Lloyd Nackley and Carolyn Scagel Since 2009, the The Oregon State University Ornamental Plant Breeding Program has been dedicated to developing seedless varieties of resilient plant species that were previously considered invasive. This approach is crucial because when we introduce plants to urban and suburban areas, we need them to thrive despite facing challenging conditions […]
Exploring stratified substrates and soil hydraulics in agricultural science
By — Posted
Stratified substrates involve arranging potting media of varying textures in layers within a single container. This structured layering entails placing coarser-textured substrates at the bottom and finer-textured ones on top, mimicking natural soil layers.
PACE courses coming for nursery, greenhouse IPM
By — Posted
The Nursery Program at the Oregon State University Northwest Extension Center in Canby, Oregon, will soon be offering online courses for Pesticide Applicator Continuing Education Credits (PACE) and to the nursery community at large. The upcoming PACE classes are intended to provide more industry-specific information about strategies for pest management in greenhouses and nurseries, and […]
Researchers roundup
By — Posted
Get to know the horticultural researchers at OSU and USDA Many programs focus on nursery, greenhouse, landscape and related crops at Oregon State University (OSU) and the Horticulture Crops Research Laboratory at the Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS), the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture. Here are some of the […]
Going with the flow
By — Posted
Research on plant hydraulics helps explain the effect of drought stress on shade trees By Sadie Keller, Rebecca Sheridan, Scout Dahms-May, Carolyn Scagel and Lloyd Nackley In Oregon’s Willamette Valley, the heart of the nursery industry, rainfall is scarce during the summer and humidity is low. The plant stress resulting from the low soil moisture, […]
How to catch a thrips
By — Posted
Rigorous scouting can help manage tip-feeding thrips before they cause irreparable damage By Lloyd Nackley and Melissa Scherr Thrips belong to the insect order Thysanoptera, of which there are several species that are damaging to nursery and ornamental crops. Whether there is only one or many, we call them thrips regardless, just like with other […]
The fight against flatheaded borers
By — Posted
Oregon State University researchers from the Nackley (nursery) and Wiman (orchards) programs have teamed up with scientists from across the country to study the biology and management of flatheaded borers. Flatheaded borers are beetles, from the order Coleoptera and the Buprestidae family, that can be devastating pests of ornamental trees grown in nurseries, transplanted landscape trees, trees grown for wood or other products, and fruit and nut crops.
Call it ‘herbal distancing’
By — Posted
Research shows that spacing out boxwood shrubs in production prevents the spread of infectious spores By Mana Ohkura, Lloyd Nackley, Carolyn Scagel and Jerry E. Weiland It’s been a year and a half since the COVID-19 pandemic started. We have been hearing how social distancing prevents the spread of the virus and we see signs […]
Setting up for spray success
By — Posted
Growers of variable crops can reduce chemical waste and ensure coverage by systematically adapting their approach By Brian Hill and Lloyd Nackley We can’t all mount lasers on our air-blast sprayers,” a Willamette Valley grower said recently in a conversation with researchers. It’s true that some growers actually can mount lasers. Lasers are now a […]
The cold shoulder season
By — Posted
Nursery growers effectively use cold storage to support sales of deciduous trees Plants in the Pacific Northwest experience a wide range of temperatures, from hot, dry summers to cold, wet winters. Deciduous plants grow when conditions are favorable. They enter dormancy when environmental conditions are too cold, dark, or otherwise unsuitable for growth. Deciduous trees, […]