President's Report

To all IPPS members

It has been a quieter period for the Society over the summer holidays as we have all been off hopefully relaxing with family and friends. Those of you in the north of the north, and in Central Otago, have enjoyed a 'real' summer while the rest of us it seems, are drying out our tents and lamenting a non-event.

As we start a new year, and it's time to pay those subs again, it is worth reflecting on the benefits you get in being an IPPS member. IPPS is the only international organization in NZ for those whose profession is in plant production including propagation, research, extension, breeding etc. The international component gives us access to the papers presented at all of the IPPS conferences held worldwide each year. International members attend our conferences and share their knowledge, and in return many NZ members take the opportunity to attend other regions conferences. In addition, international members will open their doors for those Kiwis seeking to visit or work in their region, just as IPPS can facilitate international members to visit your place. Putting the international component aside, there is no better forum in NZ for meeting, socializing with, and learning from those passionate about plant production in so many different fields. If you are not getting along to our annual conferences then you are missing the number one benefit of being a member.

Now it is time to think Japanese! An odd comment, but timely for any member of any age who wishes to seek and share plant production knowledge in Japan in October this year. You would be the first NZ IPPS member to take advantage of the new Annual Exchange scheme between the IPPS regions of NZ and Japan. Your trip would be fully funded by the 2 regions, and you will be fully hosted by Japanese members. The exact trip duration would be decided by you and your hosts, and would be timed to coincide with the Japan region annual conference. Both professionally, and personally this would be a trip of a lifetime so check out the detail later in this newsletter. DON'T BE SHY - APPLY.

Also new is the Travel Scholarship where up to US$2000 is available to you to travel, learn and work in one of the other seven IPPS regions around the world in the field of plant production. Again see details later in the newsletter.

The strange thing is that IPPS members seem reticent to apply for member benefits when they are available. A case in point is the $2000 per year scholarship available for those doing any form of R & D into plant production in NZ, and who are willing to share the results with members. In more years than not, there are no applicants for this fund. Most of us are experimenting with different materials and methods around our nurseries all of the time, so if you wish to share this information, why not get paid for doing what you do anyway? It's a simple process to apply. Contact Jeff Elliott to find out more.
On the field trip front, look for the report on the Wellington field trip later in this newsletter, and some of you will have made it to the Tongariro Crossing trip on 20 February.

Spare a thought for Grant and Donna Robertson who are our hosts in Blenheim for the annual conference this year. With the help of the wider executive group, they have put together an exciting mix of 3 pre-conference tours, 15 speakers, field trips, food and entertainment despite being the only members present in Marlborough. This is what you call getting thrown in the deep end! For those who didn't travel over the ditch last year, this will be your first opportunity to experience a home conference for a couple of years. Please support their efforts and be there. Full details and registration form are on the website.

Cheers for now
Murray Mannall

New Zealand Conference - Blenheim: 27 - 31 May 2010

'Sunshine, Wine and Weather'

Marlborough Convention Centre - Start planning to attend next year's conference in the sunny Marlborough region.

Pre conference tour - 24-27 May 2010

• Monday 24 - into Nelson for dinner Monday night
• Tuesday 25 - boat trip into Abel Tasman National Park
• Wednesday 26 - local nursery visits in and around Nelson and Richmond area
• Thursday 27 - nursery visit and a trip to the Nelson Lakes, met by DOC officer and tour of area, over to Blenheim for start of conference on Thursday night

39th Annual conference 27-30 May

This will be held in the Marlborough Convention Centre with an approximate 5 min walk to surrounding motels. We have block booked accommodation at four motels. Details will be available later.
A good lineup of speakers is confirmed including Vance Hooper, Bruce Dippie, Nicola Rochester, Ruth McConnachie, Morgan Rogers and Dr Andrew Tait.

We hope to provide you with a relaxing conference that appeals to all with sunshine, wine and great weather.

Please mark these dates in your diaries and make your bookings:

• Pre conference tour - 24-27 May
• 39th Annual conference 27-30 May

We look forward to seeing you in Blenheim.

Conference details and registration form attached and online at www.ipps.org.nz

Australian Conference

Fremantle, Perth - 13 to 16 May 2010

Something for everyone and a chance to learn about Western Australia's skills in propagating some of the most diverse flora in the world.
Preceded by 5 and 1 day tours.

Details at www.ipps.org.au.

International Tour and Conference

Eastern Region: 29 Sep to 2 Oct 2010

Hosted by the Eastern Region the Pre-conference tour runs from 16 to 28 September followed by Eastern Region 60th Conference 29 September to 2 October.

