Mirimichi Green Blog

Mirimichi Green Blog

Gather ideas and inspiration for growing your dream landscape. Get the latest tips, be updated on Mirimichi Green affairs, and learn more about our products here in Mirimichi Green Blog!

March 13, 2023

Mirimichi Green Launches Organic Granular Fertilizer 4-4-4

March 29, 2022

Peat Alternative During Shortage And Beyond

December 15, 2021

Lawn Winterization: Tips for Healthier, Greener Turf Next Spring

News
October 26, 2021

Lookout Central Region – Jeff Averitt joins Mirimichi Green

August 25, 2021

3 Alternatives to Roundup for the Landscape Professional

January 14, 2021

New Mirimichi Green Packaging

Article, News
June 8, 2020

Mirimichi Green Launches New Soil Amendment Essential-G

May 13, 2020

COVID-19 Status

News
April 7, 2020

Mirimichi Green Invests In New Manufacturing Equipment

News
February 13, 2020

Mirimichi Green Introduces Soluble Microbial Powder Into Product Offering

Article, News
October 1, 2019

Mirimichi Green Sales Team Expands To The West Coast

News
April 12, 2019

Mirimichi Green Sales Personnel Expands

News
June 20, 2018

Mirimichi Green Announces Carbon In All Liquid Products

News
May 24, 2018

Mirimichi Green Adds New Hires To Team

Article
May 14, 2018

Get Rid Of Bugs With Mirimichi Green Pest Control

Article
April 10, 2018

Spring Tips For Sod And Topdressing Applications

News
February 14, 2018

US Equestrian Federation Announces Mirimichi Green as an Official Sponsor

Article
February 6, 2018

Golf Course Industry – Injecting Different Theories

News
December 11, 2017

Mirimichi Green Introduces Pest Control Product

Article
December 4, 2017

How To Keep A Christmas Tree Fresh And Green

Article
November 14, 2017

Urban Sustainability Is Growing

Article
November 7, 2017

Simple Steps to Control Erosion On Project Sites

Article
October 24, 2017

High Nitrogen Poses Risk To Environment

Article
October 17, 2017

Successful Turf Management and Disease Control Methods

News
October 10, 2017

Launch of CarbonizPN DJ Fine Grade

Article
October 10, 2017

Help Customers Avoid Soil Erosion and Runoff

Article
October 3, 2017

Fall Is The Best Time To Improve The Soil

Article
September 26, 2017

Post-Hurricane Harvey Insecticide Aerial Spray

News
September 22, 2017

Mirimichi Green Receives NCMEP Leadership Award

Article
September 19, 2017

Top 8 Plants That Repel Bugs and Mosquitoes

Article
September 13, 2017

Top 6 Ornamentals To Include In Fall Landscapes

Article, News
September 1, 2017

Shannon Easter To Speak At 2017 Distinguished Ideas Summit

Article
August 24, 2017

6 Factors To Keep In Mind About Artificial Turf Fields

Article
August 15, 2017

The Top Problems And Solutions For Soil Compaction

Article
August 11, 2017

Dog Spots Destroying Your Grass? Here’s What to Do.

Article
August 8, 2017

How to make the best choice between sod, seed or hydroseed

Article
August 1, 2017

New Reviews About Outstanding Turf At TIEC

Article
July 18, 2017

How to Choose the Right Soil for You

Article
July 11, 2017

The Top 6 Most Common Landscaping Mistakes

Article
July 5, 2017

The Top 8 Myths About Gardening

Article
June 27, 2017

Growing Plants That Will Help Attract Wildlife To Your Garden

Article
June 21, 2017

How To Help Your Plants Fight The Stresses of Summer

Article
June 8, 2017

5 Ways To Minimize Your Weed Growth

Article
June 5, 2017

You Need To Know The Importance Of Organic Soil Matter

Article
May 25, 2017

Top 10 Beautiful, Sustainable, and Eco-Friendly Landscapes

Article
May 23, 2017

How To Know When To Aerate Your Lawn

Article
May 12, 2017

5 Proven Ways to Save Water in Your Garden

Article
May 12, 2017

Transforming Your Landscape to be Healthy and Sustainable

News
January 23, 2017

Mirimichi Green Announces Inaugural Sustainable Program Member Award

News
December 19, 2016

Singapore Open 2017 Guest Speaker 

News
November 17, 2016

Mirimichi Green Tackles College Stadium

News
November 9, 2016

Mirimichi Green Goes International

News
September 15, 2016

Mirimichi Green Launches New Product

News
July 15, 2016

Mirimichi Green Personnel Expands

News
September 17, 2015

Mirimichi Green Makes Donation To The City of North Las Vegas

News
July 31, 2015

Mirimichi Green Saving Lawns in California.

