In the past year, U.S. beekeepers lost 40 percent of their honeybee colonies despite the fact that Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a phenomenon in which worker bees abandon the colony, has declined in the last few years. Research conducted by the Bee Informed Partnership, a nonprofit group led by the University of Maryland, cited climate…
If you like to garden, then you can appreciate the swell of pride in every gardener’s chest at the sight of a weedless and perfectly manicured lawn; a garden bursting with ripe vegetables; and a flowerbed dotted with vibrant petals. While this lovely scene is every gardener’s dream, it often comes at a cost. To…
For most of us, we haven’t heard the term “pH” since high school chemistry. If you remember (and most of us don’t), pH stands for potential hydrogen and measures how acidic or basic something is. You may have heard that juice and coffee are acidic substances, and this is because they have a pH of…
Last month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, warning the public that the earth’s oceanic and frozen regions are at risk if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced significantly and quickly. The ocean serves as a carbon sink and has absorbed…
Are you wondering when is the best time to fertilize cool-season grass? The Best Time to Fertilize Cool-Season Grass Now that it’s fall, it’s time to give a little more TLC to your cool-season grasses. The sweltering heat of the summer can severely damage the root system of these grasses. During the fall, however, the…
It is officially the first day of fall, as September 23 marks the Autumnal Equinox—the beginning of shorter days, cooler air, and watercolor forests. Now that fall has arrived, summer gardeners are pocketing their trowels and slipping off their gloves, but cooler weather doesn’t necessarily put an end to gardening. In fact, there are various…
As cooler weather creeps steadily forward, gardeners are unearthing their summer crops and planting cool-season crops to prepare for the fall. Gardening is a therapeutic and rewarding hobby for people of all ages—and whether you garden to produce food for your family or to showcase a beautifully manicured yard, you probably use a plethora of…
As climate change continues to affect our planet, it is now in the hands of political leaders, scientists, engineers, and—yes—even the everyday gardeners to enact change. Erratic weather patterns are threatening crops worldwide; greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are ballooning due to inefficient agricultural practices; and growing acidification in our oceans is affecting aquatic ecosystems…
By the year 2050, it is predicted that the global population will exceed nine billion. More people on our planet means that there will be more bellies to feed, but less space to grow crops. In the future, two-thirds of the population will be located in urban rather than rural areas because less and less…
According to the U.S. Midwest Climate Hub, Midwestern states have seen precipitation 2-3 times above average. Coupled with already saturated soils, melting snow, and flooding from the Missouri River, fields are looking more like swamps than planter ready. With the saturated conditions and warmer weather on the horizon, it is especially important that we be…
