Horticulture Connected Spring 2020 Volume 7 issue 1

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

SPRING 2020

News, analysis and trends in landscape, garden retail & edible horticulture

COVID - 19

SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE FOR BUSINESS & EMPLOYEES

SECURE OPPORTUNITY

BARRY LUPTON INTERVIEWS BARRY DELANEY

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PLANT HEALTH

SHANE KIRK ON IMPACT OF GOOD PLANT HEALTH

SEEDS OF CHANGE

PATRICIA TYRELL REVIEWS THE GLDA SEMINAR 2020

GOING GREEN MEANS CITY PERKS MICHAL SLAWSKI ON MAKING IRISH CITIES GREENER

Volume 7 Issue 1

BRAND NEW

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Visit our Twitter feed for all of the latest news & developments

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from the team at www.es.bayer.co.uk

All information contained herein was deemed correct at time of print. Published February 2020. © Bayer Crop Science Ltd. Valdor® Flex contains 360g/kg diflufenican and 10g/kg iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium (PCS05882) use plant protection products safely. Always read the label and product information before use. Pay attention to the risk indications and follow the safety precautions on the label. Valdor® Flex is a trademark of Bayer.

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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

NECESSITY - THE MOTHER OF INVENTION

01 / EDITORIAL

t the time of publication, we find ourselves

of doing things may become redundant and replaced by new

facing unprecedented challenges due to

methods and practices - necessity is the mother of invention,

the Covid-19 outbreak, which will likely have

after all. Members of the horticulture industry are doing just

significant and potentially adverse medium-

that, and some have shared their strategies, thoughts and

term commercial implications. The long term

insights with us during these unparalleled times.

is a different matter. Those in the sector who’ve operated for

As we also face the ongoing climate crisis, we are asked to live

more than a decade, are experiencing unwelcome deja vu.

more planet-friendly lifestyles, and protecting the environment

Emergency plans, put in place following the events of 2008 and

remains high on the agenda. At Horticulture Connected, we

only recently archived, are being re-examined. The sector once

continue to showcase horticulture methods and practices that

again faces uncertainty, and tough decisions are being made.

are evolving and developing to meet this challenge.

We will emerge from this crisis as we did from the previous one,

In this issue: With 2020 designated the International Year of

but it is difficult to imagine what the new normal will be. Plants

Plant Health (IYPH), Shane Kirk of DAFM, gives us a timely

and trees will continue to grow, but business perspectives,

reminder of the global impact of good plant health.

Dr Brian Murphy explores the challenges facing soil

priorities and motivations will change. Practices will evolve and adapt, and those with a keen eye will exploit as yet unidentified

conservation and the role compost can play in soil

opportunities. As of writing, we are holding our collective

improvement. Dr Karen O’Hanlon discusses the place for

breath, planning for the worst and hoping for the best.

biological organisms as a plant growth promoter within a chemically regulated environment. Michal Slawski explains

Everything passes though, and government bodies are beginning to put in place support for businesses that will

why we should be making Irish cities greener. John Paul

hopefully assist them through the worst stages of the collapse

Prior asks will ‘vertical farming’ mean that Irish horticulture

in the economy. DAFM, Bord Bia and Teagasc staff are now

finally gets its day in the sun? And Féidhlim Harty explains

adapting how they support horticulture clients and working

how to maximise the potential for biodiversity in your next

to advise all sectors of horticulture through this difficult

stormwater management project.

Also, Patricia Tyrell reviews the recent GLDA seminar:

period. We have added a business and signpost support section to help you and your staff through the government

Seeds of Change. The overall message from this event is that

support processes that are currently being offered. With

the skills of plantsmen and horticulturists will be ever more

the unfortunate but inevitable cancellation of Bloom now

essential as we move away from formulaic planting plans and

confirmed it is important that we support one another and be

spacings to achieve biodiverse, climate-resilient and low-

honest and open about the health of our own businesses, our

maintenance landscapes.

mental wellbeing and that of our staff.

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this issue.

Everything is tested during a time of crisis; systems, nerve,

As always, your valuable insights are very much appreciated.

resolve and human spirit to name just a few. Traditional ways

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

News, Analysis and Trends In Landscape, Garden Retail & Edible Horticulture

HorticultureConnected.ie for daily news updates

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

SPRING 2020

News, analysis and trends in landscape, garden retail & edible horticulture

COVID - 19

SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE FOR BUSINESS & EMPLOYEES

SECURE OPPORTUNITY

BARRY LUPTON INTERVIEWS BARRY DELANEY

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PLANT HEALTH

SHANE KIRK ON IMPACT OF GOOD PLANT HEALTH

SEEDS OF CHANGE

PATRICIA TYRELL REVIEWS THE GLDA SEMINAR 2020

GOING GREEN MEANS CITY PERKS MICHAL SLAWSKI ON MAKING IRISH CITIES GREENER

Volume 7 Issue 1

Fumbally Exchange Argus House, Blackpitts, Dublin 8, Ireland +353 (0)42 966 3532

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

AUTUMN/WINTER 2019

News, analysis and trends in landscape, garden retail & edible horticulture

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

Summer 2019

News, analysis and trends in landscape, garden retail & edible horticulture

MAKING THE PHOENIX BLOOM BARRY LUPTON INTERVIEWS GARY GRAHAM

CHANGING THE RETAIL CLIMATE LIAM KELLY EXPLORES A GREENER SHOP FLOOR

WHY ARE YOU IN BUSINESS?

TERRY O’REGAN REACHES RETIREMENT AND ASKS THAT VITAL QUESTION?

THE THERAPEUTIC USE OF HORTICULTURE IN IRELAND RACHEL FREEMAN REVIEWS THE INAUGURAL SYMPOSIUM ON SOCIAL AND THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE

WE’RE WINNING THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM COLM KENNY THROWS A SPOTLIGHT ON PROCUREMENT ISSUES

MEADOW MYTHBUSTER

SANDRO CAFOLLA TACKLES MYTHS AROUND MEADOW CREATION AND MAINTENANCE

MITTELSTAND LESSONS FROM GERMANY

DÓNALL FLANAGAN SHARES INSIGHTS FROM GERMAN NURSERIES STUDY TOUR

HC TEAM ✽

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED

HORTICULTURE CONNECTED Spring 2019

Due to the current Covid 19 Public Health Emergency, we are giving free access to the Digital version of the magazine. it at www.horticultureconnected.ie/horticulture-connected-magazine News, AnalysisAccess and Trends News, analysis and trends in landscape, garden retail & edible horticulture

AVOIDING THE PITFALLS

COLM KENNY DIGS DEEP ON URBAN TREES

GARDENING ON A THE EDGE

PATRICIA TYRELL REVIEWS THE RECENT GLDA SEMINAR

ALCI AWARDS 2019

In Landscape, Garden Retail & Edible Horticulture IRELAND'S LEADING CONTRACTORS ANNOUNCED

Volume 6 Issue 3

Volume 6 Issue 2

Volume 6 Issue 1

Editor: Heather Campbell editor@horticulture.ie Consulting Editor: Barry Lupton consultingeditor@horticulture.ie Creative Director: Tanya Gilsenan tanya@horticulture.ie Sales & Subscriptions: Anne Marie Browne sales@horticulture.ie Cover Photo by: Hailey Moeller Printers: Azure Communations

Print Run: 3,000 copies Distribution: Readership of 10,000 across Ireland to businesses and professionals in the following sectors: Landscape Architects / Garden Retail / Florists / Nurseries / Greenkeepers / Sports Surfaces / Local Authorities & Parks Departments / Machinery / Education / Edible Horticulture Publishers: Horticulture Connected Ltd www.HorticultureConnected.ie

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS NEWS

INTEGRATED WEED CONTROL IS WAY

31

03 Horticulture News, Covid-19 Support & Guidance

FORWARD

TEAGASC

Greg Collins talks on the difference between successful and unsuccessful weed control

10 A ll the latest news from Teagasc

EDIBLES 12 GROWING UP FAST John Paul Prior asks, will vertical farming mean that Irish Horticulture finally gets its day in the sun?

BORD BIA 14

All the latest news from Bord Bia

JOBS 17 Latest horticulture jobs from Horticulture.jobs ALCI AWARDS 18

Photos from the 2020 ALCI Landscape Awards event

INTERVIEW 20

SECURE OPPORTUNITY

As the International Year of Plant Health unfolds, Barry Lupton puts some tough questions to Barry Delaney about biosecurity

RETAIL 26

SPACE - THE FINAL FRONTIER FOR

PROFIT

DESIGN 32

INSIGHT

35 INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PLANT HEALTH Shane Kirk discusses the global impact of good plant health

37 SOIL MANAGEMENT AND REGENERATION Dr Brian Murphy explores the challenges facing soil

conservation and the role compost can play in soil improvement

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND THE MARINE 40

SITE DRAINAGE WITH AN ECO TWIST Féidhlim Harty explains how to maximise the potential for biodiversity in your next stormwater management project

30 STORMY WATERS Retired landscape horticulturist, Terry O’Regan begins a series of articles reflecting on his adventures in the landscape sector

2

All the latest news from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM)

SUSTAINABILITY 43

GOING GREEN MEANS CITY PERKS Michal Slawski explains why we should be making Irish cities greener

space for maximum profit

28

FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Patricia Tyrell reviews the latest GLDA seminar

Andy Campbell suggests how to optimise your retail

LANDSCAPE

SEEDS OF CHANGE - PLANTING DESIGN

RESEARCH

MAKING THE CUT - SEDUM FILLS THE AUTUMN SLOT

Andy Whelton shares the results of trial work exploring the use of Sedum as an autumn cut flower filler

44

46

GROWING PAINS FOR PLANT GROWTH

PROMOTING BACTERIA

Dr Karen O’Hanlon discusses the place for biological organisms as a plant growth promoter within a chemically regulated environment

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

02 / NEWS

HORTICULTURE NEWS UCD HORTICULTURE: PLANTS FOR PEOPLE, FOR OUR PLANET From September 2021 a new entry route to horticulture will be introduced at University College Dublin. The title of this four-year level 8 degree programme, where all modules will be a QQI level 8 or higher will be simply Horticulture.

Students will be afforded the opportunity to enter the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science and take a common first-year programme after which the students can then choose horticulture as their primary degree. The principal focus of this programme will be Horticulture: Plants for People, for Our Planet.

It is recognised that our world is facing immense challenges such as climate change, mass migration from the countryside to megacities, food shortages, excess food consumption and waste, pollution and freshwater shortages. Within science, advanced technologies, innovation and creativity, solutions to these critical issues can be found.

Through sustainable cultivation of plants, and an increase in plant-based diets, many of these challenges can be

overcome. Humans have co-evolved with green plants over millennia; plants provide the oxygen we breathe, the food we eat, our shelter and medicines and they bring living colour to our lives. Horticulture is the science, technology, art and business of cultivating plants to improve human life.

Horticulturists, and Horticultural Scientists, create global solutions for safe, sustainable, nutritious food, and healthy, restorative and beautiful environments. The UCD Horticulture degree programme is grounded in the fundamental and applied sciences which provide a solid foundation for professional horticultural practice. Students are invited to join this journey and make their own personal contribution.

Remember when we open our minds and let loose our imagination, our achievements can be limitless. All that’s needed is the right career. UCD Horticulture… Plants for People, for our Planet. ✽

COLM WARREN POLYHOUSES BUILD BEECHDALE EXPANSION Beechdale Garden Centre in Enniscorthy are expanding their retail covered area with Colm Warren Polyhouses.

Deirdre Warren says, “We are busy at the moment putting the finishing touches to their new 1,296m2 retail canopy cover. Construction started in February and will be finished shortly.” Owner, Keith Rothwell originally approached the Trim-based firm in 2016, to supply and build 544m2 of covered retail space. As his customer base continued to grow Keith employed CWP to manufacture and build a new four bay multilinked steel structure complete with motorised ridge ventilation and side ventilation.

“Customers are increasingly looking for unique retail environments that are comfortable to spend long periods of time in and will gravitate to places that make the shopping experience comfortable and relaxing,” says Deirdre. CWP are available to help you make the most of your garden centre environment. With over 45 years of experience in the horticultural and garden centre industry, they can guide you through the lifecycle of your project from concept, to design and manufacturing through to installation and handover. Colm Warren Polyhouses recently received a CE mark for canopies and other box section greenhouses. They have EN1090-1-2009+A1:2011 accreditation since 2018. Contact them on: (046) 954 6007 for a call back by Colm Warren, or for any other queries. ✽

IRRIGATION INNOVATION FROM IRRITEC The irrigation industry has radically evolved over the last few years as the need to conserve and use water efficiently continues to increase. More emphasis has been placed on using drip irrigation to irrigate lawns, instead of the usual pop-up sprinklers.

Pop-up sprinklers can be very wasteful of water, due to wind blowing the water where it’s not needed. They also tend to irrigate over surrounding paths and patios.

Until now, if you used a dripline buried under the lawn, the fine grass roots would block the drip outlets within a couple of years. To combat that, Rainbird have developed a dripline with a copper strip within the outlets, which ‘burns’ the root tip and stops the root from blocking the outlet.

By irrigating from below, there is zero water wastage. Fertilizers can also be applied though the drip irrigation, which is a far safer method then currently used.

The next innovation is the use of WiFi control systems. All irrigation systems need a control panel, to start/stop the irrigation zones. The newest models are accessed via a phone app, so you can monitor and make changes from anywhere. The system links to a local weather station and irrigates according to the local weather. Paul Kunckles, of Irritec says, “This has been the best new product in years. It’s great to see irrigation stopping during wet weather and watering more when it’s hot. An added benefit to my customers, is that I can access their irrigation control app from my smartphone also. So if they are unsure about anything, I can check it out.” For more information visit: www.irritec.ie or call: (01) 840 4033 / (01) 840 5318. ✽

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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NEWS / 02

COVID-19 SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE

T

he outbreak of COVID-19 has challenged all of us as individuals, as a society and as businesses and employers. There are weeks and potentially months of disruption ahead of us, but there will be an end to it. Life will return to a new kind of normal but in the meantime we all need to pull through this together.

You will need support and you will need to give support to others: employees, family members and your local community. The organisations listed below will provide you with business advice and guidance during these unprecedented times.

TEAGASC Contact to discuss any issues of concern by phone. For a full list of Horticulture staff contacts visit: www.teagasc.ie/crops/horticulture.

DAFM The Department has a range of online facilities and can provide information to clients over the phone or by email.

These services should be used where possible, and unnecessary visits to

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public offices should be avoided. For contact details visit: www.agriculture.gov.ie/contact

BORD BIA At Bord Bia, we have always believed in taking a structured and strategic response to challenging times and this current period will be no different. Each decision that we make and course of action that we take will be guided by our

02 / NEWS strategic principles and the current challenges facing each sector as our work continues; bringing Ireland’s outstanding food, drink and horticulture to the world.

For contact information visit: https://www.bordbia.ie/about/ contact-us. Or email directly: info@ bordbia.ie. Or contact directly your Bord Bia Sector Manager.

IBEC Ibec is available to support members throughout this crisis. You can contact your Employer Relations Executive directly or you can access our Employer Relations Knowledge Centre Services hub online: ibec.ie.

During the COVID-19 period, call the following numbers for any general Ibec reception queries: (01) 605 1790 or (01) 605 1791.

You can also leave a voice message on (01) 605 1500 or email us on info@ibec.ie.

RETAIL EXCELLENCE Retail Excellence are working hard supporting their members through this period. All queries should go through their Head Office phone number (065) 68 469 27.

Please be patient, they will respond to all queries as quickly as possible.

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT Business Support Call Centre Operated by DBEI to advise on all Government supports now available to businesses that are affected by COVID-19. Call: (01) 631 2002.

