Chris and Rob Maintenance Weekend Duty

            Our weekend duty started in Strathroy with our CLT testing for certification. The weather was great and allowed us to finish with sunny skies. We arrived at the college for our start of weekend duty at about 1:00 pm. We first met up with Jeff who told us to complete a circle check on the RTV, while he told the greenhouse students what their tasks were. After completing this we then went for a ride around the campus and had detailed explanations given to us for the tasks that are to be completed. We started at Saffrons restaurant patio around A building and started by thinning some Deutzias, some Spireas along with some Taxus that needed a little TLC. We removed some dead and dying foliage and cleaned up some stubs that had been left by previous students. This was an all-day task and our first half day of weekend duty was complete.

            We arrived on a gloomy Saturday morning with a major storm on the horizon J. In anticipation for this event we got right to it by removing two branches off the lilacs because we thought they were obstructing the light for night time security. After this we worked on the Euonymus fortunei 'Coloratus'. We pruned these by removing a lot of the dead undergrowth to help open up the plant. After this we decided to tackle the Berberis challenge….. this was fun. We decided to get this part of our weekend challenge done because of the upcoming weather. It paid off, after we pruned all of the Barberries at the front of the college we cleaned up the cuts because the shears are rough on the plants. We then raked up all of the debris and cleaned our work space and took a giant load of brush to the compost area. After this we drove back to the greenhouse and put the tools in the tractor bay so that we could take lunch. As we took lunch the storm came and covered everything in ice and a little bit of snow. After our lunch it was still storming a bit so we decided to let our stuff dry off a bit more and take some time and do some research into why the branches of barberries go flat, as told to by Jeff, we also took some time to work on our weekend blog. This concluded are Saturday of weekend duty.

            Our final day of weekend duty is here…..after a terrifying bike ride and a sketchy drive in we arrived alive. We started by checking the radar to see what was in store for us, and sadly more ice rain. But that didn’t stop us as we put on our smiles and got to work. We started where we left off just past the taxi zone by B building. We started by pruning Taxus and Sumac, to clear away from building where we could see evidence of rubbing and overhang on large rocks. We also cleared (elevate) Junipers from the turf line enabling clearance for string trimmers and lawnmowers. We tried to keep the shape of the plant and only giving clearance for the equipment causing less damage. As we worked our way to the far side of the building we removed dead debris from perennials and cut down some grasses, receiving compliments along the way. We dead headed Geraniums, Coneflowers, Hostas and yuccas. Then we moved onto clearing a tree from around a fire hydrant for easier access. At this time ice was falling from the roof and landing only feet away so we decided to put up the white flag because of the dangerous situation. We were also completely soaked.

What a weekend, we got a lot accomplished considering the weather and decided to use the remaining time to run back compost and work on our blog and research project. Unfortunately the weather was not kind to us and we had hoped to complete all assigned tasks. This concludes our final weekend duty and we are weeks away from completion of the program.

HORT-3015-18W                                                                                                                               April 15^th, 2018

Fanshawe Weekend Duty – Greenhouse Blog

Group: Rebecca J. & Connor D.

Theme: Greenhouse Organization & Sanitation.

The weekend of April 13^th(Friday), 14^th (Saturday), & 15^th (Sunday):

On the Friday morning of our weekend duty we were actually out and away from the greenhouse at Cuddy Gardens in Strathroy to preform our C.L.T. (Certified Landscape Technician) practical testing. Having the CLT until the afternoon, we arrived back at the Fanshawe Campus Greenhouse roughly around 1:00pm which gave our greenhouse technician Jeff time to inform us on some of the tasks that were needed to be completed over the next two days of the weekend while we managed the Fanshawe greenhouse. On the Friday we also had the opportunity to run sales in the greenhouse whereas the next two days the till was closed to the public.

On the Saturday we arrived and met at the greenhouse close to 7:50am. Upon arrival we looked over the opening procedures list that we didn’t have to overlook the previous day, and went through the list of the various greenhouse tasks involved with getting the greenhouse and plants started for the day. I started up the job that I was last working on at the end of the day Friday which was pruning back and installing plantings into the moss baskets that Fanshawe is preparing for the upcoming Western Fair in London, as well as look over the remaining hanging baskets throughout the greenhouse. Becca was in the main office of the greenhouse more focused on transplanting various plants from the propagation chamber to bigger pots, some of these plants included Salvia, Dusty Miller, and some Celosia. After we had both completed our separate tasks we decided to work together and start condensing and organizing some of the different benches, traying up loose pots and separating them by plant as well as adding the new transplants onto the benches. By this time it was about time to begin our closing procedures on the list and close down the greenhouse for the night Saturday and continue on tomorrow.

