry in New Jersey. He can be reached at njnla.director@gmail.com, one twitter @NJNLAdirector, or online at www.NJNLA.org.

GardenerNews.com

June, 2016 13

State Police Educate Nursery and Landscape Industry

Tom Castronovo/Photo

New regulations have significant and immediate effect on many nursery, landscape and garden center businesses The New Jersey State Police were front and center at the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association’s May 4 North Central Chapter Meeting at Northern Nurseries in Somerset, Somerset County.

Over 80 nurserymen, landscape contractors and garden center owners that were in attendance, listened to two troopers explain the updates to the New Jersey Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, so they can stay compliant.

The troopers said:“In order to maintain compliance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations, the State of New Jersey has adopted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) at N.J.A.C. 13:60 for intrastate commercial motor vehicles 10,001 pounds and greater. These updated regulations are in effect.

“This adoption includes revisions to the definition of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operating on highways in the State of New Jersey. While the vast majority of CMV’s operating in New Jersey will be unaffected by this change, a subset of vehicles that were previously not included in the definition of a CMV in New Jersey will now be considered such. As a result, these vehicles will now be subject to FMCSR as adopted in N.J.A.C. 13:60. The following outlines the changes in the new adoption for each vehicle type: Type 1: GVWR, GCWR, GVW, or GCW 10,000 or more pounds (whichever is greater); Type 2: Eight or more passengers, including the driver, for compensation; Type 3: Sixteen or more passengers, including the driver: or Type 4: Used to transport material found by the Secretary of Transportation to be hazardous under 49 U.S.C. 5103 and transported in a quantity requiring placarding under regulations prescribed by the Secretary under 49 CFR, subtitle B, Chapter 1, subchapter C.” The troopers also spoke about vehicle marking requirements that are outlined in 49 CFR 390.21 and in N.J.S.A. 39:4-48, and how to obtain a USDOT Number. The question and answer session went on for hours.

Spending on Lawns and Gardens Jumps, Led by Millennials and Boomers The U.S. is a nation full of gardeners – and they’re spending more money on their lawns and gardens than in recent years. Lawn and garden spending reached a reported $36.1 billion dollars in 2015 according to recently released results of the annual National Gardening Survey, bouncing back from a five-year low in 2014.

“Participation in gardening did not decline much during the economic downturn,” says industry analyst Bruce Butterfield, who adds, “people have been participating in gardening all along but they weren’t spending as much in recent years.” The average amount spent on the back yard or balcony nationwide in 2015 was $401 per household, up from a low of $317 in 2014.

“The $36 billion dollar question is if lawn and garden sales will stay at this level in the future,” says Butterfield, who heads the National Gardening Market Research Company and oversees the survey each year. “These results are encouraging. Not only did DIY gardening have 6 million more customers, they spent more, too,” adds Butterfield.

An estimated 90 million households participated in do-it-yourself lawn and gardening activities last year – in and outdoors. That’s about 75-percent of all U.S. households. According to the survey, the highest spending was among baby boomers, married households, those with annual incomes of over $75,000 and college graduates – but the most important market force was 18-34 year olds. Five million of the six million ‘new’ gardening households were Millennials.

Food gardening and flower gardening were the most popular gardening activities last year. About one out of three households participated in food gardening (36%) or flower gardening (34%). Households spent an estimated $3.6 billion growing vegetables, fruit, berries and herbs and $2.7 billion on flower gardening.

Source: National Gardening Market Research Company

14 June, 2016

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June, 2016 15

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A Tiara for the Garden Everyone gravitates to plants when they display beautiful flowers. For the non-gardener, once the flowers fade, so often fades any interest in the plant as well.

However, for the dedicated gardener, flowers are only part of a plant’s allure; foliage, form and a stout ease of culture fill out a gardener’s checklist for garden-worthy plants.

Tiarella or Foam Flower, not only has a wonderfully attractive spring floral display, but it also fulfills those remaining needs of a gardener’s checklist.

A member of the Saxifragaceae or Saxifrage Family, the various species of Tiarella are found throughout Asia and North America. The genus name was originally penned by Carl Linnaeus (1707-1758) in 1753, derived from the Greek Tiara, meaning turban

or crown – a reference to the shape of the seed capsules.

For the garden, Tiarella cordifolia is a very gardenworthy species. The species epithet, yet again crafted by Linnaeus, is reflective of the cordate or heart-shaped foliage. Native to the woodlands stretching from Nova Scotia to Alabama and west to Minnesota, the two- to four-inch diameter foliage has three to seven shallow lobes and is slightly hirsute.

Growing to six to eight inches tall, the foliage often displays extensive and attractive variations in red markings along the veins.

Come autumn, the foliage assumes a bronzy-red color and typically persists throughout the winter. For the non-gardener, the plant also produces flowers!

From late-April through early-June, the plants produce six- to 12-inch-tall leafless stalks, along which the uppermost two to three inches are adorned with small white flowers. The

flowers are often pink in bud, opening to white, fivepetaled flowers from which 10 anthers prominently project, giving the overall flower not only a foamy appearance, but its common name. Tiarella cordifolia is also known for its ability to produce three- to six-inchlong stolons or runners, allowing it to be a worthy groundcover.

Oddly, although Linnaeus first described the plant in 1753, little additional focus was given to the species until the 1930s when Tiarella wherryi was described by botanist Olga Korhoven Lakela (18901980) at the University of Minnesota. Honoring the botanist and mineralogist Edgare Theodor Wherry (1885-1982), who first found the plant in the southern regions of the Appalachian Mountains, this species is not stoloniferous and is clumpforming. Also, not only the buds, but the flowers of this species are blushed pink.

Currently, there is debate as to whether this is truly a distinct species or merely a subspecies of Tiarella cordifolia. Regardless, most nurseries now lump plants which are clump-forming under Tiarella wherryi and those with stolons under its cousin.

Clearly, a plant with such a dramatic variation in leaf and flower color, as well as habit, will have the potential for numerous selections.

One of my favorites is “Running Tapestry,” which exhibits leaves with deep red mottling along the veins and vigorous stolons, making it a great groundcover candidate.

