Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

Remixing soil mixes

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More sustainable alternatives to carbon-sequestering peat moss are entering into the planting media equation Amid growing international concerns about the environmental impacts of depleting and permanently damaging peat bogs, a movement is underway to ban or restrict the sale and use of peat moss — a nonrenewable resource that takes thousands of years to form. […]

Learning, connecting, engaging

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Oregon’s Integrated Pest Management Center serves as an innovative pest management hub for growers Article and photos By Silvia I. Rondon Since the early 1960s, the Oregon Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Center has accumulated a rich history of leading and coordinating multistate research and outreach programs to help a broad audience in the agricultural and […]

Fall Creek promotes Amelie Aust to executive board chair

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Fall Creek Farm & Nursery Inc. has announced the promotion of Amelie Aust to executive chair of the family-owned blueberry breeding and nursery company’s independent board of directors. She has served as the company’s executive vice chair of the board since 2020, formerly served as co-CEO, and is a second-generation owner. Aust succeeds her father, […]

Going with the flow

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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, […]

The tribulations of big trees

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Growing bigger trees that will flourish in a changing climate takes a long-game approach For decades, tree-lined streets across the country — largely in the Southeast — would erupt in the bright white blossoms of Callery pear trees (Pyrus calleryana) every spring. Affordable, fast-growing and easily shipped, the trees had become the darlings of landscapers, […]

The eternal appeal of oaks

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Original species have stood the test of time and still sell well, while new smaller columnar hybrids of Quercus are coming on strong With fossils found as old as 55 million years, oaks have been entwined with human history since it began. Because of their longevity and massive proportions, the largest oak species in the […]

Diversifying the tree palette

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In response to climate change, growers have become more conscientious about offering a mix of natives and clonal selections When he began working in urban forestry more than 20 years ago, Scott Altenhoff and his team would refer to a list of trees known to be strong performers in different conditions. “We would call them […]

Meet the Leader: Angela Bailey

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Tell us about yourself. My husband, Larry, and I own and operate Verna Jean Nursery. I am proud to be a fourth-generation farmer and second-generation OAN member. After my mom’s passing in 2005, Larry and I, along with our two daughters, Katie and Abbigayle, returned to the nursery. Today, we farm on the same land […]