Recent News

As the fourth of July holiday approaches, please keep in mind this will affect the regular clinic hours. Iowa State University will be closed July 4, and our building will be closed on July 5 for scheduled repairs

Low maintenance perennial flowers provide many years of beauty to the home landscape or butterfly garden.  To learn more about low maintenance perennials for sunny, shady or wet locations see the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Y

Gardeners are invited to learn about growing cut flowers, sweet corn and tomatoes in the home garden during this year’s Demonstration Garden Field Days, hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the Iowa State University Research

Late June to early July is the time of year when populations of invasive and destructive jumping worms (Amynthas spp.) will have built to detectable levels and may be noticed under mulch and leaf litter or in potted plants.  Jumping

The cool temperatures and rainfall have delayed planting, flowering and insect emergence, but two of our late-spring arrivals are finally ready to put in an appearance; the Japanese beetle and lightningbugs. 

We have recently received several questions about mushrooms developing both outdoor and indoors. With the wet spring and flooding, water had made its way to cracks on walls or in floors, in older houses, or basements prone to flooding.

In my previous clinic update, I warned you about inspecting your plants before purchasing. I found an excellent example of what not to buy at a plant sale. The plant had virus symptoms restricted to some leaves.

It's plant sale time — we were all looking forward to it! As you shop for plants remember “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Select the right plants for the location and carefully inspect plants for disease or pests

Bleeding hearts are elegant perennials that grace many gardens and landscapes in Iowa.  Their distinctive spring flowers are often complimented by finely-divided or dissected foliage.  The unique heart-like flowers are created by two-spu

Lately, the general public has reached out to us was wondering: does the morel mushroom hunting season have any precautions this year, due to flooding and devastation in Iowa?

The PIDC staff processed a total of 1,521 samples and had a total of 3,215 client contacts in 2018.  Although diagnosis of physical samples is the primary mission of the clinic we also help clients via phone and e-mail. 

My favorite cases this year were redbud and peach trees, both had signs of winter injury, and two fungal pathogens were tagging along, Botryosphaeria causing cankers (in redbud) and the fungal wood rot caused by Schizophyllum commune

Pathogens that cause plant diseases can move in mysterious ways.

This week, a homeowner in Benton County found scattered groups of the fungus in their lawn. A client submitted a sample for mushroom identification of a bumpy looking mushroom by her oak tree. What are they?

Iowa State University Extension & Outreach pamphlet number ENT 0039 has been revised and expanded to include color photos of the most common insect galls found on trees and shrubs in Iowa.  The hundreds of unique galls are distinctive swe