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Barrie Advance

Its an unfortunate reality. Where there are lawns, there are insects. These pests can wreak havoc on your lawns, and destroy your plants and flowers. Pest control is an important part of effective lawn maintenance, and its important to deal with any problems, sooner rather than later.

One particularly annoying pest is the grub. Grubs are a problem for many lawns. They burrow deep in your soil for the winter, and return in spring, where they become a source of food for raccoons and skunks. By summer, grub eggs hatch, and the bugs eat the roots of your grass. This will damage your lawn!

However, with new regulations in effect since April 2009, the most common grub treatment, Merit, is no longer allowed to be used in Ontario. A great alternative is Nematodes, which specialize in controlling soil insects. It is less toxic than table salt, and is not harmful to humans, pets, worms, or birds. Typically applied during peak grub season, which is August through October; Nematodes help to control grubs all season, and prevent more eggs from growing. While they may not control 100 per cent of the grub issue, Nematodes are the only option currently allowed by law. Grub treatment is a minimum three year program.

Its also important to repair any damage by overseeding thin areas. Late fall is the best time for overseeding; however it may also be done in the spring. This may be combined with aeration for optimal results. Keep a watchful eye throughout the season, and contact your lawn care provider, such as Turf King as soon as you notice an issue.

For all your lawn, pest control, tree, and shrub needs, contact Turf King. Turf King has been keeping lawns healthy for more than 50 years. With its team of skilled professionals who are dedicated to providing the best in customer service and quality lawn-care, Turf Kings experts can deal with any lawn issues, including grubs and other pests. They are also up-to-date on the latest legislative and regulatory requirements. Visit Turf Kings website for more information.

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Treat grub control problems right away

Julian Lopez | photo from Cook County Sheriff's office

storyidforme: 64846860 tmspicid: 23219036 fileheaderid: 11309418

Updated: April 11, 2014 10:16PM

Four people have been charged with beating and robbing an Oak Lawn man last Sunday in an unincorporated area of Palos Township, according to Cook County sheriffs police.

The 19-year-old victim met a woman and was led to a garage in the 12900 block of 83rd Court, where at least three men beat him with a metal object, kicked him and stole cash from him, police said.

They said the attackers left, and the man went to a hospital for treatment of his injuries where police were called.

An investigation of the incident led to charges of robbery and aggravated battery against Julian Lopez, 23, and Alex Ryan, 22, both of Worth; Manuel Juarez, 24, of Burbank; and Nicoletta Tzinares, 18, of Palos Park, sheriffs police said.

Bail was set at $250,000 for Lopez; $300,000 for Ryan and $100,000 for Tzinares, who was released after posting a 10 percent bond. Juarez, who is also being held on a previous drug-related case, was ordered held without bail, police said.

Sun-Times Media Wire

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Four charged with beating, robbing Oak Lawn man

It seems people are getting a bit impatient for spring to arrive. Reports from the WSU Spokane County Master Gardener Clinic say folks are wondering why lawns havent greened up yet, when to uncover hibernating plants and why many ponderosa pines in the area are turningbrown.

To the first one. The early grasses are starting to green up. Unfortunately, most of them are the very cold tolerant bulbous and annual bluegrass and cheat grass at this point. These grasses will sprout and set seed before the middle of May and then go dormant. Lawn grasses like Kentucky bluegrass

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PAT MUNTS photo

Several fungi are infecting the regions ponderosa pines and causing older needles to turn brown this spring. The trees will shed the needles so there shouldnt be any long termdamage. (Full-size photo)

It seems people are getting a bit impatient for spring to arrive. Reports from the WSU Spokane County Master Gardener Clinic say folks are wondering why lawns havent greened up yet, when to uncover hibernating plants and why many ponderosa pines in the area are turningbrown.

