Growing Knowledge archive

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.

Colored pots have benefits beyond branding

By Jake Shreckhise — Posted November 21, 2024

USDA research shows plant container color can prevent root damage from high temperatures

Aiming for precision in pest control

By Lloyd Nackley — Posted September 26, 2024

Researchers evaluate trunk spray effectiveness of air-blast sprayers with sensors to target Pacific flatheaded borer

Growth, challenges, and the road ahead for the nursery industry

By Lloyd Nackley — Posted September 10, 2024

Jeb Fields, and Ryan Contreras In a recent article published in HortTechnology, titled “How Natural Resources, Consumer Perceptions, and Labor Are Transforming the U.S. Nursery Industry,” nursery science researchers from across the United States examined the current state and future of the nursery industry. The paper, available free online (TinyURL.com/IndustryPaper), highlights the substantial economic impact […]

Highlights from the 2024 Oregon Nursery Science Summit

By Lloyd Nackley — Posted July 29, 2024

Participants get update on research, insect and pest management and plant selection and production

OSU Ornamental Plant Breeding Program developing new cultivars for city settings

By Ryan Contreras — Posted June 25, 2024

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 […]

New tools to forecast boxwood blight infection risk in Pacific Northwest nurseries

By Brittany Barker — Posted May 28, 2024

The protection of boxwood in Oregon depends on precise timing of surveillance, monitoring, and management of boxwood blight infections.

Researchers at Oregon State University are testing pots made from recycled materials

By Jooyeoun Jung — Posted May 1, 2024

The industry needs sustainable solutions to reduce plastic waste and an alternative is the use of plantable biopots without separating biopots before planting, which favors microbial biodegradation.

Update on flatheaded borer management in specialty tree crops

By Karla Addesso — Posted March 29, 2024

In 2020, a multi-state research project led by Drs. Karla Addesso and Jason Oliver of Tennessee State University was funded by the USDA-Specialty Crop Research Initiative to coordinate research on this pest group.

Exploring stratified substrates and soil hydraulics in agricultural science

By Lloyd Nackley — Posted February 29, 2024

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 Lloyd Nackley — Posted January 30, 2024

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 […]