Horticulture Connected Spring 2022 Volume 9 Issue 1

L and s c ap e, garden retail & e dible hor ticulture new s , anal ysis and trend s

Spring 2022 Volume 9 Issue 1

Biodiversity

Conservation

Environment

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05 / INTERVIEW

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on +353 (0)89 238 5278

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HC / Spring 2022

Professional horticulture team pushing your business forward

01 / EDITORIAL

A SYMBOL OF HOPE

T

he language of horticulture is universal. Flowers can be powerful symbols of love, rebirth and resilience.

Perhaps no better example could be given, than that of a lone Ukrainian woman forcefully thrusting a clenched fist of seeds towards a Russian soldier, telling him, “Take these seeds so that sunflowers grow when you lie down here.” The sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine and is quickly becoming an international symbol of hope and resistance.

A number of horticultural businesses are currently engaged in efforts to deliver aid to refugees fleeing the conflict on Poland’s border. Making best use of their connections to Eastern Europe and their access to transport, these companies are collecting essentials to be provided to those most in need – an incredibly admirable endeavour.

Reverberations from this conflict have the potential to disrupt international supply chains and, if this is so, the edible horticulture sector will need to upscale production. Copa-Cogeca, the umbrella organisation representing both European farmers and agri-cooperatives, has already called for guidance from the European Union and for permission “to be able to cultivate all available land in 2022, to compensate for the blockage of Russian and Ukrainian production.”

When this happens, the government will have to come up with creative solutions to guarantee adequate labour supply for the sector.

Our own industry is currently enjoying a rebirth of sorts. We can look forward to a spring and summer of inperson conferences and trade shows, finally reconnecting after a long time apart. Bord Bia Bloom will return to its home in the Phoenix Park following two years of virtual #BloomAtHome events.

Other events to look forward to include GLAS, Garden Show Ireland, the HTA National Plant Show in the UK, and IPM Essen Summer Edition in Germany.

The recent GLDA seminar – a full

HC TEAM

HorticultureConnected.ie for daily news updates

UKRAINIAN SUNFLOWERS: PHOTO BY SHIFAN HASSAN ON UNSPLASH

report is included in this issue – was perhaps the last edition of the event to take place solely in the digital space.

An international panel of speakers at the event echoed sentiments that were evident in the winter edition of Horticulture Connected: that more thought needs to be given to biodiversity, sustainability and the way we plant trees in the urban environment. In our last issue, the point was powerfully raised by John Murphy in his article ‘Time For Combat’. He argued that sensible but urgent planting initiatives are needed to combat the climate crisis. This idea is expanded upon in this very issue, in articles by Terry O’Regan and – landscape architect with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council – Aidan Ffrench. It’s clear that there is a consensus surrounding this topic and that the humble tree must become much more than a symbol of hope in our fight against climate change. The time to act is now.

Elsewhere in this issue, Karen O’Hanlon reports on studies that champion seaweed as a solution to the fertiliser and pesticide supply issue; Noeleen Smyth looks at biodiversity initiatives that could support our urban bee population; Féidhlim Harty talks about how good watershed management can reduce the pollution in our rivers; Mark O’Loughlin confronts the issues facing recruitment in the horticulture sector; Laurence Gale updates us on machinery advances in turf care; and John Murphy returns with an article that looks to the future of tree production. In addition to this, we have all the latest news and articles from Teagasc and Bord Bia. ✽

Fumbally Exchange, Argus House, Blackpitts, Dublin 8, D08 Y273, Ireland Editorial Team editor@horticulture.ie +353 (0)89 255 7526 Peter McNally Joseph Blair Barry Lupton Creative Director Tanya Gilsenan - tanya@horticulture.ie Recruitment Sam Barrett - +353 (0)89 476 7424 sam@recruited.ie Advertising & Horticulture.jobs Paul Moran - +353 (0)89 238 5278 paul@horticulture.ie Accounts & Subscriptions Geraldine O'Neill - +353 (0)89 477 0492 geraldine@horticulture.ie Cover Photo: Jimi Blake, Hunting Brook Gardens - www.huntingbrookgardens.com Printers: Azure Communications Print Run: 4,000 copies Distribution: Readership of 12,000 across Ireland to businesses and professionals in the following sectors: Landscape / Garden Retail /Florists / Nurseries / Greenkeepers /Sports Surfaces / Local Authorities & Parks Departments / Machinery / Education / Edible Horticulture & more...

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

AUTUMN/WINTER 2019

News, analysis and trends in landscape, garden retail & edible horticulture

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

Summer 2019

News, analysis and trends in landscape, garden retail & edible horticulture

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

Spring 2019

News, analysis and trends in landscape, garden retail & edible horticulture

MAKING THE PHOENIX BLOOM BARRY LUPTON INTERVIEWS GARY GRAHAM

CHANGING THE RETAIL CLIMATE LIAM KELLY EXPLORES A GREENER SHOP FLOOR

WHY ARE YOU IN BUSINESS?

TERRY O’REGAN REACHES RETIREMENT AND ASKS THAT VITAL QUESTION?

THE THERAPEUTIC USE OF HORTICULTURE IN IRELAND RACHEL FREEMAN REVIEWS THE INAUGURAL SYMPOSIUM ON SOCIAL AND THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE

WE’RE WINNING THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM COLM KENNY THROWS A SPOTLIGHT ON PROCUREMENT ISSUES

MEADOW MYTHBUSTER

SANDRO CAFOLLA TACKLES MYTHS AROUND MEADOW CREATION AND MAINTENANCE

AVOIDING THE PITFALLS

COLM KENNY DIGS DEEP ON URBAN TREES

GARDENING ON A THE EDGE

PATRICIA TYRELL REVIEWS THE RECENT GLDA SEMINAR

MITTELSTAND LESSONS FROM GERMANY

DÓNALL FLANAGAN SHARES INSIGHTS FROM GERMAN NURSERIES STUDY TOUR

ALCI AWARDS 2019

IRELAND'S LEADING CONTRACTORS ANNOUNCED

Volume 6 Issue 3

Volume 6 Issue 2

Volume 6 Issue 1

Publishers: Horticulture Connected Ltd

w w w. H o r t i c u l t u r e C o n n e c t e d . i e

Spring 2022 / HC

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CONTENTS

HC OUTLINE NEWS 03

Horticulture News

EVENTS 05

The Latest Horticulture Events

BORD BIA

06

All the latest news from Bord Bia

TEAGASC

08

All the latest news from Teagasc

DESIGN

12 REIMAGINING THE URBAN LANDSCAPE Horticulture Connected reports from the 26th GLDA International Design Seminar

14 WENT LIKE A DREAM Bord Bia’s Carol Marks reflects on the runaway success of the popular ‘Easy Steps to Dream Gardens’ campaign

LANDSCAPE

16 OUR WATERSHED MOMENT Féidhlim Harty on the importance of good watershed management

18 THE FINE PRINT Landscape architect, Colm Kenny, on the intricacies of the tender process and contract negotiation; effective pricing with rising inflation, and how to ensure that all risks are planned for

OPINION

20 PLANTING INSECTA SPECTRA

RECRUITMENT

25 HELP WANTED… Mark O’Loughlin, Managing Director of Sanctuary Synthetics, casts a discerning eye over the issues facing recruitment in the horticulture sector

P12

EDIBLES

26 POTATOES: PREPARE TO BE SURPRISED Lorcan Bourke of Bord Bia provides an update on the EU funded campaign to promote Ireland’s most popular carbohydrate

INSIGHT

28 A WORLD OF ADVERTISING POSSIBILITIES Paul Moran is back with another indispensable guide to getting your business recognised by the right audience

30 A FLOURISHING FOREST FOR ALL Aidan Ffrench on the planning behind the DLR Trees and Urban Forestry Strategy 2022-2031 - A natural approach to human health and well-being

NURSERY

32 NOT SO HARD GRAFT John Murphy puts an edge on his grafting knife and a new spin on traditional methods of tree production. Methods that might hold the key to future production

Noeleen Smyth updates us on what bees really want – turns out it’s a good location in the city and protein shakes!

22 SHARING YOUR PATCH, WITH A TREE OR A FLEA

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Dr. Karen O’Hanlon looks at the fertiliser and pesticide supply Issue in Ireland. Could our natural marine environment be the answer?

38 WORKING TOGETHER TO SAFEGUARD FRESH PRODUCE FROM HUMAN PATHOGENS An update from Teagasc on the international efforts of the Cost HUPLANT Control network of interdisciplinary scientific experts to tackle food-borne disease

40 PHYSOCARPUS EUROTRIALS RESULTS Dónall Flanagan and Paul Fitters of Teagasc provide an update on the results of the Physocarpus quality trials in Kildalton College

MACHINERY

42 INNOVATIONS IN TURF CARE MACHINERY Editor of TurfPro Magazine, Laurence Gale details the most up-to-date advances in turf care machinery

46 GREENOVATION OR FRUSTRATION?

P22

AIPH speaks to 2021 Royal FloraHolland Greenovation Awardwinner, Bram Bernhard, about his company’s geothermal and solar projects

JOBS The Latest Horticulture Jobs from Horticulture.jobs

36 A SEA CHANGE

WORLD-VIEW

Terry O’Regan celebrates and encourages outside the box thinking in our efforts to tackle climate change

24

RESEARCH

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02 / HC NEWS

HORTICULTURE NEWS STUDY HORTICULTURE AT UCD Our world faces immense global challenges and two of the greatest are climate change and biodiversity loss, compounded by people migrating from rural to urban areas, and the contrary conundrum of excess consumption and food waste on one side, and food shortage on the other. Horticulture is one solution to these global challenges. Horticulture is the sustainable cultivation of food plants for human health, ornamental plants for human wellbeing, habitat creation and restoration for wildlife, conservation of plant biodiversity and genetic resources, and protection of the environment. Horticulture can play a key role in solving the climate crisis by increasing plant carbon sequestration and reducing GHG emissions. Sustainable soil management using advanced technologies in Precision Horticulture reduces inputs and rebuilds soil function through nature-friendly planting to support biodiversity and pollinators. Nature-based planting mitigates flooding, cleans the air, and greens and cools cities using urban trees and green walls and roofs. Sustainable food production minimizes food waste; any remaining waste is converted into useful products, for example, plant starch or cellulose for packaging. Composted green waste provides an alternative growing medium to peat. Technologies such as micropropagation, vertical farming, and hydroponics improve crop efficiencies and quality. Landscape design and

sustainably managed sports turf provide beautiful, healthy environments for human mental and physical wellbeing.

Horticultural therapy provides structured interventions in controlled settings to improve mental health. Thus, Horticulture, with enormous potential to solve many of the world’s problems, requires high-calibre graduates with knowledge of sustainable global plant production for food and amenity use under current and future climate change scenarios to deliver those solutions.

University College Dublin’s science-based Horticulture degree is taught by a team of researchers active in the areas of soil science, climate, crop production, national and international plant trade, invasive species management, biodiversity, and conservation. UCD’s focus is on educating students for a wide range of careers, by becoming a competent, competitive, and confident leader who will excel nationally and internationally as a professional horticulturist or horticultural scientist, in diverse career roles.

If you are interested in human health, plant health, biology, environment, or business opportunities, this course provides in-depth knowledge on the sustainable production of field and protected crops, nursery stock, amenity horticulture, landscape design, plant identification and use, postharvest, sports turf and pest and disease control. A career in horticulture offers you vast possibilities and opportunities that will bring you both professional and personal satisfaction, giving you an exciting and fulfilling life.

For more information, see: myucd.ie/courses/agriculturefood-nutrition/horticulture. ✽

GARDEN SHOW IRELAND RETURNS TO ANTRIM CASTLE GARDENS This three day festival will run from Friday 29 April to Sunday 1 May 2022 and capture the excitement of Spring with the stunning surroundings of Antrim Castle Gardens transformed into a floral spectacular blooming with colour.

From keen gardeners and floral enthusiasts to families in search of a great day out, the festival of Flowers, Food and Fun will be awash with thousands of plants on display and an array of garden gurus, foodie experts, local craftspeople, delectable foodie delights and majestic live music for all ages to enjoy!

The theme for this year’s show is ‘Grow Your Own’ which will showcase an increased focus on sustainability with spectacular seasonal displays and exhibitions from specialist nurseries, local community groups and schools. Not to be missed at this year’s Show is Food NI’s Foodie Feast. Celebrating NI heritage and showcasing local produce, visitors will be able to feast on local produce from artisan food stalls and purchase local foodie delights in the Food NI Pavilion.

For more information and to book tickets visit: gardenshowireland.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest news. ✽

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HC NEWS / 02 NEW BOOK FROM MARK O’LOUGHLIN OF SANCTUARY SYNTHETICS Announcing the imminent publication of: The Big Hairy Green Book All About Artificial Grass — and the adventures of the guy who made it big in the Emerald Isle (which already had lots of perfectly good real grass). Quite a title, but you’d expect no less from entrepreneur Mark O’Loughlin.

Mark has run his garden design and creation business, Sanctuary Synthetics, for more years than he cares to remember and, over the last decade or so, has become the go-to man for artificial grass in Ireland. Few new gardening books raise eyebrows, this one promises to. Part biography, part instruction manual, this is the first ever warts and all seminal guide from the ultimate insider, the Fakegrass man. Mark says, “This book includes a biting critique that exposes real lawns as the abomination. It's important to understand both the pros and cons and environmental arguments and then decide for yourself.”Dive in and discover all the secrets, pitfalls and tricks of the trade. Learn how to properly measure, price, and install; avoiding costly mistakes and getting the best results.

The Big Hairy Green Book will be available online and in all good bookstores soon. https://www.sanctuarysynthetics.ie. ✽

WHITES AMENITY: INTRA HYDROCARE FOR THE PUREST WATER AND HEALTHIEST PRODUCTIVE CROPS Good water quality is essential for sustainable plant production and healthy crops.

Pathogenic fungi, bacteria and viruses spread very easily through irrigation water.

The risk to crops can be removed through the use of Intra Hydrocare.

A continuous low dose (40ppm) of Intra Hydrocare, an ultra stabilised hydrogen peroxide product, guarantees clean irrigation water, removing biofilm in water lines and killing pathogenic bacteria, fungi and viruses. Intra Hydrocare offers a chlorine free water treatment option that is safe for humans, crops, equipment and the environment. This product offers improved root development as a result of 15% more oxygen in the water, improved plant health and increased yield per square metre.

Intra Hydrocare is a registered biocide for the use in water systems. For advice and enquiries about the application of Intra Hydrocare for your system, contact sales at Whites Amenity: Conor Hoey - 087-929 7491 / 01-843 8521, info@whitesamenity.ie. ✽

GREENHOUSE TO RENT OR SELL

COMMON KNOWLEDGE COURSES This spring, Féidhlim Harty of FH Wetland Systems (see article on page 16) will be teaching on the new Common Knowledge courses, offering practical guidance on eco-friendly wastewater treatment systems as well as guidance on waterway repair and rewilding and holistic land use management for catchment protection and regeneration.

Common Knowledge is a non-profit social enterprise based near Ennistymon, Co. Clare, with a mission to empower people with the skills, resources and community for a more sustainable life. They have a selection of practical, handson learning courses in building, making and mending, growing and cooking and energy efficiency.

Visit wetlandsystems.ie/Training_Workshops.html for details of FH Wetland Systems training and workshops and ourcommonknowledge.org for up-to-date details on this exciting new social enterprise. ✽

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HC / Spring 2022

We have a client who wishes to rent or buy a greenhouse of between 2,000 Sq.m. to 5,000 Sq.m.

Please email details to Jim Stafford jim.stafford@frielstafford.ie www.frielstafford.ie 44 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2 Tel: (01) 661 4066 Fax: (01) 661 4145

EVENTS

07 MAY

DIARY

YOUNG HORTICULTURIST OF THE YEAR GRAND FINAL

22 - 24 MARCH BTME

A must attend for everyone involved in golf course or sports turf management, BTME features an unmissable mix of exhibition, education, conferences and networking opportunities.

VENUE: Harrogate Convention Centre, Harrowgate, UK; btme.org.uk ✽

24 - 25 APRIL

THE HARDWARE SHOW 2022 With over 145 exhibitors and a planned attendance of over 2,000 across 2 days, The Hardware Show is one of the largest and most important shows for the sector.

VENUE: Citywest Hotel, Dublin; thehardwareshow.ie ✽

DON'T MISS

The winner of the competition will gain the the prestigious title of “Young Horticulturist of the Year” and will receive a £2,500 travel bursary from The Percy Thrower Trust.

