Speakers

November 3 - Heavy Metals and Fertilizers in the Landscape: What Professionals Should Know    
Sam Angima, OSU Extension, and Jim Owen, OSU Horticulture Dept

Lead is the most abundant and easily found heavy metal in garden and landscape soils. Sam will discuss sources of lead, how it behaves in landscape soils, and how to reduce lead hazards in the home garden and landscape.  Jim will provide a refresher on plant nutrition, and will discuss the fertilizer needs of plants from the container to establishment in the landscape. Learn about key plant nutrients, and how they relate to plant nutrition and soil fertility.

November 10 - Developing with GREEN in Mind  
Derek Godwin, OSU Extension Service, and Maria Cahilll, Green Girl Land Development Solutions

Public interest in all things GREEN has created interest in ways to make more sustainable natural resource management choices in the development process. This session will help you analyze the water and soil issues in your project and make decisions to improve and protect natural resources.  

November 17 - Using Digital Photography and Video in the Green Industry  
Jeff Hino and Chris LaBelle of OSU Extension Communications  

Digital photography and short video segments are becoming increasingly popular as marketing or educational tools for the green industry.  Come learn how you can better communicate with the public or clients using these technologies.

November 24 - Turfgrass Pests  
Rob Golembiewski, OSU Horticulture  

Do you have a problem lawn, park area, or athletic field?  Do you know what is causing the poor turf performance?  Not sure what to do? This presentation will focus on the problematic diseases, insects, and weeds of Oregon, control strategies for each, and steps that should be taken to maintain a healthy turf.

December 1 - Trees and Parking Lots  
Paul Ries, ODF, Brian Wegener, Tualatin Riverkeepers, Nancy Buley, J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co, Todd Prager, City of Tigard  

Shade provided by trees in parking lots provides many benefits to cities, including reducing excessive heat buildup, improving air quality, and managing stormwater runoff.  The speakers in this session will look at all facets of design, species selection, and management of trees in parking lots.

December 8 - Managing Edible Home Landscapes
Dr. Bernadine Strik, and Dr. Anita Azarenko, OSU Horticulture Dept.

Public attention on the economy and the environment has converged with a new interest in edible home landscapes. Many berry crops and fruit trees are excellent choices for the home landscape.  This presentation will cover which berry crops and fruit trees are best suited, some cultivar choices, key management issues, and resources for more information.

December 15 - Pruning Young Trees and Shrubs for Structure and Form  
Neil Bell, OSU Extension Service and Paul Ries, Oregon Department of Forestry  

Plant a tree or shrub in a PNW landscape and it will probably survive.  But if you want it to thrive instead of just survive, it is going to take some care – including early structural pruning. This session looks at identifying growth habit and flowering characteristics of trees and shrubs and using those to determine pruning requirements for best landscape looks and performance, and young plant pruning techniques that help prevent future problems.