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You are here: Home / Archives for Growing Knowledge

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.

How to catch a thrips

By Lloyd Nackley — Posted December 27, 2022

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 […]

Filed Under: Growing Knowledge Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Pests and Diseases

A carbon balancing act

By Peter Szymczak — Posted November 29, 2022

What effects do mowing, fertilization and irrigation have on carbon sink and sequestration in turfgrass ecosystems? Public concerns about climate change and a growing number of government and business commitments to emissions reductions have increased focus on carbon sequestration in vegetated landscapes as a nature-based climate solution. More specifically, landscapes dominated by plants could be […]

Filed Under: Growing Knowledge Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine

Don’t get burned by charcoal rot

By Jerry Weiland — Posted November 2, 2022

Soilborne fungus can afflict hebes and a wide range of other host plants Hebes (pronounced heebees) are an interesting group of evergreen shrubs, mainly from New Zealand, although there are also a few from South America and French Polynesia. Botanically, they are now placed in the genus Veronica, but many will know them by their […]

Filed Under: Charcoal Rot, Growing Knowledge, Plant Diseases, Plant Pests and Diseases, Root Rots Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine

The fight against flatheaded borers

By Lloyd Nackley — Posted October 3, 2022

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.

Filed Under: Borers, Flatheaded Borer, Growing Knowledge, Insects, Plant Pests and Diseases

An integrated plan of attack against pests

By Chris Hedstrom — Posted September 12, 2022

The Northwest Nursery Crop Research Center (part of the USDA- Agricultural Research Service, or USDA-ARS, Horticultural Crops Research Center) in Corvallis, Oregon recently funded the creation of the first Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Strategic Plan for Oregon’s ornamental nursery industry.

Filed Under: Beetles, Blights, Boxwood Blight, Growing Knowledge, Insects, Plant Diseases, Plant Pests and Diseases, Spotted Lanternfly, Thrips Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, integrated pest management, ipm, Oregon State University, OSU, pests

Bred for success

By Ryan Contreras — Posted July 21, 2022

These are some current and future cultivars from Oregon State University Ornamental Plant Breeding I am in my 13th year at Oregon State University (OSU). Spending more than a decade doing something sounds like a long time, but in the world of woody plant breeding, that is just getting warmed up. That is how I feel […]

Filed Under: Growing Knowledge Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Oregon State University, OSU

A beneficial breath of fresh air

By Jana Lee — Posted June 22, 2022

Testing the use of wintergreen oil to attract beneficials that kill nursery pests By Jana Lee, Victoria Skillman and Katerina Velasco Graham Can minty odors really enhance pest control? When pests feed on a plant, the plant releases odors, one of them being methyl salicylate (MeSA), also known as oil of wintergreen. When MeSA is […]

Filed Under: Growing Knowledge Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Oregon State University, OSU, Pests and Diseases

Nostoc: A nursery nemesis

By Luisa Santamaria — Posted May 25, 2022

Exploring novel approaches to long-term, sustainable management, and even use, of cyanobacteria By Luisa Santamaria, Maria Marlin and Katie Gregor One mention of nostoc is likely enough to fill any nursery manager with intense terror and agony. Nostoc, a green jelly-like film growing over gravel or on ground surfaces that are constantly wet, is a […]

Filed Under: Growing Knowledge Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Nursery operations, Oregon State University, OSU, Pests and Diseases

Keeping lawns healthy

By Alec Kowalewski — Posted April 20, 2022

Research points to certain practices for minimizing invasive annual bluegrass By Alec Kowalewski, Clint Mattox, and Alyssa Cain Desirable turfgrass species in western Oregon include, but are not limited to, perennial ryegrass and tall fescue. Perennial ryegrass will produce a dense, dark green lawn when regularly mowed, irrigated, and fertilized. Tall fescue, on the other […]

Filed Under: Growing Knowledge Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Growing Knowledge, Oregon State University, OSU, Pests and Diseases

The solitary life of pocket gophers

By Dana Sanchez — Posted March 18, 2022

These territorial animals can cause major problems in nursery production Both moles and gophers can be a menace to nursery production fields. As these animals look to survive a lack of available food during summer heat or winter cold, they often look to nursery crops, killing them or causing severe damage. The difference between gopher […]

Filed Under: Growing Knowledge Tagged With: Digger, Digger magazine, Growing Knowledge, OSU, Pests and Diseases

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NURSERY NEWS

Bailey Nurseries removed dams to build environmental resilience

The new NurseryGuide.com powers up with new features

Terra Gardens owner’s gesture for his mother opens the door to other wheelchair-bound gardeners

OAN announces 2025 Friends of Nurseries award winners

OAN leads grower-driven Japanese beetle solution

AmericanHort president and CEO to step down

In memoriam: Bill Van Belle

Longtime employee buys Heritage Seedlings and Liners

More Nursery News

From the pages of Digger

June: The Shrubs Issue

May 2026: the Sustainability Issue

April: The Tree Issue

March: The Perennials Issue

February: The Greenhouse Issue

More issues of Digger

Pests and Diseases

Managing Phytophthora: timing, temperature and emerging threats

Managing slugs and snails in Pacific Northwest nurseries

OAN leads grower-driven Japanese beetle solution

Prioritizing nursery pest challenges

New tools in the battle against thrips

More articles

FARWEST SHOW UPDATES

2026 Farwest Show issues calls for speakers

Excitement, optimism prevail at 2025 Farwest Show

Dazzling plants, products garner Retailer’s Choice Awards

Youngblood Nursery wins Best in Show booth honors at the 2025 Farwest Show

Glow Sticks Fescue wins top honors from judges at Farwest Show’s New Varieties Showcase 

More Updates from Farwest

The Value of Membership

AmericanHort president and CEO to step down

OAN honors industry leaders at 2025 Convention

Meet the Leader: Patrick Peterson

More member stories

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