Speaker: Melanie Stock, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Utah State University
Webinar Date: July 23, 2026
Series: Cut Flower Symposium
Segment: 06 of 08
Duration: 29:23.7
CEU Categories: [PENDING]
Source: Corrected SRT (Stage 1), GTBOP_Transcript_2026-07-23_StockDroughtAndHeat.srt (438 blocks)
Instructions for the Course Developer
Every correct answer below is option a. Shuffle the options in Moodle before
the quiz is deployed. The answer key records the correct text, not the letter,
so a shuffle does not invalidate it.
Each distractor is a number, product, or statement Stock spoke somewhere in the
presentation, placed in a context that makes it wrong. Block numbers next to
each distractor show where it came from, so a reviewer can trace a wrong answer
the same way as a right one.
Two items are not assessable and no question below turns on either. Block
260’s “break down and add” and blocks 285 and 286’s “statice” were settled on
sense rather than audio at Stage 1. The wool trial’s crop-by-crop result is
therefore quoted in the prose transcript but not tested here.
Difficulty distribution: 6 recall (40 %), 6 application (40 %), 3 analysis (20 %).
Question 1
Timestamp Reference: 3:01 – 3:35
Difficulty: Recall
Stock grows across a wide span of USDA hardiness zones in Utah. What does she say sets her growing conditions more than the zone does?
a) Elevation, at roughly five thousand feet
b) The 40-degree swing between day and night temperature
c) Humidity in the air
d) The timing of snow melt
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: She names zones 4 and 5 in the north down to 8 and 9 near St. George, then says the site sits at about five thousand feet and that elevation dictates conditions more than the hardiness zone does.
Source in transcript: blocks 49–56, 3:01–3:35
Distractor trace: b) block 245, 16:40, the day-to-night swing that makes plastic mulch useful. c) block 60, 3:53, the difference she names between Georgia and Utah. d) block 308, 21:30, what the state’s water supply depends on.
Question 2
Timestamp Reference: 10:55 – 11:09
Difficulty: Recall
When reading a salinity figure on a compost or manure analysis, what number does Stock tell growers to treat as the reference point?
a) Two
b) Eleven
c) Sixteen
d) Fourteen
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: She calls two the magic number and says a grower can go a little above it without the soil shooting up immediately.
Source in transcript: blocks 159–161, 10:55–11:09
Distractor trace: b) and c) blocks 161–162, 11:01–11:11, two bird-source readings she cites as examples of really high salinity. d) block 122, 8:26, the count of mineral nutrients in the soil bank.
Question 3
Timestamp Reference: 11:13 – 11:39
Difficulty: Recall
Why does poultry-based compost carry a higher salinity than the other sources in Stock’s table?
a) The white on the manure is urine, and urine is what holds a lot of the salt
b) Its NPK runs about equal parts nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium
c) It is usually applied under high tunnel plastic, where salts build up
d) Most plant nutrients count as a salt in the soil
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: Pointing at a photo of her own coop, she identifies the white deposit as urine and says that is where the salt sits and where plant burn comes from.
Source in transcript: blocks 164–169, 11:13–11:33
Distractor trace: b) block 170, 11:33, true of bird sources but not the reason for the salinity. c) block 134, 9:31, a real cause of salt buildup, but a function of the tunnel rather than the bird. d) block 136, 9:40, a true general statement that does not distinguish poultry from anything else.
Question 4
Timestamp Reference: 18:06 – 18:14
Difficulty: Recall
What nitrogen content does Stock give for raw wool, and why did it interest her?
a) About 10 %, which she calls a lot for the number one plant nutrient
b) About 5 %, matching the moisture gain she measured under wool
c) About 30 %, matching the water savings she measured with wool
d) About 50 %, matching the irrigation cut a cooperating farm achieved
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: When the sheep specialist asked whether wool could be used with cut flowers, she said she thought so because wool runs about 10 % nitrogen.
