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Going Green...
Monthly Blog entries
by Tom Dayton

Also check out our
Weekly Blogs!
 

November, 2009
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, some aspects of the green energy industry are not so green.  Most notably, it is that windmills are killing our birds!

The most notorious wind farm for bird killing according to the article is located at Altamont Pass, California in which estimates are as high as 10,000 birds being killed every year.

Michael Fry, of the American Bird Conservancy, estimates that wind turbines kill between 75,000 and 275,000 birds per year.

Environmental groups are pushing for a twelve fold increase of generating capacity from wind by 2030 so that we might possibly expect a twelve fold increase in the slaughter of birds from wind turbines.

Oil companies that have been found guilty of killing birds that come into contact with crude oil or other residues from oil operations have received stiff fines under the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Even electric utilities such as Pacificorp have paid fines for electrocuting 232 eagles in Wyoming over a two year period because of poorly designed power lines.

What is interesting about the wind turbine industry is that there have been no prosecutions for killing birds as required by the 1918 law.  According to Mr. Fry, “Somebody has given the wind industry a get-out-of-jail-free card”.

According to the wind industry’s website, the number of birds killed is small when compared to the number (about 1 billion) that are killed by cats every year.

Robert Bryce, the author of this article, notes that the lawn does not require cats to appear in court and be prosecuted as it would the wind industry.

Rob Lee, of the Fish and Wildlife Service was a lead investigator of bird kills in western oil fields.  According to Mr. Lee, solving bird problems in the oil fields was easy and cheap whereas the fix for the wind turbine industry is not easy or cheap.

A larger question according to Robert Bryce who is also the managing editor of Energy Tribune, is why a federal law is being applied with a double standard as federal officials turn a blind eye to the harm done by “green” energy while slapping heavy fines on other industries for bird kills.

October, 2009
A while back I had mentioned a nursery in Madison, Ohio called Roemer Nursery that has water trouble related to an extraordinary rise in salt levels in one of their main irrigation ponds.

Anyone that knows anything about the nursery business realizes that not just water but good quality water is the most important component of growing nursery stock especially container-grown stock like Roemer.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has made it public that Roemer Nursery is suing Wal-Mart for five million dollars as Gied Stroombeek, the owner, believes that the salt troubles with his pond are due to Wal-Mart’s salt applications to its parking lot collecting in a drainage basin with the resultant salty water filtering its way to Roemer’s pond causing the high salt level.

Mr. Stroombeek founded his nursery on Green Road which is about ¾ of a mile north of US Route 20 in 1959.

In conversation a few years ago, Mr. Stroombeek told me that the water table filling his wells and ponds does not come from Lake Erie but from inland aquifers coming from the North Ridge or Route 20.

Lisa Ungers, who has an option to buy the nursery, has said that they have tried to work with Wal-Mart for two years to correct the problem but Wal-Mart has refused based on the fact that Roemer Nursery must prove that the store (Wal-Mart) is the cause.

At Dayton Nursery we have a similar situation as the always-flowing Van Hyning Run that cuts through the nursery property is unfit for irrigation due to high salts and very high colifom bacteria counts.

Van Hyning Run has a short course of only a few miles as its source is Loyal Oak Lake Park and its end at Wolf Creek which in turn empties into the Tuscarawas River in Barberton.

Even with this short run failing septic tanks and road sides laden with salt diminish the water quality in a kind of no-point, multi-point source of pollution.

Salt contamination of our precious water sources has not yet been addressed and it remains to be seen how the case Roemer Nursery vs. Wal-Mart as salt used as a de-icer is not currently regulated by the EPA.

Mr. Stroombeek is somewhat “up in years” and may not live to see the outcome of this case; however, he did tell me in conversation that he has retained an attorney that will take the process as far as it will go.  This case could have very wide implications that go well beyond Roemer Nursery and Wal-Mart as EPA may very well regulate salt use because of the damage caused to aquifers and streams.

Stay tuned,
Tom

September 2009
In many of my presentations over the years I have repeatedly stressed the importance of a healthy, vibrant soil as it is the foundation necessary to grown any plant well.

On a broad scale, proper management of soils rests on the shoulders of farmers who are in essence the stewards of one of our most valuable resources.

Since the beginning of farming, turning or plowing the soil has been an accepted practice.

The working of the soil makes the sowing of seeds of a particular crop easier or cultivating the soil helps to eliminate weeds that would ordinarily out compete the crop.

While working the soil does yield good crops, the downside is that the loosened, exposed soil is subject to erosion from wind and rain.

Another problem with loosened soil is that the existing organic matter that is necessary for a healthy soil is more quickly depleted because of the increased air present.

The decomposing organic matter is also releasing carbon dioxide which scientists give credit for a warming of the climate.

Many farmers know and have experienced the formation of a plow pan in which a layer of soil becomes compressed by a plow pressing against it at a depth of six to seven inches below the surface. 

This plow pan becomes so hard the roots of the crop cannot penetrate it and water cannot permeate through to the deeper subsoil creating poorly drained fields.

Today, the solution to many of the above problems is a system of farming called no-till.

No till farming is accomplished by killing off weed growth through an application of a herbicide such as Round-up followed by drilling the crop seed directly into the ground without otherwise disturbing the soil.

No-till farming results in less carbon dioxide production, less soil erosion, no creation of a hard plow pan and less work.

No-till farming saves time and money which are valuable commodities to frequently overworked and cash strapped farmers.

No-till farming has been practiced for a number of years and seems to be another farming practice that fosters more sustainability of the production of a wide variety of crops and it is a win for the farmer’s budget and environment while elevating the farmer’s status as a steward of the land.

Tom

August 2009
With all the talk about many imported plant species becoming invasive and crowding out native plant species, we’ve decided that we will concentrate heavily in the planting of native species or named cultivars of these native species in our garden to open soon called Wolf Creek Gardens.

