Ham Storage

In December I bought a 20 pound spiral-cut ham, and when I got home the power was out, so I left it in the trunk of my car overnight. The car was in a metal, three-sided garage. The temperature got down to 48 degrees. I put the ham in the fridge the next morning. Is it OK to use, or should I toss it? Barbara

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Lane County OR food safety about 2 hours ago

Why is my Amaryllis red tearing on the leaves

I am new to this plant and have been reading up on how this plant grows. I know it has red blotch and I have things that will help till I get some seeds but I can't find anything on how to stop with the tears on the leaves. There are four total and two look dried up while the others look somewhat well, if you could tell me what I'm doing wrong that would be a lot of help thanks.

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Bronx County NY amaryllis house plant about 3 hours ago

Gull on Apple Tree

We have found multiple of these bumps/gulls on our apple trees. Have any idea what might be causing them?

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Washtenaw County MI about 5 hours ago

Bush ID

This bush has fragrant spiked flowers at the end of winter. There is no green foliage at this time.

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DE witch hazel winter blooming shrub hamamelis virginiana about 6 hours ago

Back yard soil test

I would like to know how and where to send an soil sample of my back yard soil. The grass is depleted and I would like it to be full and healthy.

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Montgomery County MD soil testing about 6 hours ago

Salmon and parasite

I would like to make salmon lox with wild salmon at home. A regular freezer does not get cold enough to kill parasites. Would dry ice in a cooler kill parasites in the fish that would be eaten as lox

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Washington County OR food safety food storage about 7 hours ago

gardening

I live in an area with a very hot summer, dry and mild winters. I bought a rosemary plant and it was good and then I started to dry and then I died.

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OUTSIDEUS rosemary about 7 hours ago

Raised bed soil quality

I've been using raised beds for several years to grow veggies in the summer. I used to fertilize every spring with a 2-2-2 organic chicken manure but over time the soil got too "hot" and if affected my yield. The past 2 years I mixed in plain peat moss to tame it down a bit, but then this past summer most of my tomatoes and quite a few bell peppers suffered from blossom rot. I understand that lime should help the rot, but I'm also wondering if I should be adding nutrients of some kind now so that they can fully leach into the soil before planting time arrives?

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Multnomah County OR soil raised bed gardening tomatoes about 9 hours ago

What rock is this?

I have a weird grey rock with thin white circles and lines

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OUTSIDEUS rock identification geology about 9 hours ago

Trees

Where do I find an abortist?

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District of Columbia County DC trees about 22 hours ago

Catching yellow jacket queens

I want to put out traps to catch the queens as they emerge from their winter hiding spots. I am in a rural field setting outside of Portland. Is there a certain month to set out the traps. I figure if I catch one queen, that is one less nest around my house this summer. Also, what would be the suggested bait. I found meat is good bait for workers in the summer, but maybe the queen is looking for a different nourishment as she emerges. Thanks for any suggestions.

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Clackamas County OR wasps yellow jackets 1 day ago

What Zone Am I

I recently asked about container plants that could winter-over and the answer I got said to plant 2 zones hardier. Question: What zone am I and which zone(s) would be two zones hardier. I am at: 219 Glenrae Dr., Catonsville, Md 21228

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Baltimore County MD plant selection plant care hardiness zone 1 day ago

Goose or duck?

The bird in the attached picture was with a flock of Canada geese in an industrial park on SE international way in Milwaukie. (The industrial park itself has plenty of lawn, is bordered partly by a protected wetland, and is close to the Willamette River.) There’s a bit of a debate amongst my friends and I as to whether it’s just a different kind of goose or a duck. Can you settle the debate?

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Clackamas County OR 1 day ago

composting Alpaca manure

Hi,

Can you please give me a step by step procedure for composting alpaca manure? I have a 3 bin composting system with each bin measuring about 1 cubic yd. Those piles rarely get hot. I'm also thinking of starting a larger pile somewhere. What materials do I need to add to the alpaca manure? How long will it take to kill potential pathogens (especially if it's not heating up)? How often to turn it? Thanks!

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Portage County OH 1 day ago

Ten yr old Desert Museum Palo Verde dying?

I have two ten yr old DM palo verde trees planted in my front landscape. One of them has lost a lot of it's leaves leaving it sort of scruffy looking. Small, sparse leaf cover, the other tree looks full and normal. Now the green of the tree trunks themselves in that tree seem to have a yellow cast which is noticeable because the second tree 40 or 50 feet away is still normal in color. I used a treatment for root borers recommended by the local nursery but the tree seems no better, maybe worse. I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions.

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Pinal County AZ 1 day ago

Home made cheddar cheese question

I made some cheddar which, after aging, smells wonderful. But when I taste it, the first sensation is delicious but then I get a distinctly bitter after taste. PH is about 5-5.5. I used low temperature pasteurized milk. Using C101 cultures from New England Cheesemaking Supply. Made with rennet tablets. Am I using too much rennet? Dipped in 2-3 layers of cheese wax. Aged at around 55 degrees in a wine cooler that has trouble in the hottest days main tannin g it temp. Could get temp up to 70 for a few hours. Happens with cheeses aged between 2 and up to 20 months.

