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…]
Resources for landscapes and gardens in the Midwest
Landscape Report
Horticulture
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://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…]
Labor is one of the largest expenses in the landscape services industry, and maintenance services, such as pruning, is one of the most labor-intensive tasks. While plant growth regulators (PGRs) can be a cost-effective tool to control growth in shrubs and reduce labor expenses, lack of information on the economic feasibility of PGRs has limited[Read More…]
Labor is one of the largest expenses in the landscape services industry, and maintenance services, such as pruning, are one of the most labor-intensive tasks. While plant growth regulators (PGRs) can be a cost-effective tool to control growth in shrubs and reduce labor expenses, a lack of information on the economic feasibility of PGRs has[Read More…]
Dry summers are not that unusual in Indiana. Of particular concern this year is that the dry spell is lasting well into autumn, putting plants in poor condition to get through the winter. Figure 1 from the US Drought Monitor shows that much of Indiana remains abnormally dry to under moderate drought. While some[Read More…]
Please join us Wednesday (September 16th) for our bi-weekly, live educational series. The event will take place at 12:00 pm (Eastern) on Zoom at https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/96190839031 or on Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/PurdueLandscapeReport/. The following speakers and topics will include: Costs of Applying Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) for Shrub Maintenance-Ariana Torres Plant Selections You’ll Live to Regret-Tom Creswell Manganese Deficiency[Read More…]
Plants that experience extremes in soil moisture may develop spots on their leaves, called “oedema” (also spelled “edema”). The spots may first appear as a blister or raised spot, particularly on the undersides of leaves, but may occur on the top side as well as on the stems. Eventually, the blister develops a rust-colored, cork-like[Read More…]
The Purdue Landscape Report Team will begin a new, free online series that will start tomorrow (July 22) and follow the day after the newsletter every two weeks at noon Eastern time zone. The topics and speakers will vary each session, so check out the newsletter every two weeks to find out what follows the[Read More…]
Hot, dry summers are not that unusual in the Midwest, but 2020’s hot dry spell started considerably earlier than usual, before summer even officially began! To make it a triple whammy, the hard freeze in early May caused some landscape plants to burn up more stored carbohydrate reserves to produce a second round of foliage.[Read More…]
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