All the mechanisms of life are represented in a garden: respiration, nutrition, circulation, reproduction and maturation. As such, it’s a perfect science laboratory where students can hone their math and observational skills and creativity.
Continue readingGrowing Vegetable Transplants
On Wednesday, February 3, the Horticulture Webinar Wednesdays presents a training on Growing Vegetable Transplants with Annette Heisdorffer, County Extension Agent for Horticulture in Daviess County. The webinar begins at 12:30 pm EST/ 11:30 am CST.
Register for the meeting here: https://tinyurl.com/UKYHortWebWed21
See what other webinars are coming this season here: https://kentuckyhortnews.com/horticulture-webinar-wednesdays/season-two/
View Season One webinars here: https://kentuckyhortnews.com/horticulture-webinar-wednesdays/season-one/
Growing Microgreens
Microgreens are ‘baby plants’, growing to only 1-3 inches tall when harvested. Reaching the harvest stage can take anywhere from 1-3 weeks, depending on the type. They can add color, texture, and interesting flavors to meals. Additionally, research has shown microgreens generally have higher concentrations of vitamins than the same plants grown to maturity. They can easily be grown indoors at home and are a great way to get your greens over the winter!
Continue readingAdding Color to Winter
In many years, horticulture’s glorious October-color fades away in November and December. Splashes of color from chrysanthemums and asters, along with once-blazing hues of deciduous leaves slip away into the monochromatic days of November and December. Jack Frost has wiped out most annual-bedding plants that cheered summer and fall gardens. Now that the warm season is a memory and cold weather knocks at the door, what can gardeners do for color?
Continue readingNot the Time to Prune Trees and Shrubs
Deciduous trees are losing their leaves. Does this signal a time for pruning? Generally, no. The preferred time for pruning most woody plants is late winter to early spring. These plants will be initiating grown in spring and will be better able to deal with cut surfaces. Plants pruned in fall and winter, as growth ceases, are less able to deal with pruning cuts. However, there are some types of pruning that can be practiced at any time of the year.
Continue readingA Little About Cranberries
Cranberries were first called craneberries by the pilgrims, since this plant has small pink blossoms which appear in spring and resemble the head and bill of a Sandhill crane. Early settlers used the cranberry as a natural preservative when mixed with meat. This dish was called pemmican and was a mixture of crushed cranberries, dried deer meat, and melted fat.
Continue readingWhat’s that goo?
You may have noticed greenish/brown jelly like blobs appearing in your drive way or lawn. That is called Nostoc. It is a type of bacteria that gets its energy from photosynthesis like plants do. Following a period of rain, it may appear suddenly in lawns, pastures, paved surfaces, roofs or stones. Nostoc has many colorful names including witches’ butter, mare’s eggs and meadow ears, among others. In fact, one of the earliest names for it was star jelly, based on the belief that it was a remnant of shooting stars fallen to earth. Continue reading
Planting for Spring Surprises
Everyone I know loves being surprised. That’s the feeling I get in the spring when the first signs of crocuses appear in my garden beds and across my lawn. I planted the bulbs over 10 years ago and they still bring joy and a feeling of surprise when they pop out of the winter ground. Continue reading
Sourwood
Have you ever looked up in the tree canopy to look for flowers in summer months? Some trees flower in the summer. There are fewer trees that bloom in July and August. Summer beauty can be enhanced by adding a native summer-flowering tree. Take a look at the Kentucky’s Sourwood tree Oxydendrum arboreum. These are a delight to the landscape and flower in summer. Continue reading
Growing Grass in the Shade
Growing grass in the shade is problem for which there are no easy answers. Grass is a full-sun plant and when planted in shaded areas (defined as a site that receives less than 4 to 5 hours of direct sunlight daily) it performs poorly. The filtering effect of trees significantly reduces the amount and quality of light grasses receive. This has an adverse effect on photosynthesis, the process that produces energy needed for the grasses to grow. What we see from this effect are grasses that are thin, weak, and have a lower tolerance to disease, drought and wear stress. Continue reading
Kentucky Hort News 
You must be logged in to post a comment.