The International tour starts from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the long tour on September 16th; although you can also join the tour here also on the 17th and 18th, while the short tour starts in New Jersey on September 24th and finishes in Warwick, Rhode Island for the Eastern Region Conference.
Contact Glenys or Shirley for further information, or see the International website at www.ipps.org

IPPS New Zealand Awards

The Executive Committee is after nominations from the membership for the two awards that are able to be given annually to worthy recipients from the New Zealand region of IPPS.

These awards are:

• The Award of Merit, which is the New Zealand regions highest award for all round meritorious service to both IPPS New Zealand and horticulture in general. They must be an active member of IPPS at the time the award is presented.
  Previous recipients are: Graeme Platt, Eddie Welsh, Terry Hatch, Noel McMillan, Jan Velvin, Dennis Hughes, John Follett, Malcolm Woolmore, Jim Rumbal, Ellaby Martin and Ken Davey.
• The John Follett Award of Recognition, which is for outstanding service to IPPS New Zealand. The recipient must be a member of IPPS but does not have to be an active at the time of presentation.
  Previous recipients are: Mike Geenty, Gus Evans, Grant Hayman, Shirley Ogilvy, John Liddle, Phil Carson, Chris Barnaby and Dave Ogilvy.

Nominations for either award can be forwarded to Glenys Evans by the end of February.
Glenys Evans
PO Box 98, Waikanae
P: 04 293 2501, F: 04 293 5450
E: gus@gusevans.co.nz

The Japan / NZ IPPS Exchange Scheme

This new travel initiative is open to all NZ IPPS members over the age of 21 who wish to 'seek and share' in Japan, and who are currently working or studying in plant production or a related field. The travel plus your expenses within the host region would be fully funded by IPPS NZ and Japan Regions. You would be hosted by IPPS Japan for 2 to 6 weeks. They would organize your accommodation and travel within Japan, plus visits to nurseries, places of horticultural and cultural interest, and to their annual conference. This is normally held in our spring each year. The dates for the 2010 Japan conference are 20 to 24 October in Toyoake, Aichi Prefecture.

You would be required to share your knowledge and experiences with NZ members on your return, and hopefully with the Japanese while on your trip.

Your contact in NZ is Peter Waugh. Peter is currently a member of the IPPS Japan region Executive Committee, and has an intimate knowledge of the country and the Japan IPPS Region.

Peter's contacts are P 07 829 5439
M 0274 939 418
E peterwaugh@clear.net.nz
Applications for 2010 travel close on 31 March 2010. Applications for subsequent years close on 30 November in the preceding year - i.e. 30 Nov 2010 for 2011 travel.

Thanks to these 2009 conference sponsors

Daltons
Hortfert Plus
Industrial Processors
InfoServices
Morgans Rd Nursery
PSP Athco
RX Plastics
Scotts Australia
Southern Horticulture
Commercial Horticulture
KingGrapes

IPPS Travel Scholarship

IPPS is an international organization and the International Board is encouraging members to take full advantage of this by part-funding members to travel, learn and work in one of the other 7 regions around the world. These are in the Eastern, Western or Southern Regions of the US, Great Britain and Ireland, Australia, Japan, and South Africa. You should state your preferred destination and preferred duration of trip on the application form.

You will need to be an IPPS member engaged in the profession of plant production and it's related fields, and to have completed, or be currently involved in, some form of industry related training. You will need to be over 18 years old, and be prepared to share your experiences in a report to the International Board, and potentially at the conferences of your host and home regions.
The International Board may fund the trip up to a total of US$2000. They require that you and/or IPPS NZ match their contribution on a $1 for $1 basis.

More information is available at www.ipps.org/m_travel_scholarship.htm including an application form.
For more information (including help in filling out the form) please contact the NZ Regional secretary, Glenys Evans. Also send your completed application form to Glenys and she will liaise with the relevant parties.

Glenys Evans, IPPS NZ Region Secretary
PO Box 98, Waikanae
P: 04 293 2501, F: 04 293 5450
E: gus@gusevans.co.nz

Wellington Field Trip - November 2009

A warm, fine and sunny day greeted those on the Wellington field trip in November - yeah right, it was anything but, in the capital with low cloud, drizzle and a bit of a breeze.

But we propagators are a hardy bunch and so we all met at our first stop of the day the Wellington City Council nursery at Berhampore. It was good to see many familiar faces and some new ones which we'll hopefully see at future IPPS events. Jonathan Bussel, previously with the nursery, showed us around the nursery which produces around 100000 plants a year for revegetation projects around the Wellington region, civic plantings and for schools. Much of the native plants grown are eco-sourced from around the region.