News
November 12, 2014

Mirimichi goes to Congress

News
November 18, 2013

Mirimichi Green joins in the action at Tree Planting in Louisville KY

Golf Course Industry – Injecting Different Theories

The maintenance rituals of aerification and topdressing are fixtures in the world of golf. Depending on their locales and annual budgets, superintendents spend a few days each year punching holes in their greens with metal tines, or pulling cores with solid tines to improve airflow, break up organic material and maintain turf health.

The process requires time and man-hours. It can result in lost revenue, particularly at daily-fee facilities, because the golf course must close while the work is in progress. Golfers then may stay away for a stretch even after the course reopens.

Superintendents are exploring alternatives to traditional aerification. For example, DryJect, headquartered in Hatboro, PA, just outside Philadelphia, has a machine that accelerates the aerification/topdressing process by substituting powerful streams of water for tines.



While no soil material is extracted in the process, a crude comparison to the technology is to think of the stream of high-pressure water as a solid tine, says Jeff Broadbelt, DryJect’s vice president of operations.

“Each pulse of water is a make-believe solid tine,” he says. “But the pulse of water, when it’s shot down, produces an explosive-type reaction going down. There is a lot of lateral shattering going on. It’s like a mini-earthquake.”

Depending on soil conditions and the superintendent’s preference, the holes are punched to a depth of between 2½ to 6 inches. For instance, some turf managers may desire deeper holes to break up a layer of organic material that might be present where holes were punched in the past using solid tines. The most common depth is in the 4- to 5-inch range. The holes are spaced at adjustable intervals.

What has piqued superintendents’ interests is the fact that immediately after the holes are created, they are filled with sand, reducing or perhaps eliminating the need for heavy topdressing in between core aeration cycles.

“We’re taking out the topdressing component by just getting it done for you right off the bat,” Broadbelt says. “A lot of superintendents will maybe topdress lightly afterward, but it’s not necessary. There is a little bit of sand residue left. Not every grain of sand gets into that hole. It’s equivalent to a very light topdressing.”

Because the holes filled are virtually instantaneously, a superintendent could theoretically begin work on their front nine in the early morning hours and have those holes open for play by afternoon, a big difference from having to shut the greens down for a stretch of time following a core aeration.

It’s common for superintendents to add material or amendments, to the sand to retain moisture in the soil and the root system of the plant. The amendment consists of sand-sized particles of material, creating a mixture that might be as much as 90 to 95 percent sand, the remainder being the amendments.



For example, Profile Products of Buffalo Grove, Ill., manufactures PPC Green Grade, a porous ceramic material that strengthens root systems, enhances moisture retention and increases disease resistance. The particles are 74 percent pore space, 39 percent capillary (water) pores and 35 percent non-capillary (air) pores. “If you look at (the particles) under a microscope, they have all kinds of micropores in them,” Broadbelt says.

They hold water, but once they’re filled, water drains through them like a sieve. So, you’re not necessarily giving away downward drainage by using the product. “It does hold water, but not so tightly that the roots can’t extract from it,” Broadbelt adds.

Mirimichi Green manufactures CarbonizPN, a soil enhancer it markets as an amendment, which, among other things, reduces soil compaction and water needs while also optimizing soil pH. It’s a 50/50 blend of crystallized carbon (Biochar) and a premium organic compost that the company manufactures. Because the carbon portion has a half-life of around 500 years, Mirimichi Green’s chief operating officer Web Cowden describes the product as a “permanent soil amendment.”

“It has a very porous structure,” he says. “The process by which we make this is called pyrolysis (utilizing extreme heat to simulate the chemical decomposition of organic material). What you’re left with is a very porous crystalized structure that has a very high carbon content and a very low ash content. It has the ability to hold air, water and nutrients within its pore structure, and makes them available to the plant when they are needed.”

In addition to CarbonizPN, Mirimichi Green manufactures Nutri-Release, a broad-spectrum liquid organic fertilizer that can be added to the sand/amendment mix as a biostimulant at a rate of three ounces per 1,000 square feet. The two products, when used in tandem, have a significant impact on the soil profile, Cowden says.

“You’re putting organics, you’re putting long-chain carbon, you’re putting biology into the soil profile,” he says. “And then with the liquid biostimulant, you’re actually feeding the biology that you’re putting into the soil. So, it’s kind of a one-two punch.”

Hole history

The idea of punching holes with water is not a new one. The technology was developed in Sweden and later became the property of Land Pride, a division of Great Plains Manufacturing.