On the shrub side, we have already planted Viburnums such as trilobum and dentatum that are important food sources for various animals.

Aronias, or Chokeberries, tend to be rugged plants that bloom with profuse white flowers in early spring while donning black or bright red berries (depending on the species) later in the season.

Our native trees are some that are already on the property such as Acer saccharum (Sugar Maple), Prunus serotina (Wild Black Cherry) and Fraxinus Americana (White Ash) that is sadly going to be wiped out by the emerald ash borer.

To replace the Ash trees, a good mix of Ulmus Americana ‘Princeton’ (American Elm), Pinus strobus (Eastern White Pine) and Fagus grandiflora (American Beech) will be welcome additions.

I am equally excited by our planned planting of native shade perennials such as the foamflower, trilobum (jack-in-the-pulpit), mayflowers and Virginia bluebells.

While not all our plantings will be native to our area, we want to be certain that these are not under represented as native plants have much value for benefits to wildlife, erosion control, and just the added beauty to our landscape.

For too long native plants have been neglected as they somehow are deemed too common or not “pretty” enough to deserve a place in our landscape.

Things are changing in that more of us are interested in less maintenance and more reliability of our landscape plants instead of planting “on-the-edge” winter hardy or insect and disease prone non-native species.

When Wolf Creek Gardens does open, you’ll be able to enjoy our native plantings as they will be marked and realize just what you’ve been missing as far as the beauty of many of our native plant species from right here in NE Ohio.

July 2009
Sometime ago, I told you about a lawsuit near Portland, Oregon that resulted in plant nurseries and other agricultural interests not allowing runoff water from their land flowing into waterways, more specifically the Tualatin River.   

Even though there are now no regulations of runoff from plant nurseries (more than I know of) the time is coming when the EPA will regulate this runoff which pollutes streams and rivers with fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.  We’re fortunate in that we recycle all our water and collect rain water and snow melt water to store in our lake so that almost no water leaves the property.  I am especially interested in water pollution issues as water is the essential “life blood” of our business as well as to all of us.

While this case in its scope has significant implications across the country, I think a more interesting scenario is about to unfold right here in Ohio. 

The case involves a well known retailer in which the runoff water from the parking lot is laden with salt during winter and flows into a retention basin so that the water may seep into the ground without contributing to flood waters from the added runoff from the black top parking lot.

A plant nursery which is located “downstream” from the aquifer running under this retention pond is causing high salt levels in one of their irrigation ponds to the extent that the pond is unsuitable for irrigation.

Tests have revealed that the salts are originating from the property of the retailer.

What makes the case so interesting is that road salt is not regulated as a pollutant by EPA but can have profound negative effects on ground water. 

Already in New England, there are areas of increasingly saline ground water due to road salt as reported recently on National Public Radio.

From my own experience as I’ve told you before, we cannot use the seemingly clear water from the Van Hyning Run that runs through the nursery property to irrigate our plants because of the high levels of salt, presumably from road salt.

The implications of regulating this or the elimination of road salt as its use as a de-icer are vast as most of us want to drive on winter roads as if it were summer and without worrying about the safety hazards to ourselves and others when roads are treacherously icy.  It will be interesting to watch as the future unfolds on this salt issue.

The owner of the nursery told me that he has hired an attorney to take this case as far as it will go even if it must be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court! 

I’ll keep you posted as this case unfolds.

Tom

June 2009
Over 20 years ago one of the garden clubs of Wadsworth asked me to speak at its monthly meeting at the Wadsworth Public Library.  When one of the members related to me that the subject was “acid rain”, I was taken back as I knew very little about acid rain and realized I had a lot of work to do.  As there was no internet service at that time, my source of information was the Barberton Public Library.

What I had learned shocked me as to the gravity and the enormity of the problem of acid rain.  In the late 1960’s, the Canadian government had stocked some lakes with pink salmon and other game fish in what is known as the Kilarney area of Ontario.

In the early 1960’s, and before, the lake was known as a fisherman’s paradise that was full of numerous prize winning game fish.  When researchers checked the health of the fish in 1968, they found that they had disappeared and only some suckers remained.

The mystery as to what happened to the fish was solved when scientists began checking the pH of the water which was extremely acid.

Another oddity was a high concentration of aluminum in the water.

An acid rainfall had fallen on the region and caused a dissolving of aluminum in the parent rock to subsequently result in high aluminum concentrations in the lakes along with higher acidity of the water – a deadly combination for aquatic life.

The closing of a nickel smelter nearby in 1973 did not alleviate the problem when further testing was done to determine the acidity of the rainfall.

No doubt, the implications of this local study were profound as acid rainfall is the result of human activities such as coal burning power plants hundreds or even thousands of miles away from where the resulting acid rain actually falls.

Forests are also affected in that scientists think that a gradual slowing of the growth of trees since 1950 is the result of more acidity in the soil from acid rain.  In fact, almost all, if not all, of the natural stands of Fraser Fir have been eliminated along the Appalachian Mountain Chain from acid rain and invasive insect species.  Even on the highest peak in the Appalachians, Mt. Mitchell, the trees were found to be weakened because of acid clouds and acid shocks from rainfall.   It is thought that the problems of the trees of Mt. Mitchell are related to emissions from automobile exhausts as well as coal-burning power plants.

At least from the problems of stack emissions, the Babcox and Wilcox company of Barberton, Ohio is a world leader in the research, development and manufacture of equipment to remove acid sulfur emissions from coal burning facilities.  B&W is now involved in research to do with the capture and storage of carbon dioxide emissions in order to slow the effects as far as high atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have on global warming.  B&W was invited to the city by Barberton’s founder, O.C. Barber, to make boilers for his greenhouses that were just a part of his massive industrial-agricultural complex in Barberton in the early 1900’s

It seems incredible that this company now still manufacturer’s boilers, nuclear components and environmentally friendly equipment for industry from the small humble beginnings in Barberton, Ohio.

