Home > News Archive > LSU AgCenter Communications produces news releases for print, radio and television media and produces a special gardening service called Get It Growing, which also includes news releases for print, radio and television. All of the press releases are archived together by year, month and then by Headline News, Radio, TV and Get It Growing. For more information on our news services, please contact  Linda Benedict, associate director of Communications, at (225) 578-2263 or 2937 or via e-mail. Remove cypress knees that pop up in your lawn (Audio 06/24/13) Most baldcypress trees that are planted in the landscape don’t usually produce knees. If your cypress does produce knees, this can be a nuisance when they come up in the lawn. While cypress knees in a flower bed appear picturesque, it is beneficial to eliminate the ones that appear in your lawn. (Runtime: 60 seconds) Choose heat-tolerant petunia varieties (Audio 06/24/13) Petunias produce beautifully while the weather is relatively mild in the spring. It is not unusual for these spring-planted petunias to begin to languish during the intense heat of summer. If you are planning to plant petunias for the summer, be sure to choose heat-tolerant varieties. (Runtime: 60 seconds) Mexican tarragon grows well during summer (Audio 06/24/13) While French tarragon will not grow properly throughout Louisiana’s hot summers, Mexican tarragon could serve as a substitute. This relative of marigolds has a rich flavor and grows beautifully in full sun situations. Learn more about planting Mexican tarragon in your herb garden. (Runtime: 60 seconds) Gardens, produce, food featured at Garden Fest [Image: charlie johnson and leo sanders] (Distributed 06/18/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – More than 1,000 people braved the heat and humidity of a Louisiana June day to attend the Garden Fest at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden on June 15.  more articles... Plant insect-free profusion zinnias (Audio 06/24/13) Louisiana gardeners welcome flowering plants that are able to withstand the intense heat of summer. Profusion zinnias are a hybrid group of zinnias that are insect-free. They grow very well during the summer. Hear more about growing zinnias in your landscape. (Runtime: 60 seconds) Handle snail and slug damage in your landscape (Audio 06/24/13) Frequent summer rainfall makes the weather humid and damp. Snails and slugs love this type of weather, and they are likely to come out and feed on your plants. Deal with snails and slugs by setting out beer traps or using iron phosphate baits. (Runtime: 60 seconds) La. farmers plant record-low cotton acreage Distributed 06/18/13) WINNSBORO, La. – Louisiana has the lowest cotton acreage in recorded history, with the state’s farmers planting an estimated 125,000 acres this year, according to LSU AgCenter cotton specialist and entomologist David Kerns. Rice plants short for their age this year [Image: Eric Webster] (Distributed 06/17/13) CROWLEY, La. – The short height of this year’s rice crop doesn’t mean it is necessarily late in development. Johnny Saichuk, LSU AgCenter rice specialist, said many rice fields are already at the green ring stage, even though they don’t look tall enough to be that developed. LaHouse open house to showcase storm-hardy home features (Distributed 06/17/13) BATON ROUGE, La. – With the 2013 hurricane season officially underway, the LSU AgCenter’s LaHouse Home and Landscape Resource Center will showcase hurricane and flood-hardy features for both new and existing homes on July 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Late freeze leads to mayhaw shortage [Image: Mayhaw] (Video News 06/17/13) Mayhaws are a beloved berry in Louisiana. They have a unique flavor worth seeking out. But this year’s crop suffered from cold damage. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard visited a mayhaw grower and jelly producer. (Runtime: 1:53) Youngsters learn about biofuels, crops during summer science camp [Image: Crops & Biofuels] (Video News 06/14/13) Some students are getting a little science with their summer. A local camp visited two LSU AgCenter facilities to learn about crops and biofuels. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard was along for the tour. Many palms can grow in Louisiana [Image: jelly palm] (Distributed 06/13/13) HAMMOND, La. – The use of palms in home landscapes has gained considerable interest in the last few years. Several reasons have brought about this resurgence. For one, many new, exotic palm species and varieties are more readily available; however, our cold temperatures the past couple of winters have damaged some of the species, and people are searching for the most reliable palms for landscape use. Growth study looks at nitrogen loss in corn (Distributed 06/13/13) WINNSBORO, La. – One of the latest research projects funded by the Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board will look at the effect of nitrogen loss on corn growth. Addressing disease in amaryllis plants [Image: Amaryllis] (Video 06/24/13) Amaryllis is a tropical-looking plant that has recently finished blooming across the state. On this edition of Get It Growing, horticulturist Dan Gill offers advice for detecting disease in amaryllis and steps to improve the overall health of the plant. (Runtime: 1:47) Click for more information...