By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Educator in Dodge County (Week of May 10, 2021)
Local Interest
By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator in Dodge County (Week of May 3, 2021)
Each year, the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, along with the Nebraska Nursery and Landscape Association, highlight plants that are exceptional additions to Midwest landscapes. Plants are chosen not only for their beauty but also their durability. Those headlining 2021’s picks for Great Plants for the Great Plains include:
Tree of the Year: Hackberry, Celtis occidentalis. This close relative of the elm is Dutch elm disease resistant and tough-as-nails with beautiful bark and outstanding form. It grows well in a variety of soils and windy conditions.
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.
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:
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Grass and grazing webinar series scheduled in October and November
October 2, 2023
The Nebraska Extension will host a six-session webinar series entitled “Knowing, Growing and Grazing Grass” a webinar series on October 23, 26, 30, November 2, 6, and 9.
Unveiling of Historic Knorr-Holden Plot Signboard
September 25, 2023
Started in 1912, the Knorr-Holden Plot near Scottsbluff is perhaps the world’s oldest irrigated continuous corn research plot. It was recently commemorated with a sign to mark its significance to both Nebraska history and agricultural research history in Nebraska.
Nebraska Equine Extension to host a second “Race Nebraska” Seminar
September 22, 2023
The passing of the Racetrack Gaming Act through a Nebraska 2020 ballot referendum has caused an expansion in horse racing. A series of educational seminars by Nebraska Extension’s equine program have been developed to help those interested in becoming more involved in the industry.
Poll: Rural Nebraskans are increasingly pessimistic about present, future
September 18, 2023
Twenty-seven percent of respondents to the 2023 Nebraska Rural Poll indicated they are worse off than they were five years ago, up from 21% last year and 11% in 2021.