Nov 06
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Basic Lawn Care Tips

By | Company News, Landscaping, Lawn Care | No Comments

A) Only mow over grass!

Running over fixed objects is dangerous for the operator, passerby and leads to costly repairs. In the example below, the mower blade was destroyed. But don’t forget about the mower shaft holding the blade. It costs hundreds to replace. The mower will likely work fine for a while with a new blade and then….not so much. Remember, get to know your mowing area well, clear away any obvious debris and avoid hitting fixed objects.

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An unforgiving fixed object

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About to be retired mower blade

B) You CAN line-trim backwards!

There are cases where line-trimming backwards is the way to go: close to cars, windows, tree-wells and bikini girls. The two examples below clearly illustrate how trimming backwards can save you time. The messed up tree well has to be carefully raked out; blowing would dislodge most of the new bark mulch. The clean tree well was line trimmed backwards, eliminating extra clean-ups.

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A clean tree well, line-edged backwards

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Line-edged freestyle, clean-up required

Oct 30
0

Hearing Tests

By | Arborist Insights, Company News, Education, Videos | No Comments

hearing

I had my first hearing test in 2014 and I was worried about entering a claustrophobic box inside a mobile truck. Now I am glad I did it. After sixteen loud seasons in the field, always diligently wearing ear protection, it was nice to get a picture of my hearing. That first 2014 test became my baseline. The 2015 test also showed normal hearing. Great! (Only my wife questions the results.)
The few lines below normal range (see picture) could be caused by machine noise exposure for hours before the test; and, possibly, by the friendly, heavy-set female technician coughing and moving about in the mobile truck.

Action steps:

1) Always wear ear protection!

2) Get tested – best through your employer- to establish a baseline for your hearing.

3) Do NOT abuse your headset. I use Peltors and my bad habit is sticking goggles inside them. Just like resting the headset at the top of your front truck seat, this reduces the headset’s effectiveness.

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Bad habit: goggles inside my headset

Oct 23
0

Atsushi in Kyoto

By | Arborist Insights, Company News, Education, Interviews, Landscaping, Plant Species Information | No Comments

tokyo_and_kyoto_highlightsI met Atsushi, a 20-something Japanese guy, at a Burnaby landscape company and we did a few weekend sessions together. He went through years one and two of the apprenticeship program which I thought was a great idea. Then, he surprised me (and his boss!) with his decision to move back to Japan. Specifically, to ancient Kyoto to work for a great company. Kyoto is a must-see place with its many temples and shrines. The fall colors are so spectacular, my in-laws visit there every fall! And rumor has it that Kyoto gardening companies are a bit high on themselves because they operate in such a spectacular setting.

 

I took the liberty of asking Atsushi a few questions.

V: What are the biggest differences between your Burnaby landscape company and your new one in Kyoto?

A: We don’t use hedge trimmers and prune with hand pruners instead. We also don’t use blowers. We climb trees even if they are over 10 meters high. We prune and take care of our trees; we don’t call tree service companies for help.

V: What does your typical day look like? Hours, breaks, etc.

A: I work 8hrs. 10 min breaks at 10am and 3 pm. 45min lunch break.

V: Who are your clients?

A: Residential, temples

V: Are young people entering the trade in Japan?

A: Yes, there are many young people in the trade.

V: What is the average monthly salary?

A: The average is lower than in Vancouver.

V: Are jobs available?

A: It depends on the company.

V: What is your biggest challenge right now?

A: To work in a completely different environment.

V: What is it like living and working in ancient Kyoto?

A: It’s only been two months so I don’t know yet.. but I’m very happy to be able to work in Kyoto.

Oct 16
0

Line-edger Head Maintenance

By | Arborist Insights, Strata Maintenance | One Comment

If you are like me, you concentrate on production and let your line-edger do its magic. Most attention goes to the engine. Re-fuel with a Proper gas and oil mix,
check the fuel and air filters, and spark plugs.

But let’s not forget about the head down below. Let’s take my commercial Stihl machine as an example.

Use good Lithium grease and Proper tools

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Carefully remove the bolt and note the gears.

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Pump in good Lithium lubricant and spin the head slowly as you do so

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All done!

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Re-check periodically, depending on how much you use your edger. A happy, well-maintained machine will allow you to provide good service all year!

Oct 09
0

Stealing Cherries?

By | Plant Species Information, Quizzes | No Comments

This always happens in the field. A resident walks up to collect his mail and wonders what the tree next to his super mailbox is? He sees Europeans in his neighborhood collecting the red ripe fruit and he wonders what they do with it. Is he missing out? Or did he avoid certain poisoning?

You, as the green professional are left to provide the answers, on the spot, no BS, Proper answers. So let’s look at the tree and the other plants in this small park.
But first a TEST. How many can you identify? Bonus point if you know what to do with the fruit in number 1.

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Show Answers!

1) Cornus mas (Cornelian cherry)
The fruit is edible when it’s dark red; it’s used for jams and sauces with orange and sugar
according to the Kwantlen Plant Database

2) Sorbus aucuparia (European mountain-ash)

3) Prunus laurocerasus ‘Otto Luyken’

4) Viburnum tinus
Nice and healthy. In some places the bug Pyrrhalta viburni destroys it by chewing the leaves

 

 

Oct 02
0

Book Review: How plants work by Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D.

By | Plant Species Information, Reviews | No Comments

1As a fan of Linda’s work my book review is bound to be slightly biased. I had this book in my wish list months ahead of publication. As the back jacket says, if you read and study the book, you will

understand your garden and landscape better. You will learn how to weed less, how to fertilize and prune more effectively and you will see reviews of products that could potentially save you money.

Linda shows you the inner workings of plants. The magic happens when hard science is written for gardeners and green professionals in easy to understand language.

