Welcome to 2013 :-)
My oh my how much has changed!
Last time I wrote, I was still building solar farms. Now, I am in the cleaning business.
So much, I have learned. So much, I still have to learn.
My cleaning business has done quite well since beginning late last year. I have a small base of local clients that I wish to grow on and procedures I would like to implement for a cleaner condo or home and our general environment. I would like to do this cost effectively without bringing higher costs to my business and my clients.
I know I am capable. I know that their may be a bit more sweat involved. But, I hope you'll follow me this year in my strategies for a cleaner environment, amongst other tid bits of life I have to share :-)
Thursday, January 17, 2013
The Green Clean
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Clinmate of Confusion
Highly intresting article (to me anyway) regarding the Ontario FIT program... Don't usually read the post.
Jameson Berkow, Financial Post · Friday, Nov. 19, 2010
Shortly after Atlantic Wind & Solar Inc. heard about Ontario's lucrative incentives for green energy projects, the company did an about-face.
The publicly traded alternative energy developer had largely ignored its home market for years, opting instead to focus on expansion abroad. Then Ontario's Liberal government passed the Green Energy and Green Economy Act in May 2009 and the feed-in-tariff [FIT] program was born.
"It was a 90% focus shift, it was an instantaneous 'lets go there right now, drop what you're doing and run'," said Martin Baldwin, chief financial officer for the Toronto-based company.
Considering the FIT program offers companies who build alternative power plants in Ontario up to 64.2¢ for each kilowatt hour of electricity they produce -- nearly 10 times the current market value of power in Ontario -- for a guaranteed period of up to 20 years, it was a pretty smart move. There was one catch. To qualify for such profit-driving prices, wind, solar, hydro and biogas companies had to ensure a certain percentage of each project used Ontariomade components.
Yet what started as a program with a goal of weaning the province off coal power while rebuilding Ontario's floundering manufacturing sector has quickly become a muddled mess.
FIT has sparked a World Trade Organization challenge from abroad and a political battlefield here at home as Ontario enters an election year. FIT rates have already been lowered for small ground-based solar projects, while the government on Thursday said it will cut electricity rates for consumers by 10% for the next five years in a bid to quell mounting outrage over bills that are set to rise 46% over the same period anyway -- a big chunk of which is to pay for the green conversion.
Meanwhile, the Opposition Progressive Conservative Party in Ontario has vowed to scrap the program if elected next October.
The uncertainty has left companies wondering if an alternative energy industry will even exist in Ontario in a year's time, while underscoring the pitfalls of trying to create an industry through government policy alone.
"We would likely have to scale right back, lay off most of our staff, and go back to the skeleton crew that we had before [if FIT is scrapped]," said Adam Webb, president of Sentinel Solar Corp.
Andrew Leach, a professor of environmental and energy economics at the University of Alberta's School of Business, said the kind of ongoing uncertainty experienced in Ontario could be spotted a mile away.
"If you have a plan that is only viable under that very restrictive government program, then if anything happens to that program, even if it is a one or two per cent chance that program goes away, then there is a one or two per cent chance your plant never makes money," Mr. Leach said.
"Suppose we wanted an automobile industry in Alberta and we said the government will hire auto workers at $44 per hour and sub them out to industry at $6, we would have an auto industry in Alberta tomorrow."
To meet the expected flood of demand for Ontario-produced components created by FIT, Mr. Webb's Woodbridge, Ont.-based company spent more than $10-million to undergo an immediate and massive expansion.
"We went from roughly a 10,000-square-foot facility into a 30,000-square-foot location and increased our staff from 13 total ... to now over 70 all in the last year because of [FIT] domestic content requirements," Mr. Webb said.
If FIT does disappear, he has no intention of scaling back down without a fight.
"The Ontario government and the OPA would find themselves in a class-action lawsuit brought by every manufacturer that has spent the money to come to the province and open up a manufacturing facility," Mr. Webb said.
Mr. Baldwin agreed there "would be some basis" for such a case.
