As we approach the end of the 4-H Year there are many different opportunities for our youth to reflect on the successess of the 2019 Program Year. We are quickly approaching a major Dodge County 4-H deadline. We encourage all 4-H Youth to consider completing the following as a way to celebrate their successess. The following are due to Nebraska Extension in Dodge County no later than 4:30 pm on October 15, 2019.
Clover Kids, Junior, Intermediate and Senior
Local Interest
By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator
In the midst of September, if weed management isn’t on your autumn to-do list, it definitely should be. Fall is the best time to be applying herbicides to perennial weeds. Why is this so? As plants ready for winter, sugars produced in leaves are transported to the roots for storage. With herbicide applications, the plant’s internal transport allows herbicides to move readily from leaves to roots, providing for excellent distribution and better control.
By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator
The first and most important thing to know is that Fall IS for planting! Warm soils, cooler temperatures and less weed pressure make it a perfect time to plant regardless if you’re planting trees, shrubs, perennials or Kentucky bluegrass.
By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator
Viruses represent some of the toughest diseases to manage in cucumber, squash, pumpkin, and melon plants. Often the disease doesn’t kill but does reduce the size and number of leaves, which in turn decreases fruit production. Cucumber mosaic, cucumber green mottle mosaic, watermelon mosaic, zucchini yellow mosaic, and squash mosaic are some of the viruses that infect plants in the Cucurbit family. The viruses are spread from infected seeds, by aphid feeding, and by mechanical means, such as using a gardening tool on an infected plant and then using the same unclean tool on a healthy one.
By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator
Landscape journaling, the art and science of keeping track of plants and gardens in the landscape, may seem like a fluffy idea, but the task has merit. Are you having your ash trees treated every other year to prevent an infestation of emerald ash borer? A landscape journal can be a record of when and who treated the tree, along with the timing for the next treatment. Did a new pepper variety perform extremely well in your vegetable garden this year? This can be recorded in a landscape journal to serve as a reminder for next year.
By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator
Helen’s flower, Helenium autumnale, is a native perennial of the sunflower family, producing show-stopping 2-inch flowers in colors of yellow, gold, orange, red or variations in between. The notched petals, surrounding a yellowish brown globular cone, are a nice touch, giving the flowers the appearance of a ruffled skirt. The specific epithet “autumnale” refers to Helen’s flower blooms in late summer/early autumn, a perfect time when pollinator populations are really booming. Helen’s flower is also known by the unflattering moniker of “sneezeweed” which harkens back to when flower petals and leaves were dried for snuff.
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Listening sessions on rural community prosperity scheduled in North Platte, Lincoln
Sep 16 – Two regional convenings in October will offer Nebraskans opportunities to share their best ideas on how the University of Nebraska can help rural communities position themselves for economic success. Read more