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Oregon nurseries explore unmanned drone technology to monitor fields

May 9th, 2011

By Eric Mortenson, The Oregonian

drone1.JPG

Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian Jim Owen, an Oregon State University researcher, retrieves a radio control helicopter after a test flight Thursday at J. Frank Schmidt & Son Nursery in Boring.

BORING — It’s enough to bring out the inner radio-control geek in anyone who sees it. Buzzing like a swarm of bees, a six-rotor helicopter revs to life and vaults straight up, rising quickly above thousands of potted trees at J. Frank Schmidt & Son Nursery.

It’s only about three feet across and its spindly legs make it look like a flying spider, but this is no toy. Loaded on board is sophisticated GPS technology that sends it to pre-programmed points and maintains a constant altitude of 25 meters, slightly more than 80 feet. Dangling from its abdomen is a digital camera. A swiveling housing keeps the camera level even if the craft pitches in the wind.

Pilot Heather Stoven, an Oregon State University research assistant who learned to fly the machine three days ago, flips a switch and takes a series of photographs of the trees below.

To read the complete article click here.

To read other related stories click here.

Oregon public universities are efficient, leaders tell legislators

May 4th, 2011
Published: Tuesday, May 03, 2011, 6:27 PM     Updated: Wednesday, May 04, 2011, 6:01 AM
 By Bill Graves, The Oregonian The Oregonian

SALEM — Leaders defended the efficiency of Oregon’s public universities and their professors during a legislative hearing Tuesday on an audit that raises questions about how professors spend their time.

Lawmakers expressed no alarm over the audit findings and took no action.

The Oregon Audits Division released a report Tuesday that concluded the Oregon University System does not track how much time professors spend in the classroom. The report also said the system spends less than a fifth of its budget on instruction.

The system cannot find ways to use professors more efficiently without a better grasp of how much time they spend on instruction, research and service, Gary Blackmer, director of the Secretary of State’s audits division, told a joint legislative audits committee.

To read the full article click here

Tuition money should go toward education

May 4th, 2011

Published: May 04. 2011 4:00AM PST by Bend Bulletin

Surely, this can’t be the best way to run Oregon’s university system.

The Legislature can take tuition money that students and families pay and spend it on something other than education. The Legislature can even swipe the interest.

There’s more. The Legislature gives Oregon universities less money per student than in all but five other states. The level of state support has dropped by some 16 percent for the 20 years ending in 2009.

And then the Legislature goes on to dictate the size of tuition and how the schools should spend their money in hundreds of line items.

Add it up. The Legislature gives Oregon’s higher education less and less, can take tuition students and families are forced to pay more of and then tells the university system how to spend a lot of the money that is left.

That is bad. Very bad.

The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office released a report this week on faculty efficiency in the Oregon University System. There was a legislative hearing on the audit today.

Now, we don’t dispute that there are more than likely ways in which the university system could use its faculty more efficiently. The audit states that faculty workload and student demand for courses is not comprehensively tracked.

Oversight is an important role for the Legislature. It could spend hours, even months, debating how much time faculty should spend teaching and doing research and the advantages and disadvantages of having graduate students teach many courses.

Instead of doing that, let’s talk about what the Legislature can do now. Pass Senate Bill 242.

SB 242 would give Oregon’s colleges and universities more autonomy to set and spend tuition and manage programs. The Legislature would still get to set performance goals for the system. It could set benchmarks for things like time to graduate, affordability, access for Oregon students and degrees. It could even, if it wanted, ask the university system to better track faculty workload and student demand for courses. Schools would still have to follow Oregon laws on openness, ethics and auditing.

Most importantly, the money paid for education would go toward education. That’s something more fundamental than that efficiency study. It is putting money where Oregon families intend it, not where the Legislature wants it. Call your legislator and ask what they are going to do to get SB 242 out of subcommittee and up for a vote.


Published Daily in Bend Oregon by Western Communications, Inc. © 2010

www.bendbulletin.com

Five high school teachers awarded Outstanding High School Educator Award

May 4th, 2011

By: Angela Yeager, 541-737-0784; angela.yeager@oregonstate.edu

Source: Jenn Casey, 541-737-0695; jenn.casey@bus.oregonstate.edu

PORTLAND, Ore. – Five exceptional high school teachers from Portland, Rockaway Beach, Lake Oswego, Gold Beach and Vancouver, Wash. are this year’s recipients of the Outstanding High School Educator Award.