The nursery also grows bedding plants for displays around Wellington, grown from plugs bought it. Apparently in a survey of ratepayers, displays of bedding plants is one of the most common things they want to see, despite the high cost compared to concrete or grass.

From Berhampore, it was down the road to Wellington's rugged south coast which was far from inviting on a day like we were there. So it was a rather short visit to observe the revegetation work in progress before we travelled in Convoy (without losing anyone!) to Otari.

Otari-Wilton's Bush

The day was cloaked in a veil of misty rain. Members and guests of the I.P.P.S got out of their convoy of cars to experience a small taste of New Zealand's largest collection of native plants. The weather eerily reminiscent of days of old only added to the overwhelming beauty that is Otari-Wilton's Bush.

Originally a dense podocarp broardleaf forest, Maori utilised the hunting opportunities it held, hence the name Otari which means 'Place of Snares.' Settlers arrived in the early 1800's and divided the land into 100acre blocks for farming. Sadly they did not appreciate the tropical looking bush, felled most of it and replanted the farms with more familiar trees such as, Pine and Oak.

Joseph Wilton, on the other hand, was taken aback by the natural beauty, so fenced off 17acres of the original forest and turned it into a reserve. When he passed away the reserve became the property of Wellington City Council, who have continued to nurture it for a hundred years.

The next person to have major involvement in Otari-Wilton's Bush was Dr. Leonard Cockayne. He lost his father and inherited a very large sum of money.

This enabled him to leave his job and delve into his passion for native plants.

Originally he suggested to the Wellington City Council that the Botanical Gardens be entirely made up of native plants. This idea was flatly rejected and then he heard about Otari-Wilton's Bush.
Instantly in love with the preserved native paradise, he produced a booklet about his vision for Otari-Wilton's Bush. Luckily the council approved his ideas and in 1926 the Otari Open Air Native Plant Museum was established. The idea behind it being to not only conserve the native forest but to cultivate plants from all over New Zealand, to educate people about native plants and to promote their use in horticulture.

From such passion and dedication to his vision, Dr. Cockayne's final wish was granted, he and his wife Maud are both buried on site.

Their legacy remains with over 1200 species of cultivars growing at Otari. There are plants ranging from as far south as the sub-antartic islands and as far north as the sub-tropical islands.
With such a massive amount to look at and such a short time, we were lucky enough to be guided around a small section by New Zealand very own David Attenborough, renowned botanist, John Dawson

We were lead through 'The Treasure Gully' by Mr. Dawson, who gleefully shared his knowledge with old school charm. He pointed out such visible rarities as a fully-grown tree fern, standing at 20metres. He also showed us an example of natural hybridisation between a large leafed offshore island tree (Pennantia baylisiana) and a small leafed mainland tree (Pennantia corymbosa). All the while offering different theories about plant evolution.

Our visit to Otari-Wiltons Bush was as evocative as it was informative.

Percy's Reserve Visit

The visit to the glasshouses and propagation area was a highlight of the day for many. Jill Broome, the Plant Collections Supervisor generously made her time available to show us some of her work and 'prized possessions'.

The reserve is well known for its conservation of rare and endangered New Zealand plant species, which include Chatham Islands and New Zealand alpine collections. This work began with the Percy family after whom the reserve is named. The family operated a flour mill on the site from the 1840s until 1939. Three sons of the colonist Joseph Percy were keen horticulturists and helped to preserve many native plant species. When the last son, Arthur, died in 1939, the Crown bought the land and vested it in the then Petone Borough Council. It was developed with the assistance of the New Zealand Native Plant Preservation Society and opened officially as a scenic reserve in 1949. It was expanded with the addition of Percy Gully Reserve in 1952. Today the reserve is vested in Hutt City Council.

Jill showed us around her plant collections that are nationally significant. The Celmisia collection in particular would possibly be the best in New Zealand, and is a credit to her propagation ability and dedication to her work. Many other rare plants were also on display. Everyone was amazed to see such hard-to-grow plants surviving well in a quite temperate climate. Jill puts this down to using clay pots and the particular site, which is exposed to the southerly wind.

From Percy's reserve, we headed over the hill to the bright lights of Wainuiomata and beyond to our final stop of the day at Moore's Valley Nursery, one of the Wellington region's leading nurseries who specialise in producing high quality and hardy plants at very reasonable prices.

Dave Fletcher, who took over the nursery in 1995, was on hand to greet us and explain what goes on at Moores Valley. They grow a wide range of trees and shrubs, perennials and buy in other lines such as seedlings and roses. Plants are grown in the display beds from where they will be sold. Most production is done here with the more tender lines grown at the nursery's second site near Levin. This was opened in 2006 and operates along the same lines as Wainuiomata. Dave has just finished renovating this site with the original site in line for major renovations including a new shop and shed. From Moores Valley, many of us headed back to Jonathan's place just up the road for a drink or two before heading home or back to our accommodation in Lower Hutt.

