ITS heartening to know that cloud seeding operations have started. It has been days since the last rain. There was, the other night, but it was just enough to cool the air, and barely satisfied the thirst of the earth. How worse is it in the farmlands?

With heat like this, we can expect a bumper harvest of fruits, but agriculture is more than just fruits, and farmers are in dire need of rain.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has already announced that the long-awaited El Nio has arrived. Its a borderline, weak El Nino, but quite late, right smack into the countrys summer season. This means, we are up for a very hot summer. Along with it, dried up farms, grass fires, and even forest fires.

There is indeed reason to be very careful, especially for residents who live near patches of grasslands, the cogonal areas, and our remaining tree farms and forests. All these are in danger.

We can only suggest that the city help cut down and dispoase of tall grasses in empty lots, that will help a lot. The barangays can also gather their people to do the same. Grass fires, after all, can start at just one flick of a lighted cigarette and spread fast. Let the residents keep tabs of where the empty lots full of cogon are, and encourage them to keep watch if not help clean these areas up.

The greater danger is in forest fires as we all know that growing back forests take time. We can still recall how fires ate up a substantial area of Marilog District more than a decade ago, again because of El Nino. We cannot let this happen again as Marilog and neighboring districts like Calinan and Baguio Districts stand as the citys lungs and rain-maker. The remaining greeneries and fruit farms there continue to provide us the valuable ground and surface water and the moisture that generates rain for all.

Let it be known to all that the danger of such fires is real and let each resident take upon themselves to be the guardian of their neighborhood.

Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on March 28, 2015.

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Editorial: Keeping an eye out for everyone

Glendale High football players warm up on artificial turf before a game on Thursday, October 16, 2014. (Roger Wilson / Staff Photographer / March 27, 2015)

During a school board meeting on Tuesday, Glendale Unified Supt. Dick Sheehan recommended to the school board that the district continue to use artificial turf fields made up of crumb rubber, which is composed largely of recycled tire material.

School officials initially switched to using crumb-rubber fields about a decade ago to reduce the cost of watering and re-seeding the grass.

But in late 2014, an NBC News report told the story of a college soccer coachwho created a list of American soccer players nationwide, all of whom had played on crumb-rubber fields and had been diagnosed with cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia.

The news report concerned local parents, who told the Glendale school board that their children bring home bits of rubber in their clothes and that their faces and hands are filthy after playing on the material.

In response, Glendale school officials hired GeoSyntec to analyze the health risk of the crumb-rubber samples from Glendale fields according to standards laid out by both the U.S. and California Environmental Protection Agencies.

What we found was the crumb-rubber material that we currently use actually came out below the standards, said Alan Reising, director of facilities for Glendale Unified.

With the testing of the fields complete, Sheehan said the school district did its due diligence in closely examining the fields.

Its going to be the superintendents recommendation that we remain with the same filler weve been using, he said.

Read the rest here:
Schools likely to stick with crumb rubber turf

It sure seems like we have had a long winter, dont you think? I am thankful for the sunshine and the warming days! Except now is when my phone rings off the hook with lawn questions and especially about crabgrass. Let me save you a phone call and tell you all you ever wanted to know about crabgrass in one short article. Do call me if you have questions but, here is good information to get you started.

Buying crabgrass preventers is a little like buying laundry products. It used to be simple, soap, softener, and bleach. Now, there are so many combinations its mind boggling. Bleach that is color safethat makes me go - huh?

Crabgrass is a summer annual grass that germinates in the spring and dies with the frost in the fall. Hot, dry environments, like Kansas summers, encourage crabgrass because cool-season lawns are struggling at that time. Crabgrass will often take over if the lawn is not well taken care of. A healthy lawn is always the best weed preventer.

There are two chemical methods to control crabgrass: preemergence (before it appears or slightly after), and post-emergence (after it appears).

Preemergence products dont actually keep the seed from germinating, instead just after germination the new plant absorbs the chemical from the soil and dies. With few exceptions, most crabgrass preventers will have no effect on existing crabgrass plants. Crabgrass germinates when the soil reaches 55 degrees or warmer for 3-5 days at the inch level. This happens typically around May 1 so April 15 is a good date to shoot for if a spring application of product is made. Note: not all spring weather cooperates with gardeners. A good indicator for timing product application is to watch the Eastern Red Bud trees; when they begin to reach full bloom its time to apply crabgrass preventer.

Dimension and Barricade are the only two products that will give season-long control of crabgrass from a single application. In fact, they can be applied much earlier than April 15. Dimension can be applied as early as March 1 and Barricade can be applied in the fall. Both will retain their effectiveness. Because of the way these products work (killing seed as it germinates) new grass seed can not be planted during the same season.

