of a variety of nutrient sources. It is important that 

 the nutrient characteristics of these sources be under- 

 stood prior to use in order to balance the nutrients 

 for the selected crop. For example, since there is very 

 little potassium in most municipal biosolid sources, an 

 effort has to be made to correctly supply this nutrient 

 from another source. In addition, if the crop to be 

 planted has a low or moderate pH requirement, it 

 would be very important not to use a material which 

 had been lime-stabilized and had a very high pH. 

 This can be the case especially in ornamental 

 plantings where soil acidity can be a much more im- 

 portant factor in plant health than in a corn or forage 

 crop. 



Monitoring does, and will continue to, play an im- 

 portant role in any land application program. It has 

 become critical, both from an environmental and prof- 

 itability standpoint, to manage nutrients in a manner 

 that allows for excellent growth, but does not signifi- 

 cantly increase the risk of groundwater contamination. 

 Field work using biosolids with different characteris- 

 tics in progress at this time will be used to improve 

 nutrient management techniques. Soil testing will con- 

 tinue to be a very valuable tool in assessing the ef- 

 fects of nutrient additions from different sources. A 

 better understanding of the nutrient properties and 

 how they interact with the soil will provide valuable 

 information for improving our ability to safely use 

 them. 



The lack of public acceptance to land application of 

 biosolids may be a barrier to their use on agricultural 

 land. The range of concerns involve the real case of 

 odors to the perception of diminished property val- 

 ues. Strong educational programs, involving research- 

 based information, are needed to help assess the true 

 risks. The proper use of high-quality materials along 

 with a strong monitoring program can reduce the risk 

 of environmental contamination while recycling nutri- 

 ents through a useful crop. ^ 



Tom Boub is Extension Educator, UNH Cooperative Extension. 

 Grafton County. His mailing address is PO Box 191, 

 \fJoodsville. NH 03785; his phone-. (603) 787-6944. 



Z. 



NOTES 



Since 1 890 

 all your needs: 



•Azalaas 



• S eeds 



• Foliage & Ferns 



• Nunery Stock 



• Romng MIxM 



• Containere 



• Greenhouses 



• GeranHims & Mums 

 •Rsrennials 



j{ic/km 



P.O. Box 160. King o( Prussia. PA 18406 

 (215)285^200 



SCOTT A. STEWART 



421 Parfc Street West 



North Readktg. MA01864 



Phone: 508-684-0096 



FAX: SOe -864-4076 



The New Worker Protection Act 



The new Worker Protection Act that takes 

 effect on April first will change how 

 we conduct our business. We are now re- 

 quired by law to make available all safety equip- 

 ment and information to all employees. One new 

 item never discussed before is reentry times on 

 pesticides. Daconii (or Exotherm) now has a 48- 

 hour REl on its label, making it virtually useless 

 to a greenhouse grower. 



All dated pesticides in your locker will have 

 to be disposed of. You can no longer use up old 

 pesticides within your spray program. State and 

 federal agencies have all the Information you 

 need on the new law — fines for non-compilance 

 can be rather severe. In most cases, the regula- 

 tions make sense — unfortunately, there are some 

 lax growers in our community, so the government 

 stepped in. 



There are a few new copper-based fungicides 

 in our midst. Copper has been with us for de- 

 cades and the problem has always been 

 phytoxicity. These new formulations haven't done 

 much to change this. So be careful with open 

 blooms and with tender and/or stressed plants. 

 They will burn. 



That gray fuzzy stuff you see is botrytis. 

 We're in perfect botrytis weather right now — low 

 light, high humidity, no air circulation. Correct 

 these problems and the risk is much lower. 

 Ornalln is still your best bet for eradication and 

 control. ^ 



jim Zab\oA\ is "Xerritory Manager, the Scotts Company, 

 Northeast. He can be reached at (603) 224-5583. 



S enters (iarben Center Jnc. 



656 South Mammoth Road (Rte. 28A) 



Manchester, NH 03109-5049 

 (603) 625-8298 • Fax (603) 622-4073 



Nursery • Greenhouses 

 Craft & Christmas Shop 



We Support The Plantsman 



APRIL/ MAY 1994 



21 



