Recent Posts
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This time of the year I am usually busy trying to frantically preserve the bounty from our summer garden. Canning, dehydrating and freezing the fruits and vegetables that my family and I will enjoy during the winter. Forage producers are doing the same. Working through the summer to preserve the warm season perennial grasses that…
Posted in: Agriculture -
The number of calls related to weed problems in ponds always increases in the hot summer months. This has certainly been the case this year. Warm temperatures have pond weeds growing like – well, WEEDS! Here are few suggestions to help you keep pond weed issues under control or, if it’s too late for that,…
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Fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes are one of the great joys of summer. However, sometimes diseases, pests and/or environmental stresses get in the way of our tomato harvests. I have already gotten several calls and visits about problems with tomato plants. Below are some common issues and potential solutions. Black area on bottom of tomatoes – This…
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The warmer temperatures and extra time at home have prompted you to plant a garden. Day-dreams of fresh, hand-picked veggies going straight from the garden to your dinner table are inching towards reality. But having a success vegetable garden takes some work and planning. Here are some tips to help you hopefully reach your dreams…
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There is a large push across our country to promote reading during the summer months. If a child stops reading when school gets out in May or June, and does not read again until school starts, they will intellectually be months behind their classmates when school starts again. This creates issues for children and teachers…
Posted in: Uncategorized -
LAWN BURWEED – IT’S A STICKY PROBLEM Tim R. Murphy – Retired Extension Weed Scientist, The University of Georgia The weed in question is most commonly lawn burweed (Soliva pterosperma), a.k.a. spurweed, stickerweed, sandbur, sanbur and sandspur. Lawn burweed is a winter annual member of the Aster family. The weed germinates in the early fall months…
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Collaboration of UGA Entomology Department, Center for Invasive Species and Center for Urban Ag A flurry of recent press coverage has created a surge of interest in the Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia. The coverage is not traced to any recent event. The insect was found last September 2019 in Vancouver Island (Canada) and again…
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I get quite a few calls about lichens. Most clients bring in a sample or send me a picture of a frilly something growing on their tree or shrub and say, “This is killing my plant!” Well, actually, its not. Lichens (pronounced “liken”) are not parasitic. Lichens are made up of symbiotic organisms, a fungi…
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Energy drinks (Red Bull, Monster, 5 Hour energy), soda, coffee, and tea seem to be the first thing people reach for when they need a boost of energy. That boost of energy usually comes in the form of caffeine. Caffeine works by blocking the effects of adenosine, a brain chemical involved in sleep. By blocking…
Posted in: Uncategorized