Official Publication of the Nevada Landscape Association | www.nevadanla.com
APRIL 2014
The Five Fundamentals of Defensible Space Page 4
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Page 5
Qualifying Life Events Page 6 TURF GRASS DISEASE IN NORTHERN NEVADA Page 6 Page 7
P.O. Box 7431 Reno, NV 89510
Nevada Landscape Assoc.
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID RENO, NV PERMIT NO. 379
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Landscape Nevada
APRIL 2014
www.nevadanla.com
PUBLISHER Landscape Nevada is published by: Kathy Hess, Just Imagine Marketing and Design 775.746.4138; kathy@justimaginemktg.com
NEVADA LANDSCAPE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
A Letter from the President Dear Members,
A
s we enter into the Spring of 2014 and are faced with one of the driest seasons in recent history, it is important for us to reflect on what our goals should be as individuals, companies, organizations, and as a community. Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we work together with other organizations such as the UNR Cooperative Extension and the Fire Safe Council to educate our communities in fire prevention and assist in establishing the Network of Fire Adapted Communities. This month we will be selecting a new Executive Director for the Nevada Landscape Association. It is my hope that we will continue to increase our membership base for a strong organization that can face the many challenges that we will have in the future. We hope to address some of these issues in this magazine. We have included an article in this issue on qualifying life events and how they affect your insurance decisions. These will be ongoing topics for all of us for years to come. We hope to keep you informed on the topics that affect our businesses and communities.
Sara Anderson
NEVADA LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT
Official Publication
.com | www.nevadanla ape Association of the Nevada Landsc
APRIL 2014
Sara Anderson, President —All Seasons Lawn & Landscaping (775) 329-2744 Heidi Kratsch, President Elect — University of Nevada Cooperative Extension (775) 784-4848 Matt Melarkey, Past President — Crop Production Services (775) 358-6166 Robert Kelly, Director — Robert Kelly Tree Care (775) 737-3530 Scott Leonard, Director — Signature Landscapes (775) 857-4333 Leon Villegas, Director — Ewing Irrigation
(775) 355-9530
Leslie Lyles, Director — Stewardship Horticultural (775) 849-1215 Steve Churchillo, Director — City of Reno Urban Forester (775) 334-2270 David Squier, Director — Reno Green Landscaping (775)852-8952 LANDSCAPE NEVADA is the official publication of the Nevada Landscape Association, P.O. Box 7431, Reno, Nevada, 89510, phone 775.673.0404 or 800.645.9794, fax 775.673.5828, website: www.nevadanla.com, email: nlainfo@nevadanla.com. QUESTIONS, COMMENTS & SUBMISSIONS Write to Landscape Nevada at the address above or email the publisher at kathy@justimaginemktg.com or phone 775.746.4138.
entals of The Five Fundam Page 4 Defensible Space
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Spring bulbs, such as these daffodils, are a great sign that the landscape season is here! Photo by Leslie Lyles.
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ts Page 6 Qualifying Life Even
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MISSION STATEMENT The Nevada Landscape Association provides leadership by promoting professionalism and integrity within the Green Industry through education, high standards and community involvement. We guide policy and uphold responsible resource management for the beautification and enhancement of our community.
P.O. Box 7431 Reno, NV 89510
pe Assoc.
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID RENO, NV PERMIT NO. 379
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Nevada Landsca
ASE IN TURF GRASS DISE Page 6 NORTHERN NEVADA
SPECIAL THANKS Leslie Lyles for newsletter submissions and editing.
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The Five Fundamentals of Defensible Space
Ed Smith Natural Resource Specialist University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
F
ire prevention specialists often recommend that homeowners who reside in wildfire-prone areas create “defensible space.” Defensible space is the area between a house and an oncoming wildfire where the vegetation has been managed to reduce the wildfire threat and allow firefighters to safely operate. In the event that firefighters are not present, defensible space also improves the likelihood that a home will survive without their assistance. Despite it being a common recommendation, homeowners are not always sure about how to create effective defensible space. To simplify matters, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Living With Fire program has identified the five fundamental concepts of defensible space. #1 KNOW YOUR DISTANCE: The size of defensible space is often expressed as the distance extending outward from the footprint of the house. The recommended distance is not the same for every property, but varies according to steepness of slope and the type of wildland vegetation present around the home. For flat, grassy areas 30 feet is adequate. On steeper slopes covered with dense brush, 100 feet maybe necessary. In extreme situations 200 feet may be needed. If the recommended defensible space distance exceeds your property boundary, seek permission from adjacent landowners before doing work on their properties. #2 REMOVE THE DEAD: Remove dead vegetation within the recommended defensible space area. Dead vegetation has a big influence on fire behavior and can be easily ignited by embers produced from a wildfire. Dead vegetation includes: dead and dying shrubs and trees, dead branches, dead needles and leaves, and twigs that are still attached to plants, draped on live plants or are lying on the ground.
#3 CREATE SEPARATION: Thin dense stands of native shrubs and trees within the recommended defensible space distance. As a rule of thumb, remove shrubs (e.g., sagebrush), pinyon and Utah juniper to create a separation distance of about twice the plant’s height. For forest trees (e.g., Jeffrey pine and white fir), provide a separation between tree crowns of at least 10 feet. #4 NO LADDER FUELS: Vegetation that can carry a fire from lowgrowing plants to taller plants is called “ladder fuel.” Lower tree branches should be removed to a height of at least ten feet above ground. Do not remove more than 1/3 of the tree crown. Also, remove shorter trees and shrubs from the under the drip line of the tree canopy. #5 MAKE IT LEAN, CLEAN AND GREEN: Within at least 30 feet of the house, emphasize use of irrigated herbaceous plant materials (e.g., lawn, perennial and annual flowers and succulents) and noncombustible landscape surfaces (e.g., gravel, concrete, pavers, etc.). Do not use wood mulches within 5 feet of the house or in a widespread manner within 30 feet. Shredded rubber mulch and coniferous shrubs and trees are not recommended for use within 30 feet of the house. Landscape industry professionals are in a unique position to advise homeowners on the importance of defensible space and to help create and maintain that defensible space. For more detailed information about creating defensible space, go to www.LivingWithFire.info.
