Will cabling a tree’s crown make it stronger?

In a previous column (December 1, 2010) I discussed the problems that wet, heavy snow can cause for trees and shrubs – particularly evergreens.  In response my colleague Terry Ettinger mentioned a cabling technique discussed in the 2nd edition of Arboriculture (1991).  I think it’s worth looking at the science behind this practice and some of the unintended consequences.

Harris’s Arboriculture text is considered the bible for landscape professionals, including certified arborists.  In the late 1990’s, Dick Harris was joined by Jim Clark and Nelda Matheny, two other gifted academics who have crossed over into practical writing. … Continue reading this article “Will cabling a tree’s crown make it stronger?”

Bounce – it’s not just a fabric softening sheet…

…it’s an Integrated Pest Management tool!

[Note added after-the-fact: this was a  tongue-in-cheek bit of  hyperbole – kind of like “it’s not just a Job, it’s an Adventure.” Did not mean to imply that it actually IS an IPM tool. Very badly worded. Hence the beating I took in the comments. Live and learn.]

Fungus gnats (Bradysia spp.) are a pain in the bottom for commercial greenhouse growers. The adults are more of a nuisance than anything else –it just looks bad when a customer picks up your 6” pot of pansies and a bunch of little black gnats take flight. … Continue reading this article “Bounce – it’s not just a fabric softening sheet…”

New Year’s Prediction: Invasive Fire Continues to Burn

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had restful and enjoyable holidays.  In addition to looking back over the year that just past, a common New Year’s tradition is to make predictions for the coming year.  Without going too far out on a limb, one of my predictions for the upcoming year is that the debate over invasive plants will continue to intensify, especially as it relates to Landscape Horticulture.  Along these lines, a couple of recent articles by Gregorio Gavier-Pizarro and his colleagues at the University of Wisconsin and the USDA Forest Service caught my eye.… Continue reading this article “New Year’s Prediction: Invasive Fire Continues to Burn”

Friday puzzle uprooted!

Wow, we had some very creative answers on this one – and all of them made sense!  Peter, however, was spot on with his identification of roots (of a Thanksgiving cactus) growing in water (in an antique graduated cylinder).  I made it tricker by turning the photo upside down on Friday.  Here it is right side up:

What I love about this photo is that the various parts of actively growing roots are clear (more or less):  starting from the bottom you can begin to see the root tip and the hairless zone of elongation, followed by the zone of maturation with fuzzy root hairs, followed at the top by the area where lateral roots develop.</d

Last puzzle of 2010

I had a few weeks’ hiatus while scrambling around for the holidays – but have one last teaser for you before the close of 2010.  This photo is reminiscent of what Christmas trees will start looking like in the next few weeks. Can you figure out what it is? 

Ignore the parallel horizontal lines – they will be explained on Monday.  And yes, the photo quality’s not great, but the reason for that will be clear on Monday as well.… Continue reading this article “Last puzzle of 2010”

One To Go!

Just one more little holiday to go over holiday week (A week during which faculty at UMN were put on furlough — in other words unpaid vacation), but for many of you I’m sure it’s a big one: New Years.  I’ve never been one for New Years resolutions.  It’s always just seemed kind of artificial to me.  Still, some people find real motivation with the passing of a new year.  What about you?  Any great New Year’s resolutions out there related to gardening?

Mo’ Snow

Went down to Georgia to visit family, ended up with 4″ of snow on Christmas. Very exciting for them. For me, not so much. I had just left 6″ of snow that had persisted for three weeks and was looking forward to some sunshine.

Happy holidays to all of our readers, far and wide!


Windmill palms in the snow, Carnesville, Georgia, 12/26/10.

Annual reporting – and you can help!

As many of you know, we Garden Professors justify our existence as faculty members every year through annual reporting.  Blogging is one of the newer educational opportunities that most university systems haven’t quite figured out how to measure and evaluate.

So we’re taking matters into our own hands. I’ve created a short survey to assess our effectiveness in outreach education in the blogosphere. 

The more feedback we get, the easier it is for us to make the case for continuing this effort. … Continue reading this article “Annual reporting – and you can help!”

Happy Holidays!

Relaxing at the in-laws in Ohio for the long Christmas weekend.  Hope all of our blog readers are having a enjoyable holidays.  In other words, I hope you didn’t have to fly anywhere over this Christmas weekend!

I’ve been catching up on some reading including recent articles on invasive alien plants that should be of interest to our readers.  I’ll share some thoughts when I get back on schedule next week.  In the meantime there’s still another football game to watch this evening and another plate of my mother-in-law’s cookies that need some attention.… Continue reading this article “Happy Holidays!”

Unintended consequences

Unintended consequences.  When doing one thing causes something you didn’t expect. Many unintended consequence stories in biology start with introduced species. I’m going to skip those here.   I’ve been thinking about unintended consequences recently while trying to figure out what to do about my hops. You see, hops have a nasty habit of getting powdery mildew. That’s one reason why you don’t see a whole lot of hops growing outside the relatively arid Yakima Valley (75% of US production).… Continue reading this article “Unintended consequences”