cooperative extension

Often people assume all newly planted trees should be staked and that is not the case.

Most trees establish themselves best when left to move in the wind. This helps them develop strong, balanced trunks.

Enjoy the last few days of summer as fall is around the corner. Today is Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2018. Today brings the second and final volunteer training event at the Nevada State Museum, morning and afternoon hikes and walks, a rally at the capital, a fundraiser at Mills Park, plenty of art exhibits and more.

At The Greenhouse Project (TGP) today, I saw a note on the board, “Plant Clones.”

I asked Cory, the TGP manager, about that. He wanted to plant cuttings of a particularly tasty tomato he and the AmeriCorps interns had rooted in water, trying to reproduce it asexually.

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Grow Your Own, Nevada! Program presents four classes to help Nevadans get on the path to more sustainable, local, healthy living by growing and preserving more of their own food. The next class on Sept. 18 discusses composting and fertilizer basics.

A day of remembrance, heroism that won’t be forgotten, today is Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018. Among Carson City featured events include a presentation by Nevada’s Homeland Security Advisor at the Nevada State Library, a National Day of Service outdoor cleanup at Silver Saddle Ranch and a 9/11 Memorial Service at Mills Park. Read on for other events and activities planned.

Recently we visited friends at beautiful Flathead Lake, Montana, where, unfortunately, yellowjackets were swarming. They attacked for no reason and their bites/stings burn and itch, often causing swelling.

Trees are dropping leaves or needles. Leaves may be turning brown. Some are showing fall colors. What’s going on with trees?

The days are getting shorter, and many plant processes are triggered by day-length. However, there may be stress issues at work as well.

A set of car keys and pair of glasses were found at the Carson City Fair which was held at Fuji Park in July 2018. Both are unclaimed and are at the Cooperative Extension office in Carson City. If the car keys are yours, please call and identify the item on the key chain to claim them. Our phone number is 775-887-2252 and our office hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Grow Your Own, Nevada! Program presents four classes to help Nevadans get on the path to more sustainable, local, healthy living by growing and preserving more of their own food.

When is it time to pick fruit or vegetables?

Size and color are not always reliable in determining harvest time for apples and pears. Grapes and berries on the other hand are ripe when they get to be the right color. Apples and pears develop to the highest quality when picked mature, a stage of development prior to ripe.

RENO — Nevada students are encouraged to exhibit their artistic skills and promote radon awareness by entering the Nevada Radon Poster Contest, with all entries due by Oct. 31.

RENO, NV – At Nevada Field Day on Sept. 8, visitors will be treated to a variety of free activities and giveaways, and even some tasty food samples.

As part of this year’s activities, nationally acclaimed local food advocate Mark Estee will present a cooking demonstration at 10 a.m. Estee has been featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, and in Esquire Magazine.

I’m worried about my green ash trees (Fraxinus pennsylvanica). They have always been such hardy trees, tolerant of drought, cold, sun, wind and alkalinity. They have needed little fertilizer or care and, in the past, always seemed to thrive.

RENO — With the fall semester officially kicking off Monday, Aug. 27, 2018, the University of Nevada, Reno is set to welcome students back to campus. The first wave of students will arrive Saturday, Aug. 18, when more than 1,700 freshmen students participating in NevadaFIT come to campus.

Have you seen a tomato with a blackened bottom and wondered what it was? This unsightly condition is called blossom end rot.

It affects not only tomatoes, but also peppers, eggplants, squash, cucumbers, melons and watermelons.

The second annual Carson City Fair brought local youth in agriculture, live music, home craft exhibitors, antique tractors and much more than last year. The fair provides a venue for local youth enrolled in 4-H, FFA and Grange to showcase their agricultural projects.

I’m finding pretty white moths sitting on our patio. They are about one inch long with black and white-striped legs and a black spot on their heads. I wondered if I was seeing the invasive White Satin Moth, Leucoma salicis.

Spring rains caused more weeds to germinate in northern Nevada this year than in previous years, including some designated as “noxious weeds,” which the law requires to be eradicated.

I learned a new word this week, occultation. Researching it, I found it was an astronomical term describing one object blocking out another from an observer.

Yeah, it’s hot out there, but it’s the area happenings that are sizzling. The Carson City Fair at Fuji Park offers a plethora of entertainment for all ages including tractor pulls, a carnival, and farm animals. Under the shade of the Mills Park cottonwoods, you’ll have all day to peruse the varied vehicles in the annual Run Whatcha Brung Car Show. The sun will come out tomorrow, but it’s the stars that are coming out tonight for the free Levitt Amp Concert at the Brewery Arts Center.

Our poor trees, shrubs and other plants are stuck in place, "standing" in scorching sun and dealing with desiccating winds and high temperatures. Humidity is low and there’s little chance of a significant rain event until the fall.

It’s up to us to provide what our plants need to survive the heat.

Organizers of the Carson City Fair are looking for up to 100 volunteers for next week’s event at Fuji Park.

After mercury was found in pet food in a 2016 research project at the University of Nevada, Reno, a new team is taking a closer look to quantify the concentration level of methylmercury, the toxic mercury compound that can have negative health impacts. Preliminary analyses of a few dog food samples showed methylmercury to be a significant percentage of the total mercury.

Walking down the street yesterday, I saw something wonderful and unusual. There were lady beetles in all stages on sunflowers and weeds along the ditches.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension presents the 2018 Carson City Fair July 25-29. The event, held at Fuji Park, 601 Old Clear Creek Road in Carson City, is put on in partnership with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), the Northern Nevada Antique Tractor and Engine Club, and others to celebrate youth and agriculture.

CARSON CITY — Signups are underway for the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension's new 4-H club for children ages 9-12. Kids who enroll will be able to be involved in the science of gardening and will learn what it takes to grow their own tomatoes and more.

Tuesdays are happening in Carson City. Tonight, the Mile High Jazz Band takes to the stage at Living the Good Life for their monthly performance. Take advantage of the new program at the Nevada State Library and Archives: once a month, you’re welcome to bring a lunch and listen to a presentation. Celebrate the newest exhibit in the OXS Gallery inside the Nevada Arts Council.

Parents and their children ages 8-12 are invited to a fun class combining science and crafts on Tuesday, July 10 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. with instructor Jim Barcellos of University Nevada Cooperative Extension (UNCE).

Recently, I wrote that aphids invaded our ash trees, but I’m pleased to report that a battalion of good little buggers came to the rescue.

I’m referring to the syrphid flies, sometimes called flower flies or hoverflies.

Exhibits, entertainment and contests will be key features of the 2018 Carson City Fair, scheduled to open Wednesday, July 25 and run through Sunday, July 29 at Fuji Park Fairgrounds in Carson City.