Matthew Hughes – My Leadership Experience Project

Hello, Matthew Hughes here again. I have been busy helping Reiman Gardens look its best. For my leadership experience project, I took the Pesticide Application Certification Test, which has allowed me to spray restricted use pesticides. Though not always popular, pesticides definitely make a difference in the overall look of a garden. We spray fungicides on certain species to protect them against harmful fungi that would destroy foliage. Some weeds are rather aggressive, like thistles, and are hard to remove once established. We spray herbicides to knock them back. And let us not forget the Japanese Beetle, which with over 300 host plants, everyone has probably seen this summer. They cluster together and can easily defoliate entire plants. We spray some of our more vulnerable plants with an insecticide to combat them.

We take many precautions when spraying any chemical, and all staff spraying are trained. I have learned so much from the staff here at Reiman Gardens, both about spraying and general horticulture. I look forward to the rest of the season!

Matthew Hughes