Digger magazine

Written to make you a nursery industry expert.

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.

Seeing the light on powdery mildew

By — Posted

Testing the efficacy of using ultraviolet spectral lights to protect greenhouse tomatoes By Kristine R. Buckland, Cynthia M. Ocamb, Lloyd Nackley and Ann L. Rasmussen Widespread outbreaks of powdery mildew have been occurring in fresh market tomato crops in western Oregon over the past decade. Disease incidence and severity tend to be greater in tomatoes […]

Scouting for boxwood blight

By — Posted

These tips make it easier to spot and mitigate this highly infectious disease By Jerry E. Weiland and Jay W. Pscheidt The 2019 growing season was a big year for boxwood blight in Oregon. The disease, caused by the pathogen Calonectria (Cylindrocladium) pseudonaviculata, has caused substantial damage to boxwood shrubs in U.S. nurseries and gardens […]

Vole control

By — Posted

These tiny, burrowing rodents can cause problems for nursery crops As we anxiously wait for the first breeding-season birds to arrive and signal winter’s end, most vole species are also gearing up to produce more young. Voles are small, native rodents that are often called “meadow mice.” Oregon is home to a total of 13 […]

Fire blight in the plant nursery

By — Posted

How did it arrive here, and what can be done? Fire blight is a disease that can kill apple and pear trees. It is especially dangerous in a nursery setting, for reasons we will explain. The disease can result in the direct loss of plant material, which in turn can necessitate a costly and difficult […]

The generational cycle of success

By — Posted

Proper farm transition planning, including timing, protects the viability of the business going forward Agriculture, with its continuous cycle of planting and harvest rooted in valley soil, becomes a way of life. Leaving that rhythm behind to retire from the farm can be difficult. Farm leadership brings prominence and identity in an important profession, often […]

The continuing battle against nasty Nostoc

By — Posted

Additional treatment methods are tested against this nursery nuisance By Heather Stoven and Jennifer Parke Slimy colonies of the cyanobacterium Nostoc are increasingly noticeable in nurseries and sports infields throughout the country. They appear as green-to-brown-colored globby mats, which, in nurseries, grow on multiple surface types within container yards and greenhouses.  What is referred to […]

Ornamental hazelnut cultivars from Oregon State University

By — Posted

The hazelnut breeding and genetics program at Oregon State University (OSU) has named and released two disease-resistant, red-leafed ornamental cultivars of European hazelnut, Corylus avellana L. The cultivars bring to the nursery industry new combinations of interesting growth habit, leaf form and color, and resistance to the fungal disease eastern filbert blight (EFB). ‘Red Dragon’, […]

OSU and USDA Nursery Working Group

By — Posted

There are many programs at Oregon State University (OSU) and the USDA-ARS- Horticulture Crops Research Laboratory that focus on nursery, greenhouse, landscape and related crops. Here are some of the people and their programs that impact the ornamental industry of Oregon. Neil Bell evaluates landscape plants for drought tolerance and cold hardiness in western Oregon. […]

Get ‘em while they’re hot: New cultivars from OSU

By — Posted

The Ornamental Plant Breeding Program at OSU is beginning to hit its stride and new cultivars are hitting the market – carrying the hopes of making a positive impact on the industry. Established in 2010, the Ornamental Plant Breeding Program at Oregon State University has worked to develop plants that work in production for landscapers […]

Solving irrigation drip tape damage

By — Posted

Managing the pests that are causing the problems Who has been chewing through our irrigation tape? A grower contacted us after detecting a large number of irrigation leaks of uncertain origin. The grower found holes in the tubes where the leaks had occurred. Many of the holes showed frayed edges and were less than 1 […]