"It is going to be a very intricate argument but I am sure it is one that some of the companies could try and make," he said.
Few would have raised the possibility of a lawsuit as recently as last May, when nearly everyone seemed happy with FIT. More than 180 renewable-energy projects had been announced through the program by then, totalling more than $8-billion in investments and promising to increase Ontario's supply of green power and bring 50,000 badly needed manufacturing jobs into the province.
Then May became June and anti-FIT voices began to speak.
Japan announced it was considering a formal legal challenge of the program through the World Trade Organization. It filed its official challenge in September, arguing the program's domestic-content requirements were protectionist and a violation of international trade agreements.
The challenge has since garnered support from the European Union, the United States and a major solar industry group led by Mitsubishi Electric Corp., which released a report last month calling the made-in-Ontario requirements "poison."
Ontario's policy has also come under attack for being tied so closely to Samsung Corp. after Queen's Park promised additional subsidies totalling $437-million for the South Korean company to build four wind and solar manufacturing facilities in the province -- which, says Samsung, will be the largest in the world.
Brad Duguid, Ontario's Minister of Energy, says the challenges from abroad pale in comparison to the opposition the program is facing here at home.
"I think it is safe to say the biggest threat is not external to Ontario, the biggest threat is right here in Ontario," Mr. Duguid said in an interview.
"Tim Hudak's reaction [to FIT] has been irresponsible and very insensitive to the need for Ontario to move forward in a competitive way."
"Irresponsible' is the same term Mr. Hudak, leader of the PC Party, used to describe the contracts the province was signing with various companies through the FIT.
"I certainly do not support the massive subsidies through the FIT program," Mr. Hudak said.
"I just don't think it is good economic policy to build an industry dependent upon massive subsidies.... We support renewable energy, but it must be at rates that are affordable to the consumers who pay the bills."
"Investors no longer find Ontario a safe and stable environment in which to invest in energy projects," Mr. Hudak said in a speech to the Ontario Energy Association (OEA) in October.
Mr. Duguid argues, however, that a safe and stable environment is exactly what the Green Energy and Green Economy Act was designed to create.
"One of the things that investors are looking for is certainty, so we have tried very hard to provide as much certainty as possible and reduce the risk as much as possible for investors," he said.
Try as it might, the government is finding it increasingly difficult to convince investors that such an environment exists while Ontario taxpayers are being subjected to diametrically opposed narratives about the potential impact FIT will have on the provincial economy.
Mr. Duguid steadfastly believes FIT will draw 50,000 new manufacturing jobs to the province.
Mr. Hudak fires back, suggesting numbers like that are "more fantasy than meeting reality," arguing the restrictive nature of the legislation is actually chasing potential jobs away from the province.
The Mitsubishi-led solar group supports that view, specifically claiming the FIT program's domestic-content requirements will cost Ontario 9,000 jobs and $2-billion in potential investments.
California-based Enphase Energy Inc. invested in manufacturing in Ontario in March. Having already started exporting products from Ontario to the United States, the company plans to invest more in the coming years. Should the FIT program be repealed, "clearly all of that [investment] would stop," said Paul Nahi, the company's CEO.
Still, many in the industry say the program will ultimately survive, in some form or another.
Though it has flown under the radar, Quebec has had similar legislation on the books since 2006, while California's policy appears even more protectionist.
"The U.S. is now localized to the point where if you want to do work in California you must be a Californian business, absolutely everything must be from California and many federal projects are that way as well," said Mr. Webb of Sentinel.
Mr. Baldwin of Atlantic says that if the PCs win the next election, he will quickly discover repealing the Green Energy Act is "easier to talk about than to actually do."
"I think he'll find a way to love it," Mr. Baldwin said. "Now he may not like the FIT program but he will like the Hudak FIT-er program. It is otherwise too important for the province."
Robert Hornung, president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association, notes that a FITless Ontario wouldn't be all bad.
