Researchers to determine which landscape plants boost pollinators

Bumblebees and native bees will be the focus of this pollinator research.

Researchers focused on pollinator protection in ornamental horticulture have been awarded more than $2.8 million from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI).

The money will be used to examine what landscape plants are attractive to pollinators so the supply of forage can be boosted for bees. Research will also analyze pesticide residue and plants most often targeted for integrated pest management so pesticide risks can be reduced.

According to an AmericanHort news release on the grant, the funds will be distributed over a period of two years to a collaborative research group led by Dr. Cristi Palmer, IR-4 Project. Additional money will be available for five years.

The Horticulture Research Institute (HRI) conducted five research projects in 2015 as part of the “Grow Wise, Bee Smart” pollinator stewardship initiative. Scientists involved in that work were able to generate the data needed to justify the SCRI grant objectives. They are also members of the research collaboration.

“AmericanHort and HRI see this project as critical toward providing our industry the guidance it needs to produce and maintain healthy plants and landscapes while also sustaining and improving the health of pollinators,” said Craig Regelbrugge, senior vice president of AmericanHort.

Another important focus of the research will be consumers’ preferences about plant labeling, education, and development of pollinator protective language. Researchers will concentrate on bumblebees and native bees because managed honeybees are rarely used in the green industry.

The work’s results are expected to benefit nursery and greenhouse growers, the landscape industry, garden centers and consumers.

USDA NIFA funded a total of 19 projects as part of SCRI, including a workshop to identify knowledge gaps for downy mildew on horticultural crops and brown marmorated stink bug management in specialty crops.

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SnowWolf boasts of its new UltraPusherTE’s safety, efficiency

The UltraPusherTE’s cushioned sideplates feature patent-pending die springs that enable the sideplates to flex as much as 10 inches in or out depending on the direction of an obstacle strike.
Photo: SnowWolf

SnowWolf says its new UltraPusherTE is the first skid steer snow pusher in the industry with cushioned sideplates that protect the operator, machine and attachment in the event of an inadvertent obstacle strike at an angle.

Patent-pending urethane die springs enable the UltraPusherTE’s sideplates to flex as much as 10 inches in or out depending on the direction of a strike. In addition to enhancing safety, the cushioning effect also helps prevent the 3/8-inch steel sideplates from bending. The result, the manufacturer says, is equipment that does not require moldboard-to-sideplate support struts that cause material buildup in other pushers.

The UltraPusherTE also includes a 6-inch, high-carbon steel cutting edge, a 9-inch trip edge, floating sideboards for the ability to apply downward pressure and protection in the event of a head-on obstacle strike, as well as automatic oscillation that keeps the cutting edge on the surface.

“The UltraPusherTE provides the highest degree of safety available in a skid steer snow pusher, but it’s more than that,” said SnowWolf’s director and general manager, Mark Holman. “It also eliminates material accumulation in the box and provides an incredibly clean scrape, both of which enhance efficiency.”

The manufacturer stresses that the new UltraPusherTE’s cushioned sideplates are a SnowWolf exclusive that give the entire sideplate-cutting edge assembly a total of 20 inches of flex.

The UltraPusherTE also enhances snow rolling efficiency with a moldboard curvature that keeps snow “live,” the company says, enabling operators to push more snow with less fuel consumption.

The company says UltraPusherTE’s automatic oscillation system addresses the problem of one end of a snow pusher gouging into asphalt while the other end is leaving snow unplowed. The attachment pivots as much as 5 inches above and 5 inches below level position to provide consistent contact with the surface being cleared.

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People: Schiller Grounds Care appoints new regional sales manager

Schiller Grounds Care Inc., a manufacturer of lawn and garden power equipment and the parent company of Bob-Cat and Ryan, recently named Dylan Rewoldt to its regional sales management team.

Dylan Rewoldt

Rewoldt will work with equipment distributors and dealers to supply them with products from the Bob-Cat and Ryan brands.

Most recently, Rewoldt worked for a global power equipment company in the OEM sales department. He is based in the Chicago area and will be working with distributors and dealers in the field in his new position.

Rewoldt earned his bachelor’s degree in telecommunications and advertising at Indiana University.

Schiller Grounds Care’s products include zero-turn, stand-on and walk-behind mowers, multiuse tractors and attachments, sod cutters, tillers, aerators, lawn vacuums, turf overseeders and brush cutters, among other equipment. In addition to Bob-Cat and Ryan, its products are sold under the Classen, Little Wonder, Mantis and Steiner brands.

Ruppert Landscape adds 3 in North Carolina

Ruppert Landscape announced recently the addition of three employees – Jason Geyer, Caleb Kaliebe and Perrye Smith – at the company’s North Carolina landscape construction branch.

