ProHort, short for Professional Horticulture, is research-driven education for individuals in the tree, lawn, landscape maintenance, and garden center industries, as well as anyone who wants to hone her/his skills in the areas of botany, insects, soils, landscape design, plant disease, trees, wildlife damage management, turfgrass, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM). While people participating in…
Using a Lawn Service…after Snow Removal?
Here in the dead of winter, a valuable service to hire to maintain a residential property is a snow removal company. No more aching back, slipping and falling and shivering in the cold. Of course all of that comes at a price, so you have to determine if it’s worth it. As well, as their…
Winter Water
The weather the past few days in the Omaha Metro area has been fantastic! If you had a chance to get out this past weekend I am sure you saw people taking full advantage of the weather. Many of us went for a walk or took down Christmas decorations on the house. But how many…
Put That Gift Card to Good Use
*Take an inventory of what you have in the garden tool and supplies room. Chances are that you have some fertilizer leftover, but just how much? And what kind? How about essentials such as hand pruners, hoses and fertilizer spreaders? Take a close look – are they in good shape or are there missing/broken parts….
Reflection
Every year seems to go by a little faster and this year was no exception. To share with you what the Extension Master Gardener program did in the Douglas-Sarpy counties in 2018: The Horticulture Helpline answered 8,094 questions starting in March and wrapping up in November. We had a team of over 40 volunteers manning…
New Turf in Late Fall
After the scourges of summer, many of us replanted or renovated the turf around homes and throughout the landscape. As the winter sets in, there are a few steps to take to increase the odds of survival and regrowth next spring. Perhaps the most important “to do” is to keep the soil moist…not soggy…
Winterize Garden Tools
Garden tools are important – they make the job easier, and they’re not inexpensive. If you’ve been gardening for a while, or even just taking care of the lawn and a few perennials, you’ve probably accumulated a collection of several important pieces. A few minutes of care will pay dividends. No matter the tool…
Post Frost Weed Control
So, it frosted. In some areas, it was a hard frost with temperatures down in the 26 degree F range, and in others, plus/minus 30 degrees. At this point in October, the question is: Is it a good idea to apply a post emergence herbicide to the lawn, considering the recent frost? The answer? It…
Late Fall Fertilizer Timing
For the past 5 years or so, our recommendation has been to lightly fertilize turfgrass stands in the Halloween timeframe to bolster root growth heading into winter. That recommendation still stands, however, due to recent extended periods of cool, wet weather, we’re encouraging that an adjustment be made for this year. Instead of strict adherence…
The Benefits of Fallen Leaves
It’s too bad autumn’s fallen leaves are seen as a nuisance, something to be gotten rid of as soon as possible. In truth, they are a boon to landscapes, serving as mulches, benefiting soils, and boosting our compost piles. Not only are leaf piles fun to jump in and make for great leaf fights, by…