"From one perspective [repealing the domestic-content requirements] would open the market to more vendors, and so from the perspective of a wind energy project developer that means more choice, more competition, and increases the likelihood that there would be some opportunities for lower costs in that regard."
Speculation on what the future has in store for alternative-energy policy in Ontario is likely to continue right up until next October.
As the uncertainty remains in the interim, investors are likely to keep their distance.
"Those considering investment will have to postpone the decision and those already invested will have to make moves to adjust downward their risk in Ontario," Mr. Baldwin said.
Read more: http://www.financialpost.com/CLIMATE+CONFUSION/3859647/story.html#ixzz168fFtpGd
Jameson Berkow, Financial Post · Friday, Nov. 19, 2010
Shortly after Atlantic Wind & Solar Inc. heard about Ontario's lucrative incentives for green energy projects, the company did an about-face.
The publicly traded alternative energy developer had largely ignored its home market for years, opting instead to focus on expansion abroad. Then Ontario's Liberal government passed the Green Energy and Green Economy Act in May 2009 and the feed-in-tariff [FIT] program was born.
"It was a 90% focus shift, it was an instantaneous 'lets go there right now, drop what you're doing and run'," said Martin Baldwin, chief financial officer for the Toronto-based company.
Considering the FIT program offers companies who build alternative power plants in Ontario up to 64.2¢ for each kilowatt hour of electricity they produce -- nearly 10 times the current market value of power in Ontario -- for a guaranteed period of up to 20 years, it was a pretty smart move. There was one catch. To qualify for such profit-driving prices, wind, solar, hydro and biogas companies had to ensure a certain percentage of each project used Ontariomade components.
Yet what started as a program with a goal of weaning the province off coal power while rebuilding Ontario's floundering manufacturing sector has quickly become a muddled mess.
FIT has sparked a World Trade Organization challenge from abroad and a political battlefield here at home as Ontario enters an election year. FIT rates have already been lowered for small ground-based solar projects, while the government on Thursday said it will cut electricity rates for consumers by 10% for the next five years in a bid to quell mounting outrage over bills that are set to rise 46% over the same period anyway -- a big chunk of which is to pay for the green conversion.
Meanwhile, the Opposition Progressive Conservative Party in Ontario has vowed to scrap the program if elected next October.
The uncertainty has left companies wondering if an alternative energy industry will even exist in Ontario in a year's time, while underscoring the pitfalls of trying to create an industry through government policy alone.
"We would likely have to scale right back, lay off most of our staff, and go back to the skeleton crew that we had before [if FIT is scrapped]," said Adam Webb, president of Sentinel Solar Corp.
Andrew Leach, a professor of environmental and energy economics at the University of Alberta's School of Business, said the kind of ongoing uncertainty experienced in Ontario could be spotted a mile away.
"If you have a plan that is only viable under that very restrictive government program, then if anything happens to that program, even if it is a one or two per cent chance that program goes away, then there is a one or two per cent chance your plant never makes money," Mr. Leach said.
"Suppose we wanted an automobile industry in Alberta and we said the government will hire auto workers at $44 per hour and sub them out to industry at $6, we would have an auto industry in Alberta tomorrow."
To meet the expected flood of demand for Ontario-produced components created by FIT, Mr. Webb's Woodbridge, Ont.-based company spent more than $10-million to undergo an immediate and massive expansion.
"We went from roughly a 10,000-square-foot facility into a 30,000-square-foot location and increased our staff from 13 total ... to now over 70 all in the last year because of [FIT] domestic content requirements," Mr. Webb said.
If FIT does disappear, he has no intention of scaling back down without a fight.
"The Ontario government and the OPA would find themselves in a class-action lawsuit brought by every manufacturer that has spent the money to come to the province and open up a manufacturing facility," Mr. Webb said.
Mr. Baldwin agreed there "would be some basis" for such a case.
"It is going to be a very intricate argument but I am sure it is one that some of the companies could try and make," he said.
