Your home outside the city limits.
Stem girdling roots (SGR) are serious problems for trees. They slowly kill trees as roots grow in diameter and compress the trunk. Affected trees grow slowly, are often stunted, and are much more susceptible to secondary stressors like drought. They often have scorched leaves when summer conditions are hot and dry. SGR develop when young... Continue Reading →
Planting depth was not recognized as a major tree health problem until recent years. But foresters and nurserymen now know that if a tree's root system is buried too deeply in the soil overall root growth is reduced and tree health, for the rest of that tree's life, is compromised. How do tree production methods contribute... Continue Reading →
Fall is the best time of year to plant new trees, from early September through late October. Fall's cooler temperatures and increased rain allow trees to establish their root systems quickly, giving them a jump-start on spring growth. Tree root growth continues late in fall, until soil temperatures drop below 40°F. But growing healthy trees,... Continue Reading →
It’s fall. Some of us are tired of weeding, watering, managing. The growth we impatiently waited for in spring has by now gone rampant. As one gardener put it, “the autumn garden is a machete garden.” Even on the best of days, gardeners aren’t likely to brag. Have you ever had anyone say they’re... Continue Reading →
Some insects only sporadically cause problems in lawns and landscapes. They are there, every year, but usually in such low numbers they can easily be overlooked. Fall armyworm is one such insect, but it appears they will not go unnoticed this year. There are actually several species of armyworm, including common and yellowstriped, but the... Continue Reading →
Most gardeners know food scraps contain nutrients that can be used to improve garden soils. The most common way of handling kitchen scraps is adding them to a traditional compost pile, but a less well-known composting method also works very well – pit or trench composting. This method is also called vertical composting and soil... Continue Reading →
The ground is still covered with leaves in many neighborhoods, but don’t throw them away - put them to work for you. Even if you only have a few leaves and little time, consider bag composting. Bag Composting Bag composting is perhaps the easiest composting technique. Its a passive method, so leaves break down slowly, but much... Continue Reading →
Beginning in late summer, most gardeners have an abundance of landscape waste; whether it's dead plants from vegetable gardens or ornamental beds, foliage and branches from pruning trees and shrubs, or fallen tree leaves. Why not make use of these great organic materials, instead of piling them into bags and hauling them off to the landfill? You can easily turn... Continue Reading →
Acreage Life - Nebraska 