Let us hope that with more research and the implementation of new technologies from technologically advanced companies such as B&W that acid rain, excess carbon dioxide and even mercury emissions poisoning the atmosphere will soon become a thing of the past.

Tom

May 2009
In a recent public television broadcast, pollution problems of big cities and more specifically, those of Cleveland, Ohio were portrayed as one of the contributors of the population’s flight to the surrounding suburbs and thus the end result being the decline of Cleveland.

Cleveland became the butt of numerous jokes especially because of its burning river, the Cuyahoga in 1969.   In 1969, it was easy for the public to blame this gross pollution of the river and that of Lake Erie on “evil” polluters when Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972.  In fact, much of this point-source pollution was the fault of industry as the discharge of various industries could be seen coming out of pipes full of the “toxic soup” flowing to the river.

Much has changed since that July 22nd day in 1969 when the river burned as the Cuyahoga and Lake Erie are noticeably cleaner as industry has cleaned up its act.

The end of the Cuyahoga’s problems did not stop with the end of the point-source pollution as the next source of contaminants of the waterway was found to be non-point sources in which the real enemy is us.  Runoff from urban shopping centers, new roads, septic systems and lawn fertilizers is profound but not easily pinpointed as a discharge pipe from a factory. 

This cumulative effect this pollution is in the river’s watershed greatly diminished the water quality.

Progress is being made in that the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County are digging massive storage tunnels to store untreated runoff in periods of heavy rains when the stored runoff can be treated later instead of discharging the storm water and sewage to the river.

Another method of reducing contaminants is the required “catch basins” for storm water runoff from shopping center parking lots.

This method can be multiplied thousands of times by homeowners on a smaller scale to catch runoff from homes in rain gardens that will help filter the water into the ground where it originated.

Reducing the amount of phosphorus or eliminating it all together in lawn fertilizers is helping to reduce explosive algae bloom in the waters.

Riparian corridors along the river and creeks and streams that feed the river are helping to reduce sediment and contaminants from water runoff before it reaches the creek or stream.

With sound common sense, decisions made by thousands of property owners as it has to do with water runoff and the contamination from non-point source pollination will greatly be reduced.

The significant aspect of cleaner water with less toxins for humans means healthier water to drink as Cleveland’s drinking water is drawn from Lake Erie and Akron’s directly from the Cuyahoga.

While some of us may not be concerned about dead and dying fish, birds, amphibians and other animals that can result from polluted water, all of us should care as we use the water too and the next ones to get sick or die could be us.

Let us hope that the government will strengthen the Clean Water Act of 1972 and that we as individuals will all do our part to protect one of our most valuable resources which is surely more valuable than oil.

Tom

April 2009
In one of my earlier blogs last year, I described our water system at the nursery as one big rain garden since we capture as much runoff water from rainfall and the overhead irrigation of the plants.

This system as well as the "self watering" greenhouse benches on which plants sit and water is recycled over and over has served us well in that so much water is used for irrigation, no waste can be tolerated.

Now we have embarked on a new front in the greenhouses, to start using predatory insects and mites to control insects and naturally occurring concentrated forms of fungi and bacteria that are enemies of insects and diseases that attack plants.

The insect control is difficult as a population of the beneficial insects and mites must build up to levels to control the harmful pests so that it is tempting to spray with a deadly insecticide to kill the pests as their population builds too. There are some insecticides that are not harmful to beneficial predators but they must be applied carefully especially when dealing with multiple beneficial organisms.

In the disease control department, sanitation goes a long way to prevent problems and an organic compound with the trade name Allude combats stem and root diseases that are well known to greenhouse growers and nurserymen.

The Allude product is a type of phosphorous acid and is available over the counter under the trade name of Agrifos that is effective against a hard to control lawn disease called Pythium and a root rot and stem rot of Rhododendron called Phytophthora.

Even though for the past few years we have used insecticides and disease control measures that are either organic or mildly "non-organic", the beneficial organisms will add another component to our arsenal to defeat harmful insects and diseases that threaten ornamental and vegetable plants we grow.

I think of it as an addition to our "Maginot Line" which is not strong enough now but is getting stronger every year to repel the "enemy" without destroying the environment around us.

March, 2009
With all the talk these days about high prices in the grocery stores and the undesirability of imported foods even when in-state supplies (or at least domestic supplies) of food are available, many families have enough land to grow a vegetable garden.

By employing methods of gardening similar to the Marais system of gardening common in France in the late 19th century, many small plots of land can be literally turned into "food factories".

This type of gardening while very productive, is time consuming in that it utilizes a system of cold frames, open beds, large amounts of compost and manure as well as a lot of hand labor.

For the average family, it would be better to look upon a garden as a good supplement to the family diet but not as a replacement of purchased food stuffs.

With proper planning, a continuous harvest from at least early May into early winter is easily possible for a wide variety of vegetables.

For example, cool weather crops such as broccoli, brussel sprouts and cabbage can and should be planted in mid April while other crops such as beans, peas and corn can be sown usually in late April if the ground is well-drained and workable.

Heat-loving vegetables can usually be planted in mid May and harvested until early fall.

Finally, carrots, lettuce, kale and parsnips among others may be sowed in late August for harvest in November and even in winter if the crowns of the plants are protected with straw.

It’s obvious that by utilizing your own space to garden you’ll supplement your family’s diet with healthy (possibly organically-grown) vegetables and fruits, travel less in the car, enjoy more family time in the garden and reduce your dependency on the grocery store by the supply of fresh vegetables and your efforts to can, freeze, dry and store the "fruits of your labor".

The overall environment will benefit too from less fertilizer and pesticide use as is practiced on large corporate farms and the fertilizer run off to nearby creeks and streams due to the opening of vast expanses of land to cultivation.