Few would have raised the possibility of a lawsuit as recently as last May, when nearly everyone seemed happy with FIT. More than 180 renewable-energy projects had been announced through the program by then, totalling more than $8-billion in investments and promising to increase Ontario's supply of green power and bring 50,000 badly needed manufacturing jobs into the province.
Then May became June and anti-FIT voices began to speak.
Japan announced it was considering a formal legal challenge of the program through the World Trade Organization. It filed its official challenge in September, arguing the program's domestic-content requirements were protectionist and a violation of international trade agreements.
The challenge has since garnered support from the European Union, the United States and a major solar industry group led by Mitsubishi Electric Corp., which released a report last month calling the made-in-Ontario requirements "poison."
Ontario's policy has also come under attack for being tied so closely to Samsung Corp. after Queen's Park promised additional subsidies totalling $437-million for the South Korean company to build four wind and solar manufacturing facilities in the province -- which, says Samsung, will be the largest in the world.
Brad Duguid, Ontario's Minister of Energy, says the challenges from abroad pale in comparison to the opposition the program is facing here at home.
"I think it is safe to say the biggest threat is not external to Ontario, the biggest threat is right here in Ontario," Mr. Duguid said in an interview.
"Tim Hudak's reaction [to FIT] has been irresponsible and very insensitive to the need for Ontario to move forward in a competitive way."
"Irresponsible' is the same term Mr. Hudak, leader of the PC Party, used to describe the contracts the province was signing with various companies through the FIT.
"I certainly do not support the massive subsidies through the FIT program," Mr. Hudak said.
"I just don't think it is good economic policy to build an industry dependent upon massive subsidies.... We support renewable energy, but it must be at rates that are affordable to the consumers who pay the bills."
"Investors no longer find Ontario a safe and stable environment in which to invest in energy projects," Mr. Hudak said in a speech to the Ontario Energy Association (OEA) in October.
Mr. Duguid argues, however, that a safe and stable environment is exactly what the Green Energy and Green Economy Act was designed to create.
"One of the things that investors are looking for is certainty, so we have tried very hard to provide as much certainty as possible and reduce the risk as much as possible for investors," he said.
Try as it might, the government is finding it increasingly difficult to convince investors that such an environment exists while Ontario taxpayers are being subjected to diametrically opposed narratives about the potential impact FIT will have on the provincial economy.
Mr. Duguid steadfastly believes FIT will draw 50,000 new manufacturing jobs to the province.
Mr. Hudak fires back, suggesting numbers like that are "more fantasy than meeting reality," arguing the restrictive nature of the legislation is actually chasing potential jobs away from the province.
The Mitsubishi-led solar group supports that view, specifically claiming the FIT program's domestic-content requirements will cost Ontario 9,000 jobs and $2-billion in potential investments.
California-based Enphase Energy Inc. invested in manufacturing in Ontario in March. Having already started exporting products from Ontario to the United States, the company plans to invest more in the coming years. Should the FIT program be repealed, "clearly all of that [investment] would stop," said Paul Nahi, the company's CEO.
Still, many in the industry say the program will ultimately survive, in some form or another.
Though it has flown under the radar, Quebec has had similar legislation on the books since 2006, while California's policy appears even more protectionist.
"The U.S. is now localized to the point where if you want to do work in California you must be a Californian business, absolutely everything must be from California and many federal projects are that way as well," said Mr. Webb of Sentinel.
Mr. Baldwin of Atlantic says that if the PCs win the next election, he will quickly discover repealing the Green Energy Act is "easier to talk about than to actually do."
"I think he'll find a way to love it," Mr. Baldwin said. "Now he may not like the FIT program but he will like the Hudak FIT-er program. It is otherwise too important for the province."
Robert Hornung, president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association, notes that a FITless Ontario wouldn't be all bad.
"From one perspective [repealing the domestic-content requirements] would open the market to more vendors, and so from the perspective of a wind energy project developer that means more choice, more competition, and increases the likelihood that there would be some opportunities for lower costs in that regard."
Speculation on what the future has in store for alternative-energy policy in Ontario is likely to continue right up until next October.
