Cultivation and hand pulling effectively control most annual weeds. It is very important to destroy these weeds while they are small before they produce thousands of seeds, guaranteeing a weed problem for many years in the future.
Weedy vines are fast growing plants, getting very large in a relatively short amount of time often climbing and covering other garden plants. If left to grow, they can smother other plants blocking out light and killing the desirable plant.
White clover (Trifolium repens) is a creeping perennial. It is a common plant in many Iowa lawns because it is a prolific seed producer and adapts well to mowing and other lawn care practices. Its presence is often a sign of…
Woody weeds are trees and shrubs that have woody plant tissue. They are perennial and typically classified as eudicots, although some may belong to other plant groups like gymnosperms (conifers). Examples of woody weeds include…
Knowing the area of the garden bed or lawn is necessary for applying fertilizers or pesticides, determining how much mulch is needed, or determining the number of plants needed to fill a space.
Trees are valuable assets to the home landscape. Occasionally, the services of a professional arborist are needed to prune a large tree or assess its condition after a storm. For many individuals, selecting an arborist can be…
Trapping is the best way to get rid of moles. Trapping isn't easy, but it does work. Patience and persistence are required. Traps can usually be found in hardware stores and garden centers. When using traps, carefully…
Mosses in lawns are usually a sign of poor growing conditions. Turfgrasses have a difficult time growing in heavy shade, compacted soils, or other poor sites. However, mosses are adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions.…
Mushrooms are the reproductive or fruiting structures of fungi. Their appearance in the lawn usually indicates decaying tree stumps or roots in the soil. In garden beds, mushrooms can appear because they are associated with decaying organic…
Garlic requires more fertilizer than many vegetables. Apply and incorporate 1 to 2 pounds of an all-purpose garden fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, per 100 square feet of garden area prior to planting. Lightly incorporate one…
Soil testing services are provided by neighboring universities and private laboratories. Information on how to collect good soil samples for testing and recommendations for how to find testing laboratories can be found at …
Home gardeners can lower their soil pH by adding sphagnum peat moss to the soil. (The pH of sphagnum peat moss generally ranges from 3.0 to 4.5.) When planting azaleas and rhododendrons, dig a wide, shallow hole. Backfill with a…
Home gardeners can lower their soil pH by adding sphagnum peat moss to the soil. Sulfur can also be used to acidify the soil. Sulfur should be incorporated into the soil a year before planting as it reacts slowly with the soil. …
Annual weeds grow rapidly, flower, set seed and die in a single season. New annual weeds germinate from seeds each year. Before they die, most annual weeds produce large quantities of seeds.
Two closely related insect pests, the asparagus beetle and the spotted asparagus beetle, occasionally attack asparagus plantings in Iowa. When asparagus shoots appear in spring, these beetles emerge from their sheltered, overwintering locations…
Plant bulbs at a depth equal to two or three times their maximum bulb diameter. Larger bulbs like tulips, daffodils and hyacinths are often planted 6-8 inches deep. The smaller bulbs like squill, snowdrops and crocus are…
Vegetable garden soils are prepared for planting by removing weeds, incorporating necessary soil amendments, and creating good conditions for planting and sowing seeds.
Weeds can be removed in several ways, including hand-pulling,…
In windy, exposed areas, straw mulches can be kept in place by placing wire or plastic fencing over the area. The fencing can be held in place with bricks or other heavy objects.
To produce your own slips (plants), select a large, unblemished sweet potato from the previous year’s harvest. Place sand in the bottom of a pot or other large container. Set the sweet potato horizontally on the surface of the sand…
Female cicadas lay eggs on small twigs and the damage can cause some twig die-back (also called flagging). For a large tree this is not a concern, but if possible you can protect small or high value trees and shrubs.
Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) can be pruned at any time of the year. Although late winter or early spring when the vine is not covered in leaves can make the task easier. Without regular pruning, trumpet vine can quickly…
Proper cleaning and sanitization of pruners and other garden tools is important to prevent the spread of disease issues. At minimum when removing disease-infected plant material, pruners should be disinfected between plants. Ideally,…
Crabgrass (Digitaria spp.) and quackgrass (Elymus repens) are two weedy grasses that stand out in traditional lawns as the leaves are much coarser than the Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and fescues that are typically…
Red raspberries sucker freely. If not confined, plants will spread rapidly. Red raspberries are most productive when grown in 2-foot-wide hedgerows. If the raspberry planting is several feet wide, plant rows need to be…
As soon as bearded irises are done blooming, remove the spent flowers. Removal of the spent flowers improves the appearance of the plants and prevents seed pod formation. Bearded irises require little care during the summer months.…
When sufficient materials are on hand, build a pile that is at least 3 feet by 3 feet square and 3 feet in height, but no larger than 5 feet by 5 feet square and 5 feet in height. Use a mixture of garden debris, leaves, grass clippings and other…
