News (blog)

 Statement from the OISC

A Turf Professional’s Guide to Suspected Imprelis Herbicide Injury in the Landscape

Other Imprelis Related Links:

Past updates can viewed in our BLOG.

Purdue News Service: Avoid use of herbicide Imprelis, Purdue experts advise

A Homeowner’s Guide to Suspected Imprelis® Herbicide Injury in the Landscape

Links

25th Annual Field Day
August 25th, 2011  LEARN MORE...

Office of the Indiana State Chemist
OISC Website

Purdue Plant & Pest Diagnostic Laboratory
PPDL Website

For additional information on herbicide injury to plants see “Diagnosing Herbicide Injury on Garden and Landscape Plants”, ID-184-W.

Purdue Agronomy Turf Tips:

Turf Tips

IPLLA News Online

UPDATE

To:  All IPLLA Members

From:  Bob Andrews, Executive Director

Subjects:     Imprelis Update                

IPLLA News Update – July 26, 2011

Attached at left are two documents which you will be seeing more of in the coming days. The first is a statement issued by the Office of Indiana State Chemist entitled “Imprelis Herbicide Damage to Landscape Trees and Ornamentals”.  The second is a publication from Purdue University Extension entitled “A Turf Professional’s Guide to Suspected Imprelis Herbicide Injury in the Landscape”.  Both of these are well written and I appreciate the specific efforts of Mr. Dave Scott of OISC and Dr. Aaron Patton of Purdue in making them available to IPLLA Members.  I would encourage you to make them available to any of your customers who may have suspected Imprelis damage to trees or ornamentals.  Both documents are self explanatory and we’ll not use this issue of IPLLA News to further try and explain what they already say.

 

I do want to encourage those members who may be experiencing customer calls regarding Imprelis damage to do several things that will help the process move forward.

If you used Imprelis this spring, and do suspect damage to a customer’s trees or ornamentals then you should establish a claim with DuPont.  This can be done by calling 1-866-796-4783 and speaking directly with a Customer Service Representative.  They then should assign your firm a reference number.

 

The Office of Indiana State Chemist is asking that you NOT report every instance of suspected Imprelis injury to their office.  The OISC is instead asking that you file a complaint with them only in those instances where (1) you have examined the site and ruled out other possible causes of the observed injury, and (2) it appears the suspected injury may result in the death of the plant(s), and (3) the injured plant(s) are not already dead, and (4) your customer has been made aware that the OISC will visit their property in order to take photographs and obtain samples related to their complaint.

 

At present, virtually every expert involved in this matter is recommending four courses of action for potentially affected trees.

 

1.      Do not remove them for a full year.

2.      Do not trim back affected limbs or branches

3.      Do not stimulate growth by use of fertilizer for one year

4.      Encourage the customer to slowly water the base of each affected tree for 30 to 40 minutes each week.

 

It is safe for me to say that the Imprelis issue will be with us for a long time to come and IPLLA will be there to help keep you informed and current on this ever changing and very unfortunate event.

 

 

Bob Andrews

Executive Director

Indiana Professional Lawn & Landscape Association  

Registration information for the August 25^th Field Day is now posted on line at IPLLA.COM and informational booklets were mailed on July 5^th.  Once you see the entire educational program, I hope you will find something of interest for everyone involved in your operation.  As IPLLA grows, we certainly understand our responsibility to bring you the very best and very latest in green industry education.  Plan on joining us for the 25^th Annual Field Day.  I’ll look forward to seeing you.

                                  

 

 

25th Annual Field Day
August 25th, 2011  LEARN MORE...

Office of the Indiana State Chemist
http://www.isco.purdue.edu/

Purdue Plant & Pest Diagnostic Laboratory
http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/

For additional information on herbicide injury to plants see “Diagnosing Herbicide Injury on Garden and Landscape Plants”, ID-184-W.

Purdue Agronomy Turf Tips:

http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/tips/2011/06172011_Imprelis.html

IPLLA News Online

UPDATE

To:  All IPLLA Members

From:  Bob Andrews

Subjects:     Imprelis Update
                  Field Day Registration

We have been doing our best to keep every member up-to-date on the unfolding story surrounding the DuPont herbicide Imprelis and its apparent impact on White Pines and varieties of Spruce Trees in Indiana and other states.  Here is some current information.

While there are differing opinions, most experts agree that affected trees should not be cut down or immediately trimmed back.  Fertilization of affected trees should not be done now as no one is sure how fertilization would encourage further root uptake of the herbicide.  However, fall fertilization should definitely be considered as a part of any treatment program.   Suspected damage should be immediately reported to the Office of Indiana State Chemist. As everyone involved hustles to cover their backsides, your records on suspected damage should be thorough and kept well documented.