Organic gardening is really not that difficult with the help of the organic insecticide and disease control measures available today. At Dayton’s we can show you how to get started toward your goal of greater self sufficiency and a healthier diet too.

February, 2009
With all the talk about being "green" and reducing each of our carbon footprints, it conjures up images for some that it would take a standard of living like that in a third world country to accomplish a "green" enough feat.

President Obama has laid out ambitious plans for what his goals are for the country in having the Government foster growth in the use and production of renewable energy sources.

While we all applaud his efforts, I found his statement that "this will be a new era of individual responsibility" more interesting.

Each of us by being more environmentally responsible at home is an extremely important aspect of heeding the President’s call for more individual responsibility. Take a look around your home. How many energy expensive incandescent light bulbs do you have instead of energy "smart" fluorescent ones?

What about air leaks in your basement, around windows and doors that you can easily seal yourself. Is your air conditioner unit on the south side of your house where the hot summer sun robs it of much efficiency?

Think about your yard. There are tall fescue grass blends that are superior to bluegrass blends in that the former requires a third as much water, about half the fertilizer, and is more resistant to insects and disease.

A shade tree, such as a grand Maple, Oak or one of the new disease resistant American Elms will have a huge impact in lowering your electric bill for summer cooling as the tree shades the house in summer but enables the sun to shine through in winter due to the tree’s deciduous nature.

If you have a larger property, conifers such as pine or spruce or the western red cedar varieties make an effective windbreak as well as a visual screen. Just think what results you’ll see in your heating bill with less winter wind.

In the garden, change your way of thinking that a vegetable garden is something to "mess with" between Memorial Day and Labor Day. So many cool weather crops can be planted earlier than Memorial Day and just before Labor Day to carry you before Memorial Day and long after Labor Day into winter.

So many fruiting plants such as fruit trees, blueberries, raspberries, rhubarb, currants, strawberries and blackberries are a permanent member of your landscape and garden in which you can think of them as your "cash crops" especially when you see them in the supermarket at a sky-high price and sometimes from a foreign country.

A Wall Street journal article last fall reported that supermarkets were quick to pass on increased commodity prices but are so far slow to give back the increase to consumers. In the article, an unnamed grocery executive was quoted as saying "that he expects overall grocery prices to rise 7% over 2008 as his thinking was that people still have to eat." In other words, their cost goes down but prices will go up! Doesn’t it make you even angrier to find a way to do more with less?

My economics professor at Ohio State ATI told our class a novel and at first confusing concept that saving money was actually more beneficial than earning more. He went on to explain that when comparing dollars earned to dollars saved, the dollars earned are not as valuable because of the necessary "evil" of taxes.

I think anyone can see what I’m getting at in that being environmentally responsible is like money in the bank!

Since the President seems to have great powers of persuasion, hopefully he can mobilize all of us just like President Franklin Delano Roosevelt did during World War II to do the right thing for ourselves and our country.

Being "green" is actually easier than you think.

Tom

January, 2009
Earlier this year I wrote about the nursery industry being a “green”
industry in that we grow products to beautify the environment and
products that naturally give people pleasure.
 
In addition, I wrote how we are trying to mitigate some of the
environmentally harmful effects of the production of these “green” goods.
 
One item that I did not discuss is the nursery-greenhouse industry’s
wasteful use of plastics in which hundreds or even thousands of pounds
of plastic containers, trays, greenhouses films and a whole host of
other items are sent to the landfill even with a small business like ours/
 
Our wastefulness really hit home when I viewed a television program on
PBS in November about an area in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in
which plastic debris washed from the continents collects to make this
area of the Pacific a literal garbage dump! A scientist studying the
problem seems to think the area could be the size of the continental
United States!
 
Although more research will be required, it is thought that many fish
species and the birds and mammals that feed on these fish may in fact be
contaminated with plastics that either have been directly ingested or
ingested as a result of the operation of the food chain.
 
As a result, I have now shunned plastic bags at the grocery store and
carry my own bag.
 
Many towns and a few larger cities on the west coast are now banning the
retail use of plastic bags and water packaged in plastic bottles.
 
My decision not to use plastic bags will do very little to alleviate
abbreviate the wasteful and litter of plastic although I have decided
that once our stock of plastic bags are gone at the nursery, we will
have no more except if I am able to procure some biodegradable plastic bags.
 
A larger step would be recycling of our used plastic greenhouse film and
containers so that I have contacted recycling facilities in Akron about
recycling plastics so that we may be set up for this year.
 
One step we have already taken is to purchase many of our small
perennial plants for potting in biodegradeable elle plugs that generate
less waste plastic than a conventional plastic pot system in that they
only plastic is a small tray in which the elle plugs are shipped since
the plastic pots are eliminated.
 
Manufacturers are now offering colorful biodegradable pots that degrade
in only one or two years but yet are sturdy enough for use all summer to
fill with annual flowers.
 
I am certain that in just a few years, the traditional pack and flat
system now in use in greenhouses to display annual flowers will be out
the window in favor of elle plugs and other non-plastic trays and pots
that are biodegradable.
 
Yes, you can still bring your unused nursery containers to the nursery
and drop them in our recycle bin but the difference will soon be that
those you bring us that we cannot reuse, we will recycle in a special
bin in order that they may be used to manufacture new plastic products.
 
Things are changing fast from water and energy conservation, less use of
harmful pesticides, restoration of riparian barriers along waterways and
more stringent controls on air pollution. It just goes to show that the
old cliché of how much better then were the “good old days” compared to
today doesn’t hold sway.
 
The momentum has been slow in conservation and recycling but has been
picking up steam so that soon the “good old days’ will just be a distant
memory of the ways things used to be as far as “disposable everything”
going to the landfill.
 
Enjoy the winter as spring is just around the corner.
 
