UADA Faulkner County Horticulture

04/10/2026

Order your free trees now and pick them up at the Faulkner County Extension Office on April 29!

Who wants free trees? We have a great opportunity for Faulkner County residents to order free trees online and then pick them up at the Faulkner County Extension Office on Wednesday, April 29.

Order here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=T5VNF15Yw0CuHAGtpfJnI-PEyVrbqWZNiOpOCZV-qptUNVk5M1NKSUhON01PUjlLRTM2WDM1WlJSMS4u&route=shorturl

What you'll get: These are bareroot seedling trees that will need to be planted as soon as possible after you pick them up. Planting directions will be provided.

Pick up info: Pick up your trees on Wednesday, April 29, 8am-4:30pm, at the Faulkner County Extension Office, 844 Faulkner St., Conway

You can order as many as you can plant from the following list:
Gray Dogwood
Wild Plum
Buttonbush
Swamp White Oak
Pin Oak
Red Oak
White Oak
Short Leaf Pine
Beautyberry
Deciduous Holly
Redbud
Sandbar Willow
Common Witch-hazel
Bald Cypress
Persimmon
Sweetgum
Ohio Buckeye
Sweetbay Magnolia
Red Maple
Sycamore
Sugar Maple
Flowering Dogwood
Native Pecan
River Birch
Bur Oak
Hackberry

Trees will be distributed on a first ordered, first served basis. If we run out of a variety, you may be contacted to choose a substitute.

03/31/2026

We're taking a break from our big plant sale this year to focus on organizing the state Master Gardener conference which will be held in Conway in early summer. The Master Gardener plant sale will be back in 2027, though.

We are taking a break from our big Faulkner County Master Gardener plant sale in 2026. We encourage you to purchase your plants from local nurseries, markets, schools, non-profits, and Master Gardener plant sales in other counties. We'll see you in May 2027 for the next Faulkner County Master Gardener plant sale!

01/26/2026

This is the last week to register for the Grow Your Own Groceries conference. Registration closes January 31, 2026.

Our virtual Grow Your Own Groceries presentations have been so successful over the past 5 years that we’re hosting our first in-person Grow Your Own Groceries Conference.

Feb. 10, 2026
8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Conway Expo & Event Center, 2505 E. Oak St.
Cost: $75
Register: https://uada.formstack.com/forms/grow_groceries
Read more: https://bit.ly/grow-groceries-conference

Extension experts will discuss & demonstrate a variety of gardening and food preparation topics, including:

Planning for your harvest
Soil health
Composting
Food preservation methods
Cover crops
High tunnels
Irrigation
Beekeeping and more

12/17/2025

Registration is OPEN for our first in-person Grow Your Own Groceries conference! Hope you can join us for this fun-filled and educational day of learning how to grow healthy, nutritious food in your own backyard and get some tips for cooking and preserving your harvest.

Our virtual Grow Your Own Groceries presentations have been so successful over the past 5 years that we’re hosting our first in-person Grow Your Own Groceries Conference.

Feb. 10, 2026
8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Conway Expo & Event Center, 2505 E. Oak St.
Cost: $75
Register: https://uada.formstack.com/forms/grow_groceries
Read more: https://bit.ly/grow-groceries-conference

Extension experts will discuss & demonstrate a variety of gardening and food preparation topics, including:

Planning for your harvest
Soil health
Composting
Food preservation methods
Cover crops
High tunnels
Irrigation
Beekeeping and more

09/11/2025

We're collecting data on our okra variety trial. We grew Clemson Spineless, Jade, and Carmine Splendor varieties at two different locations in Faulkner County this year. The good news is we liked them all! They have all grown well and produced well with very few pests. Just look at these gorgeous okra pods!

09/07/2025

Armyworm populations have really exploded this past week in Faulkner Co. The areas of Wooster and Greenbrier have been hit especially hard. Monitor your lawns and treat if necessary, following the tips in the original post.

We're finding some armyworms in home lawns this week. Armyworm damage can appear almost overnight. Infestations can be easily overlooked when the caterpillars are small and eating very little, but once they grow large and eat more, the damage becomes readily apparent.
The good news is that fall armyworms rarely permanently damage lawns. Since the worms feed on the grass blades and not the roots, the grass usually recovers. However, lawns can be weakened by this voracious eater especially if there are other factors causing stress to the lawn or the grass is very young.
It is not always essential to treat armyworm infestations. Several natural enemies such as parasites, predators, and pathogens occur and can possibly eliminate or reduce populations in a very short period of time, thereby saving you the effort. Mowing can also be an effective tool for reducing armyworm populations.
If you do decide to treat for armyworms, a liquid insecticide is usually more effective than a granular one. Several lawn insecticides are effective caterpillar killers. Always follow the directions for use on the product label. Products containing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are relatively safe to use and only affect caterpillars and not other insects or animals. However, Bt is only effective on small (1/2 inch or less) worms so it may need to be applied multiple times to control an outbreak. Irrigate the grass before treating to move the caterpillars out of the thatch. Treat in late afternoon, as this is when the caterpillars are likely to be feeding. If possible, mow before you treat and then do not mow for 3 days after treatment.