“Candy Striper” is another fun selection, with deeply incised leaves and flowers that are strongly pink in bud and light pink in flower. A clump-forming selection that I have used in years past is “Oakleaf,” which also displays pink flowers with foliage resembling that of a White Oak.

Foam Flower is a phenomenal plant for the shade. The rather coarse foliage looks great mixed with finer foliaged plants such as the Woodland Phlox (Phlox stolonifera), Crested Iris (Iris cristata), ferns or even broad-leafed selections of Hosta. Flourishing in well-drained and humusrich soils, this Tiara of the Garden is more than worthy of every woodland garden.

Editor’s Note: Bruce Crawford is a lover of plants since birth; is the managing director of the Rutgers Gardens, a 180-acre outdoor teaching classroom, horticultural research facility and arboretum; an adjunct professor in Landscape Architecture at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences; regularly participates in the Rutgers – Continuing Education Program; and the immediate pastpresident of the Garden State Gardens Consortium. He can be reached at (732) 932-8451. For more information, please visit www.rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu

2015 Floriculture Crop Highlights for the Northeastern Region Value of All Production: The 2015 wholesale value of floriculture crops in the 4 program states of the Northeastern Region (MD, NJ, NY, and PA) is up 10 percent from the 2014 valuation, according to King Whetstone, Director of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Northeastern Regional Field Office. The total crop value at wholesale for the 4 program States in the Northeastern Region, for all growers with $10,000 or more in sales, is estimated at $690 million for 2015, compared with $628 million for 2014. New Jersey continues to be the leading State in the region, with crops valued at $203 million. Pennsylvania, the next largest producer, is up 14 percent from the prior year to $194 million in wholesale value.

Number of Producers: The number of producers with operations having $10,000 or more in sales for 2015, at 1,768, is up 8 percent in the 4 States, compared with the 2014 count of 1,633.

Area Used for Production: In the Northeastern Region 4-State program, total covered area for floriculture crop production was 76 million square feet, for operations with $10,000 or more in sales. This is down 2 percent from the 2014 area of 77 million square feet.

Total Wholesale Value: The total wholesale value of floriculture crops sold by operations with $100,000 or more of sales in the Northeastern Region’s 4-State program is $638 million for 2015, up 8 percent from the 2014 total. These operations account for 93 percent of the total value of $690 million in floriculture crops, but comprise only 34 percent of all producers.

Number of Producers: The number of producers with sales of $100,000 or more totaled 607 for 2015, down 5 percent from the 642 producers counted in 2014.

About the Survey: The Commercial Floriculture Survey is conducted annually by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in 15 states. It is a “census” of all known operations with more than $10,000 in floriculture sales. For operations with more than $100,000 in sales, detailed data is collected about specific varieties.

All values in the following tables are wholesale equivalent value of sales; they were derived by multiplying the average wholesale price by the total quantity sold. Data summarized in the tables showing grower numbers and growing area represent all growers having sales of $10,000 or more.

The results of the survey are available to the public. Associations use these statistics when working with policy makers at the state and national levels. University extension specialists justify research grants and other activities with statistics that describe the size and importance of the industry in each state. Banks and other lending institutions often use the data when evaluating loan applications. Individual producer data is kept strictly confidential and used only in combination with other reports to prepare state and national statistics. Individual information is exempted from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. The Northeast Region was represented in Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania for the purposes of this survey. Fifteen states were included in the national release.

Source: USDA NASS

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Now that we are in the middle of graduation season here in the Garden State, it is that time of year when many younger people (as well as their parents), start thinking about what types of careers they should pursue. And while some people know exactly what type of job they would like to have, others might be content to just wait and see what kind of opportunity might present itself.

I recently had the opportunity to get together with a couple of friends of mine from high school and college. And while we were attempting to recount some of our past exploits (without too much embellishment, of course), one friend remarked that while he was in high school, he took a career aptitude test which stated that he was best suited to become a farmer. He laughed at the results at the time and thought it was funny, and then did very well in another field altogether. But the more I thought about what he said, the more I realized that the results of his test could not have been more wrong and also more right, all at the

June, 2016 17

The Town Farmer

By Peter Melick Agricultural Producer

Agricultural Employment same time.

It would be hard for me to come up with a category of employment that has a broader definition than “farmer.” And while being a farmer might not sound like it is for everyone, there are certainly quite a few diverse areas of agriculture which would be attractive to many young people. Let’s face it, no matter what a person’s interest or skill set might be, there is a very good chance that there is a corresponding career available for that person in agriculture.

For example, if someone happens to be math- and science-based and very precise, then the greenhouse area of agriculture might be the place for them. Here, you would work in a controlled environment where precision

and attention to detail pay off. Math and science skills are needed for formulating different growing mediums as well as allocating space and staggering plantings within the greenhouse.

If math and science aren’t your strong suit, but working with and caring for animals is, then there are a host of areas where someone can look for a career. Whether it is cows, pigs, sheep, chickens or any of the other species that are commercially raised, they all respond well to someone who has a genuine caring for their well-being and has a knack for producing them.

And if working with animals is not your favorite and you prefer working with things that actually talk back, then some type of direct marketing of farm products

might be a good fit. Perhaps growing vegetables and selling them at a farmers’ market would be fun. Sure, you still have to make certain that you have a good product to sell, but you could hire someone to help you with that. That way, you could spend the bulk of your time schmoozing with customers at the market, if that is what you really like to do.

If you want a combination of a couple of the above scenarios, then how does 11 months of tranquil solitude working in the outdoors followed by a month of dealing with screaming kids, their overly critical mothers, and disinterested fathers who are preoccupied with the football game they would rather be watching sound?

If it sounds like fun, then

operating a choose-and-cut Christmas tree farm would be the perfect vocation for you.

Actually, the only skill set that I can think of that is not a good fit for agriculture is writing. The reason for this is that if I had to survive on what I was paid to write this column, then I would have to be a Bernie Sanders supporter.

But in all seriousness, there is a place in agriculture for all types of people who are good at what they do and enjoy doing it. As long as they are not afraid of some hard work from time to time, they can find a career that they enjoy and be successful at it.

Editor’s Note: Peter Melick is co-owner of Melick’s Town Farm in Oldwick and a 10th-generation New Jersey farmer. Peter is currently the Mayor of Tewksbury Township. He also served as a director for the New Jersey Farm Bureau and is a past president of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture. Peter has also been featured on NJN, News 12 New Jersey and on the Fox Business Network.