VENUE: University of Warwick, UK horticulture.org.uk ✽

02 - 06 JUNE

BORD BIA BLOOM Ireland’s largest gardening and lifestyle festival, now in its sixteenth year, the festival will return to its central Dublin location.

VENUE: Phoenix Park, Dublin. bordbiabloom.com

DON'T MISS ✽

14 - 15 JUNE

IPM ESSEN - SUMMER EDITION New products will be presented on site and digitally.

VENUE: Messe Essen, Germany; www.ipm-summeredition.de/summer ✽

29 APRIL - 01 MAY

GARDEN SHOW IRELAND

The Show Gardens by professional designers and landscapers will celebrate the very best in horticultural expertise. The theme for the 2022 Show Gardens is: “A Garden For All Reasons!”

VENUE: Antrim Castle Gardens, Northern Ireland; gardenshowireland.com ✽

21 JULY GLAS

With the full support of Bord Bia, GLAS offers a unique networking opportunity for both buyers and sellers in Ireland’s horticulture, sportsturf and related industries.

VENUE: Citywest Events Centre, Dublin; glasireland.ie ✽

A FABULOUS FESTIVAL of Flowers, Food & Fun!

29 APRIL-1 MAY 2022 ANTRIM CASTLE GARDENS

Book your tickets online www.gardenshowireland.com

BORD BIA / 03

LET’S GROW AUTUMN BURST The final figures for the Let’s Grow autumn burst made for impressive. There were two strands of activity that were created for the campaign.

Firstly, seasonal container videos covering flowers and herbs were created and presented by Fiann O'Nuallain, with his usual flair and enthusiasm. Secondly digital animations were created of some of the ‘how to’ guides on the gardening section of the Bord Bia site, AUTHOR AND BROADCASTER FIANN Ó including on topics like NUALLÁIN AT THE BOTANIC ‘How to plant roses’, ‘How to GARDENS. grow lettuce’, and children’s activities like starting a wormery. The target market for the campaign was younger gardeners and less confident gardeners that have started gardening during the pandemic. The aim was to encourage them to garden later into the year.

The digital assets were promoted through the Bord Bia social media accounts.

The overall results of the campaign are below:

In addition to being seen by an impressive number of people, it also produced 18,000 visits to the website, which exposed gardeners to all the grow guides and resources on the site.

The overall sentiment and commentary was highly positive for the two campaigns. People tagged their friends and family in both the campaigns, and left highly positive feedback and commented on how helpful the videos were. ✽

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GREEN CITIES CAMPAIGN After the successful virtual launch of the Green Cities campaign in June, the major activities for the remainder of the year consisted of selecting candidates for the European Green Cities Award, and the Irish Green Cities award.

Dublin Landings was nominated to represent Ireland at the prestigious European Green Cities Awards. The project was designed by Arrow Architects, Henry J Lyons, and RKD Architects, and the landscaping was installed by Peter O'Brien & Sons Landscaping Ltd. The development was selected in recognition of its understanding of the role played by plant material in underpinning the social, economic and environmental fabric of urban life. With the nomination, Dublin Landings competed with twelve other countries for the European Green Cities award at a live event in Brussels in December. The event was opened with a speech from the ENA-president Mr. Henk Raaijmakers and Mr. Norbert Lins, Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI Committee). ✽

03 / BORD BIA ezine GREEN CITIES AWARD WINNER

The winner of the European Green Cities Award 2021 was announced by Mr. César Luena, Member of the European Parliament, Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI Committee). Although Dublin Landings wasn’t successful in the overall competition, it was awarded the national title.

For the Irish Green Cities Award 2022, an Irish maritimeinspired building project was recognised for its ambition and innovation in the area of green landscaping and urban greening. The Opus Building at Hanover Quay in Dublin 2 was submitted by McCauley Daye O’Connell Architects, who worked with Cairn Homes and AIT Urbanism + Landscape on delivering the project. The Irish Green Cities Award highlights domestic green infrastructure projects on a European stage.

The Opus Building will represent Ireland at the European Green Cities Award 2022.

The Opus Building is a maritime inspired residential development that provides a wide range of high-end quality apartments. It received the award for its curvilinear expression, transparency to the street, and generous, green residential amenities. Judges were particularly impressed with the generous landscaped roof gardens and communal areas that provide residents with a beautiful oasis of calm and stunning views. The European style landscaped courtyard allows the building to break the stereotype of urban living - being an exemplary addition to its neighbourhood and the city as a whole. ✽

GRAND PRIX AWARD BORD BIA RESEARCH ON APPLES At the recent Marketing Society of Ireland's Research Excellence Awards, Bord Bia’s paper "Building A Better Future For Irish Apples" won two awards for research excellence in the Brand Development & Strategy category and the overall Grand Prix for best piece of research in 2021. This is the 3rd time that Bord Bia’s work has been celebrated at this Grand Prix level.

The study was undertaken by Bord Bia Thinking House, and was a collaborative undertaking across the Strategic Insights & Planning and Horticulture teams, led by Lorcan Bourke along with research partners Opinions, who submitted this study to the Marketing Society of Ireland’s Awards.

The opportunity for Irish grown apples is seen in the context that we import €100m+ of eating apples each year into Ireland from places as far away as New Zealand and Chile, despite having a climate suitable to apple growing.

Over 95% of all apples eaten in Ireland are imported.

Bord Bia’s research involved in-home testing of 6 varieties of cooking apples, along with retailer interviews, stakeholder interviews with growers, consolidators and distributors. As part of the research, the team also looked at models from around the world where similar issues have been addressed, particularly in the UK and Denmark.

The outputs of this work have been used by the

Horticulture team to galvanise a number of key stakeholders – including DAFM, Teagasc, IFA, and growers – around the opportunity for Irish grown apples. It’s a real example of true ‘thought leadership’ from Bord Bia. The Judges’ comments were highly complementary; “A comprehensive holistic methodology incorporating all relevant stakeholders impressed the judges for Bord Bia. This programme of research showed a well thought through and sound methodology incorporating all stakeholders. The research provided clear insights for strategy development and clearly demonstrated the power of collaborative research in effectively influencing brand, category and sectoral decisions. A really excellent piece of work feeding into sectoral strategy.” ✽

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TEAGASC ezine / 04 TEAGASC HORTICULTURE WEBINARS

BEYOND PEAT The recently published report of The Working Group on the Use of Peat Moss in the Horticultural Industry recommended more research into peat alternatives. A new 5-year project to help address this deficit has recently commenced.

Called ‘Beyond Peat’ and funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, it will see the Teagasc Horticulture Department lead a collaboration between several universities in Ireland, and the AFBI in Northern Ireland, to assess current growth media alternatives from an agronomic, economic and environmental perspective. This will be accomplished through the use of demonstration studies and Life Cycle Assessment tools.

It is also recognised that new approaches to developing growth media need to be researched. Of particular interest is the utilisation of wastes as primary materials in new processes and technologies, such as pyrolysis or hydrothermal, or indeed, their uses as primary sources of biopolymers for the manufacture of materials to grow plants and fungi.

The project will focus on several crops and production approaches, including the key areas of mushroom production, vegetable modules, and nursery stock.

Updates on the project can regularly be found on Twitter @BeyondPeat. For additional queries, please contact the Project Coordinator, Dr. Michael Gaffney (Michael.Gaffney@Teagasc.ie). ✽

The Teagasc Horticultural Development Department hosted two webinars in December during their 2021/2022 Winter Vegetable Webinar Series. On December 2, we were joined by Dr. Erika Wedgewood, a Plant Pathologist from ADAS in the UK, and John Johnson, Technical Sales Manager in the seed company Enza Zaden, to discuss Downy Mildew and Fusarium Wilt control in protected lettuce production. Both Erika and John provided updates on the diseases in addition to advising on the practical, integrated pest management controls that growers can implement.

On December 7, we were joined by Howard Hinds of Root Crop Consultancy Ltd. and Dr. Michael Gaffney of the HDD in Teagasc. Howard discussed an integrated pest management approach to controlling virus disease issues in carrots and parsnips, while also referencing some particularly interesting research on aphid control using dye treatments that are taking place in the UK. Michael gave us a summary of the recently completed Best4Soil project, involving 20 European countries.

The project compiled knowledge on soil management practices and focuses on maintaining soil health primarily from a pest and disease perspective. Factsheets, videos, decision support tools, and other outputs from the project are available on the Best4Soil website.

The recording of these webinars and all other recordings are available to view on our website. ✽

RESEARCH SUPPORTING EUCALYPTUS FOR CUT-FOLIAGE Researchers at Teagasc have been looking at ways to improve the quality of Eucalyptus trees grown specifically for the cut-foliage sector. In seed-grown plantations, there can be considerable variation from tree to tree, but high-quality individuals with exceptional characteristics can occur. It would be very useful to propagate from these ‘elite individuals,’ but most Eucalyptus species are difficult to propagate vegetatively, with very little rooting success. As a potential alternative, Dr. Farhana Afroze developed a micropropagation technique that successfully micropropagated hundreds of identical young Eucalyptus plantlets from seedlings.

The technique is more challenging with cuttings from older trees, which lose the ability to form roots as they mature.

Nonetheless, key stakeholders in the cut foliage sector have expressed interest in pursuing this line of experimentation in the hope that a bank of elite trees can be established that will enhance the efficiency of Eucalyptus foliage production.

A more detailed account of this work is available in the TResearch 2022 Spring issue (https://www.teagasc.ie/ publications/tresearch). Funded by DAFM Research Fund (New Leaves; 15/S/759). Contact helen.grogan@teagasc.ie; andy.whelton@teagasc.ie ✽ For more information on any element of this e-zine, please contact: Dermot Callaghan, Head of Horticulture Development Department, Teagasc, Ashtown, Dublin 15, D15KN3K Phone: +353 (0)1-805 9973; e-mail: dermot.callaghan@teagasc.ie

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04 /TEAGASC ezine

TEAGASC HIGHLIGHT IMPACTS OF INCREASING INPUT COST In the last year, growers have seen unparalleled increases in the costs of key inputs to the Irish Horticulture sector.

Considerable volatility remains, as primary producers try to plan ahead for business in 2022 and manage cash flows. In an environment where cost planning is difficult, the risk is increasing significantly for primary producers.

The Teagasc Horticulture Development Department recently assessed the key input costs that have seen the biggest increases, through gathered and validated data, sourced from a range of businesses and trade suppliers. The key objective of this report is to surface facts about specific inputs cost increases, to apportion the relative importance of input costs to the different sectors of horticulture production, and arrive at average increases in costs of production in each

RESEARCH SHOWS PARTIAL SUBSTITUTION OF CHEMICAL FERTILISERS WITH MANURE OPTIMISES NUTRITION IN VEGETABLE PRODUCTION Teagasc Environmental Research Centre, in Johnstown Castle, recently published work from their collaboration with Beijing College of Resources and Environmental Sciences and China Agricultural University. They researched substituting long-term chemical fertilisation with mixed chemical and manure fertilisation, while observing its effect on soil phosphorus. The research team conducted an eightyear field study in alkaline soil near Beijing across a range of vegetables, including cabbage, fennel, pepper, tomato, aubergine, and radish.

Treatments included ‘no fertilisation’, ‘chemical fertilisation’

sector for 2021 and the season ahead.

The report identified the current and potential impacts of very high input costs for primary producers for the 2022 season. Dermot Callaghan, Head of the Teagasc Horticulture Development Department said, “Given that growers’ costs increased substantially during 2021, producers are potentially facing significant decreases in margins. In some cases, input cost increases will exceed grower margins. Some growers are considering cutting back on production for 2022 in order to manage their cash flow or to minimise their exposure to high costs. Where a three-fold increase in energy costs persists for 2022, it is likely to lead to a significant reduction and/or cessation of both early and late production.”The full report can be seen on the Teagasc website. ✽

(100%), ‘partial manure’ (40% manure with 60% chemical fertilisation), and ‘total manure’ (100%). Multiple phosphorus characterisation methods were conducted to examine phosphorus pools and stability across the treatments.

This research concluded that partial substitution (40%) of chemical fertiliser with manure leads to a reduced risk of phosphorus leaching and an optimal level of nutrients for vegetable production in alkaline soils. The full paper was published in Archives Agronomy and Soil Science.

Shuo Chen, Jiayi Jiang, Lulu Wei, Jilin Lei, Owen Fenton, Karen Daly & Qing Chen (2021): ‘Partial substitution of chemical fertilisers with manure alters soil phosphorus fractions and optimises vegetable production in alkaline soil,’ Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science. www.bit.ly/PSCF-Veg. ✽

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TEAGASC / 04 TRESEARCH - HORTICULTURE IN FOCUS To conclude The International Year of Fruit and Vegetables, Teagasc’s popular research publication, TResearch, recently published a horticulture-focused edition. Dermot Callaghan, head of the Teagasc Horticulture Development Department discusses key impacts of policies on the sector and the prospects on offer. Food vision 2030 has set a central strategy that “Ireland should become an international leader in sustainable food systems over the next decade.” Sustainable food systems deliver food security and nutrition to all people in a way that doesn’t compromise economic, social, and environmental bases for future generations. Follow the link below to read the full article.

ADDITIONAL FEATURED ITEMS INCLUDE: ● ‘ Unearthing the value of Irish fruit and vegetables’ - Policies reflecting the link between food and health present opportunities for the Irish horticulture sector to generate both economic and societal benefits. ● ‘Going green’ - Addressing challenges to sustainability in Irish horticulture. ● ‘The new ‘super’ berry’ - Malling Centenary, the new variety of strawberry. ● ‘ Soil management matters’ - Benefits for pest and disease control.

NEW GENERAL EMPLOYMENT PERMIT FOR HORTICULTURE OPERATIVES Over the past 2 years, the Irish Horticulture sector has been faced with huge challenges with regards to recruiting and retaining suitable staff for their farms. This has resulted in farms reducing production and some farms unable to harvest their produce. Teagasc mushroom advisor, Donal Gernon, conducted a labour survey of the Irish mushroom sector in February 2021, which helped uncover the facts around labour shortages in the sector. This report provided an evidence base showing that the industry was unable to fulfil its labour needs without a permit scheme. Similar issues have been identified in other horticulture sectors.

On 27th October, Minister Damien English announced a new general employment permit scheme with a quota of 1,000 permits allocated to the horticulture sector. This is much-welcomed news for the horticulture sector, as it will allow growers to apply for an operative outside of the EU. A permit for a horticulture operative can be issued for an initial period of 2 years and can then be renewed for up to a further three years.

The processing fee for a 24-month permit is €1,000. For growers unfamiliar with the application process, it may be best to work with a recruitment agency to streamline the process. For more information visit the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment website https://bit.ly/emp-permits. ✽

MANAGING PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS TO ENHANCE AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY: THE AgSustain PROJECT Invertebrate pests, weeds, and diseases remain an existential threat to the productivity of Irish farms, requiring use of significant levels of plant protection products (PPP). Their use at current levels is known to have negative impacts. As part of the EU Green Deal, a 50% reduction in national usage is targeted. If this is to be achieved, greater uptake of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approaches is essential. Key to improving the uptake of IPM on Irish farms will be the ability to accurately measure IPM practice adoption and to identify factors that may impact these, as well as understand trade-offs between PPP reduction and economic and environmental performance.

WALSH SCHOLAR - PHD To address these key questions, a new 4-year collaboration between Teagasc, University CANDIDATE, JENNIFER BYRNE. of Warwick, University of Reading, and Scotland's Rural College will see Walsh ScholarPhD candidate Jennifer Byrne assess the impact of IPM on the economic and environmental sustainability of crop farming, with a particular focus on horticulture and tillage systems in Ireland. This will develop muchneeded metrics and a framework to collect data for Irish horticulture, bringing it into line with Teagasc National Farm Survey approaches. It will also quantify progress on IPM use in Irish crops and determine the impacts of greater IPM adoption on economic and environmental sustainability. For more information contact Dr. Lael Walsh: lael.walsh@teagasc.ie, Dr. Fiona Thorne fiona.thorne@teagasc.ie, or Dr. Michael Gaffney: Michael.gaffney@teagasc.ie. ✽

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Kildalton College

Piltown, Co. Kilkenny

Helping people grow careers in horticulture for 50 years

• • • •

QQI Level 5 Certificate in Horticulture QQI Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Horticulture QQI Level 7 Bachelor of Science in Horticulture Now ta (in conjunction with Waterford Institute of Technology)

Part-time Component Awards at Levels 5 & 6

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Kildalton College has an extensive horticultural unit for student training, including a commercial nursery, fruit and vegetable production unit, protected crops and sportsturf units, as well as 16 hectares of established gardens and woodlands.