See you at our seminars or in spring!
 
Tom

December, 2008
It wasn’t so long ago that most homes had a real tree of either pine, spruce or fir as a Christmas tree.  A large part of the fun was going on the hunt for the perfect tree to fit a particular spot in a corner or in front of a window.

Now the vast majority of homeowners elect to have an artificial tree as it alleviates the hassle from having to look for the tree, getting it home, securing it on the tree stand and finally the chore of decorating it!

Real Christmas trees though are really good for the environment in that during their short life before being cut down, they purify the air, prevent soil erosion, and provide shelter for wildlife.  Then their end after the Christmas season can still result in use as a bird sanctuary when a tree is staked up near a bird feeder in winter, mulch for plants in the landscape or garden or cut off branches laid over dormant valuable tender perennials to protect the plants from severe and frequent freeze-thaw cycles.

While real Christmas trees do take inputs of energy to produce from mowing the fields to harvesting and to transport, nevertheless they don’t require large amounts of petroleum to use in their manufacture as do artificial trees.

The other benefit of a real tree over artificial is that it is produced in the United States, as the planting, trimming, mowing and harvesting is all accomplished by American workers.

Without a doubt, artificial trees are much more “convenient” than real trees and do save a lot of time getting to the end result – a decorated tree.

However, an artificial tree is imported, will never purify the air, provide shelter for wildlife or mulch for the garden and they look the same, year after year.  An artificial tree will never replace the family togetherness of searching for the tree and the fun of cutting it down at a local Christmas tree farm or searching for it at a Christmas tree lot.

I always wondered that if convenience and time saving is all so important as far as the Christmas tree is concerned, why bother with one at all?  After all isn’t sharing and giving,  family togetherness and a real tree part of an old-fashioned Christmas?

Merry Christmas,
Tom

November, 2008
In the book Free to Choose by Milton Friedman, Mr. Friedman convincingly supports his hypothesis on the benefits of trade between countries without the hindrance of artificial trade barriers of tariffs, quotas, or other restrictive measures.

As we all know there are many winners and losers in the global market place as much of Mr. Friedman’s vision of at least “freer” trade has been put into practice by many world governments.

The major flaw of less trade regulations and more trade between countries has been the lack of consideration of the prevention of the introduction of insects, diseases and animal species that are not native to the host country or continent.

For example, most of us are aware of the Emerald Ash borer that has been killing all of our native Ash trees in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.  Scientists think that this destructive insect found its way to the United States from China by living in pallets that were used to ship sewer pipe to Detroit, Michigan, as this is where the insect was first discovered in the United States.

In a radio report in July of 2003, I remember a proposal by the USDA to require plastic pallets for products shipped from China – nothing happened.

A more potential destructive insect has now been found in Worchester, Massachusetts over an area of 62 square miles.  The insect is the Asian Longhorned Beetle that feeds on Maples, Birch, Willows and some other tree species in which the trees are killed from the tunneling of the insect larvae.

As reported in the Akron Beacon Journal recently, this invasive species, again from China, will cause grave economic damage to the timber industry in Maine and the maple syrup industry in New England as it chews its way through the hardwood forests.

As recently as 2004 and 2005, the USDA vigorously stamped out a possible infection to many agricultural crops by a disease called Ralstonia.

Ralstonia was transported to the United States primarily by geranium cuttings produced offshore in Kenya and Guatemala.  Any evidence that any of these cuttings or propogules of these infected cuttings were known to be in a commercial greenhouse, all plant material in the greenhouse being destroyed to prevent the disease from spreading into food crops.

As one can see, free trade between countries has been both a blessing and a curse as consumers enjoyed generally less expensive products but the cost for clean-up of the resulting mess is placed squarely on the back of the taxpayer.

Federal, state and local governments have spent millions of dollars to control the Emerald Ash borer while the Akron Beacon Journal reported that all levels of governments so far have spent $268 million fighting the Asian Longhorned Beetle.

What ever happened to the USDA’s proposal of plastic pallets to close at least one major point of entry for these destructive insects?  In addition to the monetary losses resulting from the insects, what value could be placed on the potential loss of the Maple trees in the Eastern United States, the progressing loss of Ash trees in our forests and the possible loss of some of our favorite food crops due to introduced diseases?

How strange to see New England without the color of the Sugar Maples ablaze in the fall and the shade these trees provide for your own backyard!

As a society, we must ask ourselves if cheaper products, especially from China, are worth the devastation to our natural heritage.

My own opinion is not one of the damming of free trade policies but one of an aggressive, ruthless regulation of imports to cut out the introduction of destructive invasive species and the implementation of such regulation to be borne by the importers, not the taxpayers.

For sure a lax or lassie-faire policy toward the importers of foreign goods as it concerns the prevention of the introduction of invasive species as well as safe consumer products, will not work for us and can only lead to more destruction of the natural heritage of the United States.
 

October, 2008
October is a great planting month for most trees and shrubs but also signals the onset of the winter to come in which case many of our feathered friends and other animals will be short of food and shelter.

One way homeowners can mitigate the loss of habitat of wildlife is to create a sanctuary of shelter and food in the backyard.

Choosing a screen of White Pine or Spruce for a windbreak in parcels of larger acreage will create a magnet for birds and other animals seeking protection from winter winds and predators.

Shrubs and trees with colorful fruits will adorn an otherwise boring landscape in late fall and winter while providing much needed food for many birds.

Newer flowering crabapples retain their fruit all winter which makes them a favorite of wax wings and robins and the fruit retention has the added benefit of any remaining fruits falling off in April when they are dry and shriveled with the result of no mess to rake up.

Colorful fruit on Viburnums is another favorite and will supplement the fruit of those in the wild that birds and other animals depend on for a food source.

Certain perennials such as the Coneflower provide a feeding station for finches when the flowers are allowed to go to seed instead of being cut to the ground in fall by those that want a neat, clean look to the garden.

