Digger magazine

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The importance of being customer oriented

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With 2022 ending and a new year approaching, it seems like a good time to discuss independent garden centers and what customers want and expect from them. All businesses strive to be better, or if they don’t, they probably won’t survive. At one time, garden centers had almost a captive audience of customers wanting to […]

The collaborative spirit of Oregon

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The pioneer spirit is truly the heartbeat of the Oregon nursery industry’s growth. In 1847, Henderson Luelling and his family loaded their wagons with personal possessions — including two wooden boxes filled with a composite mixture of charcoal and rich soil for over 700 grafted tree seeds — and departed west. Reading excerpts from explorer […]

A carbon balancing act

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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 […]

Cool ridin’

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Refrigerated trucks are key to spreading the Oregon nursery industry far and wide When you think about it, it’s pretty amazing that, say, a young Autumn Blaze® red maple tree (Acer × freemanii ‘Jeffersred’) that starts its days here in Oregon can end up all the way across the country in a backyard in Boston. […]

Safe travels

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Nurseries take steps to protect plants and reduce shipment risks Getting plants to market safely without any mishaps requires a variety of techniques to meet the needs of customers and plants. One must also consider the limitations of packing live products into motorized inert steel boxes, which bounce, for long trips. Here we explore approaches […]

A season of nightmares

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With low availability and higher driver and truck costs, shipping costs skyrocketed in 2022 For as long as Erica Hill can remember, Union Pacific railroad has provided the nursery industry with a special commodity rate to move stock during the spring shipping season. Until this year, that is. “With container availability issues and with the […]

Don’t get burned by charcoal rot

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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 […]

Protecting your office against cyberattacks

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Hacking and cybersecurity issues have been steadily increasing in the green industry. But for horticultural businesses facing a variety of challenges, addressing these issues is rarely the top priority. Nonetheless, this is an increasing issue that owners and managers should pay attention to. Cybercriminals target everyone. Cybercrime for hire is big business and is a […]

Your vote is your voice

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The 2022 election cycle has more angst, absurd assumptions, and consequences than I have seen in some time. No doubt, regardless of discussions are at the fence post, supply stores or at family dinner, there is tangible uncertainty about the economy, crime, and our social fabric. In Oregon, a high number of voters believe the […]