Claire Lane, Urban Conservationist

Statewide CISMA Conference Postponed
The statewide CISMA (Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area) conference originally scheduled for March 26th has been postponed until August 20th, 2020. Tickets will be honored on that date. More information on CEUs, an agenda, and registration options are all available at www.cisma2020.eventbrite.com

Postponed- 2020 Spring Sustainability Workshop- Invasive Species
The annual spring sustainability workshop, this year focusing on invasive species and their management, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We hope to reschedule this event for later in 2020 and will also be sharing a series of videos and/or online webinars and resources to help you learn about invasive species this spring. Hamilton County Weed Wrangles
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Weed Wrangles
At this time, Weed Wrangles status is being decided on a case by case basis as there are developments. Check the Weed Wrangle website or with the event host directly for confirmation of even status. In late April and on Saturday May 2nd, the Hamilton County Invasives Partnership will be hosting a series of Weed Wrangles across Hamilton County. These events will be perfect opportunities to join with other like-minded individuals for a volunteer workday targeting invasive species that are threatening beloved local natural areas.
At Weed Wrangles, volunteers (supervised by an expert) across America are learning to identify and manage invasive plants. Six Weed Wrangles are being held in Hamilton County and we invite you to find one to be part of. Visit our Weed Wrangle webpage for more details and to learn how to sign up! https://www.hamiltonswcd.org/weedwrangle.html
Hamilton County Parks Weed Wrangle (Noblesville) 4/22/2020 from 1pm - 3pm

Potter's Bridge Park Fishers Spring Service Day 4/25/2020 from 8am-1pm Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve
Teter Organic Farm and Retreat Weed Wrangle (Noblesville) 5/1/2020 - Event is full
Fishers Weed Wrangle 5/2/2020 from 9am - 12 pm

Cheeney Creek Natural Area Hazel Landing Park Week Wrangle (Carmel) 5/2/2020 from 9am - 12 pm Hazel Landing Park
Westfield Weed Wrangle 5/2/2020 from 9am -12 pm Midland Trace Trail

Noblesville Weed Wrangle 5/2/20 from 9am-12pm Dillon Park

Ginger Davis, Conservation Administrator
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During this unprecedented situation while we are directed to stay at home and self-isolate to curb the spread of COVID-19, we want to ensure you that we are still available to the public to help with conservation efforts.  The Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District is doing its part to help direct people to conservation resources and technical assistance, but in a slightly different way.  We are still operating as an essential service and preforming required duties to ensure our directives are met.  The purpose of a Soil and Water Conservation District, or SWCD (also referred to simply as a district), is to provide information about soil, water and related natural resource conservation; identify and prioritize local soil and water resource concerns; and connect land users to sources of educational, technical, and financial assistance in order to implement conservation practices and technologies. 

At this time of year, we typically are out at site visits and assisting the public with technical assistance while also providing conservation education and leadership. We will still go visit sites, but may ask to do it alone and for landowners to stay inside and follow up with phone or email message. We are still available for appointments and will still be providing technical assistance.  We may have individuals submit videos or pictures of issues first to help us direct services better.  We will still assist you to the best of our abilities while ensuring our staff and partners are safe during this time.

We recognize the importance of social distancing and want to ensure the health and safety of our community. Unfortunately many of our workshops and events have been cancelled or put on hold. We are doing our best to look for alternative and creative ways to conduct our meetings, hold informational sessions, and gather input from our community. If you have ideas of topics you would like information about, please let us know.

It is the policy of the general assembly through the Soil and Water Conservation District to provide for the proper management of soil and water resources, the control and prevention of soil erosion, the prevention of flood water and sediment damage, the prevention of water quality impairment, and the conservation, development, use, and disposal of water in the watersheds of Indiana to accomplish the following:
(1) Conserve the natural resources, including wildlife.
(2) Control floods.
(3) Prevent impairment of dams and reservoirs.
(4) Assist in maintaining the navigability of rivers and harbors.
(5) Protect the water quality of lakes and streams.
(6) Protect the tax base.
(7) Protect public land.
(8) Protect and promote the health, safety, and general welfare of the people of Indiana.
(9) Protect a high quality water resource.
(10) Protect and improve soil quality.

If you see or have a conservation or natural resource concern, please reach out for help.  We will do our best to connect you with the right resource to address the issue, reach out to the right partner for help, or refer you to the best course of action to address this natural resource concern.  Please email [email protected], or call (317) 773-2181.  If we do not answer the phone, please leave a message and we will get back to you within one business day.

Mark McCauley, Resource Conservationist

Over the years we have received several questions from customers of our soil testing program regarding the recommendation to apply sulfur to help lower the pH of their soil.  We have observed over several years of testing, that many urban soils tend to be too high in pH.  If you remember lessons from science class, high pH indicates an alkaline condition, whereas low pH indicates an acidic condition.  The pH of soil is critical, as it also affects the availability of other nutrients to plants.  To lower the pH, A&L Lab (our partner in the program) often recommends applying sulfur, and sometimes iron.  That is where we often get questions about why, what form, etc.  I recently read a good article from A&L, and although it is targeted more at typical corn-soybean producers, the information is still good for anyone wanting to learn more about the topic of “sulfur”.