18 June, 2016

USDA Releases Results of New Survey on Honey Bee Colony Health Survey Developed as Part of National Pollinator Action Research Plan Gives New Insight into Losses of Managed Bee Colonies :$6+,1*721 ' & Ę&#x160; 7KH 8 6 'HSDUWPHQW RI $JULFXOWXUHÂśV 1DWLRQDO $JULFXOWXUH Statistics Service (NASS) released the results of its first ever Honey Bee Colony Loss survey on May 12. The survey queried more than 20,000 honey beekeepers about the number of colonies, colonies lost, colonies added, and colonies affected by certain stressors and gleans state-level estimates on key honey bee health topics. The survey was developed as part of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinatorsâ&#x20AC;? released last summer, and gleans state-level estimates on key pollinator health topics.

Results from the survey will provide statistically strong baseline information about honey bee losses and can help guide honey bee management decisions in the United States.

NASS created the survey questions with input from beekeepers and researchers, and other stakeholders. The results will allow USDA and other federal departments and agencies to create a more unified and complementary approach to implementing the National Strategy, which was unveiled in May 2015. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pollinators are essential to the production of food, and in the United States, honey bees pollinate an estimated $15 billion of crops each year, ranging from almonds to zucchinis,â&#x20AC;? said Dr. Ann Bartuska, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This new data will add to USDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s robust scientific body of knowledge on the inventory, movement and death loss of honeybees in the United States.â&#x20AC;?

For this report, NASS surveyed 3,300 beekeeping operations with five or more colonies on a quarterly basis, following their operations throughout the year. In addition, NASS surveyed a sample of 20,000 beekeepers who have less than five colonies annually. Data collected covers the state in which colonies are located, movement of colonies between states, newly added or replaced colonies, number of colonies lost, colonies renovated, and presence of colony stressors and specific signs of illness. The responses allow USDA for the first time to differentiate patterns between small-scale and commercial beekeepers, analyze data on a state-by-state basis, and compare more specific quarterly losses, additions and renovations for larger scale beekeepers.

According to the survey released today, there were 2.59 million or 8% fewer honey bee colonies on January 1, 2016 than the 2.82 million present a year earlier on January 1, 2015 for operations with five or more colonies. New quarterly colony data allow new levels of analysis.

For example, there was an 18% loss of colonies in the January-March quarter in 2015 and a 17% loss in the same quarter in 2016. Honey beekeepers with five or more colonies reported Varroa mites as the leading stressor affecting colonies. They also reported more colonies with symptoms of Colony Collapse Disorder lost in the first quarter of 2016 with 113,930 than the 92,250 lost in the same quarter in 2015.

This research complements other information USDA and partners have been collecting for years. For example, in March NASS released its annual report on honey production and prices for 2015. This report, which is used by USDA, producers, economists, agribusiness and others, found that U.S. honey production in 2015 from producers with five or more colonies totaled 157 million pounds, down 12 percent from 2014. There were 2.66 million colonies from which honey was harvested in 2015, down 3 percent from 2014. Honey prices were 209.0 cents per pound, down 4 percent from a record high of 217.3 cents per pound in 2014.

In addition, for the past 10 years USDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has helped fund collaboration between the Bee Informed Partnership and the Apiary Inspectors of America to produce an annual survey that asks both commercial and small-scale beekeepers to track the health and survival rates of their honey bee colonies. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s survey results, which were released May 10, were gleaned from the responses of 5,700 beekeepers from 48 states who are responsible for about 15 percent of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s managed honey bee colonies.

The data being released by NASS today adds to these two efforts by providing a baseline federal statistical resource to track change of reported numbers and death loss in colonies managed by small hobbyists up to the largest commercial producers.

The National Strategy, developed under the leadership of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and USDA) set three overarching goals: 1) reduce honey bee colony losses to economically sustainable levels; 2) increase monarch butterfly numbers to protect the annual migration; and 3) restore or enhance millions of acres of land for pollinators through combined public and private action. The plan was accompanied by a science-based Pollinator Research Action Plan. In addition to the surveys mentioned above, a number of research activities within USDAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Research, Education and Economics mission area have been initiated since the action plan was released; for example: NIFA is currently seeking applications for a total of $16.8 million in grant funding for research projects with an emphasis on pollinator health; The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is organizing a national bee genebank as part of the agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s response to ongoing problems facing the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beekeepers. The genebank, which will be located in Fort Collins, Colorado, will help preserve the genetic diversity of honey bees, especially for traits such as resistance to pests or diseases and pollination efficiency; ARS has launched a research project aimed at determining the effects of seasonal pollens on brood rearing, on beesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; immune response to pathogen stress, and on whether geographic location influences such effects; ARS has launched a study to determine whether hyperspectral imaging can be used as a non-invasive method of monitoring bee colony health; and ARS has launched a project to determine colony survival, population size, cost and the return on investment of two overwintering strategies for controlling Varroa mites.

GardenerNews.com Detecting Decay Inside Bagged Lettuce with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Electronic Eyeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

By Sharon Durham Public Affairs Specialist Fresh-cut lettuce sold in bags is a desirable yet highly perishable product because tissue decay can start a few days after processing and is difficult to detect through the bag with the naked eye.

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant geneticist Ivan Simko, with the Crop Improvement and Protection Research Laboratory in Salinas, Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;in collaboration with researchers from Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;designed a system for the early detection and evaluation of decay.

The researchers developed two lettuce-decay indices to help select breeding lines yielding longer-lasting cut lettuce. The indices also allow researchers to identify lettuce damage caused by freezing temperatures.

One index is based on evaluations performed with hyperspectral imaging, and the other with chlorophyll fluorescence imaging.

A hyperspectral sensor identifies decay by measuring light waves that bounce off plant tissues. Unlike the human eye, which sees only visible light, hyperspectral imaging detects a much broader electromagnetic spectrum-including the ultraviolet, near-infrared, and infrared regions.

Chlorophyll fluorescence imaging measures biological activity in leaf tissue and uses light re-emitted by chlorophyll to find decay.