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Yamhill County OR cheese food safety 1 day ago

How to remove Tall Fescue

We just bought forested property with a house and meadow. Our priority is to make the house liveable but my concern is that our meadow is entirely of a bunch grass, probably TallFescue. I want to get rid of it and plant pollinators (buckwheat, red clover, alfalfa, sages, etc). Please advise how to proceed. PS: deer do not browse on it.Thank you.

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New Castle County DE 1 day ago

Spring bush hogging timing

To minimize disturbance to grassland wildlife, we would like to bush hog our grasslands after winter and before the wildlife nesting season. Therefore, it seems as if March is the best time for bush hogging to balance grassland management and wildlife habitat (here in Northern Virginia). However, March is a notoriously wet month and driving heavy equipment through wet soils can have serious negative consequences. Is there a good way to balance bush hogging timing to benefit wildlife while not causing soil damage?

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Loudoun County VA 1 day ago

The best type of evergreen hedge bushes for zone 7 (Hermiston OR area)

Hi, I have been told that planting arborvidae is not a good hedge to plant here in the Hermiston, OR area due to the dry extreme heat that we get in the summers. The main problem being the spider mite that infests the bush after they have withstood a long dry season. But, I also came across an article where a gentleman discovered how to combat this problem. He also pointed out that it isn't just a problem related to one type of tree, that this can happen to other species of trees. https://www.all-about-the-house.com/spider-mite-arborvitae-decimation/ I was also told by a local nursery that I could invest (each tree is rather costly) in a different type of evergreen for a hedge. (I don't remember if they said it was the juniper or what specific name they gave it). I would like to plant a very large amount of these for wind barrier and privacy, so a really expensive tree is not an option. I have also been told that there are better drought hardy hedges (other than evergreen), but I really want the look of evergreen as opposed to other bushes that have been suggested. I am also trying to write a research paper regarding this matter. Can you please point me in the right direction for better information on this subject? Sincerely, Sarah

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Umatilla County OR horticulture trees and shrubs 1 day ago

Sad Aloe

Hello, everybody. I am in desperate need of help.

I actually live in Huntington, but this web page would not let me ask the question then due to no agents available to help.

This past summer, I bought my first aloe vera and potted it. It did amazing.. it bloomed twice before bringing in it for the winter.

Well, the mother had 3 aloe pups... and we may have waited too long to propagate it... because the mother aloe was so root bound and the leaves were turning and dying..

They all were repotted.. with succulent soil and gravel, so it was much better than the soil the mother had to begin with, because it was just regular dirt for flowers outside..

Anyways, I brought one of the pups to my apartment in hope to find it better sunlight. The sunlight at my mother's was not adequate. The mother got taken to my boyfriend's, because he has a great window for lots of sun light.. and I thought maybe that would help it.

The pup I have now looks like a full grown plant, and it seemed healthy until a few days after I brought it over. All the leaves are drooped down, bad brown spots on it.. like mushy.. and some leaves are turning brown... most of all the tips are brown and wilted, too. The plant still has a lot of green, but in the center of the plant, it is as if the fat, green leaves are going to fall off any second if breathed on. One of the healthy leaves did fall off.. but around the center of where the main part of the leaves is, at the bottom it seems to be some purple goo that the plant is producing. Is that normal?

I thought about taking this pup over to my boyfriend's too, to get the sun light that it does not have here yet. I want to try to save it before I lose it...

But other then sunlight, I'm not sure what is wrong. It is not root bound or rotted because it was just replanted. It is not over watered or eveunderwater.

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WV aloe vera 1 day ago

How mitigate yard mites and protect pollinators?

Hi. I work at Neighborhood Services in the City. Recently a neighbor asked if we were aware of a way to mitigate for mites-- in a large open, grassy space -- and yet protect pollinators. Could you suggest any green alternatives to spraying with pesticides? One resource has suggested cedar oil. We would value your expertise. Thank you!

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Larimer County CO 2 days ago

Frozen Geranium

Dear Extension Center, My geranium was outside and got really cold. I'm curious if it dies because the roots freeze or the top freezes? If one but not both freeze can it still survive? Thank you for your help. Sincerely, Jennifer Lekisch

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King County WA geraniums flowers: annuals and herbaceous perennials 2 days ago

Organic Tree Sprays?

Hi! I was wondering if arborists can use less harsh and harmful sprays on my blue spruce, ash, and red oak. I don't mind direct root or bark injections, but I am planning to start an organic vegetable garden and don't want any chemicals to go on the crops from the drift of spraying huge trees on the property. Thank you!
Tanya

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Denver County CO organic pesticides 2 days ago

Sod over Bark Dust

We have small backyard in our townhouse where they put down bark dust but we have two dogs and they track in the bark dust whenever we let them out, could we lay sod over the bark dust?

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Washington County OR lawns and turf 2 days ago

Holding food in a thermos

How long is hot food safe in a thermos. If I send something hot in the morning with my child's for lunch, is it still okay if it gets eaten after school. It would be hot for more than 4 hours.

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Oakland County MI food safety 2 days ago