For further information: Email: Kildalton.college@teagasc.ie

Website:www.teagasc.ie/education/teagasc-colleges/ kildalton/horticulture

Facebook: Teagasc Kildalton College Telephone: 051 644400 or 051 644407 @kc_horticulture

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REIMAGINING THE URBAN LANDSCAPE Under the theme of PLAN Trees, PLANT Trees, PLANET Trees, the seminar's 26th outing featured presentations from an international panel of guests exploring ideas surrounding the topic of Creative Design with Trees in our Landscape, Streetscape, and Gardens. In essence, the humble tree as a simple solution to the climate crisis The right tree, in the right place

In addition to being a researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, first speaker Henrik Sjöman is the scientific curator at the Gothenburg Botanic Garden. There, he describes himself as something of a black sheep. “I am not a botanist or a biologist, I am a landscape architect. When I look at trees I always wonder how we can use them. What is the capacity of the tree to grow in a space, is it capable of creating new ecosystems?”

Henrik laments the fact that experts like him are often invited to participate in urban design too late in the process, usually asked to “create something beautiful for little or no money.” He believes the actual task should be to create a “diverse, sustainable and resilient tree population” in the urban environment. “Large mature trees have a better ability to contribute to ecosystem services than young trees, and a greater level of diversity helps to protect against diseases and infestations.” Henrik says we should learn from nature, and that “Nature is not a nice place for trees. They are constantly exposed to stress and must fight for space and resources. By understanding how they have developed different traits through enduring these different climates, we can apply these lessons to the trees we select for urban environments.” He looks to climates like the Rocky Mountains in the USA, and some of the driest forest systems in Europe to find species that grow in conditions that are comparable to an urban environment and are very drought tolerant. “Not many native trees can survive in the

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urban environment,” he says. “In a survey taken in Scandinavia and Canada, only 4 native trees were found to be good for urban planning. Non-native should not be thought of as invasive, we are not allowing them to become weeds.”

Act local, think global

“It’s very difficult for trees to combat all of the urban environment’s negative climate effects,” warns UCD professor and physical geographer Gerald Mills. “Cities are point sources of pollution at a global scale,” he says. “They produce 70% of Co2

CHARLOTTE HARRIS + HUGO BUGG AT BRIDGEWATER © RHS _ MARK WAUGH

05 / DESIGN Future-proofing landscapes with trees

ROOTS IN THE SKY DESIGNED BY HARRIS BUGG STUDIO © HARRIS BUGG STUDIO

THE KITCHEN GARDEN AT RHS BRIDGEWATER © RHS _ JASON INGRAMS

The message coming out of the Netherlands, courtesy of landscape architect Thijs Dolders, was that we should select trees for biodiversity, not diversity. He argued that there is a trend towards native-ness in tree selection. These trees are perceived as good because they have always grown in our countries and they support our native insects and birds. “Urban environments are not kind to native trees,” he says, “and neither is climate change. We should select species that ‘could have made it here on their own’, that could have migrated naturally and can better withstand urban environments.”

Thijs also warns against monocultures: “Monocultures of one species can be visually pleasing, but the consequence is that they could all disappear in a very short time. By planting a lot of the same species, you create conditions that pests and diseases will thrive in.” Addressing the risk of importing these same pests and diseases with non-native trees, Thijs reassures us that, “In the professional nursery business every piece of plant material is checked. There is a chain of control. When they are moved abroad, everything is very strictly monitored.”

From edible woodlands to rooftop forests

emissions and are located in specific topographic situations where the effects of climate change will be most dramatic.”

According to Gerald, the role of urban greening can offset at least some of these dramatic effects. He points to the city of Nîmes in France, which suffers from extremely hot summers.

Here, they have created closed systems to allow citizens to access cooler areas during very hot spells. “Vegetation can have a big impact, as with more evaporation there is less heating. Green walls, green paving, green channels, and green roofing are all methods used to mitigate the effects.” He also points to New York City, where they have begun to treat trees like infrastructure, something central to the make-up of their urban environment.

In Gerald’s studies, he is endeavoring to create a tree inventory for Dublin City, to rank tree cover against comparable cities. “Dublin falls short,” he says, “with just 4.5% tree cover, compared to 15% in Cardiff and Helsinki at the higher end.” His project involved mapping out all of the trees in a 1 km square area of the city, part of the Strategic Pathways To CommunityLed Greening project in Dublin 8. “In our case study, we asked people to engage with us. Dublin is a moderately green city, but there are significant variations in green cover across the urban landscape. Increasing green cover can help offset undesirable effects of urbanisation on the climate and personal health and wellbeing. This can be expanded further: activities at a local scale accumulate and have an impact on a global scale.”

RHS Chelsea gold-medal winning garden designer Charlotte Harris stunned all in attendance with some examples of incredible upcoming designs. First up was a plan to create an urban forest on a rooftop in central London. “It must still be a functional space, but how can we take a woodland typology and map that over our conceptual approach?” she asks. “In places where there is heavy footfall we went for a ‘woodland edge’ approach, lighter canopies, less dense vegetation.”

Over 100 trees will be planted. They will be planted at heights of 4-6 meters to counteract environmental conditions that would naturally keep trees cropped. Beneath the roof will be a rootable structure of 1m to 1.5m. “We spent a year developing the list of trees that would be planted. We also have to think carefully about irrigation because it must be sustainable.

We’re using a Blue Roof system that collects rainfall and a water-wicking system that irrigates from below.”

For the Hope Street Charity Project, a pioneering residential community for women and children failed by the justice system, Charlotte and her colleagues will design the courtyard garden. “What the women we spoke to wanted was a garden that felt like home, not institutional.” They studied trauma-informed design and settled on themes like Safety - Transparency and Trust - Choice & Context - Collaboration - Empowerment. “We thought a lot about what hope meant, symbols for Hope across the world in different cultures. Symbolically, the birch tree is a tree of hope, a pioneer, a symbol of renewal and rejuvenation. The layout was based on the cellular structure of a birch leaf and centered around a birch tree; that informed the general arrangement of the garden.”

Alongside partner Hugo Bugg, Harris will also have a featured garden at RHS Bristol. Designed to evoke the experimental spirit of Victorian walled kitchen gardens, they have created a forest garden that holds a sustainable ecosystem.

It was clear from all speakers involved, that more needs to be done to ensure that our urban green spaces are as biodiverse and sustainable as possible, and that more care needs to be taken when selecting the trees we plant in our urban environments. Doing this ensures that we are planting for the future; a future where strong, resilient trees are an integral part of our urban infrastructure and fight against climate change. ✽

Spring 2022 / HC

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DESIGN / 05

WENT LIKE A DREAM Bord Bia’s Carol Marks reflects on the runaway success of the popular ‘Easy Steps to Dream Gardens’ campaign

W

orking with Bloom awardwinning garden designers, Irish plant nurseries, and Irish garden retailers, Easy Steps to Dream Gardens – a new initiative designed to help the public to plant their own show garden at home – was launched to coincide with the Bloom weekend, providing a virtual activity to celebrate and highlight Bloom in its second virtual incarnation.

All award-winning Bloom garden designers were canvassed, resulting in 16 design submissions, shortlisted to 7. The nine designers not shortlisted for this incarnation were given the option to be held in reserve to continue the campaign in the future.

Nursery growers were invited to submit their availability lists across the season for consideration by the designers for inclusion in their plans, while garden centres were canvassed and invited to participate to promote the initiative with point-of-sale in their premises.

This project was developed with support across three internal teams, and multispecialist external agencies, requiring coordination and liaison across design, web, digital, print, and communications.

A specialist agency was engaged to create a suite of 3-dimensional images and videos for each of the seven gardens. A second agency assisted with developing the downloadable PDFs for each garden design pack, including full details/garden plan/

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planting plan and plant lists. This element was also utilised to develop a Trade information pack with details of all gardens and a plant list that was sent out to nurseries, as well as to 103 garden centres with their POS. A dedicated and engaging point of sale was creatively displayed in 103 garden centres nationwide, with Keans Garden Centre in Claremorris winning the best display award.

A full support package was developed for participating garden designers, nurseries, and garden centres, including a suite of social media assets and a suggested content plan, and distributed to all. This achieved excellent engagement from stakeholders across all areas of horticulture – garden designers/nurseries/garden centres – with many sharing and posting the information on their media platforms, thus amplifying the campaign.

A powerful PR and social media campaign ensured incredibly strong engagement with the dream gardens section on the Bloom website since launch, resulting in: • 66,688 unique visitors to the Dream Gardens website to date.

• 5,908 downloads of the garden plans from the Bloom website.

• 9,672 views of the garden videos Social Media platforms results: • Click-throughs (to the Dream Gardens on the Bloom website) – 3,398 • Garden design downloads via social media platforms – 336 Excellent coverage was achieved in national and regional press (both trade and consumer), including two double-page spreads in the Business Post and Sunday Times, The Irish Examiner and the Irish Times Business Pages, the Irish Independent and the main body of the Irish Times, while a large number of national and regional radio interviews also took place.

A second burst of Social Media promotion was carried out from August into early September, resulting in a second burst of activity.

KPIs were exceeded across all aspects of the campaign. To build on this, Bord Bia is planning to bring Easy Steps to Dream Gardens to the live Bloom event this year, with a full supporting activation across all sectors to bring it to life. Watch out for your Bord Bia weekly update email to keep up to date with progress. ✽

MARKS, CAROL Carol Marks, sector manager for Horticulture at Bord Bia, is a graduate of the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. Carol has a background in business management, publishing, and public relations, she returned to study horticulture as a mature student. She worked in private gardening and gardening publishing before joining Bord Bia 15 years ago. Carol works across the whole of the horticulture supply chain.

LANDSCAPE / 06

OUR

WATERSHED MOMENT

Féidhlim Harty on the importance of good watershed management

1. BY UTILISING TREES AS FILTER SYSTEMS WITHIN THE LANDSCAPE WE CAN OBTAIN MULTIPLE YIELDS IN THE FORM OF FIREWOOD, FOOD CROPS, CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS ETC., ALL WHILE PROVIDING BENEFITS FOR CLIMATE, BIODIVERSITY AND HYDROLOGICAL REGULATION

2. RIPARIAN WETLANDS AND BOGS PROVIDE A VALUABLE FILTER ROLE WITHIN THE WIDER CATCHMENT, STORING SILT, HOLDING FLOOD WATER, RELEASING WATER DURING TIMES OF DROUGHT AS WELL AS PROVIDING HABITAT AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION

Trees help to protect the soil from heavy rain and encourage infiltration into the ground below, as well as capturing carbon and supporting wildlife in abundance

I

magine a golden eagle floating on a rising thermal, high over the hills of Connemara. The majestic bird is just a distant outline against the sky. Now shift your viewpoint to that of the eagle. Gaze down at the broad open landscape below. See the ribbon of a stream meandering through green fields. Higher in the hills small rivulets catch the sun, awash with a fresh flow after recent rain. Ponds and marshy pools sit in deep peaty colours lower down the valley. The sea swell is a calm but constant movement further off. This is our watershed, our stream or river catchment, the land in a given basin bound by the top ridge of hills or high ground all around the outer perimeter, embracing the entire valley that nourishes the river or stream and extends down to meet the waves.

Over the hills and into the next valley we can see a new watershed, feeding a different watercourse. The whole

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3. HEALTHY RIVERS AND STREAMS ARE CHARACTERISED

BY A SILT FREE, GRAVELLY BED WITH CLEAR WATER AND HEALTHY PLANT GROWTH

landscape is thus divided into a tapestry of interlocking watersheds or catchments, each one with its own character, its own habitats, diverse species, and unique challenges.

So what are some of the challenges? The obvious ones are sewage pollution and farm runoff. Direct discharges from sewage treatment systems (or lack of) and diffuse pollution from percolation areas can carry nutrients, silt, and pathogenic microbes into the water. Cow dung and urine from farmyard runoff are contained, by law, to prevent direct runoff into adjacent open drains or streams. However, when slurry is spread on the land, rain can wash it into watercourses and dissolved nutrients can migrate down into the groundwater. Runoff from farm roads, “clean yards” without livestock, and fields can all carry a potential load of silt and nutrients, impacting the capacity of nearby rivers and streams to support a broad range of biodiversity.

There are wider issues too. Monoculture conifer plantations can shift the acidity levels in downstream waterways. Clear-felling can raise large amounts of silt that clogs spawning beds and river habitats. Urban development of roofs and paved areas speeds the flow of water off the land, leading to flood/drought cycles and pollution. Land drainage has a similar impact, as does the conversion of natural woodland and bogland

06 / LANDSCAPE habitat to farmed fields. All of these are clear signs of land-use practices that impact the health and biological resilience of the catchment and its capacity to maintain clean water for healthy wildlife and healthy people.

There is another side to land use and land management that is much less visible. It is within the soil. It is the soil itself. Healthy living soil is rich in humus. Humus is the carbonrich structure that forms when living things break down into rich crumbly compost. Holding up to twenty times its weight in water, it provides both drainage in wet conditions and water retention in drier ones.

From a watershed management viewpoint, healthy soil is the hidden factor that influences pollution levels, filtration of rainfall en route through the landscape from the sky to sea, flooding, drought resilience, and as a consequence of these factors, the health of the whole river catchment.

When land is ploughed or exposed to high levels of nitrogen fertiliser, soil carbon is released into the air and the humus breaks down. This leaves silty soil that can be easily washed away. Globally we lose soils at such a rate that some commentators believe we are counting down the number of total harvests left in our fields.

Whatever the accuracy of predictions of 30 to 80 harvests, this isn’t exactly an endorsement of our capacity to survive or thrive as a species. Such predictions are all the more visible from this eagles-eye view of the Connemara uplands, as we see the glint of wet rocks after rain, a clear indicator of the erosion of upland soils in less than a century.

For all the gloom, however, the solutions are remarkably straightforward. Soil can be protected by simply keeping it covered with growing plants or a layer of mulch.

Nutrients can be applied within matured compost rather than as bagged nitrogen or slurry. Measures as simple as permanent pastures with a mixed sward of grass, clover, plantain, and other herbage can offer a suite of benefits, such as varied root depths and maximum variety above ground for livestock, and below ground for carbon sequestration,

drought resilience, drainage, and soil health. We can easily add plentiful trees within the landscape, in hedges, along stream banks, in craggy corners, within the grazed lands, and as shelterbelts and green barns, or orchards, firewood stands, or willow plantations for sewage uptake and biomass production. Trees help to protect the soil from heavy rain and encourage infiltration into the ground below, as well as capturing carbon and supporting wildlife in abundance.

Other ways to protect and enhance our catchments are to leave bogs, pools, and wetlands to their own devices, free from farming pressures.

Fortunately, grant structures are slowly moving in this direction, allowing farmers to protect natural habitats and water quality at the same time, without being penalised by single farm payment structures.

If all our drains and streams had a 5-10 meter buffer zone on either side, fully grant-aided, the benefit for water quality, flood prevention, and biodiversity would be huge. It’s an easy measure that, with a stroke of a pen, could dramatically shift how we prioritise waterways.

From your eagle-eye vantage point, high over the Connemara hills, you have a certain independence to pick and choose which catchment to visit and feed in. Consider those species without such freedom of movement. Salmon will return each year to the same river to breed, loyal to their own river catchment

and subject to the rise and fall of fortunes in land use and water quality there. Human settlements have their networks of water supplies, all essentially fixed and permanent in a given watershed, and subject to the same whims of land use management and impacts on water quality.

From this eagle height, it’s easy to pick out what works and what doesn’t. The swift appearance and disappearance of mountain streams with each passing shower indicate the degree to which soil and trees are absent. Below woodland pockets and wide scrubby river margins, the water flows pure and clear, while silt clouds the water beside ploughed land and below towns and villages. The colour of the water at the point where the river meets the sea changes from one catchment to another. Generally the clearer the colour, the cleaner the water. Similarly, the more regular the flow, the healthier the river and the overall catchment hydrology.