The cameras used in these two technologies mimic human sight while avoiding subjective errors, according to Simko. In turn, the researchers can test breeding lines for longer shelf life and breed that trait into current lettuce cultivars grown for processing as bagged produce.

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note: Sharon Durham works for the USDA Agricultural Research Service.

She can be reached at (301) 504-1651 or by emailing Sharon.Durham@ars.usda.gov

GardenerNews.com Ice Breakers sugarree peppermint gum is a Hershey’s candy product that has been in their portfolio since 2000. Acquired from Nabisco, this intense minty gum is wrapped in electric blue and every time I see this product, on the shelf at our local convenience store, I can’t help but think of two plant types.

Somewhere between the blue hues of cerulean and arctic is the descriptive I would use for both of these exciting plants. More than a decade ago, I was touring Iseli Nursery in Oregon and was introduced to an electrifying new plant. A Korean Fir, Abies koreana “Horstmann’s Silberlocke,” has upwardly recurved needles on this small pyramidal tree. Silverwhite undersides add to its uniqueness and its texture makes you want to go over and “pet it.”

Korean Fir is known for its slow growth and small stature. However, they are equally known for their abundantly rich, violetpurple, almost bluish, twoto three-inch-long cones.

Many of the great gardening We have all read about the benefits of adding teas and especially Green Teas to our diet but have we heard of adding teas to our fertilizer regimen? Well yes, it’s the compost tea and is definitely a dietary supplement to any fertilizer program.

It is derived from clean garden refuse known as compost. Compost is defined as a mixture of various decaying substances, as dead leaves or manure used for fertilizing soil. And tea, any of various infusions prepared from the leaves, flowers, etc., of other plants, and used as beverages or medicines. So you could assume that a tea made from compost would be a prescription tonic for plants and you would be right.

Plants need 16 different elements to support good healthy growth. Mother Nature supplies water (we hope in sufficient quantities), sunlight and oxygen and we supply the fodder that drives the plant’s engine. One of the most important elements would be nitrogen. One of the most important elements yes, but many times misused. Much of the nitrogen applied to our

June, 2016 19 Unique Plants

By Bob LaHoff Nursery Specialist

Somewhere Between Cerulean and Arctic catalogues around the world have, in their own way, captured these cones by way of photograph. “Hardy” to zone 4, there are some two dozen cultivars that can hold your attention, offering markings from greenishblue to intense yellow.

Better than most Fir types for warmer climates, Korean Fir still appreciates a cooler one.

One thing I have learned with this plant over the years is that it performs much better in well- drained soils than it does in heavy clay types. Hence, I usually recommend this tree as a container plant to adorn your entranceway or patio or pool area. As with any year-round container plant you have at your home, consider protecting the plant

and the pot in the winter.

Submerging the pot in the ground for the winter or encasing it with bales of straw are both suitable answers to ensure the plant’s survivability and the pot’s.

Appreciating more sun than shade and feeding your tree in early-spring will certainly contribute to Korean Fir’s long-term success.

“True cypress trees (Cupressus) make excellent evergreen hedges or elegant specimens in warm, sunny garden locations.

Characterized by graceful, symmetric shapes and colorful, fragrant foliage, true cypress trees also provide showy bark and resinous, aromatic wood.

Given good drainage, Cupressus will tolerate poor dry soils.” (Iseli Nursery).

Perhaps the most outstanding example of this is a blue variety of Arizona Cypress, Cupressus glabra “Blue Pyramid.”

A broad, upright selection with powder-blue markings, this conifer is certainly bold and beautiful. Years ago, I remember seeing a mature specimen at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morristown, N.J., and remember being besotted with its aromatic, scale-like leaves.

Capable of growing one to two feet a year, in no time you will be able to appreciate the powder-blue foliage against its reddish flaking bark. Despite the lacy appearance, reminiscent of a pencil cactus, Arizona cypress is relatively troublefree and shows some deer

The Landscaper

By Evan Dickerson Landscape Professional

Have You Heard the Health Benefits of Teas landscapes leaches through the soil or volatilizes without much impact. Looking at the soil type, amount of organic matter, the biological activity, moisture in the soil, the temperature and the product used we often see severe losses in nitrogen.

Given this amount of loss, what can be done to help prevent it?

Adding organic matter and increasing the bacterial activity can significantly reduce nitrogen loss. Bacteria are involved in six separate processes in the soil. Some even converting nitrogen to plant available nitrogen forms. The higher the organic content in the soil the more nitrogen absorbed from the atmosphere. In a soil with a 5 percent organic soil content, which represents an optimized soil; nitrogen can be

cycled and used over and over again. This is accomplished by bacterial microbes which fix nitrogen and put it in a capacity to be used by the plants. Since we don’t live in a forest with abundant amounts of organic matter under our toes, we must provide adequate amendments. Adding beneficial microbes becomes a high value approach that is not to costly. That is where the compost tea comes in.

The production of compost tea is the result of an aerobic brewing process that extracts microorganisms from compost followed by microbial growth and multiplication. This includes beneficial bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes.

This group is known as the integral part of the Soil Foodweb. There is increasing evidence that compost tea

has a role in suppressing and controlling disease in plants.

The first step is the creation of quality compost.

This product should have a good mix of organic material and be free of any pesticides and impurities.

Good quality compost will be organic material that is well decomposed and is highly aerobic as a result of regular aeration. The end product will have a rich spread of microbial life and a good balance of beneficial bacteria and fungi, specifically actinomycetes, fungi, nitrogen fixing bacteria and aerobic bacteria. The carbon to nitrogen ratio should be around 15:1 for the finished product with a pH of between 6.0 and 8.0. It is simple enough to have the compost tested for its analysis and to be sure that it contains

resistance. Drought tolerant, once established, this tree produces small, spherical female cones that turn a reddish-brown. Plant Arizona cypress in full sun and keep them out of windy locations.

These two tree types offer intense blue color markings different from your average blue spruce.

Both have unique texture, something I am drawn to, and just look fun and playful.

There are many cultivars on the market and any one of them, I’m sure, could create drama and excitement in your garden.

