Just for show: Fall decorating relies on veggies Oct 27, 2009
"We don't just decorate for Halloween anymore but for the entire fall season," said Amanda Sears, an extension agent with the University of Kentucky's Department of Horticulture. Many farmers and roadside retailers make financial hay selling multicolored ears of Indian corn, pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks and straw bales for home decorating. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Home & Garden)
In search of native plants Oct 25, 2009
University of Idaho consumer horticulture specialist Stephen Love collects native plant specimens from the arid mountains of Idaho. University of Idaho, Bill Loftus / AP photo. (Pocatello Idaho State Journal, ID)
Fall notes (23) Oct 25, 2009
Annette MaCoy is the consumer horticulture extension educator and master gardener coordinator for Penn State Cooperative Extension in Cumberland County. If you have garden questions, contact Annette at 240-6500 or by e-mail at. (Carlisle Sentinel, PA)
Feds back off marijuana busts in some states Oct 25, 2009
Pro Legalaize wrote on Oct 22, 2009 12:36 PM:" 1 pound of a plant is not realistic from one plant, a mature female in an indoor garden may produce an ounce of cured buds if grown by someone who knows indoor horticulture. . ". CindyLou wrote on Oct 22, 2009 10:07 AM:" now would be a good time to open a grow/head shop! ". (Wasilla Frontiersman, AK)
Where are the fall colors? Oct 24, 2009
Record low temperatures earlier this month jarred the state's deciduous trees' normal transition between fall and winter, said Toby Day, Montana State University extension horticulture specialist ... Toby Day, Montana State University extension horticulture specialist, said temperatures must drop to between 30 and 40 degrees below zero for 10 straight days to kill the insects. (Montana Standard, MT)
The blue GM rose on sale in Japan Oct 22, 2009
Helen Bostock, a horticulture advisor at the UK's Royal Horticultural Society, says that while a true-blue rose sounds fabulous, it could stand out like a "sore thumb". "A natural blue rose would signify something that is expensive and rare. It would signify exclusivity. "It has been the Holy Grail to rose breeders, but, personally, I think it would look odd - a bit like a plate of blue chips. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
Greenlee pushes 'The American Meadow Garden' Oct 22, 2009
"It's one of the most exciting new directions in horticulture and design. You couldn't have made the gardens in the book 10 years ago, even five years ago, because no nurseries were growing the plants.". In the book, Greenlee, a pioneering nurseryman and designer who lives in Brisbane, recounts his own fascination with meadow gardening and describes exemplary natural meadows, from coastal grasslands and the Sierra to Midwestern prairies and Southern pine savannahs. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Nano-Agriculture: Huge Effect On Plant Growth Oct 22, 2009
"This observed positive effect of CNTs on the seed germination could have significant economic importance for agriculture, horticulture, and the energy sector, such as for production of biofuels," they add. Journal reference. (Science Daily)
County FFA participates in statewide career event Oct 22, 2009
Mineral County's Agriculture Education program offers diverse course programs including Agriculture Science I and II, Agricultural Mechanics I and II, Animal Science Small Animals, Animal Science Large Animals, Animal Science and Production, Aquaculture I and II, CAD, Equine Science, Forestry I and II, Greenhouse Management, Horticulture, Introduction to Majors, Oxy Acetylene Welding, Small Engines, and Wildlife Management. Chapter FFA advisors include Charlie Bennett, John Ritchie, Julie Sions,... (Keyser Mineral Daily News Tribune, WV)
Cold desert of Lahaul & Spiti now home to apples Oct 21, 2009
If the claims of horticulture department are to be believed, the apple produce in Lahaul-Spiti has been over 125 metric tonnes from 450 hectares this year and is likely to double in the next five years ... Enthused by the growing business, the horticulture department has set a target of apple plantation in 50 hectares area per annum ... "Saplings would be planted in minimum 50 hectares of land every year. In the next five or six years, Lahaul is going to be hub of apple production," Lahaul-Spiti... (India Times, India -- Community News)
Kohl Secures Funding for Wisconsin Projects in 2009 Agriculture Spending Bill (12) Oct 19, 2009
- 400,000 for Urban Horticulture - These funds will support education and training in urban horticulture though development of community gardens in collaboration with UW Extension and Growing Power, a non-profit organization in Milwaukee. Among the provisions designed to help Wisconsin agriculture and farm communities, the bill includes. (Agri-View, WI)
Boktoberfestplant sale kicks off Saturday Oct 18, 2009
Education will be provided by Master Gardeners, plant societies, garden clubs and the UF-IFAS Extension Service including Dr. David Shibles, Polk County s residential horticulture agent and extension agent emeritus Tom MacCubbin ... Nick Baker, director of horticulture, Bok Tower Gardens. (Lake Wales News, FL)
Composted Dairy Manure In Foliage Plant Production Oct 18, 2009
