Resources for landscapes and gardens in the Midwest
Throughout the decades, many landscape fads have ended in failure. Dame’s rocket, wintercreeper, and purple loosestrife are a few examples of beautiful and vigorous ornamentals that have wreaked havoc on our natural ecosystems. Nursery professionals, as well as consumers, were unaware of the potential negative impacts of non-native species, often marketed as vigorous, hardy, or[Read More…]
Depending on where you are located in the Midwest, rainfall in 2021 has either been too much or too little. This trend was forecasted several years ago by climatologists, in that more droughts and more floods are projected as the ramifications of climate change take shape in the future. Though this statement doesn’t make logical[Read More…]
Phytotoxicity is damage to plants caused by chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides. Phytotoxicity can be a positive (killing weeds) or a negative (damage from pesticides on ornamental plants), depending on the intended results. Some of the common phytotoxic effects can show symptoms such as stunting of leaves and whole plant, necrosis (death), chlorosis (yellowing), abnormal growth[Read More…]
Biology: Common bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) is the most commonly used turfgrass in the southern United States, but it is also a difficult-to-control weed in northern turf. Bermudagrass is a drought tolerant, warm-season, perennial grass species that tolerates low mowing and actively spreads vegetatively by both rhizomes and stolons but also has the ability to spread by[Read More…]
Diagnosing herbicide injury on ornamental plants can be difficult due to the sheer number of cultivated plants and the number of active ingredients used around ornamentals. Modern cultivars of ornamental plants include characteristics much different from the species, so it’s important to know ‘normal’ to properly diagnose a problem. There are several reasons that herbicide[Read More…]
There are many age-old, philosophical questions that people have been arguing over for many years. What is the meaning of life? Nature or nurture? Do aliens exist? Should I remove the wire and burlap from B&B plant material? The last question has been debated for many years, with almost everyone having a different opinion. There[Read More…]
The indirect effects of the pandemic are continuing to plague the Green Industry. In addition to the on-going, severe labor deficiencies that are plaguing most companies, many plants are in short supply or completely unavailable. In my recent travels, several nurseries and landscapers have discussed some of the specific issues they have been facing regarding[Read More…]
PART 2 – The Importance of Chemical Soil Testing To determine soil fertility, soil acidity (pH), and organic matter percentages, it is absolutely essential to test your soil. A soil test will tell you how much, if any, organic matter, lime, sulfur, and or fertilizer your soil needs. Determining whether or not your soil needs[Read More…]
The hard freeze last week had many homeowners concerned about their perennial and annual plants in their landscape. For the vast majority of perennial plants, there aren’t many issues long-term of concern. Some foliage and flowers have significant damage, but the plants will recover, and possibly release new vegetative buds in severe cases. The plants[Read More…]
PART 1 – The Importance of “Physical” Soil Testing In my 40 years of teaching and consulting, one of the biggest and most frustrating problems I continually encounter is when so called “landscape professionals” and homeowners continue to apply annual soil fertilizers, lime, and other soil amendments without ever conducting a professional soils test. Before[Read More…]
This week’s forecast is indicating unseasonably cold temperatures for most of the state with lows in the lower 20’s. While the temperatures shouldn’t reach record setting status, it could cause some plant stress. Plants are most susceptible to cold injury going into dormancy and coming out of dormancy, with maximum cold hardiness during the winter. [Read More…]
When spring mulching occurs, most companies will apply a preemergence herbicide for extending weed control. It is well known that the combination of mulch and preemergence herbicides is a very effective method in controlling weeds (https://www.purduelandscapereport.org/article/cultural-plus-chemicala-good-weed-control-combo-in-landscape-beds/). When applying preemergence herbicides with mulch, which should be first for the most effective control? This common question is[Read More…]
As bud break is currently occurring on early species in southern and central Indiana, remember to be on the lookout for callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) on properties that you manage for removal. Callery pear (multiple cultivars in the landscape from this species) has become a major invasive species of concern in wild and disturbed areas[Read More…]
It’s that time of year that roadways and sidewalks begin to be treated with salt. To prevent accidents, both vehicular and slips, salt is an invaluable tool that keeps people safe. For all of the benefits for humans, plants aren’t as appreciative. We have two great resources available that explains salt damage in great detail[Read More…]
If you didn’t get your spring-flowering bulbs planted it may not be too late, but a lot depends on what the weather does. The reason for planting bulbs in the fall is two-fold. Bulbs require a period of chilling to initiate flowers. Most spring-flowering bulbs require 10 to 13 weeks of temperatures below 40º F.[Read More…]
Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) have been proposed as a management tool for reducing the labor needs in the Green Industry. Although PGRs are widely accepted in the ornamental plant production, their adoption among landscape maintenance companies is limited. The cost of PGRs and the lack of economic feasibility analyses are likely to undermine their adoption.[Read More…]
I hear this complaint or issue more frequently, “what can I do about the neighbor’s tree?” or “my neighbor just butchered my tree!”. Often, we see issues with a neighboring tree that may threaten safety or appears to be an elevated risk. For example, from the view of your window you see your neighbor’s tree[Read More…]
After you have decided on the best species and cultivar (right plant, right place!) for a location, it’s time to inspect the plants from the nursery or garden center. What should you be looking for when inspecting trees prior to transplanting into the landscape? Here are a few: Look for structural defects (Fig. 1). Ensure[Read More…]
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