As the uncertainty remains in the interim, investors are likely to keep their distance.
"Those considering investment will have to postpone the decision and those already invested will have to make moves to adjust downward their risk in Ontario," Mr. Baldwin said.
Read more: http://www.financialpost.com/CLIMATE+CONFUSION/3859647/story.html#ixzz168fFtpGd
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Still building, sort of...
Still out of town working on the solar farm, still having fun.
Things are pretty slow moving right now, but they should pick up during September.
A few thoughts about working out of town on your own:
~ it's lonely. really lonely.
~ on the flipside, i've gotten to know myself better in the last two months than in the last two years
~ i get to walk down to the beach everyday and skip rocks into Lake Erie
~ i'm getting so much reading done
~ home seems that much more amazing
~ i'm so stress free, it's not even funny.
Bit upset about my garden at home, since I am there only on weekends, I don't get as much time in my yard as I wished. I am 100% sure that if I was there during the week, it would look better. There is always next year though.
Things are pretty slow moving right now, but they should pick up during September.
A few thoughts about working out of town on your own:
~ it's lonely. really lonely.
~ on the flipside, i've gotten to know myself better in the last two months than in the last two years
~ i get to walk down to the beach everyday and skip rocks into Lake Erie
~ i'm getting so much reading done
~ home seems that much more amazing
~ i'm so stress free, it's not even funny.
Bit upset about my garden at home, since I am there only on weekends, I don't get as much time in my yard as I wished. I am 100% sure that if I was there during the week, it would look better. There is always next year though.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
2010 - Time of Change
In April of this year I purchased my first house, and I am working on making it a home... I have a huge backyard, beautiful garden, and my own freaking house. I own it, I make the payments and its all mine! I'll share more about my home experiences in my other blog... Life Simply.
Funny how when you take these steps and your work life suddenly evolves into something totally different. I received an excellent opportunity to move into the Renewable Energy Division at work. It's brand new, and we're all working hard. The first proposal I worked on was for a solar farm, two hours from home, and about three from head office. Guess what? We got the bid, and I am here part of the team building a solar farm. There have been some bumps in the road, but we have SWM approval so we're mobilizing ready to roll. I can't wait to share the experience and learn!
Funny how when you take these steps and your work life suddenly evolves into something totally different. I received an excellent opportunity to move into the Renewable Energy Division at work. It's brand new, and we're all working hard. The first proposal I worked on was for a solar farm, two hours from home, and about three from head office. Guess what? We got the bid, and I am here part of the team building a solar farm. There have been some bumps in the road, but we have SWM approval so we're mobilizing ready to roll. I can't wait to share the experience and learn!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Thank a Seed Saver on May 22
May 22 is the International Day of Biodiversity.
May 22 is the International Day of Biodiversity.
Worldwide, people and organizations will celebrate the importance of ecosystems and biodiversity for human well-being.
When you eat your Saturday meals, take a moment to reflect on the importance of biodiversity in the food you eat. The wheat in your morning toast or pancakes, the apples in your lunch, the potatoes in your dinner: all need a healthy agricultural diversity to keep feeding the world's people every day.
Some Facts about Food Biodiversity
Special thanks to Seeds of Diversity, who I got this e-mail from :)
May 22 is the International Day of Biodiversity.
Worldwide, people and organizations will celebrate the importance of ecosystems and biodiversity for human well-being.
When you eat your Saturday meals, take a moment to reflect on the importance of biodiversity in the food you eat. The wheat in your morning toast or pancakes, the apples in your lunch, the potatoes in your dinner: all need a healthy agricultural diversity to keep feeding the world's people every day.
Some Facts about Food Biodiversity
- There are about 5000 species of edible plants in the world, but only about 150 have been produced commercially.Only three species provide about 60% of the calories and protein that the world's people get from plants. (wheat, rice, and corn)
- It is estimated that during the past 100 years, about 3/4 of food biodiversity has disappeared forever, due to the losses of thousands of plant varieties.Currently, less than 10% of the remaining edible seed varieties in Canada are available to gardeners and farmers.
