Got a live Christmas tree? Now’s the time to prepare for planting it. So says Paul Snyder of CFAES’s Secrest Arboretum, who gives tips in the video above. (Hint: It’s best to dig the hole before the ground freezes.)
Month: December 2017
New tool for diagnosing algal blooms in rivers?
Harmful algal blooms in rivers and streams are neither well-understood nor easily predicted, and CFAES researchers are hoping to change that. (Photo: Study leader Mazeika Sullivan in the Olentangy River by Ken Chamberlain, CFAES.)
Here are the swans that a-swim in Ohio
Depending on the time of year, your true love can find up to three swans a-swimming in, a-flying over or a-breeding in Ohio. The tundra. The trumpeter. The mute. One is an invasive species. One is the result of a successful reintroduction. Read more beneath the “7 th day” heading (scroll down). (Photo: Trumpeter swans, iStock.)
Ohio Maple Days on tap Jan. 18-20
2018’s Ohio Maple Days will be on Jan. 18 in Morrow County, on Jan. 19 in Wayne and Holmes counties, and on Jan. 20 in Geauga County.
The annual program, the same at each location, will feature educational sessions on maple production. It’s timed to help producers prepare for the coming season, which in Ohio may run from January through mid-March, depending on the weather. Both hobby and commercial producers are welcome.
The event’s sponsor is CFAES’s Ohio Maple Program.
How to get started in farming
Interested in starting a farm? Learn the hows, ins and outs at the New and Small Farm College, an eight-week course by OSU Extension, CFAES’s outreach arm. It starts in January in two locations. Register to attend in Butler County or Scioto County. (Photo: iStock.)
How to grow barley for beer in Ohio
“We’re looking forward to beer made from Ohio-grown barley,” says CFAES scientist Eric Stockinger, a co-author of CFAES’s Management of Ohio Winter Malting Barley, a new guide for growers. “It’s taken us a lot to get to this point.”
Winter malting barley is new to Ohio.
O! See 18 Christmas trees all grown up
Visit Secrest Arboretum and see 18 examples of big, tall, still-growing Christmas trees. Read more, get their GPS locations and see photos of all 18. (There’s a slideshow, too, of their needles close up.) The arboretum is on CFAES’s Wooster campus. (Photo: Eastern white pine, Ken Chamberlain, CFAES.)
Way more than 6 geese a-laying
In parks, on farm ponds, on putting greens, Canada geese (pictured) “can sometimes become a problem,” Marne Titchenell, CFAES wildlife program specialist, says. “But they’re a constant reminder that we’re capable of helping a species in serious decline recover, and recover well.” Read their story under the “6th day” heading (scroll down).
And: Get tips for when geese become less than a gift. (Photo: iStock.)
For people of Earth who have Internet access
Here’s more on CFAES’s new MOOCs (free public online courses) on environmental science. (Photo: iStock.)
Dicamba restrictions added
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is requiring the makers of dicamba, a controversial weed killer, to revise its label directions. Specifically, use restrictions are being added to minimize the risk of drift onto neighboring crops. Read the story.