by Dawn Pettinelli, UConn Home & Garden Education Center An incredible number of chemical, biochemical and biological reactions occur in our soils. Through these reactions, nutrients, whether already present in the soil or added by fertilizers, are changed into forms that can be taken up by plant roots. The pH of the soil affects all […]
Rain Got You In A Depression? Put It In One!
With historic amounts of rain falling on our state this month, it is easy to get a little down. It puts a damper on beach days, picnics, and hikes. Not to make things worse, but did you also know that as all that rain runs off roofs, parking lots, driveways, and roads and into storm drains […]
Mulch Molds – What is Growing on my Mulch?
What is growing on my mulch? This is a common question UConn Extension is asked at the UConn Home and Garden Education Center and in our county Master Gardener offices. People are perplexed when they find a yellow foamy mass that looks like the neighbor’s dog vomited in their flower garden. Or when their nice […]
Be on the Lookout for Giant Hogweed, an Invasive Plant in Connecticut
UConn and the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG) are asking state residents to be on the lookout for Giant Hogweed, which typically blooms during July. Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is an invasive, non-native plant from Eurasia that was first identified in Connecticut in 2001. This Federal Noxious weed has now been confirmed in 25 towns in […]
Barnum School 4-H Garden
Since 1968, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) has been funded by he United States Department of Agriculture and is an integral part of the UConn Extension. Currently, it is one of the federal government’s longest running educational outreach programs targeted to low-income families. Specially trained EFNEP Nutrition Assistants, who know their communities well, work with program […]
This is not Your Dog’s Clicker Training
By Bruce Hyde When you say the word “clicker” the first thing many people think of is training a dog. But clickers can also refer to the devices used to engage an audience in group decision-making. When a contestant in a game show decides to “ask the audience,” an audience response system (aka clicker) is […]
A Golden Plan for a Turnaround
Originally posted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology By Gustave Axelson The Golden-winged Warbler has had a hard time of it lately. Habitat loss and competition with a close relative have cut its numbers by three-quarters in the last 50 years. But a new push of research is uncovering more about the species’ life cycle […]
Tick Testing for Lyme Disease and Other Pathogens
Ticks can transmit Lyme disease and other diseases to humans and animals ◦ CVMDL can test ticks for the infectious agents causing Lyme and other diseases using PCR technology ◦ Results of tick testing assists health care providers in offering the most appropriate treatment or avoid unnecessary treatment All ticks submitted to CVMDL are identified morphologically by species, stage, and degree of engorgement […]
Survival 101: The Science of Survival
On June 1st, The Middlesex county 4-H Advisory Committee presented Survival 101 – The Science of Survival. This high energy and action packed workshop day included 10 different survival workshops focusing on the science and technology behind survival skills. The workshops included: Shelter Engineering, Fire Building, Survival Communication, Wild Game and Fishing, Wilderness and Survival […]
Supplies Needed for a Worm Bin
1) One 14 by 20 inch or so dark plastic (not clear plastic) storage bin with lid 2) Another storage container that this first plastic storage bin will fit into or a foil turkey cooking pan that your bin can be set in. 3) Newspapers to shred for bedding (no glossy sections but the comics […]
Dealing in Imagery
By Emily Wilson My extra desk has seen a steady stream of boxes – little and big ones, brown and black ones, even an iPad box (no iPad included). One had old maps crumpled up to protect its contents. Some have been dropped off and others have been part of a suspicious looking package trade […]
Ten Tips for the June Gardener
1. Lightly cultivate soil after a heavy rain to avoid compaction. A layer of mulch reduces the soil crusting and compaction caused by raindrops. 2. Check container plants daily during hot weather, they will need water often. 3. Check for small holes that signal flea beetle damage on tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. 4. There is […]
Using GPS for Monitoring and Mapping Land Trust Holdings
By Cary Chadwick On May 3, CLEAR’s Geospatial Training Program (GTP) and the Connecticut Land Conservation Council held its second session of a training course called “Using GPS for Monitoring and Mapping Land Trust Holdings.” The one-day course is designed to teach participants how to use a handheld GPS receiver to map property boundaries and […]
Latin American Development