Business Continuity Planning Checklist COVID-19 - DBEI identifies key risks and preparatory actions that can be taken. Visit: www.dbei.gov.ie.

Temporary COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme – The Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme will be available to employers who keep employees on the payroll throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The subsidy will refund employers up to a maximum of €410 per each qualifying employee.

Visit: www.revenue.ie.

Payment – A support payment for the self-employed who have lost business and to those who have lost employment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This support pays a flat rate of €350 per week for a six-week period.

Visit: www.mywelfare.ie.

Short-time Work Support – For employees of businesses that need to reduce hours or days worked.

Visit: www.mywelfare.ie.

Finance in Focus grant of €7,200 Available to Enterprise Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta clients that want to access consultancy support to undertake immediate finance reviews.

LEO business continuity vouchers from €2,500 – to assist in preparing any business continuity issues that arise in the current challenging environment.

The Credit Guarantee Scheme supports loans up to €1 million for periods of up to seven years.

Applications can be made to AIB, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank.

Microenterprises can access COVID-19 loans of up to €50,000 from MicroFinance Ireland. Loans are available at an interest rate of between 6.8% and 7.8%.

Businesses can apply through their Local Enterprise Office or directly at www.microfinanceireland.ie. €200m SBCI COVID-19 Working Capital Scheme for eligible businesses - Maximum loan size will be €1.5 million (first €500,000 unsecured) and the maximum interest rate will be 4%. Applications can be made through the SBCI website at www.sbci.gov.ie. €200m Package for Enterprise Supports and Rescue and Restructuring Scheme - Available through Enterprise Ireland for vulnerable but viable firms that need to restructure or transform their business. ✽

ADVICE FROM DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND INNOVATION The COVID-19 crisis is presenting immediate and severe financial challenges for businesses.

Here are some practical steps you can take: 1. Talk to your bank. All the banks have announced that they will offer flexibility to their customers, and they may be able to provide payment holidays or emergency working capital facilities.

2. Take immediate steps to manage your cashflows. Look for scope to: lower variable costs; delay discretionary spend; extend your payables; expedite your receivables; explore supply chain financing options

3. Use available government supports for working capital

4. Get advice from your accountant or use the advisory support available from your local LEO.

5. Check your insurance cover.

Check if your insurance policy covers you for an interruption in your business, or a temporary business closure, caused by COVID-19.

6. Engage with Revenue.

Revenue has posted advice for businesses experiencing trading difficulties as a result of COVID-19. This includes information on tax returns, the application of late payment interest, debt enforcement, tax clearance and customs.

See www.revenue.ie.

7. Be aware of government supports

COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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NEWS / 02 SLOW THE FLOW WITH ENRICH Flooding of urban and rural areas has dominated the Irish news in the early part of 2020.

Ireland’s climate is becoming more extreme, and managing the heavy rainfall associated with Atlantic storms is a real challenge.

In urban areas where green space has been paved over, tarmacked or covered in concrete, the rainfall-runoff is very rapid. A rainfall event in such areas often results in a ‘flash flood’ type effect due to rapid surface runoff. This puts huge pressure on local drainage systems, streams and rivers which inevitably burst their banks causing huge damage socially and economically. The Soil Solution: Soils can absorb and attenuate huge amounts of water, basically reducing and slowing the flow of water after heavy rainfall events. Through soil infiltration, rainfall is incorporated into groundwater and is filtered and cleaned as it percolates through the soil.

Enrich offer several specialist soil blends to be incorporated into sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) including green roof substrates (pictured), swale soils, bioretention soils, structural tree soils to name a few. When used, these soil systems slow the flow after heavy rainfall, reduce the risk of flooding, remove contaminants and increase urban green spaces and biodiversity. These systems have a role in complying with schemes such as the Greater Dublin Drainage Scheme (GDDS).

Talk to Kevin at Enrich about introducing SuDS soils into your next project. Visit www.enrich.ie. ✽

WILDFLOWER GROWERS UPDATE Sandro Cafolla from Design by Nature, reflects on a busy 2019, new initiatives for 2020 and the hangover from last Autumn’s rain.

The new www.wildflowers.ie website and shop will be up and running soon.

Once live, customers can enter their garden site details and in return will receive unique recommendations and advice on mixture and species.

2019 was the busiest year ever for wildflower seed. We grow over 300 acres of wildflower on farms throughout Ireland, yet we completely sold out of stock for the first time ever. Unfortunately, the heavy autumn rains destroyed 25% of the 2019 seed harvest, resulting in higher prices for 2020.

NATIONAL CAMPAIGNS - We persuaded Supervalu to give

away our seed to 3,500 Irish primary schools, for a 'save the bees' campaign, along with €50,000 prize money. Included in the seed mixture are species from the newly launched 'Imithe' campaign to save rare species.

KEELINGS - Having introduced Keeling to integrated pest management with wildflowers around the fruit farm, their PR team took it one step further holding a workshop at Bloom 2019, showing children how to make seed bombs with wildflowers.

TIDY TOWN - Councils’ spend increased as they gave away free seed to Tidy Town and resident groups. Tipperrary County Council gave away free seed to 1,000 farmers. We funded this with a 50% reduction, as it’s such an important project. We also supplied bespoke seed mixtures to the BRIDE Project, an agri-environment project based in Co. Cork and Waterford. Farmers are realising the value of mixed swards of forbes and grasses. Visit: www.wildflowers.ie for more information. ✽

FUTURE STUDENTS ‘TRY HORTICULTURE’ AT NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS Fifth-year, sixth-year and FE students experienced first-hand life in the Teagasc College in the National Botanic Gardens in February. The ‘Try Horticulture’ event was an introduction to the practical side of the science of horticulture as experienced day-to-day by full and part-time students in the college.

Hosted by Teagasc staff Deirdre Walsh, James Brady and John Mulhern, ‘Try Horticulture’ allowed the students an in-depth view of the plant collection housed in the National Botanic Gardens’ curvilinear glasshouses.

Plants of economic importance like coffee, tea and olives were observed along with the vast array of cacti. Then it was on to a special treat - a walk through the upper gantry in the great palm house, high up in the aerial parts of the “rainforest”. The students observed palm trees and banana plants at a point rarely seen by many people.

Next up was a walk through the family beds in the open grounds and up to the nursery area where the students got involved in nursery work. This involved potting-on seedling oaks into larger pots and attaching a cane and fasteners to the plant. They also got to view the wide range of power tools used by students including battery-operated blowers, strimmers, hedge cutters. The college also had its Kubota RTV on show which is a universal utility vehicle used in a variety of different horticultural environments.

The morning event finished with a series of videos about students profiled in the college and enterprises that operate in Teagasc Ashtown where more practical horticulture is carried out. The College will be hosting future events similar to this one.

To register for Try Horticulture events, email john.mulhern@teagasc.ie. ✽

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02 / NEWS HYGEIA EXPANDS ORGANIC PRODUCT RANGE Leading Irish gardencare supplier, Hygeia, is expanding its nonchemical product range with new additions planned this year.

Known for brands such as Green Force, Mosgo, Goulding, Lawn Gold and Nature Safe, the 80-year-old family business is a major industry innovator and quick to adapt to new market trends. “Gardencare is evolving quite quickly with changing customer demands,” says John Coyle, Chair at Hygeia Chemicals. “We are very aware of our need to innovate and to develop nonchemical, natural solutions for today’s gardener.”

The development of Lawn Gold lawn fertilizer as an organic-based product and in 2019 the launch of Nature Safe - the only 100% organic plant-based lawn feed and seed fertiliser with no animal by-products, pollinator safe, child and pet safe - is testament to this investment. “Nature Safe is a milestone for our gardencare business,” says John. “We have listened very carefully to our customers and the range of products in our Nature Safe brand from lawn fertilizer to liquid and granular plant feeds as well as lawn patch fix has commenced the journey in this area.” Nature Safe has brought Hygeia into a new area and is now a key business growth driver for the future with new additions planned for 2020. ✽

TOWARDS ZERO WASTE Written by Feidhlim Harty, founder of Wetland Systems, Towards Zero Waste explores how and why we need to go zero waste; firstly looking at where waste currently goes, and revealing the hidden world of food and product miles and embodied energy. Towards Zero Waste offers practical tools for change in your own kitchen, on your weekly shop and around your home as well as in the wider world.

Says Feidhlim, “Over the past decade, the sheer scale of the problems caused by plastic waste has leapt into our collective awareness. There is a hunger to address the root causes of plastic waste, right back to the point of oil and gas extraction. Patience with government policy and corporate greenwashing is wearing thin. If you, like millions of others, want no part in adding to plastics in the oceans or spreading microplastics into our water, soils and food, then this book is for you.”

Towards Zero Waste outlines some of the challenges posed by our waste culture, and addresses these directly with straightforward recommendations and ideas for creating a more sustainable life. Feidhlim Harty is a writer and director of an environmental consultancy company specialising in reed bed system design and other ecofriendly sewage options (www.wetlandsystems.ie). He is author of three other titles, including Permaculture Guide to Reed Beds; a how-to manual for DIY reed beds and constructed wetland systems. ✽

BAYER VALDOR FLEX® - A PREVENTATIVE APPROACH TO WEED CONTROL The weed season is fast approaching with temperatures on the rise, so amenity contractors need to be prepared to tackle weeds head-on. Greg Collins, Bayer national account manager for Ireland, provides a step-by-step guide to keeping on top of weeds safely and effectively in public spaces.

STEP ONE – Assess the area you are treating: The initial step is to assess the surrounding area and undertake an environmental assessment. Contractors should then develop an approach which is safe, while still offering successful control. It’s also important to consider the problematic weeds you are targeting and ensure your approach will control these effectively.

STEP TWO – Cultural controls for weed control: Cultural controls should form the basis of any weed control programme as they offer a non-chemical solution to getting on top of weeds that are already present. Hand weeding is one way to remove established weeds, alternatively strimming or mowing can be used, and while it’s a process that has to be repeated regularly, it does keep the area clean and tidy.

STEP THREE – Preventative approach to weed control using Valdor Flex®: A preventative approach to weed control can help amenity contractors keep on top of weeds before they appear. Valdor Flex® is a pre-emergence herbicide that prevents a broad spectrum of weeds from emerging,

up to four months, reducing the frequency of traditional herbicide applications.

The product provides excellent residual control for even the hardest to manage weeds on a wide range of surfaces, including open soil, gravel and industrial areas. The combination of two active ingredients in Valdor Flex®, diflufencian and iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium can help to minimise the risk of resistance with two different modes of action. Valdor Flex® is also available in a range of pack sizes. The 10g sachets are the ideal dose to be mixed in a knapsack sprayer with 10 litres of water. However, the 500g bottle may be more cost-effective to use in a tractormounted sprayer.

STEP FOUR – Residual control if weeds are already present: If weeds are already established, Valdor Flex® can be mixed with RoundUp® to provide initial knockdown, while Valdor Flex® provides residual control preventing subsequent weeds emerging for up to four months.

STEP FIVE – Continue to monitor for weed re-growth: Even once weeds are under control, it’s important to monitor the area closely and if re-growth can be seen, then a preventative approach should be taken to keep on top of weeds in public spaces.

When to use Valdor Flex®? It can be applied between February and June, with a single application per season. ✽

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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NEWS / 02

© COLETTE 2 /123RF.COM

©T.W. VAN URK /123RF.COM

©T.W. VAN URK

SNAPSHOT:

HORTICULTURE SECTOR

REACTS TO COVID-19 Members of our Horticulture community and our partners share strategies, thoughts and insight during the Coronavirus storm

GARDEN RETAIL IS VITAL TO HEALTH AND WELLBEING “Non-essential retailers have been shut down to reduce the exposure and spread of the virus, but Gardening and DIY are classed as essential, as people are now growing their own food and will need seed, young plants, compost, tools etc.

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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

02 / NEWS “This could prove vitally important for the health and wellbeing of the thousands of people who are now at home in isolation; many of whom are suddenly finding themselves unemployed and facing an uncertain future.

“The subsequent benefit to mental and physical health is immeasurable.”

Nuala Young, Young Nurseries

TAKE SANCTUARY IN YOUR GREEN SPACE

“Many designers work from home,

nothing new there. Sharing the space with the rest of the family now also working from home - well, that’s new!

We are finding our own ‘office’ niches and a routine around coffee breaks, lunch etc. and the work carries on.

Blessed in so many ways that we can.

“No doubt there will be fewer inquiries from now on, due to economic uncertainties and just the need to stay apart. For many though, now more than ever, they need a garden. Even just the promise of one.

Who knows when we will be able to travel again or eat out, but we can still have a garden, a sanctuary; reassurance that life goes on.

“Not being able to go out, one can still journey to the garden, enjoying each new flower, the potential of tulip buds not yet open and the fragrance of spring-flowering shrubs. Each day something new and beautiful.

“These traumatic times will probably change the way people view their garden, not as a place for entertaining, but more as a very personal sanctuary from the vagaries of the world.”

Patricia Tyrell, landscape architect, garden designer and horticulturist

UCD HORTICULTURE STUDENTS ASSIST THE NATION For the first time in its history, UCD has become a virtual university.

All lectures and most assessments will now be done online where students are studying remotely and all lectures are being delivered by narrated PowerPoint presentations

or online video lectures. While this provides new challenges for practical horticulture and laboratory sessions both horticulture staff and students are rising to the challenge. It is anticipated that students will be able to complete their full academic programme for this year.

“Also, UCD is home to the National Virus Reference Laboratory that has been conducting the initial tests for SARS-Covid-2 virus that causes Covid-19 disease. However, recently a number of other laboratories around the country have started to conduct tests in the mass screening for this virus. Some of the agriculture and horticulture students who were due to go abroad on professional work experience will now be working in one of these testing laboratories to assist the national effort to control this pandemic.“ “UCD is also home to the first call centre outside the HSE, staffed by volunteer UCD students and staff, to provide test results, information and advice and contact tracing to those who have had Covid-19 tests.“

Professor Owen Doyle, Head and Programme Director of Horticulture, Landscape and Sportsturf Management, UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science

fort, and the teenagers might make a better job at social media advertising than their mother!”

Dr. Karen O’Hanlon, CEO Probio Carbon

GARDENING KEEPS YOU SANE “At Enrich Environmental Ltd we have reviewed our procedures and adapted the way we work so that we can continue to operate during the current Covid-19 outbreak. The health and safety of our staff is paramount. All staff who can work from home are doing so. Staff that must be present on site have been split into teams and we have set up temporary canteens and new toilets to ensure social distancing.

“A new system has been set up for hauliers and delivery drivers that minimises person to person contact for weighbridge staff. We are doing everything we can to continue processing and producing our organic compost and soil products.

Gardening, Landscaping and DIY are among the few activities that people can do safely to stay sane during isolation! Stay safe everyone.”

Brian Murphy, Senior Scientist, Enrich Environmental Ltd

HELPING HSE IN CRISIS

DRUG DONATION

“I have plenty of stock ready for sale online, and I will continue to engage with the hobby gardeners, targeting my advertising and social media to them for now. There may even be an increase in people enjoying time in their gardens when there are few other leisure activities available to them. I will be relying on this ‘grassroots’ approach to build my brand.

“In the meantime, as a microbiologist, I have registered my interest with the HSE to help out in this crisis. From my studies and previous employments, I have experience carrying out the sort of diagnostic tests being used for COVID-19.

“In my absence, my husband and teenage sons will be manning the

“To help minimise the progress of the virus, Bayer employees are working remotely, but we still continue to deliver Bayer products to groundsmen and amenity contractors throughout the UK and Ireland. We are maintaining business continuity, and our supply processes are best in class ensuring priority products reach customers.