In 2000, Peter van Drumpt and Chris des Garennes purchased the technology, along with the patent that went with it and other necessities, and then making alterations so it would be both reliable and commercially viable. Thus, DryJect was born.

It’s possible to treat 18 holes in a single day, depending on the number of DryJect machines being used on the job. Typically, two or three machines can complete the task, but perhaps four are needed depending on the size of the greens being treated.

The structure of the crystallized carbon, which Cowden describes as resembling a honeycomb, holds air in some of its pore spaces, thereby allowing improved air circulation in areas where the organic material may have accumulated over time.

“That becomes kind of a home for all the biological activity,” Cowden says. “All the microbes have a place to go into these pores. They’re protected, they can reproduce and help keep the soil biology alive. Having an aerobic root zone is just as important as having moisture down there. When that becomes anaerobic and your biology can’t survive, thrive or reproduce, then you get a dead thatch layer and everything below it just dies away.”

The process is catching on with superintendents throughout the country. Chris Tritabaugh, completing his sixth season as the superintendent at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn., which hosted last year’s Ryder Cup, first used DryJect in October of 2015 and in May and October of 2016. He used it again this past May. Another treatment was scheduled for Nov. 1.


“Our greens have gotten a lot better since we started doing it from a firmness standpoint,” Tritabaugh says. “They weren’t bad, but in my opinion, they perform now just as well as they did when they were new.”

Tritabaugh and his team do not use an amendment during the process. Instead, the holes are filled with 100 percent sand. “We’re able to get the exact same sand that was in the root zone when the greens were built in 2010,” he says. “From a spec standpoint, it’s the same thing that’s already in there.”

Some have raised the question of whether DryJect will supplant traditional aeration as a standard industry practice. Tritabaugh doesn’t necessarily share that sentiment.

“I think it’s a tool to be used depending on what the superintendent’s desire is,” he says. “I think it would be a mistake to say that (core aeration) is unnecessary or that solid tining is unnecessary or that DryJect could replace either of those things.”

Based on his experience, Tritabaugh doesn’t believe the DryJect method will render core aeration or solid tining obsolete. Instead, he considers it just another tool in a superintendent’s turf toolbox.

“I think it can in the right situation, but I think it would be unfair to limit (a superintendent’s) tools,” Tritabaugh says. “It doesn’t mean one is particularly better than the others, but I think in the right situation certain ones are better.”

Tritabaugh hasn’t relied on pull-core/solid-tine practices at Hazeltine in recent years, but he hasn’t abandoned them either. “We’ve done some different methods on a couple of our greens,” he says. “Is it a tool we want to use in the future? It could be, but it’s not a part of our standard cultural practices.”

Rick Woelfel is a Philadelphia-based writer and frequent GCI contributor.

Mirimichi Green Introduces Pest Control Product

Mirimichi Green is introducing a new pest control product that is all-natural and will control and kill pests.

Mirimichi Green pest control is all natural and effective.

Mirimichi Green, which manufactures sustainable products for all landscaping aspects, is now providing an organic pest control product with an efficacy test that revealed an 80+ percent kill rate for pests and larvae in a 24-hour period.

Mirimichi green pesticide

The product controls many of the peskiest bugs including, but not limited to:

  • Mosquitoes
  • Fleas
  • Ants
  • Roaches
  • No-see-ums
  • Chiggers
  • Spiders
  • Mites
  • Whiteflies
  • Aphids

This Mirimichi Green’s product is known to be safe to spray around people, pets, and plants, with an immediate re-entry time after the spray has settled, making it ideal for any outdoor area.

mirimichi green organic pest control

This new product has many product benefits including:

  • Made from organic, natural ingredients
  • Product is not a neurotoxin
  • OK to spray around people, pets, and plants
  • Kills pests and larvae on contact
  • Bugs do not become immune to this product

Mirimichi Green’s pest control formula was tested by standards set by the World Health Organization. The company has run test trials around the country, in multiple types of environmental settings, and all tests reported remarkable success. The Mirimichi Green team expects this product line to provide a solution to pest control problems, including those that arise after natural disasters.

mirimichi green pest control product

The product is available for sale at distributors nationwide and is sold in 1-gallon jugs, 2.5-gallon jugs, 30-gallon drums, and 55-gallon drums.

Try using this safe, effective and organic pest control for all of your pest management accounts such as parks & recreation areas, campground sites, sports fields, golf courses, universities, landscaping, gardens and more!