Seeds of Diversity members are saving food biodiversity. This year, we exchanged and saved more seed varieties than ever before (over 2700 varieties!) And our seed saver members will rescue more endangered varieties every year, with your support.
Special thanks to Seeds of Diversity, who I got this e-mail from :)
Saturday, March 6, 2010
~Weed Management~
The class I am taking towards my horticulture certificate right now is Weed Management. For our second assignment (which was somewhat fun to do involved creating a weed management plan for a new apple orchard in the Okanagan Valley. Thought that I would post to share.
Laura’s Orchard was purchased as an abandoned farm field in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia Canada. The near perfect fruit growing climate of the valley is hoping to prove beneficial to a successful apple orchard. As the land was an abandoned farm field, it has been found overrun with weeds. In order to establish the orchard, a three year establishment and maintenance plan has been put together to cultivate an operating orchard. Prior to purchase a soil analysis was completed to establish the condition of the existing soil, and was found that the OM level is 3.5 and the pH level is 7.2. Ideally, apple orchards have a pH level of 6-6.5 however through discussions with other orchard owners in the area – it was found that a pH of 7.2 is fine for apples, and that they typically do well. The sandy loam soil provides great drainage for apples. Essentially, once the weeds are controlled , ideal conditions will be available for the orchard.
Year One – Pre-Planting Year
As the land needs to be cleared of weeds, and the orchard is not yet an established, it is much easier to manage and get rid of the weeds prior to giving them ample opportunity to grow. As researched, I have found that the perennials we are dealing with (Canada thistle, perennial sow thistle and field bindweed) have strong root systems and may cause problems when tillage is used. Ideally, we don’t want more weeds growing from the cut roots, so for the first year, the plan is not to perform any tillage till the fall.
Once the ground is workable, and weeds have started to grow, a burn-off (Round-Up) will occur as there are no trees to worry about burning. Once the burn-off is complete killing off the weed vegetation, a cover crop will be planted to help control the annual & perennial weeds, in addition to adding organic matter to the soil. Mow downs of the field as a whole will occur often throughout the season to ensure any annual weeds are maintained. Additional applications of the residual herbicide will be applied as required (typically when the weeds are flowering).
Timing is very important throughout the first year as we need to ensure we get the weeds at the right time, spraying will occur as required with additional selective herbicides. During the early fall, tillage will occur to work the soil, and a cover crop of Sundan x sorghum will be planted to add some organic matter to the soil. The Sundan X sorghum cross will be mowed down as much as required to ensure weeds do not flower. Although we cannot expect to be free of the perennial weeds in one season, hopefully we have gained a reasonable amount of control with the methods above.
A glyphosate herbicide has been chosen for the majority of the orchard as it has been found to be safe for bees, and water run-off.
Year Two – Planting Year
The orchard will be laid out in a North South direction for optimal sunlight. As planting will be occurring the late fall or early winter (best done when the trees are dormant) we have additional time to manage weeds, preparation of the soil and install irrigation.
In the early spring the land will be tilled, and laid out. Orchard sod (fescue) will be placed down between the tree rows, this will help prevent some weeds from growing through in addition to fighting erosion. Tree strips will be managed with herbicides to ensure as much of a weed free environment as possible for the new plants. Once the rows are laid out, the irrigation systems will be installed and flagged. A trickle irrigation system will be used, as many apple trees prefer this method of watering. The planting strips will be monitored for weed growth throughout the season. Mow downs will occur, and selective sprays of herbicides will be completed as the orchard requires. Ideally, we would like to have the orchard weed free prior to late fall for planting, economic considerations may require a management plan of the remaining weeds.
Apple trees will be purchased in the late summer. The orchard will be purchasing two year old (strong stems and side branches) dwarf trees as they mature and produce fruit faster then non-dwarf trees in addition to being able to planted much more densely. Harvesting in another factor taken into consideration when choosing trees, apples can be harvested from the ground, should the opportunity of a pick-your own orchard be chosen. The dwarf trees are also easier to spray and maintain. The cost of the dwarf trees is much higher than larger trees, however, the greater yield outweighs the initial expensive investment. Research has shown that two varieties of apples grown in the same orchard is required for successful pollination. For our orchard we have chosen the Gala and Ambrosia varieties.