Source in transcript: block 266, 18:06–18:14
Distractor trace: b) block 273, 18:47, the minimum extra soil moisture under wool. c) block 298, 20:40, the water saved with wool during perennial establishment. d) block 389, 26:26, the irrigation cut one farm reached using shade.
Question 5
Timestamp Reference: 18:22 – 19:06
Difficulty: Recall
What two effects did the annual wool trial measure against bare soil?
a) At least 5 % more soil moisture at any given time, and a root zone five to seven degrees cooler
b) At least 10 % more soil moisture, and a root zone 40 degrees cooler
c) 30 % more soil moisture, and a root zone held below 80 degrees
d) 50 % more soil moisture, and a root zone two degrees cooler
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: Summarizing the six-crop trial, she reports at least 5 % more moisture at any given time, which she converts to hundreds of gallons, and root zone cooling of a good five to seven degrees.
Source in transcript: blocks 273–274, 18:47–19:03
Distractor trace: b) block 299 (10 %, the fabric savings) and block 245 (40 degrees, the day-to-night swing). c) block 298 (30 %, the wool water savings) and block 292 (80 degrees, the temperature she would like to stay below). d) block 389 (50 %, the shade irrigation cut) and block 159 (two, the salinity reference).
Question 6
Timestamp Reference: 20:35 – 20:48
Difficulty: Recall
In the perennial establishment table, how did wool and plastic landscape fabric compare against bare soil for water use?
a) Wool saved 30 %, fabric saved about 10 %
b) Wool saved 10 %, fabric saved about 30 %
c) Wool saved 50 %, fabric saved about 5 %
d) Wool saved 5 %, fabric saved about 16 %
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: She reports 30 % water saved using wool during establishment last year, with fabric at about a 10 % savings compared to bare soil.
Source in transcript: blocks 297–299, 20:35–20:48
Distractor trace: b) the same two figures reversed. c) block 389 (50 %) and block 273 (5 %). d) block 273 (5 %) and block 161 (16, a salinity reading).
Question 7
Timestamp Reference: 22:05 – 22:47
Difficulty: Application
A grower runs overhead sprinklers on a block of zinnias and wants the highest stem count. Based on the three-year study Stock describes, what should the grower do?
a) Irrigate in the afternoon, between 3 and 5 p.m., because it cools the air and the soil
b) Irrigate right before sunrise, between 3 and 5 a.m., because night watering loses less to evaporation
c) Irrigate at night and lay plastic landscape fabric, which saved about 10 % of applied water
d) Irrigate at night and accept a lower stem count, because the soil stays wetter overnight
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: Yield measured as stems per square yard was much better under afternoon irrigation across three years, and she attributes it to the cooling effect on air and soil that the zinnias responded to.
Source in transcript: blocks 320–333, 22:16–22:47
Distractor trace: b) block 318, 22:08, the assumption she states and then disproves. c) block 299, 20:43, a real figure from the perennial mulch table, not from the irrigation study. d) block 337, 22:55, contradicted directly: the soil read drier under night irrigation.
Question 8
Timestamp Reference: 23:22 – 23:56
Difficulty: Application
A drought restriction means a grower cannot water the whole farm on schedule. Which stages does Stock say to protect first?
a) Establishment, and the stretch from bud through harvest
b) Establishment only, since the vegetative stage and bloom both tolerate stress
c) The vegetative stage that sits between establishment and bloom
d) Bud through harvest only, since new transplants can establish dry
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: She names two phases that matter for keeping things hydrated, establishment and bloom, and calls bud through harvest a critical time not to stress the plant.
Source in transcript: blocks 344–348, 23:22–23:56
Distractor trace: b) and c) block 347, 23:43, which identifies the vegetative stage as the more tolerant one, not bloom. d) block 394, 26:48, where she says new transplants need water.
