The 2011 Landscape Expo

The must attend industry trade show and conference for all.

Please visit our booths to discuss any needs you may have and be sure to register for our daily door prizes.

This year’s Expo will be held October 12th – 13th, daily from 9:00 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, Calif. This will be the third consecutive year the expo has been held at this venue since moving from Pomona, Calif. in 2009.

Last year's event drew more than 4,000 landscape professionals including landscape architects; contractors and designers; city, school and facility landscape superintendents and their qualified staff members; residential/commercial lawn care pros; as well as arborists, and pest control specialists. This year, the attendance is expected to be over 5,000. At the 2010 expo, 236 vendors exhibited, showcasing a wide variety of products and services for the landscape industry.

Once again, attendees will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with vendors, explore cutting edge products, equipment and design elements, learn new ways to grow their business, earn CEU's, find all the latest time saving tools & technologies in one convenient location, and network with peers and diverse landscape professionals.

By pre-registering through a new improved system, attendees can avoid having to stand in line and enjoy immediate entrance to the exhibit hall. Individuals who pre-register in time will receive their admission badge in the mail prior to the show. Admission to the show is free with pre-registration; otherwise there is a $15.00 entry fee.  To register please click here.

More than 60 CEU qualified seminars and workshops in key tracks will be offered. Two new educational programs include a Sustainable Landscape Workshop series, presented by the University of California Cooperative Extension and hands-on "How To" workshops on tree trimming, drip irrigation, valves, backflow repair, wire tracking and water management, presented by Irrigator Tech.

Also new for 2011, the show will include a new product display area and a lighting effects demonstration area.

Will Wolverton - General Manager Wiedenmann North America, LLC

A healthy turf is the pride of every superintendent. However, in addition to having a green and healthy turf, there are also technical requirements which healthy turf should possess. The turf should be water-permeable to reduce downtime caused by weather conditions and a healthy turf should have a high number of plants per square inch. In order to have such a healthy professional turf, one has to provide the proper growing conditions.  The most important prerequisite for healthy turf is proper soil conditions, consisting of approximately 45% minerals, 25% air pores, 25 % water pores, and 5% organic matter.

However, quite often the number of air pores is reduced due to compaction and bad water infiltration, thereby causing saturation, meaning that the roots of the grass cannot breathe since they are basically drowned in water. Although regular aeration is performed, these same symptoms of compaction can be seen on many turfs. The reason is that most aeration machines work at a depth of about 3 to 5 inches, whereas compaction is quite often found in the deeper layers.  Consistent aeration to the same depth may cause an additional layer of compaction, which is sometimes referred to as a black layer.  At this black layer, roots, as well as water, air, and nutrients, cannot extend any deeper into the soil.

This is why a program using deep aeration is desired, thus aerifying and decompacting down to a maximum of 16 inches.  A superintendent was once overheard saying, “My old aerifier went three inches deep and the root system stopped there. My next aerifier went four inches deep and the roots stopped there. Now I started deep tine aerifying ten inches and my roots seem to be stopping there. What can I do now?” Someone then responded, “And what’s the problem with ten inch roots?” Given the choice, go deep. While it’s true that the root system usually stops where the aeration tine stops, at ten inches deep, the root system will support a healthy stand of turf. With a deeper root system from deep tine aerification, irrigation intervals can be lengthened, fertilizer applications last longer, and more oxygen is introduced into the soil.

One major advantage to the newer deep machines is the ability to easily change the angle of entry, thus increasing the amount of soil displacement at the maximum depth.  In addition, with the use of coring tines, soil profiles can be exchanged deep into the surface.  Also, coring tines offer some elimination of thatch and a reduction in soil compaction.  Solid tines do a good job of fracturing the soil, especially when adjusting the angle of entry, without the mess of cleaning up the cores. Another valuable tool that deep tine aerifiers offer is a variety of needle tines and hole spacing with multi-tine holders.  Superintendents are partial to these tines because needle tines offer minimal surface disruption and minimal effects on ball roll.  Needle tines open the surface, which can become sealed by irrigation practices, while providing all the benefits associated with decompacting the soil.

In the past, deep tine aerifiers were somewhat slow, requiring a creeper gear, and were somewhat difficult to operate.  The manufacturers of deep machines have done a good job of improving the technology, thus making these machines faster, which eliminates the need for a creeper gear in most cases. Deep machines are also much more user friendly. One major advantage to the newer deep machines is the ability to change the angle of entry that increases the amount of soil displacement at the maximum depth.

Today, you have more aerification choices than ever before. A good suggestion is to use a mixed bag of tine types and sizes, and vary the depth of aerification to avoid layering and allowing for deep root structure, which creates proper air, water, and nutrient exchange.