“Bayer announced it is joining the US Government's fight against COVID-19 with a donation of 3 million tablets of the drug Resochin (chloroquine phosphate). New data from initial preclinical and evolving clinical research conducted in China, while limited, shows potential for the use of Resochin in treating patients with COVID-19 infection.”

Alan Morris, Country Head ES UK & Ireland, Bayer. ✽

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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TEAGASC ezine / 03

‘MALLING CENTENARY’ STRAWBERRY FARM WALK Strawberry production in Ireland has seen a significant change in recent years with the introduction of the variety ‘Malling Centenary’. While many of the characteristics of the variety have been elucidated there is still much to learn about this new variety. Teagasc will hold a Malling Centenary focused fruit walk later this year to be kindly hosted by McCarthy’s Strawberry Farm (date to be confirmed). The event will focus on McCarthy’s experience with growing ‘Malling Centenary’ over recent years. Dr Eamonn Kehoe will discuss the main challenges in growing the variety successfully and profitably. He will also present the latest results and experience from Teagasc research trials.

Teagasc research has shown that an excellent yield of over 1.2 kg per plant was obtained over two growing seasons. The main disadvantage of overwintering the variety in a closed structure is an increased risk of ‘grey mould’ (Botrytis) disease. As a result, it suits most growers with heated glasshouses to force the crop over one season and not to take on this disease risk. Teagasc established a trial crop in December 2019. It will be forced over one season and is expected to give a yield of 1.2 kg per plant or more. Harvest will take place between late March and August.

The results of the most recent 60-day trial will also be discussed on the farm walk. One of the main goals of this trial was to assess the effects of planting dates on the subsequent yield of the crop. The highest yield obtained was 277g per plant. This yield was 32% higher by planting the variety earlier (June 18 versus July 2 planting). In this regard, ‘Elsanta’ planting is more flexible but with Malling Centenary you cannot afford to do this.

The event is free to attend and all are welcome. ✽

BEST4SOIL WEBSITE LAUNCH Healthy soils are of major importance for the future of the European horticultural and agricultural crop production.

Especially in intensive production systems, soil-borne diseases are a major factor with a negative impact on soil health. The Best4Soil project (which Teagasc is a partner on) is building a community network of best practice for soil across Europe by inter-connecting growers, advisers, educators and researchers. Through this network, knowledge ready for practice is being repackaged and disseminated in easy to access forms.

This information is available as a series of videos and factsheets through the project website www.best4soil.eu. A cornerstone of this work is the development of web-based databases to assist growers in planning crop rotations. The databases, available on the website, will highlight potential soil-borne disease and pathogenic nematode issues which may pose a risk to the crop from previous crops. The system, based on data from published literature will estimate the degree of risk, and will also offer some potential mitigation strategies the grower can adopt, if feasible. The overall goal of the Best4Soil project is to promote soil health through the adoption of best practice. Visit the website if interested in registering for further project updates. ✽

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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

03 /TEAGASC ezine APPROVED PESTICIDES FOR VEGETABLE CROPS 2020 The latest edition of Teagasc's long-running guide for vegetable growers has just been published. This much sought after publication is a handy guide to what plant protection products are available for each and every vegetable crop. It includes rates, MRL’s, harvest intervals, PCS numbers and suppliers for both on- and off-label uses.

The pesticides scene is one that is constantly changing and growers need to be vigilant to stay within the guidelines. While products come and go, growers need to also be aware of changes to PCS numbers or where crops are dropped from label recommendations. One notable feature of the 2020 edition is the increase in the number of biologically-based pesticides, for example, Amylo-X, Sonata and AQ 10. While they are not as powerful, they are a credible alternative to chemical pesticides, which grow fewer in number with each passing year.

Following EU guidance, growers will see the revocation of thiacloprid later this year. The plant protection products Biscaya and Calypso both contain this active ingredient and are effective against a range of pests, especially aphids. Brassica growers will be particularly hard hit for aphid control as Aphox, Cruiser and Plenum have also been lost from the toolbox in recent years. ✽

NEW APPOINTMENT Teagasc recently appointed Dr Lael Walsh as a research officer in the Horticulture Development Department in Ashtown, Dublin. Dr Walsh will conduct research across the sub-sectors of commercial horticulture in line with the needs of Teagasc horticulture stakeholders. The role will focus on expanding the breadth of the current horticulture research programme by supporting and validating new and existing methods of sustainable horticulture production.

Lael joins Teagasc Horticulture Development Department from Lancaster University having recently been researching and evaluating urban food production in the UK. Lael previously worked in a wide range of areas including pesticide resistance in aphids. ✽

PLASTIC REVOLUTION Consumer scrutiny of packaging in retail is making an impact within the horticulture sector. All aspects of horticulture are coming under pressure to reduce plastic use. Producers are being required by multiples to take action on the packaging type being used or eliminate it altogether; for example, Polystyrene (PS) which is a familiar lighter black plastic is being phased out by some multiples.

The recent ornamental plant trade show at IPM Essen had many solutions. Closed material loop using recycled post-consumer waste (PCW) is increasingly available from plastic suppliers. Polypropylene (PP) in popular colours grey, taupe, blue and terracotta are nearinfrared detectable and were on display from many pot manufacturers.

Clear green PET trays are being adopted by some Irish bedding plant growers. A novel idea demonstrated at IPM was swapping out plastic pots at point of sale for cardboard flat pack square or round pots.

The Irish Waste Management Association advises that non-black pots/trays can be more easily sorted than traditional black plastic.

Compostable pots are available, but at a premium and their carbon footprint is unclear. While the recycling of appropriate material is possible, there have been many mainstream media reports that considerable amounts of our plastic waste are still being exported to the Far East. Much of it is not dealt with responsibly and causes serious pollution. Reducing the amount of packaging used is likely to be more effective than making it more recyclable. ✽

GRANTS OVERVIEW The DAFM Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector closed on January 17.

Teagasc advisers were busy across the December to January period supporting the application process, completing over 150 applications with client growers.

The scheme of support for capital investment sees keen interest every year from horticultural businesses, this year was no exception. Many growers are responding to updates in plant health legislation, with applications for new labelling systems and equipment being popular. Labour shortages continue to focus attention with investments in automation across all sectors. As is always the case, there are significant projects being undertaken in developing more production infrastructure. According to DAFM, it is anticipated that approvals will issue mid-to late March. ✽

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

11

EDIBLES / 04

UP,

GROWING

Fast

John Paul Prior asks will vertical farming mean that Irish horticulture finally gets its 'day in the sun'?

A

s our climate continues to change, and populations across the globe expand, food production is evolving in order to keep pace with such unprecedented changes. Through technological advances, Irish Horticulture may finally have it’s ‘day in the sun’, as Irish producers consider the benefits of growing many months of the year, without it.

Growing hyper-locally, 365-days a year, pesticide-free and replacing some of the €300 million in imported fresh produce that is shipped and flown into our country annually, makes thinking "inside the box” a worthwhile consideration for any Irish farmer who’s interested in supplementing their current growing business or supporting diversification within their farms. While vertical farming has its obvious benefits, it offers only part of a solution to the various challenges likely to be faced by Irish producers at the dawn of this new decade.

WHAT IS VERTICAL FARMING? Vertical farming involves growing crops in vertical layers and most often within a controlled environment and under a specially configured low energy, LED grow lighting spectrum, which aims to optimise the conditions for optimal plant growth and nutrition. Vertical farming enables more harvests throughout the year and since these harvests are not climate-related, they can be achieved all year-round.

For herbs, salad and micro-greens in particular, this offers the possibility of having up to 20 harvests in a year rather than a traditional five or six. Think of a future with a renowned Irish Basil, or Red Amaranth, full in flavour, colour, freshness and nutrition on the menu of the country’s restaurants all year round.

Over the past two decades, in particular, there have been significant improvements in efficiencies of this technology,

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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

04 / EDIBLES much of which was developed and honed by cannabis producers, who learned how to grow plants at scale under lights through hydroponic systems. Now, it’s one of the fastestgrowing sectors in lighting, with the grow lighting market valued at USD $2.50 billion in 2016 and expected to reach USD $5.11 billion by 2022.

While advances in the efficiencies of grow lighting is relatively recent, the associated growing method used in vertical farms - hydroponics - is nothing new. In fact, the first known instance of water-based hydroponics is in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The gardens thrived off an elaborate watering system that supplied a steady stream of river water, rich in oxygen and minerals.

In hydroponic systems, the roots of plants are submerged in liquid solutions containing macronutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, potassium, calcium and magnesium, as well as trace elements, including iron, chlorine, manganese, boron, zinc, copper and molybdenum.

VERTICAL FARMING AND THE FARM-TO-FORK SUPPLY CHAIN The country has nowhere near the output required to deal with the current demands of Irish consumers in relation to leafy greens. Dietary trends are ensuring that this demand is likely to increase considerably in the coming years. ‘Farm to Fork’ and ‘Farm to table’ are now commonly used terms to emphasise the required reduction in food miles through the supply chain. From a supply chain standpoint, there are two major benefits to vertical farming: 1. Vertical farms can reduce the number of miles vegetables must travel in order to reach supermarket shelves.

2. Reduces fuel consumption, driving down the total cost to consumers.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE With sustainability a top concern for Irish consumers and producers alike, vertical farming can play a significant role in the future of sustainable agriculture. As a result of the recirculation of water throughout multiple growing cycles, vertical

farms use up to 95% less water than traditional farms. Through the use of an OR (reverse osmosis) system, this figure can be reduced even further.

Additionally, given their highlycontrolled structures, pesticides and herbicides are not needed to thwart would-be pests. A vertical farm can grow a larger variety of crops at once because crops do not share the same plots of land. In addition, due to its relatively small footprint, vertical farming is also less disruptive to the native plants and animals, leading to further conservation of the local flora and fauna.

As I write this piece, Ireland has experienced more than twice the normal amount of rainfall per day during the first 16 days of February, according to official precipitation figures published on the Met Éireann website. Flood warnings are in place throughout the midlands along the River Shannon. As a result of these increasingly unpredictable changes in our climate, flooding of land and polytunnels is becoming a more frequent occurrence. Through Controlled Environment Farming, this destructive impact can be avoided completely. Vertical farms have no spoilage due to such inclement weather conditions, while the output can be programmed directly in line with demand which enables optimised production.

PHOTOBIOLOGY AND SPECTRAL RESEARCH Photobiology is an area of science that studies the interactions of light on living organisms. Sananbio, is a US company whose core focus is the optimisation of lighting spectrums that allow plants to thrive at all stages of growth. Following years of scientific research, through the latest developments in LED lighting technology, Sananbio is working to understand the synergy that exists between artificial light and plants.

Traditional farming is a critical requirement in the local food supply, and local food supply is critical in ensuring our population has access to the most nutritious, fresh produce.

The Irish climate is limiting us to a growing season for leafy green veg of

May to September. This climate is also becoming less predictable. Outside of these months, we currently import, and in staggering numbers. Controlled Environment Vertical Farming can be supplementary and complementary, and can replace the vast majority of these imports while creating local jobs and local supply for our communities.

Therefore ensuring our food security for the future. It can inspire a new generation of Irish grower, enthused by greater technology input.

The Irish population continues to grow, and as more and more emphasis is put on environmental sustainability, vertical farming can help to fill that void. Vertical farms have shown the ability to eliminate foodborne illness outbreaks (especially E. coli), maximise crop yields, and reduce water consumption. From a supply chain standpoint, vertical farms are reducing the miles on our fresh produce as well as getting it on our shelves faster. Vertical farms can be located in previously disused farm buildings, in repurposed shipping containers, in mushroom houses.

They can be the cornerstone of urban and rural renewal alike. Certainly worth consideration. ✽

JOHN PAUL PRIOR, is Strategy Director at Farmony, Dublin.

Farmony provides an operating system for vertical farms through a combination of software and hardware. Their partnership with Sananbio, provides year-round, pesticidefree growth of leafy greens, microgreens and herbs from a footprint of 55m2, producing the output equivalent of five acres of traditional farmland. Contact John Paul: 086 8116708. Visit: www.farmony.ie.

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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BORD BIA ezine / 07

ABOVE: LORCAN BOURKE (THIRD FROM LEFT), PICTURED WITH COLLEAGUES FROM DAFM, TEAGASC AND THE IRISH POTATO FEDERATION

POTATOES, PREPARE TO BE SURPRISED Bord Bia is joining promotional agencies in France and Belgium to promote fresh potatoes among European millennials. The EUfunded campaign, “Potatoes, Prepare to be Surprised – Europe’s favourite since 1536” will run to December 2022.

Speaking at its launch at the National Potato Conference in February, (Bord Bia, IFA and Teagasc), Lorcan Bourke, Sector Manager Horticulture, Bord Bia, said, “While research has shown that there is little rejection of potatoes among this demographic, the campaign aims to increase the purchase frequency of millennials to future-proof potatoes within modern diets. While some millennial’s maybe cooking for

BEST IN SEASON Bord Bia is planning to raise consumer awareness around inseason fresh produce (Fruit, Vegetables, Herbs) with a social media campaign to communicate the benefits of fresh seasonal produce across the year to consumers. It aims to encourage them to make the simple decision to choose local when buying fruit and vegetables which can have significant positive outcomes for both consumer and industry.

The campaign on social media was launched in advance of St. Patricks Day, and further activity will take place in advance of Easter, to take consumers on a journey from plant to plate to highlight where our food comes from, and to illustrate the resources required to produce fresh, quality produce in-season. ✽

14

one at the moment, their purchase habits will evolve with lifestyle changes, so we want to continue to promote potatoes to this generation to encourage consumption.”

From April, the campaign will target millennials through social media and digital advertising, showcasing surprising and exciting potato recipes in a modern way to encourage this group to prepare them.

IRELAND’S POTATO MARKET It is estimated a total of 8,260 hectares of potatoes were grown in Ireland in 2019 producing 338,000 tonnes.

The volume of household potato purchases in 2019 was 212,000 tonnes (Kantar Worldpanel). Last year, the retail market was valued at €235 million. Meath, Dublin, Wexford, Louth, Donegal and Cork are the largest potato growing counties with approximately 250 active commercial potato growers in Ireland. ✽

GROW COOK EAT A new series of Grow Cook Eat, sponsored

by Bord Bia, will be broadcast into homes across Ireland for a seven-week prime time run on RTE 1.

The show is anchored at the home of GIY, at Grow HQ in Waterford City. Each week the presenters, Michael Kelly and Karen O ‘Donohoe, travel to meet expert food producers.

Delicious menu ideas will be shared weekly by Chef Katie Sanderson, founder of White Mausu. From plot to plate to waste, Grow Cook Eat will show that simple, everyday food actions can make a powerful lifestyle change.

Bord Bia's Director of Horticulture Mike Neary notes, "Bord Bia is proud to sponsor Grow Cook Eat for a third season. The programme brings to life the immense time, effort and care Irish growers put into producing nutritious and sustainable fresh produce, while also recognising the significant social and economic contribution they make not just to their local communities, but the wider Irish economy. Viewers can grow their own vegetables at home or buy local seasonal produce and cook one of the tasty recipes in their own kitchens." ✽

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

07 / BORD BIA ezine HORTICULTURE INDUSTRY DAY

Bord Bia’s Horticulture Industry Day on Thursday 23rd of January was well attended by businesses from across the edible and ornamental sectors, as well as industry stakeholders.

Bord Bia shared their latest research including insights into categories and markets from Kantar data, the Bord Bia Consumer Lifestyle Trends and the recently completed Amenity Market Commercial View from Mercator Research. A snapshot of the Food Service 2019 report aimed at the fresh produce sector was also given.