Blueberries noted for their delicious fruits full of antioxidants and spectacular fall color are excellent food sources for fruit-eating birds.

A good way to accomplish a blueberry planting is to use “half-highs” for the landscape as they are compact and produce between three to five pounds of the delicious fruit per year.

Plant enough blueberries to cover some with netting to provide enough for your home use and be sure to leave some uncovered for our bird friends.

By proper selection and placement of “wildlife-friendly” trees and shrubs, a boring yard can become a wildlife sanctuary for the whole family to watch and enjoy while improving the lives of the animal kingdom of which we ourselves are a member.

Think about something other than yourself instead of selecting trees and shrubs that are fruitless and seedless as ones that have seeds and fruits are valuable as well as necessary for the well being of our animal friends.

September, 2008
I must apologize as I wrote no green blog for August. 

I have been on vacation exploring the Upper Peninsula of Michigan including Isle Royale National Park located 55 miles out in Lake Superior from Copper Harbor Michigan.  The boat trip to the island gives one the feeling of traversing the open sea especially when navigating six foot waves.  Isle Royale has a unique ecosystem because of the fact that it is isolated by Superior’s waters on all sides.

An unique relationship of predator and prey exists between wolves and moose that scientists have been studying for 58 years!  It seems as though without a “balance” between the wolf and moose population that either population of these creatures would suffer because of lack of food because of overpopulation especially of the moose.

Until 1940, the island was a destination for vacationers.  Mr. Albert Stoll, the conservation editor for the Detroit Free Press in the 1930’s noticed that the Isle Royale ecosystem was indeed unique and worth preserving.   Through Stoll’s efforts, the federal government purchased all private lands on Isle Royale by 1940 and dedicated it as a National Park in 1946.

Another area of Michigan set aside is the Porcupine Mountains which are adjacent to Lake Superior not far from the Wisconsin border.  The 60,000 acre state park is unique in that it contains 35,000 acres of virgin timber of White Pine and Canadian Hemlock!  Much of the lower peninsula and upper peninsula of Michigan, contoured vast amounts of virgin White Pine that were almost all cut down in a few short decades.  In fact, after timber barons had finished the forests of the upper peninsula, they failed to pay their taxes due on the land and left much of the barren landscape revert back to the state’s ownership.

As a nation, we are fortunate to have individuals in and outside of government that are well ahead of their time that are able to see the value of preserving unique ecosystems such as Isle Royale and the Porcupine Mountains for the enjoyment and inspiration of future generations.

July, 2008
In January, I wrote that while the horticultural industry is “green”, many of the practices of production in themselves are not “green”.

“Things” though are “a-changing” for the better.  At the nursery as I have mentioned before, we’re big into saving and recycling water in that our whole system is like one big rain garden in which “used” irrigation water is returned to its holding pond and lake from which it came and rain water that runs of the sales area, paved parking lot and building roofs is collected and stored.

“Reused” irrigation water though can be loaded with fertilizer salts that can burn plant’s roots and foliage making them unsaleable.

One of the reasons we have not had problems with high salts is that we have instituted a cyclic program of irrigation in which sprinklers operate for a 45 minute period, then are off for at least an hour and then come again for 45 minutes.

This cycling of irrigation times leaches less fertilizer out of the plant container into the runoff recycled water.

I first heard about this cycling method from a speech given by Dr. Hannah Mathers that she gave at the Portland, Oregon Convention Center in September of 2001.

Another way to cut down on salty water is plants.  Marginal bog plants have naturally colonized our return water channels and settling ponds and remove much of the excess nutrients from the water.

Plants “that do the job” range from Acorus, Red Osier Dogwood, Arrowwod Viburnum and a whole host of other bog plants that I do not know.  As a supplement, we throw a few a few water hyacinths into our settling ponds in which then explode and grow while they “suck up” even more nutrients from the water.

Finally, we are gradually cutting down on our water usage through the installation of more and more drip irrigation that uses much less water than overhead sprinklers.

With less use of water, our own lake water quality is elevated in that rain water is able to dilute more of the impure water that re-enters it from irrigation.

With less water usage comes less energy inputs as we must pump our water with electricity.

Being “green” not only makes sense from an environmentally responsible aspect but saves energy and money too!  I just love it!  Remember to do your part.

Tom Dayton

June, 2008
Ever since at least recorded history, human kind has fought over land, especially fertile crop land.  Some examples are the German army’s advance on Russia in World War II to secure the fertile Russian steppes of the Ukraine and the eradication of Native Americans from the great plains so that advancing while settlers could farm the former prairie.

Fertile land is literally worth more than gold.

Even in ancient Egypt with the massive amounts of gold extracted from Nubian mines, where would the civilization have been without the fertile Nile River alluvial plain?  

Good fertile land is a precious commodity indeed and one that must be protected and nurtured. 

Good conservation practices to prevent wind and water erosion of topsoil will in effect protect our national treasure. 

One only needs to look at the government’s program of tree planting in the Plain states in the years of the dust bowl to prevent wind erosion and contour plowing to prevent water erosion.  Throughout the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corp planted millions of trees to restore forests, provide food for wildlife and clean water.  In recent years though land has been bought and soil like any commodity and sometimes with no other intent then to raise cash.

Evidence of this practice is everywhere as you consider the vast amounts of land that have been taken out of production forever only to be turned into shopping centers, interstate highways and parking lots.   While many of us own land, we don’t really own it as the land goes on after our short life times have expired.  We are in reality stewards of the land in which we hold it in our trust to cherish it and protect it to pass on to the coming generations.

Wangari Maathai who became the environmental minister of Kenya was at first jailed and threatened with death by authorities as she enlisted the women of Kenya, Africa to plant millions of trees to restore forests  that were ravaged by government officials to enrich a few at the expense of many.   Her view is that when natural resources such as forests for wood, fertile land for crops and clean drinking water became scarce, people will fight and wage war so that there is no peace. 

