Every summer, it seems, our fescue lawns suffer with a multitude of ugly brown areas. Often, the areas start small, multiply, and by the end of the summer, have taken over the entire lawn. Most often, the brown areas are associated with some type of fungus that caused disease. Continue reading
Category Archives: Pests
Good Cultural Habits Promote Pest-Free Plants
There is nothing worse than coming into your garden to discover that seemingly, overnight, an entire crop was eliminated by insects. And once done, months of hard work can be negated for an entire season. While it seems like pests appear and disappear at random, there is a pattern to their movement and subsequently a pattern for prevention. Continue reading
I Got 99 Problems but Tomatoes Ain’t One
Tomato Problems
For all the joy and satisfaction that growing tomatoes can give a gardener, the frustration and aggravation can be equally as great! Several issues can plague the tomato grower. Here are a few non-disease problems: Continue reading
The Luna Moth
One of my favorite insects is the Luna Moth. One day last year I had the joy of seeing one on the brick of my home right beside my front door. It actually stayed there resting for a day or two, and then it was gone. Luna moths are usually a rare sight to see. They spend the majority of their time in forests, and are active at night adding to their elusiveness. Another aspect that adds to their elusiveness is their life cycle. The adult stage of a Luna Moth lasts for about a week. During this time they do not eat, because they do not have a proboscis (mouthpart). Continue reading
Don’t Give Firewood Insects a Winter Home
Each time you bring a load of firewood inside this winter, you could be opening the door for wood-infesting insects to make your home their home. Most insects brought into the home on firewood are harmless, and you can greatly reduce their numbers by following a few simple steps from the entomology department at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Continue reading
Uninvited Guests for the Holidays
Before the title makes you think of friends and family, let us consider our garden-variety pest that may invade homes throughout the holidays.
By late fall, most outdoor insect home invaders have settled down for a long winters nap, either outdoors or in your home. Yet it is still a good time to seal, caulk and repair cracks, crevices and gaping thresholds as a way to keep pest invaders – and cold winter air – out of your home. If any spiders, ladybugs, stinkbugs, or flies, appear in your home, they are more nuisance than harmful and vacuuming them up often takes care of the problem. Continue reading
Rose Diseases
Spectacular blooms and diverse types and varieties make roses a favorite of many Kentucky gardeners. However, warm, humid growing conditions create an ideal environment for serious problems each year with black spot and powdery mildew.
Gardeners can nip these fungal diseases in the bud by planting resistant or tolerant varieties and creating an unfavorable environment for disease development. It may be necessary to use fungicides throughout the summer, especially on susceptible varieties. Continue reading
Tips To Reduce Pests Potential Mosquito Breeding Sites In Ornamental Pools & Landscape Fish Ponds
If you have an ornamental pool or landscape fish pond, you might be wondering how to reduce mosquito populations in these particular situations. Ornamental pools and landscape fish ponds are potential breeding sites, but they don’t have to be.
Below are some mosquito management tips for these pools and ponds. Some of these tips also apply to birdbaths. Continue reading
Time for 5 Eastern Tent Caterpillar Egg Hatch
After spending about 9 months as eggs in masses on twigs of wild cherry and related trees, the first few tiny eastern tent caterpillars (ETC) of the season should soon be leaving their eggs. The onset of the single generation that occurs each year varies with the character of the season. Hatch was noted as early as March 14, 2012 during an unseasonably warm spring and as late as April 2, 2014 during one that was slow to develop. Continue reading
Top Three New Year’s Resolutions for Gardeners
Many people enjoy making New Year’s Resolutions, so I would like to encourage you to make some gardening resolutions. Even those of you who do not typically grow anything can reap benefits from planting something, nurturing it, and watching it grow. It doesn’t have to be a large vegetable garden. A small container garden or raised bed garden will be just fine. Continue reading
Kentucky Hort News 