Kym Pokorny

Colorful indoor plants make delightful gifts for the holidays

The choices go beyond traditional poinsettias and amaryllis. Colorful African violets, gloxinia, cyclamen, orchids, ornamental peppers and Christmas cactus are blooming and readily available.

Kym Pokorny | Nov 17, 2023 | News story

The debate over native plants and their cultivars gathers steam

Research about native plans and their cultivars that has been done – primarily on the East Coast – hasn’t been conclusive.

Kym Pokorny | Nov 3, 2023 | News story

OSU Extension research group searches for plants to weather climate change

The plants in the field trials were chosen by an advisory group of nursery growers and landscape designers and were evaluated on growth, visual appeal, timing of flowering, density of flowers, physiology and heat tolerance.

Kym Pokorny | Nov 1, 2023 | News story

OSU Extension trains new B-Team to assess the status of Oregon’s wild bees

The B-Team will fill in gaps in knowledge about where bees live and the plants they depend on for nutrition and to lay their eggs.

Kym Pokorny | Oct 31, 2023 | News story

Go underground with bulbs for colorful spring bloom

When purchasing bulbs, choose large ones. The bigger the bulb, the bigger the bloom.

Kym Pokorny | Oct 20, 2023 | News story

As western Oregon climate changes, Extension specialist tests forages for resilience

In 2022, Shayan Ghajar planted randomized blocks of annual forages and evaluated them for yield and nutritive value and also set out to determine the best sowing dates and growing conditions.

Kym Pokorny | Oct 16, 2023 | News story

OSU researchers race the clock to study alternatives to banned pesticide

Since 2020, a statewide research team has been investigating alternatives to chlorpyrifos, which is being phased out at the end of 2023 and targets persistent insects affecting more than 40 specialty crops that help drive Oregon’s economy.

Kym Pokorny | Oct 11, 2023 | News story

Five steps for saving tuberous begonias as frost approaches

The tubers can be saved and planted again the next spring for another year of showy color.

Kym Pokorny | Sep 29, 2023 | News story

No-till gardening keeps soil – and plants – healthy

No-till gardening minimizes soil disruption, which compacts the soil and destroys the pathways that channel air and water through the soil.

Kym Pokorny | Sep 5, 2023 | News story

Oregon State University’s historic campus earns coveted arboretum status

The accreditation validates OSU’s long recognized reputation as a beautiful, walkable campus.

Kym Pokorny | Aug 14, 2023 | News story

Mothballs are a pesticide and should be used with care

Mothballs, one of the most common methods to control clothes moths, need to be recognized as a pesticide that can be harmful to humans or animals when misused.

Kym Pokorny | Aug 11, 2023 | News story

New OSU online course series gives dairy foods manufacturing employees a leg up in their careers

The Professional and Continuing Education unit in OSU’s Division of Extension and Engagement now offers three options in Dairy Foods Manufacturing – an essentials certificate, an advanced certificate and a micro certificate.

Kym Pokorny | Aug 10, 2023 | News story

OSU Extension-led effort will help cut through the labor issues facing state’s meat processing industry

A $650,000 grant allows OSU Extension’s Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network (NMPAN) to lead a collaborative, multi-state program to help solve workforce issues in Oregon and the rest of the Pacific Northwest

Kym Pokorny | Aug 4, 2023 | News story

OSU Extension answers the call to serve veterans interested in farming

The Military Veterans Farmer Network is a program of Oregon State University Extension Service meant to connect military veterans engaged in or interested in farming.

Kym Pokorny | Aug 1, 2023 | News story

Don’t cut down that ash tree just yet – Oregon won’t see full effect of emerald ash borer for years

Currently, the emerald ash borer has been found in trees only in Washington County, where a quarantine prohibits moving ash (Fraxinus) or fringe tree (Chionanthus) wood in or out of the area.

Kym Pokorny | Jul 28, 2023 | News story

Five Oregon gardeners recognized with statewide awards

The honorees received their awards at the Joy of Gardening conference, an annual event sponsored by the Oregon Master Gardener Association.

