Best Management Practices Upcoming Training

Join us at the Sarasota County Extension office for our upcoming Green Industries-Best Management Practices training.  We will be offering classes in English on Friday, August 19 and in Spanish on Tuesday, September 6.

BMP classes in both English and Spanish will be offered at the Sarasota County Extension office, 6700 Clark Rd., Twin Lakes Park, Sarasota, FL 34241.

These classes are designed to provide training in Best Management Practices for anyone working in the lawn, landscape, pest control, or municipal grounds areas.  Best Management Practices are focused on reducing non-point source pollution resulting from fertilizer or pesticide application.  

In Sarasota County, you are required to be certified in the BMPs to be able to apply fertilizer.  In many areas, to be able to bid on jobs or have commercial customers, you must be BMP certified.  

Following completion of this training, you will be given a post-test to determine knowledge learned.  If the post-test is successfully completed, you will be mailed a certificate of completion.

The cost of the BMP class is $30.00 per person and includes a continental breakfast and a full lunch.  Register below.  You may buy your tickets online or pay at the door.  Please see the agenda for CEU information.

Download the Agenda (PDF)

Registration is REQUIRED.  Please click one of the links below to register for the class you wish to attend:

English BMPs  August 19, 2011

Spanish BMPs September 6, 2011

Questions?  Please call Bob Mertens at 941-861-9805 or rmertens@scgov.net

FDOT Vehicle in Commerce Requirements

by Erin Harlow and Paul Mitola
Erin Harlow is the Commercial Horticulture Agent in Duval County. Paul Mitola is FDACS Field Training Coordinator and has 20 years experience in the pest control industry.

As far as I'm aware, these requirements apply to wholesale nursery and commercial landscape vehicles.

In July, the Region 5 Florida Pest Management Association held its monthly meeting at the Duval County Extension Office. Paul Mitola with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services spoke about the Florida Department of Transportation requirements for vehicles in commerce. This is an important topic for anyone doing business and FDOT does not need a reason to stop you. The requirements are summarized below:

1. All loads must be secured with DOT approved straps (no bungy cords).
2. All equipment and tools must be secured with DOT approved straps.
3. All gas cans must have a spout cap or an automatic spout stop.
4. All gas cans must be secured to the vehicle.
5. All lights must be working.
6. Vehicle must not be leaking any fluids.
7. Must have 3 reflective devices cones or triangles.
8. Windows must have at least 70% transparency.
9. Must have an approved fire extinguisher and it must be mounted.
10. The vehicle must be registered for the proper tax class for the vehicle GVWR or maximum weight or it’s $0.05 per pound fine over the registered weight.
11. Gas cans must be FDOT approved and cannot be more than 8 gallons.
12. All opened bags of fertilizer must be closed and sealed to prevent spillage.
13. Vehicles over 8 feet wide must have center marker lights on rear; all lights must be working.
14. FDOT can put your vehicle “out of service” which means you cannot move it unless the condition is corrected or have the vehicle towed.
15. If you move the vehicle other than it being towed without the corrections being made the company will be fined $2500, the driver could lose his CDL and could go to jail. Fine also depends on driver or driver/owner.
16. After corrections are made the mechanic or the owner must complete and sign the inspection report and send it to Tallahassee.
17. Water tanks should be marked “water only” or “non-potable water” and the gallon capacity.
18. You cannot have any alcoholic beverages even unopened in vehicles in commerce.
19. Any vehicles over 10,000 lbs must stop at weigh stations and must follow “no trucks in left lanes” signs.
20. Front tires must have at least 4/32” tread on front tires and 2/32” on rear tires.
21. Your license plate must be secured and unobstructed.
22. Mirrors must be in working condition.
23. Placarded vehicles require the driver to have proper license endorsements and possess a valid medical card.
24. Fertilizer spreader with fertilizer still in must have a cover on it during transportation as to not allow spillage.
25. Hoses not on a hose reel must be secured properly.
26. FDOT also checks the vehicle suspension and brakes.
27. Cans or bottles must be secured against movement.

Crossvine

Looking for a fast-growing, colorful vine to brighten up a chain-link or wooden fence?  Consider crossvine, Bignonia capreolata.  A showy Florida native, crossvine features 2-inch orange red trumpet shaped flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies alike.  Fragrant flowers appear in early spring and bloom into the summer.  Leaves are waxy, evergreen, and 3 to 5 inches long.  The vine is cold hardy throughout Florida.  Crossvine climbs with twining tendrils having adhesive discs at the tips.  It can easily climb the trunk of a tall pine or quickly cover a trellis.

Crossvine will thrive under a variety of conditions and soil types.  Plant in full sun for best flowering.  Water occasionally until established.  Mature plants are drought tolerant and require little care.  Flowers are borne on new wood.  Propagation is by seed in flattened pod-like pendants.  Several cultivars of crossvine are available each with its own unique flower color. 

Visit your garden center and make crossvine a part of your landscape palette.

For more information, visit: leon.ifas.ufl.edu.

Scarlet Milkweed

Invite butterflies to your garden with scarlet milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, a tall, slender, evergreen perennial with clusters of small red and orange flowers that stand out against the dark green leaves and bloom all summer long.  Butterflies of many kinds come to sip the nectar of this carefree plant and monarch and queen caterpillars feed on the foliage.

Often called butterfly weed, scarlet milkweed is easy to grow, thriving in a wide range of Florida soils.  Plant in full sun to partial shade.  Water regularly until established.  Mature plants are drought-tolerant.  While winter freezes may kill plants to the ground, they usually return in the spring.  Scarlet milkweed propagates easily from cuttings and reseeds itself readily. 

A dependable, attractive little plant, make scarlet milkweed a part of your Florida garden. 

For more information, see the UF/IFAS publication at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fp049.

Mangos in Sarasota County

Mangos are ripening throughout the county.  Considered universally as one of the finest fruits, mangos produce fruits that are nutritionally rich with unique flavor, fragrance, and taste.  In addition to sumptuous tropical flavor, mangos deliver a host of nutrients.  Did you know that mangos contain over 20 different vitamins and minerals? They are an excellent source of vitamins C and A as well as a good source of dietary fiber.  Many different varieties of mango trees are available through your local nursery and garden center.  For information on growing this wonderful tropical fruit, visit edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

Plumerias

If you are looking for an easy tropical tree to grow in your garden, consider growing plumerias. They flourish in our Sarasota climate and bloom throughout late spring and summer. Through most of their blooming season, they are covered with fragrant blooms in various shades of yellows, reds, and whites.  Plumerias grow best in a well drained soil in full sun to light shade and may drop their leaves during the coldest days of winter.

For more information, go to: http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu/News%20columns/Frangipani.htm

Drought vs Trees

Tree care can be vital during this period of drought.  Extended droughts can cause decline or even death on both young and mature trees.

Symptoms on young trees are leaf drop, wilted leaves, or dead branches at the top of the canopy. It is recommended to apply about 5 gallons of water per inch of trunk diameter to the top of the root ball and surrounding soil. 

For mature trees, add water to wet the top 12 inches of soil every 2-4 weeks during extended drought periods. Apply water to all soil under the canopy if possible.

For more information, visit hort.ufl.edu.

For a list of the top 5 drought tolerant trees, visit:  hillsborough.ifas.ufl.edu.