On the Sunday Becca and I decided we work together dedicated on cleaning and organizing things throughout the greenhouse, as this is extremely important to rid the environment of any harmful pests or diseases. With all the plants transplanted from the propagation chamber the previous day, we gathered all the heating mats from throughout the greenhouse and gave them a wash and scrub to allow them to be able to perform to their full potential when used for the next grow. After that, we headed out to the garage to organize some of the pots and trays that are separated by kinds on various shelving units. After organizing/cleaning the shelves and sanitizing the whole garage area we did the same to the greenhouse office area. While cleaning the greenhouse office area we also preformed pH (Potential Hydrogen) and EC (Electrical Conductivity) test to make sure the Geranium crop was in the acceptable range of pH (5.5-6.0) and EC (2.0-3.5) which it was. If the crop was too low in these numbers it means that it needs to be fertilized, but if the numbers are too high that indicates that there is too much fertilizer and the crop needs to be flushed (watered-down). After the greenhouse environment was cleaned and the plants looked after, we starting preforming out closing procedures to shut the greenhouse down for the end of our weekend managing the Fanshawe Campus greenhouse.   

Aphid and castings 

Winged aphid

Parasitized aphid

Weekend blog

April 6^th-8^th, 2018

Taylor & Chris

We came Friday morning ready for whatever tasks were assigned to us, we were ready conquer our weekend duty and get right down and dirty. Before we got our tasks assigned to us we learned that our weekend would be planned around making people feel safer when wondering around the campus.  After we gathered our tools and equipment, we were headed out to discover what our tasks would be over the next two days. After finding out our duties, we figured out our plan of attack. The first task we decided was to take out some cedar trees located across from the Outback Shack, the reasoning was because anyone could throw/hide things in there from security. 

Then after a long struggle with the trees and the snow, and without dampening our spirits, we moved to pruning back some burning bushes (Euonymus alatus) that were blocking the view from the east windows of J building and for security reasons. 

Saturday, we started our day by finishing up pruning back the Burning Bushes (Euonymus alatus) and took down any low-lying tree branches on the few Maidenhair trees (Ginkgo biloba)  to save the heads of the people that take care of the campus turf, and anyone else walking below. We thinned out a couple other smaller plants. After our nutrition break we headed to the other side of J building to cut back some Annabelle Hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’) to promote new growth. After cleaning our site up and disposing of the cut stalks, we had one last task to do before our day was done: we had to fill a hole with topsoil so when the weather permits and decides to stay nice, grass seed can be planted and grass will grow.

With the weather still fighting our every wish we got right down to work on Sunday. Most of our day was spent on the back side of Peregrine House Residence (R2). We were tasked with cutting back some Yews around the windows so no can hide in them. The next part of our day after lunch was still back behind Peregrine House Residence but the Yews were near a fire exit so we cut those back and pruned of some suckers out of the Easter Redbud (Cercis canadensis). After we finished cleaning up the site and taking all the branches to the compost pile we both decided that overall it was a good weekend and signed out for the last time.

Weekend Blog: Greenhouse Duty April 6^th to April 8^th 2018

Jensen Maunder and Austin Marshall

This weekend was very busy for us as we had lots and lots of transplanting to do. It was expected to have about 1000 annual plugs to arrive and we were to transplant them into 4” pots. However, there was closer to 2500 to 3000 plants to be transplanted. With only the two of us we had a tough time getting through them all and most of our time was spend transplanting. On Friday, we started with watering and removing dead foliage. After this we organized flowers on a diagonal angle to ensure there would be enough space for each plant to grow and receive more light. Following this, we started our transplanting journey.  To name a few of the annuals that were transplanted: Coleus, Salvia, Soprano, and Superbell.