The awards are sponsored by Oregon State University’s College of Business and the Portland Tribune and Community Newspapers.

Honorees will be recognized at Oregon State University’s 2011 College of Business Alumni & Business Partner Awards dinner on Tuesday, May 3, in Portland. Each will receive a $500 award to use in advancing educational programs at their school.

The annual awards recognize high school educators whose efforts have improved student achievement, used innovative and exemplary instructional strategies and enhanced student learning. Winners were selected based on their philosophy in teaching and how their efforts improved education in innovative ways.

Nominations were submitted from throughout Oregon and southwest Washington and were made by students, fellow teachers and administrators.

“We believe that education, especially at the high school level, provides the building blocks of leadership and evaluation, as well as the inspiration for future achievement,” said Steve Clark, president of the Portland Tribune and Community Newspapers.

The following teachers will receive this year’s Outstanding High School Educator Awards:

  • Gretchen Anthony has taught at Gold Beach High School on the Oregon coast for more than 21 years. She is known for instilling complex mathematics subjects through creative techniques, including guest speakers to illustrate career opportunities and the role of mathematics in the business world.
  • Diana Bledsoe is a teacher at Legacy High School in Vancouver, Wash., where she helps at-risk students retain essential life skills and meet graduation requirements. Her varied courses incorporate student interest in writing, culture and history that create a learning atmosphere of motivation, curiosity and engagement.
     
  • Elena Garcia-Velasco has developed and implemented a rigorous college-bound philosophy among students at Roosevelt High School in Portland. She teaches advanced placement classes for native Spanish- and English-speaking students.
     
  • Beth Gienger of Neah-Kah-Nie High School in Rockaway Beach has been a science teacher for 27 years and continually inspires students with her expertise in marine biology. She has taken students to numerous science competitions and has won championships.
  • Terry Moore, a teacher at Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego,is known for using innovative instructional methods at to help students understand difficult mathematics concepts. He has inspired students to become doctors, lawyers, business leaders, teachers, mathematicians and even a Rhodes Scholar.

-30-

About the OSU College of Business: The College of Business educates students for success in managing and developing sustainable, innovative enterprises in a dynamic economy. With strong graduate and undergraduate programs, internationally recognized scholarly research, and an emphasis on experiential learning, the college helps students and businesses succeed.

OSU Shares $9M Late Blight Management Grant

May 4th, 2011

Oregon State University is part of a 17-institutiion consortium that will share a grant of $9 million to study late blight, one of the world’s most significant plant diseases, which hits potatoes and tomatoes.

The 17 sharing institutions are in Mexico and Scotland, as well as the U.S. OSU will receive nearly$790,000 over the next five years.

“Late blight is a significant disease of potatoes, which is the world’s largest non-cereal crop, and a tomato pest,” says Niklaus (cq) Grunwald, a U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist who has a courtesy appointment to OSU’s Department of Botany and Plant Pathology.

For the full article click here

Surf’s Up, Natural Resource Use Down

May 4th, 2011

By Salem Weekly Editors
from Salem Weekly, Section News
Posted on Tue May 03, 2011 at 11:55:37 PM PDT

 Newport will soon be the first place in the United States to have a wave energy test program. The Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center, a collaboration of Oregon State University and the University of Washington, announced their decision in late April.

The site will be around one square mile in size, two miles northwest of Yaquina Head in water that is 150-180 feet deep. The facility is being funded by both the state of Oregon and the U.S. Department of Energy.

“If all of our plans and permits are approved, we hope to have the test facility available for wave energy developers to use by this fall,” said Annette von Jouanne, an OSU professor of electrical engineering and leader with the university’s wave energy research programs.

The site will also be used to study any potential environmental impacts on sediments and sea life. A release from the group said that it will not initially be connected to the land-based electrical grid.

To read the full article click here

Waiting for a Wave

May 4th, 2011

By: Jonathan Hiskes

Published: May 3 2011 – 7:14am

Tags: ,

Columbia Power Technologies’ SeaRay wave generator

Ken Rhinefrank stands aboard the crane barge Sea Horse and smacks his hand against the six-ton yellow contraption resting on it like a gigantic dumbbell. “Stronger than steel,” he says.

It’ll have to be. The dumbbell – the SeaRay developed by Oregon startup Columbia Power Technologies – is about to be lowered into Puget Sound in pursuit of a goal that has eluded engineers for decades: generating reliable energy from the waves.

