Early spring (before leaves emerge) and fall (after leaf drop) are the best times to transplant deciduous trees. Evergreens are most successfully transplanted in early spring and late summer (late August to mid-September).
To…
Early spring (before leaves emerge) and fall (after leaf drop) are the best times to transplant deciduous trees. Evergreens are most successfully transplanted in early spring and late summer (late August to mid-September).
To…
There are different ways to classify or categorize plants and plant structures. We eat many plant parts, including roots, stems, leaves, flowers, seeds, and fruit. The root is the edible portion of carrots, radishes, beets, and…
In the past, some gardeners used salt to control weeds in their asparagus plantings. However, salt is not effective in controlling many weeds, especially grasses. Plus, continued use of salt over several years may result in high salt…
Do not apply a pruning paint or wound dressing to pruning wounds. The application of a pruning paint or wound dressing does not prevent wood decay and may actually interfere with the tree’s natural wound responses.
Oak trees are an…
Strawberries should be mulched in fall to prevent winter injury. Low temperatures and repeated freezing and thawing of the soil through the winter months are the main threats to the strawberry plants. Temperatures below +20 degrees…
In landscape plantings, control of downy mildew on impatiens with fungicides is not practical. Sanitation is the best management strategy for this disease. Remove and destroy infected plants as soon as they are noticed to reduce the spread to…
While peanuts are grown commericially in the southeastern United States, they can be grown in Iowa. Their unique growth habit makes them a fun addition to the home garden.
Peanuts grow best in…
The roots of established asparagus plants are deep and quite extensive. As a result, transplanting attempts are usually unsuccessful. Large, old plants will be severely injured during the transplantation procedure. Some may…
Early in the 1900's, white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) became a serious disease problem in the United States. White pine blister rust requires both a currant or gooseberry (Ribes species) and white pine to…
The frequency of mowing should be based on the growth of the grass. As a general rule, mow as often as needed so that no more than one-third of the total leaf area is removed in a single mowing. Removing more than one-third is detrimental…
Mid-August through September is an excellent time to plant pine, spruce, and other evergreens. (Evergreens planted in late October or November may not have adequate time to become established before the onset of winter and could be subject…
There is nothing home gardeners can put on potatoes to keep them from sprouting. The keys to successful storage of potatoes are the proper temperature and relative humidity.
Before placing the potatoes in storage, cure the…
The orange color is likely due to rust. Rust is a fungal disease. It can be diagnosed by walking across the lawn in white shoes. As you walk across the lawn, bright orange spores of the rust fungus will rub off onto the shoes,…
The ‘Sunburst’ honeylocust has distinctive yellow-green foliage. Unfortunately, it is not a vigorous tree. It grows slowly and is susceptible to cankers and mimosa webworms.
Cankers, caused by fungal pathogens, are localized…
American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) is dioecious. Dioecious plants bear male and female flowers on separate plants. Gardeners need to plant at least one male and one female bittersweet vine to produce fruit. …
It’s common for the acorn crop on oak trees to vary from year to year. Most oak species produce a good crop of acorns once every two or three years. However, the white oak tends to produce a good acorn crop once every four to six years.…
The storage life of onions is largely determined by the variety (cultivar), harvesting and drying procedures, and storage conditions.
When selecting onions, choose varieties that store well, such as ‘Copra’, ‘Stuttgarter’, and ‘Sweet…
The white, powdery material on the peony foliage is powdery mildew. Powdery mildew is a fungal disease. Powdery mildew occurs on a large number of plants (peonies, lilacs, viburnums, roses, garden phlox, bee balm, turfgrass, and many…
There are several factors which may cause peonies to bloom poorly. Peonies perform best in areas that receive at least 6 hours of direct sun each day. Peonies that receive less than 4 hours of direct sun will not bloom well. …
Excessive nitrogen, the rapid onset of hot weather, or overcrowding may produce plants that are all tops (lush foliage, little or no root development).
Misshapen roots and hot, pithy radishes are other problems that may be…
Most modern tulip cultivars bloom well for 3 to 5 years. Tulip bulbs decline in vigor rather quickly. Weak bulbs produce large, floppy leaves, but no flowers.
To maximize the number of years tulips are in bloom, choose…
Chokecherries (Prunus virginiana) and several other trees will send up shoots (suckers) from their roots. Unfortunately, there is nothing the home gardener can do to prevent these trees from suckering.
The best way to…
Deciduous trees that have been girdled (the bark has been removed completely around the trunk) have essentially been destroyed. The best course of action is to replace the girdled trees. Wrapping the trunk or applying pruning paint to…
The sap oozing from the elm wound is probably due to bacterial wetwood or slime flux. Bacterial wetwood or slime flux is a common on elm, cottonwood, and mulberry. It also occurs on maple, birch, ash…
When plants are brought indoors in fall they often drop leaves. Environmental conditions indoors are less favorable than those outdoors. The less favorable growing conditions are stressful to plants. Plants respond to this…
It’s generally best to remove all fruit that form on apple trees during their first 3 growing seasons. Removal of the fruit maximizes plant growth and increases yields in later years. Removing the fruit may also prevent limb breakage…
In Iowa, gardeners should apply lime to gardens and lawns only when recommended by a soil test. A soil test will indicate the current soil pH and, if necessary, the amount of lime to apply to the area. Liming materials include ground…
Fall clean-up and tillage provide several benefits. Many plant pathogens overwinter in the garden on infected plant debris. Removal and destruction of the diseased plant debris reduces the severity of many diseases. Removal of…
Established plantings of June-bearing strawberries should not be fertilized in spring. Spring fertilization stimulates foliar growth, produces softer berries, and increases disease problems. Lush, vegetative growth may make picking…
Ideally, you would apply fertilizer to the lawn just before a light rain. Alternatively, you can water the lawn just after the application. This allows the fertilizer to be readily absorbed into the soil, where the plants can use it…