What’s Wrong in this Picture?
There are three obvious problems in this picture; can you ID all three problems? ANSWER: 1. Tree was planted too deeply (looks like a telephone pole entering the soil). Trees should be planted with the trunk flare at soil level. If planted too deeply, especially when emitters are at the trunk, tree can slowly decline and die from trunk decay. 2. Irrigation emitters are placed too close to trunk 3. Wetting zone from emitters is too small—irrigation schedule should be adjusted to water longer.
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Landscape Nevada
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Qualifying Life Events MAY ALLOW YOU TO CHANGE OR CHOOSE HEALTH INSURANCE by Mikalee Byerman
O
ne landscape you may not be familiar with is the changing landscape of health insurance. For example, what happens after the deadline for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) comes and goes? “As many people may have heard by now, the ACA requires most U.S. citizens to enroll for health insurance by the federal deadline—the period of time referred to as ‘open enrollment,’” said Steve Woodley, business development and federal regulatory compliance manager with Saint Mary’s Health Plans. For the first time in its 20-year history, Saint Mary’s Health Plans is offering insurance to individuals and families, not just group coverage. “But if you experience a qualifying change of circumstance after the open enrollment deadline, a special enrollment period may open for you, allowing you to make changes or choose coverage,” he continued. According to the national website www.healthcare.gov, a qualifying life event—or QLE—is defined as, “a change in your life that can make you eligible for a Special Enrollment Period to enroll in health coverage.” The website goes on to list the following circumstances that are considered a QLE:
• Getting married • Having, adopting, or placement of a child • Permanently moving to a new area that offers different health plan options • Losing other health coverage (for example due to a job loss, divorce, loss of eligibility for Medicaid or CHIP, expiration of COBRA coverage or a health plan being decertified). Note: Voluntarily quitting other health coverage or being terminated for not paying your premiums is not considered loss of coverage. Losing coverage that is not minimum essential coverage is also not considered loss of coverage. • For people already enrolled in Marketplace coverage, having a change in income or household status that affects eligibility for tax credits or cost-sharing reductions “If one of these pertains to you, you may have a qualifying life event and could be eligible for special enrollment,” Woodley said. “But keep in mind that most special enrollment periods last only 60 days from the date of the QLE. We encourage everyone to meet with a licensed broker and discuss their personal options for health insurance or visit www.nevadahealthlink.com for more information.”
Turf Grass Disease in Northern Nevada Bill Carlos, Horticulturist Wilbur May Arboretum and Botanical Garden
W
e have all done it: when we see yellow or brown spots in turf grass during the growing season we crank up the water, right? We assume it’s an irrigation problem, not enough water. In many cases, applying more water may solve the issue, but what about those spots, rings or dead areas that didn’t go away even after giving it all the water in the world? As a matter of fact, you may have noticed the spots got bigger and the rings larger and possibly more of them. If you observed this, you may be dealing with a turf disease. Without proper identification, however, turf diseases can be tricky to treat. Some of the common diseases that have been identified in our area include Brown Patch, Melting Out, Fairly Ring, Dollar Spot and Necrotic Ring Spot, to name a few. Each appears at different times of the year under specific climatic and soil conditions. For example, Brown Patch (caused by Rhizoctonia solani or spp.) appears in mid-summer on wet turf—low spots in the landscape where water is allowed to accumulate and stand overnight for long periods. When it comes, it comes with a vengeance. Watch the temperatures: when day time temperatures are above 90°F and evening temperatures are 68°F or 70°F, these are perfect conditions for Brown Spot to appear.
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Landscape Nevada
Another common disease is Fairy Ring. If you see a large dead ring in the lawn with mushrooms or puffballs at the edge of the ring, that may be Fairy Ring, Marasmius oreades, a pathogen found in moderate to dry soils. The dead areas can be eight inches wide and the arc or ring meters long. There is another disease that lurks in our area and is similar to Fairy Ring—Necrotic Ring Spot. This disease, like all turf grass diseases, requires a specific growing environment. Not all turf diseases are caused by our weather; many turf diseases are induced, meaning we create conditions favorable for them to develop through improper cultural practices. If you find yourself this summer looking down at a ring in the grass or a brown patch that is getting bigger by the day, and you turned up or reduced the water, or fertilized, thinking that would help, but to no avail, then you probably have a true turf disease. The only way to identify it correctly is to have it diagnosed and identified by a horticultural consultant, certified laboratory, or the Nevada Department of Agriculture. This way you are not making things worse by applying more water and fertilizer. More importantly, when a turf disease is identified correctly you are able to make informed decisions to control it by changing practices or applying the correct prescribed fungicide.
2013 Trade Show Highlights
Photos from top from left to right: • • • • •
Living with Fire, UNCE: Taryn Holland and Sonya Sistare Clark and Associates: Lisa Squier and Pam Davidson NLA: Pamela Bedard Pesticide Track: Leslie Lyles Western Turf and Hardscapes: Don Dunivan and Jason Perry
Drip irrigation systems need regular maintenance to function properly. Spring is the perfect time to:
3 3 3 3 3
Open end-caps and flush drip lines. Clean out drip filters. Replace clogged or broken drip emitters. Insure that drip lines are not being crimped by trunk growth. Check that the irrigation schedule is appropriate to the season and age of the landscape.
www.nevadanla.com
7
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