The 2022 Turf and Landscape Seminar will be held November 17th and 18th at the William H. Daniel Turfgrass Research and Diagnostic Center on Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus. Register here: https://www.mrtf.org/event/turf-and-landscape-seminar-2/?event_date=2022-11-17 This event is designed for beginning, intermediate, and advanced turf professionals, providing them with the latest technology for managing turf and landscape systems,[Read More…]
Resources for landscapes and gardens in the Midwest
Landscape Report
Horticulture
This publication is the first of a series of articles aiming to assess the economic feasibility of growing sod. Publications can be found at the Purdue Education Store. This publication assesses the economic feasibility of growing Kentucky bluegrass in the Midwest by determining the financial costs and returns associated with one year of production. This[Read More…]
Fall is the time of year when many gardeners rush out to buy chrysanthemums by the gallon. Mums line the front of every shop and are great for replacing the fading annuals on the front step (Figure 1). As a perennial, mums have the potential to provide beautiful blooms year after year. However, gardeners may[Read More…]
When transplanting trees, it is important to consider the long-term viability. Since the typical life span of an urban tree is 7-20 years (USDA), proper establishment techniques are very important to decrease this mortality rate. When a tree becomes established, it is much more difficult to correct below ground problems. Root deformations can occur for[Read More…]
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a proactive strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests by understanding the pest’s biology and utilizing a combination of control techniques. There are IPM strategies for all types of pests including weeds, insects, and diseases. Regardless of type, scouting and identification are the first and most critical steps in[Read More…]
About ten years ago I was listening to a talk by a climatologist. She indicated that data is trending towards more floods and more droughts in the Midwest. At first listen this made absolutely no sense. How can a place simultaneously have more flooding and more drought? Well, if you’ve paid attention over the last[Read More…]
Join us at the Purdue Turf and Landscape Field Day on July 26th! The Purdue Turf and Landscape Field Day is an annual one-day event with the objective of providing professional turf and landscape managers exposure and educational opportunities with the latest research and technical resources. The Field Day features research tours, talks on current[Read More…]
Arborvitae (Thuja spp.) fulfill several crucial roles in the landscape, especially windbreaks and screens (Fig. 1). Their relatively fast growth habit, wide variety of available forms, and inexpensive price point make them one of the most common conifers in the Midwest landscape. Due to the ubiquitous use of arborvitae, and their perceived problems, the Green[Read More…]
Over the past week I have identified three different fowl bluegrass (Poa palustris) samples sent in to the Purdue Plant & Pest Diagnostic Lab (https://ag.purdue.edu/department/btny/ppdl/). This is not concerning, just unusual. This is not a grass species that I see that often, but I have seen several samples this year, including a sample from my[Read More…]
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…]
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