The men's doubles clash looms as crucial heading into the final of the Craigs Investment Partners Marlborough premier interclub competition between Renwick White and Marlborough Blades at the Forrest Winery Marlborough Tennis Centre in Blenheim tomorrow night.

Both teams are expected to be at full strength for the title decider in the eight-team competition, which has been highly competitive and provided numerous entertaining matches throughout the season.

As always, tomorrow night's contest will open with the two doubles matches. Blades strong young mixed combination Lee Harborne and Lily O'Fagan beat experienced Renwick duo Peter Rogge and Mel Trolove 6-1 7-5 last time the sides met just over a month ago and should be too good once again.

However, it is much harder to pick a winner in the men's match. Renwick's Chris Nott and Jean-Luc Hauswirth are favoured over the Blades pair of Yuichi Ando and Josh Winter, but they have not met in the two previous encounters between the two teams this season. And, with the four singles matches a good chance to be shared, it could well be a battle that proves important in the final reckoning.

The No 1 singles match will see two captains Rogge and Ando square off. Rogge has prevailed both times against Ando this season, but Ando took the first set in a very close encounter second time around and can not be discounted.

Renwick are likely to claim the No 3 match, with Hauswirth expected to be too strong for Winter after a 6-0 6-2 triumph in round four, but the other two singles should go Blades way. O'Fagan should have little trouble in overcoming Trolove, while Harborne has been in good form and beat Nott 6-2 6-4 earlier in the season, although the Renwick No 2 has got much better as the competition has progressed.

Blades were the fourth and final qualifiers for the playoffs, but defied that seeding to upset season-long competition frontrunners Rapaura Drylands One 4-2 on grass at Rapaura in the semifinals last week.

That victory, plus the strong form of Harborne and O'Fagan, makes Blades slight favourites to bag the silverware.

Renwick scrapped through to the final with a game countback win over Grovetown, but the newcomers have the edge when it comes to experience and another countback result could well be on the cards.

Matches start at 5.45pm at the Pollard Park courts and spectators are welcome.

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Teams at full strength ahead of title decider

Seeing the light: Catherine Borger measurers light available to annual ryegrass in the inter-row space of a wheat crop, using a Sunfleck Ceptometer. Source: Supplied

A CHANGE in seeding direction may be the solution to weed problems in cereal crops, a West Australian study has revealed.

WAs Department of Agriculture and Food research found altering the sowing orientation of cereals from north-south to east-west reduced ryegrass weed seed sets.

The study found an east-west row alignment created more shade, reducing ryegrass growth and seed production.

It found a 51 per cent drop in ryegrass seed set across the six WA trial sites of wheat and barley grown in 2010 and 2011 after adjusting paddocks to an east-west sowing direction.

DAFWA research officer Catherine Borger said an east-west orientation cast more shade on the interrow space and reduced light penetration through the canopy. With a weed like ryegrass, which is below the canopy, the increased shading will suppress weed growth, Dr Borger said.

While the study indicated there wasnt a big impact on the weed biomass, a dramatic reduction in seed volume helped control the weed.

Dr Borger said this method was also a cost-effective way to tackle ryegrass.

Especially with weeds continuing to develop resistance against herbicides so in-crop weed control with selective herbicides could be difficult.

East-west crop orientation is a free technique rather than increased seeding rate, herbicide application or increased fertiliser rates, she said.

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Seed direction research

A pearl net filled with seedpods, tethered by a rope anchored in the coastal mud but swaying with the tide, could be an especially effective way to restore disappearing marine meadows of eelgrass, according to a new study.

The resulting crop of eelgrass grown by SF State researchers is as genetically diverse as the natural eelgrass beds from which the seeds were harvested, said Sarah Cohen, an associate professor of biology at the Romberg Tiburon Center. As eelgrass meadows are threatened by a number of human activities, restoration plans that maintain diversity are more likely to succeed, she noted.

The emphasis on genetic diversity is a relatively new concern in ecosystem restoration projects, where there has been an understandable urgency to move plants and animals back into an area as quickly as possible. "It's taken a little longer for people to say, 'we need to know who we're moving,'" Cohen said, "and to explore how successful different genotypes are in different settings, so we can more strategically design the movement of individuals for restoration."

Eelgrass restoration projects are challenging because it's not easy to plant seedlings under the water, and seeds scattered over a large area could be washed away from the restoration site. Instead, RTC researchers tested the Buoy Deployed Seeding (BuDS) restoration technique. They first harvested eelgrass seedpods from several eelgrass beds in San Francisco Bay, then suspended the pods within floating nets over experimental tanks (called mesocosms) supplied with Bay water and with or without sediment from the original eelgrass areas. As the seeds inside each pod ripened, a few at a time, they dropped out of the nets and began to grow within the tanks.