To the first one. The early grasses are starting to green up. Unfortunately, most of them are the very cold tolerant bulbous and annual bluegrass and cheat grass at this point. These grasses will sprout and set seed before the middle of May and then go dormant. Lawn grasses like Kentucky bluegrass and the fescues generally dont start growing until the soil temperature reaches about 45 degrees. We are getting close to that; I measured 45 degrees in my raised beds last weekend. As we wait, now is a good time to apply an organic, slow release fertilizer to the lawn so it has some nutrients to get started. It is also a good time to aerate the lawn to allow that fertilize deep into thesoil.

Its probably safe to remove mulches from roses and perennials. Remove mulch carefully from the plants so you dont damage new shoots. Spread the mulch around the garden bed to reduce weeds. Lightly fertilize the perennials with a balanced all-purpose fertilizer. Trim back rose canes to green wood and remove thin and closely spaced canes so you have about four to six well-spaced canes in a fan shape. Remove any new growth below the graft point. This growth is from the root stock which characteristically produces rank growth and ugly flowers. Apply a good rose food and work it in gently to the surface of the soil so you dont disturb surfaceroots.

Many ponderosa pines in the region have developed brown needles over the winter. Take heart, they arent dying. According to local forestry experts, they have been infected with a series of fungi that are turning the older needles on a branch brown. If you look closely, you will see tiny black dots on the needles. This is a reaction to last springs cold, wet weather. Trees often take several months, even years to show a reaction to severe weather conditions. The trees will eventually shed the brown needles and continue growing so there is no need for a treatment of any kind other than a healthy dose ofpatience.

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Its time to green up those thumbs - Sat, 12 Apr 2014 PST

The Solaire
The Solaire, 20 River Terrace - New York, NY Design Architect: Cesar Pelli and Associates Landscape Architect: Balmori Associates, Inc. Green Roof: 15000 s....

By: American Hydrotech

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Mark Jenkins

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From his longtime home studio in Vermont, Dan Kiley could see low-slung mountains, rippling Lake Champlain and trees grouped thickly and randomly. But when the influential landscape architect went to work, he emulated not such natural vistas but the geometric layouts of both baroque and modernist France.

The Landscape Architecture Legacy of Dan Kiley, at the National Building Museum through May 18, celebrates the centenary of the designers 1912 birth; it also marks a decade since his 2004 death. The photographs in the exhibition showcase Kiley landscapes that abide, as well as ones that have been neglected or may be threatened.

The Boston-born Kiley served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and his assignments included designing the courtroom for the Nuremberg Trials. The most significant aspect of his time in Europe, however, was his exposure to the work of Andr le Ntre, who designed the Gardens of Versailles for Louis XIV.

Le Ntres formal style was a defining influence on Kiley and made the American a natural collaborator for architects who exemplified the rationalist, streamlined International Style. In his more than 900 designs, Kiley rarely arrayed water, grass and trees without using some sort of grid.

Dan Kiley at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Courtesy Aaron Kiley/Courtesy Aaron Kiley)

1. A methodical approach

Dan Kiley, in an undated photograph, stands at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Behind him is a methodical arrangement of square pools, the centerpiece of his design to both celebrate and contrast the schools flat, dry environment.

Banneker Park. Landscape design by Dan Kiley. (Frank Hallam Day; Courtesy The Cultural Landscape Foundation/Frank Hallam Day; Courtesy The Cultural Landscape Foundation)

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Dan Kileys landscapes

Architect Robert Hull, a co-founder of the Miller Hull Partnership LLC, died April 7 from complications related to a stroke suffered while he was on sabbatical in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He was 69 years old.

During his 46-year career, Hull had a significant impact on the architecture of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Along with numerous residences throughout the San Juan Islands, regional design credits include the Open Window, Epiphany, Bertschi and Bush Schools in Seattle, Conibear Shellhouse at the University of Washington, Seattle Pacific University Science Building and University Center for Performing Arts, Discovery Park Visitors Center and the Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center. In Oregon, his work includes the Tillamook Forest Center and Yaquina Interpretive Center on the Oregon Coast. He also led the design of waterfront developments in San Diego, including the Wharf and Pier 32 marinas.

