Category: Garden Pests

Working in the Garden this Week

If you are working in the garden this week, here are a few things to consider. Crabgrass is now germinating and growing. If you have a lot of this grass, use a post-emergent crabgrass killer as long as the plants…

Things happening this week in the landscape include the high number of moths flying around. There is not much you can do to eliminate them except for turning out any exterior lights and making sure there are no windows or…

This plant is popping up in gardens and people are wondering if it is a ground cherry. This weed is called deadly nightshade and has toxic berries. The berries are sweet; however, it does not take many to get sick.…

The hot weather is slowing down fruit production in the garden dramatically. My summer squash (which I planted a dozen hills) usually produces more than I certainly can use. The plants now produce maybe one fruit every few days, which…

All of us know what field bindweed is and this is the time of year it shows its white to pinkish flowers all over. I planted the garden on a field bindweed & thistle patch ten years ago and with…

Three “bugs” are showing up in gardens this week. One is the cabbage butterfly. It is a white butterfly with a couple of black spots on the wings. The butterfly is harmless; however, they lay eggs on cabbage, broccoli, and…

Two problems are happening in tomatoes right now. One is leaf spot diseases whether early blight or Septoria (both are caused by fungi). Things to incorporate in your routine are to stake or use tomato cages to keep the plants…

I keep telling people that crabgrass should be our state weed. I do not know when this weed has been so prevalent. With the hot, dry days the lawns are going dormant but this is the weather that crabgrass thrives…

Perennial Weeds in the Flowerbed and Garden

With the spring rains and now the heat, many gardeners are having problems with perennial weeds in the flowerbed and garden like creeping Jenny (field bindweed) and thistles. The use of herbicides in the garden is not a choice, so…

There is a “new” product making its way to the garden shelves called Neem oil or Neem oil extract. Actually, Neem oil has been around for thousands of years, however, is entering the garden area. It comes from the Neem…

Last year there were two shrub pests and now is the time to control them. One is the honeysuckle aphid, a small black and white aphid that attacks the plant early and leaves twisted leaves and dead twigs. The damage…

Who is eating these tunnels in my carrots? They all called the carrot weevil. The adult in a tiny brown bug with a snout laying eggs on the crown of the carrot. The little white worms burrow down on the…

What is that big bunches of webs in my trees? It is fall webworms hatching from eggs and spinning a protection web over the colony. While unsightly, they do not cause much harm this time of the year as the…

Have you ever found little black beetles with yellow spots on your overripe garden fruit? These little buggers are called picnic beetles and are instantly attracted to your ripening sweet corn, berries, cracking melons, and tomatoes. They burrow into the…

Why do melons and tomatoes seem to crack when the fruit gets ripe? The cause is inconsistent soil water and heat. Do not let the soil dry completely then water. The surge of water in the fruit will expand causing…