Pest Plants
Chickweed control failure and a better idea
Q: My lawn was covered with chickweed last spring and this spring! I put down a pre-emergent carefully last fall and watered it in. Why did it not work? A: Since chickweed is an annual plant that sprouts from seed...
Why I Do Not Care For Bradford Pear
It has pretty white flowers and glossy green leaves; it grows easily just about anywhere. So why do I recommend against planting it? It WILL eventually start dropping big limbs. For a lot of people, the flowers stink. If it...
Do Organic Pesticides And Fertilizers Work?
Q: What are your thoughts on organic pesticides, and fertilizers? Do they work as well as non-organic? A: Organic pesticides can be as good as, or better than, conventional pesticides. It all depends on the pest being controlled. I have...
Getting Rid Of Mushrooms In Zoysia Lawn
Q: I have mushrooms in my new zoysia lawn. What steps can be taken to get rid of them? The yard gets plenty of sun to dry it out. A: The mushrooms most likely are coming from fungi feeding on...
Lesser celandine (Fig Buttercup) – Control
Q: Can someone identify this? It’s everywhere this year. A: It is lesser celandine (fig buttercup), Ficaria verna. Although the yellow flowers are attractive, it grows so quickly that it chokes out other plans. Ferns, trillium, and other spring ephemerals...
What Will Kill Crabgrass In Centipede?
Q: What will kill crabgrass in centipede? A: It is tough to find products that can distinguish between your centipede grass and your crabgrass. Sulfentrazone plus quinclorac (Image Kills Crabgrass) is labeled for use in your situation. For best results,...
Stopping Growth On Wisteria Stump
Q: I recently cut down a thirty-year-old wisteria vine in my back yard. Now the whole stump is covered in new growth. Is there anything I can use to stop the growth, kill the root system, etc.? A: Remove the...
Will Roundup Affect My Liriope?
Q: I have recently planted six hundred liriope plants for groundcover. Some unwanted grasses, mimosa, and other weeds have sprouted in my planting. Can I spray Roundup on the unwanted plants or will that affect the liriope? A: I can...
How/Why Kudzu And Chinese Privet Were Brought Here
Q: Could you tell me how and why kudzu and Chinese privet were brought here? A: Kudzu came from Japan to the United States at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. Importers thought it could be a nice flowering vine...
Roots Growing Through Weed Barrier
Q: Several years ago I put down rolls of weed barrier under my flowering cherry and then covered it with black wood mulch. Since that time the barrier has become covered with black dirt, mulch and weeds. Roots from the...
I Mowed Over Poison Ivy Vines – Is It Still Toxic?
Q: I threw poison ivy vines out in the yard and mowed over them. Now I’m afraid that I spread it throughout the yard. Do I avoid going out in the backyard for the entire summer? A: I am not...
Virginia Buttonweed Overwhelming Our Centipede Lawn
Q: We have Virginia buttonweed overwhelming our centipede lawn. We re-seeded the lawn last year. A: Virginia buttonweed is extremely tough to control. It does not respond to most weed killers. It is a perennial plant and will resprout from...
Slime Mold on Pine Straw
Q: I have looked and looked trying to see if this fungus is harmful to my roses. A: I am not an expert, but I think this is a slime mold, which is different from a fungus. Either way, it...
Yellow Woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta) Control
Q: These weeds have taken over my beds. Can you help? What should I use to kill? A: The weed is yellow wood sorrel, Oxalis stricta, sometimes called yellow clover. It is tough to control. It arises from a taproot...
English Ivy – Control
I accompanied my son’s class on an overnight Environmental Education trip to Rock Eagle one year. One of his classmates was a great source of fascination to me. Whenever I stood next to him he was a model of decorum:...
Good Method To Kill Privet Hedge?
Q: Is there a good method to kill privet hedge? It has taken over a portion of my backyard fence. A: It’s a tough plant! I spent much of my childhood and young teen years trying to control privet on...
Where To Begin – Landscaping
Q: We’ve lived in our house for 11 years and done no landscaping. Now we have lots of low spots and weeds. I’d like to start doing some landscaping, but I’m not sure what to do first. A: Landscaping a...
Weeds in New Fescue – Controlling
Q: I have new fescue seeds growing along with small weeds. I planted the fescue seeds in early Oct. Is there anything that I can treat the lawn with that will kill the weed and not the grass at this...
