Cornell Cooperative Extension Community Horticulture

This is an excerpt from the Ornamental Crops IPM E-Newsletter Summer 2007.

The full issue (with biocontrol photos) and past issues are available online at http://nysipm.cornell.edu/nursery_ghouse/newsletters/default.asp

There are a variety of herbicide products, based on naturally occurring compounds that are of interest as alternatives to synthetic herbicides. These products include corn gluten meal, vinegar, and various plant oils as the active ingredients. There are several soaps used as herbicides, which, while not naturally occurring, are often considered alternatives, as well. Although these herbicides are considered least-toxic alternatives, they require proper handling and can be skin, eye, or lung irritants. As with all herbicides, applicators must follow the application requirements on the label, including use of personal protective equipment.

What are they?: Corn gluten meal is a by-product of the corn milling industry. Acetic acid is the basic ingredient in vinegar. (However, the acetic acid levels in household vinegar are not high enough to use it as an herbicide.) Eugenol is an oil extracted from plants, especially from clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and bay leaf. Pelargonic acid is found in oil of pelargonium, among other plant sources. Soaps used as herbicides are potassium salts of fatty acids, which, while not naturally occurring, are considered less toxic.

Corn gluten meal contains compounds that inhibit seed germination, so in certain settings it has some potential as a pre-emergence herbicide. However, part of its activity in weed control, particularly for turf, is as a nitrogen source, encouraging rapid grass growth to outcompete weeds. It has no activity on established weeds and will interfere with seed germination of desirable plants as well as weeds, so should be applied after desired plants have true leaves and are 2-3 inches tall.

Acetic acid and eugenol interfere with the action of the cell membrane, allowing cell contents to leak out and causing the death of the cell. Pelargonic acid and soaps remove the waxy cuticle of plant tissue, which allows the cells beneath to dry out and die. In both cases, herbicide application results in a burning of the leaves, which can be seen almost immediately. There is no movement of the active ingredients throughout the plant, so good coverage of the foliage is essential for weed control. Also, mature perennials and other plants that can regenerate from the root system will not be killed because the herbicide is not translocated to the root system. These herbicides are non-selective , so they will damage the foliage of any plant contacted. They are most useful for control of young, actively growing, annual weeds in a situation where desirable plants are either not yet present or can be protected from the herbicide.

There are many different products available with these chemistries and the concentration of the active ingredient can vary dramatically. Users should check both the amount of active ingredient in the concentrate or ready-to-use formulation and the appropriate dilution ratio for the situation, as described on the label. Cost per application can be high for some products, especially if reapplication is necessary for complete control. It should be noted that not all of the products described are labeled for certified organic food crop production. Users should check the OMRI list or other lists of products accepted under the National Organic Production (NOP) regulations. There is no equivalent list of products labeled for organic production of ornamentals.

Betsy Lamb, NYS IPM eml38@cornell.edu

The information in this article is taken from 2 factsheets in the Alternative Pest Management Series, by Leslie Weston and Elizabeth Lamb. The complete fact sheets are available at the Landscape Horticulture Program Work Team website under Resources

Department of Horticulture’s climate change expert Dr. David Wolfe is this quoted in this article on from the New York Times.

Link to article.

Hands-on, online courses for gardeners and professionals

Enrollment for Fall 2007 and Winter 2008 courses now open.

Plant propagation, Oct. 15 to Nov. 30
Organic gardening, Jan. 7 to Mar. 1

If you would like to know when future courses are scheduled, email Marguerite Wells: mw38@cornell.edu

or visit:

Registration details

September 10-12, 2007

Nittany Lion Inn, State College, PA

The Penn State Pesticide Education Program is pleased to announce the third annual Northeastern Region Pesticide Safety Education Center Workshop in partnership and cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA Region III and EPA Headquarters). Please forward this announcement to anyone you think would benefit from this workshop. If you attended a previous workshop, please allow the opportunity for others to attend this year as the agenda is very similar to past years.

The workshop will be held in State College, Pennsylvania beginning on Monday, September 10, 2007 at 1:00 p.m. and concluding the afternoon of Wednesday, September 12, 2007.

The workshop is modeled after a successful program in the southern region, hosted by North Carolina State University. The overall goal of the program is to demonstrate and provide participants with new interactive training presentations that they can then use for their own pesticide safety education programming. Hands-on training activities will be a major thrust of this training program. A large duffle bag with over $200 worth of many of the materials needed for you to repeat the hands-on activities you learn will be provided to each participant.

No registration fee will be charged for attending the 2007 NEPSEC Annual Workshop and most other expenses (hotel and most meals) will be provided during the conference ONLY IF you attend the entire conference. However, participants will be responsible for their own travel costs to and from University Park.