The researchers then examined "genetic fingerprints" called microsatellites from the plants to measure the genetic diversity in each new crop. Genetic diversity can be measured in a number of ways, by looking at the number of different variants in a gene in a population, for instance, or by examining how these variants are mixed in an individual.

Based on these measurements and others, the new crops were nearly as genetically diverse as their parent grass beds, Cohen and colleagues found. "These offspring impressively maintained the genetic diversity and distinctiveness of their source beds in their new mesocosm environments at the RTC-SFSU lab," said Cohen.

"I think it's impressive how well it worked for a relatively small scale design," she added, "and that's one of the things we wanted to point out in the paper, since a lot of eelgrass restoration projects are so small, up to a few acres."

Sea grass meadows are a key marine environment under siege. In their healthy state, they stabilize coastal sediment and provide a huge nursery for a variety of algae, fish, shellfish and birds. But a variety of human influences, from bridge building to runoff pollution to smothering loads of sediment, have threatened these grass beds globally.

They're often overlooked and misunderstood, Cohen said. For instance, many of the eelgrass beds in the San Francisco Bay are submerged. "If you were out kayaking at low tide, you might see these grasses in places like Richardson Bay, which is full of a big meadow," she said.

During low tides, beachcombers could walk to eelgrass beds at places like Crown Beach in Alameda or Keller Beach in Richmond. But for the most part, "people might see the green blades washed up on the beach, and not realize that these are flowering plants instead of a piece of algae."

Continued here:
Seed-filled buoys may help restore diverse sea meadows in San Francisco Bay

Q: Can I overseed my lawn and prevent weeds at the same time? Can I do it right now?

A: If you have a Kentucky 31 or blended fescue lawn or any of the special shade grass mixtures, you can certainly overseed through the month of February and into March. The benefits of early dispersal of seed are that the soil has been loosened, rains are certainly coming, and weeds have not yet grown enough to choke out the new grass. In fact, a light cover of snow over the seed can be beneficial.

Obviously, the weather is a problem this year, there is no guarantee that there will be no late freezes. The main threat to newly emerging grasses would be a hard freeze that could damage the tender seedlings. Another threat would be light freezes and thaws that push the seedlings out of the ground.

If you keep your eyes on the weather reports and choose just the right time, early seeding can produce a nice lawn. Be sure to include fertilizer along with the seed. Treat with lime if your soil test says you need it.

You cannot use weed prevention products, called pre-emergent weedkillers, that are often packaged as "Weed and Feed" on a newly seeded lawn. These products prevent weed seeds from germinating, and they will kill all your new grass seed. Read those labels carefully. Get only the plain fertilizer products.

If your lawn is seriously in need of help, plan to seed again in the fall around September, depending on the weather. Fall is the optimum time for fescue renewals, but our weather has been so hard on our cool season grasses that a spring effort may be required.

Contact Pat Lea at lea.pat@gmail.com.

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Lea: Weed 'n' feed products kill new grass seeds

South Albany High School is proposing replacing its grass football field with artificial turf, a project to be outlined at Mondays meeting of the Albany school board.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the district office, 718 Seventh Ave. S.W. Also on Mondays agenda are a discussion about making up snow days and recommendations for improving school safety.

Board members will review a proposal from South Albany High Schools administration and booster club to put in a turf field at a cost of roughly $750,000.

Under the proposal, the district would pay or borrow about $500,000 of the project over eight years to cover the turf and the subsurface materials.

The rest of the cost, for drainage, dirt removal, subsurface hauling and leveling, would come from in-kind donations.

The school suggests creating community partnerships with the city of Albany, the Boys & Girls Club, Pop Warner Football, the high school booster club and others who might benefit from the field to help cover the bulk of the debt.

Turf fields also save on watering, seeding and other maintenance costs, although the actual savings may be less than the $30,000 per year the proposal estimates.The Lebanon Community School District has saved approximately $7,000 per year since installing its artificial turf field in 2011.

Construction excise taxes, which school districts are allowed to impose on new construction, also could be put toward the project. The district has about $1.8 million available in CET funds.

According to the proposal, the real benefit in having a turf field is the community access it would provide.