Watershed management is as important and as relevant as the water that we drink when we turn on our tap. It is as easy (and as challenging) as taking care of every activity within the catchment that feeds that water supply. If we had an eagle’s eye view over our own catchment I wonder if we’d take more care and pay more attention to the water protection and filtration processes that natural landscapes, nature-based solutions, and careful planting can all provide. ✽

Globally we lose soils at such a rate that some commentators believe we are counting down the number of total harvests left in our fields FÉIDHLIM HARTY is an environmental consultant, educator, and writer. Two of his books, Septic Tank Options and Alternatives; and Permaculture Guide to Reed Beds focus on this aspect of keeping water cleaner in our river catchments. www.wetlandsystems.ie

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LANDSCAPE / 06

THE FINE

PRINT Landscape architect, Colm Kenny, on the intricacies of the tender process and contract negotiation; effective pricing with rising inflation, and how to ensure that all risks are planned for

The challenges faced by the sector as it gets back to its feet are being felt on the ground, in the office and most certainly being reflected in tender prices

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T

he core activities of landscape maintenance continued during the pandemic, but many commercial landscape construction companies were badly hit when restrictions came into place.

I suspect many will not recover, and others have chosen to retire or leave the sector. Other companies were able to keep operating – often under the radar – and were able to capitalise on the burgeoning domestic market.

Regardless, the sector welcomed the return to full operations in April of last year and is busy trying to catch up with the pent-up demand: challenging, given the labour shortage, supply chain issues, and material cost increases.

The challenges faced by the sector as it gets back to its feet are being felt on the ground, in the office, and certainly reflected in tender prices. The most recent Tender Price Index, published in October of 2021 by The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), reveals that national construction tender prices increased by 7% in the first half of 2021, up from 1.3% in the previous six months. From what I see coming across my desk, the increases will be much more significant this year.

While we don’t have the luxury of such data being recorded specific to the landscape industry, we can be confident that landscape contracting, as a sub-sector of the general construction sector, has witnessed prices rising in line with the Tender Price Index. In my role as a quantity surveyor, this has been evident on projects I am currently employed on,

06 / LANDSCAPE with cost plans and pre-start estimates wide of the mark. This results in projects being over budget before they even begin.

The factors causing price increases don’t need further explanation, but it’s important for contractors to fully understand the risks they pose on every project. I would be fearful, when legal contracts are binding between a contractor and a client, that the contractual risks of inflation are not accurately considered. From a legal perspective, as prices continue to rise, parties in the process of negotiating contracts are becoming more focused on who should bear the risk of cost increases. Early communication is important to ensure all parties are aware of the consequences.

Where a contractor is directly employed by the client, the project is commonly procured under the Royal Institute of Architects Ireland standard form contract. Clause 36 places the risk of price inflation for materials on the employer (however, for larger projects this position is often reversed, with the contractor shouldering the risk). I have often seen this Clause struck out, and an opportunity for the contractor to set a lump sum on the Form of Tender to cover inflation.

More often than not this is left blank and, if costs rise, the contractor must shoulder the burden and absorb it into the overall tender price.

Landscape contractors directly employed by a contractor are likely to be tied into a subcontractor agreement, written heavily in favour of the main contractor, whether they sign a formal written agreement or not. The terms can be implied, especially if it’s a long-standing relationship and the parties have worked together in the past. The risk on these projects requires intensive management and smarter pricing strategies.

With the risk of inflation across a project’s duration as the backdrop, to protect profits from the erosion of inflation there are several steps contractors should undertake, or at least evaluate, when sitting down to estimate a potential project.

Firstly, ensure you have a full understanding of when the project will commence and how long it will be on-site. On city centre projects, as the density of buildings increases, the volume of landscape works decreases. Here I am finding that the completion of landscape work takes longer as the sites are tighter and only small areas become available for landscaping.

Mobilisation and demobilisation costs money. The more times you move machinery on and off-site, the more costs you accumulate. It is prudent to request any phasing drawings so that mobilisation and demobilisation costs can be built into your rates. In addition, while you might be appointed at the commencement date of the project, it might be months before you have any work to do, meaning it might be next season when you commence planting. Material costs may have risen by this time. The construction programme should be made available to you. This will give you a clear picture of anticipated timescales that can be taken into account when estimating and forecasting future costs.

Unless you have the luxury of a large storage yard and the cash flow to purchase and take delivery of all required materials upfront, the option of having the materials sitting ready to go is a non-runner. Therefore, when shopping around for material quotes, it is important to provide suppliers with as much information as possible (timescales, etc.) and to negotiate a binding cost for the materials. This may be easier with plants and trees as it almost becomes a contract grower agreement for the nursery. It will be more difficult for paving providers who, like the landscape contractor, suffer cash flow limitations and may be unwilling to shoulder the burden.

On smaller garden projects, from the time you engage with

the homeowner client, submit a quotation, and get the nod to commence work, several months can slip by. In this time costs can rise, eating into your profit margins. An example of this is fuel costs, which are currently spiralling towards €1.80 per litre. This cost might be absorbed into the overall job, but depending on the scale and location of the project, it could see the contractor undertaking works for less than cost.

In the short-term, costs are going to continue to rise.

Contractors need to assess what increasing costs will mean in terms of cash flow and profit margins. With most items due to be paid upfront, contractors already living close to overdraft limits will be hesitant and fearful to tender for larger projects.

The time between having to pay for the materials and getting paid from the client can be too long. This will potentially limit business growth and expansion for smaller contractors.

For fearless contractors pricing on projects that may not require their services for a few months, a record of how tender rates were calculated is important. When the client calls to offer the job, you need to remind your suppliers of their rates. It would be prudent to add a percentage to cover general inflation on items that are not measured with a BOQ. Fuel, wage cost increases, and general costs need to be factored in, even at the expense of losing the contract.

‘Quality over quantity' should be the mantra for the season ahead. Projects with more lucrative profit margins should be prioritised. Now more than ever.

Colm’s golden rules for pricing in an inflationary market.

• Categorise items into timescales to identify potential inflationary impacts • Speak to suppliers and establish potential price changes over time • Reflect potential changes in tender rates • Keep a good record of what suppliers have quoted for • Identify who will foot the bill for price changes • Ensure quotations or tenders indicate the basis of rates provided and any potential increases (if possible). ✽

COLM KENNY, MSCSI MRICS MILI, is unique in Ireland as he is both a chartered quantity surveyor and a Landscape Architect.

He provides cost consultancy services to landscape industry professionals, technical advisors, contractors and facility management companies. He can be contacted on 086 874 4300 or by email info@landscapeqs.ie

Spring 2022 / HC

19

OPINION / 07

PLANTING

INSECTA SPECTRA Noeleen Smyth updates us on what bees really want – turns out it’s a good location in the city and protein shakes!

I

love spring. I love spotting the big-bottomed bumble bees as they emerge with the rising temperatures. Upon emerging, they look a bit worse for wear as they are near starvation. Early spring is a key pinch point for bee survival; they only have a few days to make it. If they haven’t fattened up enough before their winter sleep, they have little time to make up for it before finding themselves in an even more perilous position. It’s been estimated that these emerging spring queens need up to 6,000 flowers a day to muster enough energy to brood their first batch of eggs. No spring flowers mean no baby bees. I enjoy watching them as they fatten up, butts bustling and buzzing when they find a decent meal.

Ireland has 21 native species of bumble bee. They make their nests on or in the ground, at the base of longer grass, or at the bottom of hedgerows. One of our rarest species, the great yellow bumble bee (Bombus distinguendus), is on the verge of extinction. A last outpost for this blonde lady is the Mullet Peninsula in Co. Mayo. The main reason attributed to its decline is the dwindling number of hay meadows. Over six years, The Irish Grassland Surveys highlighted a thirty percent loss in their number. This huge loss was in our very best meadows, known more formally as our EU annexed calcareous grassland and lowland hay meadows. We now hold a handful of traditionally managed meadow sites, in fewer and fewer Irish counties. (Long, M. pers. comm NPWS 2021).

With the negative dramatic change in our meadows and agriculture landscapes, the pressure is on us to create and manage places to support our bees and wildlife. We need many more areas like the Mullet Peninsula. There is, however, a great opportunity to make some very positive changes and to support wildlife and biodiversity in our own gardens and landscapes. More than ever, people seem interested in fostering and encouraging biodiversity in their personal spaces. This is a positive move for the bees, as urban areas cover 3% of the globe and are continuously expanding.

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Recent figures show that gardens make up over 1/3 of our urban areas (Baldock et al.2019). Urban green space and gardens were also found to support lots of bees and pollinators, with some studies highlighting that these areas can now hold and support many more than surrounding rural areas (Baldock et al., 2019; Normandin et al., 2017).

Green spaces in cities now have a very important role to play in species conservation, especially bee and pollinator conservation.

I was particularly delighted with some recent research into urban green spaces that compared planted exotic and mowing managed wildflower meadows around Dublin. The research was carried out by Emma King and Jane Stout at Trinity College Dublin. Their research highlighted the fact that we don’t need to go plastering the place with exotic wildflower seed mixes to support bees and pollinators, simple changes to grass management through less mowing were found to support “diverse plant assemblages and plentiful resources for insect pollinators.” So, there we have it, the humble lawn can be transformed into a pollinatorfriendly diverse plant community through not mowing. Great ideas and campaigns like “No Mow May,” and “Don’t Mow Let It Grow” really work for pollinators. Sitting down and forgetting about the lawnmower for a few weeks is the best thing you can do for the emerging bee ladies. Your garden will no longer be just a lawn but transformed into a magical “mini-meadow”, of great value to all the critters in the locality too, by providing connecting corridors between green places “habitat connectivity and reducing fragmentation” – the insect version of the Dublin Bus. If you do reduce mowing on sites and in your garden, you just might get some complaints, but thankfully people are becoming more aware. There is a growing tolerance towards places with longer grass, daisies, and dandelions.

To those who complain, you can now tell: “I’m providing an important floral resource for insect pollinators!” That might quieten the moans of the “mower mads.”

You can read more about Emma’s excellent research work in Dublin on her blog, with even more interesting facts and figures. Highlighting once again that “doing less may be doing more in terms of providing resources for insectpollinators within urban environments'', is the great article: ‘Which is better – a planted ornamental wildflower meadow or a biodiversity meadow created by reduced mowing? » AllIreland Pollinator Plan’, found on pollinators.ie.

BEES LIKE THEIR PROTEIN SHAKES While the bee ladies are doing all the work, the male bees exist only to reproduce. However, they also need flowers to court the ladies and they gather exotic perfume bouquets to charm them. So, what should you grow in your nursery or sell in your garden centre to help people and their gardens support bees during springtime? Well, first of all, plants with lots of pollen. Bees need a little “pumping up” with protein.

For them, a “pollen protein shake” helps them to get in the zone. All members of the pea family are great for bees and are also full of protein. Plant plenty of vegetables like peas, beans; and wildflowers like clover and vetches. These have the best quality pollen, which makes for healthier adult bees.

In a recent study from Bristol, the early spring flowering

09 / OPINION

plants like Helleborus spp. and Pulmonaria spp. – even Skimmia japonica along with pollen-rich Salix spp. – and shrubs such as Pieris spp., were found to be an excellent resource for bees. Autumn is another pinch time for bees. During this time, plants such as the humble ivy Hedera helix, along with attractive perennials like Verbena bonariensis and Sedum spp., were found to be an excellent resource. The study also found that small gardens were as vital as big ones for bee conservation and that gardens planted with pollinator-friendly nectar-rich plants are really important. The species we select and the way we manage our gardens are vital – not every garden is a good bee garden.

SNOBBY BEES The Bristol study also found that nectar production was higher in more affluent neighbourhoods, but not in larger gardens.

This was probably down to affluent neighbourhoods having more flowering plants in the garden. An impressive 636 species of flowering plants were recorded from the 59 gardens surveyed and, surprisingly, shrubs were the main plant life form contributing to nectar production (58%). However, species matter, as some plants like Fuschia spp. – which was common

in gardens and full of nectar – are not accessible to pollinators (Tew et. al 2021).

So, when you're choosing plants for the garden this year, choose shorter and more open flowering plants and shrubs – those long and narrow tubular flowers are a bit of a tight squeeze for a big-bottomed bumbler.

Planting nectar-rich shrubs and prioritising flowers with an open structure in late summer and autumn will go a long way to supporting bumble bees.

UCD Environmental Horticulture and the All Ireland Pollinator Plan have been busy while the bee ladies were sleeping, scouring the literature to develop a list of top 10 suggestions for bee and pollinator-friendly plants for a variety of situations. We have top ten recommendations for Bedding plants: containers, Bedding plants: hanging baskets, herbs, Bulbs, tough landscaping sites, green roofs, ornamental shrubs and trees for small and large gardens, coastal situations, acid soils, alkaline soils, urban planters, roundabouts, low maintenance gardens and sites ready for publication.

If you have any other suggestions for areas in which you would like a planting list, please get in contact. Our list will be available this spring on pollinators.ie, and the launch will be announced on our Twitter @UCDhort. ✽

NOELEEN SMYTH is an Assistant Professor in Environmental Horticulture at University College Dublin.

She holds a PhD. and Hons Degree in Botany from Trinity College Dublin and diplomas in Horticulture from Teagasc and RHS. She is a Biodiversity and conservation specialist. As part of her current role, she acts as the CITES Scientific Authority for Ireland, advising the government on rare plant imports.

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OPINION / 07

S ' IBILLA'

SHARING YOUR PATCH; WITH A TREE AND A FLEA?

M

Terry O’Regan celebrates and encourages outside the box thinking in our efforts to tackle climate change

y article in part harks back to a thread running through many of the articles featured in the last issue of Horticulture Connected (Autumn/Winter 2021), notably the excellent and thought-provoking articles by John Murphy (on tackling obstacles to planting trees), Noeleen Smyth (on healing bogs), and Féidhlim Harty (on rewilding gardens); all complemented by articles from Michal Slawski, Dr. Joe Larragy and the AIPH conference report. In varying de22

HC / Spring 2022

grees, they each expressed concerns about biodiversity and global warming on patches of that great landscape patchwork that is our land and our planet.

You got a strong sense of concerned citizens, not alone thinking outside the box, but willing to venture outside their comfort zones.

I was reminiscing recently with my older brother about a 1950’s family holiday in Tramore, Co. Waterford; my rose-tinted memories called up sunny days on the fine strand, swimming

07 / OPINION through the breaking waves, followed by the noisy, exciting amusements, the penny slot machines, hot bags of vinegarsoaked chips and Jim Reeves singing about a sad phone-call; my brother’s memory was of a flea infestation in the house we were staying and the liberal dusting of DDT that followed.

Fleas are much scarcer nowadays, though I did meet a few strays five years ago in a West Clare B&B. I’m all for biodiversity, but we all might prefer if Noah had left the two fleas behind when he was sailing his ark!

Of course, it’s not as simple as that – is it? The DDT that helped reduce the flea population has long since been banned.

Along with many other pesticides, it was on its way to wiping out a whole raft of biodiversity – including the human race in the final analysis.

I never saw a wild grey partridge in my life, but along with the corncrake they were relatively common in Ireland in the 1960s. I learned in recent days that a recovery programme for the grey partridge is based on growing Charlock (Sinapsis arvensis or Praisheach bhuidhe). The grey partridge chicks eat the caterpillars of the Great White Butterfly. I saw plenty of charlock in my early landscaping days. When we sowed new lawns so much naturally-seeded Charlock came up that my clients questioned whether we had sown any lawn seed!

In the intervening years, landscapers and farmers got hold of an arsenal of herbicides and that sorted out the charlock and more besides – it would seem to have sorted out the grey partridge as well!

I had a client whose enterprise in an industrial zone expanded incrementally over the past 25 years. Each expansion involved a planning application that included my landscaping recommendations for a screening tree belt and each time he balked at planting trees. He just could not see why he should be a woodlander when all he wanted to be was a successful businessman! Whilst I had to argue the legal planning condition imperative, I must admit that I could see his point of view, and indeed I wholeheartedly agree with John Murphy that the current planning conditioning for tree planting is a poorly developed and ill-informed blunt instrument.

In response to a call from the EPA, who are undertaking a Land Use Review on behalf of the government, I recently drafted an expert evidence submission in connection with their Programme for Government commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. This target, if it is to be achieved, will take all of us far outside our thinking boxes and comfort zones and it’s not going to be a smooth ride! The following extract from the EPA invitation document cogently sets the scene and demonstrates that the state at some level does understand what has happened in the past and what we must do in the future.

“Land use has often been viewed through the lens of the individual land-based sectors that contribute to our economy, like agriculture, housing and forestry. But our land delivers so much more to us as a society, including supporting our ecosystems, it connects us to our history, it provides opportunities for recreation, and delivers thrilling and familiar landscapes.