If you need to plant grass seed in the spring (fall is the better time) here are a couple options:

Tupersan can be applied while seeding. It will allow the grass seed to germinate while preventing crabgrass and various other weeds. The draw back is that it must be reapplied in 8 weeks and is not overly effective as a weed preventer.

I prefer allowing grass seed to germinate and two weeks after it emerges from the soil applying Dimension. Dimension is one of the rule breakers because it can kill crabgrass at germination and in its very young stage (2-3 leaves). Dimension is also the best choice when treating a lawn that was planted last fall. It is kind to young tall fescue, perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass seedlings.

Note: Products that contain Dimension and Barricade may use the common name rather than the trade name. The common chemical name for Dimension is dithiopyr. A product with this in it is Turf & Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper by Hi-Yield. The common chemical name for Barricade is prodiamine. This is found more often in a weed and feed product like Fertilomes All Seasons Lawn Food + Crabgrass Preventer. (It is best for your lawns health to apply preventers in April and fertilizers in May so using Barricade in the fall is a good idea.)

Continue reading here:
At Home Living: Holding back the crabgrass invasion

OBITUARY: Frank Clement Crofts, 1925-2014

FRANK Crofts was a distinguished agricultural scientist and inspiring university teacher whose career achieved huge savings in fuel and water for Australian croppers.

His achievements on the NSW North Coast, the North West and on the Central Tablelands represented breakthroughs for farm soil fertility and crop and pasture productivity.

Born on February 27, 1925, the son of farming parents Arthur and Lila Crofts, he grew up in Blayney, attending the local primary school, then Kinross Wolaroi School in Orange, before serving in Townsville and New Guinea with the Royal Australian Air Force from 1942 as a radar operator.

As a returned serviceman he received a Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scholarship to attend the University of Sydney in 1947, where he met Lucinda Wyndham, a demonstrator in agricultural botany and genetics.

After graduating with a bachelor of science in agriculture with first class honours, he and Lucinda married in 1952.

Between 1951 and 1954 he worked on pasture decline on the Far North Coast as a Department of Agriculture research agronomist on secondment to the University of Sydney, becoming keenly interested in conservation and no-tillage agriculture - at least 20 years ahead of his time.

Together with pasture agronomist Ernest Breakwell and Harold Jenkins, Frank Crofts was largely responsible for developing the practice of sowing legumes into uncultivated pastures to lift grazing productivity - a practice now known as sod-seeding.

This led to the university's patent of a sod-seeder designed with a unique chisel seeding boot, built under licence by Grasslands and widely used as a basis for conservation farming.

Grasslands sold about 500 units in the first production year, 1954.

Continue reading here:
Frank Crofts: a pioneer in his field

Now that the snow has melted from my yard I can see some problems. In some areas, the grass is matted down, and in the morning sun it shines and shimmers like it is covered with spider webs. Is this an insect problem? Is there something I should do to correct it, or is my grass dead? Thanks for your help. Lou, Racine.

Spring arrives in a big wet mess in our yards some years, and after the constant snow cover the spring melt reveals lots of unpleasantness. Challenges that might greet you include vole tracks (1-inch wide runways through the grass), yellow spots (do you have a dog?), and matted grass with either sliminess or white patches on the surface.

Shimmery patches of white, spider-web type of growth on your lawn is not an insect issue, nor a spider or mite issue, but a fungal disease called snow mold. There are two types, gray and pink, but what I am seeing mostly is gray snow mold. The bad news is that it is not a very attractive disease, and makes your lawn look a bit slimy. The good news is that it is easily remedied by light raking of the grass but even if you dont rake, the grass will recover.

The snow mold only thrives under the cool, moist protective layer of snow. Once the snow melts and the grass (and the fungal organism) is subjected to the warm, bright sun the fungi will die. The damage, at that point, is done. But the damage is only on the grass blades and should not affect the crown of the plant where new growth emerges. If the patches are raked to loosen the matted grass, sunlight and air will penetrate to the crown more quickly, allowing a faster recovery. If the grass is not raked, new grass will eventually push through the matted grass after a little more time.

It is always a good idea to correctly identify your problem before trying to fix it. In this case, no treatment is needed, which means you save money, time and the environment by not purchasing and applying either an insecticide or a fungicide. Creating a healthy lawn through proper maintenance goes a long way in reducing chemical input and minimizing damage.

The snow apparently was covering up some lawn problems, I have runways of dead grass all through my yard, there are brown stripes running all over. When I can I seed these areas and get my lawn greened up again? Deb, Caledonia.

Voles (also known as meadow mice) can do a lot of damage to the lawn when we have snow cover. They love snow as it gives them protection from hawks, coyotes, dogs, and cats, who all think voles are fabulous food. As voles run through your grass under the snow they feed on any and all available plants and insects. Through that process they make tracks in your lawn. If you follow their trails you will find one of their favorite winter snacks, the tender bark of your small ornamental trees and shrubs.