Scientists Qiansheng Li, Jianjun Chen, Russell D. Caldwell, and Min Deng from the Department of Environmental Horticulture and Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC) at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, published a research report in HortTechnology that evaluated the potential for using cowpeat, a composted dairy manure, as a component of container substrates for foliage plant propagation. For the study, a commercial formulation (20% perlite and... (Science Daily)
Yard and Garden: Tips for harvesting and storing sweet potatoes Oct 17, 2009
Click on Horticulture & Environment ... If you have any horticulture questions, call the U of I Extension office at 345-7034 ... Tony Bratsch is a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
NH getting agricultural funds Oct 17, 2009
Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops. Funding for these projects is provided by the USDA and will go to eight different projects across the state. (Concord Monitor)
School board sends council new proposal for police liaison services Oct 17, 2009
Approved a science equivalency credit for horticulture. PLEASE NOTE. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
Fungus invading, killing trees in laurel family Oct 16, 2009
Mark Warren, an agriculture and horticulture agent for Cooperative Extension Service in Flagler County, also expects it to wipe out avocado trees growing in the yards of many Palm Coast residents. Once the disease took hold in the county, it moved quickly, wiping out redbay trees all along Florida Avenue in Palm Coast. (Daytona Beach News Journal)
Kenya: Food Security at Lowest Ebb in 20 Years Oct 15, 2009
The country's hunger situation is blamed on poor rains coupled with the global financial crises which has affected the tourism and horticulture industries' earnings resulting in layoffs as firms cut cost. Concern Worldwide country director, Anne O'Mahony, says the majority of Kenyans facing hunger are the poor based in rural areas and those living in urban slums. (allAfrica.com)
Grow suburbs, not vegies: developers Oct 13, 2009
However, the chairman of the NSW Farmers' Association horticulture committee, Peter Darley, said that the city needed to retain its farms because they had a more reliable water source than those further west, especially during drought. You must also maintain food security close to your population base,'' he said. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Good rains see spurt in garlic acreage Oct 13, 2009
Also, MP which is the major garlic grower, has received good rains this year, said Hariprasad Sharma, assistant director of National Horticulture Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF). Thus garlic, which is a rabi crop, is expected to sown on more than 68,000 acres in MP. Gujarat, Orissa, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh are the other important garlic growing states. (India Times)
Suburbs will swallow Sydney's market gardens Oct 12, 2009
The overwhelming impression was that the Sydney vegetable industry is shrinking,'' says the report, funded by the department and Horticulture Australia Ltd. It now occupies 2025 hectares, much less than the 5000 hectares documented in two reports six years ago. Anecdotal evidence from many industry observers also suggests that the vegetable industry, not only in Sydney but also in Gosford and the Hunter Valley, has shrunk dramatically over the last 20 years,'' it says. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Horizontal learnings Oct 12, 2009
Really, all you have to do to find examples is to look around you: the world is full of people only too delighted to call a spade a laterally-constructed earth-reassignment implement that delivers key diggable strategies across all domestical gardening operations and excavational green-field sites in important industry streamings to ensure proper holing, careful foilaging induction and subsequent replacementing of surplus dirtings to enable customers and stakeholders in growing the horticulture... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
County officials on a floral mission Oct 12, 2009
The Volusia County Department of Economic Development is in Amsterdam this week with a delegation of 30 growers, businesses and industry experts to boost one the county's biggest industries -- horticulture. The department's trade mission includes one-on-one sales meetings with potential importers, site tours and briefings with key Dutch traders and experts, and the 2009 Horti Fair. (Daytona Beach News Journal -- Business)
FFA students in new agriculture world Oct 11, 2009
In response, Red Mountain educators have built a "land lab," where students learn about landscape management by growing their own crops, learn about horticulture with about 1,700 plants inside several greenhouses, and learn about animal science by raising goats, sheep and other animals. The goal is to make it look like a farm. (AZCentral -- News)
U of M Extension continues efforts, help lines for flood victims (2) Oct 11, 2009
The Flood Information Line (800) 232-9077, staffed by Extension personnel Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is a resource for questions about water, crops, horticulture and climatology issues. Questions at other times of the day and on weekends can be left on voice mail and will be returned during staffed hours. (Minnesota Farm Guide, MN)