Director of Horticulture, Mike Neary delivered an overview of the Bord Bia Horticulture Marketing Strategy and the services available to the industry. The presentations from the day are now live on the Bord Bia website. The full Value of the Garden Market 2018 is also available to view. This is carried out every two years - the 2020 study is now in-field. ✽

BLOOM CANCELLATION

THINKING HOUSE STUDIES A major Bord Bia study into understanding the dynamics of the potato consumer has delivered some key insights to inform a consumer promotional campaign to drive growth in the category.

Amongst other observations, the report found: ●T he health benefits of potatoes are not as well understood with millennials who see them as having the most fat and calories while older cohorts associated them with fibre, magnesium and vitamin C. ●Y ounger people believe potatoes to be harder to cook. In a world where they believe cooking should not take more than 15-20 minutes, the potato is perceived to take too long to cook and prep. ●T he potato lacks relevance for younger consumers – it is not being showcased online in the way other foods are – in an Instagram driven culture it lacks presence. ●Y et the potato is very much part of an indulgent moment and has strong associations with family and Sunday roasts and nostalgic moments. ✽

It is with deep regret that Bord Bia has made the decision to cancel Bloom 2020 scheduled to take place from Thursday 28th of May to Monday 1st of June in the Phoenix Park.

Following consultation with the relevant authorities, Bord Bia has made this decision in light of the unprecedented threat to public health presented by COVID-19. The health and safety of our visitors, exhibitors and staff is our number one priority.

An event of Bloom’s scale requires many months of preparation involving a range of multi-disciplinary teamwork. This decision will be disappointing news for many of you and we would like to pay tribute to the growers, designers, contractors, exhibitors and sponsors who have worked so hard on this year’s event.

Many of you have taken part in Bloom numerous times throughout the event’s thirteen year history and for some, 2020 would have been the first time you joined us in the Phoenix Park. We are highly appreciative that you choose to participate and we hope to be in contact in the autumn to discuss your participation at Bloom 2021.

We know that gardening can be of benefit to people’s mental and physical well-being during this difficult time.

The Bord Bia team is now exploring ways we can continue to bring the joys of gardening to the public via the new Bloom website and our other platforms this spring. We are pleased also that the SuperGarden television programme will be broadcast as usual, with a strong emphasis on plants. ✽

GROMÓR 2020 Bord Bia-commissioned research on the GroMór campaign in late 2019, shows that it has the same spontaneous brand recognition as SuperGarden, a very credible result, especially considering the disparity in budgets and platforms.

Just over 8 in 10 (81%) of those who were aware of the GroMór campaign claim it motivated them to do something with their garden and almost threequarters (74%) claim that they visited a nursery/garden centre to purchase plants/flowers as a result of seeing the campaign. The full report, which has considerable detail on attitudes to gardening by consumers, will be available to all who sign up for the campaign.

Bord Bia will be working with nurseries and garden centres to continue the campaign in 2020. Some areas of interest for consumers highlighted in the research included growing fruit and veg, bees, the environment and the contribution of gardening to mindfulness. These are the themes that will be reflected in the campaign. ✽

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

15

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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

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08 / JOBS

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Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

17

ER N N XXXXXXXXX 00 08I CONSTRUCT //W 09 L L RA E V O

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ALCI AWARDS 2020

WINNERS PHOTOS BY CONOR McENEANEY

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LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR FOR BEST ALL-IRELAND ENTRY WINNER 1 Landscape Contractor Silverstream Landscapes Designer Andrew Dunne, Andrew Christopher Garden Designs Client - Private, Co Louth

PRIVATE GARDENS €10,000 - €30,000 WINNER 2

3

Landscape Contractor Silverstream Landscapes Designer - Alan Coffey Client - Private, Dublin

PRIVATE GARDENS €30,000 - €50,000 WINNER 3 Landscape Contractor Greenstone Landscapes Designer - Ross Farrell, Greenstone Client - Private, Dublin

4

5

PRIVATE GARDENS €50,000 - €100,000 WINNER 5 Landscape Contractor Saxa Landscapes Designer Simone Fitzpatrick, Kevin Fitzpatrick Landscape Architecture Client - Private, Dublin

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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

6

RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT WINNER 6 Landscape Contractor SAP Landscapes Designer - Pat McCormack, SAP Client - Walthill Properties Address - Orwell Park Gardens, Rathgar, Dublin 6

7

COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT UP TO €50,000 WINNER 7 Landscape Contractor Sublime Landscaping Designer - Sublime Landscaping Client - Artifical Grass Cork, Hobbs Yard, Curaheen, Carrigrohane, Co Cork

RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL & PUBLIC AUTHORITY MAINTENANCE OVER €20,000 WINNER 8

8

Landscape Contractor SAP Landscapes Client - Kennedy Wilson Address - Clancy Quay, Islandbridge, Dublin 8

PUBLIC AUTHORITY WINNER 4 & 9

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Landscape Contractor Creative Play Solutions Designer Creative Play Solutions & client Client Abha Bhan Community Council Address - Abha Bhan Parish Park, Loghill, Co Limerick

SPORTSGROUNDS CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE WINNER 10

4

Landscape Contractor Peter O’Brien & Sons Designer - Peter O’Brien & Sons Landscaping Client - St Sylvester’s GAA Club Address: Broomfield, Malahide, Co Dublin

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S D R A W A I C L A

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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INTERVIEW / 10

© CHRIS BELLEW /FENNELL PHOTOGRAPHY COPYRIGHT 2020

SECURE OPPORTUNITY BARRY LUPTON INTERVIEWS BARRY DELANEY

BARRY DELANEY AT PLANT HEALTH STRATEGY LAUNCH

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s the International Year of Plant Health unfolds, Barry Lupton puts some tough questions to Ireland’s Chief Plant Health Officer, Barry Delaney, about biosecurity, our national strategy and opportunity where others see fear

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BARRY, WHY DID YOU INITIALLY BECOME INTERESTED IN HORTICULTURE? I come from a farming background, but always had a preference for growing over husbandry and specialised in a Crop Protection Masters in UCD after my degree.

HOW DID YOU INITIALLY GO ABOUT PURSUING A CAREER IN THE SECTOR? I worked with a seed potato company as an agronomist and then managed crops for an Agri merchant, before joining the Department of Agriculture.

CAN YOU PROVIDE A BRIEF INSIGHT INTO YOUR CAREER PATH, LEADING TO YOUR CURRENT ROLE? I started as a regional Plant Health and Horticulture inspector, based at Kildalton College, learning from experts there like Jim Kelleher RIP. The work involved surveying for quarantine pests to maintain Ireland's plant health status, as well as facilitating exports of amenity trees, bulbs and flowers. I went on then to manage the national plant health programme for amenity, bulb and potato sectors, as well as being involved in the DAFM horticulture grant aid scheme. Following a spell as Agricultural Attaché in Brussels, I returned to replace the retiring Gabriel Roe as Chief Plant Health Officer.

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

10 / INTERVIEW YOUR CURRENT ROLE, CHIEF PLANT HEALTH OFFICER WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, IS AN EXTREMELY DEMANDING POSITION. WHAT ARE YOUR PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES? It is quite a wide-ranging role, as Chief Plant Health Officer, I am responsible for Ireland’s National Plant Protection Organisation and in addition to that plant health role I have responsibilities in food safety and quality standards for fruit and vegetable production, horticulture development and implementation of grant aid supports such as the Commercial Horticulture Grant Aid Scheme, EU Producer Organisations scheme, as well as bees.

WHAT ARE THE MOST REWARDING, AND FOR THAT MATTER, CHALLENGING ASPECTS OF YOUR ROLE? Horticultural is a very dynamic and diverse sector. It makes a significant contribution to agricultural farmgate output at €437m in 2018, which is the fourth highest sector in terms of output value, it is therefore a critical element of the agri-sector. In terms of current concerns, a priority is the impact of COVID-19, the realities of which have already been felt by those supplying the food services sector and floral markets.

We are doing what we can to ensure that the critical food supply chain remains open and to facilitate ongoing imports and exports of food. Ongoing access to labour will be critical to maintain the supply to retail of this perishable produce. Growers should consult with their local Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection offices. In addition, the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation can offer certain government supports for COVID-19 impacted businesses. Further information is available at https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus.

2020 IS THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PLANT HEALTH. FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT HAVE HEARD OF IT, CAN YOU PROVIDE A BRIEF INSIGHT INTO ITS GENESIS AND PURPOSE? This is a global initiative fully supported and recognised by the UN, initiated by Finland, with Ireland and the United States being the first two nations to contribute to the action. Its objective is to spread global recognition around the importance of healthy plants to the continued existence of all life on earth with the tagline, "Protecting plants, Protecting life".

It really is about raising awareness on how protecting plant health can help food sustainability, protect the environment, and boost economic development, looking at some of the contributing factors to pest movement, spread and establishment, such as climate change, international travel and global trade of plants.

BIOSECURITY IS A RELATIVELY NEW ACTIVITY AND YET IS A SIGNIFICANT ASPECT OF YOUR WORK. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT IT MEANS IN CONTEXT WITH YOUR POSITION? Ireland is recognised as having a favourable plant health status, which means that many of the pests and diseases

of plants which are present elsewhere are still absent from Ireland. However, a fully functional and efficient biosecurity system is a vital part of the future profitability, productivity and sustainability of forestry, horticulture and agriculture (including cereals and grassland). It is necessary to protect and preserve the wider environment.

WHAT ARE THE KEY PILLARS OF IRELAND’S BIOSECURITY STRATEGY? The Plant Health and Biosecurity Strategy is Ireland's response to the increasing emerging threats mentioned above and sets out the importance of plant health biosecurity for Ireland, as well as ensuring that all relevant stakeholders involved are aware of the risks to plant health in Ireland, and of course, their own role to help reduce that risk. The strategy is underpinned by key strategic principles around Risk Anticipation, Surveillance & Management and Awareness and Communication.

In reality, this means doing all we can to minimise the threat posed to plants by the potential introduction and establishment of plant pests and diseases.

HOW DOES IRELAND’S ISLAND GEOGRAPHY FACTOR INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR BIOSECURITY STRATEGY? Yes indeed, our geographic location, climate and isolation as an island have conferred on us natural advantages in terms of the protection of our agriculture, horticulture and forestry sectors, as well as the wider environment and should provide an opportunity to take a risk-based approach to monitor the movement of risky material into the country.

BIOSECURITY CAN SEEM LIKE AN ABSTRACT CONCEPT: SOMETHING FOR GOVERNMENTS TO TAKE CARE OF AND NOT SOMETHING FOR THE AVERAGE HORTICULTURALIST TO BE INVOLVED WITH. IS THIS THE CASE? AND IF NOT, HOW SHOULD OUR READERS BE ENGAGING WITH IT? This is not merely about what the government will do to improve plant biosecurity since such safeguards are not a matter for government alone. Many plant importers, nurseries and landowners already play a significant role in minimising the spread of pests through practising good biosecurity, including sourcing clean stock and identifying outbreaks on their sites. This strategy sets out how this role can be enhanced, strengthened, and expanded to encompass all plant importers, nurseries and landowners with responsibility sitting with those best placed to manage the risks.

CAN YOU GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE REGULATIONS RELATING TO THE IMPORT AND EXPORT OF PLANTS IN AND OUT OF IRELAND? Plants or seeds for plant or planting which move within the EU are now accompanied by a valid plant passport, which shows that the operator is registered with the Country's Plant Health Service and where required, tested free from certain harmful pests/diseases before being sold on. If coming from outside the EU, these plants, if permitted entry, must be accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate,

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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INTERVIEW / 10 which is issued by the Plant Health Authorities of the exporting country.

WHERE CAN READERS GO TO GET A MORE IN-DEPTH UNDERSTANDING? Our website is an excellent resource on all Plant Health matters https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/ farmingsectors/planthealthtrade including important detail on imports/ exports. Please also discuss with your local plant health inspector.

WHAT MORE DO YOU THINK COULD BE DONE TO PROTECT IRELAND’S HIGH HEALTH STATUS? Whilst investing resources in facilities to inspect plants and plant products coming through our ports and airports is ongoing, it is clear that the most important element is still awareness raising and understanding the risks posed by certain plant selections and the potential impact not just on a nursery or farm, but on a neighbour or the wider environment.

We all have our part to play in protecting our health status, DAFM has been at the front of awareness in this area with our “Don’t Risk It” campaign.

MOST PEOPLE IN THE SECTOR UNDERSTAND BIOSECURITY FROM A THREAT PERSPECTIVE. SHOULD WE BE LOOKING AT IT MORE OPPORTUNISTICALLY AND IF SO, WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES? Ireland has more protected zones than any other EU member state, and so this gives certain protections within the Irish market as to what plants can enter into the country. It should facilitate further focus on locally sourced, sustainably produced material, besides, it would appear there are previously largely untapped export market opportunities.

YOU’RE WELL REGARDED FOR YOUR INVOLVEMENT AND SUPPORT OF VARIOUS PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATIONS. WHAT ROLE DO YOU SEE THESE BODIES PERFORMING? It is apparent that a clear understanding

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of the roles and responsibilities, as well as the critical issues for the agencies, institutions and representative organisations, allow for a more considered delivery for the sector.

Working very closely together and by realising the possibilities and limitations of each and seeking the possible synergies has permitted several recent initiatives around labour, research and innovation get underway.

OUR SECTOR DOES NOT HAVE A GREAT TRACK RECORD OF WORKING COOPERATIVELY. IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, IS THIS CHANGING? AND IF SO, WHY? It is clear that there is an opportunity to improve competitiveness and sustainable production through enhanced grower co-operation and collaboration. DAFM has been very proactive in encouraging the sector to look at the EU-funded Producer Organisations.

It supports measures that are aimed at improving competitiveness and market development, as well as helping producers meet future challenges in areas such as climate and environment and innovation. In what is a challenging and global marketplace, the opportunity for scale, through strong collaboration and harnessing such supports for development and growth within the sector needs to be strongly considered.

BREXIT HAS INTRODUCED A WHOLE NEW DIMENSION TO PLANT HEALTH AND THE IMPORT AND EXPORT OF HORTICULTURAL PRODUCTS. WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE KEY THREATS OF BREXIT FOR IRISH PRODUCERS? Brexit poses potential threats to Irish producers, depending on current UK/EU negotiations. However, some that come to mind, which will cause difficulties, include the availability of seed potatoes, which predominantly are currently imported from Scotland. The EU ban on the importation of soil will change the way we import some young plants.

Increased controls and phytosanitary certification will change the manner of day-to-day trade with

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

the UK as we know it today. Mixed consignments which are free to move from our ports today will be exposed to inspection depending on the products involved.

Timber pallets or wood-type packaging moving between EU and non-EU countries will have a requirement to be heat-treated with an approval stamp of ISPM 15.

CONVERSELY, AND SIMILARLY TO BIOSECURITY, THE SECTOR HAS TENDED TO VIEW BREXIT IN A NEGATIVE LIGHT. ARE WE MISSING A TRICK? According to the CSO, in 2017, Ireland imported over 72,000 tonnes of potatoes, 47,000 tonnes of onions, 30,000 tonnes of carrots, 29,000 tonnes of tomatoes, 23,000 tonnes of cabbage, 15,000 tonnes of lettuce, most of which are grown in season here. Given emerging supply chain dynamics - while noting the current retail model - it would still appear that there are definite import substitution possibilities.

In the context of climate change, we also need to consider sustainable supply chains. Also, as mentioned earlier, the high health status of Ireland's amenity production points to a substantial export opportunity with our neighbour given their current intense focus on biosecurity.

YOU'VE COVERED SOME CRITICAL AREAS AND HIGHLIGHTED OPPORTUNITIES WHERE OTHERS SEE ONLY THREATS. WITH THAT IN MIND, WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR A YOUNG HORTICULTURALIST WISHING TO PURSUE PLANT HEALTH AS A CAREER? There is an expanding range of career opportunities open to young horticulturalists. A need for plant health expertise is emerging at production level, wholesale and retail level; as well as within the institutions and agencies supporting the sector.