During the summer and early fall, the midsections will be mowed for control, the tree strips will be managed mechanically and by hand to ensure the weeds are managed as best as possible.
Planting in late fall will occur, this will be done when the trees are dormant, ideally the remaining weeds will not compete with the root system as heavily. When digging the tree pits, they will be dug deep, the topsoil will be saved after it has been sifted through for weeds, and the subsoil will be disposed of. A non-residual herbicide will be applied at this time to help control the weeds. A mulch of grass clippings from the sod rows and non-dyed newspaper will be placed in the tree rows leaving a 25-30cm around each tree trunk and a tree guard to help prevent damage from rodents.
Year 3 – Maintenance
In the spring of the third year, a 10-52-10 fertilizer will be added to the trees to encourage root growth. A residual herbicide for new plantings will be applied, and research has shown that you should receive eight to twelve weeks of control with this spray. Mow downs when the annual weeds have reared their heads will occur. In the early summer, another application of herbicide (selective) will be required on the orchard sod to help prevent more weeds for growing. The tree rows will require hand hoeing/cultivation due to the delicate nature of the new growth.
In the early summer, the bee hives will be brought in, two to three hives per hectare to ensure proper pollination – each bloom requires about 24 bee visits for proper pollination. Throughout the growing period (summer) mow downs will occur in addition to very specific herbicide application. Due to the sensitive nature of the trees, a directional sprayer will be used. This will be beneficial at controlling the perennial weeds.
Once all the usable fruit has been removed in the fall, an additional fall application of Round-Up will occur, to help again to maintain the perennial weeds. Hopefully within a couple of growing seasons, the perennials will no longer be a problem.
Since much control and eradication procedures have been focused on throughout the first three establishment years, continued supervision and regular monitoring of the weed conditions should allow for solutions prior to having additional problems develop.
Laura’s Orchard was purchased as an abandoned farm field in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia Canada. The near perfect fruit growing climate of the valley is hoping to prove beneficial to a successful apple orchard. As the land was an abandoned farm field, it has been found overrun with weeds. In order to establish the orchard, a three year establishment and maintenance plan has been put together to cultivate an operating orchard. Prior to purchase a soil analysis was completed to establish the condition of the existing soil, and was found that the OM level is 3.5 and the pH level is 7.2. Ideally, apple orchards have a pH level of 6-6.5 however through discussions with other orchard owners in the area – it was found that a pH of 7.2 is fine for apples, and that they typically do well. The sandy loam soil provides great drainage for apples. Essentially, once the weeds are controlled , ideal conditions will be available for the orchard.
Year One – Pre-Planting Year
As the land needs to be cleared of weeds, and the orchard is not yet an established, it is much easier to manage and get rid of the weeds prior to giving them ample opportunity to grow. As researched, I have found that the perennials we are dealing with (Canada thistle, perennial sow thistle and field bindweed) have strong root systems and may cause problems when tillage is used. Ideally, we don’t want more weeds growing from the cut roots, so for the first year, the plan is not to perform any tillage till the fall.
Once the ground is workable, and weeds have started to grow, a burn-off (Round-Up) will occur as there are no trees to worry about burning. Once the burn-off is complete killing off the weed vegetation, a cover crop will be planted to help control the annual & perennial weeds, in addition to adding organic matter to the soil. Mow downs of the field as a whole will occur often throughout the season to ensure any annual weeds are maintained. Additional applications of the residual herbicide will be applied as required (typically when the weeds are flowering).