Registrations for this workshop are now being accepted. However, please keep in mind that, in order to provide the most hands-on experiences for participants, only 50 registrations will be accepted. Participants will be selected based on the order in which registrations were received.

For additional information and to register for this workshop, please visit the NEPSEC web page at: http://nepsec.psu.edu/. If you are undecided, please check out the Past Workshops page, which links to past workshop agendas and comments and photos from almost all of the sessions.

John E. Ayers
Director, Pesticide Education Program
jea@psu.edu

What are your favorite garden blogs? And why?

The Daily Dirt is one of the hundreds of garden blogs sprouting all over the web and many provide an opportunity to keep abreast of emerging issues as well as ideas for local news stories or workshops.

The Daily Dirt originates from the Environmental News Network which has a mission to provide a global perspective on environmental issues, and to promote thought, discussion, and awareness among our readers by featuring content that is balanced, non-partisan, comprehensive and educational in nature.

This website for youth aims to bridge the gap between science, agriculture and youth.

Some examples of what youth can find there:

Wild sunflowers are like hidden treasures. To find out why our scientists have been exploring off the beaten track for wild sunflowers, see:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/whatsnew.htm

And hunter flies in greenhouses at:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/insects/story14/page1.htm

Publication for forest owners:

Today, it is not easy to grow a forest. Competing plants, white-tailed deer, and poor harvesting planning make it difficult to grow a forest. A new publication in the Pennsylvania Forest Stewardship Bulletin Series, Number 15; Regenerating Hardwood Forests: Managing Competing Plants, Deer, and Light by Dave Jackson, Mike Wolf, and Jim Finley will help forest owners and others understand natural forests regeneration challenges. It describes how understanding competition, deer and light can lead to successful forest regeneration and sustainable forestry. Forest Stewardship Bulletin 15 provides detail on obtaining successful forest regeneration. It describes actions forest landowners can take to control competition, deer, and light to ensure a regenerating forest for the future. Call the Pennsylvania Forest Stewardship Program to request your free copy (814-863-0401, 800-235-9473). Jim Finley : fj4@psu.edu, Allyson Muth: abm173@psu.edu. The publication is also available as a PDF at http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/UH181.pdf.

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS
GREEN-BLUE GRANTS PROGRAM: CLEAN WATER THROUGH RESIDENTIAL IPM

The Northeastern IPM Center is launching the Green-Blue Grants Program to promote clean water through residential integrated pest management. We will fund projects focused on educating residents of the Northeast about how using IPM in residential structures and landscapes can affect water quality. This education can take place through workshops, promotional materials, and other methods. Project ideas should tie to ideas articulated at the July 2007 “Green-Blue Summit�? — see http://NortheastIPM.org/greenbluesummit.cfm

ELIGIBILITY: This program is open to nongovernmental agencies, Cooperative Extension educators or county agents, land grant faculty and staff, eligible government staff, and private citizens who will be in contact with receptive audiences. Applicants must be based in a northeastern state or the District of Columbia.

AVAILABLE FUNDING: The maximum amount of money awarded will be $2,500 per applicant. Total funds available for this grants program: approximately $10,000.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday, September 7, 2007

HOW TO APPLY: For details on how to apply, see the Request for Applications at http://northeastipm.org/greenbluesummit.cfm#rfa

The Chicago Botanic Garden has several Assistant Horticulturist opportunities available. These are full-time positions with great benefits.

Please visit our website for job opportunities and exciting news about the Garden

www.chicagobotanic.org/jobs

You may apply for any of our positions using these methods:

E-mail employment@chicagobotanic.org

Mail Attn: Human Resources
1000 Lake Cook Road
Glencoe, IL 60022

In Person Human Resources Department
Botanic Garden Center
1000 Lake Cook Road
Glencoe, IL 60022

CCE Extension Supp Spec I Ithaca, NY

The Department of Horticulture is seeking a highly motivated individual to work with milestones that have been established through a grant from the NYS Farm Viability Institute. The successful candidate will collaborate with farmers to realize an improvement in pest management or a reduction in weed control costs and an improvement in % marketable fruit through use of improved pesticide application technology and timing.  In collaboration with Cornell Faculty, identify best practices for improving production efficiency on berry farms and establish on-farm trials to demonstrate these practices.  This individual will work in eastern New York and collaborate with a colleague in western New York to achieve project goals.
Activities will be mostly farm-based involving on-farm trials, responses to inquiries, and dissemination of information. This position will be located in Eastern NY.  Extensive travel will be required. This position is .75 FTE for two years.

For additional information about employment at Cornell University please
contact the Recruitment and Employment Center at employment_svcs@cornell.edu  (607) 254-8370.