University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

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.

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.

Now that it’s summer, you may be asking the age-old gardening question, “To fertilize or not to fertilize?”

Plants do need nutrients to not only maintain existing leaves, roots, flowers or fruits, but also to develop new ones.

But is this the time to fertilize?

Sticky, drippy aphid goo covers the plants under my ash trees.

Aphids insert their sucking mouth parts into a leaf and draw the sap out to feed as if they are sucking through a straw.

They pull out so much ‘juice’ from a plant, they can’t absorb it all. The excess is ejected out two pipes on their hind ends called cornicles.

My friend Jose asked me if he sprayed cheatgrass would it sterilize the seeds. He hoped if he applied an herbicide before weed-eating, it would kill the seeds, which were going to be spread all over as he cut.

The answer, unfortunately, is “no.”

Spores inoculating roots sounds like something out of a science fiction movie. Yet a healthy soil contains multitudes of fungal spores that establish relationships with the root systems of plants. These relationships are beneficial to plants and are called mycorrhizae (myco=fungus, rhizae=roots).

Managing weeds, particularly with chemicals, is more complicated than most people realize.

A neighbor was spraying cheatgrass recently. He didn’t realize that with the cheatgrass already going to seed and turning brown, his use of chemicals was ineffective and costly in time and money. The seeds will still spread, and he will still have to mow or weed-eat the dead plant residue.

The annual Carson City Fair — a combination of carnival, agriculture, local exhibits and entertainment — is returning to the Nevada state capital July 25-29, 2018 at the Fuji Park Fairgrounds.

CARSON CITY — John Christopherson has been named Deputy Administrator of Operations for the Nevada Division of Forestry, the state's forester and fire warden announced Thursday.

Whether light lavender, dark purple or even white, I love the color and scent of common lilac, Syringa vulgaris. I often see bushes densely covered in blossoms, yet my lilac bushes are sparse with few blooms.

Participants in the annual Battle Born Trail Series: Fire Up for Firefighters Multi-Hour Event in Washoe County raised $5,823.40 for the Nevada Local Assistance State Team Program, also known as Nevada LAST.

Storey County Silver Bricks 4-H Robotics First Lego League club packed their year establishing goals and assisting other First Lego League teams.

Soon it will be time to thin excess fruit on fruit trees according to my fruit tree guru, Michael Janik.

He writes “Thinning is an essential step in producing larger, tastier fruit and will also help prevent damage from insects.”

We’re in for another gray day, but that won’t affect the fun to be had. Bike to Work Week always ends in a big bash. Head down to McFadden Plaza, even if you didn’t take the challenge personally. You’ll find live music, raffles, bike games, and too much fun. Western Nevada Musical Theater Company returns for another weekend of Singin’ in the Rain at the Bob Boldrick Theater. Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours are waiting to entertain you at the Brewery Arts Center. There may be some balcony seating still available, but tickets are very limited.

Farmers, ranchers and gardeners everywhere face many of the same challenges: Weeds growing in unwanted places, critters digging holes and insects eating plants. To help producers better understand and overcome these common struggles, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension presents “Weeds, Critters and Insects in the Landscape and Garden,” May 29 at the CVIC Hall in Minden.

May is Nevada Wildfire Awareness month. University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and the fire agencies across the State are asking people to prepare their homes and communities to reduce the risks of a wildfire.

My friend Paul suggested writing an article on windbreaks.

The basic premise for a windbreak is that a vertical element, whether trees, shrubs or fences, or any combination of those, placed perpendicular to the direction of the prevailing wind affects the movement of the air.

I just returned from visiting beautiful gardens filled with amazing tulips, pansies, flowering cherry trees and many other lovely blooms.

They are the Crystal Hermitage Gardens located on the outskirts of Nevada City.

Residents of local northern Nevada communities are encouraged to help keep their neighborhoods safe from wildfires by participating in “Junk the Junipers" on May 12 with drop off locations in Washoe Valley and Silver Lake.

It’s mid-April and lawns are starting to green up. I forgot to do my fall fertilization in October, and the grass really needs a
boost. There are weeds, especially clover, invading thinner areas of the lawn.

RENO, Nev. – University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is offering free landscaping trainings taught in both Spanish and English. The workshops are designed to enhance employability skills and increase job retention.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is once again coordinating the collaborative efforts of federal, state and local fire services; public safety agencies; community organizations; and others to participate in Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month throughout May.

In this week's It's Your City, host Cortney Bloomer sits down with Sandy Wallin of the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, which is hosting Capital City Farm Days this Thursday and Friday at the Carson City Fairgrounds and Fuji Park Exhibit Hall.

I’m sad. I just had an old birch tree removed.

After babying the sickly thing for years, I finally gave in and had it cut down.

The tree was here when we moved in 30 years ago and it didn’t look great then. It never really grew.

Why did it die? Bronze birch borers had infested the tree and it never recovered.

School-age youth will be showing their project animals at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center during University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Washoe County 4-H Livestock Show, 9 a.m., April 15.

I recently pruned my apple and crabapple trees. It’s easier to prune with no blossoms or leaves. You can see the direction of the branches and buds, and the location of the water sprouts.