Arboretum friends hope to raise funds for facility Oct 11, 2009
Pictured to the right are Dr. Tony Brannon, dean of the School of Agriculture, and Dr. Pat Williams, associate professor of horticulture ... Murray State University officially kicked off its Friends of the Arboretum group Friday afternoon to raise money for the completion of what officials promise will be one of the finest displays of horticulture in western Kentucky ... Dr. Pat Williams, assistant professor of horticulture, said that when he arrived at MSU eight years ago, he looked down the... (Murray Ledger & Times, KY)
Oxygen content in Ladakh up 50%: Scientists Oct 11, 2009
"Oxygen content in the atmosphere has gone up by 50 percent. Wheat cultivation, horticulture and greenhouses are also adding to the oxygen delivery," W. Selvamurthy, chief controller (Rthe Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), told IANS. ... "We have now 78 varieties of vegetables being produced by locals here. We have given various greenhouses to the army and the locals for horticulture," said DIHAR's director Shashi Bala Singh. (India Times, India)
Cobb: Cherry trees under stress (and so am I) Oct 10, 2009
Matter of fact, Cobb has an extension agent in the area of home horticulture and I consulted him recently about a dying tree I have. Columns and blogs. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Sally Scalera: Start preparing for fair contests Oct 10, 2009
I hope many of you will enter one or more of the horticulture competitions that will be at the Brevard County Fair, which will be March 18 through 28 at Wickham Park in Melbourne. The horticulture competitions include container gardens, hanging baskets, oddest-shaped vegetable, largest vegetable, best quality vegetable and best quality fruit ... Here is a summary of the different classes for the horticulture sections. (Florida Today)
No onion shortage: NHRDF Oct 10, 2009
PUNE: Even though onion prices are rising in the country in anticipation of crop damage due to floods in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the Nashik-based National Horticulture Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF) has said there is no shortage of the commodity in the country. According to the latest NHRDF report on on 00004000 ion availability in the country, there is stock of 10 lakh tonnes left over from the 25 lakh tonnes that was stored after the last rabi crop. (India Times)
Pumpkin shortage? Not in Illinois Oct 9, 2009
Part of the confusion about possible shortages is because there are many different pumpkin varieties,; said Bill Shoemaker, researcher at the University of Illinois Horticulture Research Center in St. Charles. Processing pumpkins for canned pumpkin are great big football-shaped squash, a sort of tan color ; not the kind of decorative jack-o-lantern pumpkin that consumers are used to seeing. (Princeton Bureau County Republican, IL)
Double whammy for rice bowl Oct 9, 2009
Apart from foodgrains, horticulture crops have also suffered extensive damages in the districts like Guntur, Krishna, Mahbubnagar and Kurnool. While Mahbubnagar produces vegetables in large quantities, Kurnool is famous for onions and tomatoes. (India Times)
Social Scene Oct 8, 2009
Andrew graduated from Ankeny Public High School in 1997 and from Des Moines Area Community College in 2002 with a degree in commercial horticulture. He is currently self-employed with his own lawn care business and rental properties. (Mt. Lake Observer/Advocate, MN)
Funds awarded for S.D. specialty crops (38) Oct 7, 2009
The grant program defines specialty crops as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. SDDA received $185,625. (Sioux Falls Tri-State Neighbor, SD)
Tending the soil Oct 7, 2009
Dr. Pat Williams, associate professor of horticulture, will update everyone on the university's vision for the arboretum and its progress ... We're excited about the potential of the benefits it will bring to the region's plant and horticulture industry, he said. (Murray Ledger & Times, KY)
Specialty crop grants go to 15 projects Oct 7, 2009
Fifteen projects, including four in western South Dakota, have been awarded grants adding up to 185,625 for specialty crops such as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. The Specialty Crop Block Grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture came through the South Dakota Department of Agriculture. (Rapid City Journal, SD)
Boston Globe writer Carol Stocker to speak in Wellesley Oct. 6 Oct 6, 2009
Stocker s presentation, Confessions of a Garden Writer, will cover how her career took her from writing about crime and murder in Detroit to writing about Boston horticulture ... In 1992, she became the Boston Globe s garden columnist, and continues to cover new horticulture for the Globe while answering reader s questions online at the Globe s Web site. (Wellesley Townsman, MA)
Explore the art and science of plants this fall at Wellesley College Oct 5, 2009
The fee is $75 for Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture or Arnold Arboretum members, $90 for non-members ... Call 781-283-3094 or e-mail horticulture@wellesley ... The fee is $10 for Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture members, $13 for non-members. (Wellesley Townsman, MA)
