According to their website, “The New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health (IFNH) underscores the commitment of Rutgers University to new transformational initiatives across the many disciplines impacting food, nutrition, and health… The IFNH building is also home to the largest interior living wall in New Jersey with 46 species and over 5,200 plants covering 1,320 square feet of wall space… EcoWalls LLC, a leading US-based company focused on providing functional and sustainable solutions for vertical landscapes throughout the world, was the lead design consultant and manufacturer for the IFNH Living Wall. The EcoWall Living Wall System, a modular hydroponic vertical planting panel, is the building block which created the 1320 sq. ft living wall. The system was selected because of its strong ability to cater to long-term plant growth, resource efficiency, and reduced maintenance requirements through the use of a unique hydroponic technology utilizing foam as a substitute for soil.
Home/Lawn/Garden
Spring is planting season, but ‘giving season’ for Rutgers vets is year-round
While the 2015 class of the Rutgers Veterans Environmental and Technology Solutions (VETS) program graduated in December and the ground outside isn’t ready yet for spring planting, some of the program’s graduates worked through the cold months of winter to make sure those at the Willing Heart Community Center always had fresh vegetables… Amy Rowe, VETS co-director, noted “The classroom portion of the VETS program provides unemployed veterans with the skills they need to get back to work, but the hands-on field experience has come through partnerships and engagement with the community. The trainees work to revitalize distressed neighborhoods through the installation of community gardens, landscape beautification, and by teaching the citizens of Newark how to eat healthy and grow their own food.”
“Law of Return” and “Biodiversity” are Principles Used in Organic Land Care
The “Soils Matter, Get the Scoop!” blog is published by the Soil Science Society of America, which is the premier organization devoted to soil science. Their goal for the blog is to help preserve this valuable natural resource by educating the public about sustainable practices. This month’s blog post by Rutgers NJAES extension specialist in […]
Recreating Rutgers tomato took some sleuthing
A few weeks ago, we heard from listeners whose curiosity and appetite were piqued by a story we aired about limited seed availability for a new New Jersey tomato – the Rutgers 250, which is based on a tomato developed by Rutgers back in 1934. NewsWorks…
Rutgers scientist-sleuth finds ancient plant locked in amber
More than 15 million years ago, the delicate flowers fell to the floor of a muggy, tropical forest, and somehow did not rot and wither away. Instead, they were trapped in sticky globs of tree resin, hardened into amber, and carried on the high seas to …
2015 NJAES Annual Report Available for New Jersey Stakeholders
The 2015 NJAES Annual Report, produced by the Office of the Executive Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources Robert Goodman, was unveiled on Feb. 11 at the final day of the New Jersey Agricultural Convention in Atlantic City. The report highlights the research and extension activities of the experiment station under the six broad categories […]
Zika Virus: What New Jersey Residents Should Know
Randy Gaugler and Ary Faraji of the Rutgers Center for Vector Biology take an in-depth look at the Zika virus and what New Jersey’s residents need to know about the recent outbreak. Read more at the Center’s blog.
Rutgers Home Gardeners School: Green Thumbs Invited to Let Knowledge Bloom
Gardening enthusiasts are invited to register for the upcoming Rutgers Home Gardeners School to be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sat., March 19 on the Cook/Douglass campus. This year marks the 40th offering of this annual event, which many attendees come back for year after year. Designed to offer “something for everyone” […]
GARDENER STATE: Just a few cures for your cabin fever
Are you suffering from extreme irritability and restlessness during these post-holiday weeks with seemingly no one visiting and nothing to do? The tree is long recycled or boxed and the lights and decorations are all put away. And even your New Year’s …
Warm Weather Means Springtime in December for Flowers and Trees
It’s great fun when we humans can wear our flip-flops and shorts in December. That thick jacket with the fur-trimmed hood is just a short trip to the closet away when winter inevitably wallops us… Lena Struwe, a plant biologist at Rutgers University, has been noticing the weeds, because that’s what she studies. “In the last couple weeks, have you seen all these dandelions flowering?” she asked. She’s never seen so many at this time of the year. There are thousands on the university lawn. “There are all these fluffy balls right now,” she said. She’s also seeing hairy cress, which usually comes out in April, and veronica. Because these plants are fast growers, they may be able get in an extra growing season, spreading extra seeds for the spring… Struwe is worried about how plants that have adapted over thousands of years to our seasons will ultimately respond to our warming, more unsettled climate. Plants that like warmer weather are already migrating northward. Kudzu, an invasive vine, has made it to Delaware and southern Pennsylvania.