Kym Pokorny | Jul 27, 2023 | News story

Joy of Gardening conference draws enthusiastic crowd to OSU

Sponsored by the Oregon Master Gardener Association, which supports the Oregon State University Extension Master Gardener program, the two-day conference drew 150 to the CH2M Hill Alumni Center on the Oregon State campus in Corvallis.

Kym Pokorny | Jul 24, 2023 | News story

Gardening mentor study cultivates support system for cancer survivors

Hope Grows Here is a program that promotes gardening as a therapeutic way of helping cancer survivors.

Kym Pokorny | Jul 21, 2023 | News story

Myth vs. reality: What’s the truth behind some common gardening practices?

Experts from Oregon State University Extension Service stepped up to bust some common gardening myths.

Kym Pokorny | Jul 14, 2023 | News story

Oregon growers learn about new breeding efforts at Strawberry Field Day

Currently, two promising varieties are going through evaluation and may be released in the next few years. Not named yet, they are referred to as 2678-1 and 3009-1.

Kym Pokorny | Jun 29, 2023 | News story

Used appropriately, coffee grounds improve soil and kill slugs

Coffee grounds can be worked into the soil or added to a compost pile but should be done with some restraint.

Kym Pokorny | Jun 23, 2023 | News story

Rain gardens help keep pollutants out of waterways

Stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces has been routed directly to streams through stormwater pipes and ditches with little infiltration or treatment.

Kym Pokorny | Jun 9, 2023 | News story

OSU Extension’s model cow helps ranchers deal with difficult births

OSU Extension acquired Alberta, a life-size black model cow without a head or legs, four years ago and the model has been traveling the state teaching people how to deal with dystocia, a difficult birth that usually manifests itself in a turned calf or a calf that is too large

Kym Pokorny | Jun 5, 2023 | News story

Gardening can be accessible to all with some adjustments

“Universal” garden design is planning the landscape so that anyone can access and enjoy it.

Kym Pokorny | May 26, 2023 | News story

Beneficial bats help control insects in the garden

Their voracious appetite for insects turns them bats into a living pesticide that saves farmers billions of dollars a year and helps rid our backyards of insects like mosquitoes, moths, grasshoppers, flies and beetles

Kym Pokorny | May 12, 2023 | News story

Bernadine Strik remembered as 'amazing person, mentor and friend'

In 2021, Bernadine Strik received the highest honor bestowed by the International Society for Horticultural Science for her industry-changing program on berries.

Kym Pokorny | Apr 21, 2023 | News story

OSU breeding program produced series of purple tomatoes with healthy antioxidants

People liked the tomato’s novelty but the benefits from the anthocyanins in the skin were the draw.

Kym Pokorny | Apr 21, 2023 | News story

Growing peppers adds flavor to ethnic dishes

Ezequiel Lopez-Reyes, Oregon State University Extension Service Open Campus and Juntos student success coordinator, has been growing his home garden for five years. All of his bounty goes into meals he cooks with culturally important foods.

Kym Pokorny | Mar 31, 2023 | News story

Let soil temperature guide you when planting vegetables

This year, however, paying attention to soil temperature is the best way to go for knowing when to plant vegetables. An inexpensive soil thermometer helps keep planting time in perspective.

Kym Pokorny | Mar 20, 2023 | News story

OSU Extension Master Gardeners plant plots to help save Oregon silverspot butterfly

OSU Extension Master Gardeners have planted two small silverspot butterfly beds at the Master Gardener demonstration gardens in Lincoln City and Yachats to draw the silverspot to a friendly place for food and shelter.

Kym Pokorny | Mar 15, 2023 | News story

Resiliency is the theme at 23rd OSU Small Farms Conference

The conference is the premiere event organized by the OSU Extension Small Farms Program.

Kym Pokorny | Mar 3, 2023 | News story

El libro 'Su Propio Cultivo' de El Servicio de Extensión de OSU está disponible en español

The new version of Growing Your Own continues Extension’s commitment to expanding language access and accessibility,

Kym Pokorny | Mar 3, 2023 | News story

Five tips for properly planting a conifer tree

When it comes to planting conifers, timing is everything.

