News Stories - Page 357

University of Georgia research technician Rodney Connell prunes turfgrass samples in a greenhouse on the campus in Griffin, Ga. CAES News
Waters-wise lawn research
Most gardeners know the secret to a successful garden is to start with good, nutrient-rich soil. University of Georgia researchers are using a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant to test this theory on turfgrass.
Jack Huang holds a jar of water for a research project on the UGA campus located in Griffin, GA. CAES News
Chemical cleanup
Perfluorinated chemicals keep eggs from sticking to frying pans, protect furniture from spills and help firefighters fight blazes, but studies now show that some of these chemicals—particularly the ones used to fight fires—are also toxic to laboratory animals in varying amounts.
CAES News
Agricultural leadership
Organizers of the agricultural leadership program Advancing Georgia’s Leaders in Agriculture have chosen 22 professionals from across the state to participate in the program’s inaugural class.
A stinkhorn mushroom CAES News
Mushroom control
Recent rainfall has led to an explosion of mushrooms in lawns and mulched areas. Most of these fungi are completely harmless, though some consider them annoying.
The adult of the hornworm caterpillar is a hummingbird moth.  This fast-flying moth has a long tongue that can suck nectar from deep-throated flowers.  Like a hummingbird, the moth can hover while feeding. CAES News
Hummingbird moths
Remember that big green worm with the red horn on its tail that was eating your tomato plants in July? Well, over the last month it has burrowed into the soil, pupated, and emerged as a big moth that shows up after sunset and feeds from flowers at night.
UGA CAES horticulturist Allan Armitage CAES News
Armitage online
It’s not often a gardener can invite a nationally known expert over to talk about gardening, but a new online course with University of Georgia acclaimed horticulturist Allan Armitage now offers that chance.
Researchers in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences recently used Facebook to teach college-aged cooks about food safety. CAES News
Food safety
New research from the University of Georgia published in the August issue of the Journal of Food Protection found that the social networking platform Facebook is good for more than keeping up with friends—targeted content can be used to teach college students how to safely prepare their own food.
CAES News
Cracking fruit
Many parts of Georgia have received excessive amounts of rain over the past few weeks. Although the rain is good for the state’s drought conditions, too much rain in a short period of time can cause havoc in vegetable gardens.
Plants love the summer sun, but June's triple-digit days had plants, and their caretakers, wilting across the state. CAES News
Fall cleaning
Georgians are closing in on the end of the backyard planting season, and soon all that will be left are a few barren planting boxes and a few packets of unsprouted seeds. While there may be a temptation to pack all of this stuff back into your garage or shed until next spring, it may be worth it to do a little “fall cleaning” first. Some things are worth saving, and others are not.