Good Growing

This week's Good Growing looks back on a past blog post by University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Chris Enroth about jumping worms. Jumping worms is an invasive species that we are currently hearing about in the news. Listen in to learn how to identify jumping worms and what to do if you find some.

This week Good Growing looks back to our interview with Dr. John Vanek all about snakes. In this clip, John talks about ways to make our yards more snake friendly and what are some good ones to have in the garden.

See our smiling faces at https://youtu.be/v6hl9FZSXdw

Want to learn more about snakes and maybe how to discourage them from being in your yard or deal with a snake in the house? Check out our full interview with Dr. Vanek at https://soundcloud.com/user-555304573/ep-67-talking-snakes-with-dr-vanek

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This week Illinois Extension horticulture educator Ken Johnson talks about some things we can do to avoid being bitten by buffalo gnats, mosquitoes, and ticks.

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Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.

On this week’s podcast, we chat with University of Illinois Extension Marketing and Communications manager Judy Bingman. Judy shares with us all things Illinois Extension including the history, goals, and future. She also shares some personal information about what motives her. Listen in to hear more.

3:09 Welcome Judy!

13:05 How did Extension get started?

14:46 Has the goal of Illinois Extension changed from when it was first conceived to today?

18:00 How did the pandemic change the way extension worked, and were we successful?

30:15 Is there a vision for how we go into the future of Extension?

33:43 What motivates you to work so hard?

39:40 What is the one thing you want the people of Illinois to know about Illinois Extension?

41:14 Judy’s 30 second elevator speech about Illinois Extension.

43:24 Judy talks about know your why?

47:37 Judy asks Good Growing crew what they hope the world to be.

To learn more about University of Illinois Extension job openings, visit https://jobs.illinois.edu/off-campus-positions?start=1&per=500

Check out the Good Growing Blog: go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing

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Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.

On this week's Good Growing podcast we chat one last time with retiring horticulture educator Richard Hentschel. Richard dives into tips for spring lawn care and we get into environmentally friendly practices for our lawns and ask if they really work. Plus, Richard gives his parting tips to Katie, Ken, and Chris for their career with Illinois Extension.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6s6_WKlZTEo

Jump to what you want to know:

03:50 Hello Richard!

04:38 How much of the US is covered in lawns?

06:35 What site conditions does it take to grow a lush lawn without inputs?

09:27 Reading the grass seed label and understanding annual rye use in Illinois

13:27 What are those key springtime lawn tasks for those in Illinois?

18:21 Is no-mow May a good idea?

22:40 Lots of people want to spray dandelions in the spring. Is this the best time for dandelion control?

24:48 Are there alternatives to conventional synthetic herbicides for lawns?

27:33 Changing gears to Richard's retirement: What's the best part of working at Illinois Extension?

29:43 For someone known for his knowledge of turfgrass, what does Richard really enjoy doing in his yard and garden?

32:06 Richard's favorite memory on the job at Illinois Extension

34:22 What is Richard's number one gardening resource on the job?

Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing

Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe

Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.

On this week’s Good Growing Podcast, we chat with Assistant Professor and Faculty Extension Specialist Kacie Athey about climate change and insects. We discuss what impacts our changing climate may have on insects, like will we see range expansions, more generations, more plant damage, phenology, and more!

See our smiling faces on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DzEnKQG_F6w

Skip to what you want to know:

03:53 – What is phenology?

04:35 – Welcome Kacie

05:15 – Climate change research on insects and specialty crops

07:30 - With a warming environment, will we see population expansions of southern insects north to Illinois?

09:40 – Is there a possibility we will see insect ranges shrink?

11:19 – Will climate change affect disease vectors like mosquitoes?

13:58 – With warming and shorter winters and a longer growing season, will we see more insects in the summer? Will we see more generations of insects?

16:10 – We often focus on pest insects and climate change, what about beneficial insects?

18:12 – Climate models show Illinois getting wetter, how will more rainfall affect insects?

