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Spring Kickoff for Landscapers: UMass Extension's Landscape Education Days

Event date/time: 
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 - 8:30am to 12:15pm
Wednesday, March 30, 2022 - 8:30am to 12:15pm
Event Type: 
Online
Price: 
To attend BOTH days: $95/pp; $86/pp when registering 3 or more from the same company.
To attend ONE day: $75/pp; $68/pp when registering 3 or more from the same company.

Sustainable landscaping uses multiple management strategies that seek to reduce negative impacts on the environment while maintaining aesthetically pleasing landscapes. Join us via GoToWebinar to learn management strategies and practices that you can implement to provide beautiful, functional and environmentally friendly lawns and landscapes for your customers.  Attendees can choose to attend either of these half-day sessions, or both days. 

Pesticide & Professional Credits

Pesticide credit:

  • For Tues. March 29, 2 pesticide contact hours for categories 29, 36, Dealers, and Applicators License.
  • For Wed. March 30, 2 pesticide contact hours for categories 37, Dealers, and Applicators License.

Association credits:  1 MCH, 1 MCA, and 1 MCLP available for each day.  2 ISA credits for Day 1 (3/29) only.


Agenda

DAY 1: TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2022 - WOODY ORNAMENTALS TOPICS

8:30 AM 2022 Forecast for Insect Pests of Trees and Shrubs 
Tawny Simisky, UMass Extension Entomologist
One thing is certain - there will be insects feeding on trees and shrubs in 2022. What becomes more complex is predicting which will have the broadest impact geographically or the damage they might cause on high value host plants in our landscapes this season. This presentation will discuss updates and the biology, monitoring/identification, and management of insects that have been at the forefront of our attention in recent years, both native and invasive. 
9:45 AM Boxwood Blight Identification and Management in the Landscape
Dr. Angela Madeiras, UMass Extension Plant Pathologist and Diagnostician
This presentation will explore the biology and life cycle of the boxwood blight pathogen as well as disease identification. Discussion will include cultural and chemical management techniques for boxwood blight in nurseries and landscape plantings. 
11:00 AM Gardens That Rock! – Creating and Maintaining Gravel Gardens
Jeff Epping, Director of Horticulture, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison, Wisconsin
Gravel gardens provide exciting options for sustainable gardening. Earth-friendly gravel gardens require less of just about everything – water, mulch, energy, chemicals and most importantly labor – but give back so much more.  Jeff Epping created a number of gravel gardens at Olbrich, corporate campuses, and in his own home garden that you can easily incorporate into your landscapes as well. Don’t confuse these gardens with traditional rock or alpine gardens that can look more rocky than green and require a great deal of time to maintain. These sustainable gravel gardens are as colorful as any perennial planting around, provide food and habit for pollinators and other insects, and require up to 80% less maintenance than a traditional perennial planting. Jeff will show you how to replace expensive annual plantings and labor-intensive perennial beds with these easy-to-maintain gravel gardens, just as he’s done at Olbrich and elsewhere. 

 

DAY 2: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2022 - TURF TOPICS

8:30 AM Understanding and Preventing Turf Herbicide Injury 
Randy Prostak, UMass Extension Weed Specialist
In terms of unwanted things that might happen, herbicide injury often ranks among the top concerns. Specific steps, however, can greatly reduce the potential for herbicide injury to turf and adjacent landscapes. This presentation will focus on reasons why herbicide injury can occur and provide helpful strategies to deter unwanted outcomes. 
9:45 AM Optimizing Use of Plant Growth Regulators and Plant Health Products in Lawn Care
Dr. Michelle DaCosta, Associate Professor and Plant Physiologist, UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Plant growth regulators and plant health products such as wetting agents and biostimulants are modern tools that can enable reducing and conserving inputs while enhancing turf performance. More common on highly-managed golf courses and sports fields, interest in their use for maintenance of lawns and grounds has increased in recent years. This presentation will cover material specifics, modes of action, potential responses at the plant and system level, as well as discussion of where and when use of these compounds might make sense in lawn and grounds settings.
11:00 AM Turf Water Management and Water Conservation
Dr. Scott Ebdon, Turf Agronomist and Professor, UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture
Where the objective is to sustain growth and green color of cool season lawn turf during the heat and drought stress of summer, supplemental irrigation is often a necessity. At the same time, protection and conservation of water resources are paramount, and water use restrictions are a more common reality.  Dr. Ebdon will outline approaches to maximize turfgrass quality with minimal water inputs using such techniques as turfgrass selection, tracking turfgrass water use and moisture status, plant and soil management, irrigation timing, and more.
Contact's name: 
Ellen Weeks
Contact's email: 
Contact's phone on day of event: 
(413) 545-0895
This event will be recorded: 
No