Storm gathers over Great Southern plantations Oct 4, 2009
But the position of other investors in the horticulture schemes such as almonds, olives, grapes and vineyards and the softwood and high-value timber businesses is a great deal less certain. Mr McGrath said there had been ''limited'' interest in replacing Great Southern Managers and that the proposals received so far had been ''largely underdeveloped. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Protect food source Oct 3, 2009
"I have not seen the students this excited about something in years," Irwin Goodman, a horticulture professor who is vice dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences said of the buzz on campus about Pollan's field-to-table philosophies. Women farmers reaping more, using personal touch with customers, plants. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Yard and Garden: I love those four seasons Oct 3, 2009
Hardy mums make a great addition to the fall garden, said University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Matt Kostelnick ... If you have any horticulture questions, call the U of I Extension office at 345-7034. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
An award-winning park Oct 3, 2009
In addition to helping to beatify Milton, they participate in programs related to horticulture, conservation, floral design and other topics. The club also goes on trips, including area flower shows and garden displays. (Milton Standard Journal, PA)
Fair game: It's all about the pie Oct 3, 2009
(AP Photo / Russel A. Daniels) This photo taken Sept. 30, 2009 shows A first place orange in the horticulture building at the Caruthers District Fair in Caruthers, Calif. While some fairs draw crowds for their deep-fried twinkies, the District Fair in this town of 2,103 in California's raisin region serves up mainly locally grown food, assembled for sale by the dozen or so churches and service clubs whose emblems hang on the town's giant welcome sign. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Travel)
Bonsai: A living art Oct 3, 2009
The art of growing a bonsai tree goes beyond a typical hobby in horticulture ... It is a unique blend of horticulture and art, so essentially, it is a living art, said Nixon, 57, who has grown bonsai as a hobby since 1973, and has studied a variety of trees, as well ... You should really appreciate the fact that this is a combination of horticulture and art, so you really should have an appreciation for the theory behind it and learn what is so esoteric about it, he said. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
1,200-Pound Pumpkin Shatters NC Record Oct 3, 2009
Holder's pumpkin, which will be showcased with other large and interesting horticulture displays, might take a little longer than that. Distributed by Internet Broadcasting. (KIRO TV, WA)
California Fair Is Homemade Harvest Tradition Oct 2, 2009
This photo taken Sept. 30, 2009 shows A first place orange in the horticulture building at the. This photo taken Sept. 30, 2009 shows A first place orange in the horticulture building at the Caruthers District Fair in Caruthers, Calif. (ABC News -- Business)
Little Dixie Lake office among Conservation Dept. cuts Oct 2, 2009
The only other Central Missouri Conservation Department office to be closed is the field office in the University of Missouri Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center in Howard County. Todd Houf, conservation agent in Callaway County, said closing the Little Dixie Conservation Area Field Office will not be a big disruption to services to the public because the office had little use and no one had a desk or a computer in the building. (Fulton Sun, MO)
West building addition draws wide praise for LLC during grand opening Oct 2, 2009
MATTOON Lake Land College horticulture student Stephanie Bloom was wild about the grand opening of the wider West Classroom Building on Wednesday ... Bloom and her classmates Deb Stanberry of Greenup, Aaron Landsaw of Westfield, Brittany Beck of Mount Auburn and Danielle Craig of Chrisman were selling purple queen, Swedish Ivy, and Spider plants grown in the horticulture class at Lake Land, housed in the expanded building that is now the largest structure on campus. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
WSU gets $15 million federal grant for crop research Oct 1, 2009
The department created its Specialty Crop Research Initiative in 2008 to improve research for fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and horticulture and nursery crops. The WSU grants include 3. (Longview Daily News, WA)
WSU wins $15M in USDA grants Oct 1, 2009
$2 million for Tree Fruit GDR: Translating Genomics into Advances in Horticulture. $1. (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)
Draft potato genome based on unique potato variety Sep 26, 2009
Richard Veilleux, professor of horticulture at Virginia Tech, contributed a unique phureja type of potato variety that accelerated the development of a a draft sequence of the potato genome ... Richard Veilleux, professor of horticulture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (), contributed a unique phureja type of potato variety that accelerated the development of a blueprint for one of the world's most important food crops ... Suzanne Piovano, a lab specialist in the Department of... (EurekAlert!)
