Two common diseases in both vegetable gardens and ornamental gardens are powdery mildew and downy mildew. While the two diseases have many similarities the pathogen is different, symptoms are expressed differently, and each flourishes in different types of environmental conditions. Learning to prevent and recognize the symptoms of each disease is key to managing these destructive diseases. Powdery Mildew Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that can affect over 10,000 species of plants. Rather than just one specific species of fungi there are actually approximately 700 closely related fung ..read more

 Water conservation is a hot topic these days. Water shortages have caused many municipalities to impose watering restrictions (at least during heat waves) and rising water costs have motivated many home owners and municipalities to establish more drought tolerant gardens and landscapes. For those living rural or on well water, plants that can survive mostly on rainfall are essential. Following are some photos of drought tolerant gardens and plant lists to help you select the right plants for your drought tolerant garden. Front bottom; a peony (just coming through the ground), to th ..read more

 Japanese Beetles (Popillia japonica) are a highly destructive and invasive pest, both in the adult and larva stages. The larvae, are white grubs that feed on the roots of mainly grasses. While the adults feed on the leaves of over 300 types of plants, skeletonizing them. The adults are able to fly up to 8 km (5 miles) with a good wind, in search of food or mates and have a tendency to congregate. On mass they they can strip a tree or plant bare in very short time. They are native to Japan and first arrived in USA in 1916 and Canada in 1939 (Gov. of Canada, (rev. 2017-08-16)). In Canada t ..read more

 Iris borers (Macronoctua onusta), are a species of cutworms that bore through iris leaves down into the rhizomes, causing browning and wilting. Their feeding damage can also cause a disease known as bacterial soft rot, aka. root rot. This bacterial disease, caused by the bacteria Erwinia carotovora, causes the rhizome to rot and become mushy, emitting a foul odour. Iris rhizomes infected with this disease must be dug up and destroyed. Iris borer Identification and Life Cycle Iris borer adults: are moths with dark brown heads, a dark brown hairy thorax and abdomens that are a bit lighter ..read more

 Growing turf grass in shady areas under and around large trees is certainly challenging. Especially trees like Maples that root close to the surface and drink up a lot of water all season long. A good turf choice in these areas is Creeping Red Fescue (Festuca rubra). Creeping Red Fescue prefers to dry out a bit between watering, requires less fertilizer, has a high tolerance for cold temperatures, can be grown on a wide range of soil types, and performs well in the shade. It has a fine blade with a medium to dark green colour and dense uniform appearance. It can also be grown in full su ..read more

Spongy moth caterpillar in mid-June. The spongy moth (Lymantria dispar), is an invasive and highly destructive pest. When their numbers are high the larvae can completely defoliate trees, even forests. Formerly known as the gypsy moth, it was renamed by The Entomological Society of America in Feb. 2022. This species has a few sub-species including: Lymantria dispar dispar, Lymantria dispar asiatica, Lymantria dispar japonica, Lymantria umbrosa, Lymantria postalba and Lymantria albescens. They are often placed into two groups though, the European spongy mot ..read more

 What is dormant oil? Dormant oil is an oil based, low-impact insecticide, that is sprayed on vulnerable woody plants during their dormant season, to kill the overwintering stage of pest insects. The oil used is typically a highly refined mineral oil to which an emulsifying agent has been added, which allows the oil to mix with water. Sometimes cottonseed oil or soybean oil are used instead, with good result. Collectively, oils products that are used in horticulture are called horticultural oils. How does dormant oil work? When horticultural oil is sprayed on an insect it covers their air ..read more

By: Kimberley Pacholko  Mar. 4, 2022   Reposted from my website Horticulture For Home Gardeners  There are several potential causes of leaf spots on Iris including fungal infection, bacterial infection, various viruses, insect damage and various environmental factors. Of these factors fungal leaf spot is the most common and widely spread. Leaf spot diseases greatly mare the appearance of Iris plants and can kill whole leaves and eventually plants if not brought under control. Fungal Leaf Spot of Iris Iris Fungal Leaf Spot Disease (also known as leaf blotch of iris) is ..read more

By: Kimberley Pacholko  Feb. 22, 2022   Reposted from my website Horticulture For Home Gardeners In order to understand the difference between root nodules, that are caused by nitrogen fixing bacteria and root-knot disease, caused by nematodes, one must first have a clear understanding of what each is. Root Nodules Caused by Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are able to transform atmospheric nitrogen (a form the plants cannot absorb) into fixed nitrogen (a form plants can absorb). There are 2 main kinds of nitrogen fixing bacteria 1. nonsymbiotic and 2 ..read more

  Aphids on petunia Brown aphids on a purple leaf sand cherry By: Kimberley Pacholko Feb. 12, 2021 Reposted from my website Horticulture For Home Gardeners  Many gardeners are familiar with the little green soft bodied insects that feed on the growing tips and flowers of many of their favourite garden plants. Aphids however are actually a very large and diverse group of insects with between 4,000-5,000 species world wide. They come in a range of colours including green, black, brown, red, yellow, purple, gray and white. Size wise they vary in length between ..read more