Integrative Pest Management is an objective & dynamic pest management decision-making tool involving the selection, integration, and implementation of pest control based on predicted economic, ecological, and sociological consequences. This December 4 Berkshire Botanical Garden online presentation from 5:30 – 7:30 will review the components and steps involved in implementing an IPM program. Online registration for this program is temporarily unavailable. Please call 413 354-8410 to register.
This Berkshire Botanical Garden course on Plant Health Care meets for 4 weeks on Tuesdays, November 27 – December 18, 5:30 – 8:30 pm in the Education Center at the garden in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Look at factors that affect plant health care, including insects, diseases, pathogens, and abiotic influences. Basic diagnostic techniques will be taught. Learn to minimize potential problems through proper site preparation, plant selection, and placement. Managing problems using biological, chemical, and cultural techniques will be discussed with a focus on IPM (integrated pest management).
BBG Members: $175, Non-Members: $185. Register online at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/plant-health-care
An Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPM) is a tool for plant professionals to control pests in a timely, safe, and efficient manner and is a vital component in producing and maintaining healthy plants and landscapes. An IPM plan includes several aspects: sanitation and prevention, conservation, and augmentation methods using beneficial organisms. Traditionally, IPM plans also include the judicious use of chemical pesticides when all else fails. In this webinar, Alexis will discuss the negative effects of chemicals on beneficial insects and will evaluate other options such as OMRI certified and ‘safer’ products that can be incorporated as a last resort. This webinar will explore and discuss the components of an IPM plan and explain the basics of how to design an IPM plan tailored to individual needs.
The Ecological Landscape Alliance will host a webinar on Monday, March 19 from 12:30 – 1:30 pm EST, free to ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-developing-comprehensive-integrative-pest-management-ipm-plan/
Alexis Doshas is a graduate of the Environmental Studies Department at Antioch University New England with a concentration in Conservation Biology. She ran a small organic gardening business for over a decade and worked with Safe Harbor Environmental Services as a restoration associate. She is a field researcher in a long-term NSF-funded study on the effects and mitigation of chronic atmospheric deposition of N on heathland communities of Cape Cod, MA. Currently, Alexis is the Propagator and Facilities Coordinator at New England Wild Flower Society’s Nasami Farm, where their mission is to conserve and promote the region’s native plants to ensure healthy, biologically diverse landscapes. Alexis’ interests include landscape ecology, soil ecology, nutrient processes, field research, sustainable agriculture, forest medicinal plants, and climate change. Her professional and personal goal is to serve the processes that contribute to a balanced ecosystem, both in the scientific and social disciplines.
This Massachusetts Horticultural Society August 10 outdoor workshop (from 7 – 8:30 at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley) will review the common practices used for identifying insect and disease problems on common garden plants with suggested IPM and organic controls. Instructor Bruce Wenning will focus will be on insect pests. We will search for pests and pest damage in the garden.
Bruce Wenning is the horticulturist at The Country Club, Brookline, and has been have been serving on the Board of Directors for the Ecological Landscaping Alliance since 2003. He specializes in plant pest diagnostics, insect taxonomy and iecological landscaping consultation.
MHS Members: $12; General Admission: $20. Register at www.masshort.org.
According to NASA scientists, in the United States more surface area is covered by lawn than by any other single irrigated crop. Traditionally managed lawns are resource-heavy, requiring irrigation, fertilizer, and pesticides to thrive in our climate. Despite the “costs” lawns and turf are a predominant feature of the landscape and are valued for recreation as well aesthetics. With growing environmental awareness along with new regulations, it is imperative that responsible homeowners as well as lawn and turf professionals manage lawns and turf in the most ecological manner. Following emerging best practices, it’s possible to create healthy lawns and turf that are functional and aesthetic and are managed in a way that eliminates negative impact on health and the environment, meets regulatory guidelines, and is cost effective.
When considering ecological lawns, one solution that is gaining momentum is to reduce or remove lawns in favor or more biodiverse alternatives. On Tuesday, July 25, at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, from 1 – 5, join New England Wild Flower Society for a full afternoon of lectures.
