Category Archives: What’s Bugging You
Watering When Away
It’s vacation time! You’re going to be gone for two weeks or more, your friends, neighbors and family members are all busy and the weatherman says it's going to be “hot, hot, hot.” What about your houseplants?
Lyme Disease
For those of us who work and play outdoors in deer tick-infested areas, Lyme disease is a reality. If caught early, the disease is usually cured with antibiotics. If not detected and treated early, Lyme disease can be a debilitating condition that may linger for months or years.
Battling the Bugs of Summer
In the summer months, insects can take their toll on your plants if you are not on the alert for problems. If the right product is used at the right time and under the right conditions, however, pesticides can be reduced to a minimum and your plants will be well-protected.
Dealing with Powdery Mildew
One of the most common and easy to recognize plant diseases, powdery mildew, is caused by fungus spores that overwinter in garden debris and are spread by wind the following season. In late spring and early summer, the warmer days and high humidity provide perfect conditions for spore germination.
Yellowjackets: Good Guys or Bad?
Sometimes it's difficult to tell good from bad. Take the yellowjacket for example. When you hear yellowjacket, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? A buzzing, stinging insect ruining your outdoor meal or a treasured pollinator of many plants?
Caution in the Garden… Chlorosis
Yellow means caution, even in the garden. While leaf yellowing, chlorosis, may be a signal that there is a problem that requires attention, it may also be normal. Chlorosis is the scientific word used to indicate the full or partial yellowing of plant leaves or stems and simply means that chlorophyll is breaking down.
Worrisome Weeds
Gardeners spend hours carefully cultivating their favorite plants, whether they are delicious veggies, flavorful herbs, sweet fruits, stunning flowers or luxurious grasses. It hardly seems fair that unwanted weeds barge in and take advantage of all that work, and seem to sprout up without any effort. Fortunately, there are many ways to control weeds without […]
Blossom End Rot
Nothing is more disheartening than grabbing a beautiful tomato only to find the entire bottom is soft, black and rotten. Blossom end rot (BER) affects tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash and melons.
Watering: How Much?
Water is critical for a healthy garden and landscape, but how much water is too much, how much isn’t enough and how much is just right? Unfortunately, there isn’t a specific answer that suits every gardener’s needs. All plants have different water requirements, which change depending on the type of soil, amount of sun, temperature, […]
Ladybug or Lady Beetle?
The different names given to ladybugs are almost as numerous as the number of species. But bug or beetle, understanding more about these garden guests can help you better appreciate their diversity and all the help they can offer in your garden and landscape. What’s In a Name You may call them ladybugs (although they […]
