Robert (Bob) Polomski

Associate Extension Specialist--Horticulture/Arboriculture
Horticulture Program Team, Plant and Environmental Sciences Department, SC Botanical Garden

Office: 259 Poole Agricultural Center
Phone: 864-656-2604
Fax: 864-656-4960

Email: bplmsk@clemson.edu
Vita: Download CV

Educational Background

Ph.D. Plant & Environmental Sciences
Clemson University 2009

M.S. Horticulture
Virginia Tech 1986

B.S. Plant Science
Rutgers School of Environmental. & Biological Sciences, Rutgers Univ 1984

Courses Taught

Landscape Plants HORT 3030/3031; Urban Tree Care HORT (FOR) 4270/6270; Dendrology FOR 2050, Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) HORT 4000; Horticulture Discovery & Inquiry HORT 408; Selected Topics in Urban Forestry FOR 4800; Special Problems in Horticulture HORT 812.

Profile

Bob Polomski is an award-winning horticulturist and author with extension and teaching responsibilities. From July 1990 to Sept 2006 Polomski served as State Coordinator of the Master Gardener program, and since 2009 he has taught six undergraduate classes.

For more than two decades he has educated commercial and consumer audiences on a wide range of topics. Polomski has conducted and evaluated educational programs and in-service trainings for green industry professionals, Extension personnel, Master Gardeners, and residents. He has produced “how to” horticultural segments for two Extension-sponsored television Programs and conducted a live, call-in gardening program broadcast on the SC Educational RadioNetwork from 9/2001 to 10/2014.

Polomski supports the Clemson Extension Home & Garden Information Center (http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/; 1.888.656.9988)staff as horticulture specialists (authored/coauthored 153 (1998 – 2001) of the nearly 600 fact sheets and scripted and recorded many of the phone messages).

As SC Botanical Garden liaison, Polomski fosters partnerships between Extension personnel (agents, specialists, and volunteers) and SCBG staff to create education and research programs that support the missions of the SCBG and Clemson Extension.

Polomski has published in scientific journals and authored a variety of commercial-/consumer-oriented articles in print and e-magazines. For 13 years he was the "Questions & Answers" columnist for Horticulture magazine, the oldest national gardening magazine in the U. S. Over his career he served as a columnist/contributor to a variety of newspapers, magazines, trade journals, and web sites.

Polomski was a contributing writer for two nationally distributed gardening books and a technical editor of 12 gardening books. Polomski authored four regional gardening books for Cool Springs Press; his latest book, Month By Month Gardening in the Carolinas, was published in Spring 2014. Since 1992 he earned 34 awards (19 national and 15 regional/state) for publications, radio, and TV programs.

Research Interests

Evaluation identification, and promotion of noteworthy, sustainable landscape plants and the study of urban tree selection and growth.

Extension and Outreach

See vita.