By Joe Bonelli, Associate Extension Educator In-Residence UConn Extension hosted Ginna Rodriguez, a visiting Fellow from Columbia at the request of UConn Global Training and Development Institute (GTDI). Ginna is from the Universidad Javeriana and Universidad ICESI in Columbia and was at UConn participating in the Economic Empowerment Program at the GTDI. UConn Extension was […]
Sugar Maple – Value, Strengths, Threats and Resilience
By Tom Worthley, Assistant Extension Professor, UConn Extension Hardly an autumn season goes by without numerous writers in magazines, newspapers and websites extolling the virtues of sugar maples for their foliar brilliance and colorful contributions to the Connecticut countryside. Shortly thereafter the late winter and spring can be relied upon to summon forth additional textual homage […]
Soil Testing at UConn
The University of Connecticut Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory (SNAL) has been serving the farmers, greenhouse growers and residents of Connecticut for over 50 years. Currently, it is directed by Dr. Thomas Morris and managed by Dawn Pettinelli; Deborah Tyser is our full-time laboratory technician. Our Goals The Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory has three […]
The Health Toll of Immigration
By SABRINA TAVERNISE — The New York Times — May 18, 2013 J. Michael Short for The New York Times A growing body of mortality research on immigrants has shown that the longer they live in this country, the worse their rates of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. And while their American-born children […]
Effects of Fungicide Timing and Tillage on Resistant Pumpkins
By Jude Boucher, UConn Extension Educator, Commercial Vegetable Crops Introduction (Current Fungicide Program) Before I can talk about this experiment, I need to remind you of how and why we use specific fungicides on pumpkins. I’ve talked about fungicide sprays on pumpkins before and mentioned how there are four annual diseases that we can protect […]
They’re Back: 17-Year Cicadas To Swarm East Coast
Right on schedule, millions of 17-year cicadas will emerge from underground and bring their distinctive mating song to the East Coast. HAMDEN, Conn. — Colossal numbers of cicadas, unhurriedly growing underground since 1996, are about to emerge along much of the East Coast to begin passionately singing and mating as their remarkable life cycle restarts. […]
Are You Ready For Late Blight?
By Jude Boucher, UConn Extension Educator, Commercial Vegetable Crops Recap of 2012 Outbreak in CT During the week of June 20, 2012, a Prospect, CT homeowner brought late blight (LB) infected tomato plants to the CT Ag Experiment Station diagnostic center. The homeowner had purchased the plants from a local supermarket, but when contacted, the […]
A Watershed Moment
By Michael Dietz Many of us have heard about watershed protection efforts. Perhaps you live in a drinking water supply watershed. Poor Willy Wonka was wrongly accused of poisoning the watershed of his brown river (it turned out to be chocolate). But what is a watershed, really? In physical terms, a watershed is an area […]
State Sees High Level of Beach Erosion After Powerful Storms
OLD LYME, CT (WFSB) – The Connecticut shoreline is eroding at rates not seen in our lifetime, and the devastation was sped up by powerful storms like Irene and Sandy. In some spots, five years of erosion was accomplished in just three months, and for the first time, Channel 3 Eyewitness News is showing you the dramatic […]
When It Comes To Climate Change – Money Talks
By Bruce Hyde It is generally accepted by climate scientists that New England will experience a trend of increasing intensity and frequency of storms resulting in an increase in flooding and coastal erosion. Recent storms have raised our collective awareness of the damage, both fiscal and physical, that these storms can cause. Consider that Sandy […]
Daffodil Labyrinth
Located at the Tolland County Agricultural Center is the Daffodil Labyrinth, a spring labyrinth made from flowers. When the yellow daffodils of spring appear in late March so does the labyrinth. As the daffodils fade in April violet grape hyacinths appear to hold the pattern into May. As summer arrives the labyrinth is mowed and […]
10 Tips for the May Gardener
UConn Extension’s Home and Garden Center offers you more tips to grow on: Ten Tips for the May Gardener: 1. If you want to get a head start on the season, plant container gardens and be ready to bring them indoors on cold nights. 2. When transplanting annuals and vegetables, be gentle with the root […]
10 Tips for the April Gardener
UConn Extension’s Home and Garden Center has a lot of knowledge to grow on. Ten Tips for the April Gardener: 1. Prune back bedraggled looking ground covers and fertilize lightly after April 15. 2. Check fruit trees for tent caterpillars, they emerge around the same time leaves sprout. Blast nests with a strong spray of […]
Not Too Late To Start Tomato Seeds!