Right now, Souths field is used between 20 and 25 times per year, primarily for home football games. The proposal estimates a turf field would boost usage to more than 200 events per year between South Albany classes and teams and youth baseball, soccer and football programs and other community events.

Originally posted here:
South Albany considers new football field turf

Published: Friday, Feb. 21, 2014, 6:04p.m.

Want to have the best lawn on the block come spring? Here are ideas for growing a healthy, chemical-free lawn that is gorgeous, safe, and easy-to-maintain.

Let's start by shifting our thinking from feeding the lawn to feeding the soil. Instead of dumping on chemical fertilizers that may result in a quick, temporary green, use organic-based fertilizers that slowly release their nutrients over time, resulting in month after month of green, instead of just weeks. Using fertilizers derived from natural ingredients, rather than chemicals, means you'll be feeding all the beneficial insect and microbial life into your soil. These microscopic critters break organic matter down into usable plant nutrients and, in turn, feed our plants as they were meant to be fed, slowly and evenly.

You can do this by adding an organic granular fertilizer once or twice a season or by topdressing your lawn every spring with a quarter-inch of finely screened compost spread via a pitchfork and a wheelbarrow or a drop spreader. Compost creates a nutrient-rich blanket that is available to plants for far longer than a chemical fertilizer. Another important reason to move away from chemical fertilizers: 75 percent of the nutrients in them run off into our watersheds before plants can use them, but 90 percent of the nutrients in natural, granular fertilizers stay in our soil and continue to feed our lawns for months.

The next step in growing a healthy lawn is to cut high. Leaving turf grass 3- to 4-inch-tall shades out weed seedlings and generates a good, deep root system. After all, the more surface area grass has for photosynthesis, the more energy it has to promote good root growth. Deep, healthy roots mean less irrigation and fertilization, too. You'll also want to be sure your mower is capable of recycling the clippings back into the soil via a mulching feature. Since these tiny clippings are both quick to decompose and chock full of nitrogen, with a mulching mower, you are fertilizing every time you mow.

If you want to cut down on mowing chores, you may want to consider replacing or over-seeding your existing lawn with a low- and slow-growing seed mix. Seed mixes like Pearl's Premium (www.pearlspremium.com) require mowing only three or four times a year. This particular brand is a collection of fescue varieties and newer cultivars of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial rye with slower growth rates. Other similar seed blends are produced by High Country Gardens (www.highcountrygardens.com) and Wildflower Farm (www.wildflowerfarm.com).

If weeds are presenting a challenge, know that many weed problems are the result of poor soil conditions. Get a soil test through your local extension service, and follow their recommendations to boost fertility and adjust the soil pH. Remedy poor soil conditions and promote healthy grass, and major weed outbreaks become a thing of the past. Weeds like ground ivy thrive in poorly drained, compacted soils with low fertility, so aerating and dethatching the lawn every three or four years also goes a long way toward staving off this, and other, pernicious weeds.

Horticulturist Jessica Walliser co-hosts The Organic Gardeners at 7 a.m. Sundays on KDKA Radio. She is the author of several gardening books, including Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control and Good Bug, Bad Bug. Her website is http://www.jessicawalliser.com.

Send your gardening or landscaping questions to tribliving@tribweb.com or The Good Earth, 503 Martindale St., 3rd Floor, D.L. Clark Building, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.

You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service.

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Make your lawn the best it can be

The Bret Harte High girls basketball team defeated Linden 56-40 Tuesday night in Angels Camp to put the finishing touches on a regular season that included 23 wins, two tournament titles and its first outright Mother Lode League championship since 2005.

But a day later, the Bullfrogs couldnt help but feel a little disrespected when they were announced as the No. 6 seed for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoffs, the lowest seeding for a MLL championship team in at least 10 years.

Bret Harte (23-4) will host No. 11 Los Banos (18-10) in a first-round playoff game at 7 p.m. Tuesday night in Angels Camp. If the Bullfrogs win, they will hit the road for Thursdays second round.

Were really happy to be playing at home for our first playoff game, Bret Harte coach Ronnie Davis said.

Having said that, we feel we were under-seeded and didnt get rewarded for the season we had. We have the second best record in the section andwere aleague champion and were over-seeded bya second place team with a 16-6 record (No. 2 West Campus) and a thirdplace team with a 16-10 record (No. 3 Colfax). Wehave no control overthe seeding so nowwell start preparing for tournament basketball.

Calaveras lost its regular season finale 47-32 to Argonaut Tuesday night at home and finished third in the MLL. Megan Walters had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Calaveras on Senior Night, while fellow senior Kelly Airola had eight points, six rebounds and five steals.

