UNL Extension Webster County
May 2021 Edition
Nebraska Extension in Webster County Newsletter
Happy May!
Welcome to the Webster County Extension Newsletter! This newsletter contains information regarding upcoming programming in all areas of Nebraska Extension. This will be separate from the Webster County 4-H Newsletter to provide information to clientele interested in extension programming outside of 4-H. We hope this is convenient way to keep everyone in the loop on upcoming opportunities in Nebraska Extension. We hope you enjoy this newsletter!
We hope that the end of calving season and the beginning of planting season goes well for everyone!
Sincerely,
The Webster County Extension Staff
BEEF
Beef Questions?
Open Beef Educator Position in Webster County
Beef & Brad Newsletter
Check out the latest Beef & Brad Newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/abdd65cb1eca/beef-and-brad-677641?e=006f33f7a7
2021 Nebraska Ranch Practicum
Crops & Water Systems
Hay Probes
UNL Crop Watch
Rural Health, Wellness, & Safety
Communicating With Farmers Under Stress
Free webinar Wednesday, May 5, 10:00 - 11:30 am CDT Register Here
Nebraska Extension, in partnership with Michigan State University Extension, offers a free online webinar, “Communicating With Farmers Under Stress.". This workshop is beneficial for individuals who work with farmers and ranchers on a regular basis, such as bank lenders, ag suppliers, educators and consultants, healthcare professionals, and anyone involved with the lives of farmers and ranchers. In addition to being helpful for working with farmers and ranchers, the workshop educates participants about managing stress in their own lives and teaches how stressors can affect physical health and relationships with family or coworkers. For more information, contact Nebraska Extension Educators Brandy VanDeWalle, brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu or Susan Harris, susan.harris@unl.edu.
Horticulture
Winter Dess & Roses - From Extension Educator, Elizabeth Extrom
Now that spring has sprung, it is the perfect time to get out into the landscape and take inventory of how the plants faired during the winter. This winter was a unique winter, even by Nebraska standards. Some of our trees, shrubs, and perennials have taken a big hit. Winter desiccation, winter dieback, and frost damage all have taken their toll. The extent of damage to plants might not be fully realized until now.
Being observant of plant material can help determine if the plant was just dinged or if the damage was more severe. Brown or discolored foliage can mean several things. Winter desiccation can cause many evergreens to change colors. Evergreen trees and shrubs are constantly losing moisture through their leaves during the winter. Winter desiccation happens when the root system isn’t able to absorb enough moisture to keep up with the amount lost by the leaves. It causes evergreens to have a brown or tan coloration at the ends of the needles. The damage usually occurs uniformly on the north or west sides of the tree or on the side that has a compromised root system. In most instances, supplemental water during the winter and spring can help to provide the much needed moisture and help to alleviate the symptoms.
If your branch is bare, you will need to decide if it is worth keeping or not. There are a couple of options that you can use to test whether or not the twigs of a plant are alive. Take one of the plants’ brown branches near the end and try to bend the twig. If the twig is still pliable and the buds are big, healthy, and green looking, the branch is still alive and moving nutrients throughout the plant. If the twigs snap off readily and the buds appear brown and shriveled, the twig is likely dead. Lastly, you can scrape away the outer layer of bark. A live branch will have a green cambium layer, which moves nutrients, underneath the bark while a dead branch will have a brown layer. The last way to determine the fate of your plant is to wait until the leaves or new growth emerges. Once new growth or leaves have emerged, the branches without growth or those obviously dead can be pruned away.
Roses are one of the tricky shrubs. Some types of roses survive well in winter without any extra maintenance. Other types of roses, like the hybrid tea roses, require additional care and protection. This year hardy roses like the ‘Knock Out’ series and the rugosa rose are also showing signs of winter damage. Be sure you know what kind of rose you have in order to provide the care it needs. Roses can suffer from winter dieback in the canes, even the hardy ‘Knock Outs’. Wait to prune the rose bush until you know for sure what is dead and what is alive. Roses are normally pruned at the end of April or beginning of May once the buds have started to sprout and grow. Once the leaves begin to unfold, then you can carefully begin the removal process of the dead canes or the dead wood.
Some plants will do well in Nebraska only for little while. It takes a really trying year to find out which ones in our landscape are not extremely well-adapted to our growing conditions. Some of the plants that have fallen victim to Nebraska growing conditions this past winter were the Arborvitae and poorly placed yews, Taxus sp, and boxwood, Buxus. If these evergreen shrubs didn’t received enough moisture during the winter season, they will turn brown or tan. Once these evergreens turn ever-brown, they might not fully recover. Remove any dead or damaged stems now and wait to see how they leaf out later this spring.
Take inventory of the health of the plants in your landscape now. A little detective work early on can help spot problems in a timely manner so they can be fixed or new plants can be installed yet this spring.
Elizabeth Exstrom is the Horticulture Extension Educator with Nebraska Extension in Hall County. For more information contact Elizabeth at elizabeth.exstrom@unl.edu, her blog at http://huskerhort.com/, or HuskerHort on Facebook and Twitter.
Food, Nutrition, & Health
The DISH
The Dish: Real Talk About Food has a great line-up for the May series! We'll be doing live recipe demonstration with some AMAZING recipes and we'll have real talk about meal prepping, meal planning in the summer months, involving the kids in the kitchen, and MORE. Sign up today to join us for easy, healthy cooking Tuesdays and Thursdays in May from 1200-12:30! To register, go to: https://unl.zoom.us/.../tJYtf...
Home Food Preservation Virtual Learning Series
The Learning Child
Do you need more mindfulness and reflective practice in your daily routine? Check out our great CHIME program here: Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools
4-H
Webster County 4-H Newsletter
Check out our Regional Experts!
The Webster County Extension Office and courthouse will be closed Monday, May 31st, in observance of Memorial Day.
MEET OUR TEAM!
Alexa Pedersen
Email: alexa.pedersen@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/webster/
Location: 621 North Cedar Street, Red Cloud, NE, USA
Phone: 402-746-3417
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WebsterCoExtNE
Katie Bolte
Email: katie.bolte@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/webster/
Location: 621 North Cedar Street, Red Cloud, NE, USA
Phone: 402-746-3417
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WebsterCoExtNE
Beth Janning
Interim Unit Leader/4-H Youth Development Educator
Email: elizabeth.janning@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/webster/
Location: 621 North Cedar Street, Red Cloud, NE, USA
Phone: 402-746-3417
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WebsterCoExtNE