Homeowners

Kill Poison Hemlock Now!

– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension

While hemlock may still be vegetative today, it will soon look like this.

Poison hemlock has already emerged in a vegetative state around Noble County and beyond. Soon it will be bolting and blooming on stalks 6-10 feet tall. All parts of the plant are toxic to all classes of livestock if consumed and is prevalent along roadsides, ditches, and crop field borders.

It is a biennial weed that does not flower in the first year of growth but flowers in the second year. The earlier you can address poison hemlock with mowing and/or herbicide application, the better your control methods will be.

 

 

 

Continue reading Kill Poison Hemlock Now! →

2024 Small Farm Conference

The deadline to register for the 2024 Small Farm Conference and Trade Show is approaching on March 28th,  we don’t want you to miss out on this great opportunity.

Register today at: https://go.osu.edu/2024osusmallfarmconference

Conference Details: https://u.osu.edu/gofarmohio/programs/new-and-small-farm-conference/

Expect to See More Ticks Statewide this Season

Farm and Dairy (Previously Published online with Farm and Dairy: May 1, 2023)

Backyard lovers, campers, outdoors enthusiasts, and pet owners beware. If you thought last year’s tick season was bad, just wait. This year has the potential to be even worse.

Ticks — and the diseases they carry — are on the rise in Ohio and will likely continue to increase. There has been a steady increase in tick-vectored disease numbers in Ohio each year, and officials don’t expect to see a reverse of the trend, said Tim McDermott, an educator with Ohio State University Extension, the outreach arm of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).

“While you can encounter a tick during any season, spring marks the beginning of heavy tick season, and this year, the tick population statewide is expected to continue to rise,” he said.

McDermott said there are multiple factors contributing to the increase in tick-vectored disease, including global climate change, tick range expansion, and increasing numbers of wildlife living in close proximity to people.

 

Continue reading Expect to See More Ticks Statewide this Season →

Roundup vs. Roundup vs. Roundup – REALLY??!

 

From a consumer standpoint this could quite possibly be the worst product marketing of ALL TIME!

 

 

Roundup has been around for a long time.  The active ingredient in “Roundup” is glyphosate.  Many of us know “Roundup” as a non-selective herbicide – i.e. it will kill all plants it contacts.

So what’s the problem?  With these products having a similar name, it’s quite possible to grab the wrong product from the shelf and thus risk harming or destroying the wrong (or all) plants.

The Solution.  Always read the label!  Products with similar names may have different active ingredients and therefore may not have the have the desired outcome.

Below is a general guide to the different Roundup products available to consumers.  Note that for many of these products there may be ready to use (RTU) and/or concentrate formulations available with different ratios or percentages of the same active ingredients.  Additional products are marketed for use in southern turfgrass.

Don’t be fooled by products that have a similar name . . . read the label!

 

Spotted Lanternfly Continues to Develop

Author: Amy Stone

Originally posted on the Buckeye Yard and Garden OnLine

Life-Cycle Illustration of SLF

While the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) (SLF) has not been detected in Ohio, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), along with the Ohio State University (OSU) and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) are urging Ohioans to continue to be on the look-out for this invasive insect. Many are using the Great Lakes Early Detection Network (GLEDN) App to report tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima), a favorite food or host for this plant hopper, especially as an adult, and then revisiting the tree looking for signs and symptoms of SLF throughout the year.

Continue reading Spotted Lanternfly Continues to Develop →

Poison Hemlock and Wild Parsnip are Blooming in Southern Ohio

 

Originally posted on Buckeye Yard and Garden Online

By Joe Boggs- June 3, 2020

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) and wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) are two of our nastiest non-native weeds found in Ohio.  Poison hemlock is one of the deadliest plants in North America.  Wild parsnip can produce severe, painful blistering.  Both are commonly found growing together.

Poison hemlock and wild parsnip are members of the carrot family, Apiaceae.  The old name for the family was Umbelliferae which refers to the umbel flowers.  They are a key family feature with short flower stalks rising from a common point like the ribs on an umbrella.

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Heavy Maple Seed Production=Slow Leaf Development

Originally posted on The Buckeye Yard and Garden OnLine

By Joe Boggs and Curtis Young

Phone calls and e-mail messages to Extension offices from landowners concerned about the health of maples should soon be on the rise.  That’s because maples, especially silver (Acer saccharinum) and red maples (A. rubrum), in many regions of Ohio as well as Indiana and Kentucky are producing loads of winged seeds (samaras).

Continue reading Heavy Maple Seed Production=Slow Leaf Development →

Mining Bees Can Cause Minor Panic

By: Joe Boggs- Buckeye Yard and Garden OnLine – April 4, 2020

Last week, I came across one of the largest collections of soil “mining bees” that I’ve ever seen in Ohio. The “colony” was located in a picnic area and numerous males were making their low-level flights in search of females.  The sparse turfgrass coupled with early-evening lighting made conditions perfect for taking pictures.

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Chow Line: Leafy Greens Suspected in Latest E. coli Food Poisoning Cases

November 30, 2018, Originally posted on CFAES website

I’m confused about the recent reports regarding leafy greens such as romaine lettuce. How is it that leafy greens can cause a foodborne illness?

Well, it is not the leafy greens themselves making people sick, but rather that they are the suspected source of pathogenic E. coli that has sickened some 58 people in Canada.

Photo: Getty Images

 

Continue reading Chow Line: Leafy Greens Suspected in Latest E. coli Food Poisoning Cases →