By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator in Dodge County (Week of April 26, 2021)
Pollinators and pollinator gardens are the focus of the next GROBigRed Virtual Learning Series. Nebraska Extension Educators in entomology and horticulture will teach participants about steps to take so pollinators thrive—both from flowers and plants important to their health to insect-friendly garden practices to implement. Why are we concerned about pollinator health? Pollinators are first and foremost critical to our food supply. Most notably, some of our favorite fruits and vegetables, like apples, peaches, cucumbers, and beans, would not exist without our pollinator friends.
Local Interest
By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator (Week of April 19, 2021)
Summer’s first tasty bite of fresh ripe strawberries is enough to convince many to try their hand at growing this delicious fruit for themselves.
The first consideration—what type of strawberry to grow—depends on your picking preference. June-bearers produce a bounteous crop in June and July. Ever-bearers can have multiple crops depending on your location and the growing conditions—one in spring with the possibility of several more crops through the season. Day neutral strawberries like cool moist conditions and will yield fruit regularly when these conditions are met. Of these 3 types, June-bearers have the best overall yield each growing season.
Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator in Dodge County (Week of April 12, 2021)
Confusion surrounds the healthiest way to stake newly-planted trees to stand up to fierce winds while fostering good root growth. The old method, seen much too often still, of snaking wire through a section of garden hose to wrap around trunks and branches is highly injurious to trees. This ill-advised technique digs into tree conductive tissues and, left in place too long, shuts down sugar transport from the leaves to the roots. Roots then become starved of sugars necessary for certain functions, like existing.
By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator in Dodge County (Week of April 4, 2021)
Spring’s re-birth of all that is green is a good time to assess how trees and other landscape plants made it through winter. Many evergreen trees, such as spruce, are exhibiting signs of winter burn, with browning and bronzing of needles. Winter’s deep cold and strong winds dried out plant tissues, resulting in loss of evergreen needles and dieback of branches in deciduous trees. This dieback is a function of the tree’s survival mode, allowing needle loss and twig dieback so that the rest of the tree may survive.
Tasks tree owners can do to help trees, both evergreen and deciduous alike:
Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator (Week of March 29, 2021)
By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator (Week of March 22, 2021)
Spring’s welcome temperatures give us a chance to walk the landscape, checking to see how our trees and shrubs weathered the winter. Rabbit feeding damage on burning bush, vole paths over the lawn, and browning of evergreen needles are some of the things you will notice.
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Estimated Crop Water Use
May 16, 2022
The estimated crop water use for Nebraska Panhandle crops for the previous week and the upcoming week is shown in this table. It is based on data gathered by and calculations made by Gary Stone, Nebraska Extension educator, and Dr. Xin Qiao, Extension Irrigation and Water Management Specialist, both based at the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff.
Agsplosion brings agriculture to local students
May 16, 2022
More than 700 elementary students from western Nebraska got a hands-on education recently about Nebraska agriculture during the Agsplosion event that was held in 5 different locations in the Panhandle.
Master Gardener tips for the Panhandle – Week of May 16, 2022
May 15, 2022
Are you looking for agricultural information that you can trust? Look no further than University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension publications!
Two Record Keeping Workshops Offered in Rushville
May 10, 2022
Lincoln, Neb. —Keeping your records up to date on the farm or ranch is important but can be a complicated task. Nebraska Extension is offering two workshops in Rushville at the Sheridan County Extension Office (800 S Loofborrow Street) on May 23. These workshops will help you develop an easier process in keeping records by using tools, resources and tips taught during the sessions.