~..... C/T/A/H/R c t• E t . s . ~ CollegeofTroplcaiAgncullure&HumanResources oopera IVe X enslon ervlce '#', Umvers1ty of Hawau at Manoa U S DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE COOPERATING Landscape, Floriculture, and A Newsletter for the Professional Landscape, Floriculture, and Ornamentals News Ornamentals Industries No. 8, July 2000 Contents formation on the content of the test, testing procedures, and tasks that the applicants would be asked to perform. CLT certification test given in Kona .......................... 1 Hawaii Floriculture Research report .......................... 2 A training manual, based on the material presented in the Proper cultivation corrects soil compaction classes, was also made available to all who took the test. and heavy thatch ...................................................... 6 During the 12-hour day, each applicant completed a Slugs and snails ........................................................ 10 two-hour written exam, and seventeen hands-on "prob­ Correcting iron problems in the landscape ............... 12 lems". The problems required them to follow accepted Dispelling some notions about tree care ................... 13 safety procedures to properly operate various pieces of Landscape services are big business ......................... 17 equipment, repair a broken irrigation line, set an assigned Small salt tolerant trees for Hawai's direction for a number of different types of sprinkler golf courses and resorts .......................................... 18 heads, and adjust the automatic scheduling for an irri­ About research .......................................................... 22 gation system. They were also required to calculate and Recent CTAHR publications .................................... 23 properly administer the correct amount of pesticide and fertilizer over a give area, follow proper techniques in pruning trees and scrubs, plant and stake a tree, install CLT Certification Test Given in Kona turfgrass sod, back and maneuver a truck and trailer, and identify 30 landscape plants. Jay Deputy An applicant must pass all parts of the exam in or­ Education Specialist, CTAHR der to become a Certified Landscape Technician in main­ The state's first certification test in the Certified Land­ tenance. In similar certification tests on the mainland, scape Technician Program was conducted at Kona's the average number of applicants receiving certification Kealakehe High School on Saturday, April 29, 2000. is typically lower than 20%. In Hawaii's first offering, 3 Local contractor and program director Garrett Webb out of the 36 applicants actually taking the test have orchestrated a very busy daylong series of written and passed all portions of the exam and received their certi­ hands-on tests covering all aspects of landscape main­ fication. Many of the applicants passed all but two or tenance and installation. Thirty nine professionals from three portions. the green industry, agricultural supply industry, and the Any applicant who did not receive certification as a University of Hawaii volunteered their time to serve as result of the first test may become certified by retaking judges and other officials. Much of the equipment was and passing, only the parts of the exam they failed. The loaned or donated by the local industry. cost for retaking one problem is $25; 2 problems is $30, A total of 41 applicants paid $150 each to take the 3 problems is $35, 4 problems is $40, 5 problems is $45, State's first offering of certification as a Landscape Tech­ and 6 or more problems is $50. The next CLT test is nician in landscape maintenance. Thirty six applicants tentatively scheduled for around September on the Big had attended classes that were offered in Kona and in Island, March on Maui, and May on Oahu. Hilo over the past eight months to prepare them for the test. Five other brave soles came to take their chances CLT programs expand to Oahu and Maui based on years of experience and without the benefit of The CLT program leading to certification in landscape the classes. However, upon registration, all applicants maintenance has received additional funding from the were provided with a "Test Book" which provided in- State of Hawaii Employment and Training Fund to ex- COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA COLLEGE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN RESOURCES 3050 MAILE WAY, HONOLULU, HAWAII 96622 The UH-CTAHR Cooperative Extension Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperate in presenting to the people of Hawaii programs and services without regard to race, sex, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, arrest and court record, sexual orientation, or veteran status. The University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. Landscape, Floriculture, and Ornamentals News- No. a, July 2000 2 pand that part of the program to Oahu and Maui. The Hawaii's green industry. projects on both islands will be funded as pilot projects Anyone interested in taking the courses, or grounds for one year, with the intention of developing a self­ maintenance supervisors who want to send employees '>Ustaining program in future years; ~imilar to the pilot to the cour<;es should contact Jay Deputy at (808) 956- project recently completed on the Big Island. 2 I 50. The program also needs volunteer instructors, The Program Director of the state CLT program will judges, and loan of equipment. continue to be Garrett Webb and Diana Duff will ~erve as State Training Coordinator. In addition, a pilot pro­ gram leading to certification in landscape irrigation will be offered in Kana beginning this summer. Funding for thi<; project is also coming from the State of Hawaii Employment and Training Fund. Schedules for classes in both programs will be announced soon. The next cer­ Hawaii Floriculture Research Grant tification test for maintenance and the first test in irriga­ A USDA-CSREES Special Grant tion to be given in Kana will also be announced at a later date. Progress Report The Oahu and Maui pilot projects in maintenance are currently being organized. An advisory committee Ken Leonhardt has been appointed for each island under the direction Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences of Hawaii Landscape and Irrigation Contractors Asso­ CTAHR ciation (HLICA) on Oahu; and Maui Association of Landscape Professionals (MALP) on Maui. One of the The Hawaii tropical flower and foliage industry has been first duties of each committee will be to hire a Program federally supported by the Hawaii Floriculture Research Coordinator for their island. Grant since 1996. This grant includes anthurium, orchids, Programs on both islands will follow the same gen­ flowering ginger, bird of paradise, heliconia, protea, and eral format of the Big Island program just completed. A foliage (ti leaves and other greens), both cut and potted, series of 12 individual three-hour classes will be offered and is currently funded for $250,000. The Hawaii tropi­ in different subject matter areas. Maui will offer two cal flower and foliage industry is valued at more than series of classes beginning around September of this year $57 million in grower sales with out-of-state sales as and concluding in February of 2001. A certification test the primary market. Since the early 1970's, the floral in maintenance will then be given somewhere on Maui and nursery crops industry in Hawaii, particularly cut in March of 2001. flowers, orchids, and foliage, has been recognized as a The Oahu program will offer a total of six series of major increasing portion of Hawaii's agriculture. 12 three-hour classes beginning in September of this year The program objectives of this grant, and its indi­ and concluding in late March or April 200 I. A certifica­ vidual sub-projects were developed in a series of meet­ tion test in maintenance will then be given somewhere ings ofCTAHR faculty and industry representatives. An on Oahu in late April or May of 2001. industry Federal Floriculture Advisory Committee was The ultimate goal is to develop certification pro­ established to select proposals that best address the pro­ grams in landscape maintenance, irrigation, and possi­ gram thrust and objectives and annually evaluate bly landscape construction on all three islands. Pilot progress. The objectives of the entire project are to: projects in irrigation will begin on Oahu and Maui when • Develop and commercialize high yielding disease and the program becomes self-sustaining in late 2001.Acer­ pest resistant floral cultivars with unique horticultural tification in landscape construction may be added to the qualities that can keep the Hawaii cut-flower indus­ program in the future. Continuation of all programs past try ahead of the competition. the first year of funding is completely dependent upon • Address current technical constraints such as quaran­ the income generated by the program, and hopefully tine issues that limit the export of Hawaii floral crops. from additional industry support. Ideally, the adminis­ • Develop strategic marketing responses that include tration of the entire program '#ill eventually come un­ identification of market opportunities and strategies der the general supervision of LICH and be driven by for market penetration, based on an analysis of the the industry. If successful, this program could become strengths and weaknesses of Hawaii's competitive the major training ground for a significant portion of position. Landscape, Floriculture, and Ornamentals News- No. a, July 2000 3