Recent Q&As
See all Questions and Answers
The best way to find something is to search at the top of the page
The best way to find something is to search at the top of the page
|
How do I get my severe webworm infestation under control?
The trees are large and so it is impossible to remove the webs or spray the trees. University of Memphis Director of Landscape Joellen Dimond recommends using systemic insecticides such as imidacloprid. Systemics are applied to the ground around the trees, the trees take up the insecticide and spread it to all the leaves and branches. The webworms, when they feed on the tree, will die. On smaller trees, UT County Director Walter Battle recommends removing the webs or using BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) or Sevin at the right time of year to kill the worms. Once the worms have built the webs the insecticide can’t get to them.
Related Resources: Fall Web Worm Fall Webworm |
|
What is this plant? - Italian Arum
Italian Arum (Arum italicum) is a woodland species native to Europe. It has thick arrow shaped leaves. The plants do well in shady conditions with well-drained soil that is high in organic content. It produces a vertical stalk with orange-red berries.
Related Resources: Italian arum Italian arum |
|
What flowering shrubs can I plant in my forest?
There are many options for planting flowering plants in a wooded area. University of Memphis Director of Landscape Joellen Dimond recommends bluebells, mayapple or columbine. She also recommends some flowering trees: dogwood, redbud, downy serviceberry, sweetbay magnolia, red buckeye.
Related Resources: Shade Tolerant Trees, Shrubs, and Groundcovers Search for the best tree or shrub based on site characteristics |
|
What are these things that appeared in my flower bed?
This is a kind of slime mold that has been named dog vomit. It is growing on the mulch. It will not harm your plants and if you don’t like it you can remove it from the bed. It will go away after a while if you leave it alone. It is a fungus so any time you have warm weather, high humidity, and rain it may show up.
Related Videos: I have mushrooms in my mulch. Do I need to get rid of it? Is This a Fungus in my flowerbed? My Mulch Looks Like It Has Mold On It What is this growing in my mulch? Related Resources: The Blob: Slime Molds Slime Molds: Myxomycetes Slime Molds – Landscape Curiosities |
|
Am I watering my helleborus too much?
This kind of injury on leaves is often caused by either too much or too little water. Because there is no wilting it is likely too much water. If the plant is kept in the shade there may not be enough time for the plant to dry out before it is watered again. If the leaf turns totally brown, it is not benefiting the plant anymore and can be taken off.
Related Videos: Water-Wise Gardening Flowers Need Water Related Resources: Lenten Rose Diagnosing Poor Plant Health |
|
What happened to my honeydew plants?
There are a couple of things this could be. It could be damping off. If it is wet and cool soil, fungi may harm the plant. It could also be bacterial wilt. That can be tested for by snipping off a piece of plant. Then touching the cut area back together. When they are pulled apart there will be some stringiness in the sap. If it is bacterial wilt you should remove and dispose of the plants in the trash. Damping off will have killed the growing plants but you can replant and still get a harvest this year.
Related Videos: Damping Off Bacterial Wilt on Peppers Cucumber Bacterial Wilt Related Resources: Cantaloupe & Honeydew Melons Damping Off Damping-off |
|
How much light does palisade zoysia need and when is the best time to lay sod?
Palisade zoysia needs 4-5 hours a day of sunlight to thrive. Dixon Gallery and Gardens Volunteer Coordinator Tonya Ashworth says you can lay warm-season sod any time of the year, but if it is hot or dry you will need to water frequently until it is established.
Related Videos: Inexpensive Zoysia Lawn Turf Grass Varieties Related Resource: Zoysiagrass |
|
Are there flowers or vegetables I can grow on a balcony?
It all depends on how much light you get, in this case about 3-4 hours. Vegetables and most flowers require six or more hours of sun per day. Dixon Gallery and Gardens Volunteer Coordinator Tonya Ashworth gives some options for flowers and plants you can grow on a balcony with limited sun.
Related Videos: Planting an Herb and Flower Container Garden What can I do to grow tomatoes and other veggies on a north facing balcony? Related Resource: Balcony Gardening Basics |
|
Why do my gardenia leaves have yellow spots?
This is probably Rhizoctonia which is caused by wet conditions and poor air circulation. Dixon Gallery and Gardens Volunteer Coordinator Tonya Ashworth says gardenias do not like wet soil. They need to be well-drained. This particular plant is up against a wall so it could also not get much air circulation.
Related Videos: My gardenia’s leaves are turning yellow. Should I wait till spring to fertilize? Why do gardenia bushes die back each winter? Related Resource: Gardenia Diseases & Other Problems |
|
What type of post-emergent herbicide should I use on Bermuda?
This depends on what weeds you have. UT Extension Agent Chris Cooper talks about the active ingredients in herbicides that target broadleaf weeds, sedges, and grasses. Dixon Gallery and Gardens Volunteer Coordinator Tonya Ashworth shows how to identify the kind of weed you have.
Related Videos: How do I kill fescue in my Bermuda lawn? What damage does "nut grass" do to Bermuda lawns? Related Resources: Bermudagrass Yearly Maintenance Program Weed Control in Home Lawns |
|
How do I keep the limbs of my Japanese maples from dying?