Timing is very important throughout the first year as we need to ensure we get the weeds at the right time, spraying will occur as required with additional selective herbicides. During the early fall, tillage will occur to work the soil, and a cover crop of Sundan x sorghum will be planted to add some organic matter to the soil. The Sundan X sorghum cross will be mowed down as much as required to ensure weeds do not flower. Although we cannot expect to be free of the perennial weeds in one season, hopefully we have gained a reasonable amount of control with the methods above.
A glyphosate herbicide has been chosen for the majority of the orchard as it has been found to be safe for bees, and water run-off.
Year Two – Planting Year
The orchard will be laid out in a North South direction for optimal sunlight. As planting will be occurring the late fall or early winter (best done when the trees are dormant) we have additional time to manage weeds, preparation of the soil and install irrigation.
In the early spring the land will be tilled, and laid out. Orchard sod (fescue) will be placed down between the tree rows, this will help prevent some weeds from growing through in addition to fighting erosion. Tree strips will be managed with herbicides to ensure as much of a weed free environment as possible for the new plants. Once the rows are laid out, the irrigation systems will be installed and flagged. A trickle irrigation system will be used, as many apple trees prefer this method of watering. The planting strips will be monitored for weed growth throughout the season. Mow downs will occur, and selective sprays of herbicides will be completed as the orchard requires. Ideally, we would like to have the orchard weed free prior to late fall for planting, economic considerations may require a management plan of the remaining weeds.
Apple trees will be purchased in the late summer. The orchard will be purchasing two year old (strong stems and side branches) dwarf trees as they mature and produce fruit faster then non-dwarf trees in addition to being able to planted much more densely. Harvesting in another factor taken into consideration when choosing trees, apples can be harvested from the ground, should the opportunity of a pick-your own orchard be chosen. The dwarf trees are also easier to spray and maintain. The cost of the dwarf trees is much higher than larger trees, however, the greater yield outweighs the initial expensive investment. Research has shown that two varieties of apples grown in the same orchard is required for successful pollination. For our orchard we have chosen the Gala and Ambrosia varieties.
During the summer and early fall, the midsections will be mowed for control, the tree strips will be managed mechanically and by hand to ensure the weeds are managed as best as possible.
Planting in late fall will occur, this will be done when the trees are dormant, ideally the remaining weeds will not compete with the root system as heavily. When digging the tree pits, they will be dug deep, the topsoil will be saved after it has been sifted through for weeds, and the subsoil will be disposed of. A non-residual herbicide will be applied at this time to help control the weeds. A mulch of grass clippings from the sod rows and non-dyed newspaper will be placed in the tree rows leaving a 25-30cm around each tree trunk and a tree guard to help prevent damage from rodents.
Year 3 – Maintenance
In the spring of the third year, a 10-52-10 fertilizer will be added to the trees to encourage root growth. A residual herbicide for new plantings will be applied, and research has shown that you should receive eight to twelve weeks of control with this spray. Mow downs when the annual weeds have reared their heads will occur. In the early summer, another application of herbicide (selective) will be required on the orchard sod to help prevent more weeds for growing. The tree rows will require hand hoeing/cultivation due to the delicate nature of the new growth.
In the early summer, the bee hives will be brought in, two to three hives per hectare to ensure proper pollination – each bloom requires about 24 bee visits for proper pollination. Throughout the growing period (summer) mow downs will occur in addition to very specific herbicide application. Due to the sensitive nature of the trees, a directional sprayer will be used. This will be beneficial at controlling the perennial weeds.
Once all the usable fruit has been removed in the fall, an additional fall application of Round-Up will occur, to help again to maintain the perennial weeds. Hopefully within a couple of growing seasons, the perennials will no longer be a problem.
Since much control and eradication procedures have been focused on throughout the first three establishment years, continued supervision and regular monitoring of the weed conditions should allow for solutions prior to having additional problems develop.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Another Interesting Monsanto article...
Sooo, I'll try and let you form your own opinion before I share my own - but what do you think about this article and study?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/monsantos-gmo-corn-linked_n_420365.html
Monsanto, making me worry - again.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/monsantos-gmo-corn-linked_n_420365.html
Monsanto, making me worry - again.
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