How To Keep A Christmas Tree Fresh And Green

You have a Christmas tree! Now it’s time to prevent your tree from losing all of its needles and keep your Christmas tree as fresh and green as the day it was cut. If you are wondering how to keep a Christmas tree fresh and green, follow the easy steps below.

how to keep your christmas tree green and fresh all season long

Steps for how to keep a Christmas tree fresh and green:

Step 1: Give the trunk of your tree a fresh cut across the bottom. About a half-inch should do the trick.

Step 2: Place the tree in water. A Christmas tree is like any other plant, it needs water to survive.

How to keep your christmas tree green

Step 3: Find the ideal spot for your tree. Of course, you want your tree to be in a visually appealing spot, but try to identify a location that is away from a heat source (active fireplaces, heat vents, space heaters, etc.). Heat sources will quickly dry out your tree!

Step 4: Add 1 teaspoon of Nutri-Tree & Shrub liquid fertilizer to the water supply. Repeat application for every third watering.

 

By adding Mirimichi Green’s Nutri-Tree & Shrub you are giving the tree nutrients that will keep your Christmas tree fresh and green all season. You will see less fallen needles around your tree, which means less clean up. It will help keep your tree deep green and lush until the New Year.

Don’t wait for Santa to bring you this gift! Place an order at a distributor location.

Urban Sustainability Is Growing

Green roofs and walls are gaining popularity in urban developments. This unique landscaping trend is more than just an architectural design, it provides the base for plants to positively impact polluted urban and suburban environments.

Green roofs are sustainable

Green roofs and green walls

Green roofs are any roof that is partially or completely covered with vegetation, typically planted on top of a waterproof membrane. Green roofs can be a whole system that includes root barriers, drainage, greywater treatment, and irrigation.

Green walls refer to any form of a vegetated wall surface. This broad concept encompasses three major categories: living walls, retaining living walls, and green facades.

Living walls consist of pre-vegetated panels, modules, bags, or planted blankets that are adjoined to a structural wall or frame.

Retaining living walls are home to vegetation and act as a support for slopes.

Green facades are systems of climbing plants, vines, or ground covers that form a supporting structure.

Green wall in urban areas

Here are some benefits of green roofs and green walls:

  • Improves the longevity of roofs
  • Help the tenants below regulate temperature. It is estimated that an average three-story building can save up to 25 percent in the summertime energy costs.
  • Decreases stormwater runoff by 40-60 percent which decreases the amount that flows into sewers
  • Provide opportunities for food production and urban agriculture
  • Provide habitat for wildlife. This could be a way to decrease the devastating impact of urbanization on nature.
  • Improves air quality and circulation
  • Protects the building structure from harsh weather conditions
  • Provides a sound barrier and poses as additional insulation

Living walls offer sustainability

A greener future

Green roofs and walls are a big step for the sustainability movement in urban design and innovation. These landscaped buildings provide many benefits to the community including thermal insulation, lower utility bills, naturally filtered air and water, and an ecosystem for wildlife.

Tell us about your sustainable methods using the hashtag #MirimichiGreen on Instagram or Twitter.

Simple Steps to Control Erosion On Project Sites

Erosion can be a big problem, especially on construction sites. These simple steps will have a positive effect when controlling erosion and sediment problems on your next job.

Simple steps to control erosion

Minimize disturbed areas

Control the territory of your project by working only in the necessary areas involved. Controlling the areas that are being worked on will reduce the erosion and sediment movement on the site. Keep as much natural vegetation as possible and do not disturb areas that have topsoil in place. Removing natural vegetation will disrupt the soil structure.

Create sediment traps or ditch

Direct runoff water to a prepared sediment trap. It can be controlled by redirecting water with diversion ditches located at the up-slope side of a construction site.

Erosion control tips

Stabilize Soils

Many permits require stabilization measures. Some temporary measures can include hydro-seeding, mulch, blankets, etc. If the stabilization measure is permanent it can vary from permanent seeding, planting, channel stabilization and green buffer. Make sure you use quality products to ensure the work will last.

Pro Tip: Incorporate CarbonizPN Soil Enhancer and Nutri-Release into your hydroseeding tank for quick and lasting results.

Slope protection

There are multiple options for erosion and sediment control on slopes that depend on the degree of inclination of the slope. Measures such as silt fence, fiber rolls, geo-textiles, turf blanket, and mats can be used as slope protection.

Slope erosion control with EcoExpress

Storm inlet protection

Providing protection against erosion and sediment control on a storm drain inlet can be achieved by using silt fence, rock-filled bags, or block and gravel. The type of measure used will depend on the type of drain inlets opening and the flow that it is expected to receive.