Scalera: Lots to do in the yard in October Sep 26, 2009
Contact Scalera, Brevard County's horticulture extension agent, at 3695 Lake Drive, Cocoa, FL 32926, or 633-1702, or. lect> Add your comment (max {maxchars} characters) You must be logged in to leave a comment. (Florida Today)
Yard and Garden: Looking good for a pretty fall season Sep 26, 2009
Click on Horticulture & Environment to find The Miracle of Fall link ... If you have any horticulture questions, call the office. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Why do onions make us cry when we cut them? Sep 25, 2009
Chopping onions unleashes a chemical defense that onion plants have to protect themselves against insects and microbes, says UW-Madison horticulture professor. We re just innocent bystanders, it seems. (Why Files)
'Green' roofs may help put lid on global warming Sep 24, 2009
D. Department of Horticulture Michigan State University East Lansing, Mich. 48824 Phone: 517-668-0137 (Getter) or 517-355-5191 (Rowe) Email: or. (EurekAlert!)
Phipps at the ready for tonight's events Sep 24, 2009
Margie Radebaugh, director of horticulture and education, has been working hard on all the details to make Phipps look its best ... She said one of the hardest things from a horticulture point of view was not knowing the details of what's going on where due to tight security. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Winter Garden’s new rec center nearing completion Sep 24, 2009
A small classroom in this wing will be home to horticulture classes offered through the Orange County Extension Service. Pottery and ceramics (and possibly painting and drawing) will be taught in the arts area. (Winter Garden West Orange Times, FL)
GRADY PUMPKIN PATCH THRIVES DESPITE WET WEATHER Sep 24, 2009
Arkansas pumpkin growers had a pretty good year with May and June being almost perfect for starting a crop, according to Craig Andersen, extension horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. July turned cool and could ve been better and August was OK, he said Tuesday. (Pine Bluff Commercial, AR)
Aggies demo native plants garden Sep 24, 2009
In contrast to mindless lawns, the carefully-planned native tracts can teach students, as well as cut water use and provide sustenance for native critters, said horticulture professor Robert Kjelgren. The theme of the garden: Planting for Pollinators, how to make a space butterflies and other pollen spreaders relish. (Logan Herald Journal, UT)
2009 Arkansas County Fair winners, results Sep 24, 2009
Published: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 1:40 PM CDT Winners of ribbons and other awards at the 2009 Arkansas County Fair. Sweepstakes Sue Berry. (DeWitt Era-Enterprise, AR)
WP farm selected for 2009 Forestry Day Sep 23, 2009
Neric Smith, ISU Extension Horticulture specialist, will share his experience and research surrounding the newly rediscovered tree fruit, the aronia berry. Other topics to be presented include: thinning and pruning forest trees, hydrologic affect of rain on soil, updates concerning carbon credits/Woodland Manager Program/emerald ash borer, tax issues related to timberland and tree sales, and invasive plant control. (Fort Madison Daily Democrat, IO)
Caswell native named Eagle Scout during ceremony Sep 23, 2009
With the help of Pat Ewalt of the Caswell Horticulture Club, John determined the wording, size, number and placement of five wrought iron directional signs to be placed at the historical Caswell County Courthouse gardens. John raised the funds for his project from donations and by selling bluebird houses he and his parents built from red cedar. (Yanceyville Caswell Messenger, NC)
* Business Briefs Sep 23, 2009
The 2010 Taipei International Gardening and Horticulture Exposition is expected to generate NT$16. 8 billion in economic benefits during its six-month run, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (qsy) said yesterday. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
Charles 'Charlie' Barden Sep 22, 2009
He was also a lifetime member of the Michigan State Horticulture Society. Mr. Barden got his start in the fire service with the Casco Township Volunteer Fire Department in 1980. (The Herald-Palladium)
• CSI Horticulture Club sellsfertilizer for fundraiser Sep 22, 2009
CSI Horticulture Club sellsfertilizer for fundraiser Times-News. Students in the College of Southern Idaho's Horticulture Club are selling fall fertilizer as a club fundraiser ... Five dollars from every sale will go toward the CSI Horticulture scholarship fund. (Burley South Idaho Press, ID)
