Building a Coldframe or Hot Bed

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 →

Greenbrier – A Thorny Invader

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 →

Getting Your Lawn Ready for Summer – Aeration 

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 →

Hedge Apples & Osage-orange Trees 

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 →

Time to Scout for Bagworms

If your landscape has a history of bagworm problems, it’s time to start looking for the next generation of young insects. They will soon be hatching.  The insects and their cocoons can be hard for gardeners to spot since they look so much like a natural part of the plant. Many people don’t realize the pointed oval... Continue Reading →

Dothistroma needle blight

Dothistroma needle blight is one of the most common fungal diseases of pines in Nebraska, resulting in sparse trees with thin canopies. Older, inner needles are affected first causing premature needle drop. Many species of pine are affected by this disease, but in Nebraska it's found most commonly and causes the greatest amount of damage on Austrian and Ponderosa... Continue Reading →

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