I’m in the midst of grading papers for my nursery management class, and something that I’m running across is an incredible number of papers where the students are recommending balanced fertilizers. Why are they doing that? Or maybe an even better question is, what is a balanced fertilizer? A balanced fertilizer is a fertilizer which has three numbers which are about the same, like a 10-10-10. The problem with balanced fertilizers is that they are much higher in phosphorus than what most plants need — at least in relation to the amount of nitrogen and potassium which plants need. … Continue reading this article “Balanced fertilizers are usually out of balance”
Snow falling on cedars…not always a good thing
Seattle had its first snowfall last week – a mere 3-6″ – and the city shut down. (Yes, those of you in the snowier parts of the midwest and east can laugh…but we’ve got hills. That’s the main problem.) It was unusally cold, so the snow that fell was the light, fluffy kind that I remember from our Buffalo years.
Every year someone writes to ask whether they should remove the snow from their trees and shrubs. … Continue reading this article “Snow falling on cedars…not always a good thing”
It’s Poinsettia Time…
Love ’em or hate ’em, poinsettias are the number two potted flowering plant produced and sold in the U.S., only (very recently) surpassed by orchids. Especially amazing when you consider the five-week market window. Commercial growers go at poinsettia (“points”) production usually one of two ways: 1) smaller pot, high volume, low margin for mass markets; or 2) larger pot, florist-quality, unusual varieties, for independent garden centers, florists, and other specialty retailers. If you shopped any big box store this past weekend (bless your heart), you saw rolling racks of “doorbuster” deals such a 4.5″ points priced $1.25 or even less. … Continue reading this article “It’s Poinsettia Time…”
Maybe common sense isn’t so common after all
I noted in my Sept. 22, 2009 post on the threat posed to ash trees in the Midwest by the emerald ash borer (EAB), and included photos of the famous grove of 500 ash trees surrounding the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. I was in St. Louis that summer for the ASHS meeting and saw that the National Park Service was planting trees from a variety of species around the monument. I assumed at the time that the Park Service was preparing for the eventual loss of the ashes to EAB.
Candy cane unwrapped
Wow, what a bunch of great guesses this week! All of them are logicial…but only Deb guessed it was a Christmas cactus (actually a Thanksgiving cactus – Schlumbergera truncata) :
In any case, I thought this was a festive way to start the holiday season. (And please, no catty comments about my obsession with plant private parts.)
Candy cane mystery
In keeping with the upcoming holiday season, enjoy this floral candy cane:
What is it?
Answer and another photo on Monday!
The decline of Extension and the increased need for science-based information
I hate to be the downer this week, given Bert and Holly’s inspired posts, but reality continues to hit – or bite. The budget crises in Washington state continues to gut higher education, and one of the hardest hit areas at WSU is Extension. Land-grant institutions have a federal mandate to provide Extension services, and this sets WSU and similar universities apart from other state schools. Unfortunately, Extension generates relatively little in terms of outside grants and contracts. … Continue reading this article “The decline of Extension and the increased need for science-based information”
“Leave” Them Alone…Adventures in Extension Podcasting
We’re on the topic of communication this week…how can Extension personnel communicate best with their audience/stakeholders. It used to be via racks of Xeroxed “Fact Sheets” at your local Extension office. A few of these are said to still exist, but with states gutting their extension budgets, the costs of printing have become prohibitive. And more critically…where do YOU go for information? A musty file full of handouts? Heck no. Electronic media is tailor-made for extension.… Continue reading this article ““Leave” Them Alone…Adventures in Extension Podcasting”
Not your father’s extension service
We recently received a question on one of my old posts (Dec. 12, 2009) from a blog reader in Iran (yes, Iran) regarding agricultural extension and asking what’s new in how we disseminate science-based information. There’s no doubt that things have evolved in agricultrual extension over the years. There’s an old joke: Guy walks into a county extension office and the agent is sitting behind his desk, crying. The visitor asks, “What’s the matter?” Agent replies, “My farmer died.” … Continue reading this article “Not your father’s extension service”
Trunk teaser untwisted
Good guesses over the weekend on what caused the twisty looking trunk structure in Friday’s puzzle. Here’s a larger photo:
Nancy and Paul both got this one – it’s two trunks fused together. I have no idea whether the production nursery grew two saplings together on purpose or accidentally, but here’s one reason that this tree might be a problem down the road:
This area is ripe for disease, as water will collect in the crotch. … Continue reading this article “Trunk teaser untwisted”