Check out this recent post from UConn’s Home and Garden Education Center: As much as I try to accomplish tasks in a timely manner, life just seems to get in the way and things occasionally get done later rather than sooner. So it is this year with starting my tomato seeds. Here it is April […]
Proper Planting of Strawberries
Good afternoon, Proper planting of strawberries should include making sure the root system is not curled or ‘J’ planted. A study conducted in California showed an 18.5% reduction in fresh fruit yield with ‘J’ planted strawberries versus those planted correctly. In the diagram (from OSU Extension), plant A is correct with the crown at the […]
Invasive Pest Month
April is Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month when USDA/APHIS highlights how invasive species affect the economy, the environment and human health. Visit Hungry Pests, available in English and Spanish, to learn more. An Emerald Ash Borer The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today proclaimed April as […]
When to Turn Under Spring Cover Crops?
I heard the peepers last night for the first time this year. There have already been a couple of sunny, almost warm, spring-like weeks in my neighborhood. Recently the overwintered rye has switched its dull reddish-green color scheme to bright green. I remember reading a couple of years ago that stands of overwintered rye, if […]
UConn Study of Food Insecurity in Connecticut is New Tool to Combat Hunger
By: Sheila Foran & David Bauman for UConn Today 4/10/13 Connecticut residents generally have dependable access to food, but the picture is not all rosy. A recent U.S. Household Food Security study showed that about one in seven households in the state reported not having enough money to buy food they needed in 2011. And […]
New School Garden
Heather Pease from UCONN Hartford County Extension Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program and Food Corps member Deanna Lampo installed concrete block raised beds in the courtyard of Vance Village Elementary School in New Britain. Deanna teaches an after school garden and nutrition education class. The garden beds were built with concrete blocks that were purchased […]
Do “We” Believe in Climate Change
By David Dickson Over the last year and a half here in Connecticut, we have certainly seen our fair share of extreme weather events – Irene, the Halloween nor’easter of 2011, Sandy, Winter Storm NEMO (no relation to our NEMO), etc. These events have certainly had a big physical and financial impact on our state, […]
4-H Work Readiness Program
Tolland County Extension partnered with EastConn on a 4-H Work Readiness program for three weeks in the summer of 2012. Two groups with fifteen students each met five days per week. The focus of the program was on garden and grounds maintenance. Students also learned to fill out applications, interview for a job, and create a resume […]
Growing Nutrient-Dense Vegetables
Published by the University of Massachusetts Center for Agriculture Research and Extension Working to Curb Malnutrition From the Ground Up Empty calories. Depleted soil. Overproduction. By now, most Americans have heard reports that even as we’re eating more, we’re taking in fewer nutrients. Today’s ubiquitous fast foods and processed meals play a large part in […]
Salt of the Earth
UConn Extension’s Center for Land Use Education And Research (CLEAR) provides information, education and assistance to Connecticut’s land use decision makers, community organizations and citizens on how to better protect natural resources while accommodating economic growth. Read Michael Dietz’s blog post about road salt at the CLEAR website. One of UConn’s salt piles.
What the Heck Is Land Use Academy?
By Bruce Hyde As a local land use commissioner you are faced with making decisions about how your community will grow, reviewing and approving applications for a variety of projects and balancing growth with natural resource protection. Sometimes court decisions change the rules, you receive conflicting advice, the information you have to work with is […]
Impacts of Hurricane Sandy to Connecticut Shoreline
By Juliana Barrett UConn’s Connecticut Sea Grant Program (CTSG) and Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) hosted a discussion of Hurricane Sandy impacts to Connecticut’s beaches and dunes on November 20, 2012. Several municipalities and private beach associations attended and provided insights into local shoreline changes. Many areas along the eastern part of […]
SNAP-Ed Program
Susan Beeman, RD of the SNAP-Ed Healthy Aging Program, and Erica Benvenuti RD of the SNAP-Ed (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education) /EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program), housed in the Norwich Extension Office participated in the holiday distributions sponsored by Groton Health & Human Services in southeastern Connecticut. They provided nutrition information and cooking […]
4-H Education Center at Auerfarm
The 124-acre 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm is located in the northwest section of Bloomfield, Connecticut. Hartford entrepreneur and retailer Beatrice Auerbach deeded the farm to the CT 4-H Development Fund in 1976. Founded in the early years of the twentieth century, Auerfarm had been honored many times as a model site that included 60 […]