"When you sat down for a design meeting with Bob, you had to be at the top of your game, whether you were an architect, an engineer or a landscape architect," says Craig Curtis, a Miller Hull partner who worked directly with Hull for 27 years. "But Bob challenged you in such a genuine and constructive way. It was a pleasure working with him."

Hull began his design career in the New York City office of Marcel Breuer. He and David Miller, whom he met while studying architecture at Washington State University, Pullman, formed the Seattle-based Miller Hull in 1977. The 66-person firm, which also has an office in San Diego, received the 2003 American Institute of Architects National Firm Award for "sustained design excellence."

Miller Hull has long been known for sustainable buildings. It is the architect for Bullitt Center, in Seattle, which was recently selected as the Editors' Choice among ENR's Top Projects of 2013. The year-old building is on deck to become the nation's first urban mid-rise speculative development to be certified under the International Living Future Institute's demanding sustainable-building rating system, called the Living Building Challenge.

"Bob possessed incredible talent, passion and compassion," says Jon D. Magnusson, a senior principal of structural engineer Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Seattle. "He will be missed by the design community and communities throughout the world."

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Architect Robert Hull, Co-founder of the Miller Hull Partnership, Dies at Age 69

By ZOE FERGUSON

Local developers and planners held the first public planning meeting Thursday for the proposed redevelopment of the unoccupied Emerson Power Transmission factory on South Aurora Street.

If completed, planners hope to turn the site of the approximately mile-long factory into a new Ithaca neighborhood called the Chain Works District, according to Julie Bargmann, founder of Dump It Right There Studio, a site design company.

Bargmann said she thinks there is a large amount of potential in redeveloping the factory.

Were pretty happy that its been affectionately called the sleeping giant, she said. Were kind of poking it to wake up.

The project to build the Chain Works District is being lead by Whitham Planning and Design, developer Unchained Properties and Dump It Right There Studio.

Bargmann said the team wants to celebrate the factory complexs industrial past and that she is looking to work with whats there to repurpose the factory.

The intention here is to work with whats there, to really use the evidence of the site histories and use adaptive reuse to bring the giant into being a friendly adaptive reuse to bring the giant thats awake again, Bargmann said.

Additionally, Bargman highlighted the factorys former glory and its potential to emerge as a vital part of the Ithaca community.

Morse Chain was, and now again can be, a really vital part of the community here, Bargmann said. This is a cultural landscape and it can be that way again this his site could come back alive.

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South Hill Factory Redevelopment Proposed

by Rintos Mail, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on April 12, 2014, Saturday

KUCHING: Native Customary Rights (NCR) landowners in Saratok are encouraged to participate in the Malaysian Palm Oil Boards (MPOB) oil palm mini-estate planting scheme.

Social Development Minister Tan Sri William Mawan said the scheme is the best opportunity for smallholders to develop their NCR land.

He called oil palm the best cash crop, saying its development is very reliable.

Although its capital outlay is quite substantial, the government, through the MPOB is doing its level best to help the people who want to develop their own land. The initiatives by the government I believe will enable the landowners to benefit from their customary asset, he said yesterday during a courtesy call by applicants from Saratok for the scheme.

The Saratok member of parliament, who endorsed his visitors application forms, said there is no acquisition of land under this scheme so the land and mini-estates would belong fully to the landowners.

He stressed that landowners need not worry about their land as there would be no land grab by the government as often alleged by some quarters.

MPOB, he explained, would only assist the landowners with aid in terms of land clearing, seedlings, fertilisers and pesticides.

The scheme is financed by MPOB, while the mini-estates belong to the landowners, said Mawan.

Saratok parliamentary constituency special affairs assistant officer Wilfred Empati said MPOB would assist each landowner with RM9,000 in kind per hectare, while each applicant must have at least 5ha to be eligible and the applications must be made in groups.

