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…]
Hair ice, also called ice wool, frost beard, and gnome beard is ice that appears like silky hair (Fig. 1) but forms on dead wood colonized by the fungus Exidiopsis effusa. It is fairly uncommon and not reported in Indiana…but who has been looking for it? Think of the bragging rights! It has been found as[Read More…]
It’s almost the time of the year to begin evaluating the season and looking forward to 2022 (after a trip or two to somewhere warmer for many of you) after the second of two of the busiest seasons on record. Though no one (or very few) is complaining about the glut of work available over[Read More…]
We are in the swing of the holiday season and Christmas decorations, ranging from trees to living wreathes, are for sale at stores. Thinking ahead, you might already have in mind how to dispose of plant material after the holidays, but it is important to take into consideration an important pillar of plant disease management[Read More…]
Key Information: Insects rarely get transported inside on decorations. DO NOT treat your decorations with insecticide. This is potentially dangerous to your family and pets. Don’t worry. Most of the insects that hitch a ride on decorations are harmless. A surprise, six-legged guest is the last thing most people want to deal with during[Read More…]
Northern red oak (Quercus rubra) is a Midwest native and is generally well adapted to growth across much of the region, but we get questions about dieback or ‘flagging’ on it fairly regularly. The two most common causes of twig dieback on this host are Kermes scale (Allokermes galliformis and A. kingii) and fungal canker/dieback[Read More…]
How did your weed control program perform this year? Could you be 10% more efficient? Could you make your clients 10% more satisfied with the level of weed control? In today’s labor market, improving efficiency is the single best way to reallocate labor to other, more profitable, jobs. One aspect of improving efficiency in your[Read More…]
Black root rot (BRR), caused by the fungus Thielaviopsis basicola,has a host range of several hundred plants. In the landscape, the most common hosts include pansies (Fig. 1), and vinca, along with calibrachoa and petunia. In perennial hosts, it often infects lavender, phlox, milkweed and butterfly-weed (Asclepius spp.). Even woody plants, like holly and elderflower[Read More…]
Now that fall has arrived many people have begun collecting next year’s firewood and clearing their yards of brush and downed trees. This can be a great way to both tidy up your property and save some money but there are a few pitfalls to avoid. Already dead trees or dropped limbs can make easy[Read More…]
Junipers have to be my favorite group of evergreens, behind a select few pine species. They have a fantastic fragrance, are evergreen, many can tolerate drought, are an ingredient in gin (definitely a bonus), and work well in a variety of landscape uses, including as a barrier plant. They look great year round, except when[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…]
Wandering fall caterpillars promise the presence of pollinators, bird food, and flashes of fluttering color in your yard next spring, but overly enthusiastic yard cleanup can make you lose out on these benefits. These insects can provide your spring plants with pollination and migratory birds with a snack. You can help them by changing the[Read More…]
The entire Midwest just experienced one the worst fall armyworm (Fig. 1) outbreaks in decades, but for turfgrass professionals and enthusiasts, it’s not over yet. These seasonal, but sporadic insects made their appearance at the end of August, decimating lawns and other managed turfgrass. But, now that the damage is done, our focus shifts from[Read More…]
Contorted filbert is an ornamental cultivar of European Filbert, (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’), grown for its twisted, gnarly stems. The plant is also sold under the name Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick. While it’s unique architecture can be impressive, it’s highly susceptible to a fungal canker that can cause extensive damage to the tree. Eastern filbert blight[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…]
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