Protection of our land, forests, water and wildlife is not a “tree-hugger” philosophy but one that makes good sense which in the long run will foster wealth and prosperity for all.

As an inspiration for generations, President Teddy Roosevelt by executive order with only a stroke of a pen, set aside more than 16 million acres before a rebellious Congress put a stop to the practice. Millions of Americans enjoy these parks today that for sure would have been decimated by logging, mining and drilling interests.

Clearly, the rape and pillage of our national resources for no thought of tomorrow makes no sense.

Only through sustainable agricultural practices, proper management of forests and pollution control concerning our air and waterways will make us good stewards in which all can continue to live in an environment of peace and prosperity.

May, 2008
Everyone these days is concerned about the price of fuel and its effects on our lives as these price increases spread throughout the general economy.

We all know that the cheapest fuel is the fuel we don’t use.  Less use of non-renewable resources like natural gas and oil is not only good for our pocket books and national security but our environment as well.

One aspect of our fossil fuel use that many of us do not consider is at the grocery store in the great amount of miles that food must be shipped such as salmon from farms in Chile or asparagus from Mexico.

Even now in Great Britain, there are signs posted in some grocery stores about the number of “food miles” a particular product has traveled. 

What does all of this mean to you?

Planting a garden today is like the victory gardens that were planted during World War II.  Planting a vegetable garden in essence will:
 

  1. Reduce “food miles” and thus save energy as your harvesting produce out of your own backyard.
  2. Reduce dangerous pesticide usage in the environment as corporate farms use tons of dangerous chemicals.  Less demand for “their” products means less pesticide.
  3. The unseen benefits to planting a garden are the increased family time planting, cultivating and preparing food from the garden and the valuable lessons that children learn in that belonging to the family unit means that helping out as a family member is required and includes helping out in the garden and save you money.
  4. Increase supplies of fresh produce which will in turn hold down prices. 
  5. Give you more control over some of your food supply in that you can be sure the produce on your table is fresh and healthy to eat instead of relying on long distance domestic sources, or even worse, foreign sources.

Our third president Thomas Jefferson is well known as the author of the Declaration of Independence, champion of public education and the persistent supporter of freedom of religion was actually a passionate and avid gardener.  So much so that he wrote in a letter to his friend Vincent Peale in the year 1820 the following:

 “I have often thought that if heaven had given me choice of my position and calling, it should have been on a rich spot of earth, well watered, and near a good market for the productions of the garden.  No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden!  Such a variety of subjects, some one always coming to perfection the failure of one thing repaired by the success of another, and instead of one harvest, a continued one through the year.  Under a total want of demand except for our family table, I am still devoted to the garden.  But though an old man, I am but a young gardener.”

Thomas Jefferson to Charles Wilson Peale
            August 20, 1811

April, 2008
Earth Day and Arbor Day are upon us.  What kind of tree will you plant this month so that you and the birds might enjoy the fruits that it renders?  Or, will you plant a tree that maybe you and/or succeeding generations can rest under the shade of its branches.

“To plant a tree is an act of faith in the earth
an act of hope for the future
an act of humanity towards coming generations
who will enjoy its fruits
after we shall be gone”

  1. Merrier

Just think what our lives would be like without trees to shade us, feed us, shelter us and their grandeur and majesty for us to gaze upon and wonder about.

In the construction of his mansion overlooking his city of Barberton, Ohio, Columbus Barber’s home site was devoid of large trees and being a man of vision and of great wealth, he simply had large trees moved from across the state route 619 to his home site in the early part of the 20th century.

Don’t worry if you’re not going to live in the same house forever, just plant trees to cool the house, ones that flower in spring, ones that turn from green to brilliant hues of red, orange, yellow and purple in fall and ones that produce fruit.

You’ll be surprised not only how much monetary value they’ll add to the resale price but even more important is the value of you and your family’s enjoyment over many years.

And on the subject of flower and vegetable gardening, remember these following organic tips:

  1. Having a problem with damping off fungus on small emerging seedlings from the soil?  Sprinkle the soil surface with one part white vinegar to four parts water and then re-sow the seed.   This concoction will kill the damp-off fungus.
  2. Use Bi-Carb (Potassium bicarbonate + spreader sticker) to keep powdery mildew and black spot off roses.  Its great for garden use too to keep mildew off of curcurbits like melons, squash, pumpkins and cucumbers and is most certainly mild and environmentally safe.
  3. Neem Oil made from the seeds of the Neem tree in India is a natural pesticide for ornamental plants and herbs and vegetable plants.  Fortunately for us, a coalition from India fought an American company’s efforts to patent this “wonder” insecticide and won!  I’m sure the patent fee and the restricted manufacture of the product would not have made the product less expensive.
  4. Refined horticultural oils are another tool in the arsenal of organic weapons against infestations of insects or spider mites in the garden.  Just carefully follow the directions as an incorrect use can burn your plants.  The refined oils are better than the “old” types of dormant oil as much as the sulfur that burns plants have been removed.
  5. Planting crops together that are compatible with each other such as sweet corn and squash will make more use of a limited garden space

Watch for more organic gardening tips on our website!

March, 2008
It won’t be long until the first day of spring and its not too early to be thinking about fertilizing your landscape and perennial garden with organic fertilizers Plant-tone and the almost organic fertilizer Holly-tone for acid-loving plants.

The way organic fertilizers work is that they are low in salts which is not harmful to beneficial soil microbes which in turn means that these microbes can work to release the nutrients of the organic fertilizer over time.

These various and sundry microbes are essential for a healthy soil and one with good tilth.

A soil in good tilth is like “chocolate cake” an expression used by the horticulturist at Kingwood Center in Mansfield, Ohio as reported by Denise Ellsworth of the extension service of Summit County.

