cheat grass seedlings growing in dry cheat grass
20 Oct 2018

Mistakes to avoid when applying preemergence herbicides

Melody Hefner

Melody Hefner

Urban IPM and Pesticide Safety Program Coordinator at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Programs: Urban Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety
Melody Hefner

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Fall is a good time to get a head start on weed control by applying preemergence herbicides. Herbicides are chemicals that kill plants. Preemergence herbicides target plant seeds, providing a chemical barrier. As the seeds begin to sprout, they encounter this chemical barrier, and cell division in the young root system is prevented. This results…

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chicken
4 Aug 2018

Protect your vegetable garden from contamination

Melody Hefner

Melody Hefner

Urban IPM and Pesticide Safety Program Coordinator at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Programs: Urban Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety
Melody Hefner

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Reports of food-borne illnesses are increasingly frequent in the news. Most foodborne illnesses are caused by consuming raw fruits and vegetables that are contaminated by pathogens. Pathogens are disease-causing microorganisms such as bacteria or viruses. Many people do not realize that home gardens are not free from pathogens. Many fruits and vegetables have natural barriers,…

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trees in turfgrass
28 Jul 2018

Water your plants by root depth

Heidi Kratsch

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This time of year, when the temperatures soar, we worry a lot about our lawns getting enough water. But not enough attention is paid to the rest of our landscape. Our trees and shrubs need water too – not as often as the lawn, but the water should go deeper into the soil to encourage…

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man applying pesticides
14 Jul 2018

Don’t apply pesticides in the heat of summer

Melody Hefner

Melody Hefner

Urban IPM and Pesticide Safety Program Coordinator at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Programs: Urban Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety
Melody Hefner

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A client recently came into the Master Gardener office with a problem in his landscape. He noticed that the lower branches of several trees bordering his lawn were showing damage. The leaves were curling and the margins of the leaves looked burnt. He wondered what disease was causing this damage. By questioning him further, we…

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prostrate pigweed
7 Jul 2018

Spurges and pigweeds are problem weeds right now

Melody Hefner

Melody Hefner

Urban IPM and Pesticide Safety Program Coordinator at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Programs: Urban Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety
Melody Hefner

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You diligently pulled all those early spring weeds and your landscape was looking pretty nice. But where did all these new weeds come from? Now is the time of year when the summer annual weeds can become a real nuisance. The seeds of these weeds were waiting for the soil to warm and for the…

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lady bug larvae on pepper plant
23 Jun 2018

Beneficial insects in the vegetable garden: your free workforce

Melody Hefner

Melody Hefner

Urban IPM and Pesticide Safety Program Coordinator at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Programs: Urban Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety
Melody Hefner

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The vegetable garden is planted and growing well, and you are starting to scout for insect pests. While you’re scouting for pests, scout for beneficial insects too. Many people think all insects are bad, but the truth is, less than 1 percent of insects are pests. Most insects don’t harm the vegetable garden, and some…

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woman using hula hoe in garden bed
16 Jun 2018

Top six garden must-haves for 2018

Jenn Fisher

Jenn Fisher

Commercial horticulture program coordinator at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Jenn Fisher

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Every year, new ergonomic tools and innovative items fill the shelves of local stores. Though you can find just about anything for the gardening enthusiast, we came up with a list of the six must-have items. If you haven’t acquired a hula hoe, you don’t know what you are missing. Hula hoes come in handheld…

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leaves of honey locust damaged by bug
9 Jun 2018

Trees crawling with insects

Wendy Hanson Mazet

Wendy Hanson Mazet

Horticulturist at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Wendy, a Certified Arborist, is the Northern Area/Washoe County Horticulturist. She has expertise in horticulture, arboriculture, noxious weeds, and vegetable and low water use gardening.

As Master Gardener Program Coordinator, Wendy leads many volunteer horticulture programs including the Northern Nevada Master Gardener Program, Advanced Master Gardener Training Program, Advanced Master Gardener Greenhouse Program and Annual Master Gardener Plant Faire Extravaganza.

She also offers basic and advanced horticulture classes to arborists, green industry professionals and the general public. One of her most well-known programs is the Gardening in Nevada: Bartley Ranch Series, which offers free gardening classes at Bartley Ranch Regional Park in Reno every February and March.

Wendy’s Contact information:

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Northern Area/Washoe County Office
4955 Energy Way
Reno, Nevada 89502

Email: hansonw@unce.unr.edu

Ph: (775) 336-0246, direct line
Ph: (775) 784-4848, main line
Fax: (775) 784-4881
Wendy Hanson Mazet

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They creep, crawl, fly and inch toward you. Insects, good and bad, are all around us. Have you recently gone beneath your trees and wondered what is all that sticky stuff falling down on you and coating your sideway, decks or even your vehicle? You probably didn’t know that sticky stuff may actually be excrement from…

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lemon balm plant
2 Jun 2018

Common herbs can become weeds

Jenn Fisher

Jenn Fisher

Commercial horticulture program coordinator at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Jenn Fisher

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A weed is defined as a plant that grows where it isn’t wanted. Gardeners tend to recognize what wasn’t planted on purpose, including many of our nuisance weeds, such as redroot pigweed and common lambsquarters. But, what about unwanted seedlings from desirable plants that went to seed last year? You may see the herbs you…

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hula hoe in soil
17 Feb 2018

Start scouting now for spring weeds

Melody Hefner

Melody Hefner

Urban IPM and Pesticide Safety Program Coordinator at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension
Programs: Urban Integrated Pest Management and Pesticide Safety
Melody Hefner

Latest posts by Melody Hefner (see all)

So far, we’ve had a mild, dry winter. Just a little rain or snow and a little increase in temperature could help initiate weed growth. This time last year, the wet weather gave us a bumper crop of weeds. If last year’s weed crop got away from you and produced seed, you made a deposit…

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