08/20/2025

We've got a great new resource for anyone who has or is thinking of getting high tunnels. Download it for free at:https://uaex.uada.edu/publications/pdf/MP586.pdf

08/18/2025

We have been evaluating three potential new Arkansas Diamonds ornamental plants this summer for size, health, and bloom. They include sunpatien 'Solarscape XL Pink Jewel' (9 plants), ornamental pepper 'Quickfire' (7 plants), and marigold 'Bonanza Flame''(9 plants). We planted these on May 16 at at the Faulkner County Extension Office.
Unfortunately, the marigolds started dying right away probably due to waterlogging of the soil from all the rain we had in early summer. The sunpatiens and peppers looked really good for most of the summer, but the sunpatiens started going downhill by the first of August.
We water the plants three times a week, but that just hasn't been enough for the sunpatiens. The bed we have these planted in is between our building and a parking lot, so it is a very hot, sunny location. If we could have watered more frequently or if the plants had a little more shade in mid-day, we think the sunpatiens would have been happier. Interestingly, self-seeded vincas growing next to the sunpatiens have handled the heat and drought just fine. The ornamental peppers are proving to be extremely tough little plants. They have handled wet soil, dry soil, and extreme heat without showing any signs of stress. They aren't the most showy plants, but they are solid performers.

08/06/2025

We're finding some armyworms in home lawns this week. Armyworm damage can appear almost overnight. Infestations can be easily overlooked when the caterpillars are small and eating very little, but once they grow large and eat more, the damage becomes readily apparent.
The good news is that fall armyworms rarely permanently damage lawns. Since the worms feed on the grass blades and not the roots, the grass usually recovers. However, lawns can be weakened by this voracious eater especially if there are other factors causing stress to the lawn or the grass is very young.
It is not always essential to treat armyworm infestations. Several natural enemies such as parasites, predators, and pathogens occur and can possibly eliminate or reduce populations in a very short period of time, thereby saving you the effort. Mowing can also be an effective tool for reducing armyworm populations.
If you do decide to treat for armyworms, a liquid insecticide is usually more effective than a granular one. Several lawn insecticides are effective caterpillar killers. Always follow the directions for use on the product label. Products containing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are relatively safe to use and only affect caterpillars and not other insects or animals. However, Bt is only effective on small (1/2 inch or less) worms so it may need to be applied multiple times to control an outbreak. Irrigate the grass before treating to move the caterpillars out of the thatch. Treat in late afternoon, as this is when the caterpillars are likely to be feeding. If possible, mow before you treat and then do not mow for 3 days after treatment.

07/01/2025

What's all this fuzzy white stuff covering the stems of my plants? That's been the question of the week here at the Faulkner County Extension Office. The fuzzy white substance in question may look unsightly, but it does not harm plants. It is a protective waxy coating for immature planthopper insects. Planthoppers are small insects that feed on a wide variety of trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous ornamentals. Adult planthoppers insert their eggs into the bark, and then the immature plant hoppers feed on plant sap with their piercing, sucking mouthparts. As they feed they secrete a protective white waxy substance that covers their body and the surrounding stem. Although they feed on plants, very few planthoppers do much damage to crops or landscaping plants. They generally only cause problems when they occur in large numbers or when they transmit viruses or other pathogens from one plant to another. Planthopper feeding may cause light stippling (dots) on leaves.

06/26/2025

A concerned Conway homeowner sent us these photos of a very serious disease of roses known as rose rosette virus. We are seeing this disease on many roses across the state in both home and public landscapes. Common symptoms of the disease include mottled leaves, red, twisted new growth, and excessive thorniness. Plants infected with rose rosette virus cannot be cured and leaving diseased plants in the landscape can lead to other healthy plants being infected. For these reasons, we recommend completely removing infected plants including as much of the root system as possible. While the virus cannot live in soil, it is still recommended to wait a few seasons before planting roses back in an area where infected plants have been growing since the virus may still be present in any roots left in the area. Plants that are not related to roses can be planted immediately after removing infected rose bushes. You can find more information about this disease of roses in our fact sheet here:https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/pdf/FSA-7579.pdf

03/21/2025

Come see us tomorrow! Bring a soil sample for testing, garden tools that need sharpening, and all your gardening questions!

Come see us tomorrow, March 22, 10am-noon and enjoy free, family activities as a taste of what your Faulkner County Extension Office has to offer at our Open House! There will be butter making, pressure canner testing, preserved food tasting, bring a soil sample to be tested, have your gardening tools sharpened, talk with local gardening experts, 4-H activities for kids 5-19 years old, tree giveaway by the Conway Tree Board, and so much more!! We are located at 844 Faulkner St. in downtown Conway right behind the central fire station.