With the level of imports within the sector and the opportunities that Brexit presents, there might never have been a better time for a young horticulturalist to pursue a career in this area. ✽

02 / NEWS

Nangle&Niesen wholesale nursery

Irish grown mature & semi-mature trees

Font: A

6 REASONS TO MAKE NANGLE & NIESEN YOUR

FIRST CHOICE WHEN IT COMES TO SOURCING TREES Quality - We pride ourselves on the quality of our trees and operate to the highest horticultural standards. We operate rigorous quality control systems throughout every stage of the growing process Range - Over 40,000 trees with more than 200 varieties to choose from including a large stock of mature and semi mature trees Experience - A history of over 40 years of growing and supplying trees provides a wealth of knowledge and experience unsurpassed in Ireland Reliability - Our proven track record means we can be trusted to give the best advise and service Plant Health & Biosecurity - Nangle and Niesen Ltd is committed to operating in a manner that promotes good plant health and biosecurity as far as it is reasonable and practicable to do so and will ensure that the Company’s suppliers are selected with

due consideration to plant health

Price - All of the above allied to competitive prices and great value

www.nangleandniesen.ie Rathcullen, Aherla, Cork Tel: 021-733 1126 l Fax: 021-733 1663 l Email: info@nangleandniesen.ie Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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DON’T ‘BEE’ A TRAITOR TO NATURE BUY IRISH PROVENCE WILD FLORA

COMING SOON, OUR NEW FEATURE PACKED WEB & SHOP

WILDFLOWER SEEDS TO SUIT EVERY SITE & SITUATION

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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

07 / INTERVIEW

From Motorway to Roadside, We have it covered

Dont ‘Bee’ a Traiter to Nature - Buy Irish Provence Wild Flora Coming Soon, Our New Feature Packed Web & Shop Wildflower Seeds to Suit Every Site & Situation

Celebrating 30 years, Mr Sandro Cafolla t/a Design By Nature

www.WILDFLOWERS.ie On behalf of ‘Nature’ would like to thank all our thousands of customers

“

We Guarantee & Warranty all Seed Mixtures for three years,

Imported alien ‘so called’ native species are often left in storage for years and go stale, These are then dumped onto the Irish market.

”

Please Don’t Buy Imported Wildflowers.

Mr Sandro Cafolla

Email: info@wildflowers.ie (DAFM) Registered No: IECS-44 Native Sourced Irish Provenance Wildflower Seed Grower, Harvester, Supplier, Processor, Mixer and Packer Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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RETAIL / 11

SPACE -

THE FINAL

FRONTIER

FOR PROFIT Andy Campbell suggests how to optimise your retail space for maximum profit “If you can see any backboard, the implication is that space is not being utilised as efficiently as possible”

I

n garden centre retailing today, we already accept the disciplines of buying management, supply chain management, waste management and cost management – we don’t need any more, surely? Well, I would like to make a case for just one more; that is – space management.

Your retail space is one of the most valuable resources a retail business has, along with your brand, your customers, your suppliers and of course your team. If you are seeking to maximise your profit, you have to optimise the use of your space. In virtually all garden centres, space is a finite and limited resource, especially the more expensive internal covered area. More expensive, for several reasons including initial capital investment, rates payable, heating and lighting as well as the ongoing costs of maintenance. So how do you go about optimising the use of the available space?

The starting point has to be to question whether you have the right balance of internal to external space currently for the offer you wish to put together for your customer base. The decision to build additional internal selling space is an important one. Still, the existing space is invariably the limiting factor to the overall level of turnover that can be achieved. But before you go to the expense of increasing internal space you have to be sure

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you are making the best use of the existing space.

The next issue to be considered is whether the balance of accessible selling space to storage or service space is correct. While I accept the latter is a requirement bearing in mind the seasonality and weather dependency of many ranges and bulk purchasing in advance of the season; I am mindful that if customers can’t access it they can’t buy it. I am, therefore a strong advocate of minimal storage areas and maximum selling space.

Once these balances have been addressed, the critical issue becomes ensuring that you have the right product, in the right quantities, in the right place, taking up the right amount of space, at the right time.

RIGHT PRODUCT This is about having the breadth and depth of range most suitable for the consumers within your catchment area. Not only your existing customers but also those who don’t currently shop with you, but potentially would if they felt the offer was pitched in such a way as to include their requirements as well. It also involves careful construction of ranges to encourage customers to trade up, increasing the individual sales value and the cash profit on the transaction, thereby maximising the return from the space.

Perhaps most importantly though the critical issue when it comes to product selection is identifying the absolute best sellers that are going to sell in volume and turnover quickly, and to concentrate on these. The challenge is to identify these and determine just how many of the tail of slower selling lines you need for range authority.

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

© ALEXANDER BAYUROV /123RF.COM

11 / RETAIL

RIGHT QUANTITY From a theoretical perspective, you only really need sufficient stock to meet anticipated sales for the period between deliveries within the replenishment cycle.

This might be cutting things a little too fine though and does not allow for dramatic fluctuations in demand due to unexpected good weather. It also does not take into account the minimum quantity required to make a respectable, high impact display. Therefore, there is an optimum stock level to aim for, that changes throughout the season, for each product.

This principle does fly in the face of excessive pre-season stocking, mainly where space is minimal, and does require a fast and effective response from the supply base to meet your “little and often, just in time” delivery requirement.

RIGHT PLACE This not only covers the horizontal dimension, which involves the location on the footprint of the garden centre at a macro-level, but also the vertical dimension of product placement on the display equipment at a micro-level.

This introduces the concept of locating those ranges and products that are heavily impulse-driven in

hotspots with maximum passing footfall. While merchandising the more considered purchase elements of the offer where the customer is more likely to search them out with good sectional signage to help them find what they are looking for.

It also demands careful planning of customer flow to maximise exposure to the offer. Ideally, you want 100% of customers passing 100% of your offer.

When thinking ‘up and down’ rather than ‘left to right’, ensure you make the best use of the height.

This may involve higher display equipment against walls around the perimeter, keeping the middle area lower to avoid obstructing sightlines.

It also involves ensuring there is no wasted space on the fixtures due to differing height products on the same shelf or lots of fresh air around peg-hook lines. If you can see any backboard, the implication is that space is not being utilised as efficiently as possible

RIGHT SPACE The first consideration is whether

the ratio of display space to aisles is correct – the product-to-path ratio.

Planning the layout from a bird'seye view will help you to understand whether you can capture more display space without reducing the amount of customer access space to the detriment of sales. As a general rule, those ranges that are more browsing oriented - such as seeds require more space for the customer.

Conversely, those that are more considered, like compost, need less.

The next issue is to allocate the appropriate amount of space according to the expected return.

A good understanding of the net profitability from all ranges is required to enable informed decisions on how much space to allocate, particularly when there are competing demands on the space

RIGHT TIME Very simply put - not too early and not too late. There is an opportunity cost attached all the time that excess stock is sitting on display over and above what is required to meet anticipated demand. It is taking up space that could be used for a faster selling range. This requires stocking up in preparation for the rapid uplift in sales but not months beforehand. It also necessitates strict range control.

Stock levels are proactively managed down as the season end approaches to minimise the amount of excess stock remaining while controlling the costs of achieving this.

Proactive space management is both a science and an art. The science is in having the data available to make good quality decisions. The art is interpreting this data where it exists and using good commercial judgement in its absence - ideally, you would have both. ✽

Andy Campbell is an independent business development consultant specialising in the garden centre industry with over 35 years experience. He can be contacted by phone: 0044 (0)7788 567011; email: andy@andycampbellconsulting.co.uk. Alternatively, visit: www.andycampbellconsulting.co.uk

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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© RUDMER ZWERVER / 123RF.COM

LANDSCAPE / 12

SITE DRAINAGE WITH AN

ECO TWIST Féidhlim Harty explains how to maximise the potential for biodiversity in your next stormwater management project

F

lood control is very much on the agenda in this period of climate consciousness; fuelling an increase in planning requirements for Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) across Ireland. But the ecological benefits of SuDS go far beyond flood mitigation; they engage in carbon sequestration and biodiversity habitat creation as well. How can we use SuDS as a springboard to maximise the ecological benefits of the developments we work on?

T WO Q U E S T I O N S C A N AC T A S S I G N P O S T S : What can we avoid that would otherwise increase our carbon footprint and biodiversity impact? And what can we add to a project that will be actively beneficial?

WHAT TO AVOID Concrete has a high embodied energy for the fuel needed to manufacture cement. For every m2 of paving that can remain as green space, or every planned concrete pipe that can be redesigned as an open swale, the lower the overall carbon footprint of your project.

Plastic has a high climate and biodiversity impact.

Increasingly so, as more production is based on fracked gas.

Fracking (hydraulic fracturing for shale gas extraction) leaks a significant percentage of gas directly into the atmosphere at the fracking site, with a carbon equivalent of up to 86 times the potency of CO2. Every metre of plastic we can avoid using means we have more time and resources to invest in making all the other societal changes needed to avert runaway climate breakdown and mass species extinctions.

WHAT TO ADD An easy way to increase ecological value is to introduce

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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

12 / LANDSCAPE plants. Each one is a small solarpowered carbon capture unit in itself.

Planted SuDS components include green roofs, swales, filter strips, bioretention filters or rain gardens, infiltration areas, detention basins, wetlands and ponds. These not only sequester atmospheric carbon, but also provide food and shelter for countless other species of animals and microscopic flora and fauna that form the foundations of the food web.

Following is a summary of these green SuDS components.

SuDS TYPES Green Roofs are designed, built and planted to allow drought-resilient species to thrive, consequently holding rainfall for slow-release into the drainage network and providing habitat where there would otherwise be none. Care is needed to select the correct roof pitch (typically between 1:80 and 1:3), to ensure the roof is structurally strong enough and that it includes a sufficient number of drainage exits to minimise the risk of blockage. By varying the size and placement of the lightweight growing media and by diversifying the plants used, the biodiversity potential can be significantly increased.

On the subject of roofs, it’s worth noting that while water butts and rainwater harvesting are not planted systems, they are SuDS components in their own right. They have a climate benefit in reducing the energy needed for treatment and delivery of mains water.

Swales are open vegetated channels used for water conveyance, filtration and/or storage. Depending on the design and soil substrate, they may be dry during low flows or flooded permanently and planted with wetland plant species for added wildlife benefits. Dry swales may be planted with a wildflower mix to add value for pollinators. Design so that water depth is typically ≤100mm, with a base width of ≥0.5m and top flow velocities not greater than 1-2m/s. Bank slopes are typically 1:3 or shallower.

Filter strips are often built between the runoff yard or road and the swale.

These are typically grassed strips for water filtration and are usually mown to maintain a low dense vegetated layer

for water filtration. However, where the pollution load is likely to be modest, native wildflower mixes may be used to promote biodiversity. Allow ≥6m width and an even inlet distribution at the upper edge of the strip to achieve optimum filtration. Gradients are much shallower than for swales, at 1:20 to 1:50.

Bioretention areas, bioretention filters or rain gardens are relatively highly engineered with different components within their overall design. These can include grass filter strips or channels, ponding areas for temporary water storage, mulch areas for bacteria proliferation and a variety of planted areas and sand filtration. They are sized to store the design runoff volume at <150mm depth of standing water.

Unless they are lined, the system base should be ≥1m above groundwater to avoid causing pollution. Include a bypass system to avoid inundating the system during extreme storm events.

Infiltration basins and detention basins both store incoming stormwater for slow-release into the receiving environment. Infiltration basins do this through percolation to groundwater; and detention basins by using a restricted outlet weir. They are both generally dry under normal weather conditions. By planting with wildflower species or wetland plants you can maximise the benefits for biodiversity while still serving the main function of flood control. Infiltration basins are unsuitable for siting over vulnerable aquifers or for polluted runoff areas.

Detention basins should be set out at least twice as long as the width to increase pollution reduction. Allow for full storage of the design runoff volume within the infiltration or detention basin. Side slopes of 1:4 are recommended for safety.

Stormwater wetlands and ponds can double as rich wildlife habitats, particularly where the incoming water is relatively free of hydrocarbons or other contaminants. Conversely, where stormwater contamination is high (it can be up to 15% as polluting as raw sewage!) wetlands can be very effective filter systems, cleaning the water before it enters nearby rivers or streams. They should be sized to cater for the full treatment volume and allow variable depth during storm events for attenuation of high flows. Include a sediment forebay to settle debris and silt early in the process, (10% of the overall basin volume). Allow water to remain in the wetland even in dry conditions and provide varying water depths for habitat enhancement.

Ponds can have a permanent pool of up to 2m depth.

A length:width ratio of >3:1 is recommended, to maximise pollution uptake. Gently sloping banks are to be used in either wetlands or ponds for safety reasons. Suitable native species include, amongst others: Typha latifolia (bulrush), Iris pseudacorus (yellow flag), Sparganium erectum (branched burr reed), and Mentha aquatica (water mint).

FINAL THOUGHTS Next time your project brief includes stormwater management of any sort consider how you can provide benefits for biodiversity. The mass extinction event that we are beginning to see around us is the sum total of making lots and lots of decisions every day that erode the base of biodiversity in Ireland and all around the world. By consciously making decisions that support wildlife, we can begin to reverse this trend and have a world that can support and nurture all species, including us. ✽

FÉIDHLIM HARTY is director of FH Wetland Systems environmental consultancy and writer. His most recent book Towards Zero Waste is now available online and in selected bookshops nationwide. For more SuDS information and links visit www.wetlandsystems.ie

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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LANDSCAPE/ 12

STORMY WATERS

TERRY O’REGAN pursued a career in the Irish landscape sector for some 50 years as contractor and consultant before retiring recently. For much of that time he was also an active advocate for the bigger picture perspective and thinking outside the landscape box. He can be contacted at 087-240 7618 & terryjoregan@gmail.com

Retired landscape horticulturist, Terry O’Regan begins a series of articles reflecting on his adventures in the landscape sector

A

s I commenced this article in early February, the ‘ghost ship’ MV Alta had just run aground on rocks west of Ballycotton in East Cork.

Abandoned in the Atlantic southeast of Bermuda in October 2018, she had been drifting around the oceans over the intervening year-and-ahalf. It struck a chord with me.

My business partner and I launched the good ship ‘Birch Hill Landscapes (BHL)’ back in December 1975; she sadly ended her days in the ‘breaker’s yard’ last year. We resisted the temptation to abandon her back in 2012 when the combination of a number of clients’ unpaid debts and a cynical state raid on the employer-funded state redundancy scheme* combined to hole our ship below the waterline.

Our accountant set out our options in bleak terms, “Sail your vessel into your bank manager’s office and abandon it there; leaving your staff, suppliers, clients, the banks and Revenue to go swim. Or you can plug the hole as best you can with your own resources and energy, ride out the storm and hope for better trade winds ahead.” He might have worded it slightly differently but the net effect is the same.

Even though we were already past the recently muchdebated retirement age (and in contrast to the unloved MV Alta), we honourably chose the latter option. Over the intervening years, we worked systematically on clearing all debts and bank facilities; stabilising if not quite entirely refitting the old vessel. However, the long and eventful BHL voyage over some 44 years finally ended last year with what felt like a prolonged near-death experience.

The state’s decision to renege on its undertaking to support responsible employers in redundancy scenarios impacted on us yet again; we were unable to sell as a going concern.

Instead, we had to go through a complex process of selling our property base first, cease trading in April 2019 and finally my business partner and I dismantled the ship that had served us well for many years – a part of us dying in the exercise.

