From the Editor

Welcome to 2008

Welcome to the first "regular" GTI Advisor issue of the 2008 season, our 13th year of publication. We have made a few small changes to the GTI Advisor for this year. The most obvious would be the move to our new website. I would like to thank Trudi Ostler for her efforts in getting the new website up and running. As we move forward, we plan to include a number of enhancements including the ability to sign up for the GTI Advisor directly on the website, new multimedia content and a revival of the popular GTI bulletin boards for job postings, used equipment sales and more. The GTI was one of the first turf websites to appear after Al Gore invented the Internet and we hope to continue to provide information that is of value to turf professionals and anyone else interested in urban greenspace management.

You will also notice some changes to the GTI Advisor content. Rather than have OMAFRA Turf Advisor Pam Charbonneau write a separate column for the Advisor, we are joining to try linking directly to her weekly Agriphone text message. We will also add a link to Jen Llewellyn's Nursery Crops Specialist's Nursery & Landscape message which provides information of interest to those who also work with woody landscape plants. If you have been reading The GTI Advisor for a while, you will remember Jen's work early on in our thirteen year history.

Your comments and suggestions are always welcomed. Have a great Victoria Day long weekend.

Turfgrass Management Agriphone

Highlights:

Weather Update

Diseases: Take-all Patch, Yellow Patch, Michrodocium (Fusarium) Patch, Basal Anthracnose

Insects: Grubs, AB Weevil, BTA, Leatherjackets

Overseeding

Weeds: Crabgrass Control, Dandelions

Nursery and Landscape Report

Update on woody plant disease problems.

Ontario Pesticide Legislation - Public Comment Period Ends May 22nd

The Ontario Provincial Government has introduced Bill 64 “An Act to amend the Pesticides Act to prohibit the use and sale of pesticides that may be used for cosmetic purposes.  The bill essentially prohibits the sale and use of many pesticides on private and public property for cosmetic purposes. Cosmetic is simply defined as non-essential. An exemption has been proposed for golf courses but this exemption has come under attack by the general public, the media as well as during debate in the provincial legislature. While a number of industry groups are actively involved in the consultation process, individuals with an interest in this legislation are invited to provide their comments through the province's Environmental Registry website. The deadline for comment is May 22nd.