This year’s Landscape Industry Certified Technician (LICT) program for Oahu was in limbo as earlier in the year, word got out that the LICT program was to come to an end in April of 2019. However, many thought that the training and exam for 2018 was cancelled even though registration for training and the exam was posted on the Landscape Industry Council of Hawaii’s (LICH) website. With less than two weeks before the start of the classes, it was not clear if this year’s program was a go and registration for training was filling up. So, the committee needed to decide if the training should continue as the presenters needed to be confirmed, volunteers and sponsors recruited, and promotion for more participants conducted. Three weeks later, the classes started. Overall, there were 25 participants and the classes were held at the Pearl City Urban Garden Center, Pacific Pipe Company, and the University of Hawaii Waimanalo Research Station. On the week of the exam, the candidates, judges, volunteers, and sponsors... ...

The 2018 Field Test for Oahu is On! The Hands-On Test is scheduled for AUGUST 25, 2018. The LICT Training Classes start date has been changed to June 26th! Written tests: Thursday, August 23rd Go to the Training Page, click here, to register for the classes or to check out the new schedule. Thanks to the Certification Committee and HLICA for finding a way to get the test reinstated for this year. If you are certified and not adding a module this year, be sure to get in touch with Brandon Au at bau@honolulu.gov to help in any way you can from set up to Judging for this year’s test. Volunteers are needed! For Test Registration Forms for the Oahu 2018 LICT test, go to the LICT Test Registration Page: click here ...

THE NIGHT SKY, LEDS, AND LANDSCAPE LIGHTING Richard Wainscoat, University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy If you live on Oahu, you may have looked up at the night sky recently, and wondered where all the stars have gone. But if you live on the neighbor islands, you’ve probably seen the night sky in all its magnificence, and on a moonless night, gazed at the Milky Way — the galaxy in which we live. At the University of Hawaii, we are now finding that more than half of our undergraduate students have never seen the Milky Way. The number of young people who have never seen the Milky Way is growing rapidly, and an entire generation of children is now growing up without seeing a dark night sky. Artificial light is making the night sky bright. Much of this problem is avoidable. Excessive, misdirected or obtrusive light is often referred to as light pollution. There are two processes that make the night sky bright. Air molecules in Earth’s atmosphere scatter urban... ...

Oahu LICT Test by Brandon Au First, congratulations to all of the participants that challenged themselves to strive for the Landscape Industry Certified Technician (LICT) certification. To those that became an LICT, make every effort to become certified in the other designations to increase your knowledge to be a well-rounded landscape professional. And for those who did not pass, don’t be discouraged and don’t give up! You’ve started and dedicated yourself to becoming an LICT, so push to the finish! On Saturday, August 12, 2017, at the University of Hawai`i’s Waimanalo Research Station, 16 candidates successfully completed all of the requirements needed to achieve an LICT certification. Newly-certified LICTs are listed below with some acquiring their 2nd and 3rd certification: Irrigation Allen Griffin, Mulkern Landscaping and Nursery (2nd certification) Anthony Ortiz, Greenspace Hawaii (1st certification) Damien Jamila, Landscape Hawaii (2nd certification) David Marks, Marks Lawn Service (2nd certification) Erwin Cadiz, HI Quality Landscapes & Maintenance   Turf Maintenance Damien Jamila, Landscape Hawaii (3rd certification) Rey Brian Domingcil, JR Yard Service... ...

The Hawaii Floriculture & Nursery Association (HFNA) will hold an educational research update seminar at the USDA Daniel K. Inouye Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center (DKI PBARC) facility in Hilo on Thursday, October 5th, for growers of all Hawaii floriculture commodities (cut flowers, potted plants and flowers, and landscape). Attendees will be introduced to new cultivars, such as those being propagated at Kula Experimental Station and UH-Manoa, and learn how to propagate and grow out the new varieties to marketable size and quality. The audience will also receive research updates from USDA DKI PBARC, UH-Manoa CTAHR, and UH-Hilo researchers. This event is a collaboration of all research facilities in the state as well as all floriculture commodities.   It is HFNA’s intention that this collaborative seminar become an annual event to provide continuity of research information to the growers as well as to become an avenue to new cultivars ready for propagation and production. The import replacement seminar will be professionally videotaped and edited by Out of the Sea Media... ...

The Past, Present, & Future of the Horticulture Industry   Discover the latest industry trends at the 2017 Hawaii MIDPAC Horticultural Conference & Expo, August 3-5, 2017, at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii! MIDPAC will include a brilliant assortment of professionally designed plant installations representing Hawaii’s wide array of premium foliage and flowers. Also learn from industry leading speakers through their engaging conference sessions focused on The Past, Present, & Future of the Horticultural Industry.   Brian Parker, Senior Live Goods Merchant with The Home Depot, will discuss today’s customers versus yesterday’s suppliers, with an in-depth conversation on customers’ needs and expectations versus growers’ and suppliers’ responsiveness in his conference session, The More Things Change The More They Stay The Same.   Gerry Leider, Vice Chairman of Ambius, will present The Past, Present, & Future of the Horticulture Industry, discussing the drastic changes that have occurred within the horticultural industry, from the burgeoning business of the 1960’s and 70’s to the conglomerates of today,... ...