Images flashed before our eyes as we sorted machines,

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* From 2012 to 2017 Terry carried out an in-depth investigation into the state’s management of the redundancy scheme culminating in his 70-page report ‘The Irish Redundancy Payments Scheme 1967-2017 – 2017 Reconstruction Report’. Copies of the report have been submitted to the relevant ministers and other interested parties. It is available in pdf format from Terry at terryjoregan@gmail.com

vehicles, machine parts, sundry items and materials.

We sold a fair share and gave away a lot, mainly to a voluntary organisation and managed to keep the number of skips to a minimum. The administration files were if anything more problematic.

There were old and new ‘ghosts’ accompanying us each day; past employees, clients, contracts, awards, trade shows and fellow landscapers from all corners of the island. The more disturbing ghosts included dangerous chemicals, changes in work practices, ill-thought-out legislation and the landscaping market itself. The newer ghosts included GDPR, Plant Health and Environmental legislation etc.

As we cleared the shed and offices, there was inevitably those irritating wisdom in hindsight moments. It struck me there might be lessons worth sharing with those still sailing the tricky waters of the amenity landscape sea.

WISE COUNSEL In future issues of Horticulture Connected, Terry shares more industry lessons. Here’s a brief preview of the topics he aims to cover: Holes and Holes – Landscaping inevitably is a ‘holey’business. But there are times when you need to stop digging and times when you should dig faster!

Phone a Friend – Small enterprises may not have the scale to have in-house friends – out-sourcing may be needed. ✽

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

12 / LANDSCAPE

INTEGRATED WEED CONTROL IS WAY

FORWARD

Greg Collins, Bayer national account manager for Ireland, explains how taking an integrated approach this season could be the difference between successful and unsuccessful weed control

W

ith temperatures rising and spring fast approaching, amenity contractors will be planning their approach to tackling troublesome weeds. With increased regulatory challenges putting pressure on the whole industry, it’s even more important to implement an integrated approach. As manufacturers, we constantly have to adapt our solutions to meet these requirements and ensure support is available for our customers.

A successful weed control programme requires a combination of cultural and chemical solutions. Product rotation and application timings are also essential components to consider within an integrated approach, to help keep resistance at bay.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. An increasing number of people are considering alternative solutions to weed control, which is a great way to start tackling the constant regulatory challenges. It’s important to consider all solutions and utilise a range of cultural and chemical options. Local authorities are under pressure to reduce or eliminate their reliance on chemical controls but have realised that alternatives are cost-prohibitive and not as effective.

Hence, an integrated approach is the ideal compromise.

CULTURAL CONTROLS Cultural controls should form the basis of an integrated programme. While they are not always successful at offering long-lasting control, they can provide initial weed knockdown, allowing contractors to get on top of weed activity. For example, hand weeding can be a way to remove established weeds, keeping the area clean and tidy.

However, this can be a time consuming and expensive option.

Strimming can also knockdown established weeds, and while it’s a process that has to be repeated regularly, it’s a nonchemical solution that can ensure the area is kept clean and tidy. Alternatively, if you’re looking to tackle a larger area, then mowing can be a better option, and while again this still has to be repeated regularly, it can help get on top of current weed problems. There are also other solutions, which are not subject to the same regulations as pesticides such as hot foam, steam or fire treatments which burn off the plant.

Electric weed systems are also available where high-energy electrons work through the plant to the roots, but all of these options only control current weeds that are present.

RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT Resistance is also a problem when it comes to herbicides. To help manage this, rotating active ingredients and the mode of action within a treatment programme is important. Rotating with fatty acids in the mix of treatments offers a biological solution that provides an alternative option to control above ground weeds. In addition, there are products on the market that use a combination of active ingredients which can act as a valuable tool for resistance management, such as a combination of diflufenican and iodosulfuon-methyl-sodium.

These options can provide good control of a broad spectrum of weeds, offering residual control.

APPLICATION TIMING The timing of application is fundamental to successful weed control, as well as considering the type of weeds being treated and the wider environment. Before treatment, always go outside and inspect the area, to identify the different types of weeds present and choose the most appropriate products. It’s also important to consider the environment and ensure the selected product is conducive to the setting. Reading the label is essential to see the best results, as this will advise on the target weeds, application timing and treatment rate.

To help maintain a clear surface, and avoid weeds establishing in the first place, it’s important to apply a residual control as soon as possible, that targets a broad spectrum of weeds. If weeds are present, use a contact acting herbicide mixed with a residual to prevent any further weed growth. While the industry has many challenges to face, there are lots of positive things that we, as an industry can do to help ensure we successfully tackle weeds, and integrated management is fundamental in this. ✽

GREG COLLINS has worked in the industry for 23 years and joined Bayer in 2014. He’s the national account manager for Ireland and works closely with customers to ensure they are informed about products, best practice and legislation changes. He also worked as a greenkeeper for over 17 years and therefore understands the issues they may be facing.

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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DESIGN / 13

SEEDS OF CHANGE

PLANTING DESIGN FOR

THE 21 ST CENTURY:

BY PATRICIA TYRELL

GLDA SEMINAR REPORT

M

et Éirean warned of Storm Jorge, and recommended that everyone stay at home, but that did not deter the 250 delegates who flocked to the GLDA Seminar at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Santry on the last day of February. What’s a little hurricane to those who are inured to the great outdoors and the vagaries of the Irish weather?

Working in an industry as old as time, but still open to new and exciting ideas and approaches, is one of the great pleasures of horticulture and garden design. Those who attended were up for the challenge and eager to learn more.

The buzz of conversation during the breaks was testament to the sociability of the day, chatting with old friends, making new ones, meeting the speakers and chatting with the sponsors about their latest products.

AMAZING DESIGN WITH LOW-MAINTENANCE PLANTING Our first speaker was Cassian Schmidt. With a landscape architecture degree, a Master’s in horticulture, and more than 25 years’ experience as a professional plantsman, Cassian Schmidt is at the forefront of the New German and Dutch Wave movement.

Cassian is the director at Herrmanshoff Gardens, Germany a privately funded trials garden opened in 1983. It attracts about 170,000 visitors a year and its main aims are research, education and display. The garden planting is an experiment and therefore is always changing, exploring and pushing boundaries. It showcases everything from annual beds to perennials and grasses and other structural plants that offer a naturalistic look, changing seasons of interest and beautiful colour combinations.

The planting style changes rapidly as you move through the garden to demonstrate various styles or habitats.

32

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

13 / DESIGN

IMAGES COURTESY OF MR SANDRO CAFOLLA T/A DESIGN BY NATURE

Cassian’s research builds on the work of Professor Richard Hansen, who founded the trial garden and institute at Weihenstephen near Munich in 1948.

Hansen experimented with grouping plants in the garden setting into plant communities and wrote the book Perennials and Their Garden Habitats, Hansen & Stahl. Now sadly out of print but still for sale second-hand if you have deep pockets. The title of Cassian’s talk was ‘New Perspectives in Design and Maintenance in the Future – How to Create an Amazing Design with Lowmaintenance Planting’.

Fundamental to all garden design is maintenance, but how do we achieve low-maintenance in planting? Cassian set the context for the day, providing us with a means to categorise the degree of maintenance of different types of planting, according to habitat, stage of succession, geography and survival strategy, based on his research at Herrmanshof.

Natural habitats are layered, in species and also in time. As one plant fades another is expanding into its place.

The aim is to have communities that are self-seeding, self-sustaining plant communities with limited editing by the gardener. In order to achieve this, Cassian

has experimented with different plant communities from different geographic areas and habitats. Plants from different habitats vary in their survival strategies.

These divide into stress-tolerant communities, competitive communities and ruderal communities. Stress-tolerant communities have the best strategy for low-maintenance as they are low in nutrients and water and therefore have less requirements and grow less weeds.

These types of plants come from dry habitats, such as steppe. Woodland is also a stressed system with each plant competing for light, water and nutrients and is therefore very low-maintenance.

Competitive communities are high in nutrients and compete effectively with their neighbours for light and space. This demands higher maintenance inputs to keep a balance of species. Ruderal communities tend to be colourful and have a high aesthetic. The plants tend to be short-lived and therefore highmaintenance. An example might be a planting with a lot of annuals.

Based on his research, Cassian has developed some standardised lowmaintenance plant mixes with a balance of structural, seasonal and filler plants which can be implemented over a large area using a matrix. These planting

mixes are close to self-sustaining with very low inputs of water and nutrients.

In collaboration with his wife Bettina Jaugstetter, who is a practicing Landscape Architect, these standardised plant concepts have been implemented in many landscape projects with success, and these in turn become part of the research project.

PLANTS FIRST Our second speaker was Sarah Price from Wales. With several Chelsea Gold medals and well known also for her work on the 2012 London Olympic Park Gardens, the title of her talk was 'Plants First', because for her, plants are why we garden. Hard surfaces stay the same, but plants are dynamic.

With a background in fine arts and influenced by time spent in the Welsh countryside as a child, her gardens take their inspiration from nature and natural patterns. Using native species and creating drifts of plants that blend into each other give her plantings a painterly quality consistent with her training.

While our other speakers focussed mostly on perennials and annuals, Sarah prioritises trees. She sees trees as sculpture and likes to choose trees with character. Textures and natural plant

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

33

DESIGN / 13 layers and associations are more important to her than colour.

Sarah communicates her vision through the medium of art and the audience was particularly taken with her sketches and models which allow us to visualise instantly what she has planned. When it comes to implementation, she feels that onsite input is very important, to get just the right effect.

Fitting with her calm and meditative presentation, many of her projects are in hospital or rehabilitation settings such as the Maggie’s cancer care centre in Southampton and Horatio’s Garden at Cardiff Hospital. Sarah has also collaborated with Nigel Dunnett on the Olympic Park.

WILDFLOWER POWER Sandro Cafolla saved us from a post-prandial slump with his fresh, entertaining and passionate talk on wildflowers and wildflower meadows on which he is the leading Irish expert.

He explained that most of his talks go on for an entire day, and I for one will be putting the next one in my diary. He prefaced his presentation by showing us some handmade tools which would have been in common use before mechanisation. These were ergonomically designed by the local blacksmith to fit the height of the user and also to fit the purpose intended. Part of a vast collection which Sandro has gathered over the years, lest they be lost forever.

Sandro is self-taught and driven by a life-long interest in nature and biodiversity. He first started collecting and growing wildflower seed at a time when he could not source any.

By following his passion, he has created a business which is now at the forefront of modern ideas on biodiversity and the creation of natural landscapes. This is really Sandro’s time.

He spoke of the problem of environmental erosion and the importance of local genotypes. We need to be careful as Sandro has pointed out, about the provenance of seed. It is more transportable and less traceable so it would be easy to inadvertently destroy the makeup of locally evolved species by importing from abroad.

He explained in great detail the progress of a meadow, from year to year and how it should be maintained. As he explained, his book is his website, and all of the information is shared there for free. He is also involved in a European-wide initiative calling on all craft gardeners to give a square metre of ground to endangered seed species. This initiative is called ‘Imithe’, the Irish for gone, and if interested there is more information on Sandro's website www.wildflowers.ie.

LOW-INPUT, HIGH-IMPACT PLANTING Speaker, Nigel Dunnett - recently retired as Professor of Planting Design and Urban Horticulture at Sheffield University - is a plantsman, designer and pioneer of the new ecological approach to planting gardens and public spaces. His work revolves around the integration of ecology and horticulture to achieve low-input, high-impact landscapes that are dynamic, diverse and tuned to nature.

Nigel told us he has never come across a garden that inspired joy, uplift and positivity; unlike the natural world which constantly takes our breath away. If you could choose a premise for a good horticultural debate, this must be it. On the one hand, we can agree nothing surpasses the natural

34

world, but then think of those gardens with the wow factor. On our doorstep, Powerscourt Gardens and further afield in Italy, Villa d’Este; a garden where the rush of a waterfall is captured in a myriad of different ways, the effect of which stays with you forever. You could argue that these gardens are ‘nature enhanced’ which is essentially what Nigel is striving for - the immersive experience of nature, but better.

He works a lot with colour and has developed what he terms a ‘Pictorial Meadow’, which is a meadow inspired by nature but enhanced by adding colourful annuals that look at home within it. He is taking the idea of a meadow and making it better. These meadows have a high ecological function but with the advantage of low inputs, being easy to maintain. The high visual appeal attracts people to them. Successional layers allow waves of changing colour as the season progresses.

These enhanced meadows have high visual appeal and also high ecological function. Designed for climate adaptation and easy to maintain with low inputs. This is a formula which translates to green roofs. Chicago City Hall being one example amongst many. Like Sandro, a formula for the layout has been developed, which repeats over a given area, rather than a detailed planting plan.

From all the speakers it becomes apparent that the standardised planting plan may become a thing of the past.

Planting the more natural landscape requires new ways of thinking about planting design. It also requires new ways of thinking about how we communicate that design. Nature works in layers and each of the delegates emphasised this idea. We looked at landscapes grown from native seed from Sandro Cafolla and Nigel Dunnett’s enhanced natural meadows, self-maintaining plant mixes born of meticulous research from Cassian Schmidt and landscape planting inspired by natural vegetation from Sarah Price. We are now looking to nature and studying how natural communities grow together, rather than the sterile shrubberies or ground cover of the past. The skills of the plantsman and horticulturist will be ever more essential as we move away from formulaic planting plans and spacings to achieve biodiverse, climate-resilient and low-maintenance landscapes.

There is nothing new in the world of horticulture, just new ways of thinking. ✽

PATRICIA TYRRELL is an award-winning garden designer with two Gold Medals and Best in Category from Bloom. She holds an honours degree in Landscape Horticulture from UCD and is also a Masters Graduate of the School of Landscape Architecture at UCD.

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

14 / INSIGHT

INTERNATIONAL YEAR

OF PLANT HEALTH Shane Kirk explains the global impact of good plant health

T

The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) nominated 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) to raise global awareness around plant health and how crucial plants, trees and forests are to our existence.

Protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, boost economic development, protect the environment and support and enhance biodiversity. In this regard, it is vital that we protect our horticulture, amenity/landscape and forestry sectors.

Human activity and climate change have altered ecosystems; reducing biodiversity and creating new niches where pests and diseases can thrive.

International travel and trade have tripled in scale in the last decade and can be responsible for the spread of pests and diseases around the world.

The FAO slogan for IYPH is “Protecting Plants, Protecting Life.” Plants are crucial to the world’s ecosystems and biodiversity. They are essential for human survival. Plants make up 80% of the food we eat and produce 98% of the oxygen we breathe. Plants are also crucial to the global economy with the annual value of trade in agricultural products estimated at €1.5 trillion.

The key messages for IYPH are: ● Keep plants healthy to achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals. ● Be careful when bringing plants and plant products across borders; Don’t Risk It! ● Make trading in plants and plant products safe by complying with the international plant health standards. ● Keep plants healthy while protecting the environment. ● Invest in plant health capacity development, research and outreach.

IYPH AND IRELAND President Michael D. Higgins planted a native sessile oak (Quercus petraea) in Phoenix Park recently, to officially launched the IYPH in Ireland. The protection of Ireland’s native species of flora and fauna and biodiversity is essential to the quality of life for the citizens of this island and for future generations.

Ireland currently has 23 EU recognised protected zones (the highest in the EU) for specific harmful pests and diseases with accompanying special legislation which is approved by the EU. This legislation allows Ireland to adopt special phytosanitary (plant health) measures to safeguard against the introduction and emergence of these plant pests and diseases on this island.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) as the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) of Ireland works very closely with all stakeholders of the horticultural and forestry industry to protect our biodiversity. Throughout the year DAFM will be promoting awareness of plant health through a range of events reaching out to a broad range of stakeholders. ✽ PHOTO: PRESIDENT OF IRELAND MICHAEL D. HIGGINS PLANTS A NATIVE SESSILE OAK TREE IN PHOENIX PARK TO COMMEMORATE IRELAND’S LAUNCH OF INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PLANT HEALTH 2020.

