By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator
Nothing provides greater satisfaction than to grow your own food. It’s also really easy to start, with a small investment in some seeds, a few transplants, and a container or plot of land.
Local Interest
By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator
Weeds may be our least favorite topic but still one of the driving forces behind phone and email questions right now, with “How do I kill...?” leading the discussion. Weed identification may seem immaterial, after all, the consuming focus is to be rid of the pesky plant, but in reality, this should always be the first step. Why? Because determining if the weed is an annual or perennial will help to direct the most effective management strategy.
By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator
Seedling trees come up in the oddest places, and in some cases, totally unnoticed. In the neighborhood I drive through, I observed a mulberry tree growing up through a shrub rose. The mulberry thrived, gradually completely shading out the rose. Eventually the rose owner noticed the mulberry and tried to remove it, resulting in the loss of both plants. The key lesson here, other than mulberries being aggressive growers, is that by simply taking note of what is going on in the landscape and taking action while problem plants are young, time and effort is saved later.
By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator
When gardening with children, it’s important to encourage use of all the senses.
▪For touch, experience plants that are soft, such as lamb’s ears (Stachys); prickly, like pumpkin on a stick (Solanum integrifolium); and stickiness of the native hedge apple (Maclura pomifera).
▪When it comes to fragrance, we often think of flowers, but leaves and fruit are fair game too. Black walnut (Juglans) leaves and nuts have a distinct pungency that helps with identification.
▪Encourage appreciation of sound as wind moves through tall grasses or causes rattling of the pods of false indigo (Baptisia).
By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator
Mulch is an aspect of the landscape that doesn’t provoke much thought. Wood chips or rock? Landscaping fabric or not? The reality is that the right kind of mulch, applied to the proper depth, has a BIG impact on plant health, especially during the heat of summer.
Root function stops when soil temperatures reach 85°F and higher. This means no water and nutrient uptake occurs when soil temperatures are hot. No water moved through roots leads to leaf burn and heat stress. Woodchips and shredded bark act as insulation, protecting the soil from direct sunlight and buffering air temperature extremes. The result is cooler soils that favor root uptake of water.
By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator
Mulch is an aspect of the landscape that doesn’t provoke much thought. Wood chips or rock? Landscaping fabric or not? The reality is that the right kind of mulch, applied to the proper depth, has a BIG impact on plant health, especially during the heat of summer.
Root function stops when soil temperatures reach 85°F and higher. This means no water and nutrient uptake occurs when soil temperatures are hot. No water moved through roots leads to leaf burn and heat stress. Woodchips and shredded bark act as insulation, protecting the soil from direct sunlight and buffering air temperature extremes. The result is cooler soils that favor root uptake of water.
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The “Engaging Agriculture” articles are written weekly by and for Engagement Zone 1 Nebraska Extension Educators, who cover the 11 counties in the Panhandle.