Question 9
Timestamp Reference: 9:21 – 10:12
Difficulty: Application
A grower working inside a high tunnel wants to raise organic matter without adding to the salt load. Which of Stock’s options fits?
a) Cover crops, which add organic matter with no salt to worry about
b) Compost applied in inches at a time to get ahead of the season
c) A poultry-based compost, since its NPK runs about equal parts
d) Deep tillage every year to move organic matter into the root zone
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: She raises cover crops immediately after the tunnel salt discussion and says a grower does not have to worry about salt that way, and that they also scavenge nutrients.
Source in transcript: blocks 132–148, 9:21–10:12
Distractor trace: b) block 130, 9:07, where she says to add gradually rather than inches at a time. c) block 170, 11:33, true of bird sources, and poultry is the highest-salinity column in her table. d) block 231, 15:21, a real benefit of tillage that does nothing about salt.
Question 10
Timestamp Reference: 11:33 – 11:56
Difficulty: Application
A compost analysis comes back with roughly equal parts nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. How does Stock say to size the application?
a) Apply to meet the phosphorus need, then supplement the nitrogen separately
b) Apply to meet the nitrogen need, then supplement the phosphorus separately
c) Apply enough to meet the nitrogen need, since nitrogen is the number one plant nutrient
d) Apply on a two-year cycle to line up with conservation tillage
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: With an even NPK, she says it is a great idea to use the material to hit the phosphorus need and supplement the nitrogen, because applying enough to hit the nitrogen need overloads the soil with everything else.
Source in transcript: blocks 170–173, 11:33–11:56
Distractor trace: b) and c) block 173, 11:44, the outcome she warns against. d) block 238, 15:55, her conservation tillage interval, unrelated to nutrient rate.
Question 11
Timestamp Reference: 25:44 – 26:30
Difficulty: Application
A grower has enough water but is losing stem length to heat and wind. Which of Stock’s tools addresses that combination?
a) Shade cloth, which cuts the sun load and blocks wind, and lengthens stems for both reasons
b) Black plastic mulch, which moderates root zone temperature across the day-night swing
c) A high tunnel with the plastic left on through the summer
d) Sprinkler irrigation before sunrise to cool the canopy
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: She says shade does not change air temperature but reduces the sun load on the crop, protects from the drying effect of wind, and increases stem length for both reasons at once.
Source in transcript: blocks 383–386, 25:57–26:19
Distractor trace: b) blocks 243–245, 16:30, where black plastic warms soil rather than relieving heat. c) blocks 374–375, 25:20, where she takes the plastic off for summer and puts shade cloth on. d) block 320, 22:16, the night timing the irrigation study found worse.
Question 12
Timestamp Reference: 5:39 – 7:53
Difficulty: Analysis
Stock says organic matter helps a heavy clay soil and a sandy soil, which have opposite problems. What single mechanism does she use to explain both?
a) It coats individual grains and glues them into larger aggregates, which opens the large pores clay needs for infiltration and gives sand particles a surface that holds water
b) It lowers soil pH, and microbes are sensitive to changes in pH
c) It supplies the 14 mineral nutrients that both soil types lack
d) It raises salinity enough to hold water against drainage
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: She describes organic matter coating grains and gluing them into bigger aggregates, which she compares to putting water on a freeway, and then says the same coating gives sand particles an attraction to water they otherwise lack.
Source in transcript: blocks 88–114, 5:39–7:53
Distractor trace: b) block 236, 15:42, a real statement about microbes in the tillage section. c) block 122, 8:26, where she says the soil bank does a pretty good job with most of the 14. d) blocks 134–136, 9:31, salts in compost, a load to manage rather than a mechanism to use.
Question 13
Timestamp Reference: 15:10 – 16:03
Difficulty: Analysis
Stock refuses a one-size-fits-all tillage recommendation and says moderation and intention are key. What tension is she describing?
a) Tillage moves organic matter deep quickly, but it destroys the soil structure and microbes are sensitive to physical disturbance
b) Tillage is the only way to incorporate wool mulch at the end of a season
c) Tillage flushes salts out of tunnel soil the way rainfall does in the open
d) Tillage has to run every year or aggregates glue themselves shut
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: She grants that getting organic matter deeper gives a really fast boost and that breaking ground leaves no other option, then names the drawback: it destroys structure, breaks up aggregates, and disturbs microbes.