Voles can kill trees and shrubs if the chewed bark encircles the plant. When spring arrives and buds are breaking, watch those plants at the end of the vole trails to see if they bud out. If not, it could be that damage right at the soil line is severe enough to kill the plant.

Next year consider using hardware cloth (a wire mesh that can be used to cage plants or protect the base of tree trunks) to surround your trees and shrubs worthy of protection. This year consider the meadow mouse habitat and change some of your landscape habits to discourage them from making your landscape their happy home. If you have an evergreen ground cover like pachysandra or creeping juniper, you may have a perfect environment for voles. If the damage is severe, you might want to trap and kill the voles to reduce their population.

The damage to the lawn should repair itself in time if proper healthy lawn care practices are used. If seeding is needed, wait until May when the soil is a bit warmer to seed the damaged areas.

More:
The Root of it All: Snow mold in the lawn

Cedar Grove Baseball players and coaches at last seasons opening ceremonies at Victory Road Park. Photo by Bill Forry

Cedar Grove Baseball has linked up with two of the nations leading youth baseball organizations this year, an innovation that league organizers hope will boost their player development and enrollment in the coming years.

The new affiliations with the Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken programs will give Cedar Grove access to higher-quality safety and training sessions and open up new lanes of competition with the potential to compete in regional and national tournaments.

The league is currently enrolling players from Dorchester and Mattapan with hopes of increasing their base of players by 10 percent this year. The league plays on city and state ball fields in Neponset, Cedar Grove, and Lower Mills. The season begins in mid-April and parents are encouraged to sign up their children as young as age 4 by the end of this month.

Were certainly going to enhance our outreach and we hope more and more young people realize that there are opportunities to play baseball here in Dorchester, said Cedar Grove Baseball president Charlie Maneikis. Part of the boards decision is that we now have a brand awareness with Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken that can help with that.

Aside from new uniforms that will include new identities with the affiliate leagues, Maneikis says that parents and players will see a difference right away in the pre-season preparations. There will be training sessions held at the Marina Bay Sports Complex, an indoor facility that Cedar Grove used on three occasions last year to help prepare players and coaches. This year, Maneikis said, there will be seven workout and practice sessions held at Marina Bay.

Over the next few years, one additional tangible change that will become present in our offerings as a result of our new affiliation will be more specialized skill building clinics, said Maneikis. By leveraging the terrific videos that are now available to us and by being connected to teams and resources throughout Eastern Mass, we will be able to create very focused, creative, and fun skill-building clinics. We did survey our parents this year during the registration process, and as a result, we know that parents are very much interested in these potential offerings.

Another important off-season development is a planned makeover for the Dorchester Park ball field that serves the youngest Cedar Grove players in the clinic divisions. The city of Boston using a grant from a private foundation plans to spend $35,000 on a mini-facelift of the Dot Bowl next month. The funding comes through the Boston Parks and Recreation, courtesy of the Highland Foundation and the Boston Red Sox.

The kids are gonna love it! said Maneikis. Renovations will create an actual look and feel of a small diamond with new clay and actual base paths.

Meanwhile, Maneikis said, the Cedar Grove league itself will spend another $5,000 this season on seeding and treating the grass at the ball fields they use. Thats on top of $5,000 spent on the same treatment last year. The idea of the lawn chemical and re-seeding program is to enhance the good work thats already being done by the guys and gals from the city and the DCR. It should mean even earlier greening and thicker grass.

See the article here:
New season, affiliations for Cedar Grove Baseball league

Originally published March 16, 2015 at 6:07 PM | Page modified March 16, 2015 at 6:57 PM

Eastern Washington coach Jim Hayford already had told the story many times Monday by the time I got to him, but you wouldnt know it from the genuine wonder still to be heard in his voice.

Hayford spoke of intently watching the NCAA tournament selection show for 30 years, of painstakingly making up his own bracket as a youngster so he could fill in the names. How he had to write fast, because in the early days, there was no Internet to double-check the teams once they were read off.

When the name Eastern Washington, the team Im coaching, came up there, it was a surreal moment, Hayford said.

You want to know something else that is surreal? That the two teams from the state of Washington to make the NCAA tournament this year are separated by a mere 18 miles, an unlikely hoops hotbed in eastern Washington.

Seattle might churn out Division I players, but right now, with the Huskies in a rut and Seattle University still trying to make its mark, Spokane County is where its at.

The rise of Gonzaga, of course, is an old story, but no less notable building a basketball powerhouse out of thin air in Spokane and then sustaining it for 17 consecutive NCAA bids.

The Zags story line has shifted over time, from the lovable little upstarts to a team that is perceived as having underachieved in the postseason. Current coach Mark Few has never made a regional final, let alone a Final Four; this year, the Zags have another highly touted squad that will bring a No. 2 seeding into its South Regional game Friday against North Dakota State at KeyArena.