Coleus ‘Henna’:

Comes from the family of Lamiaceae, and originated from South East Asia through to Australia. It can be used for different landscape applications such as in hanging baskets, mass plantings and border edging. This annual is relatively low maintenance and requires full sun and partial shade.

Salvia ‘Farinacae’:

Salvia Farinacae is also know as Mealy Sage and originated from Mexico. It can be used for different landscape varieties as it plants well in large formats. This annual requires part sun to sun.

Soprano:

This Soprano comes from the Osteospermum family and originated from Africa. This annual requires part sun to sun and can be used in hanging baskets.

Superbell ‘Calibrachoa’:

This annual belongs to the Solanaceae family and originates from across South America. It is used as an ornamental plant and requires part sun to sun.

Geraniums:

This annual originates from the tropics and can be used for herbaceous uses to treat anxiety and acne as well as being a really pretty plant to grow. It requires full sun and a PH of 5.8 through to 6.5. For the EC it is recommended for the optimal range of 1.5 to 2.5 mS/cm.

On Saturday, we started with watering and removing more dead foliage as well as checking the hanging baskets for pests and if they were in need of watering.  Following all this we then began to transplant hour after hour. One challenge we overcame was when we ran out of trays to place the pots on, so to be time efficient we got a 4X4 large tray and then put as many pots with the transplanted annuals on it and as a team carried it over to the greenhouse.

 On Sunday, we did our daily morning routine of watering and then continued on with transplanting. Who would have thought we would have ever finished all those plants, but our transplanting journey finally ended. Following the transplanting we planted Castor Bean seeds, and finished off the day with a large watering session of all the newly transplanted annuals and did a major cleanup to start the week off right.

Weekend Duty Maintenance Blog

March 30-April 1, 2018

Connor, James, & Josh

For our Weekend Duty for the Easter Weekend we had to prune the various trees and shrubs in and around Residence 3 Building (R3). There were many different cultivars/varieties that needed to be pruned, and the number one pruning rule is, know what you’re pruning first. So we decided to list the names of all the plantings and researched their specific pruning requirements. The cultivars that we were unsure about the pruning methods included; Cornus Kousa (Leave be in spring), Viburnum pilcatum (thin 1/3), Clethra alnifolia ( ¼ oldest, largest stems), Hydrangea paniculata ( 6” from the ground), Hydrangea macrophylla ( 3-5 canes), Potentilla fruiticosa ( lower, remove dead ), Hypericum frondosum ( 6” from ground ), Salix gracilis ( 6” from ground ). All of these plants needed Dead, Dying, Diseased removed. Through the maintenance techniques presented by Tim & Jeff, we were successfully able to complete the tasks. We encountered some litter around the gardens and disposed of some, although much of it was unsanitary to remove and would of took too much of the pruning time off our hands. While pruning the Cephelanthus occidentalis ( Buttonbush), we noticed there was some scale on the upper branching and some lower stems which we had to remove. We also had noticed there was what appears to be a gall of some kind present on the Junipers along the southeast corner of Merlin building (R3). All in all, most of our time was spent with cleanup and the pruning the essential plants surrounding Residence 3.

Before photo of South-East corner. (R3)

 After photo of South-east corner. (R3)

 Before photo of the Front. (R3)

After photo of the Front. (R3)

IPM- Gall on Juniper (Front R3)

IPM- Scale (Back R3)

Tawny Renaud

Stephanie Tucker

March 23-25, 2018

Landscape Maintenance Blog

Dead dying diseased

When pruning shrubs and trees, we began by locating the dead, dying and diseased throughout the plant. If a limb falls within this category, it is not providing any benefit to the tree and should be removed. If the limb is a significant size, a 3-cut method should be used to prevent tearing of healthy bark around the cut. After eliminating any damaged or diseased limbs, we began removing branches that were causing an uneven appearance or rubbing against other branches. On the Pyramidal Oaks outside A building, we had to remove a very long branch that was growing almost horizontal across the tree. Since this tree looks best in its upright, pyramidal form, we removed this branch. Removing crossing or rubbing branches also helps increase light and air flow in the tree; intended to improve the health of the tree and encourage new growth.