Ecological Lawns – No Longer an Inferior Compromise by Joe Magazzi (Not Yet Confirmed)
Joe Magazzi from Green Earth Ag & Turf will discuss best practices for ecological lawns including updates on organic fertility, with a focus on using soil biology to reduce fertilizer inputs. He will also briefly cover advances in biologicals for lawn disease and pest control. Organics and IPM are no longer a compromise, this is quickly becoming the best practice.
How Do Plant Nutrient Regulations Affect Me? by Mary Owen
Developing and implementing a soil and nutrient management program based on best management practices is critical to the proper management of turf with environmental protection, natural resource preservation, and economic viability as priorities. Regulations regarding the sale, use, and application of fertilizer and nutrients on non-agricultural turf and in the landscape have been enacted by many states and communities. Mary Owen will provide an overview of how the new legislation impacts homeowners and landscape practitioners and will discuss strategies for implementing best nutrient management practices for turf with protection of water resources as the priority.
Protecting Pollinators – Proposed Legislation: Information and Impact by Dan Bensonoff (Not Yet Confirmed)
What are neonicotinoids and how are they currently regulated? Neonicotinoids are a synthetic form of nicotine that attacks receptors in insects’ nervous systems. Unfortunately, this broad-spectrum (harmful to most insects), systemic (taken up by all plant parts, including roots and flowers), and persistent pesticide (sticks around in the environment for a long time) is also harming our pollinators. The European Union suspended most uses of these pesticides in 2013 but the US EPA opted to allow current uses of neonicotinoids to continue while it conducts reviews through 2019. Proposed Massachusetts legislation H.4187 would regulate Neonicotinoids including: mandatory applicator training/certification, application timing, establishment of a commission to investigate pollinator health, and notification of pollinator risk to property owners. Dan Bensonoff from NOFA will discuss the proposed legislation including the ways that this would protect pollinators.
Kill Your Lawn by Mark Richardson
Even if sustainable lawn management is being used, fuel for power mowers, toxic emissions, water consumption, and your weekend time are all part of the cost of lawn maintenance. Mark Richardson introduces us to an ecological approach that is gaining momentum, to reduce the size or eliminate lawns. Smaller lawns that are replaced with more biodiverse native plants can benefit the environment while saving time, energy, and expense. Aesthetically appealing and ecological alternatives include native groundcovers, meadows, and mixed gardens with perennial and shrubs.
$30 for NEWFS members, $40 for nonmembers. Register online at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/alternatives-to-traditional-lawns.
This Berkshire Botanical Garden lecture on growing garlic by local garden guru Ron Kujawski—comes on Wednesday, October 12 from 10 – noon, just in time for planting a garlic crop. Ron will inspire, entertain, and inform gardeners about how to grow the best garlic in town. Each student will go home with a selection of cloves of Ron’s favorite picks for Berkshire County and the local environs. Ron will cover the subject from clove to scape, from selecting varieties and optimal growing conditions, to planting and cultivation, as well as curing and storage. Attendees will be given insight into growing other allium species, including shallots, leeks and onions.