I feel bad for Mark at times, said his good friend, Ray Giacoletti. People always talk about the Final Four, but thats about being fortunate, getting on a run at the right time, other teams getting beat. The landscape of 17 in a row, sustaining something like that, is the most remarkable story in college basketball.

And Eastern, located just a few freeway stops away on I-90, would love to approach that kind of continuity. After racking up a school-record 26 wins and knocking off Montana in the Big Sky final, the Eagles drew a No. 13 seed and will open the tournament Thursday in Portland against fourth-seeded Georgetown.

See the rest here:
Gonzaga, Eastern Washington make Spokane area an unlikely hoops hotbed

ABI Force - Command Series - Zero Turn Multitask Vehicle
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ABI Force - Command Series - Zero Turn Multitask Vehicle - Video

Especially given recent temperatures in the 80s, it might seem safe to assume that we have seen our last frost for the winter of 2015. But this being the month of March in Eastern North Carolina, its best to proceed toward April with some caution.

Freezing temperatures during the last week of March following days or weeks of mild weather is a familiar scenario if youve lived in the area for a while. And during my 28 years in Craven County, I can remember snow the first week of April, at least once.

Among other considerations, we should be careful about planting tomatoes, peppers and other warm season vegetables or annuals too early. Buying early for good selection is a great idea, but you dont have to actually plant things in the garden right away. Consider holding these plants in containers in a sunny spot, so that they can be moved into a shelter overnight if a freeze is expected. And remember that temperatures as high as 41 degrees Fahrenheit can subject tomatoes to chilling injury, which in turn can affect growth and fruit set for potentially the rest of the season (and peppers are even more cold sensitive).

Looking at March from a different perspective, we should move ahead with seeding new lettuce, mustard, radish and turnips as soon as possible, so as to sneak in one last crop before hot weather arrives. And if the weather turns out to be unseasonably warm for the rest of March and into early April, these late plants may be in for a bit of a rough ride. Potatoes also need to be set as soon as possible.

As always during March and April, weve been fielding a number of inquiries regarding fertilization of centipedegrass and the use of weed and feed products. Centipedegrass lawns are definitely starting to show some green foliage now, and theres always a temptation to go ahead and fertilize so as to push the lawn into greenup a little faster.

We strongly discourage fertilizing centipedegrass during March and April, and suggest waiting until around the end of May or early June. Since centipedegrass root systems have mostly died back and are starting over at greenup, fertilizer uptake will be very inefficient. Obviously, the portion of applied fertilizer not taken up by the lawn and the weeds will be lost to the environment.

Early season nitrogen that is taken up by your centipedegrass lawn will primarily have the effect of making it more susceptible to Rhizoctonia large patch disease. Furthermore, if we do have a late freeze which admittedly doesnt seem to be in the picture for this year centipedegrass lawns that were fertilized early will be more prone to cold damage. Finally, the case can be made that nitrogen applied in early spring will have the effect of pushing shoot growth at the expense of the recovering root system. Among other consequences, this increases the likelihood of iron deficiency and resulting streaks or patches of yellow (chlorotic) grass.

Regarding weed and feed, perhaps the best answer we can give is that these products are fine on centipedegrass if you apply them in late May or June, and if the fertilizer grade matches the needs of your lawn as determined by soil test results.

Tom Glasgow is the Craven County Extension director. Contact him at tom_glasgow@ncsu.edu.

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Tom Glasgow: Dont underestimate winters last hurrah

Published: 12 Mar 2015 11:30

A NEW grass pitch at a 1.5m football complex in Greenock is diseased and flooded before a ball has even been kicked, says a local councillor.

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Inverclyde Councils redevelopment of Rankin Park has been marred by delays but now there are claims the project is in disarray due to drainage and turfing problems.

Local authority SNP group leader Chris McEleny says he has received a number of reports from people that the 1.5m complex is a disaster and he has pressed officials for an explanation at a meeting of the education and communities committee on Wednesday.

Construction work is still to be completed on site and council officers have admitted there are a number of issues, but they say it should be ready for amateur teams for the next football season.

Despite assurances that turfing the pitch would create a better end product instead of seeding it, Cllr McEleny says he has been told that large areas of the park are dying from disease already and that the park is badly flooded with newly installed drainage at fault.

He said: Ive had reports that the drainage just isnt working and the turfing of the new pitch has been a disaster.

I have requested a site visit with council officials so that we can ascertain if reactive measures are indeed required as feared.

To be perfectly blunt I think people are getting fed up of public money being spent on facilities only to see more money required to fix problems that shouldnt have been there in the first place.

Excerpt from:
1.5m Rankin Park football complex is a 'disaster'