Jason Geyer

Geyer, a resident of Wake Forest, joins Ruppert as a project manager. He holds a bachelor’s degree in construction management from Bowling Green State University and has more than 25 years of industry experience.

As project manager, Geyer will be responsible for all aspects of the installation of landscape construction projects, including supervising field personnel, managing subcontractors, communicating with customers and maintaining quality standards.

Kaliebe, a resident of Raleigh, has been hired as senior estimator. He has more than 11 years of industry experience.

Caleb Kaliebe

Kaliebe previously held positions as project estimator and regional manager with other industry organizations and has bid and won several large-scale and international projects during his career.

As senior estimator, he will be responsible for accurately estimating direct costs for landscape installation bids and change orders based on plans, specifications and site inspections.

Smith, a resident of Goldsboro, has been hired as purchaser.

Peryye Smith

She has more than 10 years of purchasing experience, as well as 28 years of retail and wholesale nursery experience. Smith holds several certifications from the American Purchasing Society.

As purchaser, she will be responsible for sourcing, acquiring and coordinating delivery of plants and selected hard materials necessary to complete all landscape construction projects.

Based in Maryland, Ruppert Landscape has 19 branches serving eight primary markets: Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta and Houston.

Hyundai CE names district sales manager

Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas Inc. has named David Vicha district sales manager supporting the company’s authorized dealers throughout Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, and in parts of Louisiana and Missouri.

David Vicha

A graduate of North Dakota State University with a degree in business administration, Vicha has 21 years of experience in retail management. He spent the past five years in the equipment industry.

“With David’s combined experience in construction and management, he is a valuable asset to our sales team,” said Thomas Owen, Hyundai CE’s North American sales manager.

Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas offers a full line of crawler excavators, ranging from compact models to mass excavators, as well as wheeled excavators, wheel loaders, compaction equipment, hydraulic breakers and forklifts.

Polaris taps engineer as VP of safety/quality

Polaris Industries Inc. has named Joel Houlton, its senior engineering director, to vice president of global safety and quality.

Polaris said Houlton will lead a newly formed organization focused on safety and quality in the company’s design, supplier development, manufacturing and post-sales surveillance processes.

“The safety and quality of our products must be our number-one priority as a company,” said Scott W. Wine, chairman and CEO of Polaris. “Joel and his team will have one simple mandate: Do whatever it takes to make Polaris the leader we should be … with respect to safety and quality.”

Houlton joined the company in 2011, having worked previously in the aerospace industry in roles at Honeywell and ATK.

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The August issue is now live

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Backflow Covers For 1″ Backflows

Backflow covers and insulation can be very important for home owners with 1" backflow irrigation or potable water protection systems. Manufacturers like Wilkins, Febco, Conbraco, Zurn, Watts, and others make 1" valves for a variety of applications and in a number of different design types.

Regardless of the make of valve, if you live in an area where temperatures can dip below freezing there may be a need for some type of backflow protection to avoid freezing pipes, or even worse, a broken valve housing or leaking internals. It doesn't take much frozen water to render a backflo utility useless or unable to properly prevent water from moving in the opposite direction should a low pressure situation occur.

Backflow Covers For 1" Size Are Quite Popular

With the 1" pipe size one of the most popular with plumbers in residential home builds, the need for backflow covers for the 1" size is great. The good news is, it doesn't really matter what make of valve gate you might have in your yard. The backflow enclosures we mention here will work on any brand, as long as the enclosure is large enough. Which gets us to the most important part of the process, measurements!

It's important to realize that no two backflow valve installations are the same. Plumbers are faced with different building codes, environmental conditions, landscape restrictions etc which can affect the overall size of the unit once it has been soldered on the piping. In other words, there is no one backflow cover that will fit all 1" preventer valves and piping. The size of the enclosure needed is based entirely on the installation.

Because of this, measuring the height, length and depth is crucial to knowing how large of an enclosure is needed. With these dimensions written down, one can then look for different sizes of backflow covers to determine what options exist. It's important to look beyond the exterior dimensions of an enclosure and look instead at the amount of room inside at a specific height. Just because the base is 15" Wide by 40" Long doesn't mean there is the same amount of interior space available inside the enclosure at 18"H, for example.

And, if you are looking at insulated backflow covers, consider the thickness of the insulation, and how much space it is going to take up inside the case. While most insulation material is fluffy and can be compressed to a point, it's still going to take up some space and needs to be considered when shopping backflow covers for 1" backflows, or any size for that matter.

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Hunter and Ewing extend recycling program

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National TurfMutt teacher award announced

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