Life Sciences Commons^™

Sp307-O-Home Apple Cider Production, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Home Garden, Lawn, and Landscape

Cider making is an art that is as old as apple production itself. When properly made, fresh apple cider is a safe, natural, delicious product that conjures up images of autumn and the country.

Apple cider is simply the liquid that is released when apples are crushed. It has nothing added and nothing taken away from it. Apple cider will be cloudy due to the presence of suspended apple solids. Since apple cider contains no preservatives, it has a limited shelf life, and special attention must be paid to proper storage. The terms apple cider and apple juice are often …

Sp277-H-Brown Rot Of Stone Fruits, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Home Garden, Lawn, and Landscape

Brown rot, caused by the fungus Monilinia fructicola, is the most common and destructive disease of stone fruits in Tennessee. Brown rot occurs on peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries and apricots. This disease reduces yields primarily by rotting the fruit both on the tree and after harvest. Brown rot can potentially cause complete crop loss in unsprayed orchards when environmental condi tions are favorable for disease development.

Pb1626-Ornamental Grasses In The Landscape, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Home Garden, Lawn, and Landscape

Ornamental grasses add texture, contrast, color and year-round interest to the landscape. Just like other groups of landscape plants, ornamental grasses are a diverse group that expand the plant palette of designers. They come in a range of sizes from the dwarf hakone grass to the giant ravenna grass. There are golden or white variegated cultivars. Some provide shades of silver and blue. Others are tinged red. Grasses that emerge late in the spring can fill voids left by spring-flowering bulbs and early spring perennials. The seed-heads or plumes of late-season grasses add ornamental value that persists into the winter. …

Pb1038 Fertilization & Management, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Home Garden, Lawn, and Landscape

Fertilization and liming practices based upon a soil test help ensure the most cost efficient and environmentally sound development and maintenance of lawns. A soil test is especially critical when soils test low in pH, phosphorus or potassium. A properly fertilized and limed lawn is usually greener, more vigorous, less weedy and more attractive than a poorly fertilized lawn or one suffering from the effects of low soil pH (soil pH is a measure of the soil’s acid content).

The primary nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) must be added to most lawns, since soils in Tennessee seldom furnish adequate supplies. …

Sp307-E-Thinning Tree Fruit, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Home Garden, Lawn, and Landscape

No abstract provided.

Sp284-G-Pruning Raspberries And Blackberries In Home Gardens, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Home Garden, Lawn, and Landscape

Brambles include raspberries and blackberries, plus many hybrids of the two. Although the term bramble indicates thorniness, both thorned and thornless bramble varieties exist. Likewise, some brambles have an erect growth habit, while others are classified as semi-erect and even others as trailing. In Tennessee, erect and semi-erect brambles are widely grown, but very few trailing brambles will be found.

Proper pruning and training of brambles require knowledge of their growth and fruiting habits. The root system and crown of brambles are perennial, meaning that they will live for many years, while the canes are biennial. The first year of …

Sp284-E-Pruning Blueberries In Home Gardens, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Home Garden, Lawn, and Landscape

Proper pruning practices in blueberries are important to maximize yields and quality throughout the life of the planting. Pruning should be done every year, beginning at the time plants are set. During the early years, the objectives of pruning are to promote both plant survival and growth. Once plants have attained full size, pruning is used to promote fruit yields and quality, as well as to maintain plants within desired size limits.

Sp291-G-Fall Vegetable Gardens, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Home Garden, Lawn, and Landscape

Spring-grown, cool-season vegetables are frequently finished by early summer. Some warm-season vegetables also cease production before fall. The absence of fallgarden vegetable production from these crops and the open garden space when they are finished both present an opportunity for a fall garden.

Fall gardens, however, are considerably more difficult to grow than spring gardens. Problems include extreme heat, drought, difficulty in seed germination, insects, diseases and weeds. Successful fall gardens require close attention and considerable care from planting to harvest.

Sp291-R-Growing Asparagus In Home Gardens, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Home Garden, Lawn, and Landscape

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is a member of the lily family. It has been grown for more than 2,000 years and is quite popular in the home garden today. Asparagus is an excellent source of vitamin A and contains significant levels of calcium, phosphorus, riboflavin, thiamine and Vitamin C.

Pb1158 Lawn Insects, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Home Garden, Lawn, and Landscape

Many insects and insect-like pests damage lawns and other turf. They cause the grass to turn brown and die, or they build unsightly mounds that may smother the grass.

Some pests infest the soil and attack the plant roots, some feed on the plants’ leaves and stems, while others suck juice from the plants.

Other insects and insect-like pests inhabit lawns, but do not damage them. The pests are annoying and some of them attack people.

These pests can be controlled with insecticides. The recommendations in this publication are applicable not only to lawns, but also to such places as …