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JoAnne Skelly: Orange strings on plants

A reader sent me photos and questions recently stating: “I’ve seen this 'growth' on various garden plants at just a couple homes in my neighborhood. They struggled to get rid of it.

"Just recently, I found this growing out in the desert on BLM land about a mile or two past our neighborhood," the reader wrote, "and would like to know what it is, if it's going to spread, does it kill its host, and if I should do something about it.”

Once you have seen dodder, it’s easy to recognize. This parasitic annual plant is quite distinctive, because it looks like a big ball of orange string covering its host plant.

It infests crops, ornamentals, native plants and even weeds. However, I am being a bit misleading, because dodder can range in color from pale green to yellow to orange.

It gets its energy from the host plant, reattaching continually to its original host, and then spreading its shoots to other nearby plants.

People are the primary disseminator of dodder, spreading it with soil and equipment as well as on shoes and tires.

Of course, it also spreads when infested plant material is moved, or if it’s present in seeds. It can spread via water, too.

Dodder flowers from late spring through fall, setting most of its seeds in late summer.

Even though only about five percent of seed germinates each year, the remainder can lay dormant for more than 20 years. Seeds can even survive soil solarization.

Dodder doesn’t always kill its host, although it can reduce the growth of the infested plant.

The vigor of the host plant, its stage of growth and the severity of the infestation are influential factors in host response and whether it survives.

Managing dodder takes commitment, because controlling it takes more than one
treatment over multiple years.

If you see newly attached dodder strings on your plants, prune the infected part of the host one-fourth inch below the point of attachment of the dodder.

Regular, repeated hand-pulling or cutting year after year can reduce infestations.

When it is found on herbaceous plants, it’s easiest to remove the entire host plant, placing it in a sealed garbage bag to prevent spread of pieces or seeds. Dispose of the bag in the trash.

Chemical treatment is rarely called for in home gardens and landscapes, although some pre-emergent herbicides are listed for dodder control and can reduce populations when applied before seeds germinate.

JoAnne Skelly is Associate Professor Emerita with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

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Muscle Powered

Join Muscle Powered for an evening hike of Kings Canyon Waterfall Trail in Carson City at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 19.

On June 6, 2020, Carson City Assistant Sheriff Daniel Gonzales graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA. In a release provided by the FBI, 201 law enforcement officers graduated from the FBI National Academy.

Carson City Fire Department and sheriff's deputies were called early Saturday evening to a vehicle that reportedly crashed into the garage of a residence in the 3700 block of Woodside Drive.

After nine months of learning just about every aspect of what makes Carson City tick, 23 members of the Carson City Leadership Class of 2024 graduated on Thursday, June 13.

The Jazz & Beyond festival committee announces that the winner of the 2024 poster and program cover art contest is Carol Foldvary-Anderson. Her design, "More Than Just Jazz!" was selected from six entries to highlight the 21st annual Carson City music festival.

Join the Carson City Library for an author event that hits close to home with the release of Virginia City V. Bonanza: A Tale of Merging Histories, published by Rowman & Littlefield. Written by Monette Bebow-Reinhard, the discussion takes place Saturday, June 22, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. at the Carson City Library, located at 900 N. Roop St., Carson City.

Attention film lovers and sci-fi film enthusiasts: Prepare to blast off into a world of imagination and creativity with Silver State Storyteller's Moon Rocks Sci-Fi Short Film Competition happening today at the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City.

Carson City eateries will take to the streets at the center of the capital city today, Saturday, June 15 for the 30th Taste of Downtown, a long tradition to benefit the city's shelter for domestic violence victims.

The annual Stewart Father's Day Powwow at the former Stewart Indian Boarding School Campus in Carson City is underway, continuing through Sunday.

Lenny aka Tommy Two-Tone is a handsome long-haired orange kitty with a sweet face and silky soft fur. He likes people and once comfortable with you, he will purr with delight while you pet him.

After several years of set backs due to the economy, the Sierra Flats Affordable Housing project is finally opening with a ribbon cutting July 9, providing 80 new rent controlled units to the capital city.

There are two portions of the project, a building for seniors and a building for family and workforce housing, each containing 40 units.