PICTURE: COLM MAHADY/FENNELLS

SHANE KIRK is an Inspector in the Horticulture and Plant Health Division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Shane is a UCD Horticulture Degree graduate with extensive experience in the sector prior to joining DAFM, where he is focused on facilitating trade of Horticultural produce and protecting Ireland's Plant Health status.

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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14 / INSIGHT

SOIL MANAGEMENT AND REGENERATION

FIGURE 1: RHIZOSPHERE OF A LEGUME WITH NITROGEN FIXING BACTERIAL ROOT NODULES

Dr Brian Murphy explores the challenges facing soil conservation and the role compost can play in soil improvement

S

oil is a valuable natural resource that performs vital ecosystem functions. It cleans our air and water; it provides us with food and materials for shelter and clothing. Without soil, life as we know it would not exist. Just like air and water, it is part of our planet’s life support system. Our soil is a huge sink for carbon, holding two to three times more carbon than the atmosphere and more carbon than all the world’s forests combined. Soil carbon sequestration offers a tangible way of mitigating climate change. The soils of our gardens, roadsides and green spaces are vital havens for biodiversity. So why do we seem to take soil for granted?

CHALLENGES FACING SOIL Soil is vulnerable to erosion, compaction, pollution, desertification, urban development, intensive agriculture and climate change. The equivalent of 30 football pitches of fertile soil is estimated to be lost globally every minute. Soil organic matter, which is vital to soil health, is decreasing in soils across Europe (Bellamy et al. 2005) [1]. A 2017 report from Panagos et al. [2] estimated that European countries are losing up to €1.25 billion annually in agricultural productivity due to soil erosion and loss.

Loss of biodiversity is also a serious challenge, which is directly related to how we manage soils. In the EU, we have a water framework directive and an air quality directive, both positive directives to protect our water and our air.

A soil framework directive was proposed in 2006 but was scrapped in 2014 due mainly to a blocking minority of the UK, France, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.

The soil framework directive must be revisited, given the importance of food security and the climate crisis.

It is also disappointing that there is no mention of the soil's potential to actively sequester carbon in the Irish Government's Climate Action Plan. Currently, Irish legislation and environmental enforcement are such that soil stripped from a greenfield site before development is classified as waste material or at best, a by-product, imposing strict limitations on its reuse. The reality is that vast amounts of fertile soils are ending up in landfill or filling a hole in a soil recovery facility. This situation does not follow the principles of a circular economy.

NATURALLY DRIVEN SOLUTIONS On a positive note, these problems have solutions. Many farmers, growers and soil scientists are already instigating changes to conserve and improve soil health. Conservation agriculture, regenerative agriculture and biological farming

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

37

INSIGHT / 14

(FIGURE 4) MYCORRHIZAE FUNGI IN PLANT ROOTS AFTER SIX MONTHS GROWING OF RAISED BEDS AMENDED WITH INOCULANTS

practices all focus on protecting soil health. One such inspiring group is the Danú Farming group. A group of Irish farmers who have undertaken a project to assess how practices such as minimum tillage (min till), cover cropping, multi-species grass swards and reduced chemical fertiliser use improve the soil's microbiome and its overall function.

Humus-rich, healthy topsoil is a product of plant photosynthesis and microbial resynthesise. Plants and microbes make topsoil. While plants live and grow, they form a symbiotic relationship with soil microbes (bacteria and fungi). Plants capture carbon dioxide (CO2) and exude carbon through their roots as simple sugars, carbohydrates and other organic compounds. These compounds stimulate and feed the microbiology in the rhizosphere (root zone) (Figure 1) and in turn, the microbes make nutrients available to the plant.

Most soils have vast stores of nutrients, but the problem is they are not in a form which is readily available to plants. Soil microbes mineralise vital nutrients such as nitrogen and solubilise phosphorous while also making essential micronutrients such as copper, zinc and iron available.

Intensive agriculture and landscaping practices often involve adding large volumes of chemical nitrogen and phosphorus to soils. This disrupts natural microbial systems. In this case, plants are being artificially provided with excess nitrate and phosphate; therefore, they will decrease or stop exuding microbial stimulants. This results in a loss of microbial diversity and reduction in micronutrient uptake

38

and long-term soil function. In these conventional systems, plants become dependent on artificial fertilisers.

As beneficial microbes go, mycorrhizae fungi are crucial (Figure 2). They attach to plant roots and form complex networks, extending the surface area of the roots and making more nutrients available. The less this network is disturbed, the better. Therefore, min till or 'no dig' approaches are proving popular.

A bonus of these plant-driven processes is that carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and locked into the soil as organic matter. A diverse and healthy soil microbiome increases humus content, nutrient availability, improves soil structure and aggregation, controls disease and pests and sequesters carbon.

SOILS IN LANDSCAPING AND GARDENING

The simplicity of compost means it is often overlooked in favour of 'off-theshelf' products promising miraculous results. Another issue which has not done compost any favours is the fact that in garden and DIY stores products which are predominantly peat based are labelled as compost. Peat is a finite resource; peat holds no nutrients and is virtually sterile. To be correctly defined as compost, the organic material must go through the naturally-driven, thermophilic composting process. This aerobic, microbial process involves a natural heating phase (mesophilic), a hot phase (thermophilic) and a cooling phase (maturation) resulting in a stable, long-lasting organic matter which is full of beneficial microbiology.

Compost works best when mixed thoroughly into topsoil at the outset

There is an old saying in gardening: "A penny for the plant and a pound for the hole". Spending a small fortune on plants and not considering the soil's health is a recipe for failure. For long-term, plant health and growth, soils must provide aeration, drainage, support, water storage, nutrient supply and a healthy soil microbiome. Poor handling and management of soils leads to a breakdown in these functions.

Often, when a landscaper arrives at a new site, they are presented with a stockpile of overhandled, compacted and poorly stripped soil. The good news is that through an understanding of the characteristics of soil, steps can be taken to regenerate and improve it.

IMPROVING FUNCTION AND REGENERATING SOIL Compost has been used to replenish soil health for thousands of years.

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

FIGURE 2: MYCORRHIZAE FUNGI NETWORK. PHOTO: ABERDEEN MYCORRHIZAE RESEARCH GROUP

14 / INSIGHT of a project. Application rates can be from 5% up to 50% (by volume) depending on the intended use for the soil, and the condition of the soil requiring improvement. Compost can also be used as a topdressing or even as a mulch.

MANAGING BIODEGRADABLE WASTES Commercial composting (Figure 3) is an excellent example of the circular economy in action. A landscaper can bring cuttings, trees, bushes and grass from a site clearance to a composting facility and in 12-16 weeks can collect finished compost made from this material and use it to improve the soil in landscaping projects. All the macro and micronutrients contained in the plant material are recycled and concentrated back into a balanced, microbially rich soil improver. Direct comparisons of specialist mycorrhizae inoculant products and green compost (Figure 4) have shown that compost supports similar mycorrhizae levels in soils, while also providing a multitude of other benefits.

SUSTAINABLE APPROACHES TO SOILS FOR LANDSCAPING AND GARDENING PROJECTS In many landscaping projects, a soil specification is often detailed by the designer/architect. A progressive and sustainable approach, where on-site soil exists, is to assess the soil already present in a soil resource survey.

A soil scientist can assess the soil on-site and advise on a management plan for reuse and improvement of that soil to meet specification. Ideally, this should take place before a project goes to tender, so the amendments required can be priced by the contractor. Assessing soil in situ before it has been stripped is also the best indication of how that soil is likely to function in the future.

In smaller gardening projects, an assess and improve approach can also be taken by doing some basic soil assessments before planting. Assess the texture by hand, does the soil form long ribbons? It may be clay heavy. Check the soil pH using a basic soil kit. Judge drainage by doing a simple percolation test pit. Worm counting is an excellent way to assess soil health and organic matter content.

Improving and reusing soils not only conserves a valuable natural resource, a carbon sink and a diverse ecosystem but also provides significant savings as fewer inputs are required, and less waste is generated. In some cases, aggregate amendments such as grit or fine sands may also be required to meet specification. However, for most situations, compost alone is enough. Compost is a costeffective way of producing healthy and self-sustaining soil.

(FIGURE 3) COMMERCIAL SCALE WINDROW COMPOSTING SYSTEM

Conserving and improving soils is not just an agricultural issue. Gardeners, landscapers and councils can all help protect the soil ecosystem and reap the rewards of healthier soils.

Urban gardens and green spaces are hugely important for biodiversity and our wellbeing.

THE BENEFITS OF COMPOST ● I NCREASES ORGANIC MATTER

AND HUMUS CONTENT ● I MPROVES SOIL AGGREGATION AND STRUCTURE ● I MPROVED DRAINAGE ● INCREASES PLANT AVAILABLE WATER HOLDING

CAPACITY AND DROUGHT RESISTANCE ● I NCREASES SOIL NUTRIENT STORAGE ●P ROVIDES LONG-TERM SLOW-RELEASE

MACRO AND MICRONUTRIENTS ● I MPROVES ROOT DEVELOPMENT ● INOCULATES AND STIMULATES THE SOIL

MICROBIOME WITH BENEFICIAL MICROBES ● IMPROVES DISEASE RESISTANCE ●S EQUESTERS CARBON (COMPOST SINKS

UP TO 400kg OF CO2 PER TONNE)

References [1] Bellamy, P.H., Loveland, P.J., Bradley, R.I., Lark, R.M. and Kirk, G.J.D. 2005. Carbon losses from all soils across England and Wales 1978−2003. Nature, 437pp.245-248.

[2] Panagos, P. et al. (2017). Cost of agricultural productivity loss due to soil erosion in the European Union: From direct cost evaluation approaches to the use of macroeconomic models. Land Degrad Dev., 471–484. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2879 ✽

DR BRIAN MURPHY is a senior scientist with Enrich Environmental Ltd. Brian is an author and coauthor on numerous peer-reviewed publications related to soil carbon sequestration, biodegradation of pollutants, composting systems and organic geochemistry.

For more details www.enrich.ie.

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

39

DAFM eZINE / 15

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PLANT HEALTH 2020 (IYPH 2020) BACKGROUND The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has nominated 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health. The International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) has been created to raise global awareness around plant health and how crucial plants, trees and forests are to our existence.

Protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, boost economic development, protect the environment and support and enhance biodiversity.

In this regard it is vital that we protect our horticulture, amenity/landscape and forestry sectors.

Human activity and climate change have altered ecosystems, reducing biodiversity and creating new niches where pests and diseases can thrive.

International travel and trade have tripled in scale in the last decade and can be responsible for the spread of pests and diseases around the world.

PROTECTING PLANTS, PROTECTING LIFE The FAO slogan for IYPH is “Protecting Plants, Protecting Life.” Plants are crucial to the world’s ecosystems and biodiversity. They are essential for human survival. Plants make up 80% of the food we eat and they produce 98% of the oxygen we breathe.

Plants are also crucial to the global economy with the annual value of trade in agricultural products estimated at €1.5 trillion.

The key messages for IYPH are; ●K eep plants healthy to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals ●B e careful when bringing plants and plant products across borders; Don’t Risk It! ●M ake trading in plants and plant products safe by complying with the international plant health standards ●K eep plants healthy while protecting the environment ● I nvest in plant health capacity development, research and outreach.

40

AS PART OF THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PLANT HEALTH, THE DEPARTMENT STAFF HAVE BEEN BRINGING THE IMPORTANT MESSAGE OF PLANT HEALTH TO TRADE EVENTS SUCH AS THE RECENT IHNSA TROLLEY FAIR AT KELLYS NURSERIES.

IYPH AND IRELAND The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) have been organising events to mark this prestigious year. Some of these events have been postponed due to the Covid 19 public health emergency. DAFM’s main priority is ensuring that the critical food supply chains remain open and to facilitate ongoing imports and exports of food and at the same time, protect the plant health status of the European Union.

DAFM will be arranging events more events for later in the year and if you would like to get involved in any of our events or organise your own event please visit our website: https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/dontriskit/ internationalyearofplanthealth2020iyph2020.

If you wish to contact us regarding IYPH please email: iyph2020@agriculture.gov.ie

COVID-19 Covid-19 is a major public health emergency. It’s having a big impact on the way we live our lives, the way our communities come together, and the way we do our business.

Find out about the supports available to help you and your business get through this Public Health crisis, please go to www.gov.ie. ✽

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

15 / DAFM eZINE

NEW PLANT HEALTH REGULATION The new plant health regulation became active on December 14, 2019. This regulation which strengthens EU and Irish legislation in relation to plant health places new responsibilities on DAFM and all sectors of the horticulture and forestry industries.

This plant health regulation will enable DAFM, the horticulture and forestry industry, associated agencies and the general public to protect and preserve Ireland’s biodiversity for future generations.

With the introduction of the new plant health regulation, there has been a variety of changes for the horticultural industry and how you must conduct your business operation. The most significant changes have been to the definition of who is considered a professional operator, their obligation to become registered with the DAFM and plant traceability.

Professional operators include garden centres, nurseries, landscapers/landscape architects and internet traders/sellers of plants, plus a few more; a complete list can be accessed on the DAFM website.

So, what does this mean for these core professional operators? First and foremost, each professional operator will need to ensure that they are registered with the DAFM. These details will need to be updated every 12 months. Additionally, professional operators must keep records regarding plants supplied to them by other professional operators, plants supplied by them to other professional operators, and the registration number of the professional operators they have conducted business with. These records must be kept for three years. Furthermore, each professional operator will be required to have a nominated competent person to issue plant passports and/or liaise with the DAFM. For clarification, here is a guideline to outline the requirement for each professional operator:

NURSERIES ●R egister with the DAFM as a professional

operator and update details every 12 months

● All plants for planting

require a plant passport, but not required for final user (unless a host species for protected zone organism) ●E nsure plant passports are correct and record ● R ecords must be kept and maintained for three years ●M ust have a competent person to issue plant passports (if required) and liaise with DAFM

LANDSCAPERS/LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS ●M ust register with the DAFM as a professional

operator and update details every 12 months ●A ll plants for planting require a plant passport ●E nsure plant passports are correct and record ● Records must be kept and maintained for three years ● Must have a competent person to issue plant

passports (if required) and liaise with DAFM

INTERNET TRADERS/SELLERS OF PLANTS ●M ust register with the DAFM as a professional

operator and update details every 12 months ● All internet sales of plants require a plant passport

to the final user ●E nsure plant passports are correct and record ● Records must be kept and maintained for three years ●M ust have a competent person to issue plant

passports (if required) and liaise with DAFM

FORESTRY SECTOR ●M ust register with DAFM ● Certain commodities including coniferous plants,

wood and wood products (which are not bark-free) within the Protected Zone of Ireland should be accompanied by a plant passport ●A ll wood packaging must ISPM 15-compliant

●A ll plants for planting require a plant passport ● Ensure plant passports are correct and record ●R ecord registration numbers of professional

operators they supply plants to ●R ecords must be kept and maintained for

three years ●M ust have a competent person to issue plant

passports and liaise with DAFM

GARDEN CENTRES ●R egister with the DAFM as a professional operator

and update details every 12 months

The main objective for these newly established protocols for professional operators is to raise greater awareness of plant origins and the associated plant health risks. Therefore providing better protection of EU and Irish plant health - and more focus on proactive action - while harmonising EU standards with international standards.

If you would like to learn more about the new Plant Health Regulation please visit https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmingsectors/ planthealthtrade/newplanthealthregulations ✽

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

41

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HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

16 / SUSTAINABILITY

GOING GREEN MEANS CITY PERKS

Horticultural Development and Marketing specialist with Bord Bia, Michal Slawski explains why we should be making Irish cities greener

B

ord Bia, working hand-in-hand with the Irish Hardy Nursery Stock Association and the IFA aims to encourage the “greening” of Ireland’s cities.

