In mid-December the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS) launched its horticultural census of 2014. The goal of this census-taking is to provide a comprehensive illustration of the country’s horticultural sector. This survey is the sole source of information regarding production and sales data for U.S. floriculture, nursery and specialty crops,…
Details
Natural habitats and vegetated ecosystems are vital to maintaining the health and quality of urban water resources. Environmental restoration and conservation practices such as reforestation, stream bank restoration, erosion control and agricultural best practices can go a long way towards improving water quality for millions living in urban areas. The Nature Conservancy in collaboration with…
Details
Nutrient enriched agricultural runoff can be severely detrimental to surface water quality, aquatic life and human health. Localized surface water will eventually reach and discharge into larger water bodies, meaning changes in water quality in a stream will affect the watershed which will eventually affect other watersheds. For instance; nitrates from cultivating soybean and corn…
Details
Every landscape will have some areas that are less than ideal for gardening, sites may be too wet, too dry, nutrient poor or too shady. Rather than trying to force plants to struggle for success under conditions for which they weren’t meant, perhaps focus on finding the right plant for the conditions. Since every landscape…
Details
The balsam woolly adelgid, Adelges piceae, is a tiny, sucking tree pest first introduced to the United States and Canada, from Europe, in 1900. The assumed method of introduction is afflicted nursery stock. Preferred host trees in Europe appear relatively unaffected by the adelgid’s predation and these insects are not even considered forest pests of…
Details
There is a lot more to choosing seed packets than colorful descriptions and bright, flashy packaging. Here are a few rules of thumb to keep in mind when shopping for seeds with which to start your garden: Spend some time doing research into varieties which are right not only for your desired veggies but that…
Details
Monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, may be one of the most distinctive of all Lepidopterans, almost everyone can identify the formerly ubiquitous species as they flutter by. Their bright orange and black markings make them recognizable to humans and serve as a warning to predators; they may be beautiful, but they are also bitter and toxic. Most…
Details
The arrival of the new year brings a tide of wishes, wants, resolutions and promises, could plants help achieve our goals? There are some cultures which believe that certain plants bring luck and attract good fortune and happiness. These plants supposedly radiate positive energy wherever they grow. Whether there is any truth to this or…
Details
Ever since 1999 when fire ants (Solenopsis spp.) were first identified on the big island of Hawaii, the battle to protect farm and natural lands from them has been raging. This invasive pest, native to South America, has since been found on Oahu and Kauai. In certain areas officials had the infestation under control…or so they thought. Following…
Details
Thousand Canker Disease (TCD) is the result of a tiny bark beetle which burrows in the bark and creates large and multitudinous galleries, making these trees susceptible to fungal disease and canker formation by creating an entry point in the bark. TCD earned its name from the huge number of cankers associated with dead limbs and…
Details