The dying limbs are probably a result of environmental conditions. Dixon Gallery and Gardens Volunteer Coordinator Tonya Ashworth outlines some of the causes of this problem. Most Japanese maples like a shady area, if they are planted in a sunny place they may have limbs that die. It could be drought, dry winds, sunscald, incorrect planting, or any of a number of other problems. If you can determine the problem, try to remedy it.
Realted Videos: Japanese Maple Basics Why does my Japanese maple have brown curled leaves? Realted Resource: Focus on Form and Foliage With Japanese Maples |
|
How do you remove black sooty mold from crape myrtle bark?
The best way to remove sooty mold is with a soft brush and some dish detergent, just scrub it off. You can use a pressure washer, but you need to turn the pressure all the way down and make sure you don’t damage the bark. Sooty mold is the symptom of a problem, if you just wash it off it will come back. The sooty mold is growing on honeydew which is created by scales or aphids that are feeding on the crape myrtle. Treat this problem and the sooty mold will go away on its own.
Related Videos: Scale Holly Scale and Sooty Mold How do I get rid of sooty mold? Treating Crape Myrtle Bark Scale Related Resources: The Plant Doctor - Sooty Mold Crape Myrtle Bark Scale Identification and Control Crape Myrtle Diseases & Insect Pests |
|
What herbs will come back every spring?
A lot depends on soils and drainage. In the Mid-South the warm summer nights and slow drainage in summer and winter will kill the plants after one season. Jim Crowder from Memphis Botanic Garden gives some suggestions that may help the herbs last. He mixes pine bark into the soil to try to improve drainage and air flow. Even with this you may need to replant many herbs every year. They grow rapidly and are no too expensive.
Related Videos: Planting an Herb and Flower Container Garden Easy to Grow Herbs Related Resources: List of Common Herbs Herbs Growing Herbs |
|
How do daffodils get scattered naturally?
Daffodils will grow in clumps through bulb division, but they also make seed which can wash to a different area. Also, some bulbs may be unintentionally moved by cultivation.
Related Videos: Daffodils Planting Daffodils, Dianthus, and Pansies Related Resources: Spring-Flowering Bulbs Discovering Reproduction (Daffodils) Propagation of Daffodils (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) |
|
What is this plant? – Quince
Jim Crowder from Memphis Botanic Garden identifies it as Quince. It is an early spring bloomer with many colorful flowers. There are several flower colors available and even one cultivar that has three flower colors at the same time. Some quince plants produce the quince apple, but most newer varieties do not. Quince has many thorns. It needs selective pruning to maximize growth and flowers.
Related Videos: What is this plant? - Italian Arum What is this plant? - Allium Related Resources: Flowering Quince Flowering Quince, Japonica |
|
How do I kill chickweed in my fescue lawn?
Broadleaf weed killers like 2,4-D quinclorac or dicamba will kill the chickweed. Be careful if you use chemicals and always read and follow the label directions. Chickweed is edible. You could just make a big salad.
Related Videos: Chickweed Three Common Herbicides Related Resources: Common Chickweed Chickweeds |
|
What are these deformations on the bark of my apple tree?
The small marks are lenticels which allow for the exchange of air to the inside of the plant. They are found on the bark of many woody plants.
Related Videos: Pruning Apple Trees Disease Resistant Apple Trees Choosing the Right Variety of Apple for Your Area Related Resources: Home Fruit Tree Plan Fruit Tree Management Timetable |
|
How can I save my prune tree?
This tree was blown over in a winter storm. Because it is older, the tree is probably lost. If it were younger you may be able to stand it back up and support it with cables, but when so many feeder roots have been broken it will probably not make it.
Related Videos: Pruning Nectarines, Peaches, and Plums Why do my small plums fall off the tree? Related Resources: Repairing Storm Damaged Trees Storm-Damaged Residential Trees: Assessment, Care and Prevention |
|
How do I keep the squirrels from stripping the bark off my maple tree?
This is a hard one. Squirrels have become accustomed to living around people so there is not much you can do to scare them off. Shooting is a viable option if you live in a place where that is allowed. If you try to keep them away, plastic owls or snakes are only effective for a short time before the squirrels figure out that they are fake. If you move them regularly, they will work for longer. Repellents, oils, and scents may work but they will need to be reapplied because they are going to wash off in the rain.
Related Videos: How do I keep squirrels from eating my tomatoes? What is the best way to keep squirrels from eating tulip bulbs? Related Resources: Tree Squirrels: Managing Habitat and Controlling Damage Squirrel Control Tree Squirrels |
|
What is this bark damage on my crape myrtles?
These crape myrtles were wounded at some time in the past. The tree is trying to compartmentalize the wound with new tissue. Trees don’t heal like animals do, they compartmentalize the damage. The crape myrtle will survive.
Related Videos: Pruning (Not Murdering) Crape Myrtles Crape Myrtles Treating Crape Myrtle Bark Scale Related Resources: Crape Myrtle Culture Tree Wounds: Response of Trees and What You Can Do |