20:25 – Will we see more diseases affecting insects in a wetter environment?

21:35 – We can likely expect to see more damage to plants from pest insects, is there anything else we may see?

23:35 – After the 2012 drought, there was a drastic drop in monarch populations, could this be linked?

25:17 – Is there a chance we’ll see more insect-vectored plant diseases?

26:51 – Pest outbreaks armyworms and melonworms

29:09 – With a changing climate will phenology between insects and plants be thrown off?

31:10 – Insects are often overlooked as decomposers, will climate change affect them?

35:00 – Some insects need to be cold

35:52 – What impact do you think climate change will have on insects?

38:00 – Future specialty crop research in Illinois

40:18 – Thank yous and what’s coming up

Climate change questions? Contact Trent Ford: [email protected]

Check out the Good Growing Blog: go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing

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Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.

On this week’s Good Growing podcast, we talk to Dr. Kacie Athey about biocontrols. Dr. Kacie Athey is an assistant professor and faculty extension specialist at University of Illinois and contributes much of her research into non-chemical insect control in specialty crop systems. Join us as we discuss biocontrols, where to use them, and how they work.

5:20 Welcome back Kacie!

6:28 Where are you studying biocontrols?

8:02 What are biocontrols?

15: 29 What type of results did you gather about biocontrols?

27:15 What are some things that someone trying this in their high tunnel would need to know if they were also using pesticides?

30:06 How does biological controls work outside the high tunnel?

36:00 Is there a strategy for addressing cucurbit pests with biological controls?

Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing

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Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies. –

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On this week's Good Growing podcast we sit down to talk with Dr. Joy O'Keefe all about bats! Dr. O'Keefe is an assistant professor at University of Illinois and a wildlife specialist with Extension who studies bats and how humans can work to co-exist with our flying fellow mammals. In this show we learn about the importance of bats, how to attract them to our yards, and how to deal with a bat in the house. All this and much more!

See our smiling faces on YouTube https://youtu.be/9fLLNtNHkpI

Skip to what you want to know:

4:11 Welcome Joy!

6:24 What's so special about bats?

9:52 How can we attract bats to our landscapes?

13:16 How can we deal with a bat in the house?

19:56 Should we be alarmed when we encounter a bat?

23:21 Handling bats and is rabies a concern?

25:19 Let's say you got bit by a bat. How soon should you get a rabies shot?

27:21 How have humans impacted bat populations?

- 27:35 Habitat Loss

- 29:31 Invasive Species

- 30:04 White Nose Syndrome

- 32:19 Wind Energy

34:20 How many bat species do we have in Illinois?

36:59 How has COVID-19 impacted bat research

39:16 Do bats prefer certain tree species for roosting?

42:07 Why do bats come out at night?

44:26 Do bats eat anything other than insects?

45:27 What is the link between Count Dracula and bats?

48:25 Why do bats swoop at our heads?

Contact Dr. O'Keefe https://nres.illinois.edu/directory/jmokeefe

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Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.

This week Illinois Extension horticulture educator Ken Johnson talks about how we should approach spring garden cleanup with beneficial insects in mind.

Check out the Good Growing Blog: go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing

Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribe

Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.

In this week’s podcast, University of Illinois commercial ag educator Chelsea Harbach joins the Good Growing team to discuss the historical significance of plant diseases such as the Irish Potato Famine (the Great Hunger). Listen in to hear what happened and what caused it to happen!

3: 36 Plants get sick? What do they get sick with?

8:42 Are viruses living or not living?

10:44 The History of Robigalia, when Romans made sacrifices to the god Robigus to prevent rust in wheat.

23:40 As we celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, why are potatoes and Ireland often linked? What happened with the Irish Potato Famine?

40:49 Tulip mania is thought as the first financial bubble collapse. Lots of money was made and a lot was lost. Was this driven by disease too?

Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowing

Subscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsu...

Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.

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