Construction entrance

Stabilized construction entrances will reduce sediment being carried away by construction vehicles. It is recommended to have two construction entrances, formed regularly by large crushed stone areas.

Erosion control construction entrance project

Inspect for signs of erosion

Inspection is the key when working with sediment and erosion problems. Inspect your project after a storm event or just after a small rainfall. By conducting small routine inspections you will be able to prevent erosion on the project site.

Tell us about your successful erosion control methods using the hashtag #MirimichiGreen on Instagram or Twitter.

High Nitrogen Poses Risk To Environment

High nitrogen poses an alarming risk to the environment and researchers are taking note. The human production of fixed nitrogen being used primarily to fertilize crops is said to be responsible for approximately half of the total fixed nitrogen going into the environment, according to a new study by researchers at North Carolina State University and Duke University.

High Nitrogen Poses Risk To Environment

Human production of fixed nitrogen is five times higher than it was 60 years ago. The researchers say the substantial increase could pose as much of a threat to the environment as the increase of carbon-dioxide causing climate-warming. One form of nitrogen gas, nitrous oxide, is a potent greenhouse gas that can contribute to rapid global warming. High levels of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere will degrade the atmospheric ozone layer and can develop a hazardous ground-level ozone.

William H. Schlesinger, Professor of Biogeochemistry at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment says, “Earth has never seen this amount of fixed nitrogen.”

fertilizer harms the environment

To conduct their study, the researchers at North Carolina State University and Duke University gathered historical data on fertilizer use in agriculture and recent estimates of nitrogen-fixation rates. They analyzed trends in human production of fixed nitrogen since the beginning of the 20th century. Then they placed these trends in context with recent estimates of natural nitrogen fixation and denitrification rates on land and in water.

The researchers conducting this study were stunned by their findings. “While carbon has captured the attention of the world through climate change, we cannot ignore this issue,” adds Viney Aneja, Professor of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Science at NC State. “Too much nitrogen can affect human health, reduce biodiversity and amplify global warming.”

human fixed nitrogen

Too much nitrogen (N2) in the soil benefits a limited number of species that can out-compete native species, reducing biodiversity, Aneja notes. The high levels of N2 pose a threat to human and animal health too. The high levels of N2 being used are now being found in groundwater. Excessive amounts of nitrogen in groundwater are associated with intestinal cancers and miscarriages and can be fatal to infants, as well as aquatic life.  

high nitrogen hurts the environment

N2 compounds as a fertilizer have been used by the people for many years, but time has changed the type of fixed nitrogen being used. Historically, only naturally fixed sources, like compost manure and guano, were applied to fertilize crops. In the early 1900s, German chemists Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch discovered a process that converts atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia, allowing humans to produce nitrogen-based fertilizers on an industrial scale for the first time. In 1960’s, more than 60 percent of farms in the U.S. had converted to using chemical fertilizer and the average nitrogen rate was 17 pounds per acre. By 2007, U.S. farms were using 82.5 pounds of nitrogen per acre on average.

 

Companies like Mirimichi Green encourage the use of lower nitrogen rates and offer low NPK fertilizers and bio-stimulants. Mirimichi Green products are low in NPK, but high in nutrient availability and contain liquid carbon. NPK is often a temporary fix to soil biology problems. Unlike N2, carbon is the key solution to many soil issues that can arise. Carbon keeps the soil aerobic, holds nutrients in the root zone, gives a home for all the protozoa, hype, fungi and other necessary elements for healthy plants and soil.

 

CITATION: “Is Nitrogen the Next Carbon?” by William Battye, Viney P. Aneja, and William H. Schlesinger, Aug. 29, 2017, Earth’s Future. DOI: 10.1002/2017EF000592

Post-Hurricane Harvey Insecticide Aerial Spray
Articles
Alex Molosky

Post-Hurricane Harvey Insecticide Aerial Spray

Clean up efforts and support after Hurricane Harvey are underway including monetary donations, food, water, volunteering, etc. With the excessive amount of sitting water in the Houston area, there is a growing concern about the growth of pest insect populations, such as mosquitoes. Now, a post-Hurricane Harvey chemical insecticide aerial spray application is underway.

Read More »
Top 6 Ornamentals To Include In Fall Landscapes
Articles
Alex Molosky

Top 6 Ornamentals To Include In Fall Landscapes

Plants, shrubs, and flowers aren’t the only options for a fall landscape. Fall ornamental grasses add more personality and uniqueness to any landscape. Some ornamentals can survive well into the warmer seasons, so customers will be able to appreciate them even longer.

Read More »
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