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Severe weather season has begun, with many experiencing damage in trees and landscape plants last week. Managing the effects of tornadic winds and hail is necessary to make the landscape safe again and help plants recover. Damage AssessmentBroken tree limbs or fallen trees, creating dangerous situations in a home landscape. When large trees fall, it’s best... Continue Reading →
The keys to pruning trees and shrubs are a basic understanding of pruning techniques and knowing when to prune plants. For more information on these topics, check out the additional resources below. But it's also important to understand the variety of tools available to make the job easier and use them correctly. The best tool... Continue Reading →
One of the most difficult weed situations to deal with on an acreage or large property is weedy vines growing in hedges or trees. Wild cucumber, burcucumber, and honeyvine milkweed are the most common culprits. These plants shade the foliage of the host plant, and interfere with their ability to photosynthesis. This is especially damaging to evergreen trees, which don’t tolerate shading well. Note: Field and hedge bindweed, and dodder can... Continue Reading →
“Leaves of three, let it be!” Remember this rule of thumb to protect yourself from an itchy poison ivy rash this summer! Plants look innocent enough at this point in the season, but handling them is a mistake. All parts of a poison ivy plant – leaves, stems, roots, fruits – contain an oil called urushiol... Continue Reading →
A cold frame or hotbed is an easy and inexpensive structure to create. It functions as a small greenhouse, enabling gardeners to extend their growing season in both spring and fall. It can be used to harden off seedlings in spring or grow late season crops of cold tolerant plants like greens. LocationThe ideal location for... Continue Reading →
Building a cold frame or hot bed enables urban gardeners and small scale vegetable growers to protect young plants from adverse weather in spring and fall, extending their growing season. They are relatively inexpensive, simple structures that function as mini-greenhouses. With a growing interest in locally produced foods and many new gardeners experimenting at growing... Continue Reading →
Whenever woody weeds appear in a landscape, they can be especially challenging to control. Common woody weeds include tree seedlings, buckthorn, multiflora rose, ornamental pear, tartarian honeysuckle, poison ivy vines and greenbrier. Often woody weeds originate from seeds eaten by wildlife and deposited at random. But take heart, fall is a good time to control... Continue Reading →
Nebraskans have seen their share of severe weather in recent weeks and as a result many landscape plants have been damaged by high winds and hail. The shifting of a tree's root plate due to root damage by high winds can be seen as a new hump or bulge in the soil on the windward... Continue Reading →
Many Nebraska soils have high clay and silt content making them prone to compaction. Foot traffic from both human and pets, equipment and vehicles are all common causes of soil compaction. Look for the following as signs of potential soil compaction in your landscape. Areas where water puddles after rain Tracks or pathways where grass growth is sparse Hard packed soil at garden gates, edges of driveways... Continue Reading →
Winter greenhouse production is nothing new, but rising concerns about heating with fossil fuels and their impact on climate change, have some growers looking for new ways to grow winter crops with less damage to the environment. Let’s take a look at three techniques, both new and old, that can be used to make winter... Continue Reading →
Diseases, insects, drought and age take a toll on windbreak plantings. Planting of all sizes, from a few trees on a city property to miles of trees around a farm, will eventually require tree replacement or renovation. Late fall is a good time to assess your windbreak and order trees for spring planting. Most windbreaks, even those with... Continue Reading →
Do hedge apples really repel insects? They're available in grocery stores now, but do they work? And where does such a strange fruit come from? There are many uniquely curious plants and hedge apple is one. This tree has many names, so depending on where you're from you may know it as hedge-apple, Osage-orange, bodark,... Continue Reading →
Acreage Life - Nebraska 