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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:
- Reduce “food miles” and thus save energy as your
harvesting produce out of your own backyard.
- Reduce dangerous pesticide usage in the
environment as corporate farms use tons of dangerous chemicals. Less
demand for “their” products means less pesticide.
- 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.
- Increase supplies of fresh produce which will in
turn hold down prices.
- 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”
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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Going Green...