Ron Kujawski is the former Landscape and Nursery Specialist for UMass Cooperative Extension. He is a garden writer, educator, and researcher in IPM, plant nutrition, and soil science. He teaches for the horticultural industry throughout New England. BBG members $20, nonmembers $25. Register online at https://berkshirebotanical.org/education/lectures-and-workshops/
UMass Amherst’s The Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment will hold IPM Field Walks on Tuesdays, July 19 and August 2 beginning at 4 pm at Alprilla Farm (below) , 94 John Wise Avenue in Essex. In this series, learn to identify and scout for vegetable pests and select integrated pest management strategies that work for you, whether you are an experienced farmer, a home gardener, or just starting out, organically certified or not! We will use pheromone traps to monitor pests, use a microscope to identify plant pathogens, and learn to scout in multiple vegetable crops with UMass Extension Vegetable Program staff Katie Campbell-Nelson, and Plant Diagnostician Angie Madeiras. Scouting will be followed by a discussion of effective control strategies with growers in attendance. Bring a hand lens if you have one. Supported in part by funding provided by USDA-NIFA Extension Implementation Program, Award No. 2014-70006-22579 – See more at: https://ag.umass.edu/events/ipm-field-walk-0#sthash.SBA70sKO.dpuf
Visit two remarkable garden gems in the lower Litchfield Hills of Connecticut with the Berkshire Botanical Garden on Tuesday, August 2 from 10 – 12:30. One large and one small, both filled with inspiration. First, in the morning, the tour will meet head gardener Greg Bollard for an insider’s view of Maywood Gardens, pictured, a private estate located in Bridgewater, on the southernmost edge of Litchfield County. In this garden, classic architecture combines with traditional garden style, as the garden beds and borders unfold across the property and link to Maywood’s panoramic view of the Berkshire foothills. The formally structured gardens surrounding the main residence lead out to more naturalized gardens and woodland trails. Additionally, various production gardens and an extensive greenhouse are integrated into the 40-acre landscape, providing fresh-cut flowers, vegetables, and field crops, which are available for sale at the Bridgewater Village Store. Greg will share how the Maywood staff work to prioritize sound agricultural practices and stewardship of the land that encourage wildlife through the use of IPM (Integrated Pest Management), bee-keeping, and the planting of an array of berry-producing species to attract birds to the garden’s bluebird trail.
From Maywood, the tour travels north to the garden of Peter Wooster, a revered jewel-of-a-garden in Roxbury, Connecticut, that has been long-admired for its intimate design and incredible collection of plants. Rob Girard, gardener extraordinaire (and a contributor to BBG’s Contained Exuberance show this summer) will take us on a tour through this four-square garden. Begun more than 25 years ago as a collector’s garden by architect and landscape designer Peter Wooster, the original guiding principle was “We’ll take one of everything”. Over time it became recognized for its great plantsmanship and unusual perennials, shrubs, annuals, and exotics, as well as for its simple but elegant architectural form. Covering only a half acre, there are six large, rectangular beds framed by grass paths with a border that ties it all together. The paths serve to contain the mixed English border-style plantings that have been referred to as ‘a botanical zoo’. Over the years, the maturing trees and shrubs have turned what was once a mostly sunny perennial garden into a mostly woody garden with a change in scale and light. The plantings have evolved to support the changing conditions, fostering the garden’s diversity while continuing to be of great interest to visitors and still maintaining its primacy as an organizing point for this artful collector’s garden.
BBG members $40, nonmembers $50. Register online at https://berkshirebotanical.org/education/field-trips/
The University of Massachusetts Extension will sponsor a seminar in Insect Pests & Diseases of Apples – And How to Manage Them on Saturday, May 3, from 10 – 1 at Tangerini’s Spring Street Farm, 139 Spring Street in Millis. The class will be led by Dan Cooley and Jon Clements. One of the most challenging thing about growing your own fruit is knowing how to identify the insect pests and diseases that might afflict them. Learn the basics of pest and disease identification and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in the home orchard. Hands-on, scouting, monitoring, placement of traps, etc. will be covered. $50 fee. Register on line at https://classic.regonline.com/builder/site/?eventid=1460640. Image by Jon Clements.
This Berkshire Botanical Garden presentation on Saturday, April 12, from 1 – 3, is designed to help you understand the various types of tomatoes, the best time to start them from seed and when to set them out. The pros and cons of different methods of growing will be discussed. In-season care, including mulching and pruning along with pest and disease control, will be described, as will harvesting and methods of preservation. Students will learn proper handling and transplanting of tomato seedlings via hands-on activities.
Ron Kujawski, Ph.D. is the former Landscape and Nursery Specialist for UMass Cooperative Extension. He is a garden writer, educator and researcher in IPM, plant nutrition and soil science. He teaches for the horticultural industry throughout New England. BBG member price $30, non-members $35. Sign up at www.berkshirebotanical.org or call 413-298-3926 x 15.
