People are seeing rodent damage on trees, especially young fruit trees. The worst-case scenario is if the rodent (whether mouse or rabbit) ate into the heart of the center wood circling the entire trunk, there is not much hope for…
I have noticed that there is a lot of sunscald on trees this year. Sunscald on trees usually happens on the south or south-west exposed bark where the sun’s warmth is stronger. The bark will die causing it to shed…
As long as there have been farmers and gardeners, there have been birds trying to eat their crops. And throughout the ages, farmers have tried to come up with ingenious ways to scare them off. Nowadays, scarecrows are familiar sights,…
It’s such a sinking feeling to have one’s garden pummeled by hail especially for farmers who lost crops. Anyways in a few days to a week you’ll probably get a good idea what is salvageable or not. It never looks…
We’re having a lot of trouble with diseases in tomatoes. Leaves turn brown from the bottom of the plant and move upward. Is it a blight or a wilt? We’ve moved the plants and rotated them to a new location…
Cedar apple rust is a fungal disease that requires juniper plants to complete its complicated two-year lifecycle. Spores overwinter as a reddish-brown gall on young twigs of various juniper species. In early spring, during wet weather, these galls swell, and…
Gardening in not a solo activity. I garden with my dogs, so I created a term called dog gardening. Issac, the white dog, likes to dig. I watch him toss a chunk of wood, he barks, howls; he furiously claws,…
Since plants need water, what’s the issue with too much rain? It results in wilting plants in the garden. Although soil may seem rather solid, there are lots of spaces between the particles. These spaces hold air and water, and…
Someone brought in a mushroom growing in their lawn. I believe the white (sort of) round mushrooms are called puff ball mushroom. They do get very large. All pictured are fungi of course and are prevalent this year due to…
Since plants need water, what’s the issue with too much rain? Although soil may seem rather solid, there are lots of spaces between the particles. These spaces hold air and water, and the roots of plants need both. Roots absorb…
If you’ve ever been out on a summer evening outdoors only to be startled by an inch-long, slow-flying beetle crashing into you, then you’ve encountered a June bug (which is actually a beetle) of which I have been receiving many…
Dog ticks are everyone’s nightmare especially your dogs’. Keep areas free of tall grass, weeds and garden debris – you’ll also discourage small rodents, which transport ticks. Place outdoor play and entertainment areas in sunny, airy spots, away from tick-prone…
Crabgrass is an annual grass with broad blades that are coarse, pointed and short. It doesn’t blend in with lawn grasses in color, habit or texture and can be very competitive. If left alone, it will invade your lawns, flowerbeds…
Bug lights, although most of us want to avoid attracting insects to our light bulbs for mostly selfish reasons (insects = annoying). Overall, incandescent light bulbs pulled in the highest number of insects, followed by CFL, halogen globes, and cool-colored…
Been getting questions on fungus gnats which are small fly-like insects that may be noticed flying around houseplants. They are commonly associated with over-watered houseplants or those grown in poorly drained potting mixes. If a houseplant pot is harboring fungus…