Lilacs (Syringa spp.) are some of my favorite plants alongside Ginkgo (males, at least) and while I could wax poetic about their great aesthetic characteristics I will just say that they have beautiful spring flowers and they smell great, too. However, they do have a handful of problems that cause them to look a little…Read more about Lamentable Lilac Leaf diseases[Read More]
Resources for landscapes and gardens in the Midwest
Landscape Report
Found 534 Articles
Recently, home lawns have been maligned in several media outlets as a waste of time and resources. Mismanagement by using too much water or misplacing fertilizer may compound the issue by straining environmental resources or serving as pollutants. While not going into all the defenses for turfgrass use on home lawns, (remember “right plant, right…Read more about Look Below Before Blaming Above[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 about Using Pneumatic Digging Equipment to Correct Root Deformations, Deep Planting, and Compaction on Established Trees[Read More]
Since early June, Indiana has been seeing abnormally dry and moderate drought conditions gradually expand and intensify across the state. Conditions peaked in early July when over 94% of the state was classified as either Abnormally Dry (D0; 55% of Indiana) or Moderate Drought (D1; 39% of Indiana) according to the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM). …Read more about Rainfall helping to eliminate drought across Indiana[Read More]
Brittle cinders and burnt crusts usually bring to mind bad baking experiments, but in this case they are common names for a highly destructive wood rot fungus: Kretzschmaria deusta. The names derive from the charcoal-like fungal fruiting structure (the stroma), where spores are produced (Figure 1). Most wood decay fungi can be classified as…Read more about Kretzschmaria Basal Canker: Fast Path to Tree Failure[Read More]
The Problem In recent years, nurseries in multiple states have reported moderate to severe dieback, chlorosis and stunting of redbud (Fig. 1). Dieback is defined as “the gradual but progressive death of individual branches or shoots from tips toward the main stem.” Dieback is a catch-all phrase that describes a constellation of symptoms that include…Read more about Vascular Streak Dieback of Redbud: What Plant Pathologists Know so far[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 Integrated Pest Management: Balance Restored between Prey and Predator[Read More]
Honeydew, or the sticky liquid excrement that accumulates beneath trees infested with sucking insects, can attract stinging insects, pit the finish of your car, and coat your plants and picnic tables with black sooty mold. Learning which trees are prone to these problems can keep you from getting tied up in a sticky mess.
While recent temperatures have been moderate in many parts of the state, rainfall has been lacking. (See The Annual Drought Article). There are chasms in the clay of my backyard that will swallow my kids and dogs whole. While I am not truly worried about the safety of my smaller family members, a lot of…Read more about What is happening to the Weeping Willows?[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 about The Annual Drought Article[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 about Purdue Turf and Landscape Field Day[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 about Stop Making These Arborvitae Mistakes! Common transplant problems of arborvitae.[Read More]
Trees need to be tough to survive the abuse we put them through in cities. Often planted parking lots and on streets, they are stressed by drought in the summer and de-icing salts in the winter. Honeylocust trees are a great choice for cities because in addition to their pleasing shape and fall color, they…Read more about Keep Honeylocust Trees from Becoming a Pest Nightmare[Read More]
Key Features Round, brown beetle Chewed leaves and flowers Chewed roots Symptoms Leaf margins are chewed by adult beetles. Leaves are stripped and left in a ragged appearance after adult feeding which is much different than the skeletonization caused by Japanese beetle feeding. Adults are about the size of Japanese beetles. Larvae are c-shaped grubs…Read more about Asiatic Garden Beetle[Read More]
Botrytis blight (also called grey mold) is caused by fungi in the genus Botrytis. The best known of these fungi, Botrytis cinerea, can infect many different hosts, including soft fruit, vegetables, annuals, perennials, shrubs and young tree seedlings (Fig. 1). Other common species of Botrytis are more host specific, including Botrytis elliptica (infecting only lilies…Read more about Botrytis Blight[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 about Several Clients Submitting Samples of Fowl Bluegrass (Poa palustris) to Diagnostic Lab[Read More]
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