Agriculture

The white powdery substance contains the spores that infect next year’s plants if left on the ground. Be sure to rake up and remove all infected leaves and dispose of them in trash bags in the trash. (Photo by Hampton Grunewald/LSU AgCenter)

The white powdery substance contains the spores that infect next year’s plants if left on the ground. Be sure to rake up and remove all infected leaves and dispose of them in trash bags in the trash. (Photo by Hampton Grunewald/LSU AgCenter)

What’s growing on my shrub?

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, April 14, 2023
Noticed some type of alien growth on your azaleas this spring? I’ve recently gotten phone calls for strange growths on azalea shrubs that were described by the caller as what looked like “cauliflower ear” — enlarged and puffy.
Rhonda Poche, of the Landry-Poche Farm near Holden, shows off some of her strawberries as she prepares for a school field trip to the farm. (Photo by Johnny Morgan/LSU AgCenter)

Rhonda Poche, of the Landry-Poche Farm near Holden, shows off some of her strawberries as she prepares for a school field trip to the farm. (Photo by Johnny Morgan/LSU AgCenter)

Despite some disease pressure, strawberries are looking good

Harlan Kirgan
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
The strawberry crop is coming in at full blast right now, with some growers calling it one of their best crops. “We have been having perfect strawberry weather,” said Rhonda Poche, co-owner of Landry-Poche Farm near Holden.
Perennials are low maintenance and cost effective because they come back year after year.

Perennials are low maintenance and cost effective because they come back year after year.

Annuals, perennials have special roles in your landscape

Harlan Kirgan
Thursday, April 6, 2023
Spring is here, and it’s time to get into the garden. Annuals, perennials, vines, groundcovers, shrubs, trees, fruits and veggies — oh my! With so many plants to choose from, where do we start?
Fertilize responsibly by conducting soil tests to help determine the need for fertilizer. You can send samples to the LSU AgCenter for testing.

Fertilize responsibly by conducting soil tests to help determine the need for fertilizer. You can send samples to the LSU AgCenter for testing.

Plants can thrive when we fertilize

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, March 31, 2023
As plants put on new growth this spring, they can benefit from essential nutrients that help them become healthy and strong.
Start with the most tedious tasks first and start early to keep motivation up. (Photos by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Start with the most tedious tasks first and start early to keep motivation up. (Photos by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

The trick is you don’t have to finish, just get started

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, March 24, 2023
The trees need to be pruned, the lawn needs to be cut, weeds need to be pulled and new mulch needs to be put out. The blueberries need to be picked, the aphids have ambushed the aster and you need to side dress the vegetables. So your garden is a mess, and you just don’t know where to start.
Brightly colored flowers are a gorgeous sight in the landscape. (Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Brightly colored flowers are a gorgeous sight in the landscape. (Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Gardening for the senses

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, March 10, 2023
As we prepare for the spring and updates to the garden, there are many great plant options to choose from. Why not enhance your garden by planting for all five of the senses?
Peggy Martin roses at Peggy Martin’s house. Photo provided by Pierre Bouchee and Jan Pesses, of the St. Tammany Parish Master Gardeners Association

Peggy Martin roses at Peggy Martin’s house. Photo provided by Pierre Bouchee and Jan Pesses, of the St. Tammany Parish Master Gardeners Association

Peggy Martin rose named spring 2023 Louisiana Super Plant

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, March 3, 2023
The LSU AgCenter is proud to announce its first Louisiana Super Plant selection for 2023, and it is none other than the Peggy Martin rose. Also known as the Katrina rose, most Louisiana residents know this rambling rose.
Dead roseau cane stems. (Photo by Rodrigo Diaz/LSU AgCenter)

Dead roseau cane stems. (Photo by Rodrigo Diaz/LSU AgCenter)

Team effort yields new clues about roseau cane decline

Harlan Kirgan
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
For six and a half years, LSU AgCenter scientists and their counterparts at other agencies have been searching for clues as to why large swaths of roseau cane are dying along Louisiana’s coast — and how to restore these areas to prevent further land loss.
Cover crops are used to renew soil health by adding organic matter back to the soil to improve the overall soil structure. (Photos by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Cover crops are used to renew soil health by adding organic matter back to the soil to improve the overall soil structure. (Photos by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Are cover crops and crop rotation beneficial for home gardeners?

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, February 24, 2023
This week, the Southern Cover Crops Council held its annual conference in Baton Rouge, and I was fortunate to sit in on panel discussions with farmers and specialty crops (vegetables, fruits, nuts and nursery crops) producers. Cover cropping was once a common practice in agricultural history.
Gerard Frey

Gerard Frey

3 to be inducted into Louisiana Ag Hall of Distinction

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, February 24, 2023
Three individuals who have spent their careers dedicated to improving agriculture in Louisiana will be the newest inductees into the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction. The induction will take place at the L’Auberge Hotel in Baton Rouge March 2.