In Ireland, land is intimate to our concept of ‘place’. Our land is a precious resource and fundamental to our economy, our environment, and our wellbeing as a nation: the way we own, use and manage our land is fundamental to how we live. As such we need to take a holistic systems approach to our use and management of land to enable us to balance the many demands that are placed on it, in particular as we face the complex challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Humans have achieved great advances through land-use

practices, but the evidence confirms that some of the historical decisions have had disproportionate and negative outcomes for wider society and the environment. Even recent decisions in Ireland on development, wetland destruction, land drainage, use of production chemicals, and agricultural intensification have resulted in proven negative impacts on water quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and species populations.

And into the future, the growing population with the associated demand for more housing and increased food production will also present significant land-use challenges.

Land is a vital part of our natural capital, an asset that supports nature and wildlife and one that underpins our entire economy, in particular the ever expanding ‘green’ economy (including sustainable food production) that will employ more and more people in years to come. Our land can provide a vital platform to help us realise our many ambitions.

Land use choices both benefit and impact us all and we all need to engage in the tough decisions to tackle the tensions and trade-offs between competing demands if we are to achieve a just transition. There is much to gain in transitioning to a low carbon and sustainable society and our land will play a key role in this. It is vital that when we consider our land, we think not just about how it is used, but also about who benefits from its use.”

That comprehensive overview might give you hope, but I have been closely immersed in the planning and development legislative and administrative process in Ireland all my working life. I have read similar ‘encouraging’ texts emanating from various politicians and administrations over the years – they are on my bookshelves, in my storage boxes and on my computer hard drives – for the most part they proved relatively worthless.

That said, I have a lot of respect for the EPA staff. When they speak out they do not pull their punches. To be effective, the land use decision-making process that must follow the review will have to be informed by a deep understanding of nature in the broadest sense, an understanding that sees us, not as the top of the pyramid, but rather just one of the many blocks that keep the structure standing. That is why we must speak up, why the likes of John, Noeleen, Féidhlim, and so many more must be listened to.

And yes, all of us must learn that we may need to share our patch with a tree and a flea – unless we are hoping to find a fresh patch on Mars where it might take a while to evolve a different tree/flea for sharing.

It's been a long time since I was taught ‘joined-up’ writing.

Few of us utilise this skill anymore, but I would hope that we might all still start to try our hand at ‘joined-up thinking’, that I would respectfully suggest is the thread that ran through the articles in Horticulture Connected last autumn and that, more than anything, gives me hope. ✽

TERRY O’REGAN pursued a career in the Irish landscape sector for some 50 years as a contractor and consultant, before “retiring” recently. For much of that time, he was also an advocate of ‘bigger picture’ and ‘outside the box’ thinking. He continues with the latter and also provides a mentoring service for landscapers, he can be contacted at 087 240 7618 and terryjoregan@gmail.com

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HELP WANTED…

Mark O’Loughlin, Managing Director of Sanctuary Synthetics, casts a discerning eye over the issues facing recruitment in the horticulture sector

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n my capacity as a supplier of artificial grass to the horticulture trade, I can safely say that discussing the joys of recruitment has now taken over from the weather as the go-to topic of conversation. Finding good people is no picnic these days, and we are all in the same boat.

Like many, I started off in the landscaping world as a oneman-band. Then, I was part of a partnership that, after only a couple of years, ended in an amicable enough divorce. My first full-time employee was a great lad – when he turned up … and when he was sober. Next came Krzystof, who had zero English. We initially communicated in pidgin German. He turned out to be the rock on which I would build my business.

Realising that an ounce of commerce is worth a tonne of work, I could leave him in charge and disappear to chase down the next job. After 15 years he retired back to Poland, leaving me with a thriving business and 18 other employees. I was damn lucky to have had him.

Readers will agree that recruitment could well be described as the leading cause of grey hair for any business owner, and it can definitely be an impedance to growth for a lot of businesses. My dictionary says that the word ‘recruitment’ stems from the 15th Century French 'recruiter’, meaning ‘new growth’, and the Latin ‘crēscere’, which means ‘to grow’. In many cases recruitment is required to stop shrinking.

Last April, after the second lockdown, we had 87 domestic lawns on the books. I found myself laughing at a WhatsApp that was doing the rounds at the time. It showed a container ship wedged into the desert sand halfway up the Suez canal. On the side of the massive ship was written - ‘demand for Landscaping services 2021’. Way down below, at the stern, was a solitary Hymac frantically digging away. Written beside it was - ‘the entire capacity of the landscaping industry’. A good complaint but I think we’ve all felt the pressure in recent years.

Let's see now, we have the financial cost of recruiting; the time suck of interviewing and induction; the PUP and ongoing fallout of Covid-19; 26 individual pieces of legislation governing employment law; the admittedly necessary health and safety legislation; PAYE and PRSI bureaucracy; housing shortages, spiralling rents; Brexit; and, of course, general inflation with its immediate pressure on wage rates all to contend with. Competition from other industries, notably Construction and Haulage (leave my Grab Lorry C Licence guys alone you rotters!) adds even more grief. Then there’s always an army of employment law solicitors ready to

pounce. In addition to this, I've recently seen the reputations of several respectable businesses unfairly desecrated by disgruntled employees on social media. Lately, a local outfit was publicly targeted by a chap and all his friends after only a one-day trial. Jesus wept. At least we’re all getting a new bank holiday soon.

Wait a second, who pays for that? Richard Branson said, “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to.” When I was starting out, a management consultant advised me that I can either have filing cabinets full of employee contracts, training records, and performance reviews or simply treat employees well and hope for the best. Either way, you'll have trouble/get sued/ lose people suddenly every once in a while. These days I have an office full of paperwork and a happy enough crew. Some are smarter than myself (wouldn’t be hard I hear you say).

Attrition will happen. Far away hills are always greener.

We all have to be HR experts now. What's my advice?

Beware friends and family. Use word of mouth. When advertising – Horticulture.Jobs offer just such a service!

– don't copy the rest. Use your own voice. I once wrote a summer student recruitment campaign – ‘An honest ad for an honest job’– subtly targeting their mammies, telling them to cancel their gym memberships and promising modest pay, sunburn, blisters, cuts, bruises, regular drenchings, and very good sleep at night. We literally had lads queuing out the door. A few even lasted the course. Think of recruitment as a marketing exercise. Sell your operation. Target potential recruits carefully. Where do they hang out online? Do they read Horticulture Connected? Make them jump through a few hoops in the first place to weed out the messers. Trust your gut and may the (work)force be with you. ✽

MARK O’LOUGHLIN is a 53-yearold mostly office-bound landscaper with grey hair who loves transforming spaces using artificial grass. Winner of five Bloom medals, he previously risked ridicule with his HidBin invention on Dragons Den. He is the author of The Big Hairy Green Book All About Artificial Grass, which will be out soon.’

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@STOCKASSO / 123RF.COM

08 / RECRUITMENT

EDIBLES / 09

POTATOES: PREPARE TO BE SURPRISED Lorcan Bourke of Bord Bia provides an update on the EU funded campaign to promote Ireland’s most popular carbohydrate

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otatoes remain Ireland’s most popular main meal carbohydrate and are a deeply loved traditional food. However, with so many alternative foods now available in the marketplace, potatoes must ‘fight their own corner’ to keep consumers coming back for more.

In 2014, supported by the entire potato industry and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Bord Bia successfully secured funding from the EU to put in place the potato promotional campaign ‘Potatoes, More Than a Bit on the Side’, which was launched in July 2015 and ran up until July 2018. This promoted potatoes as a healthy, versatile, convenient and exciting food. The fresh potato market had stabilised and recovered after decades of lost market share, increasing the purchase volume of potatoes by +30% within 3 years.

Potato promotional activity in Ireland is guided by the (Irish) Potato Promotions Group, including representatives of the IFA, IPF and Bord Bia. After the success of the first campaign, industry partners applied to the EU for a follow-up campaign targeting Millennials (18–34 year-olds), to ensure potatoes became a staple for the younger generation.

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In 2019, Bord Bia, CNIPT (France), VLAM (Belgium) and Europatat (the European Potato Trade Association) were awarded funding towards a campaign under the title “Potatoes: Prepare to be Surprised”, running from January 2020 to December 2022. The idea was to position potatoes firmly in the minds and lifestyles of Millennials as a versatile, healthy and convenient food, embedding it into their culture. 300 campaign recipes are featured on our website www.potato.ie, which is a central element of the campaign. We chose Instagram as our prime social channel to engage with our audience, as well as Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.

The Irish Effie Awards is run by the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI) and is given for effectiveness in marketing and advertising. The award recognises any and all forms of marketing that contribute to a brand's success.

In September 2021, the “Potatoes: Prepare to be Surprised” campaign won a Bronze Effie Award in the Public Service, Government and Utilities category. Being recognised by the Effie Awards is a huge achievement, proving the efficacy of the campaign.

As we are now halfway through this Millennial campaign, its success is evident and investment has proven to be incredibly beneficial for all involved. We look forward to continuing this journey together as we show new generations the versatility, easiness and health benefits of the potato through our highly impactful work.

09 / EDIBLES • The ‘Potatoes: More than a Bit on the Side’ campaign achieved a retail volume growth of +30% across the three year period.

• In the first year of the potato millennial campaign ‘Potatoes Prepare to be Surprised’ a volume growth of +33% was recorded amongst millennials.

• Following almost two decades of continuous decline, fresh potato market sales in Ireland have recorded steady market growth following these two ‘back to back’ promotional campaigns since 2015.

CAMPAIGN SUCCESS

Twice yearly, after key activations, the campaign is tested with millennials to see if it is effective. These are the results.

4. CAMPAIGN HAS RESONATED WITH MILLENNIALS AND IMPACTED BEHAVIOUR: Agreement amongst millennials significantly higher across all campaign statements, including intention to cook recipes from campaign (+9% vs Nov). The campaign has driven increased awareness of potatoes. The campaign has clearly reached the target (millennials) and prompted an interest in using potatoes to cook with at home.

A +4% increase was achieved for all the above measures of behaviour which indicates significant behavioural change. ✽

1. POSITIVELY; all attitudes remain in line with the previous wave towards potatoes, with the highest agreement that fresh potatoes are a natural, healthy food and that fresh potatoes can be used in a wide variety of meals.

2. INCREASED AWARENESS OF CAMPAIGN: Over half of millennials claim to have seen any part of the campaign positively highlighting the reach of the campaign. Instagram is undoubtedly the best avenue to reach this target, with just under half of millennials aware of the campaign through this channel.

3. INCREASED WEBSITE TRAFFIC: Versus the previous wave there is a higher proportion of millennials (30%) claiming to visit the website – of this, 15% claim to have visited as a result of the campaign – a clear indication millennials were engaged in the campaign enough to visit the website.

LORCAN BOURKE is a business analyst with Bord Bia. If you have any questions or comments on the content of this feature you can contact him at lorcan.bourke@bordbia.ie

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INSIGHT / 10

A WORLD of

ADVERTISING POSSIBILITIES Paul Moran is back with another indispensable guide to getting your business recognised by the right audience

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s a business, knowing where to allocate your marketing efforts can be quite challenging.

Questions about which tactics work best, or how to make your marketing budget stretch further, are of constant concern. In reality, each advertising avenue offers unique opportunities for you to find new customers and strengthen current relationships.

Understanding their specific uses simplifies decision-making.

In this article, I want to explore three different advertising mediums that can help to kickstart your marketing success straight away. Let’s dive right in!

DIGITAL BANNERS Digital banners are ads displayed on a website to visually attract attention. Many people think of digital banners as old hat, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Data shows that the humble banner is still extremely effective in delivering tangible results for your business at a very costeffective price. Placing your banners on the most applicable website is essential. You want to make sure your ad is seen by your target market daily. Digital banners target the higher end of the sales funnel, which means getting your advertising in front of businesses and people who are not directly searching for your service or product but will search at some stage in the future. Let’s look at the benefits: REPUTATION When your advert is centred on an applicable website, businesses and people will naturally associate your brand with that website on a subconscious level. This can work both ways.

You need to make sure that the website is a credible one, respected by your audience, and one where your audience spends time. Reputation and trustworthiness are crucial when

Better shelf life means your target market's eyes are on your business long after you’ve paid the initial cost of the ad 28

HC / Spring 2022

somebody is deciding whether to buy from your business, so this is a very high selling point of the digital banner.

IT WON'T BREAK THE BANK One of the reasons businesses love digital banners is that they produce a high yield for little investment. The medium is all digital, which means that there are no printing costs, and no postage costs or other associated costs. If you don't have a large budget, digital banners are the perfect choice to stretch your cash. However, you will have to create the digital banner to the correct specification. There are graphic agencies who can help with this, or you can create your own through various software such as Adobe Photoshop.

COMPLIMENTS YOUR OTHER MARKETING EFFORTS We see and hear advertisements all day. Radio is the medium of sound. TV is visual and newspapers both text and image.

Social media works on social proof, which is appealing for advertisers. Digital banners complete the circle as they focus on your advert being repeatedly placed in front of your audience at their time of browsing. An analogy is that your visual advert is being placed at a busy crossroads where your audience is passing through daily.

QUICK TIP Less text is better, giving more space to the visual. Focus on making the image eye-catching using your brand colours.

Lastly, make sure to constantly test and update the visual over time to keep it fresh and to see what graphics are yielding higher results.

10 / INSIGHT E-NEWSLETTERS An electronic newsletter is an email that is sent out to a subscribed audience list. Email remains one of the most used means of communication throughout the entire world.

Everybody will check their email but not everybody will check their

social media. Therefore, an e-newsletter is a brilliant marketing idea to implement. Unlike the Digital banner, it is further down the sales funnel because a relationship has already been established. The clients are already aware of your brand. Newsletters will strengthen this relationship. Below are the key benefits of the e-newsletter:

to establish trust with your existing customer base.

STEER PEOPLE BACK TO YOUR WEBSITE Each newsletter will have various goals depending on the company. One goal is to remind and drive people back to your website. One must then ask why we desire this particular action? From your website, a customer may call your phone, book a service or buy certain products online.

They’ve opened the newsletter in their inbox and are constantly getting value from you. Therefore, the customer will feel more comfortable taking action with you, since they’ve gotten to know your business over a period of time. Social media also operates in a similar fashion.

QUICK TIP Set up a newsletter signup email on your website and have your customers subscribe. Send newsletters consistently to your audience, avoid any hard-selling, and always have an option to easily unsubscribe visible at the bottom. Also, look around to partner up with a company that already has a thriving newsletter, so you can tap into their network and audience.

PRINT ADVERTS

CONNECT ON A PERSONAL LEVEL A newsletter allows you to speak directly to your customers. You can share important information with your customer with no intermediary.

For example, this could range from

Compared to the two advertising avenues above, print advertising has been around much longer and continues to be an effective method to reach new and existing customers.

It has remained an important medium of communication for good reason.

Print out-performs digital in many areas. Print adverts operate on the top of the sales funnel, or middle of the funnel depending on where they are placed.

news pieces, tips, stories, or simply a mark of gratitude. Newsletters are not after the hard sell, your audience is already invested in your business, or they wouldn’t have subscribed in the first place. Instead, it’s a chance

There are many benefits to running a print advertising campaign. I will focus on the 2 key ones below:

PRINT IS LESS INTRUSIVE When we read through a newspaper or magazine, the relevant articles are blended with ads beside them. The ads are usually in a high-definition format that looks beautiful to the eye and can be admired. Although digital banners can appear nice, they will not catch the eye with the beautiful colours, creativity, and slickness of print. Print ads are memorable and can stay with the reader for some time. People usually relax with magazines at a more leisurely pace and don’t scroll manically through the information as they do on computers or mobile devices.

GOOD SHELF LIFE Newspapers and Magazines are distributed to various types of venues, such as shops, businesses, offices, and waiting rooms. The shelf life of print is much longer than digital, as they stay at these locations for longer. Not only that, but the items are shared, traded, and swapped amongst the population. They continue to be in circulation even after the season may be long over. Digital ads are advertised for a set period, before being completely removed. Better shelf life means your target market's eyes are on your business long after you’ve paid the initial cost of the ad.

QUICK TIP Place your ad in front of a niche audience. Don’t try to target everybody or you’ll drain your budget on casting too wide a net. Focus on your ad being less cluttered and featuring more white space. This will make it stand out and look appealing. Although it may seem obvious, make sure your contact information is clear. Promote what makes your business unique. ✽

PAUL MORAN is an Account Executive for Horticulture Connected.

