Education Commons^™

Ec79-1206 Roses, Donald H. Steinegger, Frederick P. Baxendale, John E. Watkins, Amy Greving

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Roses are one of the most versatile and exciting plant groups to use in landscape compositions. There are rose cultivars (varieties) adapted for almost any garden site or landscape purpose, including formal beds and perennial borders, arbors, trellises, hedges, ground covers, steep banks, edging, accent, specimen plants, and as patio or tub plants.

The most common rose types are hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras, and climbers. More people are becoming familiar with the so-called "old fashioned" or shrub roses. Many of these are well-adapted to Nebraska and to water-conserving landscapes.

G79-431 The Four-Flap Graft: An Easy Grafting Technique For Nut Or Hardwood Trees, William A. Gustafson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide provides directions for a relatively simple method of grafting.

Grafting is the technique of propagation whereby a stem or bud of one plant is joined to a branch or root of another closely related or compatible plant so that a union forms and growth continues. The four-flap graft technique is one of the most successful propagation procedures used by homeowners and amateur tree growers. This technique of grafting does not require a great deal of grafting experience. It is ideal to use with small caliper trees or branches up to one inch in diameter.

G79-428 Spring Flowering Bulbs, Don Steinegger, Anne Streich, Donald E. Janssen

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Selecting, planting, caring for, harvesting and forcing spring flowering bulbs are discussed in this publication.

Spring flowering bulbs may be used to provide early season color in your garden while other plants are slowly developing. When the bulbs have finished blooming, the dying foliage can be hidden by the developing growth of other flowers and shrubs in the bed. Spring flowering bulbs offer an early start to a full season of color in your garden.

You can choose from hundreds of spring flowering bulbs that produce plants varying in flower color, form and height. Among the most popular are tulip, …

Ec78-1233 Pruning Fruit Trees, Don Steinegger

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Productive fruit trees with an abundance of high quality fruit don't just happen. They result from good cultural practices, including pruning. Pruning is often neglected either due to a lack of pruning skills and knowledge or a fear that one is going to injure or kill the tree.

A major requirement for the backyard farmer is a small tree open enough to allow effective spraying with home equipment and ready gathering of fruit. Pruning, combined with growing dwarf fruit trees will help accomplish this requirement. Although pruning is essential in development and maintenance of fruit trees, excessive pruning in young …

G77-337 Propagating House Plants, Dale T. Lindgren, Don Steinegger

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Propagating house plants in the home is an inexpensive and enjoyable hobby. The home is not always the ideal place, but most house plants can be propagated there satisfactorily with a minimum of special equipment.

Methods of Propagation

House plants may be propagated asexually, in which all new plants will be identical, in most cases, to the parent plant, or sexually, where the new plants will not necessarily be identical to the parent plants. Plants are propagated sexually by seeds. Cuttings, air-layering, division and runners are asexual methods of propagation.

G77-353 Garden Chrysanthemums, Dale T. Lindgren

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Site selection, soil preparation, planting and care of chrysanthemums are covered here.

Chrysanthemums (mums) are one of the most popular plants for late summer and fall flower gardens in Nebraska. Flower colors include white, yellow, orange, bronze, red, purple and pink. Mums can be classified by several methods, according to flower form and size and plant growth characteristics.

G76-292 Home Fruit Spray Schedules (Revised May 1986), Frederick P. Baxendale, Don Steinegger, David Wysong

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Insects and diseases of home fruit plantings must be controlled to produce quality fruit. Home orchards must be sprayed several times during the growing season. Spraying only a few times will not produce acceptable results for most fruits.

This NebGuide discusses the types of sprays, sprayers, insecticides, insecticides and fungicides used to control insects.

G76-322 How To Handle Insect And Plant Specimens For Identification (Revised March 1985), Luanne Coziahr, Stephen D. Danielson, John Furrer, Don Steinegger

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The Nebraska Cooperative Extension Service offers the public a pest/plant identification service. Under this service, insects, weeds, plant diseases, and horticultural plants are identified and, if appropriate, methods for their prevention or control are recommended. Diagnoses of plant problems and control recommendations will be more precise if specimens are handled according to the suggestions offered in this NebGuide.

G76-271 When To Harvest Fruits And Vegetables (Revised July 1982), Don Steinegger, Luann Finke

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

To obtain a quality food product from your garden for fresh use or storage, you must harvest fruits and vegetables at their proper stage of development. Improper harvesting influences quality as well as continued productivity of the plant. This is a guide to harvesting some of the common fruits and vegetables grown in Nebraska.

G74-190 Geraniums (Pelargonium) (Revised December 2002), Dale T. Lindgren, Kim Todd, Loren J. Giesler

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Geraniums are a popular indoor and outdoor plant. This NebGuide describes how to care for them, including overwintering and treating for diseases.

There are two different groups of plants known as geraniums. The showy, flowering geraniums, normally grown as indoor and outdoor plants in Nebraska, are members of the genus 'Pelargonium.' They are subtropical in origin and are treated as annuals in Nebraska, since they do not overwinter outdoors.

Members of the genus 'Geranium,' which are winter hardy outdoor plants, are usually called the 'hardy geraniums' or cranebills. They are good additions to the perennial landscape border. Hardy geraniums are …

G74-187 Care Of Cactus In The Home (Revised March 1978), Dale T. Lindgren

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Cacti are among the most fascinating groups of indoor plants. Often described as arid desert plants, they also are found in forests and on prairies. In Nebraska several native species of cactus intermingle with prairie grasses.

