Lawn, Gardening & Pests
A yard that feels and looks like home. A bountiful harvest. Grow your own and sow something beautiful.
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Recent News
Controlling Drainage in Your Garden
Water is a very important component to a successful garden, but like all other aspects of growing plants, too much water can be detrimental.
Excessive water can cause seed and root rot, decline in germination and displacement of oxygen, especially when the plants are young. The major contributing factor to poorly drained soil in plant production is inadequate aeration.
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Fertilizing the Garden for Thriving Plants
Everyone wants a beautiful lawn or a healthy garden throughout the season. To achieve that goal, one must follow several practices, such as preparing the planting site, providing adequate water, and applying fertilizers and lime following soil test recommendations.
Fertilizer provides plants with necessary nutrients. Most fertilizers contain three macronutrients: nitrogen, which helps plants to grow and is always required regardless of soil test results; phosphate, which helps plants use energy; and potassium, which helps plants resist disease, withstand wetness and grow roots.
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Organic Matter Maintenance for Thriving Soil
Soil organic matter consists of the remains of plants and animals in varying stages of decomposition. Organic matter can fall into one of three types: plant residues and living microbial biomass; active organic matter, otherwise known as detritus; or stable soil organic matter, otherwise known as humus. The living microbial biomass and detritus contribute to the fertility of the soil and the release of nutrients from decomposition. Humus is the end result of decomposition and is considered stable organic matter. This contributes to the structure, tillage, cation exchange capacity and dark color of the soil.
Benefits of maintaining high stable organic matter include physical benefits, such as reducing runoff, easier tillage and increased water holding capacity; chemical benefits, such as increased cation exchange capacity, accelerated mineral availability and increased buffering capacity; and biological benefits, such as increased nutrients for living organisms in the soil and enhanced biodiversity.
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Soil Health: the Foundation of a Healthy Garden
The foundation to a healthy garden starts underground – in the soil. Soil is a living natural resource, one that requires care to keep plants healthy and thriving. Soil health is measured by a few indicators, all of which work together to create a flourishing garden.
The first measure of soil health is pH, which indicates the acidity of a soil. A soil’s pH is naturally occurring, yet it can be increased by adding lime or decreased with sulfur. Most gardens thrive at a pH between 6.0 to 6.8, because at this level other key elements are made available for plants to uptake in the right doses.
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Gardening Wishes for the New Year from our Associate Dean
I have many fond memories of growing up on our family farm in Hardy County. Each spring, my dad would plow a large area behind the house for the garden and my mom would carefully select and buy the plants. Then, when the heat of the day had subsided, we would all head out to plant. My uncle would assist in our efforts by planting beautiful zinnias, that to this day, are my very favorite flower. It truly was a family affair at the farm.
My favorite time was harvesting and preserving our bounty. Time spent in the kitchen with my mom preserving the myriads of products from our labors is a memory I cherish. I try to continue the tradition each summer as physical work and the memories I recall are therapeutic and so very good for my soul.
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