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NCR landowners asked to join oil palm scheme

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Residents of North Charleston's Deer Park seem to live in a state of constant vigilance; not against crime, but against repeated efforts to convert residential properties near University Boulevard into businesses.

In the latest dispute, which North Charleston City Council will discuss April 17, developers want to rezone a residential lot on Shadow Lane for a medical office building. They argue, and some city officials agree, that nobody would build a home there because the property is surrounded by businesses and institutions.

For neighborhood residents who are trying to keep businesses from intruding, it's a zoning Catch-22. While residents don't want the edge of their neighborhood becoming more commercial, they face an argument that some properties should be rezoned for businesses because nobody wants to live there because they are next to businesses.

"I drove over there today, and there is no way anyone would build a house on that lot," Councilwoman Rhonda Jerome said at a public hearing Thursday.

Residents fear a domino effect, and have been pressing city officials to maintain a "demarcation line" meant to keep businesses out of the neighborhood. Prior requests to rezone the same property on Shadow Lane have been denied or withdrawn.

"You know our stance," neighborhood association president Beth Evans told council members at the hearing. "We don't want to ruin the integrity of our (comprehensive) plan by crossing the demarcation line."

Any zoning issue can involve lots of legal language and technical jargon, but in the end it comes down to what a property owner can do with their land, and how that could impact the neighbors.

In the Shadow Lane case, the residential lot is surrounded on three sides by church-owned property. Churches are allowed on residential property - the churches didn't need rezoning - but their presence has created the argument that the neighboring land is no longer suitable for a home site. Trident Medical Center owns the other land adjacent to the residential lot.

Developer Robert Pratt, of Parkway Associates, said he was unaware of the demarcation line, but said the office building would be "unobtrusive" if allowed.

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Land-use disputes keep coming in North Charleston's Deer Park neighborhood

EDITOR: Wild nature and human nature are closely interwoven; eco-centrism and human-centrism are therefore one in the same. To take care of our species we must assure mutual protection for all others in order for the system to run efficiently; providing all stakeholders safe passage for generations to come.

These are the simple tenets of a conservation biologist that any first year student of the discipline can grasp. Some of you who just read that opening salvo probably hope Im not talking about the removal of a couple of trees - all 250 of them - so that our kids can play after school sports more comfortably at Bernards High School. Sorry to report thats exactly what Im referring to.

As a professional in the field of environmental science I gained an intimacy with the Bernards High Lower Field woodland last spring. I devoted an entire day of my life to its confines. Here is what I learned.

The site is a mixed deciduous forest type at the terminus of a much longer finger of greenway connected lands associated directly with the Great Swamps exceptional resource value ecosystem. I restricted myself to the footprint that is to be the extended field and the forested buffers that surround it.

Through direct observation and interpretation of natural signs I catalogued 23 bird species, seven species of mammals, two amphibians, one reptile, and 32 species of flora - trees not included. I also performed a survey of nocturnal invertebrate species on a warm May evening that same week.

This study resulted in an impressive tally: 73 species of moths and other insects all in one night! The latter treatment is a much better barometer of the overall ecologic health of this forest patch than are the diurnal species mentioned. Combined, however, the numbers should give even the most skeptical amongst us reason for pause.

I beg you all to focus on the fact that these were species found in one single day in May what about the rest of the year? What about the potential of the site to support species like maternity roosting endangered bats and migratory birds?

Not the dumb bats and birds again - we hear the eco-whackism retort all the time as conservation biologists: Save the panda bear as long as its not in an area slated for human-induced, conceived necessity.

Will the clearing of 250 trees thrust any of them into extinction? Of course not; what I concern myself with, and you should as well, is the fact that we nip and tuck at our environmental capital each and every day in this state.

This latest example of small scale land clearing is just one of hundreds that has happened this week alone in New Jersey. So whats the big deal about a little deforestation in the back of Kings?

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LETTER: Bville tree clearing: Death by a thousand cuts