The care and propagation of cacti is featured in this NebGuide. A special section on Christmas cactus is included.

G74-182 Caring For African Violets, Don Steinegger, John E. Watkins, Anne Vidaver, Frederick P. Baxendale

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

African violets are low, compact plants with attractive dark green, thick, hairy leaves. This NebGuide covers various aspects of caring for them.

The African violet (Saintpaulia ionantha) is one of the most satisfactory flowering houseplants. It is a low, compact plant with attractive dark green, thick, hairy leaves. The violet-like flowers are borne in small panicles just above the foliage. Besides various shades of blue-violet, there are also pink, fuschia, and white cultivars (varieties). Newer violets include not only cultivars with single flowers, but also those with semi-double or double rows of petals. Bi-colored flowers and those with …

G74-186 Cannas, Donald E. Janssen, Don Steinegger

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Cannas are quick growing, vigorous ornamental plants with heavy foliage and large flowers.

Flower colors range from dark red to light green. Leaf colors can be reddish-purple, bronze or green. They are used most effectively for bedding plants in public parks and larger home grounds where they can be planted in front of taller shrubbery and viewed from a distance. Their vigor and size make them less desirable for planting in restricted areas.

G74-188 Amaryllis Culture, Don Steinegger, John E. Watkins

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The hybrid amaryllis (Hippeastrum) is a tender bulb easily grown in pots. Amaryllis is prized for its huge showy flowers ranging from scarlet or crimson to white in color, and often striped or mottled.

Amaryllis can be grown outdoors throughout the year in mild climates, but must be grown indoors in Nebraska except during the warm summer months. Amaryllis is prized for its huge showy flowers ranging from scarlet or crimson to white in color, and often striped or mottled. Most amaryllis are Dutch or African hybrids selected for flower size, color and ease of forcing. The usual flowering season …

G73-12 Iris Borer Control, David L. Keith, Frederick P. Baxendale

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Scouting, prevention and control of the iris borer.

This insect is the most serious insect pest of iris in Nebraska and is found virtually everywhere in the state. Damage is characterized by dark, streaked, or watery areas and ragged edges on the developing leaves of iris in May and June and extensive destruction of the insides of the rhizomes in July and early August. Examination late in summer will reveal a large white to pinkish caterpillar from 1 1/2 to 2 inches long in the rhizome, usually accompanied by a foul-smelling soft rot.

G72-25 Pruning Ornamental Plants (Revised August 1987), R.D. Uhlinger

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

March through May is the best time for pruning lawn trees, junipers, and flowering shrubs. Leaves are gone from the deciduous plants so we can see the branching structure and determine where cuts should be made. Healing occurs most rapidly when growth is starting in the spring, so wounds caused by pruning are quickly healed.

This NebGuide discusses when and how is the best time for pruning plants and the methods and tools to be used to complete the project.

Stoneville Research Station Horticulture Field Day, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE experimental programme at the Department of Agriculture's Horticultural Research Station at Stoneville was on show when the station's first full-scale field day was held this spring.

About 100 fruitgrowers saw the progress made in development of the station and its research programme, and discussed the experiments with the experts concerned.

50 Years Of Research At The North Platte Experiment Station, W. W. Burr, J. C. Adams

Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station: Historical Circulars

The North Platte Experiment was established fifty years ago. So many changes have occurred since then that few people remember why research in dry land agriculture was started in Nebraska and other Great Plains states. In order to get a proper perspective, it may be well to consider some early history.

Ec28-36 Spraying Tree Fruits (Revised March 1932), C.C. Wiggans, E.H. Hoppert

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The production of sound, clean fruit is unquestionably one of the major problems facing the modern fruit grower. Culture may be neglected and pruning delayed for a time but the omission of sprays for even a single season demonstrates their absolute necessity. This applies equally to the commercial grower and to the farmer or gardener who has only a few trees.

Spray materials, equipment, management, schedules, insect pests and orchard diseases are discussed in this 1928 extension circular.

Rb25-207 The Spindle-Tuber Disease: One Cause Of "Run-Out" Seed Potatoes, H.O. Werner

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The spindle-tuber disease is one of the most prevalent potato diseases occurring in all parts of Nebraska. It has been found in all varieties tested. It does much damage to the potato crop, in that it reduces the yield and injures the market quality of the potatoes.

This 1925 publication discusses the spindler-tuber disease also known as "running-out" or degeneracy of seed potatoes; the distribution of the disease; effect upon yield and quality; symptoms of the different potato varieties; transmission of the disease and experiments; rate of increase of the disease; dry land versus irrigation in western Nebraska; straw mulching …

Ec23-120 Wheat In Nebraska, W.W. Burr, P.H. Stewart

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Wheat is one of the most important crops of the world. In total world tonnage it ranks third, being surpassed only by corn and potatoes. In th United States the tonnage is second only to corn, but wheat is far more important than corn as a human food.

Wheat is more important as a human food than any other rain crop. It is in itself almost a balanced food, and from earliest times has played an important part in the development of civilization. With the development of modern machinery wheat can now be produced without almost no hand work. On …