He has previously worked in Digital Sales & Marketing within the Tech sector and holds an MSc in Strategic Management & Planning from UCD Michael Smurfit Business School. He has a passion for growing some of his own food. He can be contacted at paul@horticulture.ie

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INSIGHT / 10

A FLOURISHING FOREST FOR ALL

Aidan Ffrench gives a valuable insight into the planning behind the DLR Trees and Urban Forestry Strategy 2022-2031 - A natural approach to human health and well-being

T

REES AND PEOPLE – A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP

Trees are intrinsic to human life. That may not always be so obvious, and we tend to take trees for granted. However, consider this statement from John Parker, Chief Executive of the Arboricultural Association, “a tree basically makes itself out of air, water, soil, and sunshine” That’s quite something! Trees are truly amazing.

And trees bring many benefits to humans, including clean air, oxygen, shelter, food, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and spiritual sustenance. Increasingly, people recognise the vital role of trees in human health, well-being, and climate. The pandemic highlighted the need for us to reconnect with and care for nature, especially in urban areas, where 63% of Irish people live. And, just as humans need each other and live in communities, so do trees. Scientists such as Professor Suzanne Simard (suzannesimard.com) are finding that trees function as communities of solidarity, supporting each other through symbiotic relationships with mycorrhizal fungi. Our connections with each other and trees are no less important. Embracing this holistic understanding, in late 2020, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council embarked on a review and update of its first Tree Strategy (2011-2015). It is anticipated that the new strategy will be launched in March 2022.

DEVELOPING THE NEW STRATEGY

Preparation of the new strategy is mandated by Action 14 of the dlr Climate Action Plan 2019-2024. The review audited the outgoing strategy’s Action Plan, finding that most of its 14 actions

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had not been completed owing to insufficient staff resources, principally the lack of a Tree Officer. A Literature Review of best international exemplars was conducted, focusing on cities including Greater Lyon (France), Pittsburgh, and Melbourne. Key lessons included building capacity, to delivery goals, maintaining an up-to-date database, engaging civil society through collaboration, and investing in appropriate human, technical, and educational resources. In contrast to the first strategy, a draft was only written once a two-part exercise was undertaken – an Issues Paper followed by an in-depth Stakeholder Engagement process. The Paper identified several key challenges and opportunities for Public Consultation, including the coincidence of tree inequity and social disadvantage, increasing tree losses due to developments, lack of a Tree Officer, citizen tree stewards, and citizen science. Sixty-four submissions were received, mostly from individuals, with nine from county councillors, and one from a national organisation (Bat Conservation Ireland). Participants were generally well-disposed towards trees and expressed interest in being involved in tree activities. For example, 78% were interested in a Citizen Science project and/or a voluntary Tree Stewardship Scheme. There was strong support for drafting a new strategy along with calls for an investment of human resources to manage the Urban Forest. The main topics of concern were the lack of a Tree Officer, tree losses in built developments, biodiversity in tree planting, an educational campaign, and more tree planting. The Consultation was followed by participatory Stakeholder Engagement which had the benefit of early identification and assessment of the views of a wide range of stakeholders, before writing the strategy.

A key goal was to ‘activate’ delivery of the strategy’s goals by identifying potential partners. Participation was interactive with proforma questionnaires and workshops with five Focus Groups:– 1.

Businesses, Institutions, Schools, Colleges, Private Landowners 2. Community Groups (Public Participation Network, residents’ associations, Tidy Towns, gardening groups) 3. Internal - dlr Staff - across grades, departments 4. Youth 1 (dlr Youth Parliament - Comhairle na nÓg) 5. Youth 2: Young People living in Disadvantaged Areas Key takeaways of the Focus Group workshops:• the need to change perceptions and raise awareness of the value of Trees as Living Organisms • The Strategy should identify collaborative actions between the Council and civil society in Communication, Education, Community Participation and Tree Care The Strategy comprises 4 main parts: 1.

Why A Strategy – Vision, Philosophy, Principles, and Objectives 2. What We Have – The County’s Tree Resources 3. What We Stand For – Policy Statements and Practices 4. What We Will Do – Implementation (Action Plan)

TOWARDS A SHARED VISION - A COUNTY CULTURE OF TREE CARE The strategy emphasises that everyone is responsible for trees.

While the county is well-provided with trees (19% canopy cover), the Council is directly responsible for only 33% of the tree cover, with the remaining 66% in private and institutional ownership. Care for the county’s trees extends beyond the Council to include individuals, communities, educational bodies, NGOs, private landowners, developers, businesses, and State bodies. Managing and expanding tree cover requires a collaborative approach driven by a Shared Vision of collective responsibility. The strategy’s vision is that, by 2031 the citizens of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown will have fully embraced a Culture of Care for Trees and will share the environment with trees in an inspiring, healthy Urban Forest, receiving benefits that maximise human wellbeing and climate resilience. The vision will be achieved by sharing well-designed places with trees – what I call informed co-habitation.

Ethical Philosophy – Trees are Living Dynamic Organisms

Beyond human-focused, utilitarian values, trees have their own inherent value as living organisms. The sacredness and dignity of trees was recognised by our ancestors in pre-Christian Ireland and Celtic Christianity. Likewise, the strategy is founded on an ethical philosophy of consistent respect for trees, recognising trees as living organisms, not mere objects. Dlr will apply this philosophy by, for example, ensuring that tree planting is designed to meet the functional needs of trees above and below ground, providing sufficient space, water, and maintenance to optimise growth.

Key Policies updates • • • •

Right Tree, Right Place, Right Reasons, Rightly-Planted Resolving Inequity in Tree Cover Diverse Planting: the 10-20-30 Rule Mini-Forests and Tiny

•

(Pocket) Forests Biosecurity and Procurement

Conclusion - From rhetoric to reality

The strategy is ambitious in its scope and intent. Consistent commitment to the implementation of its Action Plan will be vital to success. The Council will appoint a Tree Officer to coordinate the delivery of the Plan. Priority actions in 2022 – 2025:• Re-commence Tree Surveys • Digitise Annual Tree Planting Programme • Develop a Tree Stewardship Programme • Develop Urban Woodlands and ‘Mini-Forests’ • Prepare Street Tree Planting Plans • Develop new rules for developers ✽

AIDAN J. FFRENCH Urban Placemaking | Blue-Green Infrastructure Aidan has been an Executive Landscape Officer with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s Parks and Landscape Services since 1994. His work portfolio includes landscape design projects, parks master planning, and urban planning.

Currently, he is project manager for the dlr Trees and Urban Forestry Strategy.

Spring 2022 / HC

31

NURSERY / 11

NOT SO

HARD GRAFT Renowned tree specialist and owner of Annaveigh Plants, John Murphy put an edge on his grafting knife and a new spin on traditional methods of tree production.

Methods that might hold the key to future production

H

aving moved from the office three years ago into full-time production, I have started to think seriously about our planting stock. The future supply from overseas is a worry and even though our stock is contract grown, we still have issues.

Thoughtful consideration also needs to be given to disease importing, carbon footprint, and Irish provenance for the species material, such as Oak. How much of this planting stock could we realistically supply ourselves, and could we grow it to an acceptable standard? Could grafting be the answer?

I have closely watched the development of the Air-Pot U system and the introduction of the slotted pot into tree propagation in Europe. Both systems are based on the air pruning of roots and it is possible, using either of these, to get a Betula jacquemontii up to 1.75-2m from a winter graft in one season. The resultant roots are extremely fibrous, and the possibility of root girdling is removed due to the air pruning.

We plant around 6,000 young trees, from both systems, yearly and grafting is the main propagation technique employed to supply young plants for both growing methods.

A further reason to revisit grafting was my son, David, who expressed an interest in learning this skill after reading the excellent grafting book: ‘The Manual of Plant Grafting’ by Peter MacDonald. On the subject, I can also recommend ‘The Bench

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Grafters Handbook’ by Brian Humphrey. It has a great section on individual species requirements. In MacDonald’s book there is an interesting segment on the ancient history of grafting, and he comments on the unusual techniques used by the ancient Sabean people, ‘The branch that is to be grafted must be in the hands of a beautiful damsel, while a male person has disgraceful intercourse with her: during this, the woman grafts the branch into the tree’. This method has not endured the test of time, imagine how low productivity would be!

Twenty-seven years since I last grafted - and with my new Tina 605 knife in hand - I started to practice the various cuts and graft types, mostly whip and side grafts. It did not take me long to cut my thumb, but at least I got some practice before starting to teach David. I also soon found that things have changed since my time. When I asked about getting wax, I was informed that most grafters use wax tape

The branch that is to be grafted must be in the hands of a beautiful damsel

11 / NURSERY

7

6

5

2

3

4 1

1. AIRPOT-U SYSTEM, WITH ONE-YEAR GRAFTS - 2. 2LT SLOTTED POT, THE RIBS PREVENT GIRDLING THE SLOTS ALLOW AIR PRUNING OF THE ROOTS - 3. FROM LEFT: BETULA ‘FASINATION’, AMELANCHIER ‘ROBIN HILL’ AND CARPINUS ‘FASTIGIATA. ALL ONE-YEAR WHIPS FROM WINTER GRAFTS. THE AMELANCHIER IS FROM AIR-POT-U AND THE OTHER TWO ARE 3LT SLOTTED POTS - 4. BOXES OF HEELED IN GRAFTS AWAITING POTTING INTO 2LT SLOTTED POTS - 5. A VIEW OF THE TUNNEL, UNDER THE SHADE AND FLEECE ARE NEWLY POTTED CRATAEGUS AND SORBUS GRAFTED IN DECEMBER - 6. NEWLY POTTED CRATAEGUS GRAFTS, SHOWING A LITTLE SCION GROWTH AND SUCKERS LEFT ON TO ENCOURAGE ROOTING AND CALLUS GROWTH - 7. BETULA SIDE GRAFT SHOWING GOOD SCION CALLUS.

instead, and dress other cut surfaces with a product called ‘Lax Balsam’. It turned out that the wax tape was handy and avoided melting wax day after day. If you ever use the tape, use the perforated type.

So, in mid-December, all set and wearing my new apron, I started with a simple whip graft of Sorbus ‘Sheerwater

Seedling’ onto Irish provenance Sorbus aucuparia rootstocks, well-graded, and supplied by Jack in Fermoy Woodland Nurseries. The scion and rootstocks are tied using rubber grafting bands and the union is covered with wax tape to prevent drying out. There was something heartening about grafting Irish-produced scion wood from

Spring 2022 / HC

33

2022 HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

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Do not get into a drinking session with Gunter Kordes the nursery onto Irish rootstocks.

As the day passed, and after Grainne visited with the encouraging words, ‘Is that all you have done,’ I started thinking about the people from whom I had learned this ancient skill.

Thanks to Prof. Dr. Donnchadh Mac Cárthaigh, one of Ireland’s most successful horticultural academics, we found ourselves north of Hamburg in Kordes Jungpflanzen after leaving UCD in 1988. This is a young-plant nursery specialising in the growing of 1lt liners in a massive range including all types of grafted stock, even Clematis. It’s well worth a visit, but do not get into a drinking session with Gunter Kordes. After months spent preparing rootstocks and scion wood, we were eventually allowed to sit at the grafting table with around eight very experienced grafters and four nursery stock apprentices. These were hard-working northern Germans, many of whom had lived through WW2, rebuilt Germany, and took no bullshit. Of course, there was Hans and Fritz on the crew, both in their early sixties, from whom we learned an enormous amount, and Helga in her late twenties was a graduate of the nursery apprentice scheme and helped us to understand the more technical aspects of aftercare. This apprenticeship scheme is still going and produces a reasonable stream of trained workers for the German nursery industry.

Four months later, with gorgeous late spring weather, I could not wait to get away from the grafting table, by this stage we were splitting stems of new clematis growth for scions, grafting them onto seedling stocks and tying with thin raffia. It is almost akin to doing surgery with an axe. But next season I could not wait for it to start again.

On returning to Ireland in the early '90s, and through contact with Paddy Gleeson, Ireland's most renowned Nursery Stock advisor and great tour organiser – “let’s do America again Paddy,” – we got an opportunity to take on a massive grafting program in Kildare using the not wellknown Hot Pipe system for graft callousing. It’s a method by which individual graft unions are subject to heat for rapid callous production and healing and many versions are in use throughout the world today. It was quite successful and produced good stock for potting or planting, but the use of conventional pots back then added to a non-uniform growth not experienced with the modern Air-Pot U or slotted pots.

The pots also led to root girdling in some species.

Any experience I have of graft aftercare has always depended on a supportive system where the humidity and temperature are controlled and usually bud growth happens early in the season. With only a 20-year-old walk-in tunnel in the veg garden, I had no choice but to go the supportive road. The bare root grafts were heeled into deep nursery crates, leaving the covered union above the substrate and stood down under a sandwich of fleece, plastic, fleece, and shading. The fleece below the plastic prevents dripping onto the grafts. After six weeks, most grafts showed good callus development and we have started to pot the new trees into 3lt slotted pots that are stood down and covered with two layers of fleece and shading. The trick now is to ensure that

scion growth is not pushed along too quickly for the new union to cope with moisture and nutrient flow.

During a recent call with Weit Rentes, we got talking about grafting and aftercare. He said that he always remembers his dad storing his finished grafts in an old septic tank under the house, as a precursor to the cold store. Today in Holland the use of cold storage is common. Once the grafts are finished, they are packed into plastic bags and crates and kept above two degrees. Callus production is extremely slow and bud burst is held back until required. Since the Air-Pot U system is outdoors, the grafts are taken out of store in April and planted 15cm apart in the troughs, which are waist height for easy working. In theory, this should give the grower a very uniform bud burst allowing caning and tying to be more programmed.

Our winter grafting included both easy and not-so-easy species. The easy ones - Sorbus and Crataegus - we did first, as they gave us both time to practice the knife work before tackling the Oak, Acer campestre, Betula, and Carpinus.

The rootstocks used were a mix of 1+0 seedlings and 1+1 transplants, depending on the scion wood size. We used an apical whip graft where the scion and stock were of equivalent size and where the stock was larger, a full tongue side graft, mostly on Betula and Carpinus.

At David’s request, we included 1,000 hardwood cuttings in the experiment, consisting of Salix, Platanus, Acer freemanii, and rubrum types, The latter should only be grown from cuttings, as grafts onto Acer rubrum stocks have long term compatibility problems. Recent reading about hardwood cuttings revealed the use of plastic bags and controlled temperature as a method of producing root initials before potting. A practice in use at Frank P. Matthews Nursery in the UK, another must-visit nursery for anyone interested in propagation. I can confirm from our experiment that only the Salix has so far shown any inclination of rooting, updates later. David’s already talking about building a Garnor Bin for hardwood cuttings.

Whether our experiment with 3,000 grafts works its way into our production system remains to be seen. Can we crack the growing of strong maidens in slotted pots? No matter what, it has been an enjoyable time spent passing on the skill to another generation – seeing David experiencing the same wonderment I did 35 years ago when I watched my first grafts callus.

As we seek to find ways to meet the needs of the future, we should first look to the past. The traditional grafting methods, with a modern twist, may well provide the answer.

For more information and video’s visit volentis.com one of Holland's foremost tree nurseries and the birthplace of the Air-Pot U system. ✽

JOHN MURPHY is the owner and operator of Annaveigh plants and is one of Ireland’s most experienced and respected nurserymen. For more information visit www. annaveigh.com

Spring 2022 / HC

35

A SEA CHANGE

Dr. Karen O’Hanlon looks at the fertiliser and pesticide supply Issue in Ireland. Could our natural marine environment be the answer?

T

he agrichemical industry came to the fore in the years following World War II. Postwar Germany had a surplus of synthetic nitrogen, a material commonly used in munition factories. Nitrogen, in the form of urea, as found in farmyard manure, was well known to increase crop growth, and synthetic forms of urea were found to yield excellent results in an agricultural setting. Supported by German government aid, two agrichemical companies, BASF and Bayer, were formed to re-purpose such nitrogen.

Over the next decades, Europe began to grow an abundance of food, thanks in part to the plentiful supply and liberal use of these chemical fertilisers and other pesticide products. Old methods of growing crops were surpassed with innovative chemically-focussed approaches. The application of these chemicals facilitated more intensive farming practises, such as monocropping and the growing of winter and summer crops on the same land, year after year.

This pattern developed and strengthened for decades. High doses of fertilisers and pesticides became the norm in the effort to increase yields and combat unwanted diseases. Ironically, because Third World developing nations didn’t have the capital to invest in such chemicals, they instead relied on ancient practises and inherited farm management skills. Today, most First World nations have lost that important biological, biofertiliser, and plant growth-promoting microbial knowledge. This knowledge now needs to be imported from Third World nations!