Publications

Polomski, R. F. 2017. Cultivate biodiversity in the quest for tough trees for tough urban sites. Arborist News 26(4):44-49 (http://html5.epaperflip.com/viewer.aspx?docid=8cb51d67-b474-40f7-a5e9-a7b50135400b#page=46).
Polomski, B. 2017. SMA Roundtable: Pyrus, we have a problem. City Trees, Journal of the Society of Municipal Arborists 52 (4):16-23 (http://read.dmtmag.com/i/844518-july-august-2017).
Polomski, B. 2017. Book Review: Plants with style: A plantsman's choices for a vibrant, 21st
century garden. The South Carolina Nurseryman, May/June 2017. p. 32.
Polomski, B. 2016. A routine checkup of trees saves lives and property. The South Carolina
Nurseryman, Nov./Dec. p. 24-25.
Polomski, R. F. 2015. Book review: For students and practitioners alike. City Trees, the online
magazine of the Society of Municipal Arborists. Nov/Dec, 51(6):34-35.
Pile, L. S., G. G. Wang, R. Polomski, G. Yarrow, and C. M. Stuyck. 2015. Potential for nonnative endozoochorous seed dispersal by white-tailed deer in a southeastern maritime forest. Invasive Plant Science and Management: 8(1):32-43.
Simons, J.M., T.J. Straka, L.R. Gering, and R.F. Polomski. 2014. Resistance to integrating management and economics courses across the natural resources and agricultural curricula. NACTA Journal 58(1):46-53.
Polomski, B. and T. Polomski. 2013. "Share your tree inventory with a simple and inexpensive web-accessible approach." City Trees, the online magazine of the Society of Municipal Arborists. Nov/Dec 2013 49(6):12-14.
Gering, L., J. Simons, T. Straka, and R. Polomski. 2012. Integrating management and economics courses across the forest resources curricula. Journal of Forestry 110(8):532.
Gering, L.R., J.M. Simons, T.J. Straka, and R.F. Polomski. 2012. Integrating management and economics courses across the forest resources curricula. Abstr. In Proceedings of National Convention, Society of American Foresters; October, 2012; Spokane, WA.
Massey, H.F., J.P. Chastain, T.O. Owino, R.F. Polomski, and K.P. Moore. 2011. Chemical and physical properties of potting media containing varying amounts of composted poultry litter. ASABE Paper No. 1110935. ASABE, 2950 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, MI 49085-9659.
Polomski, R. F., D. G. Bielenberg, T. Whitwell, M. D. Taylor, W. C. Bridges, and S. J. Klaine. 2009. Nitrogen and phosphorus remediation by three floating aquatic macrophytes in greenhouse-based laboratory-scale subsurface constructed wetlands. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 197:223-232.
Polomski, R. F., M. D. Taylor, D. G. Bielenberg, W. C. Bridges, S. J. Klaine, and T.
Whitwell. 2008. Differential nitrogen and phosphorus recovery by five aquatic garden species in laboratory-scale subsurface-constructed wetlands. Hortscience 43:868-874.
Published Abstracts and Posters
Simons, J.M., L.R. Gering, T.J. Straka, and R.F. Polomski. 2013. Integrating management and economics courses across the forest resources curricula. In Proceedings of 2013 Southern Forest Economics Workshop; March 10-12,2013; Auburn, Alabama. Mississippi State, MS: Mississippi State University, Department of Forestry.
Gering, L.R., J.M. Simons, T.J. Straka, and R.F. Polomski. 2012. Integrating management and economics courses across the forest resources curricula. Abstr. in Proceedings of National Convention, Society of American Foresters; October, 2012; Spokane, WA.
Massey, H. F., J. P. Chastain, T. O. Owino, R. F. Polomski, and K. Moore. 2011. Chemical and physical properties of potting media containing varying amounts of composted poultry litter. Abstr. ASABE Annual International Meeting, Louisville, Kentucky, August 7-10.
Massey, H. F., J. P. Chastain, T. O. Owino, R. F. Polomski, and K. Moore. 2011. Chemical and physical properties of potting media containing varying amounts of composted poultry litter. Abstr. ASABE Annual International Meeting, Louisville, Kentucky, August 7-10.
Polomski, R. F., S. A. White, D. Bielenberg, W. C. Bridges, S. J. Klaine, J. P. Albano, and T. Whitwell. 2010. Effect of N:P ratio of influent on biomass and nutrient recovery of Typha latifolia and Canna ‘Bengal Tiger’ in a laboratory-scale constructed wetland. Abstr. and poster. Land Grant and Sea Grant National Water Conf., Hilton Head Island, SC, 21-25 Feb.
Owen, J. S. Jr., J. Albano, W. L. Bauerle, T. Bilderback, R. F. Polomski, S. A. White, P. C. Wilson, and T. Yeager. 2010. Nursery production technologies for enhancing water quality protection and water conservation. Land Grant and Sea Grant National Water Conf. Hilton Head Island, SC, 21-25 Feb.

Links