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Beware of false Spring
By David Lott | Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator
Warmer weather and longer days are starting to show up, giving so many of us hope and excitement for the new growing season. Beware of "False Spring", where the warm days can be followed by cold snaps and potential spring blizzards that will visit the region at some point in March and April. Below are some tips to consider now, and through mid-April on gardening related jobs in our very uncertain weather.
Now is a great time to sharpen lawn mower blades and service mower engines so they are in good working order for the growing season. Do not mow bluegrass or tall fescue lawns until they have broken dormancy and are greening up for the season, usually around mid-April. Remember to keep the mower height at 3 inches for the mowing season and remove no more than 1/3 of the grass in a single mowing, leaving 2/3 of the grass intact to grow back.
Clean and lubricate garden tools that have been in winter storage, removing rust as needed, so they are ready for the gardening season. Do not clean dead plant material and mulch out of flower beds and garden spots. This dead material may look unsightly to some, but it serves as a protective buffer for tender, emerging perennial plants that are starting to peak out from under the layers. This protective layer also serves as a winter home for many beneficial landscape insects. Leave this layer intact until mid-April in Western Nebraska.
Wait to prune rose canes and dead landscape plant stems until mid-April. Early pruning can initiate early, tender plant growth that can be severely damaged or killed during future cold snaps. When pruning landscape plant stems back in mid-April, leave eight inches of dead stem behind for pollinating insects to use as a habitat for the next generation of native bee species as a natural "bee hotel" to improve pollinator insects in landscapes and gardens. New plant growth will "hide" these stems from view. Rose canes can be pruned back in mid-April at a 45-degree angle. Prune dead cane material back to where new growth is present.
For questions about our False Spring, send an email to David Lott at dlott2@unl.edu. interested may register at https://cvent.me/MOo0ka.
For more information, contact your local Nebraska Extension office or visit https://extension.unl.edu/.
Yonts Water Conference: A 2026 outlook on irrigation, weather, and more
By Gary Stone, Nebraska Extension Educator
The Nebraska Extension will host the 2026 Yonts Water Conference on Wednesday, April 8, beginning at 8:45 a.m., at the Panhandle Research, Extension, and Education Center.
Topics for this year’s conference include water management research updates and ACREE, a new irrigation water management app for growers’ irrigation water scheduling from Dr. Xin Qiao, Nebraska Extension, Irrigation Management and Engineering Specialist. ACREE is an irrigation scheduling tool, specifically designed for producers who don't have access to soil moisture probes.
“The key advantage of this scheduler is its ability to track daily crop water use specific to a field location, providing more precise and timely irrigation guidance,” Qiao said.
Other topics include nitrogen levels in the North Platte River by Anni Poetzl, Nebraska Extension Water Quality Educator, and an update from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Wyoming Area office representatives on the snowpack/runoff and irrigation water estimates for the North Platte River basin. An update on the progress on the Tunnel No. 2 replacement, and Don Day will provide the weather outlook for the 2026 spring/summer season.
Registration is not required but appreciated. Call 308-632-1230.
The agenda is as follows:
- 8:45 – 9 a.m. - Registration - Coffee & Rolls
- 9 – 9:15 a.m. - NET Pilot Soil Sampling / Best Management Practices - North Platte Natural Resources District
- 9:15 – 9:40 a.m. - ACREE App & PHREEC Irrigation & Digital Ag Lab Research Update - Dr. Xin Qiao, Biological Systems Engineering
- 9:40 – 10:10 a.m. - Managing Nitrogen Applications in the North Platte NRD - Anni Poetzl, Nebraska Extension Water Quality Educator
- 10:10 – 10:40 a.m. - 2026 Spring Snowpack & Runoff Water Update - U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Personnel
- 10:40 – 11:10 a.m. - Goshen / Gering – Fort Laramie Irrigation District’s Tunnel Replacement Update - HDR Engineering, Cory Freeman; Kevin Strecker, General Manager; Goshen Irrigation District Scott Hort, General Manager, Gering – Fort Laramie Irrigation District
- 11:10 – 11:40 a.m. - 2026 Spring / Summer Weather Outlook - Don Day, DayWeather Podcast
Nebraska Extension early childhood educator passionate about building strong families
By Chabella Guzman, PREEC Communications
Many Nebraska Extension educators are called to their positions. Jackie Guzman is no exception. She is the Nebraska Extension early childhood educator and lead educator in the Nebraska Extension Engagement Zone 1, located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center in Scottsbluff.
“It is a purpose, a calling for me. This is where we need to start with parents and children to build a solid foundation, where the children are ready to learn and more apt to graduate,” she said.
Among the programs Guzman provides to professionals is the CHIME (Cultivating Healthy Intentional Mindful Educators) program. It is an eight-week program that focuses on the person working with young children, providing them with the skills to work effectively with children by first helping themselves through mindfulness.
Guzman has developed and implemented programs for non-traditional audiences while incorporating traditional 4-H curriculum and methodologies for youth. One such program is embryology, which includes Extension 4-H educators. “I provide incubators, and the farmers provide eggs. There is a curriculum with activities for elementary school children and early childhood/preschool programs,” she said.
