control burning in the future ( New Mexico Air Quality Bureau, 2003 ). Other disposal methods of pecan pruning wood such as mulching, composting, and the use of pecan wood as firewood are not economically feasible. The use of pecan wood chips as mulch
Increasing disposal problems with polyethylene (PL) mulch and greater availability of compost prompted an investigation into the effects of using compost as a mulch on horizontal raised bed surfaces with living mulches (LMs) on vertical surfaces. Wood chips (WC), sewage sludge-yard trimming (SY) compost, and municipal solid waste (MW) compost were applied at 224 t·ha-1 on bed surfaces. Sod strips of `Jade' (JD) or `Floratam' (FT) St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum Kuntze) or perennial peanut (Arachis glabrata Benth.) (PP) or seeds of a small, seed-propagated forage peanut (Arachis sp.) (SP) were established on the vertical sides of the raised beds before transplanting bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) into the beds. Phytophthora capsici reduced pepper plant stand in PL-mulched plots compared with organic mulch (OM) and LM. Despite the stand reduction, total pepper yields were highest in PL plots and, in the OM plots, decreased in the order SY > MW > WC. Early fruit yields and yield per plant were highest from plants in PL plots followed by SY. Among LMs, plants in SP plots produced highest early yields and FT produced the lowest. Plants in PL plots produced the largest fruit. When the same plots were seeded with winter (butternut) squash (Cucurbita pepo L.), plant stands were higher in MW than WC and SY. Squash yields were similar between PL and OM plots.
Dried sewage sludge (SS), municipal waste compost (MW), wood chips (WC), at 224 and 336 t·ha-1 and white polyethylene (WP) were applied as mulches on raised beds. `Tivoli' squash was direct seeded. Squash yields were 13.4, 11.9, 7.7, and 5.1 t·ha-1 from WC, MW, WP, and SS treatments, respectively, with WC and MW having significantly higher yields than WP and SS. Fruit weight per plant was significantly higher in WP and WC plots. Pepper plants (cv. `32008') were transplanted into the same plots, 5 months after squash harvest. Pepper yields, 4.7, 4.2, 2.9, and 2.6 t·ha-1 on WP, MW, WC, and SS treatments, respectively, were not significantly different. Fruit weights per plant were significantly different and varied in the order WP>MW>WC=SS. No yield differences occurred between rates of organic mulches in either crop. Diseased plants in WP plots resulted in lower total yields than organic-mulched plots, but individual plants on polyethylene yielded higher than others.
Festival of Color, an annual open house and educational outreach event, is sponsored by the UNL Horticulture Dept. and Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources. In 1995, a children's garden was added to the site to educate, entertain, and motivate families to garden together. Different theme gardens helped over 10,000 attendees learn vegetable and flower culture in 1998. Educational gardens have included: alphabet, pizza, taco, food and fiber, Christmas tree recycling, bees, international cuisine and lemon gardens. Fun themes have included a plant petting zoo, maze, flower “beds,” and a bean tepee. Most attendees are adults, so different home gardening topics are demonstrated in the grown-up section of the garden, including fall gardening, tomato caging, reblooming amaryllis, consequences of saving hybrid seed, and edible flowers. Plants are mulched with wood chips or multi-colored ground corn cobs to ease maintenance, conserve water and demonstrate these benefits of organic mulches. Of surveys returned by 541 first-time attendees, 98% indicated they learned to choose plants based on site/location, 41% said they learned to identify at least one pest, and 42% learned to implement water conserving landscape techniques. Of the 298 surveys by repeat attendees, 86% have learned improved plant selection skills, 63% now use water more efficiently, and 41% can identify some pests in the lawn and landscape.
Growth, nutrient uptake, and yield of peach (Prunus persica) trees was evaluated in various groundcover management systems (GMSs) for three years, with and without preplant soil additions of Zn, B, and Cu. In July 1990, micronutrients (none, or 135kg Zn·ha-1+100kg Cu·ha-1+1.1kg B·ha-1) were incorporated into the upper 20 cm of a silty clay-loam soil (pH 6.7, 4% organic matter), and a fine-leaf fescue (Festuca ovina) turf was established. Trees were planted Apr. 1991, and four GMS treatments (wood-chip mulch, pre-emergence herbicide, post-emergence herbicide, and mowed turf) were superimposed upon the “+/-” micro-nutrient preplant treatments. Extractable Zn, Cu and B concentrations were greatly increased in soil of plots which had received preplant amendments. Peach leaf content of Zn, Cu and B was also greater in preplant fertilized plots in the year of planting. However, in subsequent years only leaf B (in 1992) and leaf Zn (in 1993) continued to respond positively to preplant soil treatments. No significant interactions were observed between GMS and micronutrient availability or uptake. Peach growth and yield were not affected by preplant treatments, but were substantially greater in mulch and pre-emergence herbicide plots compared with the mowed fescue turfgrass.
applied above or below the mulch layer. Gilman et al. (1990) concluded from column leaching studies through cypress wood chips that NH 4 -N and NO 3 -N readily leached through this commonly used mulch material. However, as organic mulches decay, they may
; Wright and Browder, 2005 ). Chipped wood from softwood trees has shown excellent potential to supplement peatmoss supplies with few changes in production practices ( Boyer et al., 2012a ; Murphy et al., 2011 ). Pine wood substrate studies on ornamental
decomposition properties J. Arbor. 25 88 97 Fraedrich, S.W. Ham, D.L. 1982 Wood chip mulching around maples: Effect on tree growth and soil characteristics J. Arbor. 8 85 89 Green, T.L. Watson
wood chip mulch treatments J. Arboriculture 16 275 278 Iles, J.K. Dosmann, M.S. 1999 Effect of organic and mineral mulches on soil properties and growth of Fairview Flame red maple trees J. Arboriculture 25 163 167 Johansson, K. Orlander, G. Nilsson, U
comparison of landscape mulches J. Arboric. 25 88 97 Ferguson, J. Rathinasabapathi, B. Warren, C. 2008 Southern redcedar and southern magnolia wood chip mulches for weed suppression in containerized woody ornamentals HortTechnology 18 266 270 Fraedrich, S