News & Notes

Hewson Landscape, Inc.

AUGUST 2014

Why does the summer pass so quickly?

Enjoy the rest of it!

In This Issue

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

I can't believe I haven't even picked up a golf club yet this summer. I'm scheduled to play later this month in the NJLICA golf outing. We are truly grinding it out this season. The Pine Derby results are in, so check out the article below to get the full details. Before you know it, Fall will be sneaking up on us!

All the best,

Shelly Hewson

President, Hewson Landscape Inc.

F i e l d N e w s

Our crews remain on the grind. Miles of pipelines and acres of solar fields have our name all over them and we are getting it done!

The photos below were taken in Northern New Jersey while performing right of way mowing along one of the pipelines we are contracted to maintain.

Rubble Master Demo

Back in June, I was in attendance for the Rubble Master demo at Neri Construction in Williamstown, NJ. Rubble Master had several of their large crushers in action demonstrating their new screen line of machinery.

Construction Equipment Guide did a great piece on the event, complete with a photo slideshow. Here is the link, if you did not see it in print!

Construction Equipment Guide.com Rubble Master Article

Can you identify POISON IVY ?

Leaves of three, leave it be!

All of the photos above are of poison ivy. It varies in appearance through the seasons. You can see in each of the photos though, that there are clusters of 3 leaves on each plant, even though the leaves appear different. Poison Ivy does resemble other plants. Its leaves range from 2-5" long and are green in the summer, then changing to red in the fall. Poison Ivy flowers in the spring and produces white berries that ripen from the summer through the winter. The berries are eaten by deer and birds - who are lucky enough to have no known sensitivity to Poison Ivy. The seeds that the berries contain are not digested by the animals, therefore when they leave their droppings, the seeds are planted where they are "dropped"... And that would explain why Poison Ivy grows wildly just about anywhere. It also grows as a climbing vine and ground cover and grows in and on trees.

Now for the "Poison"... Poison Ivy produces an oily resin called Urushiol (yoo-roo-she-all) throughout every part of its being. There is enough oil on 1 stem of Poison Ivy to contaminate 10,000 people - that is how concentrated this oil is. Even after the plant is dead, this oil can still live on for several years, causing the itch even in the winter! Urushiol stays alive on any surface it comes in contact with, clothing, skin, shoes, pet fur, lawn mowers/other lawn equipment and tools, gloves, etc. Since Urushiol is an oil, it is extremely easy to spread. Think about when you get butter on your finger... It immediately melts from the warmth of your skin, and next thing you know - IT'S EVERYWHERE! So you were walking a trail, and poison ivy rubbed your leg, you stopped to itch your leg. Now the oil that was on your leg is on your hand you used to itch. Fast forward a couple hours or maybe a couple of days, and you have a horribly itchy rash. The rash spreads and blisters and is miserable. But there is good news! The rash itself is not contagious and the blisters, are not filled with poison ivy oil, only water. A trip to the doctor may be necessary in extreme cases. Poison Ivy can get into the bloodstream if it is completely absorbed by your skin and cause breakouts in random areas.

People vary in their sensitivity to poison ivy, but can become more sensitive after repeated exposure. A reaction to Urushiol can happen anywhere from 30 minutes after exposure, to 10 days later. If you think you have come in contact with Poison Ivy, IMMEDIATELY wash the area it touched with soap and water - several times. Wash your clothing and shoes as well.

Gardening in areas with poison ivy or trying to remove poison ivy should be done with all disposable equipment. Even if you are wearing gardening gloves, the oil from the poison ivy will seep through whatever material they are made of. So they really are only protecting you for an hour.

Poison Ivy plants can be sprayed with a non-selective herbicide(roundup or razor), depending on how big of an area, but usually takes several applications to totally die out. It can also be pulled from the root, and disposed of. NEVER EVER burn poison ivy plants. Be sure to check firewood, especially if it will be burned indoors, for any vines or leaves. Poison Ivy, if burned can be lethal. It will irritate lungs, nasal passages, eyes and skin and could potentially cause lung damage.

The only way to entirely prevent poison ivy is to keep your distance. If you see three leaves, let it be!! Don't be a dope, and leave the rope. If you have to work in an area where you know it is present, totally cover your exposed skin. Here are a few products to maybe keep on hand if you spend a lot of time outdoors. They can be picked at most retailers or online.

$$$ TECNU - A cleanser that can be used on skin as well as any surface that could be contaminated.

$$$$ ZANFEL - A gritty soap that removes Urushiol from the skin after it has bonded (been absorbed) relieves itching and soothes discomfort.

$$ JEWELWEED - Homeopathic treatment. This weed can actually be found growing near Poison Ivy. You can order Jewelweed products on the internet. It reduces itching and swelling.