Editor’s Note: Bob LaHoff is co-owner of Hall’s Garden Center and Florist in Union County, a member of the Union County Board of Agriculture, the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association, Reeves-Reed Arboretum Buildings and Grounds Committee, a lifetime member of the Conifer Society and past member of the retail council for Monrovia Growers. He can be reached at (908) 665-0331. no impurities. A high quality compost will produce a high quality compost tea. Lower quality composts should not be considered for this use. This raw material will produce a tea containing a highly diverse group of inoculants. Compost Tea is the best alternative to provide the soil and the plants with a rich diversity of essential microbial life.

There are now many companies which have developed processes enabling them to brew a compost tea.

This liquid is now available to be used in the landscape to enhance organic plant health care and increase plant vitality.

There are even some that are available to be mixed on an as-needed basis as long as it is used within hours after mixing. Your local nursery and landscape professional can be helpful in providing this information and service.

Editor’s Note: Evan Dickerson is owner of Dickerson Landscape Contractors and NaturesPro of North Plainfield.

He has been pioneering the organic approach to plant health since 1972. Evan can be reached at 908-753-1490

20 June, 2016

GardenerNews.com

Landscape Association Celebrates Golden Anniversary (Continued from page 1)

with the support and help of a small but dedicated group of landscape contractors: Walter “Skip” Powers, Fred “Skip” Gallione, Aubrey Hampton, Bob DeRosa and Don Leuffgen created what was then known as the Bergen County Landscape Contractors Association (BCLCA).

As the BCLCA continued to grow, the group of visionaries realized that they could no longer limit themselves to Bergen County alone. They needed to become a statewide organization. Therefore, in 1996, they officially changed the name from the BCLCA to the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA). They also created a tagline “NJLCA Growing Every Day.” From its inception, the BCLCA wanted to be more than just an organization with a single purpose. They wanted to not only educate their members but also create an association with a higher purpose. Something that contractors wanted to be part of, not had to be. That’s why the original members made it a point to include social events, educational events, service projects and community outreach. Now, as the NJLCA, this mission has been expanded upon, but still remains the fabric of their association.

An integral part to the success of the NJLCA is its

volunteer Board Members.

The NJLCA Board is made up of an Executive Board, which is comprised of the President, Vice President and Treasurer, and a Board of Directors, including a Chairman of the Board, along with eight to 12 Contractors Directors and Associate Directors. The role of the Board of Directors is to act as a liaison between NJLCA members and the Executive Board, listening to what members need or want, so together with the Executive Board, they can determine the correct course of action.

There have been 22 Presidents over the past 50 years, each one responsible for guiding the association based of the needs and goals of its members.

Here’s a poem written about the presidential history

by Anthony (Tony) DeFeo. He calls it The Gavel.

The wood was turned with craftsmanship, assembled and finished with care, a brand new gavel ready for shipment, but no one knew to where. Could it be for the chairman of a corporation great, or maybe for a judge, or the governor of a state.

A university president, or the mayor of a town, or a leader of one of the many service clubs renown.

But this gavel’s need was special, so it was packed and on its way, to a newly formed organization called the BCLCA.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Pat Barckett, left, Director of Sales and Marketing, Bobcat of North Jersey, and Vincent Ryan, right, President, Bobcat of North Jersey.

Praise to all the men who held its handle so firm, from each and every one of them, there was so much to learn.

The first year with Roger Dammer, the founder of the association, followed by Bob Derosa, with a year of his inspiration.

Then two years of Skip Gallione, with his firm

Tom Castronovo/Photo

New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association Past Presidents Jack Caldwell, left, Walter “Skip” Powers, center and Jim Stewart.

leadership, followed by a year of Jack Caldwell, who held a very firm grip. A year with Ed Rolando, who served each day and night, repeating 2 years was Roger Dammer, to keep things going right.

Then back for a year was Skip Gallione, to rule as he did before, elected then for one year, Joe Schwarz, who took on the mighty chore.

Two years of leadership at its best, rich fry did a job so grand, and again for two years, Skip Gallione, he loved the gavel in his hand.

Jim Stewart took the helm for two outstanding years, followed for two years of skip powers, rated high among his peers. Poems and special surprises for Tony DeFeo’s two-year term, followed by Tony Lupardi, Jr., who ran things very firm.

Then G e o rg e Futterknecht for two years, whose dedication was truly shown, and back for two more great years, our devoted Skip Gallione. Thus we reached 25 years since the beginning of the association, and so the BCLCA had a successful

25th anniversary celebration.

The first 25 years were behind us, the association was growing, the goal to promote professionalism was now really showing. And to make sure things kept going well and didn’t unravel, Guy Nicolosi took over for two years, as Skip passed him the gavel.

And for two years after Guy, a man with a confident tone, we called him the “Italian Stallion” our own Joe Sperone. A new wave of leaders was starting to make the scene, but were not ready for the gavel as they were a little green.

To recycle presidents was more a necessity than a rule, so Tony DeFeo came back for two years, and for the job he was the tool. There was no doubt, we were expanding at a pace very fast, to go statewide was inevitable, so the plans were cast.

August 27, 1996 was a real special day, BCLCA was now state-approved to be the NJLCA. The buds of leadership were blooming as Mark Borst (Cont. on page 22)

GardenerNews.com

June, 2016 21

22 June, 2016

GardenerNews.com

Landscape Association Celebrates Golden Anniversary (Continued from page 20)

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Spiro Economou, left, and Mark Jameson from New Jersey Deer Control. took over the post, led us into the millenium, his two years deserve a toast.

Following right behind for two years was Chris James with leadership ability strong, NJLCA was growing and doing well it seemed, nothing could go wrong. And to make sure it didn’t and to keep it running smooth, we had two years of Paul Sicilaino, always in a positive mood.

Now the next president served four years, we thought he was a lifer, spoke softly, but carried a big stick, Mr. Brian Phiefer.

To follow a four-year term is a big nut to crack, so Vin Caruso was elected to keep things on track.

But Vin did not finish one year, personal reasons existed, so to finish 2009, Jody Shilan was enlisted.

Jody Shilan took the gavel to finish the unexpired term, plus two and a half more years after that, his grip on the gavel was firm.

And for one and a half years after Jody, we had

one lovable fella, known to all as “Kodiak Bob”, the remarkable Bob Pedatella.

And now in his third year of leadership, bringing us to 50 years, Tom Canete, whose remarkable leadership deserves our cheers.