Now, a warning. I said easy to understand but you will have to make your way through some biochemistry. Just go over the sections twice, like I did. It’s fascinating stuff. The most interesting part of the book is the chapter on how, HOW, plants tell time, how they know it’s time to push out their leaves or pack it in for the winter. It’s all about phytochrome, a pigment for all seasons. If I said any more, I would ruin it for you.

There are many side bars. Some I already knew about, like what a waste of cash installing landscape fabric is; and how we should water even in the fall; and how to bare-root trees and shrubs for planting. Other side bars were new to me, like aeration tubes.

Another warning: you will get inspired by Linda to try new stuff, like bare-root tree planting I did as a helper with a municipal gardener. Not only was it a fun experience, the trees are doing well.

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Wash off the root ball and inspect the roots

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Ensure proper planting depth

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Don’t throw away the soil from your root ball

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Done, staking may or may not be required. This dogwood (Cornus) required staking.

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Don’t forget to check out the suggested reading list on pages 219-220. I want all of those books in my library!

My only complaint would be the length of this book. I wish it was ten times as long, fat enough to press flowers with. Second edition perhaps?

Five stars!

Sep 25
0

Newspaper as Mulch? Really?

By | Arborist Insights, Education, Landscaping, Mulch | No Comments

Earlier this summer my buddy, who runs a small landscaping company, called me up and asked me to help him install new soil at a strata site. Sure. It sounded easy. Then he surprised me on site by having me put down newspapers first; both main pages and inserts. I consider the newspaper inserts a minor distraction for all male workers because, inevitably, I would get distracted by ladies underwear sales and bra pictures. Now back to science.

I understood the main idea- weed suppression- but I wondered what my hero, Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott (see July 24, 2015 blog) had to say about it. According to Linda (1), newspaper mulching has been used successfully in agriculture but what about strata complexes on the Westwood Plateau? There isn’t much research but we know that:

  1. newspapers can look ugly when exposed
  2. they can become pest havens
  3. they can become hydrophobic when they become dry and water simply runs off instead of percolating through
  4. wood chips are more effective at preventing weed growth
  5. winds can dislodge the newspapers, especially on the Westwood Plateau
  6. if used on wet, poorly drained soils, they can create anaerobic conditions where an impermeable barrier is formed to water and gas exchanges
  7. additional labor is required compared to straight wood chip application

Summary: Newspaper mulches can be effective in gardens where the soil is continuously worked and irrigation is applied. On less maintained sites you might want to use free or cheap wood chips.

(1) The Myth of Paper-based Sheet Mulch, Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D., Washington State University Extension, www.puyallup.wsu.du

More information: www.theinformedgardener.com

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Good quality, weed-free soil is a must, same for good Contractor wheelbarrows

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Before picture with newspaper showing

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After picture

Sep 20
0

Mundy Park World Record Weed Pull

By | Education, Events, Landscaping | No Comments
Here is your chance to participate in a world record weed pull attempt, help take out invasive weed species in a local park and improve your resume! Mundy Park is a great place to walk and run. My running club, Phoenix Running Club, holds weekly runs in the park.
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I will be there on Sunday October 4. Can YOU come?
Sep 18
0

Woody Vegetation Chontrol….

By | Arborist Insights, Education, Resources, Tips | No Comments

What do you do with deciduous trees that continue to re-sprout and regrow from cut stumps? What if those trees are located in areas where harsh ( but effective) chemical herbicide use is restricted? Think urban areas and community watersheds.

As I recently found out while visiting a water quality pond, you can use a bio-herbicide called Chontrol Peat Paste.

Details: www.mycologic.ca.

The procedure is fairly simple. Apply a thin layer of the paste to freshly cut stumps from late summer to fall. The pictures below show our native alders, Alnus rubra (Betulaceae family). The trees are interfering with the water quality pond whose function it is to prevent sand, coarse silt and other contaminants from entering environmentally sensitive streams; and to help maintain the flow required to support aquatic life.

The product is only available commercially and it will be interesting to see effectiveness data come in.

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Fresh stumps on Alnus rubra

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Chontrol Peat Paste after application to freshly cut stumps

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​Four years after application

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Water quality pond where alder forest would interfere too much

Sep 11
0

Book Review: The Gardener of Versaille

By | Arborist Insights, Books, Reviews | No Comments

This French best seller, written by Alain Baraton, gardener-in-chief at the palace of Versaille, is fantastic! It will appeal to all gardeners and green professionals. Baraton offers us an intimate look at his career path and the history of the famous grounds. His job is not easy. Working under him are eighty gardeners, and they manage 350,000 trees, flowers and plants, plus thirty miles of walkways on 2,100 acres of land. No more enthusiastic amateurs; all new gardeners are required to pass standard government exams.

The gardens have been frequented and loved by kings and queens. Baraton includes many paragraphs on young French kings and their many escapades. Versaille is frequented by lovers looking for secluded spots and this leads us to an interesting quote: “A garden capable of attracting lovers is a success”.
Totally unexpected were the hordes of grandmothers making secret cuttings to take back home.

I was personally fascinated with the details of a gardener’s life and the many great gardeners who worked on the grounds before Baraton. If you like French history or just good stories, you won’t be disappointed. The absolute best story, well worth the price of the book, is that of Louis XIV and his new Superintendent of Finances, Fouquet. Fouquet created an amazing garden at the chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte and threw the party of all parties. Some guests received horses as door prizes! In one account, the young king Louis XIV got very jealous and poor Fouquet was stripped of all of his possessions. Court judges wanted him exiled but that was too mellow for the young king. He threw Fouquet into prison and he died there! Another account says Fouquet was set up. It was his predecessor who abused the treasury.
I highly recommend this book. Five stars.

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