It’s a mother of a technical challenge. A field-tested, commercial-ready wave-energy device – there are only a few in the world – has to withstand the pummeling of wind and surf, the relentless corrosion of saltwater and maybe 300-pound seals that try to sun themselves on its surface.

To read the full article click here

Clackamas County Extension Community Report Now Available

May 4th, 2011

The Clackamas County Extension Community Report is now available.  The 16-page tabloid was published in cooperation with the Pamplin Media Group.  The tabloid appeared in the following community newspapers the last week of April, 2011: Sandy Post, Estacada News, Oregon City News, Clackamas Review, West Linn Tidings, Lake Oswego Review, Wilsonville Spokesman, Canby Herald and Molalla Pioneer.  The circulation was 50,000 copies.

“Extension’s Community Report provides a look at the university’s work in our county,” said Mike Bondi, Oregon State University’s Staff Chair at the Clackamas County Extension office.  In addition, Bondi is the Interim Director at OSU’s North Willamette Research and Extension Center (NWREC) at Aurora—also, in Clackamas County.  The report includes information Extension’s programs in the county—4-H, Family and Community Health, Forestry and Natural Resources and Agriculture.  Several pages of the report focus specifically on agricultural topics and the work of the faculty and staff at NWREC. 

“Our goal with the Community Report is to showcase our key education programs, outreach, and research for the past year—and the difference these activities make in people’s lives here in our communities.”  Copies of the Clackamas County Extension Community Report can be obtained at the Extension office in Oregon City or at NWREC in Aurora.

The report can be found online here

Welcome to the Urban-Rural Divide

May 4th, 2011

By: The Daily Astorian

The Oregon State University Extension Service is 100 years old. Gov. John Kitzhaber commemorated that birthday recently by proclaiming a special day in its honor. The news release noted the OSU off-campus education outreach program results in faculty working in every county in Oregon. 

“Extension is perhaps best known for its 4-H clubs for youths, its Master Gardener training and its assistance to the state’s agricultural producers,” said the governor’s release. “But it also educates low-income Oregonians about proper nutrition, teaches forest owners how to manage their land and helps people improve watersheds. It trains home canners to preserve food safely, helps senior citizens stay healthy, shows aspiring small farmers how to get started and publishes how-to guides on everything from controlling aphids on roses to maintaining a septic tank.”

To read the full article click here.

National Competition Digs In To Central Oregon Dirt

May 4th, 2011

David Nogueras | April 29, 2011 | Sisters, OR

Today in Central Oregon students from more than 20 universities around the country will be rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty as part of the 51st annual National Collegiate Soil Judging Contest.

This year’s competition is being hosted by Oregon State University’s Cascades Campus. 

Competitors will be racing against the clock to determine the kings and queens of the soil pit.

The head of OSU Cascade’s Natural Resources program seems remarkably relaxed for a guy about to host his first national soil competition.  But then again, most of the heavy lifting is already done, specifically the digging of the 23 soil pits. 

For the full article click here

OSU Art About Agriculture Exhibition Opens May 6

May 4th, 2011

By Judy Scott, 541-737-1386, judy.scott@oregonstate.edu

Source: Shelley Curtis, 541-737-5534, shelley.curtis@oregonstate.edu

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The work of 17 artists will be showcased in the Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences’ 29th annual “Art About Agriculture” exhibition May 6–27 in the Giustina Gallery in LaSells Stewart Center.

“This year’s exhibition presents art by visual artists who draw, paint, photograph and sculpt,” said Shelley Curtis, curator. “Through their work they offer us understanding into values and deeper meaning of our region’s salient natural resources.”

The theme for the exhibit is “Ways into the Region.”

Another showing of the art is scheduled in Medford June 17 through July 29 at the Rogue Gallery and Art Center, 40 S. Bartlett St. A public reception at the Medford showing is Friday, June 17, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Rogue Gallery.

Judges Keith Achepohl from Eugene, an emeritus professor of art at the University of Iowa, and Marsha Matthews, Portland, director of public services for the Oregon Historical Society, will award more than $4,000 to chosen artists.