So with 50 years behind us, we celebrate tonight, a toast to the founders, the leaders, and members who helped do it right. 50 years can be measured in

Anniversay Cake.

Nelson Lee, left, Vice President of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association; Jack Otterbein, center, Vice President of the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association; and David DeFrange, a Board Member of the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association.

several different ways, five decades, half a century, or 18,275 days.

1966 to 2016, it’s amazing what together we did achieve, in looking over NJLCA, our accomplishments are hard to believe. 50 great years, but this is not the end, for we are only beginning, for growing is our trend.

So the gavel has a history from the day it left

the shop, of dedication and service to each man who served at the top. And so it shall continue, new faces will give it their best, may they have the pride and dedication, as did all the rest.

Today, the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association is a group of professional landscape contractors dedicated to advancing the integrity,

Tom Castronovo/Photo

proficiency and continued growth of the landscape industry.

In 2015, the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association (NJNLA) celebrated their 100th anniversary.

Several smaller landscape organizations also exist throughout the state.

No matter how you look at it, New Jersey’s landscape is still growing every day!

Editor’s Note: Tom Castronovo is executive editor and publisher of Gardener News. Tom’s lifelong interest in gardening and passion for agriculture, environmental stewardship, gardening and landscaping, led to the founding of the Gardener News, which germinated in April 2003 and continues to bloom today. He is also dedicated to providing inspiration, and education to the agricultural, gardening and landscaping communities through this newspaper and GardenerNews.com.

GardenerNews.com Recently, there have been conversations as to whether having a lawn is necessary. I think a lawn is a wonderful thing. The fact that we can feed it, mow it and make it look like a carpet is really cool.

The planting of a lawn dates back to European aristocracy. The very first areas to be considered a lawn were grassy fields that surrounded castles. These large, open spaces helped provide a visual indication if a threat was coming and protected the castle better than having the enemy hiding in the woods next to the castle’s edge.

The word “lawn” comes from a Middle English word that means “glade or opening in the woods.” By the 17th Century, cut grass lawns were becoming the fashion. With the arrival of the Industrial Revolution and the development of the first lawn mower, lawns became more accessible to the average person. A well-manicured lawn looked better than the wild hayfields used for the animals.

Get those beach chairs out and pack up the car and get on down to the Jersey Shore. This by far should be the best summer down here since the storm.

There has still been so much construction going on all winter, but it seems to now be quietly going away. There are still plenty of houses being rebuilt and new construction going up all around, but for the most part we are running at full steam again.

Last month I ran a halfmarathon in Long Branch and was able to see just how far they have come since Sandy, and I have to say it looks pretty impressive. The beach and boardwalk area looked great and super ready for an awesome summer.

I try not to talk about the construction and rebuilding headaches that tens of thousands of New Jersey residents were forced to go through over the past four years, so all I’m going to say is that it’s been a long road with many hurdles along the way but we are all still here and back better than ever.

June, 2016 23 Turf ‘s Up

By Todd Pretz Professional Turf Consultant

No doubt – you should have a lawn!

Yes, it’s true, maintaining a great lawn takes some work and thought. There are seeding, fertilizing, mowing, and watering requirements to keep your lawn healthy and beautiful. But the positives are without a doubt, far reaching.

Lawns purify our air. The leaves of the grass plant absorb pollutants, including those associated with acid rain and global warming. Grass plants remove carbon dioxide from the air and produce oxygen in return helping to reduce your carbon footprint.

An average lawn of 5,000 square feet provides enough oxygen for eight people a day. The lawn around your house cools the immediate environment, saving on air conditioning costs. Grass controls erosion and improves soil conditions by absorbing

“run-off” water. A healthy lawn purifies water, reduces glare and noise, traps dust and increases your property value, improving the quality of your surroundings. A nice looking lawn provides a frame work to a great looking house.

Mowing your lawn is good exercise. If you recycle your clippings, you can cut back from four feedings a year to three feedings. Also, recycled clippings help to reduce watering costs since grass blades are mostly water.

A healthy growing lawn can resist a lot of damage from heat, drought, weeds, insects and fungus. You can greatly reduce tick populations with a regular mowing. Imagine your property without any grass cover; it would be a dust bowl. You can also

take care of your lawn using organic products if you wish, another way to treat Mother Earth with respect.

Why do you think so many people congregate at parks? They like the peaceful serenity that the lush, green grass provides. How about a place for the kids to play ball or chase their dog? Many people like to walk on the lawn with bare feet or sit down and have a picnic. It makes them feel closer to Mother Earth. Many “green” roofs are now being constructed with grass to provide a little slice of heaven on a rooftop condominium in the city. These green roofs also provide cooling for buildings from the sun’s hot, harsh rays. Green spaces are an important part of architects and developers designs.

From the Deep

By Craig Korb Executive Chef

Strawberries to start the season Now for the real focus of this month’s article – strawberries. You’ll be hard pressed to find someone that doesn’t enjoy this fruit in some way, shape or form. I remember eating them out of the garden as a small child at my grandmother’s house in Linden. That was the best, right off the vine, super ripe and sweet as could be.

Although New Jersey is not one of the Top-10 producers of strawberries in the United States, we still produce quality berries, and they are also a staple in gardens across our beautiful state. The strawberry is cultivated around the world in countries such as Turkey, Spain, Egypt and Mexico, to name a few.

The United States is the leading producer overall,

with California being the top in state production.

Strawberries were first cultivated in gardens in the late 18th Century in France.

Prior to this, they were taken from forests dating back to the 14th Century. They were first mentioned during Roman times in reference to their medicinal use. During the 16th Century, the strawberry was becoming increasingly popular. Botanists began to start naming the different species and the demand for the fruit began to grow.

Aside from consuming the strawberries fresh, they can also be frozen, dried or made into preserves.

This month’s recipe will be a salad with fresh strawberries, goat cheese, red onion and balsamic vinaigrette tossed with

arugula. It’s a great spring salad and is super easy to make. Make sure to serve the salad with plenty of fresh black pepper that totally compliments the sweetness of the fruit. Good luck, be well and keep your eye out for the Jersey Fresh logo!