Kym Pokorny | Feb 17, 2023 | News story

New Oregon State agricultural economists help farmers and ranchers with their bottom line

Dan Bigelow and Tim Delbridge are assistant professors in the Department of Applied Economics and have statewide Extension responsibilities. Bigelow started Aug. 17 and Delbridge came on board Sept. 1.

Kym Pokorny | Feb 16, 2023 | News story

OSU Extension digs into the possibility of growing high-value Asian herbs and vegetables

The COVID-19 pandemic added to an increased interest in Asian medicinal herbs, but a steady increase in Asian, Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations in the Portland metro area also contributes to the rise in demand.

Kym Pokorny | Feb 7, 2023 | News story

Are you thinking of raising chickens because of record-breaking egg prices? Do your research

Raising and keeping chickens isn’t cheap so you’re not going to save money compared to buying eggs at the market.

Kym Pokorny | Feb 3, 2023 | News story

Fruit trees need attention this time of year

Whether you have one or several, or plan to plant your first fruit tree, it’s time to give them the attention needed to keep them healthy and bearing fruit.

Kym Pokorny | Jan 27, 2023 | News story

Dogs sniff out destructive voles to help farmers with control

Because of vole activity in the Willamette Valley from 2018-2021, crops disappeared, pastures were ruined and young blueberries and orchard trees girdled.

Kym Pokorny | Jan 19, 2023 | News story

7 winter-blooming plants to nourish bees

Even a small amount of habitat will sustain bees, even rare species.

Kym Pokorny | Jan 13, 2023 | News story

OSU Extension quickly mobilizes to respond to emerald ash borer discovery

Extension curated and disseminated essential information about the devastating pest and assist with initial monitoring efforts to determine how far and fast the insect is spreading in Oregon.

Kym Pokorny | Jan 12, 2023 | News story

Teenage Master Melittologist creates artwork for new Oregon license plate celebrating pollinators

Marek Stanton, 15, worked with Andony Melathopoulos, OSU Extension pollinator health specialist, and Sarah Kincaid, faculty research assistant, on the inspiration behind the drawing.

Kym Pokorny | Jan 11, 2023 | News story

Top 10 stories of 2022 cover a wide range of topics

Catch the Top 10 gardening stories of 2022.  

Kym Pokorny | Dec 30, 2022 | News story

Rare western bumblebee discovery will help scientists determine reason for decline

The discovery allows research collaborators in OSU Extension, the Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and University of Oregon to research the western bumblebee to help determine why it is disappearing and how to stop its measurable decline.

Kym Pokorny | Dec 22, 2022 | News story

Harvesting peat moss contributes to climate change, Oregon State scientist says

Decomposition  releases carbon back into the atmosphere, contributing to a warming climate.

Kym Pokorny | Dec 9, 2022 | News story

New Extension website helps solve pest and disease problems

Solve Pest and Weed Problems focuses specifically on the Pacific Northwest and prioritizes low-risk approaches.

Kym Pokorny | Nov 11, 2022 | News story

Large increase of brown marmorated stink bugs poses serious threat to Oregon crops

It’s unclear why the population of brown marmorated stink bug exploded this year. Like other insects, the population of the shield-shaped brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) varies from year to year depending on climatic factors.

Kym Pokorny | Nov 9, 2022 | News story

Control slugs now as they lay eggs to hatch in spring

Slugs aren’t crazy about winter and summer. They bail from cold or hot weather. But fall and spring are agreeable seasons for slugs.

Kym Pokorny | Oct 28, 2022 | News story

Master Beekeeper program adds groundbreaking Spanish-language track as it celebrates 10th year

It's the first program of its kind in the United States.

Kym Pokorny | Oct 6, 2022 | News story

Now’s the time to plant winter cover crops to prepare soil for next year’s vegetable garden

These hardworking plants can add organic matter and aerate the soil, protect it from compaction caused by rain, suppress weeds and reduce erosion.

Kym Pokorny | Sep 9, 2022 | News story

OSU study of native plants and pollinators presented at the largest nursery industry show in the West

Four Extension faculty and one research assistant gave presentations at the Farwest Show, which annually draws an estimated 5,000 attendees to the Oregon Convention Center and nursery tours.

Kym Pokorny | Sep 2, 2022 | News story