Thanks to Jonathan and also Phillip Smith for organising a great day despite the awful weather.

2009 Conference Reports

The "How To" guide to biological weed control - Hugh Gourlay

New Zealand leads the world with its expertise in the biological control of weeds, and one of the key people at the forefront of this research is Hugh Gourlay. A long time employee with Landcare Research, Hugh was invited to Tasmania to present 2 papers, and this was the first of them.

Biological control of weeds is a natural method of controlling the presence and reducing the nuisance value of pest plants in our environment. This might not be the way we are used to dealing with weeds in a nursery situation, where Buster is one of our best friends, but beyond the nursery gate there are some situations where biocontrol is often the only answer. Not all pest plants are suitable biocontrol candidates, but there are a few that fit the bill - widespread, invasive, and unable to be controlled by other methods. Think gorse, banana passionfruit, old man's beard, broom, ragwort, boneseed, hieracium, all thistles ...

Normally an investigation of the plant in its native habitat will indicate whether or not there are natural predators which might be suitable to introduce into NZ. In some cases there are up to 200 insects and diseases which attack these plants, but maybe only 2 or so that are effective enough to consider as a biocontrol agent worth importing here. Very strict testing is done on these candidates by giving them a "choice" test including closely related species, economically important species, and related native species. At this stage there can be no room for error, so the testing is extensive and very conservative. Application is made to ERMA for permission to introduce any new biocontrol agents, along with opportunity for public comment. If permission is given then the insect or disease will pass through quarantine before numbers are bulked up for release. All the weeds mentioned above are currently being worked on by Landcare in NZ, and in some cases overseas too. There are some great success stories, such as the ragwort flea beetle.

Review by Jill Reader

Invasive plants and the nursery industry - Australian, Canadian and American experiences - Robert Chin

Robert spoke about his trip to North America as part of the Churchill Fellowship, and some of the similarities and the differences in and around weeds. Some interesting differences overall were scale (nurseries of 2000 acres and 2000 staff!), little or no mechanisation, cheap labour and attention to quality.

With weed problems, there were some interesting similarities including a disjointed approach to weed control, lack of consultation over plants to go on the weedy list and bad publicity given to weedy plants originally cultivated in garden even though they are a very small part of the problem. It was also interesting to note that Eucalyptus is now considered a weed in California.

One area in which Australia is doing very well compared to North America is the promotion of alternatives to weedy plants for garden situations.

Robert finally emphasised that if you travel, use your IPPS connections within the industry.

The Global Cost of Exotic Plants - Hugh Gourlay

We all know weeds are expensive to control and Hugh Gourlay presented some sobering figures from around the world on how much it does actually cost for various problem weeds. The cost of weeds to NZ is only $1 billion per year which is small compared to $4 billion for Australia and $138 billion for the United States. To prevent plants turning into weeds, Hugh suggested a number of actions including the correct labelling of plants, not using plants that are in the same genus of known problem weeds and checking overseas for their weed status. He also emphasised the need that whole genus need not be entirely banned when there are sterile species available.

How to Better Model your Irrigation System - Michael Danelon

Presented to the society was a thought provoking talk on irrigation practice. He explains that it is vital to know details of your irrigation performance, water audits, what must be done to meet the outcomes of the audit and to assess your irrigation investment return.

We learned that until around 1999, many nurseries did not know or take into account water costs, use rates, pumping/maintenance costs and the like. Nurseries and other horticultural ventures should be accounting for regulatory requirements. Water meters, it was noted, were an excellent management tool for diagnostic purposes, and to demonstrate to authorities what your water needs are.

An efficient irrigation system, he explained, results in savings in water and labour costs and the quality of plants produced.

Review by Alistair Pegg

Editorial Contacts

Hayden Foulds
2A Crewe Street, Pahiatua
P: home 06 376 8436, P: work 06 326 8500. F: 06 376 8436, M: 027 232 4589
haydenfoulds@gmail.com

Glenys Evans
PO Box 98, Waikanae
P: 04 293 2501, F: 04 293 5450
E: gus@gusevans.co.nz

Next Issue early May 2010, deadline for copy 25 April 2010.

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Visit www.ipps.org.nz

©2010 International Plant Propagators' Society - New Zealand Region
S Ogilvy (Treasurer)
C/- Bruntwood Nurseries, 208 Narrows Rd, RD2, Hamilton
P: 07 843 4902, F: 07 843 4396

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