Fast forward to the 2000s, and the focus within European agriculture and pesticides began to shift towards protecting the environment. It became important to protect fish, birds, bees, and small mammals just as much as humans. Every year, between 150-200 pesticides are removed from the shelves, mainly due to failing increasingly restrictive environmental risk assessments, whilst cancer-causing and endocrinedisrupting chemicals get an immediate ban.

Coupled with this squeeze on pesticides, we have a fertiliser price and usage crisis. China (with its rich reserves of the raw material, rock phosphate) suspended exports of fertilisers in 2021, which has restricted supply and, as a result, fertiliser price increases of over 250% have become commonplace.

Unsurprisingly, farmers are finding it more and

12 / RESEARCH more difficult to afford or obtain chemical fertilisers, and regenerative farming practises are being increasingly explored by innovative farmers in this sector. Researchers and the industry are quickly responding by developing more biology-based natural products, as opposed to chemicalbased products, in an attempt to replace the chemicals and fertilising agents that are disappearing from our shelves.

Some farmers saw this coming and many have changed their approach, choosing to partially or fully replace chemicals, and have been educating each other in the process. There is an increasing body of regenerative farmers, all doing their own research (i.e. Base Ireland and Farming for Nature).

Ireland has an abundance of marine products off the coast that could play a role in these regenerative farming practices.

Seaweed has long been known to possess fertilising and pesticide properties. Irish seaweeds, Ascophyllum nodosum and Laminaria Digitata, were trialled in 2021 (see article in summer 2021 Horticulture Connected - 'Harnessing Natural Products From The Sea For Use In Horticulture'). ●T he better-known attributes of seaweed are as a biocontrol and biofertiliser in helping to improve roots, nutrition, and the quality of crops by supplying vitamins and minerals whilst also producing phytohormones that act as bio-stimulants encouraging immunity to disease, healthy growth, and colour. ●S eaweed can absorb as much CO2 as trees and hence can contribute to CO2 sequestration. Carbon sequestration is the process by which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere and held in solid or liquid form; Plants can absorb CO2 during growth and store it in different tissues. The most important tissue for carbon sequestration is the root. Good organic practises encourage healthy soil/root interactions with the accumulation of microbial life around the root. ●M any biofertilisers on the market encourage such symbiosis between soil life and root. Seaweed as a foliar spray activates the plants' growth and protection systems to produce plant growth regulators, phytohormones to protect from diseases, and biomolecules to counteract drought, heat, frost, etc.

Numerous progressive wholesale horticulture growers in Ireland are using seaweed as a biostimulant at a 1:200 dilution during watering and enriching further with microbial mixes (including Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas fluorescence) to control root issues such as Rhizoctonia and Fusarium.

AN UPDATE ON THESE 2021 TRIALS IS SUMMARISED BELOW:

A potato trial on Airabella was carried out by Colm O’Driscoll, Head Gardener in Airfield Estate, Dundrum, Co. Dublin.

Seed potatoes were dipped in a container of seaweed gel of Laminaria and immediately placed in the seed hole. 90 seed potatoes were sown in the untreated control plot and 133 in the treated plot. Yield analysis was recorded by weight and undersized potatoes were also recorded. Any disease on the potatoes was observed. Results showed that in the control (untreated) plants 0.53Kg/plant was produced, compared to 1Kg per plant in the treated plots. No disease was noted

in the control or treated plots. Therefore, there was almost a 100% increase in yield in plants treated with seaweed gel.

Undersized potatoes showed an almost 100% reduction in the treated plant also.

A grassland trial was carried out by Anthony Mooney in Kildare, a farming for nature ambassador, who compared the growth rates over 15 days in September 2021, using many different marine products. Fish hydrolysis, boiled seaweed, cold-pressed seaweed and microbes, crushed shellfish as a soil conditioner, and more were all trialled. Results ranged from a 79.2% dry matter increase versus control for cold-pressed seaweed plus microbes to a 5.9% dry matter increase versus control for boiled seaweed with added minerals. An increase in metabolisable energy in grass grown using all seaweed-based products was also shown.

A trial on spring barley (Erigal) was carried out by Seedtech Technology using microbes and seaweed. Probiotics were added to seed and crops were sprayed every three weeks after establishment. The barley seed trial quality was above the hectolitre required (63 weight KPH) in all plots, no treatment, the gold standard fungicidal treated barley, and seaweed treated barley. The yield per Ha of (111%) for the biostimulants treated plots was higher than the no treatment (109%) and Kinto treated grain (109%). Disease suppression on the measured disease was similar with all 3 plots analysed.

A trial on spring oats (Jounence) was carried out by Seedtech Technology using microbes and seaweed.

Probiotics were added to seed and crops were sprayed every three weeks after establishment. Yield increases went from €207 for control grain to €212 for treated grain, a €5 increase per tonne for the grower using the biostimulants. The most important increase is shown in the quality of the grain, which has increased from 51.22 weight KPH for the controls, to 52.53 KPH - representing a 1.31% increase in grain quality. The cut-off score for oats is 50, so the use of the biostimulants can guarantee the quality of the oats for use in the equine and human food industry.

A trial on grassland growth after application of biochar to the soil with seaweed as a grass biostimulant is being carried out by Carbery Group Limited of Bandon Co. Cork. Results to date are not brilliant (8.2 tonnes grass/Ha in 2021) compared to fertilised grassland (13 tonnes grass/Ha in 2021). However, we have seen an increase in broadleaves in the pasture.

Going into the second year we will see the biology in the soil functioning better. Biodiversity increase and a natural shift to multi-species swards, without the need for reseeding coupled with the ever-increasing fertiliser input costs - make this trial an interesting marathon rather than a sprint event! ✽

KAREN O'HANLON is the founder of Probio Carbon. She has coordinated field trials on plant growth-promoting bacteria across Europe and has worked as an Ecotoxicologist in the Department of Agriculture. Contact details: info@probiocarbon.ie.

Telephone: 087 9816569. www.probiocarbon.ie

Spring 2022 / HC

37

RESEARCH / 12

WORKING TOGETHER

TO SAFEGUARD

FRESH PRODUCE FROM

HUMAN PATHOGENS An update from Teagasc on the international efforts of the Cost HUPLANT Control network of interdisciplinary scientific experts to tackle food-borne disease

I

n recent years there has been an increased emphasis on the prevention of food-borne diseases associated with fresh produce. While food-borne disease was traditionally thought to be primarily associated with animal produce, fresh produce is now known to account for over 1/3 of all foodborne outbreaks in some countries. The increased association of fresh produce with disease outbreaks is due to increased consumption of these commodities, as they are associated with healthier lifestyles and dietary shifts towards consumption of minimally processed and raw, ready-to-eat crops. It is also, in part, due to changes in the processing, agronomy and distribution of fresh produce. Produce eaten in a raw state is inherently of higher microbiological risk to the consumer, as it will not undergo cooking prior to consumption, a step which can attenuate pathogen risk within other food products. The main bacterial pathogens of concern are Salmonella enterica, Shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC), and Listeria monocytogenes, as they are the predominant cause of bacterial food-borne outbreaks in edible crops. Listeria monocytogenes occurs naturally in the environment, while STEC and Salmonella are zoonotic, with their primary reservoirs within animals, including livestock.

Once contamination occurs, efforts to decontaminate via washing or disinfection often prove ineffective, so prevention of contamination of the fresh produce by human pathogens is critically important to protect consumers.

Safeguarding fresh produce from human pathogens is a global concern, from both a human health and consumer confidence perspective. Recently the EU funded a network of interdisciplinary scientific experts (Cost HUPLANT Control) to work together with a wide range of stakeholders towards addressing this issue. As part of the activities of this network an international stakeholder workshop was held in Teagasc (the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority), at the Teagasc Food Research Centre in Dublin.

The aim of the workshop was to bring together relevant stakeholders, including international researchers, regulators and commercial growers, to examine biological hazards

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HC / Spring 2022

and control strategies in plant production systems in order to ensure the microbiological safety of horticultural products. The workshop also aimed to generate a series of best practice recommendations that could feasibly be implemented by growers, policy makers, advisors and scientists; and to identify barriers to implementation of current best practice. The participants assessed the current European situation in relation to the safety of horticultural produce under the themes of (1) Protecting fresh produce from microbial pathogens, (2) Control strategies and sampling, and (3) Risk assessment and risk based sampling.

A specific horticulture industry stakeholder event was held as part of the workshop, where participants were asked to provide their perspectives on what they saw as the biggest issues for growers with respect to potential contamination of produce with human pathogens, and what they perceived as the gaps in knowledge. Participants also discussed which control measures they thought to be technically feasible/ acceptable by consumers, policy makers, and companies; and what information would be helpful to them in the continued provision of food safety assurance within their own production systems.

For growers, recommendations include reinforcement through clear communication on the need to prevent initial contamination of produce. This can be achieved through the adoption and incorporation of good agricultural practice and good hygiene into standard operating procedures on farms, and the utilisation of on farm risk assessments.

Training of staff was identified as amongst the most critical aspects to ensuring the microbiological safety of the product. The importance that all staff working along the

Produce eaten in a raw state is inherently of higher microbiological risk to the consumer

12 / RESEARCH

Growers should also be aware that, in response to social trends, consumers may consume produce in a manner unintended by the grower produce production chain have an understanding of biological safety practices and the reasoning behind them needs to be communicated.

Growers should also be aware that, in response to social trends, consumers may consume produce in a manner unintended by the grower, which may increase the risk of disease.

Recommendations to regulators and advisors include balancing communication messages to growers, indicating what is required of them, but also equally, clearly explaining why it is necessary. Additionally, it was felt that extra support and materials would be beneficial for growers, particularly to smaller growers, to assist in the training of staff on the importance of biological safety practice, especially in sectors where staff turnover may be high and differences exist in the native languages spoken.

Recommendations to scientists include a greater emphasis on knowledge transfer and to, where possible, focus knowledge transfer efforts into developing clear recommendations that growers can implement. The interaction between the plant microbial community, potential pathogens, environmental conditions and agricultural practices requires a greater level of attention and research to aid in predicting the risk of human pathogen establishment.

Teagasc, along with partners in Technological University of Dublin and University College Dublin and

industry representatives, are following up on these recommendations, as part of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine funded project HortAssure, which is focused on providing assurance of the microbial and chemical safety of fresh produce.

Overall, it is evident that increased interaction and information exchange between stakeholders will enable better understanding of the issues and opportunities faced by the horticultural sector, and that the co-creation of advice through participation of all stakeholders can assist in reducing the risk of contamination of horticultural produce. ✽ AUTHORS FIONA BRENNAN Fiona Brennan is a senior research officer in soil microbiology in Teagasc Johnstown Castle. Her research group focuses on the impact of agricultural practice on soil health, microbial-soil-plant interactions and microbial functioning, particularly with respect to the role of microbial communities in soil nutrient cycles, greenhouse gas emissions and plant health.

KAYE BURGESS Dr Kaye Burgess is a Senior Research Officer in the Food Safety Department in Teagasc Food Research Centre Ashtown. Kaye is a molecular microbiologist who leads a research programme on the detection and characterisation of foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial resistant microorganisms in the farm to fork chain. She is the coordinator of the DAFM funded project HortAssure, which is focused on assuring the microbial and chemical safety of horticultural produce.

GAFFNEY, MICHAEL T. Dr Michael Gaffney is an entomology and IPM researcher working in the Horticulture Department in Teagasc, having previously worked at the University of Wales, Swansea and UCD. He leads a diverse research group focusing on crop protection and crop quality issues. He can be contacted at michael.gaffney@Teagasc.ie

Spring 2022 / HC

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RESEARCH / 12

PHYSOCARPUS

EURO TRIALS RESULTS

O

ver the last few years, twenty-eight varieties of Physocarpus were assessed between planting in 2017 and the autumn of 2021. The same range was planted in six other European countries.

This allowed us to observe the impacts of local climate on the varieties.

Physocarpus opulifolius, common name Ninebark, are mostly understated deciduous, hardy, woody plants. Physocarpus opulifolius can grow to 3m, but most varieties are less than 2m, with a few ground cover options. ‘Diabolo’ is one of the most popular varieties and has been available since the ‘90s. The plant breeders’ rights (PBR) lapsed in 2017, making it a more affordable plant. In recent years, breeding has delivered a range of dark purple, red, and golden foliage selections. Most of the breeding has come from its native America and the Czech Republic, in addition to the Netherlands.

The trial consisted of three plants of each variety being planted in early 2017 at 2m spacings. The site, at Kildalton College in south Kilkenny, was south-facing, soil pH was about 6.5, and it received a top dressing of 7-6-17 before planting. Irrigation was applied during establishment only. Weed control fabric was used from 2018. Assessments were carried out a number of times per year between 2017 and 2021. Each plant was assessed for overall quality under the headings of flowers,

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HC / Spring 2022

foliage, shape, pest, and disease. One plant was pruned back each year to demonstrate the standard landscape management of the plants. Several judges helped to assess the plants to give a broader opinion.

THE RESULTS Overall the plants fared very well. They didn’t suffer any losses in the significant snow and cold weather of 2018.

Also, there were no losses during the droughts experienced in the summers of 2018 and 2020. Three varieties were seen as being of superior quality and received 3 stars. The ‘winners’ were: P. opulifolius 'Minall2' (All Black), 'Schuch' and 'Tuilad' (Lady In Red).

‘Minall2#’ (All Black): Is a superb small shrub, growing to about 0.8m by 0.8m.

It has dark red-purple leaves. The small white flower appears in early summer and is followed by small red berries.

PBR applies.

‘Schuch’: Is more vigorous, growing to 2m at maturity. It has vibrant red foliage with white flower clusters that fade to pink in early summer. The plant was bred by Pavel Schuch in the Czech Republic and he has bred other quality plants such as ‘Little Angel’.

‘Tuilad’ (Lady In Red): Has bright red foliage and is covered in tiny pink flowers in late spring. It forms a dense and compact shrub, growing to 1m. It has been available since 2007 but has stood the test of time. PBR applies.

Dónall Flanagan and Paul Fitters of Teagasc provide an update on the results of the Physocarpus quality trials in Kildalton College and announce the worthy winners ABOVE LEFT: TUILAD LADY IN RED HAS ATTRACTIVE SMALL WHITE FLOWERS THAT COMPLEMENT THE DARK FOLIAGE RIGHT: TUILAD LADY IN RED HAS EXCELENT RED FOLIAGE FOLLOWED BY BRILLIANT AUTUMN COLOUR

An additional 12 plants received a 2 stars or good rating: ● P. capitatus ‘Tilden Park’ ●P . opulifolius ‘Andre’ ● P. opulifolius ‘Diabolo’ ●P . opulifolius ‘Donna May’ (Little Devil) ●P . opulifolius ‘Hoogi021’ (Little Joker) ● P. opulifolius ‘Minbla3’ (Black Light) ●P . opulifolius ‘Mindia’ (Diable D'or / Coppertina) ● P. opulifolius ‘Perspectiva’ ●P . opulifolius ‘Podaras 1’ (Burgundy Candy) ●P . opulifolius ‘Podaras 3’ (Lemon Candy) ●P . opulifolius ‘Seward’ (Summer Wine) ●P . opulifolius ‘Zdechovice’

12 / RESEARCH

ABOVE: PHYSOCARPUS TRIAL IN SUMMER OF 2018 RIGHT: WINTER 2020 SHOWING PRUNED AND UNPRUNED PLANTS BOTTOM RIGHT: PHYSOCARPUS SCHUCH HAS STRIKING FOLIAGE

The remainder were seen as unexceptional, or of not as good quality as the current trade range.

The trial demonstrated that the plants are of merit and have particular uses in a garden or landscape environment. They showed seasonal interest with good flower colour, excellent autumn foliage, and some interesting berries. The plants need little attention, with an annual trimming being helpful to keep the plants to the desired size. There is, without doubt, an opportunity to increase awareness and demand for some of these plants.

It has been interesting to observe that there were more positive results from other countries, suggesting higher summer temperatures suit the plants.

There were some examples of poor results in Ireland, but success in other countries in the trial. In particular, P. opulifolius ‘Jefam’ (Amber Jubilee) and P. opulifolius ‘Jonight’ (Midnight).

P. opulifolius ‘Hoogi016’ (Little Angel) scored very well in all other trial sites but was not one of the varieties tested in Ireland.

