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Note: This article is part of the Growing Knowledge series in Digger magazine. This series is provided by Oregon State University in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture and in partnership with the Oregon Association of Nurseries.

Pest control for Christmas trees

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Evaluating new and old insecticides, and beneficial insects, for aphid control By Chal Landgren, Judy Kowalski, David Howell, Paige Kuchy Aphid control on Christmas tree and other conifer plantings can be a yearly headache for growers. This is especially true for growers of grand fir which, for some reason, seems especially “tasty” to aphids. Over […]

Grapes as a nursery opportunity

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Grapes are one of the ancient commodities, as they have been important to agriculture and human history for centuries. The growth of grapes and production of wine are rife with tradition. As a result, wine grapes are one of the least improved crops in modern agriculture. The wine industry’s strong tradition has growers in both […]

Here comes the sun

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Researchers continue to evaluate soil solarization as a weed management technique By Carol Mallory-Smith, Jennifer Parke and Nami Wada In 2017, nursery and greenhouse producers added $947.7 million to Oregon’s economy, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture. And for this very valuable Oregon industry, and all agricultural systems, weeds are a major issue impacting […]

Turf care without herbicides

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Research evaluates the use of IPM for weed control on turfgrass By Emily Braithwaite, Brian McDonald, Tim Stock and Alec Kowalewski It is speculated that proper cultural management practices can reduce weed populations in turfgrass without the use of herbicide applications. With new laws restricting access to certain pesticides within turfgrass management and increased pressure […]

The ‘tangled root ball’

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Family-owned businesses must balance work, ownership and family roles Each June, family business owners interview with a panel of peers to compete in the Excellence in Family Business Awards. Judges consistently ask each CEO how they carve out time for their family. To date, the most memorable — and perhaps practical — “policy” came from […]

Up in the air

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The popularity of drones, aka unmanned aerial vehicles or systems (UAVs/UASs), has dramatically increased over the past decades. Like global positioning (GPS) technology, walkie-talkies and Jeeps, drones initially were developed for military use. Although the U.S. Air Force’s Predator and Reaper drones continue to appear on the evening news, and as a plot device in […]

Treating and tracking the intractable Rhodococcus

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Leafy gall disease is like an unnoticed leak: what starts out small can get worse and end up causing significant losses. Leafy gall is caused by the bacterium Rhodococcus, which afflicts annuals, herbaceous perennials, and woody broadleaf plants. The bacteria cause a ball-like mass of buds that only partially expand into stunted shoots. These shoots […]

Let it bee

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The Oregon Bee Project will help explore market opportunities for nurseries Oregon nursery operators play an important, but frequently overlooked, role in protecting pollinator health. They produce pollinator attractive plants that are destined to be planted in urban areas across the United States. These plants provide bees with pollen and nectar resources and contribute to […]