Artists are:

•     Albany: Gale Everett, Bobbie Jansen

•     Ashland: Bruce Allen Bayard, Betty LaDuke

•     Baker City: Phillip John Charette, Paul Hoelscher

•     Beaverton: Leslie Wu

•     Corvallis: Karla Chambers, Louie Paul

•     Portland: Katherine Ace, Melissa Basey, Lisa Caballero, Jeff Leake, Paula Rebsom, David Schell, Kentree Speirs

•     Vancouver, Wash.: Carson Legree

Note to Editors: Photographs of the following artwork are available at: http://eescphotos.extension.oregonstate.edu/11ArtAboutAg

•     “Showers,” an oil alkyd w/mixed media work by Katherine Ace of Portland, is among 40 works by 17 artists in the 2011 OSU College of Agricultural Sciences Art About Agriculture exhibit.

•     “Oregon Green Bean Harvest,” a painting on routed plywood by Betty LaDuke of Ashland, is among 40 works by 17 artists in the 2011 OSU College of Agricultural Sciences Art About Agriculture exhibit.

•     “Choosing Stones, Lost Lake,” an oil painting on canvas by Leslie Wu of Beaverton, is among 40 works by 17 artists in the 2011 OSU College of Agricultural Sciences Art About Agriculture exhibit.

Gardening News from OSU Extension Service and the OSU Agricultural Experiment Station

May 4th, 2011

The May 2011 issue of Oregon State University’s E-News for Northwest Gardeners is now online at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/enews.

You can forward the subscription to gardening friends. Ask them to send an email to: gardeners-subscribe@lists.oregonstate.edu. It’s free and easy!

Additionally, you can find weekly gardening information from OSU on Twitter at http://twitter.com/OSUgardeners.

COLD WEATHER GARDENING

Plant cole crops in June and July for fall-winter harvest Plant Brussels’ sprouts, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower starts and kale seed by the end of July to harvest in the fall, winter and early spring.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/262

Over tilling can compact soil

Never till soil when it is wet. Find out why.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1051

How to grow vegetables in Oregon’s colder regions Janice Cowan, horticulturist with the Baker County office of OSU Extension, knows how to increase the odds for a great gardening season.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1437

Is it time to plant vegetables? Ask your soil thermometer (This timely news release was in last month’s E-News, and deserves a repeat.) Soil temperature is the best indicator of when to plant vegetables, said Annie Chozinski, OSU vegetable researcher.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1457

WHEN THE TIME ARRIVES

Some vegetables require less water than others

Some vegetables, such as beans, are adapted to drought conditions at a very basic, cellular level.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1461

This spring plant a butterfly garden

You can attract butterflies to your garden if you simply provide a few essentials for the stages of their lives.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1460

Garlic expert: Fertilize and weed garlic in the spring

Fertilize garlic in the spring if you want a large and healthy crop of bulbs by summer.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1458

Clematis vines need three requirements to grow

With a little special handling at the start until they are established, clematis will grow and flower year after year.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1462

OSU guides help manage plant diseases, weeds and insects

Information on pest biology and chemical and nonchemical control methods are useful to Pacific Northwest farmers and growers as well as home gardeners.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/node/778

WHAT’S NEW

OSU Art About Agriculture exhibition opens May 6

This year’s theme is “Ways Into the Region.” The work of these visual artists offers understanding into values and deeper meaning of our region’s salient natural resources.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/node/780

OSU shares $9 million grant to manage late blight disease

Late blight is a tomato pest and a significant disease of potatoes, the world’s largest non-cereal crop.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/node/775

ONE-MINUTE GARDENER

Gardening tips from OSU Extension’s radio archive. Turn on your speakers and visit the links below:

Cut your daffodils

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/sites/default/files/audio/daffodil.mp3

Moss and thatch removal from lawns

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/sites/default/files/audio/mossthatch.mp3

OSU GARDEN CALENDAR FOR MAY

Things to do in your garden this month.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/calendar#may

Three requirements needed to grow clematis vines

May 4th, 2011

4-29-11

By Judy Scott, 541-737-1386, judy.scott@oregsonstate.edu   

Source: Ross Penhallegon, 541-344-1709, ross.penhallegon@oregonstate.edu

EUGENE, Ore. – Clematis vines have three main requirements to thrive – sunlight on their stems and leaves; cool and moist but not wet roots; and support for climbing.

“They need a little special handling at the start, but once established they grow and flower year after year,” said Ross Penhallegon, horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service.

To provide ample sunlight, plant the vine where it will get at least six hours of daylight. Filtered shade during the hottest part of the day (July–September) will help keep dark-colored blooms from fading. For a cool root zone, use mulch or organic compost, or plant low-growing shrubs or perennials that will shade the base of the vine. For support use a fence, trellis, tall shrub or another vine, such as climbing rose or wisteria, for support.