Source in transcript: blocks 229–238, 15:10–16:03
Distractor trace: b) block 425, 28:43, where she says wool does not lend itself to tillage. c) block 133, 9:26, rainfall flushing salts, not tillage. d) block 93, 6:09, where gluing particles into aggregates is the goal rather than the problem.
Question 14
Timestamp Reference: 20:04 – 20:26
Difficulty: Application
A grower wants the mulch that held root zone temperature steadiest in Stock’s perennial study. Which treatment does her temperature figure point to?
a) Wool
b) Plastic landscape fabric
c) Black plastic
d) Bare soil
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: Reading the figure, she identifies wool in blue, bare soil in red, and fabric in black, and says the soil temperature under the wool is moderate compared with the large swings in the other treatments.
Source in transcript: blocks 290–293, 20:04–20:26
Distractor trace: b) and d) blocks 290–292, 20:04, the two comparison treatments in the same figure. c) block 243, 16:30, a mulch from the plastic section that was not in this study.
Question 15
Timestamp Reference: 28:34 – 29:06
Difficulty: Analysis
Asked whether wool mulch can be tilled in after harvest, Stock says growers in Georgia should expect a different result from hers. What is her reasoning?
a) Wool holds together longer in Utah because there is less water, so it should come apart faster in a wetter climate
b) A longer Georgia season forces annual replacement rather than a single application
c) Georgia rainfall flushes salt out of wool the way it flushes salt from tunnel soil
d) Georgia humidity pulls the wool’s nitrogen content below 10 %
Correct Answer: a
Explanation: She says that out in Utah it does not come apart as quickly because they do not have as much water, and that she thinks it would go much faster in Georgia. She still calls tillage a drawback and recommends perennial or no-till situations, or pulling off what remains.
Source in transcript: blocks 423–429, 28:34–29:06
Distractor trace: b) block 422, 28:25, the two arms of her study design, not a claim about Georgia. c) block 133, 9:26, rainfall flushing salts from soil. d) block 266, 18:06, the nitrogen figure, which she never qualifies by climate.
Answer Key
| Q | Correct answer | Difficulty | Timestamp |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elevation, at roughly five thousand feet | Recall | 3:01–3:35 |
| 2 | Two | Recall | 10:55–11:09 |
| 3 | The white on the manure is urine, and urine holds the salt | Recall | 11:13–11:39 |
| 4 | About 10 % nitrogen | Recall | 18:06–18:14 |
| 5 | At least 5 % more moisture; five to seven degrees cooler | Recall | 18:22–19:06 |
| 6 | Wool 30 %, fabric about 10 % | Recall | 20:35–20:48 |
| 7 | Afternoon, 3 to 5 p.m. | Application | 22:05–22:47 |
| 8 | Establishment, and bud through harvest | Application | 23:22–23:56 |
| 9 | Cover crops | Application | 9:21–10:12 |
| 10 | Meet the phosphorus need, supplement nitrogen | Application | 11:33–11:56 |
| 11 | Shade cloth | Application | 25:44–26:30 |
| 12 | Coating grains into larger aggregates | Analysis | 5:39–7:53 |
| 13 | Fast incorporation against destroyed structure | Analysis | 15:10–16:03 |
| 14 | Wool | Application | 20:04–20:26 |
| 15 | Less water in Utah slows it; Georgia should be faster | Analysis | 28:34–29:06 |
Shuffle these options in Moodle before deploying. Every correct answer is
currently option a.
Processed for UGA Center for Urban Agriculture / Cut Flower Symposium Archives
Source: Corrected SRT (Stage 1), GTBOP_Transcript_2026-07-23_StockDroughtAndHeat.srt (438 blocks)