January 8, 2008
Oregon Banning the Butterfly Bush
Did you hear the Oregon is trying to ban the butterfly bush? There are so many planted in the landscape and in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest that they are considered by some to be noxious weeds.
Posted by Ron Wolford at 12:58 AM | Permalink |
January 6, 2008
Building Locally Based Food Systems Workshop
If you are interested in expanding local foods work in your Unit, plan to attend Strategies for Building Locally Based Food Systems in Illinois Communities
A one-day workshop for Extension Educators and County Directors, elected and appointed officials, agency staff and economic development directors . . . and anyone interested in strengthening their community and its economy by creating a vibrant local food system.
You have a choice of TWO dates at TWO locations for this one-day workshop: February 11th, 2008 Starved Rock Lodge State Park, Utica Illinois or February 13th, 2008, University of Illinois Springfield, Illinois
There is growing interest in community or locally based food systems among a variety of key players in the food system (producers, consumers, non-profit organizations). Farmers' markets are on the rise and many consumers want to know where their food comes from. This workshop will introduce a newly developed resource guide on building local food systems for both rural and urban communities. This "how to" process outlines, step by step, how to encourage a local food system and provides Illinois examples of success.
Participants will learn to: 1) Assess the state of the food system in their region, 2) Access existing knowledge about local food system activities and initiatives in Illinois, 3) Identify activities and projects that can help communities get started in building a locally based food system, and 4) Explore roles for Extension and key stakeholders in the food system.
We encourage Extension Educators and County Directors to invite individuals from their communities who are or would be key players in building a local food system.
There is no cost for Extension personnel. For non-Extension participants, the cost is $30 per person and covers lunch (featuring local food), snacks and beverages and a copy of the Resource Guide, "Beyond the Farmers' Market: Planning for Local Food Systems."
To register: Go to the University of Illinois Extension's website: http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/pdo/ Registration is limited to 40, so please register soon. Deadline to register is FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2008. For more information or to register non-Extension participants, contact: Leslie Cooperband, lcooperb@uiuc.edu or 217-244-2743 or call Dee (Laboratory for Community and Economic Development staff) at 217.244.0120.
Posted by Ron Wolford at 12:06 PM | Permalink |
January 4, 2008
Online History of Horticulture Course
Purdue University has a course called, "The History of Horticulture" taught by Jules Janick of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. A video and PowerPoint slide program of all 42 lectures are available online.
You can view the video links in a media browser.The resolution is OK. Because image resolution is much better in the PowerPoint files the best way to view the lectures is to open the PowerPoint file (under "Course Content"), then open the video file and watch it as you follow along.
Posted by Ron Wolford at 6:49 PM | Permalink |
January 4, 2008
It is Raining Iguanas
Of course I have seen rain and snow fall from the sky but never iguanas. During Florida's recent cold snap, iguanas were falling from trees in a sort of suspended animation until it warmed up.
Posted by Ron Wolford at 5:16 PM | Permalink |
January 3, 2008
Prevent Wildlife Damage to Landscape
Most of Illinois is rural with some heavily urbanized areas. It is also home to a large population of wildlife. The population of rabbits, mice and especially deer may be higher now than they have ever been. Now that snow has covered the natural browse, these animals are forced to feed on trees and shrubs–often on prized landscape plants. University of Illinois Extension Educator David Robson shares several ways to protect your plants from these animals.
Mice take up residence in snow or debris near the bases of trees and shrubs, gnawing away the bark all winter, girdling the plants. Fruit trees, pines and shrubs, such as rose tree of China or flowering almond, are most attractive. The mice will build a tunnel system under the snow from plant to plant so they can move and feed safe from predators. Remove debris around the bases of the plants, and walk down the snow so the mice can't tunnel up to the plants.
You can place a plastic tube or collar around some plants. Chicken wire fencing works as long as there is an inch gap between the bark and the wire to prevent the mice from getting their teeth on the bark.
Rabbits, too, will resort to eating bark when snow covers their normal forage. They may girdle trees, but normally eat only the ends of branches of shrubs. This haircut usually does no permanent damage. Preferred are roses, fruit trees and young plants with thin bark.
One way to limit rabbit damage is to place branches on the ground next to the plant for the rabbits to gnaw on. They may not be looking for the branches as food as much as a means of grinding down their teeth.
Mechanical protection for trunk of young trees is effective. Use cylinders of hardware cloth at least 1-1/2 feet taller than the expected snow cover. Commercially available rabbit guards of plastic, aluminum, etc., work well too.
Protect beds of roses or finite areas of small trees using fencing 3 feet high, with the bottom 6 inches bent outward and an inch or so below the ground to prevent burrowing.
Keep snow at least 1-1/2 feet below the fence or tree guards, or rabbits will hop over them.
Deer populations can be high throughout the urban area, especially as they become accustomed to humans. Deer fearlessly feed on landscape plants even in densely populated areas anywhere near forest preserves, rivers, streams or other natural areas where they can hide during the day.
Once snow covers the grass, deer start to feed on evergreens and deciduous trees and shrubs, often removing everything from ground level to as high as they can reach. This can be especially damaging to evergreen hedges and foundation planting which may not grow back once all foliage is removed and also to dwarf fruit trees destroying the reachable fruiting branches.
Nothing seems to work 100 percent. Deer may be repelled by using bars of fragrant soap tied to 4-foot laths driven into the ground every 10-15 feet. If the deer are not wary of humans, this may not work. Some people report success with bags of human hair, easily obtained from hair salons and barbers.
There are some repellents on the market that give some satisfaction. Spraying plants with rabbit/deer repellent containing Thiram will usually prevent feeding by deer and rabbits. The material needs to be re-applied every month or so as it washes off.
Small areas may be fenced for seasonal deer protection. Fences must be placed so that there is insufficient take-off or landing room, or the deer will jump them. Snow fences may work in such cases. Large areas can be protected with electric fences where legal. Plans for such installation are available and must be followed carefully.
Source: David J. Robson, Extension Educator, Horticulture, drobson@uiuc.edu
Posted by Ron Wolford at 1:44 AM | Permalink |
January 2, 2008
New Hort Answers Website
We are pleased to release the new Hort Answers website. It is a comprehensive guide to help homeowners living in the USDA Hardiness Zones 4, 5 & 6. It provides localized information to help select and care for plants as well as identify and manage plant diseases, insects and other problems.
The site was developed by Bruce Paulsrud, former Extension Specialist, PAT; Jim Schuster, Extension Specialist, PAT/Plant Pathology; Maurice Ogutu, Extension Educator, Horticulture; Sharon Yiesla, Extension Unit Educator, Horticulture, and Greg Stack, Extension Educator, Horticulture.
It will be an excellent resource for Master Gardeners, media, libraries, garden center personnel, and home gardeners.
You can visit the site at: http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/hortanswers/
Posted by Ron Wolford at 3:53 PM | Permalink |