Although clematis vines are native to Europe, Asia and North America, more than 200 varieties are available to Oregon gardeners. Some are native to Oregon; the most common is the western white clematis, also known as virgin’s bower or old man’s beard.

The diversity is stunning. Both evergreen and deciduous, some have large purple, white or pink blossoms, others are small, creamy and fragrant. Others have yellow or cerulean blue bell shaped flowers. Some bloom once in the summer, others in the spring and fall, or only in the fall.

Deciduous clematis is hardy in all Oregon climates. Evergreen varieties, such as sweet smelling, spring blooming clematis armandii, are more sensitive to the cold and perform best in western valleys and the coast. Oregon usually gets a couple of weeks of very cold weather, especially in December or January.

Clematis roots need plenty of room: Dig a large planting hole, two feet deep and nearly as wide. If the soil is very heavy or has lots of clay, add fine bark, manure, compost and/or peat moss. The more organic matter, the better. Add lime if the soil is acidic.

“If your garden tends toward clay, rough up the sides of the planting hole to prevent ‘glazing,’ which can keep the roots from growing beyond the smooth sides of the planting hole into the surrounding soil,” Penhallegon said. The roughing up can also keep water from pooling in the planting hole during the wet season.

Set the plant in the hole with the crown two to three inches below the soil surface. Stake the vine until it has grown enough to reach its permanent support. A new plant should be well-watered, but not overfed. Once established, it will respond well to rose or tomato food, or any fertilizer in the range of 5-10-5 or 5-10-10 or good compost or chicken manure.                     

As clematis like to keep its feet cool, insulate the root zone of your clematis with a thick mulch of straw, leaves or bark. Or plant a low-growing plant or a rock on the south side of your clematis to help keep the root area shaded.

Pinch out the tips of new shoots once or twice during the first growing season to encourage branching near the base of the vine.

Most clematis will perform better with an annual pruning. Those that bloom during summer on new wood need heavy pruning in winter or early spring, or they will look thin and stringy. The kinds that bloom in the spring on last year’s wood can do without pruning, but are better if cut back lightly after they have finished flowering in the later spring or summer.

If given a good start, and a little maintenance, your clematis can live for a long time.

-30-

About Garden News from OSU Extension Service: The Extension Service Gardening web page, http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/, links to a broad spectrum of information on Oregon gardening, such as tips, monthly calendars, how-to publications, audio programs, the Master Gardener program and “Northwest Gardeners e-News.”

4-H Youth Selected to Travel to Mongolia

May 4th, 2011

Seven Oregon 4-H members have been selected to join a delegation of 30 youth and five adult chaperones that will travel to Mongolia this summer through a leadership program developed by the University of Wyoming 4-H Youth Development Program in partnership with the Mongolian 4-H Youth Organization. The Oregon 4-H Youth Development Program is a cooperator with this cultural immersion opportunity.

Youth were selected through an application and interview process from the 13-state western region of the land-grant universities Cooperative Extension System. The finalists selected are from Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Enhancing Global Perspectives in Youth is funded by a $267,434 grant from the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service. The Mongolian group is in the country’s capital, Ulaanbaatar.

The group will leave June 16 and return July 15.

“The program will provide an opportunity for students to experience firsthand knowledge of foreign cultures and to collaborate on solving global natural resource and environmental issues,” said Warren Crawford, youth development specialist with Wyoming 4-H. Crawford, along with Kim Reaman, Wyoming state 4-H volunteer management specialist, will also accompany the group.

For most of the stay, the delegates will live with a Mongolian host family and experience the Mongolian way of life. The delegation will also be learning about environmental issues such as renewable energy, water quality and land restoration and reclamation.

In addition, youth will participate in community service projects in and around the capital city of Ulaanbaatar and attend the Mongolian festival of Naadam.

Oregon youth delegates are:

Emily Cackler, Buxton in Washington County—a student at Banks High School Nicholas Morales, Medford in Jackson County—a student at South Medford High School Erynne van Zee, Corvallis in Benton County—a student at Crescent Valley High School Michael Boggess, Corvallis in Benton County—a student at Crescent Valley High School Samuel Greydanus, Corvallis in Benton County—a student at Crescent Valley High School Jaden Bales, Imbler, in Union County—a student at Imbler Charter Schools Shelby Worthing, Prineville, in Crook County—a student at Crook County High School

Zachary Lauritzen, Corvallis, a Social Studies teacher at Crescent Valley High School, is one of the five adult chaperones selected to accompany the delegation to Mongolia.