This type of soil is achieved over several years by additions of large amounts of organic matter such as composted leaves, twigs, grass and other plant debris which will “fluff up” an otherwise compacted soil.

This organic matter and the resulting invasion of beneficial microbes therefore has a synergistic effect on the soil and the growth of plants.

Organic fertilizers do not interfere with this synergy when added to supply plants with additional nutrients essential for growth.

Lawn fertilizers have long been a source of non-point source pollution of creeks and streams because of the runoff during heavy rains especially phosphorus which is conducive to algae growth.

Now the Espoma Corporation, the manufacturers of Plant-tone and other organic fertilizers, has come up with Espoma Organic Lawn Food that has only 2% phosphorus that lawns usually don’t need because there is enough in the soil already.

Like other organic fertilizers, this new product is low in slats that will keep the beneficial microbes, earthworms and other soil life happy and intact.

Another product I’m excited about is Espoma’s new lawn weed control product called Espoma Organic Weed Preventer Plus Lawn Food in which the active ingredient of corn gluten has been proven to reduce weed numbers in most lawns by 60% the first year of use.

Its important to apply the product at the right time; that is, before weed growth begins.

Just think about it, a lawn weeder product that is safe for pets, people and the wider environment.

I cannot testify to the efficacy of this new product as I have not used it as of yet but we’ll for sure be using it on the lawn areas around the nursery as I get nervous on using the traditional products as the runoff from the lawn areas goes back to our lake that we use for irrigation.

In later blogs, I’ll let you know how it works.

February, 2008
One of the major headlines in the news today has been about regional droughts such as the one in the southeast in 2007 and areas out west.  Water resources and the debate of how to distribute water whether it is for agricultural use, urban use or used to protect species’ habitats is becoming increasingly serious as water demand increases from an ever-growing population and more frequently occurring water shortages or even floods caused partly because of global climate changes.  It seems everyone these days worries about the price of oil and other fuels but until recently, clean water was taken for granted which is for sure a more valuable commodity.  At the nursery, we have taken a proactive approach to better water use since 1998 not only because of my desire to be environmentally friendly but because the water quality in the creek that runs through the nursery, Van Hyning Run, is too poor to water our nursery stock as it is high in salts and other pollutants on its short 3-4 mile course from Loyal Oak Lake through the nursery and then on to Wolf Creek.  In late summer, the foliage on our plants would have a burned edge because of the high concentrations of salt revealed in our frequent water tests since 1997.   Completed about the same year was our one-acre lake that was fed by runoff water that tested much better than the creek water.  It was obvious that this was our new water source as much of the lands and drainage ways of the nursery drained to this lake.  An electric pump was installed in 1998 to pull water from the lake for irrigation and a second smaller pump was used to pull water from the creek was now used to pump rain water and run off water from irrigation that would run back to the holding pond instead of directly to the lake because of the elevation difference.  This system now supplies all of our outside irrigation water and captures the runoff from our irrigation in order to recycle it and use it again so that very little water including rain water leaves the property.  In this way our needs are met for good quality water and since almost no water leaves the property with its resulting leachates of fertilizer, pressure is not placed on the stream as far as pollutants such as phosphorus and additional runoff from rain storms that would contribute to flooding downstream.  Our other challenge though was the fact with our irrigation water used over and over that over time salts would increase to an intolerable level because of fertilizers used on the plants.  The above concern has never materialized as rain water is always collected and added to the system and more importantly, the ditches and settling ponds used to capture silt and other debris have all been naturally colonized with Acorus (Iris), Marsh Marigold, Cattails, Rushes and other aquatic plants that just love the boggy effect these waterways have created.  In fact, the natural colonization of water plants has acted like a giant water filter as water flows through the system.  You might say our whole system is like one big rain garden.  A rain garden that meets the nursery’s needs for high quality water.

January, 2008
I think I first starting thinking “green” when I was a teenager and the environmental movement got started in the 1970’s.  The book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson had a message back then that was powerful enough to change human behavior just as Uncle Tom’s cabin had done more than 150 years earlier on the subject of slavery. I always thought of the nursery business as an honorable one in which the resulting production; that is, trees, shrubs, flowers, would clean the air, provide food and shelter for wildlife, prevent soil erosion and just plain beautify the earth.  While the above statement is obviously true, I realized more and more over time that many of the practices used in the nursery to produce a beautiful product were in themselves not “green”. For example, some crops required large amounts of deadly pesticides such as chlorinated hydro-carbons and organophosphates that were definitely bad news for the environment and humans as well.  Erosion has been a problem with long rows of nursery stock in which a wide band of bare soil between the rows is constantly cultivated and churned to kill weeds resulting in wind and water carrying the “gold” away.  In fact, Mr. Grulleman, who founded Wayside Gardens in Mentor, Ohio in 1920, always shipped plants bare-root because not only was it more practical for mail order but his comment to my late friend and propagator John Ravestein, was that he (Grulleman) was selling plants, not soil!  In fact, there is a quote from an unknown author that the only thing that makes it possible for humans to survive is a few inches of topsoil and the fact that it rains once in a while.  Herbicides are another factor in nursery stock production and until recently, methylbromide, a gas used to kill weed seeds in plant and seed beds, was one of the gases responsible for depleting the ozone layer in the atmosphere.  As the year progresses, I’ll be giving you an insight as to the changes that are occurring in the industry and what we have done, are currently doing and plan to do to lessen the impact on the environment to make our products even “greener’.  Stay tuned.



3459 Cleveland-Massillon Rd.  Norton, Ohio  44203
Just 1/4 mile North of I-76 in the historic Loyal Oak area of Norton, Ohio
330-825-3320
or 1-866-500-6605
info@daytonnursery.com
contact: Amy Calhoun, Webmaster

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