Tag Archive for: #cooperativeextension

Cooperative Extension with Wayne Rowland: Firewood From Woodlots

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Tools For Parents

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Home And Garden Show

On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • January is the inventory season to check your seed chemicals, garden equipment.
  • If you are shopping for lawn & garden equipment, consider the rechargeable options.
  • Plan landscape projects now
  • When planning landscape projects, consider impacts on tree root zones.
  • Write down garden problems you had in 2023 Contact Cooperative Extension.
  • Begin monitoring lawns for cool season weeds
  • Check pruning equipment now!
  • Visit public gardens even in winter!
  • Construct a small greenhouse.

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Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Logical Consequences

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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Home And Garden Show

On the Home and Garden Show with Vance Co. Cooperative Ext.

  • Start planning your spring garden on paper
  • Consider options to add beauty to your winter landscape.
  • Order new varieties of seed ASAP
  • Don’t wait until spring for landscape projects that include trees and shrubs.
  • Review your garden notebook. Start a new notebook for 2024
  • Start planning now for turf weed management.
  • Check pruning equipment now!
  • Consider switching to battery powered equipment.

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Cooperative Extension with Paul McKenzie: What Works in The Garden

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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The Local Skinny! Assessing Your Shade Trees

Shade trees are valuable additions to many yards and landscapes, but just because they’re big and strong, there are several maintenance tips that homeowners can perform – especially in the winter months – to ensure those trees remain healthy.

The roots of shade trees such as oak, poplar and maple extend out laterally well beyond the trunk, said Vance County N.C. Cooperative Extension Agent Paul McKenzie. A general rule of thumb is that the roots extend at least to the edge of the tree canopy. For large, mature trees that could mean a 50- to 75-foot circle around each tree.

“It’s important to protect the roots,” McKenzie said on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

And those roots are relatively shallow –  12 inches or so beneath the soil – since their main job is to take in nutrients and water for the tree.

Avoid trenching, grading or any kind of construction that could affect the roots of trees in the landscape. Placing excessive mulch on top of roots can also be detrimental, he said.

McKenzie said it’s often tough to grow grass in the shade – there’s simply not enough sunlight and grass doesn’t compete well against the extensive root system of shade trees.

He suggests letting nature take its course and let natural leaf litter build up under those trees. Now that most leaves have fallen, it’s a good time to walk around those trees to look for signs of damage.
“Make sure you don’t see anything unusual,” he said, including trunk damage from lightning strikes or isolated fungal growth.

And don’t forget to look up – “Look up at the canopy to see the branch structure for any broken or dead limbs,” McKenzie said.

The N.C. Cooperative Extension, the N.C. Forest Service or a professional certified arborist can help provide answers to questions about caring for shade trees in your landscape, McKenzie said.

Contact McKenzie at 252.438.8188 or paul_mckenzie@ncsu.edu for more information.

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Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover: Natural Consequences

 

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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Cooperative Extension: Recycle Christmas Trees To Provide Refuge For Birds, More

That live Christmas tree that has sheltered gifts under its needled boughs can have a second life once it’s served its purpose for the holidays.

N.C. Cooperative Extension Agent Paul McKenzie said those live trees – many of them probably Fraser Firs raised right here in North Carolina – can create useful habitats for birds and other woodland animals right in your landscape.

You’ll want to make sure all the decorations are removed, of course, but once that’s done, the tree can be placed out of the way in your yard – if it’s big enough – or in or near a wooded area.

The trees provide a wonderful refuge for birds and other furry mammals who may be looking for a safe spot to hide from predators, McKenzie noted.

For years, discarded trees have been used along the state’s beaches to add stability to the sand dunes along the coast.

And pond owners also know the benefit of submerging discarded trees to create a protective spot for fish and other water-dwelling creatures.

If none of those options work for you, McKenzie said the trees are considered yard waste, so they can be collected and then sent through the chipper to become compost.

 

 

Cooperative Extension With Jamon Glover: Consequences Overview

Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.

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