Strawberry and goat cheese salad with red onion, balsamic vinaigrette and arugula (serves 4) 1 cup fresh strawberries, washed and sliced 3 large handfuls of fresh arugula or approximately 4 cups lightly packed, (other fresh greens may be substituted) 3/4 cup of crumbled goat cheese; if unavailable use a small goat cheese log torn into small pieces 1/2 cup of thinly sliced

There are perhaps more costs to maintain landscape beds than lawn areas.

Mulching, weed control, pruning and watering of landscape plants and trees can require a lot of labor and chemical controls ,while proper mowing takes care of a lot of the lawn’s needs.

Proper mowing at three to four inches will reduce watering needs due to deeper root systems. Many weeds are controlled by proper mowing too. If you can cut the dandelions in your lawn before the “puffy” seed stage you can prevent them from re-seeding next year’s crop.

In the words of my friend Paul who is serious about his lawn when asked, “Are lawns important?” His reply was, “No doubt!” Paul recently built a new home and now has a fresh new lawn to admire and make it the envy of his neighbors.

Editor’s Note: Todd Pretz is Vice President of Jonathan Green, a leading supplier of lawn and garden products in the northeast. For more information, please visit: www.jonathangreen.com red onion, rinsed with cold water 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup light olive oil salt and fresh black pepper to taste pinch of sugar method-make vinaigrette by whisking together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and black pepper and sugar -add remaining ingredients, except for goat cheese, into a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly together until salad is covered lightly with vinaigrette -distribute evenly among four plates and sprinkle the goat cheese over each -add additional fresh black pepper if necessary Editor’s Note: Craig Korb is executive chef at The Crab’s Claw Inn, Lavallette, New Jersey. He has an Associates degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelors degree in Food Service Management from Johnson and Wales University. For more information visit www.TheCrabsClaw.com or phone (732) 793-4447.

24 June, 2016

GardenerNews.com

Two Approaches to Enhancing Agricultural and green industry icons Tomato Flavor

By Dennis O'Brien Public Affairs Specialist Two Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Fort Pierce, Florida, have taken different approaches to enhancing the flavor of tomatoes.

ARS plant physiologist Jinhe Bai and his colleagues at the U.S. Horticulture Research Laboratory studied the effects of refrigerating tomatoes and dipping them in hot water to make them easier to peel—a practice known as “blanching.”

Bai and his colleagues divided 60 tomatoes into three groups— refrigerating one group, keeping a second group at room temperature and dipping the third group in 122 F water for 5 minutes to simulate blanching.

They then used gas chromatography and an “electronic nose” to measure 45 volatile compounds associated with flavor released when the tomatoes were cut up.

The results showed that refrigeration greatly reduced 25 of 42 aroma compounds and reduced volatile levels overall by 68 percent.

Blanching also greatly reduced 22 of 42 compounds and reduced volatile levels overall by 63 percent. The results spell out why it is better to store tomatoes—and wash them before use—at room temperature.

Happy June, everyone!

We have talked about spring in previous articles and are now at the start of the summer months.

We, in the “green” industry, are busy at work creating beauty and I would say, “art”, for all of our clients.

It really is such a great time of year. The early spring flowers have been replaced by late spring flowers. Our construction projects are in full force, and what has really worked great for our organization is the new systems we put in place. The first part of the year, we were busy experimenting on new ways to keep the management aspect of our business heading in the right direction, such as adding new systems as well as updating and improving older systems. I am a firm believer of giving our team the time to really focus on our clients and our systems are the best way to free up that precious time.

In this article, I will be focusing on three areas including: weather watching, why we should always be experimenting with systems, and why the foreman didn’t know what to do.

Elizabeth Baldwin, an ARS horticulturist and research leader in Fort Pierce, wanted to find tomato breeders interested in developing varieties with enhanced flavor. She also wanted to identify varieties and growing seasons best suited to two of Florida’s major tomato production areas.

She and her colleagues raised 38 types of tomatoes over seven years in south Florida and west-central Florida, timing production for harvest in March, June and December.

They used human taste-test panels to evaluate flavor and measured the tomatoes’ sugars, acids and 29 key aroma compounds.

The results showed that the tomatoes needed to contain a certain amount of acids to have adequate flavor and that the more sugar they contained, the better they tasted.

Tomatoes harvested in June had more sugar and fruity volatiles than those harvested in December, probably because they received more sunshine.

Tomatoes harvested in March ranked in the middle in flavor.

Editor’s Note: Dennis O’Brien works for the USDA Agricultural Research Service. He can be reached at (301) 504-1624 or by emailing dennis.obrien@ars.usda.gov

New Jersey Landscape Construction Company Pioneer and Nurseryman Carl J. Torsilieri, 88, left, founder of Torsilieri Inc. in Gladstone, Somerset County; Greenhouse Grower and Plantsman Spiros Hionis, 78, center, founder and owner of Hionis Greenhouses and Garden Center in Whitehouse Station, Hunterdon County; and Louis G. Piancone, 88, Chairman Emeritus, Roma Food Enterprises, Inc., hay farmer and an equine enthusiast, met up at Hionis Greenhouses and Garden Center at the end of April when the growing season began its early budbreak. The three visionaries discussed the past, present and the future of the agricultural, green and equine industries.

The NJLCA Today

By Tom Canete Association President

A method to creating art Weather Watcher I have always watched the weather forecast. Whether looking to schedule our landscaping projects or what I love the most, for how and when the snow is going to arrive. I always keep an eye and at least one ear to the forecasts.

From the early days when I first started and managed my 35-plus crews, till today, although my great production team has taken the reins, I just can’t get away from watching how it will affect our industry and schedule. I’ve tuned into many ways that I can follow the weather, from watching the news on TV and the weather channel, listening to the radio, various weather phone apps, as well as collaborating with friends and associates. These weather sources have helped myself as well as my team, guide

landscape scheduling and snow routing.

Why we should always be experimenting with systems?

One of the areas that we work hard on at Canete Landscape and Snow Management is creating systems and then testing them. And by testing, I mean “experiment” with the systems.

Experimenting with systems gives us a great way to find out what works and what doesn’t work. In our society, we are often afraid of failure, it keeps us from growing to our fullest potential. However, when we use the word experiment, it allows us to work together in a real world environment and to find out how the system performed.

Lastly, one new system, we are experimenting with this year, answers the following questions: “Why didn’t the foreman know what to do?”