In support of the newly established 4-H program, the delegation will be taking children’s books, and horse helmets for use by the Mongolian 4-H Organization. Generous donations by the following groups, businesses, and individuals have provided these items for the Oregon delegates.

Horse helmets:

The Tack Box, Corvallis

Deschutes County 4-H Horse Leaders, Central Oregon Washington County 4-H Horse Leaders, Hillsboro

Books:

Carol Lauritzen, Professor of Education; Eastern Oregon University, LaGrande Three Rivers Community School students, Ontario

Questions?

Lillian Larwood

4-H Specialist-World Citizenship
4-H Youth Development Education
105 Ballard Hall
Corvallis, OR  97331-3608
541-737-1316 (p)
541-737-1332 (f)

lillian.larwood@oregonstate.edu

OSU E-News for Northwest Gardeners, May 2011

April 29th, 2011

COLD WEATHER GARDENING

Plant cole crops in June and July for fall-winter harvest Plant Brussels’ sprouts, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower starts and kale seed by the end of July to harvest in the fall, winter and early spring.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/262

Over tilling can compact soil

Never till soil when it is wet. Find out why.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1051

How to grow vegetables in Oregon’s colder regions Janice Cowan, horticulturist with the Baker County office of OSU Extension, knows how to increase the odds for a great gardening season.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1437

Is it time to plant vegetables? Ask your soil thermometer (This timely news release was in last month’s E-News, and deserves a repeat.) Soil temperature is the best indicator of when to plant vegetables, said Annie Chozinski, OSU vegetable researcher.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1457

WHEN THE TIME ARRIVES

Some vegetables require less water than others

Some vegetables, such as beans, are adapted to drought conditions at a very basic, cellular level.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1461

This spring plant a butterfly garden

You can attract butterflies to your garden if you simply provide a few essentials for the stages of their lives.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1460

Garlic expert: Fertilize and weed garlic in the spring

Fertilize garlic in the spring if you want a large and healthy crop of bulbs by summer.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1458

Clematis vines need three requirements to grow

With a little special handling at the start until they are established, clematis will grow and flower year after year.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1462

OSU guides help manage plant diseases, weeds and insects

Information on pest biology and chemical and nonchemical control methods are useful to Pacific Northwest farmers and growers as well as home gardeners.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/node/778

WHAT’S NEW

OSU Art About Agriculture exhibition opens May 6

This year’s theme is “Ways Into the Region.” The work of these visual artists offers understanding into values and deeper meaning of our region’s salient natural resources.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/node/780

OSU shares $9 million grant to manage late blight disease

Late blight is a tomato pest and a significant disease of potatoes, the world’s largest non-cereal crop.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/node/775

ONE-MINUTE GARDENER

Gardening tips from OSU Extension’s radio archive. Turn on your speakers and visit the links below:

Cut your daffodils

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/sites/default/files/audio/daffodil.mp3

Moss and thatch removal from lawns

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/sites/default/files/audio/mossthatch.mp3

OSU GARDEN CALENDAR FOR MAY

Things to do in your garden this month.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/calendar#may

Note to media outlets: Each month, we send out these timely garden and natural resource articles as OSU Extension’s monthly electronic “Northwest Gardeners e-News” magazine, which can be accessed online at: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/enews/.

Also, the OSU Extension Service sends out one new “Lawn and Garden Notes” article every week. To receive this weekly OSU gardening article, e-mail your request to: Karen.Zimmermann@oregonstate.edu

You may also want to bookmark the OSU Extension Service’s gardening webpage. From one spot, you can link to hundreds of OSU garden articles; publications; online guides to weed, pest and disease control; garden calendars; radio programs; the OSU Extension Master Gardener Program; local county Extension offices; and urban entomology websites.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/

Feel free to contact Peg Herring or Judy Scott with questions or feedback. They can be reached by mail at Extension and Experiment Station Communications, Oregon State University, 422 Kerr Admin. Bldg., Corvallis, OR 97331-2119, by telephone at 541-737-3311, and by e-mail at Peg.Herring@oregonstate.edu or Judy.Scott@oregonstate.edu

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