Posts Tagged ‘disease’
Morning Water- Damage
Q: I have a question about your recent advice to water in the morning. It rains any time of the day or night but I’ve never seen any plant damage because of wet leaves in the evening. Dew also gathers...
Zoysiagrass- Powder
Q: I have a zoysiagrass lawn. I have noticed an orange powder building up on the blades. What is it? A: Rust disease is more common in the cool, moist conditions of late fall but it can occur any time....
Hollyhocks- Pest Control
Q: Something is devouring my hollyhocks. There are yellow dots on the underside of affected leaves. Eventually, the leaves look like lace. What can I do to get rid of the problem? A: You have hollyhock rust. The disease causes...
Long Day Onion- Bulbing
Q: I purchased ‘Sweet Spanish Yellow Utah Jumbo’ onion seeds from a big box retailer. After planting I found out this is a “long day” onion. Will they bulb next summer? If not, why would this store sell them in...
Japanese Boxwood- Trimming
Q: I have one Japanese boxwood out of six that has had sections die off. I trim out the dead parts hoping they will fill in. The rest of the bush looks healthy and I have seen no signs of...
Dark Eyes Fuchsia- Planting
Q: I have a ‘Dark Eyes’ Fuchsia and would like to plant it in the yard. Is this a wise thing to do? A: You are welcome to plant it but I can’t guarantee success. In the first place, fuchsia...
Peonies- Blooming
Q: When I grew up in Michigan, my mother had peonies that bloomed without trouble. I dug up some of the roots and brought them to Georgia. I have been unsuccessful in getting them to flower. They flourish in the...
Sweetgum- Dying
Q: I have a sweetgum tree in my back yard that appears to be dying. The leaves have all turned color as though it was fall and they have black spots on them. What is this? A: I’ve seen similar...
Dogwood – Spot Anthracnose
Q: I have a problem every year on certain dogwood trees. The effect is of a tree with beige blooms …..which should be white. There are many small red dots on sometimes highly disfigured bloom petals. Should I worry? A:...
Fairy Ring – In Zoysia
Q: This zoysia lawn is 11 years old and I cut it with a reel mower, do as little watering as possible and when I do, I water deep and early in the morning. I aerate yearly and vertical cut...
Wild Foxes- DNR
Q: I live in a wooded subdivision and have discovered a red fox mother with two kits coming out to play at dusk the past few days. Should I contact DNR to trap them and take them somewhere less populated?...
Roses- Fragrance
Q: Where can I get roses that actually smell like roses? I am tired of smelling nothing! Why do growers breed the fragrance out of roses? A: Rosarian Jim Kelley says the rose breeders do not intentionally “breed out” fragrance....
Insecticides- Plant base
Q: Are there any systemic fungicides that could be used like a systemic insecticide by pouring around the base of a plant? A: There are indeed systemic fungicides but their use is not as simple as with systemic insecticides. Since...
Graywater – pH
Q: I’ve been using gray water from my washing machine on landscape plants. In my research I found that my plants prefer acid soil and that gray water has a higher pH. Can I add something to the graywater to...
Trees – Old age
Q: Do trees die from old age? A: Much like humans, trees die do not from old age, but from infections and pests that overwhelm them when they are weak. That said, some trees are more susceptible to weakening factors...
‘Yoshino’ cryptomeria – Bad?
Q: I have a ‘Yoshino’ cryptomeria planted in my apple orchard. Is that a bad thing? I had read that planting flowering quince near an orchard is not good. A: Although cryptomeria and juniper are both members of the Cypress...
Oak Leaf Blister
Q: The leaves on my large water oak have numerous blisters on them. The tree is also dropping lots of leaves. What can I do to help? A: Your tree has oak leaf blister and you can’t do much about...
Dogwood – Powdery Mildew Identification
Q: I have a beautiful dogwood tree that reaches to the second floor deck. It looks really healthy, but today I noticed white spots on the leaves. A: Your dogwood has powdery mildew. Powdery mildew is a common disease of...
