Archive for the ‘Pesticide recommendations’ Category

Better Choices Than Leyland Cypress For Privacy Screen

For homeowners in a rush to establish a tall green privacy screen from the neighbor(s), perhaps a 12-foot tall green fence may be your better option. Among the choices of evergreens to plant, Leyland cypress (x Cupressocyperus leylandii) is fastest growing, but is plagued by any of three serious disease problems. An established leyland cypress planted 12 feet apart completely […]

Reawaken Your Garden This Fall

In many areas of the U.S., Labor Day traditionally signals return to school, the start of the football season, and an end to gardening for the year. Mother Nature surely did not schedule it this way. Here are ten plants (plus an extra) that are blooming in late August thru the coming weeks: Stonecrops or […]

Avoiding Crape Myrtle Hardiness Problems

Late summer (September 1st) is your deadline to plant crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia spp.) in USDA hardiness zone 6. Your primary objective should be to grow deep plant roots. Crape myrtles are classified as perennials in northerly areas of zone 6. In many years their woody branches die back after a cruel cold winter. The hardy […]

Crape Myrtle Diseases And Pests

Not all crape myrtle cultivars are alike. Some are more susceptible to diseases and insect pests more than others. Overall, the U.S. National Arboretum (USNA) hybrid crapemyrtles are more disease and insect resistant, but not to all problems. Some cultivars are susceptible to aphids, usually in the spring. Their sugary excretions over leaves and stems […]

Pest Alert: Kudzu Bug- Plant Pest And Home Invader

Kudzu bug was first seen in Atlanta, Georgia in 2009. Currently, this plant pest and home invader has spread rapidly through the southern U.S. (to Texas) and as far north as eastern Maryland and southern Delaware. Kudzu bug belongs to the shield bug family (Plataspidae), but does emit a strong odor. It secretes a noxious […]

Fall Is Great Time To Renovate Your Lawn

Is your lawn nothing but bare spots, thatch, and weeds? Late summer and fall is an ideal period to reduce thatch build-up and repair dead lawn areas. Thatch is composed of old grass clippings, e.g. leaf and stem debris not decomposed. By aerating the soil and removing thatch, you will improve soil water absorption and […]

Pest Alert: Spotted Wing Drosophila Attack Blueberry and Cane Fruits

Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii, is an invasive and destructive pest originating from eastern Asia. It is a pest that can not be managed with pesticides alone. Caneberries such as raspberry and blackberry appear to be most affected followed by strawberries and blueberries. Among the tree fruits, cherries seem to suffer heavy damage. If […]

Pest Alert: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

In recent years Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys), aka BMSB, has become serious pests of fruits, vegetables, and farm crops in the Mid-Atlantic and Southern Appalachian regions. BMSB are likely to spread to other areas in the U.S. They feed on all parts of plants (fruit, stems, leaves). They may also become a major […]

U.S. Native Viburnums And Viburnum Beetle Susceptibility

photo -Arrowwood viburnum in late summer A trip to Carolina Native Plants Nursery in Burnsville, NC gave me this idea to list those viburnums which are U.S. natives (USDA Hardiness zones 6 and 7). All are worthy for planting in your landscape in full sun except where noted. All attract birds and other wildlife to […]