Two years removed from a section title, the Redskins

(17-11) received the No. 9 seed for the Division IV playoffs and will travel to Citrus Heights to face No. 8 San Juan (17-9) Tuesday with the winner advancing to face top-seeded Bear River of Grass Valley Thursday in the quarterfinals.

Kelsey Switzer scored 23 points, and Jessie Evans and Sami Seider scored 12 each to lead Bret Harte against Linden.

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Bret Harte girls ready to host; Calaveras ready to hit the road

Chad Hart says there is good news and bad news when it comes to forage insurance in Iowa.

He says the good news is there are programs, such as forage seeding and the forage production APH (actual production history) available.

The bad news? Several other programs are unavailable in Iowa.

There are programs out there that are part of a pilot project that are not available here, says Hart, Extension ag economist at Iowa State University.

They are pretty decent programs as well.

Among those are the forage-production index, the average vegetation index and the rainfall index.

While available in neighboring states, such as Missouri and Minnesota, Hart says they will not become available in Iowa unless farmers ask for them.

The forage production APH is fairly new for Iowa farmers, he says. The program covers forage on a county basis.

Fields must consist of:

-pure alfalfa,

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Forage insurance new to state

Glen Riethmuller Catherine Borger, of DAFWA, measuring light available to annual ryegrass in the inter-row space of a wheat crop.

Seeding direction can help crops outcompete winter weeds, according to research by the Department of Agriculture and Food WA.

Department researcher Catherine Borger said trials had shown shading annual ryegrass reduced its growth and seed production.

"Crops and weeds compete for light, particularly during winter," Dr Borger said. "As demonstrated in five out of six trials carried out at Merredin, Wongan Hills and Katanning, annual ryegrass seed production is reduced when the weed receives less sunlight.

"An east-west crop orientation offers a free and environmentally friendly method of reducing the growth of annual ryegrass.

"Wheat or barley crops sown in an east-west direction, instead of north-south, generate more shade in the inter-row space in crops."

Dr Borger said with weeds continuing to develop resistance against herbicides, in-crop weed control with grass-selective herbicides could be difficult.

"Sowing east-west crops reduces the light available to the annual ryegrass in the inter-row space, which reduced annual ryegrass seed production by an average of 51 per cent," she said.

"The effectiveness of this technique depends on seasonal conditions, such as how quickly the annual ryegrass germinates and how tall or competitive the crop is."

She said the east-west crop orientation may be impractical for farmers whose paddock did not allow east-west sowing, or farmers who do not use auto-steer. In addition, this method does not apply where weeds grow taller than the crop.

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Seeding direction a tool in weed fight

On Friday afternoon, the CIF Southern Section office released the teams that have been selected for their first ever Open Division postseason tournament bracket. The stated goal of the Open Division was to take the best teams from across all divisions and place them into one gauntlet featuring Southern Californias best teams.

Of course, with any selection process, whether its the BCS or the Open Division, conversation was bound focus on who was left off the list as much as it focused on who made it. From Moore League, Compton, made it in, but the biggest surprise of the day across all of SoCal was that Long Beach Polys boys team didnt make it.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (as far as a surprise factor), tweeted Ronnie Flores, one of the editors of Cal-Hi Sports, not having Long Beach Polyis a 10.

The Jackrabbits had been on the Open Division Watch List issued weekly by the CIF-SS for the entire season, and every single media prediction in SoCal had them as a lock entry, with Cal-Hi Sports mock bracket seeding them 10th out of the 16 teams selected.

Poly coach Shelton Diggs was at the postseason Moore League coaches meeting when the list was released, and said a charge went through the room at the surprising news.

Its a slap in the face, plain and simple, he said.

At issue is the fact that Compton, who finished second place in the Moore League behind Poly, did make the list.

"Us in over Poly? asked Tarbabes coach Tony Thomas. They're the best team in the area over the last four years, period. I just don't get it.

As was the case across much of the Southland, coaches saw the grass on the other side of the fence as greener regardless of whether they made the list or were left off. For Diggs, it was a matter of respect. If that division is the best we want to be there, thats the Poly way, he said.

Truthfully, being left off puts the Jackrabbits in a better spot. If last weeks rankings stay the same, Poly would enter the Division 1AA bracket as the top seed, as they were the top-ranked team to not make the Open Division. Poly was ranked No. 6, the next highest team to stay in 1AA is Rancho Cucamonga, at No. 8.

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Basketball: Poly Boys Snubbed From Open Division