Use of 3-cut method

We decided to perform a 3 step cut on many of the large branches we were removing from trees around campus. If the branch was significant in length, we started by removing any sub branches that would reduce the weight of the limb. When the branch became a manageable length we were able to perform a 3-cut method; used to prevent tearing underneath the limb. Beginning on the underside of the branch, make a cut a couple feet from the branch collar. The cut should go through approximately half of the branch. The second cut will be made above the first cut, removing that portion of the branch. From here, the remaining piece of the branch can be removed at the branch collar.

It is very important that the cut is made properly; not flush with the tree, but also not leaving too much of the branch remaining. Cutting too closely to the tree can prevent it from healing itself properly which can lead to disease or death. Cutting too far away from the branch collar can also have a similar effect. It is difficult for the tree to heal the area efficiently, and the cut may eventually lead to disease or death. That being said, using proper pruning techniques can help you avoid any of these problems.

Honeysuckle

We were not sure how to prune this plant, but were able to find enough information on google to perform the task. We found mixed results on when this plant should be pruned, but concluded that heavy pruning should be performed in the winter months. The plants ended up needing some thinning by taking out older branches, and also some tipping back on the top to help with form. This is an important part of being a horticulturist. Being unsure of what you should do with a plant is a problem you will run into, but being able to research something can eliminate the issue of not knowing.

Greenhouse Weekend Blog

Camillo and Norna

April 1^st, 2018

Hydrangeas are out; Petunias are in!! The weather is changing outside so that we’re getting longer, warmer days, and we’re not the only ones getting prepared for some major planting!

The last hydrangeas flew out the doors on Thursday and Friday, with some stragglers finding new homes over the weekend by surprise. As illustrated by the pictures above, our greenhouse is half full of seedlings, which will soon need to be potted, and take up almost the entire greenhouse. These plants will be ready for planting and sale by summer, with many already spoken for, since the greenhouse helps to sustain itself through these sales. It’s exciting to have this sort of system, knowing that the demands for plants need to be met for a customer base, and not just the school.

Because of the long weekend, our Sunday was cut in half and shared with Thursday, giving us a significant advantage to getting our tasks done for the weekend, but also a great way to give us some more leisurely pacing for the holiday. We were able to take out a majority of our smaller tasks on the first day to give other, larger tasks more time on later days. Our progression down our list, however, was often interrupted in the first days by the sale, and we were totally ok with that!

A quiet weekend, we spent a large part of our time taking care of the new stock of seedlings and other young plants on top of the usual tasks of watering, and making cuttings and stock baskets. This is a task that can easily be forgotten, and an inventory that can easily get outdated. Just because in our second year we know more about what we’re doing, doesn’t mean plants don’t often die during the propagation process. (Nature is a wonderous and sometimes mysterious thing! Keep that in mind for your own home projects and don’t get discouraged!) We also spent some time consolidating plants into shared pots where need be, and eliminating any with signs of disease or death. It can feel merciless, but we know it’s for the god of the growth of all the other plants to come!

Another task we spent a bit of time on was researching the planting requirements for various seeds. Part of keeping out stock exciting and fresh is playing with new plants and seeing what we are capable of growing. Seeds are exchanged from all over the world and we have the pleasure of getting as many as we can to germinate. As with other forms of propagation, sometimes we do have some that die, but many are very successful and we look forward to potting them in the future!

Not only does it make our inventory more interesting, but watering as well. If you were to visit our greenhouse right now, you would see the two end benches filled with cuttings and seedlings on heat mats, which need plain water because the roots cannot withstand fertilizer in their sensitive state. The geraniums, cannas, and petunias, on the other hand, love the heavy fertilization, and are often thirsty or hungry, especially as they grow larger into the summer months. Finally, many of the other plants take an all-purpose 20-20-20 mix, and having each of these different crops side by side adds an extra element of interest to the morning and evening crop-walking.

With such a variety of plants, one would expect to find a variety of pests. Thankfully, we were able to find only a few, including aphids, which we are already treating with bank-crops and beneficial parasitic wasps, and fungus gnats, which can be expected, to some extent, when plants are over-watered. This can often happen in the greenhouse, especially with so many students looking after the same crops. We were careful to keep the watering to a minimum in these areas, so that some plants would have an opportunity for their soils to dry out between waterings. The aphids we treated with insecticidal soap, and were conveniently able to cut out a lot of pests with our scheduled pinching and trimming of our stock plants.