I have also been asked whether or not we should continue to use Imprelis on wide open properties like athletic fields or on lawns with hard to control weeds such as Wild Violet.  While I can’t answer that question for you, our firm has decided to cease any use whatsoever of Imprelis until this matter is satisfied to our satisfaction.  I cannot stress enough that we are in new territory here.  The more experts I talk to, the clearer it becomes that there is no clarity!  Simply put, no one really knows what happened here, why it happened, and what is the potential recovery for the trees affected? 

One thing is clear. Whether you used Imprelis or not, the progression of this story will be one of the great learning experiences for all of us involved in any way in the turf industry.  At present, that learning curve is pretty steep.

Registration information for the August 25^th Field Day is now posted on line at IPLLA.COM and informational booklets were mailed on July 5^th.  Once you see the entire educational program, I hope you will find something of interest for everyone involved in your operation.  As IPLLA grows, we certainly understand our responsibility to bring you the very best and very latest in green industry education.  Plan on joining us for the 25^th Annual Field Day.  I’ll look forward to seeing you.

                                  

 

 

Links

Office of the Indiana State Chemist
http://www.isco.purdue.edu/

Purdue Plant & Pest Diagnostic Laboratory
http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/

For additional information on herbicide injury to plants see “Diagnosing Herbicide Injury on Garden and Landscape Plants”, ID-184-W.

Purdue Agronomy Turf Tips:

http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/tips/2011/06172011_Imprelis.html

IPLLA News Online

IMPRELIS UPDATE #2

 

To:  All IPLLA Members

From:  Bob Andrews

Subject: Update on Imprelis

As you know, recent reports have indicated a possible link between the application of the herbicide Imprelis, which is manufactured by DuPont, to apparent root uptake damage on Norway Spruce and White Pine Trees.  As this story unfolds, there are now seem to be more questions than answers.  As Executive Director, I get a good deal of input on such issues from all sides. Sifting facts from rumors is often difficult, but here is what we have learned so far:

The Office of the Indiana State Chemist (OISC) is actively investigating reports of possible herbicide damage to such trees and has a number of properties undefined which they will visit, take samples, and then conduct their own lab tests for the presence of the chemical.

The damage appears to be isolated and very spotty with one or two trees showing possible damage, while others immediately next to them do not.

Some of the samples submitted by IPLLA members also show the presence of the disease Needlecast and/or mite damage.

At present, there does not seem to be a recommended course of action coming from DuPont as how to treat the affected trees to aid their recovery.

As of this writing, the OISC has not issued a Stop Sale Order banning the use of Imprelis and will not consider doing so until their field investigations are complete.

IPLLA Members should not send samples of potentially damaged trees to the OISC as they will not be accepted.  The OISC must take the samples themselves as they are working hard to be sure this investigation is uniform in every respect.

DuPont has provided your supplier with a reporting form which you should now have if you purchased Imprelis this past spring.  If you suspect damage, then this form should be completed and returned as directed.

Finally, I would urge all members to keep very thorough records of any suspected damage.  Talk with the customer, take photos, and send samples to the Purdue University Plant, Pest, and Diagnostic Lab (PPDL) to determine if the plant also is suffering from disease or insect damage.

IPLLA will continue to monitor this situation and keep you up-to-date.

 

 

 

 

Sign Up Today for the GIA Golf Outing

DATE
June 27, 2011

ENTRY FEES $125.00 Per Person  • $500.00 Per Foursome

LOCATION Golf Club of Indiana • I-65 at Zionsville Exit

FEE INCLUDES 18 Holes of Golf and Cart
Range Balls
Deli Box Lunch with Drink Prizes

EVENT TIMES Registration – 12:00 pm
Lunch – 12:15 PM
Shotgun Start/Florida Scramble – 1:00pm
Scoring/Prizes – 5:30pm

REGISTRATION and/or SPONSORSHIPS
By check made payable to the “Green Industry Alliance”
1201 S. 1050 E.
Indianapolis, IN  46231

IPLLA News Online

IMPORTANT UPDATE

Purdue Turf Tips regarding Use of the herbicide Imprelis

Date:  June 17, 2011

From:  Bob Andrews

To:  All IPLLA Member Firms

As many of you know, there have been questions in recent days regarding the uptake of Imprelis herbicide by particular evergreens, specifically Norway Spruce and White Pines.  At the same time, members are reporting significant drought damage to the same varieties as a result of extended dry weather in 2010.

Today, the Department of Agronomy at Purdue University released a Turf Tips Report regarding herbicide damage on Spruce and Pines.  The link is below.  If you have used Imprelis since it was introduced this spring, we would suggest you forward any questions you may have regarding potential damage to such trees, directly to your supplier.

