Plants & Pests with Nicole

August 2023

Upcoming Events

  • Nicole Out of the Office August 4-17th for Vacation and Conference.
  • Gage County Extension is closed September 4th for Labor Day.
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Join us for the next GROBigRed Virtual Learning program series, starting August 15th.

Register Now

This 3-part, free webinar series - delivered via Zoom - is a great opportunity to join experts from Nebraska Extension to learn and ask questions! In August, we're focusing on lawn & landscape management, and safe food preservation.

August 15, 7-8 PM CT
Lawn Care for Healthy Lawns & Rehabilitating Languishing Lawns

Whether your lawn is healthy or struggling, there are many best practices to ensure it remains a vibrant part of the overall landscape. This program will provide information on when to fertilize, how to water, the importance of aeration, controlling weeds and how to return an ailing lawn to health. Presenter: John Fech, Extension Educator, Nebraska Extension, Douglas-Sarpy Counties.


August 22, 7-8 PM CT
Safely Preserve Foods

Whether canning, freezing, or dehydrating – preserving foods at home is a great way to use up produce, build food storage and save time. Join Nancy as she provides established and trusted research-based food preservation information, while maintaining nutritional value, texture and flavor. Presenter: Nancy Urbanec, Extension Educator, Nebraska Extension, Douglas-Sarpy Counties.


August 29, 7-8 PM CT
Fall Landscape Playbook

Fall is a great time to get many landscape tasks accomplished. Join us for a discussion of four common landscape projects listed in order of attack, including fall weed control, dividing perennials, tree & shrub planting and composting. Presenter: Sarah Browning, Extension Educator, Nebraska Extension, Lancaster County – August 29, 7 - 8 pm


Registration: Go.unl.edu/GroBigRed
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Yard and Garden Fall Episodes

The summer season of the Yard and Garden show is over, but don't forget to join us again in September for 2 more fall shows. The fall episodes are on September 8 &15, they will both be on Friday from 10-11:30am like the summer episodes. Both episodes will be available on my podcast and my blog after the show.

Fall Gardens

Gardening is so rewarding and so much fun, why not extend it into the fall. Now is a great time to start planting a fall garden. Continue Reading.

Environmental Stress

Gardening is so much fun and so rewarding. But when the plants do not develop properly it is a major letdown for us gardeners. We all work so hard to get that harvest from the garden and when it doesn’t grow well it is frustrating. There are a lot of insect and disease problems that affect our garden plants, but a lot of the damage comes from the environment as well. Continue Reading.

About Nicole

Nicole Stoner is the Horticulture Extension Educator located in Gage County, serving Southeast Nebraska. Nicole's focus areas include trees, shrubs, lawns, gardens, and insects. Nicole obtained her Master's Degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for Horticulture with a minor in Insect Science, she also has Bachelor's Degrees from UNL in both areas. Nicole is also an ISA Certified Arborist and has her Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ).