Posts Tagged ‘fertilizer’

Termites, bedbugs, and more! – Orchard Supply Hardware

Thursday, June 16th, 2011

Second stop, Orchard Supply Hardware in Modesto!  Rollin’ up Debug the Myths style, RISE spent the afternoon at OSH educating consumers about the importance of lawn maintenance and pest control.

This event served as a one-stop-shop for consumers to get questions answered and to obtain educational information about common household issues, such as termites, bedbugs, and ticks.

Local pest control specialists, Robin Tabuchi, University of California at Berkeley, and Karen Robb, Target Specialty, were onsite to answer California-specific questions from consumers who wanted to more information.

A big hit at this event was Robin’s termite display, which included real termites!  Both adults and children were highly engaged and interested to learn how to prevent termite infestations and what to do once there is a problem. 

Visitors to the event included homeowners and professionals seeking answers about pesticides and fertilizers. RISE was able to provide the answers consumers needed to help solve their pest challenges in their home and lawn.

A big thanks goes out to the management and employees of OSH in Modesto. RISE also greatly thanks Robin and Karen for committing their afternoon to promoting consumer education regarding these issues!

Stay tuned for more updates on Debug The West!

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Posted in Pest Management, Pets, Schools/Education, health | 2 Comments »

Fertilizer and Water Quality

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

Most homeowners are becoming increasingly more aware of how their actions in regards to home maintenance, lawn care and more influence the environment around them. This is good news – we all need to play our part in protecting the world in which we live. However, it’ also important to have the full story – and not rely on “myths” – when making these decisions.

For example, some homeowners have stopped fertilizing their lawns due to a belief that fertilizer use increases phosphorus run-off into groundwater and other water resources. However, recent research by the University of Minnesota demonstrates that properly fertilized lawns have healthy root systems, which do a better job of holding soil in place than the root systems of non-fertilized lawns. As a result, an unfertilized lawn actually has more phosphorus run-off than a lawn that is fertilized. This holds true even when fertilizers with large amounts of phosphorus are used.

An unfertilized lawn loses its density and exposes soil, which leads to erosion and loss of nutrients. A fertilized lawn holds the soil in place, meaning less loss of nutrients and less phosphorus run-off.

Brian Horgan, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Minnesota and extension turfgrass specialist said, “If you don’t fertilize your lawn thinking you’re doing better, you’re actually doing a lot more harm than if you properly fertilize your turf.”

Interested in learning more about the University of Minnesota experiment? Check out this video, as Dr. Horgan gives more details about his research.

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Posted in Legislation, Miscellaneous, Plant Care, Uncategorized | 5 Comments »

Celebrate Earth Day with Debug the Myths!

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

Celebrate Earth Day at home by sprucing up your own green space! Part of contributing to our environment is properly taking care of our lawns, outdoor spaces and community playgrounds and parks for the enjoyment of our families and communities. Debug the Myths has a few suggestions on how to recognize the meaning of Earth Day in your own back (or front) lawn.

1) Properly water, fertilize and care for your lawn. Well-maintained turfgrass can help reduce soil erosion and better trap rainwater to reduce run-off. The grasses hold soil in place to prevent it from being washed into lakes, rivers, and streams, and, according to the Lawn Care Institute, turfgrasses trap an estimated 12 million tons of dust and dirt released annually into the atmosphere.

2) Take care of your lawn and the green spaces in your community. Studies by the Human Environment Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign indicate that green spaces are gathering places that create close-knit communities and improve well-being. It’s important to keep these areas usable and enjoyable.  Overgrown weeds can pose risk to children and adults as more than one-half of the U.S. population is allergic to noxious weeds like poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac.

3) Learn more about how to read the pesticide and fertilizer product labels. When using these products, the label is the law. This ensures protection of the environment, people and pets and ensures the product’s effectiveness. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversees the pesticide label process to verify that all required information is included. The EPA requires rigorous testing of these products for 8 to 10 years before they’re released to consumers, ensuring their safety and benefits when you use them properly.  For more information about proper selection and use of lawn and garden fertilizers and pesticides print off and take a copy of Choose Right/Use Right with you the home center or lawn and garden retailer. 

How are you celebrating Earth Day? And what are your questions about how to care for your lawn and landscape? Our experts are here to help!

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Posted in Plant Care, Uncategorized, gardening | 6 Comments »

How golf courses prepare for the season’s rush

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Dr. John Stier, Environmental Turfgrass Extension Specialist, Professor and Chair of the Dept. of Horticulture-University of Wisconsin, Madison.

The PGA season has begun and people who live in temporal climates are itching to get back on the course, but it’s still too cold. Ever wonder what golf courses do when they’re covered in snow or the ground is frozen? What do the owners do when golfers aren’t coming to the course?

In the North, golf course superintendents spend their winters planning their management for the upcoming season and placing orders for fertilizers, equipment and other products.  Problem areas which had been hit hardest with pests or environmental stresses the year before are slated for renovation, if possible, to reduce future problems. 

Hiring of seasonal positions begins in February or March depending on the location, with many of the employees returning from the previous year. Teaching professionals, bag boys and drink-cart girls are all very important positions that are utilized during the summer to increase the number of golfers.  

Then the grounds keeping begins: tree debris from the winter is picked up and areas with low turf density are reseeded.  Mowing begins as soon as the grass starts to grow, which helps reduce weeds as most weeds can’t grow under well-maintained greens and fairways.  Fertilizer may be applied once the initial surge of spring growth passes.

Pest problems are usually minimal during early spring as temperatures and moisture are favorable for turf growth. Change may be in the works, though, as recent research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that a single application of fungicide applied in early spring may reduce the need for multiple applications throughout the summer. Most control measures are applied during the summer because of the increased chance of fungal diseases and sometimes insects.

In the South, golfers are lucky as the season never ends, but warming weather still brings changes. As warmer temperatures return, superintendents will begin to manage the warm season grasses versus the cold-season varieties that were planted to maintain green turf throughout the mild winter.

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Posted in Pest Management, Uncategorized, gardening | 15 Comments »