Link to Purdue Turf Tip:

http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/tips/2011/06172011_Imprelis.html

Comments are open.  You can comment by clicking the button below.

 

IPLLA News Online
  June 2011

Bob Andrews,
IPLLA Executive Director

We are now in the process of printing the registration program for the 2011 Summer Field Day to be held on August 25, 2011 at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds and Conference Center in Danville.  This will be an outstanding educational opportunity and you’ll be hearing much more about it in the next two months.  What I want to talk about today is the evolution of the Field Day, our association, and our industry; over the course of the 25 years we have held the Summer Field Day.

When the Indiana State Lawn Care Association was founded in 1987, the lawn and landscape industry was really just coming out of infancy.  We really did not have much in the way of professional tree care.  The irrigation industry was extremely limited in customers to very wealthy property owners.  Other than professional sports, no one except the parents really paid much attention to athletic fields, and professional tree care was pretty much limited to those who needed something cut down.  We also did not have much oversight or groups who were concerned about what our industry did, or why we did it.  When I started my lawn care company, the whole objective was simply to do what Chemlawn did, but at a lower price!

Our first few Field Days reflected the industry.  As I recall, we had about 100 people attend, about 15 or so exhibitors, and all we talked about in our education program was weed control and more on weed control.  There was nothing wrong with this, we were just a fairly new industry and very limited in scope.   My, how we have changed.

The original Indiana State Lawn Care Association became the Indiana Professional Lawn & Landscape Association in 2001 in response to a change in the make-up of membership that was precluded by a change in the make-up of our industry.  As more homeowners realized the benefits of a professional lawn care service, the same customer recognized that other landscape services might be helpful as well.  Perhaps some firm could mow their lawn?  Maybe it would be easier to install and in-ground irrigation system rather than dragging around sprinklers?  If your lawn benefited from professional care, why not your trees? 

At the same time, office buildings and shopping centers recognized that a well maintained landscape drew in customers and made the commercial development more compatible with their residential neighbors.  Athletic Directors began to understand the value of safe and attractive sports fields.

The building of golf courses literally outgrew the number of people who played golf.   Pond and lake management grow in importance.  As all this happened, our association changed.   Thus our educational programs and focus of membership has changed as well.

When you attend the 25^th annual Field Day, you will get more than just your required CCH’s--you will be exposed to those changes that have happened since 1987 and to those which we expect to happen in the second 25 years of this industry--and this ever evolving trade association.

IPLLA News Online
  April 2011

Welcome to Spring, I guess...
Bob Andrews IPLLA Executive Director

Welcome to spring, I guess. The next few weeks should warm up a bit and allow us to go about our business. I have a few unrelated items to share with you this month, so please don’t look for a theme.

From all we can tell, anti-phosphate legislation is dead in this session of the Indiana General Assembly. Our legislative relations efforts certainly paid off. Also, the five-week walkout of the Democratic caucus put so many pieces of legislation on hold that hopefully our elected representatives will stick to the important stuff in the remaining month of this session.

No matter what your party affiliation, the recent shutdown of the General Assembly was inappropriate behavior. Spending a month in Illinois is not why they were elected. All of us have the right to see them on the job and working to represent the total community’s welfare. This was not the case and once again reinforces why we citizens have such a poor level of respect for politicians in general.

The full extent of drought damage is now making itself apparent as the landscape begins to green up. There should be a good deal of business for IPLLA members. Property owners are going to need help, and I see a large number of new customers entering the market simply because they really don’t have the tools or knowledge to deal with what is indeed dead grass. This is a great opportunity for you if you are prepared to address customer needs in a timely manner.

If you have not done so already, please take time to sit down with your suppliers and plan your 2011 needs for fertilizers, seed, and chemicals. Given the increase in business and what already is turning into a shortened spring, many suppliers are facing back orders and shipping issues. Don’t find yourself at the end of the line when you really need product or equipment.

One of our trucks has already been stopped by a state chemist field investigator, which reminds us that they are out there and working to enforce state law. Be sure your employees are properly licensed if they are required to be. Have appropriate labels and written instructions onboard the vehicle, and make sure applicators are outfitted with required personal protective equipment. Doing our jobs right is our responsibility as IPLLA members.

2011 membership certificates have now been mailed. If you have not received yours, please contact me by email at admin@iplla.com or call the office at (317) 575-9010 so I can get a replacement certificate to you at once. Display your certificate in a prominent location in your office.

Thank you again for your support of your trade association, and don’t forget to visit our new website at IPLLA.com.

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