Recent Q&As
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What is this plant? - A: Velvetleaf
This is velvetleaf. UT Extension Agent Chris Cooper says this weed likes to grow in disturbed soils. Each plant can produce 9,000-17,000 seeds. If you see this in your garden pull it up before it can set those seeds.
Related Videos: The Worst Weeds Controlling Weeds Related Resources: Velvetleaf Velvetleaf |
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What are the best ways to prevent or eliminate cabbage worms?
Cabbage worms eat anything in the brassica vegetable family. UT Extension Agent Celeste Scott gives several options including chemicals and using nets to keep them from getting to your plants in the first place.
Related Videos: Protecting Cabbage, Broccoli, and Cauliflower from Hungry Worms Cabbage Related Resources: Imported Cabbageworm Cabbage Looper on Vegetables Bacillus Thuringiensis Home and Garden: Bacillus Thuringiensis |
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Why are my maple trees’ leaves turning brown and dying?
This looks like leaf scorch. UT Extension Agent Celeste Scott says this is not the result of a disease, it is simply that the tree can not get enough water from the roots to replace the water lost by the leaves. In leaf scorch the leaves will start to die from the edge to the middle of the leaf with the veins staying green. The trees just need more water.
Related Videos: Why does one of my maple trees not have top leaves and turns fall colors early? Bacterial Leaf Scorch Related Resources: Leaf Scorch Leaf Scorch of Trees |
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What is this black soot on my hackberry tree’s leaves?
This is sooty mold caused by the wooly hackberry aphid. UT Extension Agent Celeste Scott says the aphid has piercing sucking mouthparts and feeds on tree sap. It also produces honeydew that sooty mold grows on. The wooly hackberry aphid does not harm the tree and they do not need to be controlled.
Related Videos: Scale Holly Scale and Sooty Mold How do I get rid of sooty mold? Related Resources: Hackberry Woolly Aphid Asian Wooly Hackberry Aphid |
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Will my garland lilies survive in Memphis in the ground, or do I need to plant them in a pot?
Garland Lilies (also known as hardy ginger, ginger lilies or butterfly ginger) should survive in the ground in Memphis, Tennessee (Zone 7b). UT Extension Agents Celeste Scott and Chris Cooper talk about what to consider when growing this plant. They also talk about how to store it for the winter if you need to grow it in a pot.
Related Videos: Hardiness Lily Basics Related Resources: Hedychium Kahili Ginger, Hedychium gardnerianum |
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What is this bug that is on my Japanese maple trees? We lost a tree that they were on.
These are the citrus flatid planthopper. They build white web-like masses as a form of protection. But Celeste Scott says the feeding of these bugs should not cause the death of a Japanese maple tree. She says the loss of the other tree is probably due to the rapid drop in temperature last winter.
Related Videos: Japanese Maple Basics Why does my Japanese maple have brown curled leaves? Related Resources: Citrus Flatid Planthopper Planthoppers Abound |
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Can I cut back mountain laurel bushes?
You can cut them back. UT Extension Agent Celeste Scott says the best time to do it is when the plant is dormant for the winter. She also advises not to remove more than one-third of the plant per year. If you need to remove more, prune it back over several years.
Related Videos: How to Prune Shrubs Hand Pruner Care Related Resources: Mountain Laurel Mountain Laurel |
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Is there anything I can do so my tomatoes produce a larger fruit?
There are several things you can do to make tomato plants produce larger tomatoes. UT Extension Agent Celeste Scott gives several suggestions for pruning, and fertilizing.
Related Videos: Tomato Early Blight How to Side Dress Tomato Plants Related Resources: Growing Tomatoes in Home Gardens Tomatoes: From Seedlings to Fruit |
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My rose has holes in the leaves and does not produce flowers like it used to. What’s wrong?
The holes are likely caused by the rose slug/rose sawfly. The lack of flowers are because of another reason. UT Extension Agent Celeste Scott explains how rose sawflies feed. She also lists some things that might be causing the rose to not bloom as much as it used to.
Related Videos: Basic Rose Care Rose Bush Pruning Related Resources: Roseslug Sawfly Sawflies on Roses |
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Why do my tomatoes and cucumbers wilt and die after three weeks of bearing?
The tomatoes are being affected by early blight and the cucumbers are being affected by bacterial wilt. UT Extension Agent Celeste Scott says early blight is a fungal disease that causes the tomato leaves to turn yellow, then brown, then die. She talks about several ways to limit early blight. The bacterial wilt on the cucumbers is being vectored - or brought to the plant - by the cucumber beetle. She suggests trying to control the cucumber beetle.
Related Videos: Tomato Early Blight Cucumber Bacterial Wilt Related Resources: Early Blight of Tomatoes Early Blight of Tomato Cucumbers Container Grown Cucumbers, Zucchini and Squash |
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What should I do to get my leeks to fully mature with thick stalks?
Leeks can take up to 120 days to mature. UT Extension Agent Chris Cooper says many leek growers will hill soil up against the plants as they grow to support the plant and to blanch the bottom, or turn it white.
Related Videos: Growing Onions Planting Onions Related Resources: How to Grow Leeks in Your Garden Growing Leeks in Home Gardens |
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Why do my maple trees have single branches dying from time to time this summer?
The die-off is because something is preventing the nutrients and water from getting to that branch. From pictures it is hard to say exactly why this is happening. It is likely caused by a disease of some sort. UT Extension Agents Chris Cooper and Celeste Scott talk about some possibilities.
Related Videos: Why are branches of my red maple dying? Why does one of my maple trees not have top leaves and turns fall colors early? Related Resources: Scattered Dead Branches in Canopy Causes of Branch Dieback on Trees |
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I moved my flowers and now they are wilted. What should I do?
These plants were too large to successfully move. Retired MSU Extension Horticulture Specialist Lelia Kelly says they are wilting because too many of their roots were damaged while moving. She recommends cutting the plants back and making sure the ground stays watered.
Related Videos: Transplant Shock Seeds or Transplants Related Resources: Transplant Shock: Disease or Cultural Problem Transplant Shock... Making the Case for Smaller Trees Transplanting Established Trees or Shrubs |
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Why does my brown turkey fig produce lots of figs, but only a few get ripe?
When figs don’t get ripe it is a sign that the tree is stressed. Retired MSU Extension Horticulture Specialist Lelia Kelly says it could be a result of a combination of the cold winter, high temperatures, and high humidity. She gives some recommendations to reduce plant stress.
Related Videos: Figs How do you know when to pick figs? Related Resources: Figs Figs in the Home Planting Fig Production Guide |