UNR Extension Master Gardener Community Garden Talks

Join UNR Extension Master Gardeners of Carson City for a night in the garden.

Today is the last day of school, which brings on High School graduation across Lyon County. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office congratulates all of those that are graduating today, and wishes them the best as they enter the workforce, go off to college, join the military or any other adventure they choose to embark on.

A red flag warning has been issued by the national weather service for Friday, June 14 for much of western Nevada.

A major weather risk means the combination of gusty winds and low humidity could cause fire to rapidly grow in size and intensity before first responders can contain them, according to the weather service.

The Carson City School District reminds the community that all school offices within the district, with the exception of Carson High School, will be closed from June 17 to August 5. The Carson High School office will be open to help you from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Douglas County is pleased to announce important updates to parking regulations and options for visitors and residents enjoying Zephyr Cove Beach at Lake Tahoe this summer.

For the first time, "No Parking" signs will line both sides of Highway 50 in each direction from the new stoplight installed by the Nevada Department of Transportation at Warrior Way.

Two people have been found dead after the plane they were in crashed in Alpine County, south of Lake Tahoe. On June 13 at approximately 1 a.m., deputies from the Alpine County Sheriff's Office were notified of an overdue aircraft that had left Lodi, Calif. on Wednesday afternoon.

A sixteen-year-old Carson City resident is in custody following a gas station robbery Thursday night.

According to Sheriff Ken Furlong, the robbery occurred at an ExtraMile convenience store and involved a knife.

Here are the votes as of Tuesday, June 13 at 4:40 p.m.

The votes will not be finalized until all mail ballots have been counted. So far, the majority of ballots (5,720) were cast by mail, followed up by early voting (2,171) with the least amount of votes (1,842) cast on Election Day.

We will continue to update results as they come in.

Carson City author Michael K. Falciani, left, receives the ACES High Award from

We have a winner! Dragon Crown Books is pleased to announce that Carson City author Michael K. Falciani is the winner of the inaugural ACES High Award for outstanding contribution to The ACES Anthology 2023.

The Douglas County School Board selected Angelo “Frankie” Alvarado, a Ukiah, Calif. district administrator, as their next superintendent.

This is the third selection for a superintendent, the first of which was John Ramirez Jr., also of California, who had a history of DUI, sexual harassment, hit and run, mismanagement of district funds, and more.

A concert by The Sierra Sweethearts, a Chautauqua of Laura D. Fair, and local author Gregory Crouch are featured as part of the Dangberg Summer Festival in June.

Carson City Friday Family Fun Days is kicking off the 2024 summer season at Mills Park Friday, June 21.

Each Friday, event goers can find either live music or a community movie in the park along with a selection of food trucks. Kids actives include giant Jenga, giant 4-across, giant velcro kick darts, cornhole, bean bag skee ball, chicken fingers, and a selfie spot.

Our Pet of the Week is Tony.Tony is a ten-year-old taking on the world as a blind pup. This senior sweetheart is a great leash walker as he bravely explores new places using his other senses. He’s become quite the fan favorite in Reno and Carson City. This survivor hasn’t let his hurdles overwhelm his sweet personality. His tail is always wagging!

E. ROBINSON / CARSON HIGH SCHOOL AREA: Carson City Public Works will be performing water main flushing on Thursday, June 13, 2024, in the vicinity of Carson High School at East Robinson.

Join in for a day of fun, competition, and great food as Max Casino in Carson City hosts its 2nd annual hot dog eating contest.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit would like you all to join us in celebrating the life and experiences of K9 Ivo, who passed just a few days ago.

A pool-funded study led by the Nevada Department of Transportation recently received a Federal Highway Administration Environmental Excellence Award.

The Nevada National Guard will host its 26th annual Flag Day Ceremony and the U.S. Army’s 249th Birthday celebration at 10 a.m. this Friday, June 14, at the Veterans Memorial on the Capitol Grounds, 101 N. Carson St. in Carson City.

On Saturday, June 15, at 10 a.m., historian and author Mark McLaughlin will return to Dangberg Historic Park to speak on Charles F. McGlashan who was an American writer, historian, journalist, educator, lawyer, amateur entomologist and astronomer.