There have been a number of varieties launched since the trial was started. Of note are ‘Little Angel’, ‘Little Joker’, ‘Little Lena’, and ‘Magic Ball’.

The latest additions introduced to the market in 2021 include: ‘Panther’, ‘Purple Horizon’, and ‘Sweet Dreams’.

It will be interesting to see how these compare to the well-tested varieties. ✽

DÓNALL FLANAGAN is a nursery stock/ ornamentals specialised Advisor working with the Teagasc Horticulture Development Department in Ashtown. He has been working with Teagasc since 2007 and in his current role since 2016. Contact: Dónall Flanagan, Teagasc, Ashtown Food Research Centre. Mobile: 087 703 5823. Tel: 076 111 402. Email: donall. flanagan@teagasc.ie

PAUL FITTERS is a lecturer in the Teagasc, College of Amenity Horticulture in the National Botanic Gardens. He is a member of the Eurotrial group and coordinator of the trials in Ireland.

Spring 2022 / HC

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MACHINERY / 13

INNOVATIONS IN TURF CARE MACHINERY

One of the most recognisable professionals in the sports turf sector – and editor of TurfPro Magazine – Laurence Gale details the most up-to-date advances in turf care machinery.

W

ith over fifty years’ experience within the Sports Turf and Amenity industry, I have been blessed to witness many innovative machinery products that have revolutionised the way we manage and maintain our landscape amenities sites and sports facilities.

One of the first ones that made an impact was the Vertidrain, which first appeared in the early 1980s; a punch tine, tractormounted aerator that could penetrate to a depth of 300mm, a game-changer in decompacting winter sports pitches.

In recent years we saw the introduction of compressed air injection tines in the form of the SISIS Javelin, Airter, and AirG2 aeration machines. What followed was a plethora of manufacturers who introduced a wide range of pedestrian and ride-on rotary and cylinder mowers that gave us the ability to cut grass more cleanly and efficiently. This was soon followed up by the development of handheld strimmers that again made the job of cutting long grass more efficient.

Another major innovation that changed and transformed the way we renovate sports pitches was the brainchild of Ko Rodenberg, the KORO® FIELDTOPMAKER® (KORO® FTM®), that came to market in 1997. This machine essentially planes off unwanted surface vegetation and leaves the surface very clean and even, in preparation to resow with new grass seed.

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With the threat of climate change and the need to reduce emissions, curtailing the use of petrol and diesel-powered vehicles, machinery, and hand tools in the near future is a priority for both legislators and manufacturers. Many of the main turf industry machinery manufacturers are now gearing themselves up and investing heavily in electric, hybrid, and battery-powered equipment. Examples are cordless hand tools such as strimmers, blowers, chainsaws, and pruners, which are becoming cheaper and more accessible to both professional and domestic users.

In the last few years, we have also seen great strides taken by all of the major mower manufacturers to develop battery and or hybrid driven mowers. An example of this is Dennis Mowers, who have spent over three years working with carefully selected partners to develop a range of quality battery-powered equipment.

Managing Director Ian Howard has said, “Reliable and long-lasting solutions are a must have for our customers and in this rapidly developing technology field, we have chosen our partners very carefully. For us it was important to create no-compromise alternatives to our petrol mowers, which would not need constant re-charging or swapping of batteries – it was imperative that they last the distance.”

13 / MACHINERY

The new battery-powered range was launched at SALTX in 2021, where Ian Howard stated “The hard work has paid off and now we can unveil our first market-ready equipment befitting of the Dennis badge.” The Dennis E-Series range currently consists of three products; the ES-860 34” battery-powered turf management system, the ES-34R rotary mower with twin contra-rotating blades, and the ES-36.

Other leading manufacturers, including STIHL, Mountfield, Stiga, Husqvarna, ECHO, Countax, John Deere, Ransomes, Allett, Toro, and Hayter have developed a wide range of products. Some are specific to fine turf management – such as the Club Cadet Infinicut – and have become very popular with football, golf, and cricket facilities due to precision cutting.

However, having said all this, the current cost of these battery products is still quite high when compared to existing petrol and diesel-powered equipment, even taking into account the lower long-term ownership costs of fuel and servicing. One suspects these expenses will come down substantially in the next few years as battery technology improves. It will certainly be interesting to see how long it will be before we see a range of battery-powered scarifiers, aerators, and rotavators added to the list of batterypowered tools we have today.

The other major revolution going on in our industry is the development of robotic devices that in recent years have focussed on mowers and line marking technologies. We now have a plethora of robotic products to choose from with the likes of Stihl and Husqvarna leading the way with their range of both domestic professional products.

With the implementation of GeoLink Solutions technology, mowing will become more time and cost-effective. When operating autonomously, the built-in detection capability ensures the avoidance of obstacles. After defining the mowing boundary, a variety of mowing patterns can be selected. The mowers operate consistently for perfectly straight lines, even in conditions with poor visibility, and during the clean-up pass. Even more efficiency is achieved by utilising the entire width of the mower, reducing overlap, and self-transport between mowing areas.

As for line marking, the ability to do this task autonomously has saved a lot of time and money for many professional groundsmen, however, they do not come cheap, with most robotic line markers costing anything between £25,000-£100,000 depending on size and scale of the technologies that go with it. A lot of professional football clubs, private schools, and contractors are now using robotic line marking devices to be more efficient and accurate.

All industry manufacturers are now fully aware of the need to reduce carbon emissions and are driving new initiatives to develop alternatives to the current petrol and diesel machinery that currently dominates our industry. I look forward to witnessing these changes in the coming years. ✽

Toro have recently been showcasing their GeoLink Solutions for efficient fairway and greens mowing. Reelmaster® and Greensmaster® concept units were displayed at the 2020 Golf Industry Show.

LAURENCE GALE MSC has worked in the horticulture/amenity and sports turf industry for over 50 years. He is currently the editor of Turfpro and a contributor to Service Dealer magazine.

A Greenflag judge and volunteer pitch advisor (VPA) for the RFU, he is BASIS registered to advise on Pesticides and also holds PA1, PA6, and Stem Injection qualifications.

Spring 2022 / HC

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SUSTAINABLE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HORTICULTURE: A NEW FOCUS FOR HORTICULTURE (2022 AND BEYOND)

Prof Caroline Elliott-Kingston paints a new vision for horticulture at UCD For more than 184 years, since 1838, University College Dublin and its forerunner the Glasnevin Institute (later named the Albert College) has been providing education to agriculturists and horticulturists on the island of Ireland. Over those decades many UCD professors/teachers and technical officers have contributed to the scientific knowledge and technical developments that have shaped our modern horticulture industry.

The various degree programmes taught, have focused on different aspects of horticulture, including Commercial Horticulture, Landscape Horticulture, and Amenity Horticulture.

With the recent retirement of UCD horticulture academic and technical staff and the global expansion of its educational offerings, in particular to China, a new cohort of colleagues will bring a fresh focus for the decades ahead. The new Degree Programme in Horticulture will focus on the incorporation of sustainability into all aspects of horticulture and the new emphasis on environmental horticulture will replace the old terms of amenity or non-food horticulture. With major advances in technology, the applications of these novel tools (soilless culture, protected cropping systems, LED lighting, vertical farming, precision field cultivation, robotic harvesting, supply chain logistics, biodiversity data capture) will all radically change plant production for food and environmental uses. Graduates will be scientifically educated to navigate the major challenges facing humanity now and in the future.

GLOBAL CHALLENGES AND A NEW HORIZON Our world faces immense global challenges and two of the greatest are climate change and biodiversity loss.

These are compounded by people migrating from rural to urban areas, and the contrary conundrum of excess consumption and food waste on one side and food shortage on the other. Horticulture is a key solution that can and will solve many of these global challenges. Horticulture is the sustainable cultivation of food plants for human health, ornamental plants for human wellbeing, habitat creation and restoration for wildlife, conservation of our rare plant biodiversity and genetic resources, and protection of the environment. Horticulture can play a key role in solving the climate crisis by increasing plant carbon sequestration and reducing GHG emissions.

Sustainable soil management using advanced technologies in Precision Horticulture reduces inputs and rebuilds soil function through nature-friendly planting to support biodiversity and pollinators. Nature-based planting solutions mitigate flooding, clean the air, and green and cool cities using urban trees and green walls and roofs. Sustainable food production minimizes food waste, any remaining waste is converted into useful products such as food-grade plant starch or cellulose for packaging for example. The composted green waste provides an alternative growing medium to peat.

Technologies such as micropropagation, vertical farming, and hydroponics are improving efficiencies and crop quality.

Landscape design, and sports turf with sustainable management, will provide beautiful healthy environments for human mental and physical wellbeing. Horticultural therapy provides structured interventions in controlled settings to reduce clinically diagnosed mental health issues.

Thus, Horticulture offers enormous potential to solve many of the world’s problems but requires high-calibre graduates, with knowledge of sustainable global plant production for food and environmental use under current and future climate change scenarios, to successfully deliver those solutions.

NEW LEVEL 8 HONOURS DEGREE (DN250) The Level 8 Honours BAgrSc Horticulture degree at UCD is science-based, taught by a team of active researchers in the areas of soil science, climate, crop production, national and international plant trade, invasive species management, biodiversity, and conservation. Our focus is on educating students for a wide range of careers. We will provide you with the skills required to become a competent, competitive, and confident leader, who will excel on the national and international stage as a professional horticulturist or horticultural scientist, in many diverse career roles.

If you are interested in people and plant health, biology, the environment, or business opportunities, this course will provide you with in-depth knowledge for sustainable production of field crops, protected crops and nursery stock, environmentally sensitive horticulture and landscape design, plant identification, plant use and management, postharvest technologies, pest and disease control, and sports turf construction with sustainable management. A career in horticulture offers you a vast pool of possibilities and opportunities that will bring you both professional and personal satisfaction and an exciting and fulfilling life.

To find out more see: www.myucd.ie/courses/agriculture-food-nutrition/horticulture or email Prof. Caroline Elliott-Kingston at caroline.elliottkingston@ucd.ie.

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"UCD Horticulture – A sustainable career for a sustainable life ."

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AIPH: GREENOVATION OR FRUSTRATION? BERNHARD NURSERIES HAS THE ANSWER Dutch-based ornamentals grower Bernhard Nurseries recently won the 2021 Royal FloraHolland Greenovation Award. While Bram Bernhard sees the prestigious prize as a boost for the company’s geothermal and solar projects, he does not always feel rightly rewarded for helping cut emissions

B

ernhard Nurseries is a third-generation cut rose, potted phalaenopsis and bedding plant grower in Flevoland, the Netherlands. The company grows three million phalaenopsis in 12cm pots for the higher end of the market, a wide range of five million bedding and patio plants, plus 25 million stems of ‘Avalanche+’ roses under a combined 25ha of glass.

Run by brothers Bram and Simon Bernhard, a high level of sustainability

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(and thus a minimal footprint on the environment) is achieved through several operational practices. Integrated pest management systems eliminate the need for chemicals, and solar electricity combined with geothermal energy is used to heat the nursery’s greenhouses, where Elegant phalaenopsis occupy pride of place.

BEING LESS DEPENDENT ON A VOLATILE ENERGY MARKET The Bernhard brothers started to look

into the potential of alternatives to gas ten years ago. “By 2013, we had emerged from the economic crisis and wanted to be less dependent on an energy market influenced by external factors.”

It turned out geothermal energy presented good opportunities in the Flevoland area. So, the Bernhards and their neighbour, bell pepper grower Tas, worked out a plan to establish a geothermal well and started a 50/50 venture, Aardwarmte Combinatie Luttelgeest (ACL). One production well and two reinjection wells (with two reinjection wells, there is less back pressure and less energy needed), drilled to a depth of 1,800 metres, operate together in the setup.

14 / WORLD-VIEW A THREE-TIERED HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEM The hydrothermal system is three-tiered.

The production well can operate at 50 or 100% capacity, pumping up either 200cu m or 400cu m per hour. Bram explains, “If we need to go at full throttle, a heat pump increases the capacity. In winter, it is a three-tiered system, in spring and autumn two-tiered, and in summer single-tiered. The project is of course not 100%t climate neutral, because you always need natural gas as backup, for example if the geothermal project is shut down for maintenance. 99% is possible.”

The €30 million heat plant could warm 100 ha greenhouses, with anticipated savings of 25,000,000cu m of natural gas, equivalent to the amount needed to heat around 22,000 homes.

FOR NOW, NO SDE+ SUBSIDY BRAM BERNHARD TOOK TO THE HOLLAND HOUSE STAGE AT TRADE FAIR AALSMEER ON WEDNESDAY, 3 NOVEMBER 2021, TO ACCEPT THE GREENOVATION AWARD FROM ROYAL FLORAHOLLAND BOSS STEFAN VAN SCHILFGAARDE

The heat of the Earth increases with depth; a phenomenon described as the geothermal gradient. This upward heat flux varies across the globe but in the Netherlands tends to be around 33°C/ per kilometre. “Assuming an average outside ground temperature of 12°C, we expect the water to be 78°C,” says Bram, who is the spearhead of the project. At the same time, his brother Simon prefers to focus on the technical aspects of crop production.

THE PREREQUISITES FOR A SOLID BUSINESS CASE The water in the nursery loop is heated to 75°C and arrives first at Bernhard’s site growing potted phalaenopsis, a crop with the highest heat demand.

According to Bernhard, the minimal requirement for a solid business case for wells at 2-3km depth is at least 50ha and largely depends on crop type. “We grow orchids requiring much warmth and little lighting, the neighbour’s bell peppers don’t need too much heat and use no lighting. Orchids need around 80cu m natural gas, in turn bell peppers need 30cu m natural gas but account for a significantly greater area of production.”

The cost of geothermal energy tech has gone down in the last decade and is becoming more economically viable for individuals and companies. However, Berhard stresses that geothermal heat only offers growers protection from rocketing gas prices if Government support is secured.

“The Dutch government subsidy under the SDE+, or sustainable energy promotion, scheme is to encourage further wind, solar and geothermal heat projects and to level the difference between conventional heat cost price and the cost price of geothermal heat. The heat from geothermal energy has to compete with heat produced from burning natural gas and it is cheaper to heat a greenhouse with gas.”

The cost of energy was cheap before the Covid-19 pandemic ground the world economy to a standstill. Almost two years on, the situation is dramatically different. Bram elaborates, “Over the past few weeks, the price of one cubic metre of natural gas was between 90 cents and one euro. I would have never foreseen that my gas bill would be at least six times higher than the five-year average. Break-even for geothermal is at a gas price of about 34 to 40 cents per cu m, so I don’t need to explain that we will not be entitled to the SDE subsidy, which is based on the gas price.”

VISION AND STRATEGY ARE DESPERATELY NEEDED What’s missing in the debate is a long

term strategy from sector bodies such as LTO NL and the Dutch government.

Bram Bernhard urges, “We need vision for the ten years ahead when we will still be in need of clean natural gas. All this is discouraging greenhouse growers from making their production more sustainable.”

Equally discouraging, Bram says, is ODE (Profit Renewable Energy), a Dutch energy tax in addition to the average energy tax and used for the subsidies with which renewable energy projects are paid. “If the goal is towards no more gas, then you should not increase the tax on electricity.”

FLOATOVOLTAIC Solving the resulting electricity shortage problem is a ‘floatovoltaic’ system in the nurseries’ water retention basin.

Bernhard Nurseries aims for carbon neutrality, meaning radical changes to how the company produces its plants and flowers and consumes energy. “We are fully electrifying our greenhouses.

CHP will be put on standby and replaced by geothermal energy, and solving the resulting electricity shortage problem is a ‘floatovoltaic’ system in the nurseries’ water retention basin. This floating solar system resides 50cms atop the stagnant water, incorporating 50,000 solar panels and producing 15 million kW per year.

This sum compares to 3,750 households that yearly consume around 4000kW. The plan is to sell our excess power back into the grid in summer while buying electricity in winter, simply because I have no match with my solar: when I need solar to light my crop in winter, the panels are not working.”

NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN OR… Bram freely admits that if you asked him to do the same thing again today, he would need to think twice. “But hey, you came to visit me on a day when the gas price is displaying 96 cents and geothermal is not yet up and running. All kidding aside, becoming climate-neutral will allow us to gain a unique position in the marketplace. The solar panels will provide us with the necessary kilowatts for our nursery and geothermal will make gas redundant. Automation is next on our list, and LED lighting.

A version of this article, written by Ron van der Ploeg, originally appeared in the January 2022 edition of Floraculture International Magazine. ✽

Spring 2022 / HC

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