We now are using a “Contract Packet.” This is created by the Sales Department and the information then shared with both the Production and Accounting Departments. The Sales Department creates the Contract Packet from all the information gathered during the sales process; from the moment the client requests an estimate, to the correspondences, onto the estimating phase, to the work proposal, right down to the acceptance of a signed contract.

At this point the tracking of projects takes place.

With clear and concise information, each department can do its job more effectively, quicker, and with less fumbling around looking for the right information.

Each department needs this information to be able to perform their functions in the most

optimal and efficient manner: Production needs the hours, material amounts, and equipment allocation. They need all the information that will help them do the right work at the right time… and nothing more.

Accounting also needs to know what to charge the client for the work and what to charge the client for any extra work scheduled. They need to know the dollar figures for all the work contracted. This includes keeping them informed of the project phases to ensure proper timing for invoicing.

Every department now has all the right information to DO THEIR WORK! We are excited to continue this landscaping season in the most productive manner possible while building some exciting projects for happy clients.

Editor’s Note: Tom Canete is president of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association, also known as the NJLCA. He is also owner of Canete Landscape, Inc., Canete Snow Management, Inc. and Canete Garden Center, Inc. all located in Wayne, N.J. He can be reached by emailing tom@canete.com

GardenerNews.com

June, 2016 25

Gardeners know nature’s balance.

Be careful not to tilt the scales with a Hungry Pest A gardener’s hand can direct the ebb of life and transform a landscape. And with that ability comes responsibility. Be sure that Hungry Pests aren’t part of your design. Keep your eyes open and know the right things to do.

Always declare any plant material brought in from travel abroad; Buy your plants from a reputable source; Avoid using invasive plant species at all costs; Remove invasive plants from your garden; Until you are able to rid your garden of invasive plants, be responsible and remember to remove and destroy seed heads before they can spread. Also, don’t share invasives with other gardeners; Talk to other gardeners about invasives and how you plan to help in the fight against them; If you are worried that your garden will lose its luster after removing invasives, talk to your local native plant society or exotic pest plant council. These organizations will be able to suggest suitable native replacements; Report any suspected invasive species to your county extension agent or local USDA office, and If you suspect agricultural smuggling, please call USDA’s Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance unit at (800) 877-3835.

New Jersey Plant Dealer Certification The State of New Jersey’s Nursery Law (N.J.S.A. 4:7-15 es seq.) Is intended to ensure that nursery stock sold or distributed in New Jersey if free from injurious insects and plant diseases.

Certification as a Plant Dealer will enable you to buy and resell nursery stock in accordance with the Nursery Law. A “Plant Dealer” means a person who purchases nursery stock from other certified nurserymen and offers such stock for sale at a retail outlet or through landscaping services (N.J.A.C. 2:18-1 et seq.). For more info call (609) 406-6939.

Gavel passed and officers move up The New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association has installed new officers.

During a membership meeting at Stone House Nursery in Wyckoff, Bergen County, Wyckoff Mayor Kevin Rooney installed a new Executive Board for the association. Nelson Lee, owner of Landscapeworks, moved from Vice President to President; Rich Goldstein, owner of Green Meadows Landscape, moved up from Treasurer to Vice President; and Greg Carpenter, Co-owner of American Beauty Landscape, transitioned from NJLCA board member to Treasurer. The installation took place on May 12, 2016.

The Premier Gardening Monthly Newspaper Number 158 Published Monthly Contact Information Phone: 908.604.4444 Website: www.GardenerNews.com E-Mail: Mail@GardenerNews.com Staff Executive Editor/ Publisher . . . .

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Tom Castronovo Justin Kukuc Tom Castronovo

June Columnists Tom Castronovo Dominick Mondi Douglas H. Fisher Larry Katz Craig Korb Evan Dickerson

Todd Pretz Tom Canete Bob LaHoff Peter Melick Richard Perkins

Contributing Writers Bruce Crawford Steven K. Rettke Sandra Avant Sharon Durham

Jeannie Geremia William A. Kolbe B.C.E. Hubert Ling Dennis O’Brien

Gardener News is published monthly by

Gardener News, Inc. 16 Mount Bethel Road #123 Warren, NJ 07059 The Gardener News invites correspondences on gardening subjects of interest. Gardener News, Inc, and its Publisher reserve the right to accept, refuse, or discontinue any editorial or copy, and shall not be liable to anyone for printing errors, misinformation or omissions in editorial or copy. The information contained in articles herein represents the opinions of the authors and, although believed to be accurate and complete, is not represented or warranted by Gardener News, Inc. to be accurate or complete.

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NOTE: All editorial, advertising layouts and designs and portions of the same that are produced and published by Gardener News, Inc., are the sole property of Gardener News, Inc. and may not be reproduced in any form unless written authorization is obtained from the publisher. POSTMASTER: Send all address changes to: Gardener News, 16 Mount Bethel Rd - #123, Warren, NJ 07059. (c) 2016 Gardener News, Inc.

RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION PHONE DIRECTORY Atlantic County Phone: 609-625-0056 Bergen County Phone: 201-336-6780 Burlington County Phone: 609-265-5050 Camden County Phone: 856 216 7130 Cape May County Phone: 609-465-5115 Cumberland County Phone: 856-451-2800 Essex County Phone: 973-228-2210 Gloucester County Phone: 856-307-6450 Hudson County Phone: 201-915-1399 Hunterdon County Phone: 908-788-1339 Mercer County Phone: 609-989-6830

Middlesex County Phone: 732-398-5260 Monmouth County Phone: 732-431-7260 Morris County Phone: 973-285-8300 Ocean County Phone:732-349-1246 Passaic County Phone: 973-305-5740 Salem County Phone: 856-769-0090 Somerset County Phone: 908-526-6293 Sussex County Phone: 973-948-3040 Union County Phone: 908-654-9854 Warren County Phone: 908-475-6505

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The best way to plant a tomato is the trench method. After loosening the soil, dig a trench and lay the tomato plant into it horizontally. Pinch lower leaves off of the stem, and allow the top cluster of leaves to lead out of the trench. Cover the root system and bare stem with soil, gently firming it where the plant emerges, and push a cushion of soil under the top stem to keep it erect.

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