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| This Week's Titles: |
| Time
To Fertilize Home Trees And Shrubs |
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New Weather Network Will
Soon Launch In Georgia |
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| Training
Helps Georgian's Learn Respect For The Environment |
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| Getting
High School Seniors Ready For Real World Expenses |
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| Make
Hummingbirds Welcome At Your Home |
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| Time
To Fertilize Home Trees And Shrubs |
1:49 |
Those trees and shrubs in the
yard are ready for a spring snack. |
Many landscapes across the
state are decorated with fruit trees, shade trees, ornamentals,
or all of the above. Now that spring is bringing warmer weather,
it's time to fertilize trees and shrubs. Jim Crawford, a county
extension agent in Jefferson County says like farmers, homeowners
will pay more for fertilizer this year. This is another reason
not to rush and purchase a lot of bags just to use a few pounds
of each. "You just don't need to grab anything that says fertilizer
and put it out there because some of it is more than these plants
need, some of it is not enough." Jim Crawford with the University
of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
To avoid extra expense, Crawford recommend using old faithful
10-10-10 fertilizer. The number pattern on the bag means the
mix contains ten percent nitrogen, ten percent phosphorus, and
ten percent potassium. This fertilizer will take care of all
your needs, but since fruit trees are different, they will require
different rates of 10-10-10 fertilizer. If you have azaleas
and speciality plants in your landscape, they will require specific
fertilizer with micro-nutrients added. Local University of Georgia
Cooperative Extension offices have the latest information on
specific plant needs. John Harrell, University of Georgia College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
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| New
Weather Network Will Soon Launch In Georgia |
1:51 |
People across Georgia are needed
to measure rainfall when a new weather network launches in the
state. |
The CoCoRaHS network, which
stands for community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow started
in Colorado years ago, and now includes thirty-one states. Pam
Knox, the Assistant State Climatologist at the University of
Georgia says volunteers are needed across the state to take
daily measurements of rain, hail, and snow. She adds this network
will be critical to Georgia, since the state continues in the
grips of a severe drought. When rainfall does occur, amounts
can vary from one end of a county to another. "Summer thunderstorm
rainfall or even sometimes when we get a tropical storm come
through that rainfall can really vary widely. The West part
of your county verses the East part of your county or something
like that, it makes a tremendous difference if you've got some
rainfall information that you can work with." Pam Knox with
the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who
adds official measuring stations across the state are sparse.
With trained volunteers, the CoCoRaHS will help fill these gaps
and supply users with a better picture of rainfall patterns.
The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network is
scheduled to launch in Georgia on May 1. Georgian's that want
more information, or to volunteer for the network can go to
www.cocorahs.org., or call 706-542-6067. John Harrell, University
of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,
reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
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| Training
Helps Georgian's Learn Respect For The Environment |
1:37 |
An increasing number of Georgian's
are learning respect for the environment, thanks to a University
of Georgia wildlife education program. |
The Georgia Master Naturalist
Program began in 2002 in Effingham County. Since the program
began, around ten counties in Georgia have taken part in the
program. Mike Mengak, a wildlife specialist with the University
of Georgia's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
says the eight-week program promotes environmental education,
and covers a wind range of topics. "On ecology, mammal, bird,
and tree identification, wildlife management, forest management,
urban forestry, agriculture, and some human impacts on the environment
like water pollution, sewage treatment, wastewater treatment,
recycling." Mike Mengak with the Warnell School of Forestry
and Natural Resources, who adds the program is specifically
designed for adults.. The Program has a positive impact on the
state by having an adult core that is trained, and afterwards
they can volunteer for the state and apply what they learned
in their local community. So far the Georgia Master Naturalist
Program has been held in North Georgia counties. Cooperative
Extension agents and wildlife specialists are hoping to take
this important training to other counties in the coming months,
including those in Central and South Georgia. John Harrell,
University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
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| Getting
High School Seniors Ready For Real World Expenses |
1:47 |
A county in West Central Georgia
is giving high school seniors a taste of reality they will need
when they move into the real world of adulthood. |
Many seniors often get a
shock when they graduate from high school and enter the "real
world." Many of them have never held a job, paid a bill, or
even balanced a check book. To help prepare high school seniors
for the challenges they will face, Harris County offered a program
called "Welcome to the Real World." Adrianne Cox, a county extension
agent in Harris County says high school seniors taking part
in the training learn about managing money in real life situations.
"They are given a pretend life when they come in. They are given
a job, a salary, a marital status, some are even given children.
And they have to go through and have Uncle Sam take out their
taxes which is of course a big cut and surprise to them for
how much they have taxes taken out. And they pay taxes and then
they go around and buy groceries, they pay for utilities, they
find transportation if it's bus transportation or purchasing
a vehicle." Adrianne Cox with the University of Georgia's College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Forty-eight percent
of high school seniors that took part in the Welcome to the
Real World Training in Harris County stated they learned the
importance of managing their money, and having a budget. Forty
percent wrote that life is expensive and managing finances is
a challenge. John Harrell, University of Georgia College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
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| Make
Hummingbirds Welcome At Your Home |
1:41 |
Some hungry birds humming their
way back to Georgia are looking for some home cooking. |
After spending the winter
in Central America, hummingbirds are on their way back to Georgia
for the spring and summer. Paul Thomas, a horticulturist with
the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences say Georgian's can put out the welcome mat by providing
their favorite plants and the right food in the right places.
He adds hummingbirds prefer feeders that are clean. "If the
sugar solution in your feeder is turning cloudy, that's bacteria,
fungi, and who know what else, other types of microbes growing
in that solution and that is not good for the hummingbird. Just
make a regular habit after dinner of cleaning half your feeders
and it's really not a big chore." Paul Thomas with the College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. When cleaning feeders,
dump the leftover food, and wash them by rinsing three or four
times before recycling. When washing, never use bleach. When
putting solution in the feeder, fill them half way and replace
the solution every other day. A sugar solution made of four
parts water and one part table sugar is the best mix to put
in feeders for hummingbirds. Avoid adding fruit juice, honey,
or red dye. Some plants that attract hummingbirds include red
flowering chestnut, columbine, and hibiscus. John Harrell, University
of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,
reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
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