Ingenious mushroom farmers have begun to recycle their used mushroom soil, which can’t be reused in the growing houses again due to the delicate growing needs of mushrooms, for a totally different market. Many mushroom companies have found that by pasteurizing their spent product, they could sell it to nurseries, landscaping companies, gardening supply centers and the like to use as a soil amendment, mulch and more.). (continue)

Chronic drought problems and explosive growth in southwest Florida make water a problem for Old Corkscrew Golf Club, Estero, Fla. Formerly known as The Retreat, the course changed hands in 2005 and underwent a renovation. A year later, it emerged as the world’s 24th Certified Silver Signature Sanctuary as awarded by Audubon International, but General Manager Mark Iwinski found that working around irrigation restrictions was still challenging. (continue)

There are many issues to consider when working with a company on an irrigation installation and when planning a renovation or update of an existing irrigation system. It will be less costly overall to start with long-range plans in mind. Planning should involve potential future uses of a field and the possible addition of more fields to the site later on. (continue)

Borers are the invisible pest, because the damaging life stages are inside the tree and the adults are rarely seen. Most commonly, the visible evidence of borer damage is only seen when a dead tree is cut down and the bark is peeled off. Under the bark, winding borer tunnels or galleries are noticeable. Through their feeding, the borer larvae have destroyed the cambium layer, preventing translocation of water and nutrients throughout the tree. (continue)

Jim Lewis, president of Lewis Landscape Services, Inc. (www.lewislandscape.com) in Beaverton, Ore., literally grew up in the business. His grandfather owned Lew’s nursery in Salem, Ore., in the 1950s. At age 14, Lewis worked 40 hours a week pulling weeds in between rows of tree seedlings. He did that for two straight summers. He says, “It taught me a good work ethic.” (continue)

The mid-Atlantic and Northeastern region (MA-NE) of the U.S. is certainly not the hotbed of beef production in the country. Yet, the region has some distinct advantages for beef producers. (continue)

Cutting costs, saving money and staying current with regulations are just some of the challenges facing every grower who sends a truckload of fruit or produce to market. Add to that ongoing concerns like tracking outbound shipments and keeping trucks full on the backhaul, and 2009 promises to be an interesting year. (continue)

Just a decade ago in the U.S., there were few who foresaw the notion of collecting woody debris for energy purposes. Now, many can see the potential in “harvesting” biomass, the question has become how best to do it. Following is a look at three machines that not only collect, but also contain, woody debris. (continue)