The good news about being a landscape extension specialist is you get to comment on a variety of landscape tree problems. The bad news? You get to comment on a variety of landscape tree problems. In an average week I probably get 10-15 tree-related calls or e-mails from homeowners, landscapers, growers, extension educators, lawyers, newspapers, and on and on. Sometimes the problem is routine and obvious like tar spot on maples; “I have these spots that look like tar on my maple leaves…” Sometimes the problem looks routine and turns into something else entirely different like the Imprelis herbicide debacle. … Continue reading this article “Going off half-cocked”
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Label GMO foods? Sure, why not?
Lots of coverage in the mainstream media these days over various initiatives to label GMO foods. I think GMO foods should be labeled; but not for the reasons you might think.
My personal opinion on GMO foods is that their benefits outweigh the potential downsides. I think GMO foods should be labeled to make the public aware of how much of our food supply depends on GMO’s and the cost of not using GMO’s. Obviously this will raise some social justice issues since wealthy people will have more opportunity to opt out of buying non-GMO products than the poor but it’s the same problem we have with organic already and it doesn’t seem to cause much of a stir.… Continue reading this article “Label GMO foods? Sure, why not?”
Lights!
Today I want to share something that I’ve been working on recently with Fine Gardening that is really cool! So you know all of those lights you can buy to get your plants started over the winter? Did you ever wonder which of those lights really work? I’m going to leave the final answer for my article, but let me tell you, there’s a world of differences between the lights. The best seem to be some LED lights that aren’t available yet, but are made by a company called Heliospectra. … Continue reading this article “Lights!”
Rubbing salt into wounds
Last week I posted about some horticultural disasters I witnessed in the Czech Republic. This week the chamber of horrors is little closer to home; virtually in my back yard to be specific. Our property backs up to US 127, the main North-South through route in our area. It’s a limited access highway with a posted speed of 70 mph, which means an average speed of 82.7 mph. It also means the road is regularly salted whenever it snows during the winter. … Continue reading this article “Rubbing salt into wounds”
My Thoughts on 14 Foods…
Yesterday on Facebook I posted a link to a list put out by the Rodale Institute which takes a look at 14 things that you should never eat. Some I thought were reasonable, and some I thought were a little nuts. All in all though, it was an entertaining experience that made me think.
Here are my thoughts on the 14 foods. Please feel free to disagree, and also realize that, while I am relatively familiar with the production of fruits, vegetables, and, to a lesser extent, staple crops like wheat, I’m not nearly as knowledgeable about meat and fish, and I’m certainly not a dietician. … Continue reading this article “My Thoughts on 14 Foods…”
Random acts of horticultural violence
I’ve been traveling in Europe the past few days working on a project with some colleagues in the Czech Republic. While we typically think of our friends in Europe as being more progressive and cultured than us, it appears there are still a few areas where they have a ways to go – such as banning smoking from restaurants and bars – and in learning about the art and science of Arboriculture. (And before the hate mail from Europe starts pouring in; yes, I realize we can find plenty of scenes like this in the US – just hoped I’d find better on this side of the pond).… Continue reading this article “Random acts of horticultural violence”
What’s in the Worm Juice?
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I would be taking a look at the leachate that comes from vermicompost. Here is the worm house, owned by Master Gardener Meleah Maynard, from which this leachate came. This is a picture from when the house was new — it now has multiple floors. 
It has been running for a few years now, and the “ingredients” that she puts in, mostly table scraps, are pretty typical of what anyone would put into compost.… Continue reading this article “What’s in the Worm Juice?”
Spring fever: Conifer style
We finally got a reprieve from our wet, cold weather. Just in time for the annual inspection of the conifer troops at the Harper Collection of Dwarf and Unusual Conifers at MSU’s Hidden Lake Gardens. One of the interesting things about making repeated trips to a conifer collection like this is that different conifers stand out each time. Whether due to lighting, background foliage, your mood, whatever; it seems like there are different stars each time.… Continue reading this article “Spring fever: Conifer style”
It’s raining, it’s pouring, it’s a good time for a site assessment…
April is turning out to be a soggy month for most of Michigan and our surrounding states. While most homeowners are inclined to hunker down indoors and keep an eye on their sump pumps on these dark, dreary days; our current run of wet weather is a good opportunity to take a stroll around your property and make some notes. In particular, note any areas where water is accumulating.
Poor drainage is one of the most common sites factors that limit landscape tree and shrub survival and growth. … Continue reading this article “It’s raining, it’s pouring, it’s a good time for a site assessment…”
Applying pesticides when you don’t mean to
I’d rather we didn’t use them, but I see their value and I appreciate what they can do for us when they’re used properly. One of the things that I hate about pesticides though is that, even when they’re used correctly, sometimes they can come back and hurt us in ways that we don’t expect. You have probably heard that you should not use grass clippings where herbicides have recently been used as a mulch because they could injure them.… Continue reading this article “Applying pesticides when you don’t mean to”