$ FELS NAPTHA SOAP - Laundry soap bar that is a non-oil soap. Scrub affected area well and rinse before the rash can break out!

Remember TIMING is EVERYTHING! If you think you have been touched by Poison ivy, RUN and go scrub! Even if you do not have access to any "products" - rinsing the area with water will help prevent absorbing the Urushiol.

Please drop us a line and share some of your own helpful Poison ivy treatment tips!

National LICA Summer Conference

The Indianapolis Pine Derby Results are in!

I had no idea that racing these miniature cars were so competitive and high tech. The race track was set up and monitored by the Boy Scouts. The finish line had an electronic timer to give exact results on the computerized score board. Each car was scrutinized to make sure the contest specifications were followed to the letter-size, width, weight, to name a few. If not, you were disqualified from racing. And DO NOT TOUCH the cars!!(of course I made that mistake) NJLICA entered three cars-Jersey Girl, BaDa Bing, and Greased Lightening. The cars were meticulously crafted by Chris Wagner, Chairman of the Board of NJLICA. (The pressure was on!) The pit crew was on hand to provide any necessary maintenance. Of course we sold advertising on the race cars and will be donating this money to the NJLICA scholarship fund. At the Holiday Party in December, the Pine Derby cars will be auctioned off at the live auction.

Here is how we ranked in the various heats:

State Chapter Race-1st Place-Yellow Car-Jersey Girl

Executive Director Race-1st Place-Red Car-Greased Lightening

Overall competition with the states, executive directors and the associate members, we ranked 3rd, 4th and 5th place.

We just could not out run the Cat car. It was spot on the best performing race car that entered. There were a total of approximately 60 cars entered, so New Jersey definitely brought home the bacon! Well, a little gold trophy.

Pit Crew

Pat Wagner, Chris Wagner, Shelly Hewson, John Rothberg

Pit Crew!

Winners Circle - First Row - J. Rothberg, S, Hewson, C. Wagner, P. Wagner - Second Row - J. Buiso Exec Director NJLICA, M. Dibble

Maura Dibble, Exec Director NYLICA, Shelly Hewson

We embarked on a Segway Tour of the City at Indianapolis. I would highly recommend sightseeing by this mode of transportation if you ever get the opportunity. The Segway's are very user friendly, and we covered a lot of ground in an hour and 15 minutes. It was a blast!

Indianapolis has got to be one of the cleanest cities I have ever visited. The maintenance on all of the landscape including street trees, flower planters, shrub beds, and hardscape- was pristine.

So many sights and things to see and do.

All in all the summer conference was productive and combined some great fun and activities outside all of the meetings.

JERSEY CORN

A summer staple in New Jersey. We pass the cornfields, and then most of us harvest our crunchy corny goodness from the big bin in the grocery store! Hopefully it is in fact Jersey Fresh!

Some fun corn facts for you to think of next time you are enjoying your corn on the cob! Or off the cob...

Corn is the cereal part of the grass family
The ear or the "cob" is part of the flower, and the kernels are the seeds
Every ear of corn always has an EVEN number of rows
The average ear of corn has 800 kernels in 16 rows
Corn can be produced on every continent, except for Antarctica
The United States produces 40% of the worlds total corn harvest - making it the biggest producer in the world
There are over 3,500 uses for corn and its by products
Corn was used by early American settlers as money and traded for other goods

Unfortunately we cannot use corn for cash anymore! But we can enjoy it in season. There are hundreds of way to prepare corn on the cob. Grilled corn on the cob is my personal favorite, it is tasty and easy to make. Try out this recipe for a delicious twist!

You will need:

6 decent sized ears of corn

1 packet of Italian dressing mix (any brand works!)

1 heaping tablespoon of minced garlic

1 cup of mayonnaise

Shuck the corn... I leave the husks pulled down on the bottom - because its pretty and serves as a handle! Remove the corn silk (hairs).

Whisk the Italian dressing mix, minced garlic and mayo together in a bowl

Spread the mixture all over each ear of corn so it is covered - do not put it on the husks if you leave them on.

**Spritz the husks with water or if you have time soak the entire ear in water for about 10 minutes before you shuck - this will help keep them from catching fire on the grill**

Lay all ears on a preheated grill and stand by!

Keep an eye on them, using the husks to keep turning them as you notice the mayo mixture to start browning.

Once the whole ear is evenly browned (slightly charred is good too!) it's ready.

From start to finish is less than 30 minutes. I serve it right off the grill and everyone gets a kick out of the husk handle. You may want to offer napkins too.

Enjoy!!

Nicole