SP530 Urban Trees for Wildlife

Viewing wildlife on your property is educational and fun. The kinds and numbers of wildlife that visit your backyard regularly depends on your location, size of area, variety of vegetation and amount of habitat development. Ideally, the habitat surrounding your home should be diverse with several species of trees, shrubs and flowering plants providing food and cover for wildlife throughout the year. The more diverse the vegetation, the greater variety of wildlife that can be attracted to the area

SP290-S-Mealybugs on Ornamentals

Mealybugs are worldwide pests of ornamental plants grown indoors and outdoors. Both greenhouse and field-grown ornamentals are commonly attacked. Damage to ornamentals occurs when mealybugs insert their needlelike mouthparts into host plants and suck out the sap. Heavy infestations often result in the disfiguration of the plant. While feeding, the mealybug excretes honeydew, a sweet sticky liquid. Infested plant parts darken due to sooty mold growing on the honeydew. Ants may also feed on the honeydew. Some species of mealybugs inject a toxin into the plant while feeding. This toxin causes the plant to drop buds and leaves

SP341-W-Insects in Grain Bins

One of the most common insects in stored grain is the Indian-meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hubner). These moths are called “flour moths” in Tennessee because they feed on flour or milled products. In farm grain bins, they prefer broken grains or grains damaged by other pests and seldom attack sound grain kernels. They cause problems by spinning webbings as immature. This causes lower quality in stored grain

PB1617-Irrigation Water Quality for Greenhouse Production

This publication is one of three in a series that covers the basics of developing a nutritional program for producing container-grown plants in greenhouses. A complete nutrition program encompasses the fertilizers, media and water used. The first publication, Plant Nutrition and Fertilizers for Greenhouse Production (PB 1616), develops background information about plant nutrition and discusses the important characteristics of fertilizers used in greenhouse production. This publication examines the effect of water quality on a greenhouse nutritional program. The third publication, Growing Media for Greenhouse Production (PB 1618), describes the important physical and chemical properties of growing media, media testing procedures and interpretation of test results. The objective of this series of publications is to provide basic information that will allow greenhouse operators to develop a nutritional program for their specific business

W227 Tree Growth Characteristics

Trees are fascinating. The largest of all woody plants, they have well-defined stems that support a crown of leaves. The growth form varies by species and can be categorized. This publication has been created to provide professional foresters, arborists, students, Extension personnel, advanced homeowners and others a general understanding of how trees grow. Specifics will include primary vs. secondary growth, allocation of photosynthate, shoot growth patterns and crown shape

W088-CAFO Inspections

As a condition of the permit, the producer must allow personnel from the TDEC or the U.S. EPA to inspect the regulated CAFO. They are required to present their credentials and will only inspect a facility “at reasonable times.” This does not mean that they may only inspect the facility at the owner’s convenience. It simply means that most inspections will be conducted during normal business hours. Large CAFOs are required to undergo a yearly inspection at a minimum. Medium CAFOs may be inspected less often