A&L Great Lakes Laboratory Article
Over the last few years many growers and crop advisors have concluded that they must supply sulfur for their crops to thrive. However, there remains confusion about which product to use, when to apply, and how much to use. The good news is that there are numerous products available that are affordable, but it is critical to pick the right product, or products, to best fit a grower’s application options.

Sulfur fertilizers deliver sulfur in three different forms, sulfate (SO4-), thiosulfate (S2O32-), or elemental sulfur (S8). However, plants can only take up and utilize sulfur in the sulfate form. Applying sulfate containing fertilizers, such as ammonium sulfate, means that the sulfur is plant available as soon as the product dissolves. Fertilizers containing thiosulfate require an additional step to become plant available. The conversion of thiosulfate to sulfate is an oxidation reaction that is both chemical and biological. The portion that is converted chemically will become available relatively quickly with little influence from soil temperature. The rate of availability from the portion that is converted biologically is highly dependent on soil temperature, moisture, and pH. However, in normal growing conditions, most of the sulfur applied as thiosulfate will be available within a couple weeks. Sulfur supplied in an elemental form must go through a biological conversion to become sulfate. The rate that this process occurs is entirely weather dependent. However, it is generally estimated that about half of the elemental sulfur will become available during the growing season.

The timing of fertilizer applications in the Eastern Corn Belt is generally confined to post-harvest, pre-planting, or early in-season. Since much of the phosphorus, potassium, and liming materials are applied post-harvest, this provides an opportunity to blend a dry sulfur product with these, but which one? In most cases, sulfate forms should be avoided in the fall. While it may be convenient to blend ammonium sulfate or potassium sulfate with another dry fertilizer, these are the most prone to being lost before the next growing season. Most sulfate containing fertilizers are highly water soluble and sulfate is highly leachable from the soil profile. The exception to this is gypsum, which is calcium sulfate. While it is a sulfate form, it is not as soluble as most other forms. For the greatest efficiency of fall applied sulfur, elemental sulfur should be used. The cold, wet soil conditions over the winter months are not conducive for the biological conversion to sulfate to occur. For pre-plant and early in-season applications, sulfate and thiosulfate forms are a good option to ensure availability to the growing crop. In a dry fertilizer pre-planting application, blending ammonium sulfate with urea is a good option. At planting, a small amount can be applied as ammonium thiosulfate in a 2x2 starter, but this should be a minimal amount to avoid damaging the seed since ammonium thiosulfate has a high salt index. Ammonium thiosulfate can be applied at higher rates in a sidedress application in-season because higher salt concentration is farther from the actively growing roots. While elemental sulfur can be applied in the spring, it should be done in conjunction with a sulfate form to ensure early season availability.

Choosing the right rate of sulfur is also important to maximize the benefit of the application. A common practice is to apply a crop removal rate which is approximately 15 lb/acre in a 200 bushel corn crop or 70 bushel soybean crop. However, the total crop uptake is about double the crop removal rate. Soils do release a small amount of sulfur from organic matter decomposition, and a small amount is deposited from the atmosphere in rainfall, but in many cases, this is not enough to supply total crop uptake, even if a crop removal rate has been applied. On soils with low organic matter, well drained, or very low testing sulfur levels, application rates should be closer to a total crop uptake amount. On soils with higher organic matter, poorly drained, or medium to high soil tests, a crop removal rate should be sufficient.

Sulfur is a critical plant nutrient that should not be overlooked. Fertilizer inputs should be managed to ensure that it is provided to the crop when it is most needed and in a form that will be available to the growing crop.

original article can be found here: https://algreatlakes.com/blogs/news

Mark McCauley, Resource Conservationist

It may not quite seem like it, but Spring has arrived and things are definitely turning green!  In fact, flower bulbs, like daffodils, have already pushed through the soil and have bloomed in many locations!  For gardeners everywhere, we are beginning to think about what we may want to plant where, and what preparations may be needed to prepare this year’s beds. One good idea is to have your soil tested. This is especially important if you have never done it, or if it has been a few years since the last one.  Depending on the “crop” you intend to grow (i.e. vegetables, flowers, trees, lawn), you may need to apply certain amendments to create the ideal growing conditions.  A healthy plant is more productive and resilient to adverse conditions (i.e bad weather, disease, harmful insects, and competition from weeds).
   
Taking a soil sample for testing is really pretty simple.  We have all the instructions on our webpage.  Basically, you will want to obtain a representative sample for the specific area you want to treat, whether that be a vegetable garden, a lawn, a shrub bed, etc. Once a soil sample is obtained, it should be mixed and brought into our office, and 2 cups will be taken from that to send in to the lab (which we can do that). The lab requires 2 cups of soil to complete their analysis.  Results are usually available within about 4 days, and those can be emailed directly to you.
   
When you get your results, you will receive is a list of the current nutrient levels, the pH (how acidic or alkaline your soil is), the organic matter content, and a few other things (which an explanation sheet will be provided for).  You will also receive recommendations on what nutrient types to apply (dependent on your intended “crop”), how much of each nutrient, how to adjust the pH if needed, and when to do all of this.  
 
Our Basic Test - $35 includes organic matter, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, CEC, pH, and buffer pH. 
Our Complete Test- $45 includes the Basic Test plus conductivity, boron, copper, iron, manganese, sulfur and zinc.  I

​f you are interested in completing a test this spring, or any other time of the year, just follow the directions on our web site and submit a sample to our office.  We will be happy to help. ​