Photo: MossRehab, Einstein Healthcare NetworkAt the main campus of MossRehab in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, The Alice and Herbert Sachs Therapeutic Conservatory added an 84-square-foot green wall that is 12 feet wide and 7 feet tall.
The green wall uses the LiveWall Indoor Living Wall System.
“LiveWall is a modular system that can be installed with full-grown plants,” says Jeffery T. Smith, AIA, NCARB, architect and partner at Chianis + Anderson Architects based in Binghamton, New York. “It is engineered with structural and mechanical features that help plants thrive in the greenhouse structure.”
Photo: MossRehab, Einstein Healthcare NetworkMossRehab is the physical and cognitive rehabilitation division of the Einstein Healthcare Network. The conservatory serves as a space for their horticultural therapy program, which helps patients rehabilitate through gardening activities.
Chianis + Anderson Architects designed the 1,500-square-foot conservatory and split into three connected sections. The “Work” area includes a work table and storage cabinets. The Grow Room is a working greenhouse where horticultural therapists engage with patients. The Show Room is a plant-filled space meant for relaxation. It is also features a water wall and access to planting beds.
“The Show Room was designed as a sun-filled, relaxing and rejuvenating green space – a retreat from the hospital environment,” says Craig Sieving, vice president of facilities administration, Einstein Healthcare Network. “As its name suggests, it is also the showcase of the conservatory. The green wall complements the water wall to create the central showpiece of this section.”
Smith says they wanted to screen a large masonry wall so a green wall was a natural solution, while adding more garden elements.
“More than a decade ago, we installed a LiveRoof green roof on a different facility,” Sieving says. “Our experience with LiveRoof gave us confidence in LiveWall.”
Patients and volunteers help care for the walls, and LiveWall makes it easy to change out the modular planters.
Arborjet introduces new AccuFlo Flow Rate Meter
Arborjet, a plant health solutions company, has launched the AccuFlo Flow Rate Meter, which helps professionals know how much they are spraying or drenching a landscape.
The meter is made from 3D printed carbon fiber, making it durable but also extremely light. The AccuFlo replaces the need for flow meters, which are typically heavier, more expensive and require a power source.
Photo: Arborjet“At Arborjet, we don’t rush to modify a widget or blindly follow a request for something longer, shorter, heavier or lighter – we focus on the job the customer is trying to accomplish,” says Russ Davis, president and COO of Arborjet. “That’s what led to longer lasting injection formulations and to the tremendous success of the QUIK-jet Air.”
The electronic control system in the AccuFlo can be calibrated to most spray tanks. It weighs only ounces and runs on a watch battery with a Micro USB charger. Fluid does not run through the device, eliminating the chance for the meter to clog up or wear out.
“The job isn’t to provide a flow meter to measure the flow of a particular spray tank,” says Davis. “The job is to be able to apply the proper dose from any spray tank at a reasonable price.”
AccuFlo attachs with Velcro to any wrist or mechanical part of a spray system. It calibrates to flow and liquid viscosity in seconds. It can be used to precisely apply fertilizers, moisture management solutions, plant growth regulators or water-soluble insecticides or fungicides.
When in calibration mode, the applicator simply dispenses a known amount into a graduated cylinder. AccuFlo converts that dispense time into flow and is ready to go. By using an arrow to scroll up or down, the appropriate amount to dispense may be selected and the AccuFlo will sound when the intended application amount is reached. It will also remember that flow rate until changed.
Bobcat changes standard warranty for compact equipment
Bobcat is starting off 2019 with changes to its standard and extended compact equipment warranty offerings.
“As a company dedicated to the highest standard of compact equipment quality and durability, we are excited to announce our expanded warranty options,” says Chad Kapfer, extended warranty manager at Bobcat Company. “We constantly search for new ways to serve our customers, and the updated warranty options provide great value to all Bobcat equipment enthusiasts.”
Equipment covered under this new standard warranty includes all skid-steer loader, compact track loader, wheel steer loader and compact excavator models. Equipment purchased through Dec. 31, 2018, will be covered under the 2018 standard warranty of 12 months with unlimited hours of usage.
Bobcat is also expanding its extended warranty offering with options out of 60 months and 5,000 hours of coverage.
A third coverage option is now available as well. The “Powertrain + Hydraulics” option will be the newest extended warranty coverage option to go along with the current “Powertrain” and “Full” coverage offerings.
Jeffrey Scott offers conference on scaling your landscape business
After 25 years, the horticultural trade show New England Grows announced it is discontinuing operations. Since the event has been disbanded, Jeffrey Scott is offering a program on Feb. 20, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts, to help fill the void.
For companies that realize in the middle of the year that they are off track or their growth is not where it needs to be, Scott says this conference is for them.
Attendees will learn how to accelerate growth by building a superior leadership team, achieve financial security, capture higher margins and scale their business.
The workshop will be led by Jeffrey Scott and Bob Marzilli, the president of R.P. Marzilli Landscape Contrator based in Medway, Massachusetts.
Click here to register.
Aspire hires six new employees
The Aspire Software Company, a provider of landscape business management software, has added a senior system administrator, software developer, software implementation trainer, AspireCare specialist, quality assurance analyst and director of customer success.
She has been in the information technology field for 25 years and was most recently a Windows system administrator.
As a software developer, Philip Knox will be responsible for writing code and building/updating parts of the Aspire system. He has over five years of experience and was previously a software developer where he specialized in code optimization.
Erin Hale will take on the role as director of customer success. In this position, she will lead the AspireCare customer support team and be responsible for assessing and managing the satisifaction of Aspire’s customer base.
Hale has more than 15 years of experience in customer advocacy and has a SSPA Certification.
Cheryl Hall joins the Aspire team as a software implementation trainer. She will handle project management, training and supporting Aspire clients in all areas of the software. Hall has previously worked in the green industry as a payroll administrator and office manager for a landscape installation company.
Another new hire with a green industry background, James Steinlage will take on the job as an AspireCare specialist. With a background in account management and customer service, the company says he is well suited for the tasks of being a problem solver, troubleshooter and trainer for issues relating to specific software features.
Scott Pennington joined Aspire’s team as its quality assurance analyst. He has over three years of experience in the information technology field dealing with quality assurance and technical support.