Green Cities for a Sustainable Europe was launched by the ENA (European Nurserystock Association) and nursery organisations in 2018 and currently takes place in Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, England, France, Germany and The Netherlands.

Public green space has a positive effect on biodiversity, climate, wellness and air quality. This ensures that cities are becoming better places to live and work. ‘Green Cities For a Sustainable Europe´ is a platform that promotes the greening of public spaces by providing innovative ideas and information based on scientific research, and technical expertise.

The campaign is part of the EU promotion programme which provides 80% of the funding. Every year in April the EU accepts applications for funding in a competitive process.

Ireland will be part of a consortium of 13 European countries seeking to run the campaign for another three years.

Its activities address certain themes which include health, climate, the economy, biodiversity and social cohesion.

cooling effect in case of a heatwave. In the case of extreme rainfall, a planted soil will have a better water storage capacity than asphalt and concrete.

WELLBEING

●A website will act a repository for research, advice

A green environment improves the quality of life. Patients recover much faster in a green environment, residents of green neighbourhoods make less use of healthcare facilities, and employees of companies surrounded by green feel much happier. In addition, a city park encourages people to exercise and relax there, which will improve their health.

CLIMATE CHANGE Green trees and plants will help mitigate climate change, both on a global and on a local scale. Climate change will cause extreme heat and drought, alternated with excessive rainfall. This will make high demands on the urban environment. Trees and plants in a city can provide a

BIODIVERSITY Biodiversity represents the degree of the variety of plants and animals. The various species on our earth keep nature balanced. Many different plants, trees and shrubs in the city will stimulate biodiversity. The more variation in vegetation, the more variation in animal life it will attract. A wide range of pollinating insects and many different plants will be a food source for birds and other animals. Pollinating insects are an important link in ecosystems. Green Cities is a business-tobusiness campaign, disseminating information to influential people in the target audience.

The three main activities will be as follows: ●T argeted seminars about the green city initiative, aimed at target audience including policymakers, city planners, city decision-makers, landscape architects and developers. ●P ublic relations and social media will spread the benefits of greening public spaces. and resources.

For more information about the Green Cities project, visit their website: https://www.thegreencity.eu ✽

MICHAL SLAWSKI is a development and marketing specialist in the horticultural department of Bord Bia, with responsibility for mushrooms, fruit and protected crops. He has been with Bord Bia for more than 10 years and has a Masters in Project Finance & Venture Management from NUIM.

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

43

RESEARCH / 17

MAKING THE CUT

SEDUM FILLS AN AUTUMN SLOT

Andy Whelton shares the results of trial work exploring the use of Sedum as an autumn cut flower filler

S

edum is a hardy, herbaceous perennial plant with thick, succulent leaves, fleshy stems and clusters of star-shaped flowers. It has been used in mixed borders for many years but more recently, a low growing, hardy species has become a vital element of green roof mats, thanks to its ability to stand up to weather extremes.

The border species are the taller Sedum; a traditional favourite in many gardens guaranteeing vibrant autumn colour. But it is also gaining popularity in the cut flower trade as an autumnal flower filler or straight-line, thanks to the introduction of new cultivars specially bred for the bouquet trade.

Teagasc Horticultural Development Unit trialled some of these new introductions at Kildalton College over the past few years, resulting in a blueprint for commercial production of the species, which I have outlined below.

SHELTER, SITE AND SOIL As with all cut flowers and foliage, a sheltered site is necessary and while a south-facing site is desirable it is not essential. Light to medium, well-drained soils are best but they grow on a wide range. The pH should be between 6-7.

Plants are normally planted in spring from rooted cuttings or modules and should not be planted too deep – the eyes should be seen just at ground level. The crop is generally

44

planted at high density on the flat or on raised beds. Plant in 1m to 1.2m wide beds at six plants/m2 (40 cm x 40 cm).

High density ensures that stems will grow straight once established after two years. Plantations should be renewed by dividing plants every five to six years as stem length and quality can be impacted.

NUTRITION A soil test is necessary to accurately determine rates of phosphorus and potassium. The following amounts should be applied according to soil analysis:

INDEX

1

2

3

4

Kg/ha Nitrogen (N)

150

120

120

50

Phosphorus (P)

100

70

40

20

Potassium (K)

200

150

100

50

75

50

25

NIL

Magnesium (Mg)

Source: Teagasc & ADAS

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

17 / RESEARCH top-heavy when flowering especially after rain. This can cause bending of the stems but this can be minimised by supporting the sides of the beds or rows with a wired system of support.

The crop should be pruned back to within 20 cm of the ground level once harvesting is complete. Crop debris should be removed and destroyed.

PESTS AND DISEASES

PHOTO 1: FIELD PRODUCTION OF SEDUM; PHOTO 2: THE SEDUM TRIAL WAS PLANTED AT HIGH DENSITY ON BEDS USING A WEED BARRIER; PHOTO 3: AN OLDER TRADITIONAL VARIETY OF SEDUM SPECTABILE ‘BRILLIANT’ (SYN. S. ‘AUTUMN JOY’)

A top-dressing of up to 80 - 100 kg/ha of nitrogen is applied in the spring of second and subsequent years.

RANGE OF VARIETIES Sedum flowers appear in the autumn and tend to be in shades of pink and mauve that start out pale and deepen as they mature, but they can also be white, yellow, red and, rarely, blue. Of the cultivars trialled at Teagasc Kildalton, a traditional well-known variety, Sedum ‘Herbstfreude’ (syn.

S. ‘Autumn Joy’), gave high yields of long thick stems (60 cm) with large pink flower heads up to 20 cm in diameter.

Sedum Spectabile ‘Brilliant’ is an older variety that produces large sprays of flat heads of pinkish-mauve flowers but shorter stems at 45 cm. Some of the Dutch-bred ‘Kolster’ varieties such as Sedum ‘Magical Lizzy’ and ‘Magical Twist’ whilst lower yielding than some of the traditional varieties are particularly suitable for the supermarket bouquet trade, having smaller flower heads and satisfactory stem length of 52-60 cm. Sedum ‘Matrona’ with pigeon-grey to smokepurple foliage and soft pink flowers and Sedum telephium ‘Purple Emperor’ with almost black foliage and red-purple flower heads both produced stems with length ideally suited to the straight line bouquet market.

WEEDS It is important to keep plantations free of weeds. Given that herbaceous perennials will be in the ground for a number of years, it is critical that the site has first been cleared of perennial weeds by spraying off, using a mixture of Glyphosate (Roundup) and Carfentrozone-Ethyl (Spotlight Plus).

The choice of herbicides to maintain clean plantations depends on the weed spectrum and while there are some off label approvals, residual herbicide control can be challenging with this crop. A crop on bare soil can quickly become infested if not managed for weeds. The trial at Kildalton was planted at high density on beds using a weed barrier – Daltax as in the picture. This is a similar product to Mypex mulch but has the added advantage of allowing chemical fertilisers through. However, it is necessary to trim the fabric around the plants annually to allow new shoots to develop and the plants to expand.

CROP SUPPORT

Aphids and slugs are key pest threats. It is also essential to fence a site from rabbits or hares. The crop is susceptible to Botrytis (Grey mould) and powdery mildew. The crop will have to be monitored and treated accordingly. The biological fungicide Bacillis subtillis (Serenade ASO) is a useful protectant.

HARVEST AND YIELD While it is possible to harvest in the first year, the stems tend to be short so it is recommended to pinch the plant in the first year just as they begin to sprout out and begin the main harvest in the second year. Sedum can be harvested green, at the flower bud stage or at full flower. This gives the crop a long harvest period of up to eight weeks.

Generally, stems are cut early in the morning and moved to the cold store to maintain quality. Sedum are generally sorted into lengths 40-50 cm. Stems are bunched in 5's and chilled at 1-3C . New plants produce three to five stems in the second year. Whilst varieties can vary in terms of yield, an average of 12-15 stems can be produced from a wellmanaged crop at full maturity.

CONCLUSION Given the increase in Irish capita expenditure on cut flowers and with positive economic growth and an expanding population, it looks like there is an increasing demand and a growing appetite for a greater variety in the flowers and foliages available, like Sedum.

Teagasc is hosting an event in Kildalton College on Thursday, July 23, from 11am - 2pm for anyone interested in seeing the Sedum trials and hear about opportunities in cut foliage/flower production. ✽

YR 1

YR 2

YR 3

YR 4

YR 5+

0

25

48

60

72

Table shows the average annual yield per m2 of range Sedum varieties trialled at Teagasc Kildalton Andy Whelton, a specialist in ornamental cut foliage crops in the Teagasc Horticultural Development Unit, continues his series of articles on the agronomy and screening work on innovative novel plant material being trialled in Kildalton College for use in the floristry trade.

Contact andy.whelton@teagasc.ie

Some of the Sedum cultivars are long-stemmed and can be

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

45

GROWING PAINS FOR

PLANT GROWTH

PROMOTING BACTERIA Dr Karen O’Hanlon discusses biological organisms position as a plant growth promoter within a chemically regulated environment

P

lant Growth Promoting Bacteria (PGPB) are naturally occurring reproducible organisms which are used as fertilisers and pesticides. These bacterial strains are used routinely and effectively in many developing countries for plant growth promotion. In Europe, where agricultural chemicals remain relatively inexpensive compared to the cost of food, the use of PGPB occupies a small, but growing, niche in the development of organic agriculture.

The microbial inoculum has several advantages over artificial agricultural chemicals. They are environmentally friendly, renewable sources of nutrients and phytohormones that can restore soil fertility, ultimately improving plant growth and also alleviate abiotic stresses.

PGPB - as anti-fungal agents - are highly targeted to particular species, while chemicals have a broad-spectrum mode of action. For example, chemical fungicides target all or most fungi, which can result in variable quality and efficacy of PGPB under field conditions.

Currently, there are also challenges with PGPB product registration. However, due to the probable lower toxicity and ecotoxicity of these environmentally available strains of bacteria, it is probable that the registration process will speed up once the regulatory bodies establish a clear framework among all EU member states for registering these biological products.

Many companies are commercialising these organisms as products for use as soil conditioners and fertilisers; circumventing the need to register them as plant protection products (PPPs). Other long-established agrichemical companies are registering these PGPB under the PPP legislative framework. Bayer Crop Science, for instance, has

46

commercialised Serenade ASO (Bacilus subtilis) in Europe as an anti-fungal agent containing the spore-forming micro-organism. Agrichemical companies have registered approximately 30 fungi and bacteria as PPP for use in the EU. This list encompasses strains of Trichoderma, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, and Azotobacter amongst many and enables the company to write PPP claims on the label that non-registered products cannot.

The PGPB field is growing as other smaller commercial companies are entering from various sectors. Progressive seed companies have purchased nitrogen-fixing bacterial strains to coat legume seeds for some time now. Because of these partnerships, soya, lupine, clover, alfalfa and bean seeds have also been successfully coated and used in Europe. No regulations on the use of Rhizobium strains are enforced in Ireland, Germany or Italy currently; however France, a large legume producer, requires registration as a PPP. The long-awaited draft EU fertiliser Regulation published in July 2019 - and due to come into force in 2022 - includes Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillium (three nitrogen-fixing bacteria) and Mycorrhizal fungi. Products containing these named organisms will be handled under this fertiliser regulation (including France). They will not have to be registered under PPP regulations to make an efficacy claim on the label. It is hoped that this biological list in the fertiliser regulation will extend to include other beneficial organisms in time.

Efficacy trials need to demonstrate the benefits of their use to improve yields in order to approve the use of PGPB by commercial growers and farmers. The environmental sustainability and long-term soil conditioning benefits are unquestionable, however many farmers are mainly interested in the potential percentage

HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticultureconnected.ie / Spring 2020

PHOTO: MIYUKI3 / 123RF.COM

17 / RESEARCH

RHIZOBIUM IS ONE OF THREE NITROGEN-FIXING BACTERIA INCLUDED IN EU FERTILISER REGULATION THAT WILL COME INTO FORCE IN 2021

yield increases. One of the significant problems with the long-term benefits is that many farmers in Ireland occupy rented land and cannot justify the costs of using PGPB for the long-term improvement in soil quality when they may not be using the land the following season. This is one challenge that needs to be addressed by integrated pest management (IPM), including the framework Directive on the sustainable use of pesticides (EU DG Environment) and member states should incentivise farmers to think of the long-term sustainability of land rather than shortterm measures

to use by mid-2020. Removal from the list can occur for several reasons, most notably, the banning of the pesticide in the EU, failure to pass the risk assessment or the removal of the product from the market by the applicant.

Other legislative measures put in place in 2009 include IPM and the Framework Directive on the sustainable use of pesticides (EU DG Environment).

The idea behind IPM is to combine different crop management practices to overcome the shortcomings of the individual system. Likewise, member states have been encouraged to use rural development programmes (funded under the Common Agricultural TIGHTER RESTRICTION Policy) to provide financial incentives ON CHEMICALS CAN to farmers to begin implementation.

BENEFIT BIOLOGICALS The new legislation gives a specific Policy in the EU aimed at developing status to non-chemical and natural the agricultural sector emphasises the alternatives to conventional chemical necessity for a reduction in the use of pesticides and requires them to be chemical agents. The EU is required given priority wherever possible.

by Regulation (EC) 1107/2009 to Biopesticides should generally qualify establish a list of substances identified as low-risk active substances under as “candidates for substitution”. The list the legislation. Low-risk substances identifies active substances with specific are granted initial approval for 15 years properties. For PPPs containing these rather than the standard 10. A reduced active substances, member states will be dossier can be submitted for low-risk required to evaluate whether they can be substances, but this must include a replaced (substituted) by other adequate demonstration of sufficient efficacy. One solutions (chemical and non-chemical). requirement for low-risk substances The current draft list contains 77 that has still to be elaborated is that candidates for substitution. Likewise, 155 their half-life in the soil should be less products previously registered with the than 60 days; this may cause problems Department of Agriculture as a PPP have for some microbial biopesticides as allowed their registration to expire or been the main aim of using biologicals revoked between 1/1/18 and 1/1/19 and as it is that the organism establishes in stands most of these mainly herbicidal and the soil and continues to exert its fungicidal named products will be illegal beneficial effect while reproducing.

The use of microbes in agriculture is expected to become even more prevalent as a result of political and public pressure arising from the climate change crisis. As knowledge surrounding the specific interactions between different microbes and varieties of plants and animals develops, the benefits of their targeted specificity will be further understood and employed. This, in turn, will emphasise the attractiveness of microbes as a more environmentally sustainable alternative to the broadspectrum mode of action of chemicals in agriculture. It should be noted that knowledge and data from non-developed countries will, in many cases, be superior in this area as biological organisms have been in use in these regions since the 1940s on account of the cost of chemicals being cost-prohibitive. ✽

DR KAREN O’HANLON, is the founder of Probio Carbon.

She has coordinated field trials on plant growth promoting bacteria across Europe and worked as an Ecotoxicologist in the Department of Agriculture.

Contact details: info@probiocarbon.ie; Telephone: 087 9816569; www.probiocarbon.ie

Spring 2020 / www.horticultureconnected.ie / HORTICULTURECONNECTED

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'Protecting Plants, Protecting Life' Plants are essential for life. They make up 80% of the food we eat and 98% of the oxygen we breath.

Keep plants healthy while protecting the environment.

Buy from reputable and trusted sources.

Know the risks of bringing uncertified plants or without a plant passport into Ireland and onto your premises.

Make trading in plants and plant products safe by complying with international plant health standards.

Protect your environment by promoting IYPH 2020 in your community.

If you trade in or produce plants or plant products you must be registered with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

www.agriculture.gov.ie IYPH2020@agriculture.gov.ie (01) 5058885