Yellowjacket wasps, like the hornets and paper wasps, live in colonies that increase in size throughout the summer. Finding and eliminating wasp nests around the house and in the landscape now prevents potentially bigger problems in the fall.
Garden harvest is in full swing (quite a difference from just one year ago). For the best quality, harvesting should be done at the correct stage of plant development. Herbs, like other garden produce, have their peak time for flavor.
Sphagnum peat moss is widely used by gardeners as a soil amendment. Peat moss loosens heavy clay soils, improves the water holding capacity of sandy soils, and provides organic matter.
The 4th of July is over, summer is in full swing. By this time mowing is no longer the novelty it was just a few weeks ago. Even though mowing the lawn is part of a weekly or twice weekly routine, safety should never be overlooked.
Potentially poisonous plants are a concern to everyone, especially when young children are present. Poisonous plants can be separated into different groups based on their toxicities.
Two of our most consistent perennial pests are the strawberry root weevil and the imported longhorned weevil (two insects with names much longer in proportion than their actual size).
Discover the rise of the fourlined plant bug in Iowa, an uncommon pest causing plant damage: life cycle, feeding habits, and effective plant care strategies.
On Austrian pine, the damage caused by these two diseases is worse than it has been for at least a decade. Injury to ponderosa pine is also severe, but this species is less common in the Iowa landscape.
Leather rot. Recent heavy rains over some parts of Iowa will probably result in an increase in leather rot incidence in fields with a) poorly drained soil, b) thin mulch, or c) both of the above.
The last issue of Horticulture and Home Pest Newsletter presented various ideas to help you lightscape your home landscape . Since something always happens in do-it-yourself projects, here are some ideas to help overcome common problems.
Hollyhock rust is caused by the fungus Puccinia malvacearum. The rust fungus causes raised, brown pustules about the size of a pinhead on the undersides of leaves. Yellow-orange spots develop on the uppersides of the leaves above the pustules.
Cool-season grasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass, perform best in the spring and fall months in Iowa. Hot, dry weather is tough on cool-season grasses. Kentucky bluegrass, for example, responds to hot, dry conditions by going dormant.
Landscaping with light is a popular way of enhancing landscape plantings, turf, and gardens. This is done through the use of low voltage lighting systems.
Defoliation of pine trees and shrubs by clusters of European pine sawfly larvae should be apparent by now. Larvae of this common pest species are grayish- green with 2 light stripes and 1 dark stripe on each side of the body.
