Weekend Experts – The Gardening Show

Eugene from South Lyon is wondering why he has to mow his lawn so frequently. Eugene, go here to see exactly what kind of grass you have. Your mowing schedule is normal for a lawn that is heavily fertilized and well watered, especially under this year’s cool conditions which were ideal for grass growth. If your lawn service had to double cut they weren’t cutting frequently enough or were cutting too low (at least 3.5 – 4 inches). To reduce mowing while still maintaining the health of your lawn follow the fertilization schedule here Re: moles in your yard and not your neighbors. Could be you have grubs but the grass is growing so well you don’t see any damage (which is a good thing) or you have a lot more earthworms (moles primary food) in your yard.

Cynthia from Owosso wants to control grubs but has a limited budget. Cynthia, the lowest cost way to reduce grub damage and maintain the health of your lawn is to apply a slow release lawn fertilizer (high Water Insoluble Nitrogen WIN) this fall after you stop mowing but before we have a hard freeze. Another application of this fertilizer in May is all your grass needs for the entire year. For your grass to withstand grub attack it has to have at least 1.5 inches of water a week (combination of rain and irrigation). The grub control materials are not terribly expensive but should be applied in June. Here’s more information.

Is it safe to eat or can tomatoes with symptoms of late blight? ? Probably not, click here more information.

Wisteria

Find an Arborist

Magnolia Scale

Check list for lawns

Estimate the value of your tree or the trees in your community

I talk a lot about tree cankers, here’s more information

A listener was looking for sources for the Snow Apple Variety – one of the oldest heirloom varieties known in North America

Marion from Dearborn has to move her Marie Boisset Clematis. I would take cuttings this fall in case the mother plant doesn’t make it. Best time to move it would be after it goes dormant this fall (after killing frosts) or next spring. Move as much of the root system as possible – use a piece of plywood under the roots. Prepare the hole at the new site this fall if you’re transplanting in the spring.

Mary from Macomb. Prune your yews in the spring after the last frost. Here’s how

Phoebe from Troy. The symptoms you described on your Japanese Maple are consistent with winter damage. I don’t think the weed mat was a problem (as long as it is the woven type not just a plastic sheet) and the mold on the mulch is harmless. The main problem is when to water and how much to apply – use a pan or tray under the soaker hose and apply about 1 inch every week if it hasn’t rained. As for the bare branches and spots on the limbs (probably lichen), ask your neighbors with healthy trees and shrubs who cares for their plants and contact that company to inspect your tree next spring after the leaves come out.

Betty from Dexter. Here’s information on controlling Creeping Charlie. Spray this fall and then again in the spring.

September 13: Farm Visit Day – Visit three very different farms in Western Wayne County from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm. Apple Charlie‘s is an 80 acre orchard growing 26 varieties of apples, pears, plums, cherries and peaches. Mum’s the Word grows 68 varieties of mums, pansies, daisies, 15 varieties of pumpkins and 20 varieties of gourds. Waltz Green Acres Sod Farm grows grass for sod, as well as corn, soybeans and hay. Click here for a map.

September 20 Jackson County Family Farm Fest – Take your family to visit four farms located between Jackson and Chelsea from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm. Pregitzer Farm Market, Gee Farms (largest retail nursery specializing in rare and unusual conifers, deciduous trees and shrubs in Michigan), Weber Farms dairy farm and Young’s Orchard

September 20-21 Exotic Plant Show and Sale at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens 0sponsored by the Southeast Michigan Bromeliad Society and the Michigan Cactus and Succulent Society.

September 27 Growing with Master Gardeners Conference – 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. University of Michigan-Dearborn Campus 4901 Evergreen, Dearborn. Sponsored by the UM-D Environmental Interpretive Center and presented by Master Gardener Association of Wayne County (MGAWC) Volunteers. 26th annual all-day educational program for environmentalists and gardeners of all levels: two keynotes, and two additional speakers, shopping, lunch. Details and registration at www.MGAWC.org, 734-786-6860. Early registration discount by Sept. 17, 2014.

Here’s more information on Mimosa Trees and why there are considered very invasive in the South but not here

Girdling Tree Roots can be a major problem and one major cause is planting too deeply.

Now is the time to get your soil tested

If you’re looking for a different type of house plant or one that’s very hard to kill attend the Exotic Plant Show and Sale September 20-21 at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens sponsored by the Southeast Michigan Bromeliad Society and the Michigan Cactus and Succulent Society

One nice thing about hot, damp weather is you can see spider webs in your lawn

Dogwood Anthracnose is a major concern for the common flowering dogwood.

Late blight is a major problem on tomatoes.

The Western Wayne Master Gardeners and the Ray Hunter Garden Center are sponsoring the first annual Downriver Tomato Festival Saturday, August 23. A great time for the whole family.

Leaves falling off your walnut? It’s probably Walnut Anthracnose

Webbing filling your trees? Fall Webworm is the culprit.

With the recent heavy rains, many of us should look at hardscaping our yards to reduce water runoff

A listener wanted to plant a chestnut tree as a memorial to her father. While the American Chestnut isn’t resistant to Chestnut Blight, Chinese and Japanese varieties are. Dr. Dennis Fulbright has conducted 20+ years of research on Chestnut Blight and has found a virus that attacks the fungus and can reduce the severity of the disease and here’s a link to MSU’s Chestnut Website. Here’s information on new developments in the fight to bring back the American chestnut

Here’s information on pruning fruit trees

Black spots on your maple leaves? It’s probably Maple Tar Spot

Everything you want to know about Hydrangeas

Fertilize and prune your daylilies now.

A listener was having problems with spots on the leaves of her Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia)

If you’re having to rake branches of your oak, hickory, pecan, walnut, basswood, redbud or hackberry out of your yard, it’s probably the Oak Twig Pruner.

Fire blight in crab apples is a problem.

Fertilize and prune your daylilies now.

Garden Day at MSU will be Saturday, August 2. Great speakers and workshops and an opportunity to visit the trial gardens.

Locust leaf miner is causing brown spots in locust leaves now.

Bronze Birch Borers are still a problem.

The potential for Oak wilt is quite high due to the recent damage from wind and hail. Anyone with oaks in their yard should know the symptoms and treatment for Oak wilt.

We talked about one of my favorite trees, the European tricolor beech,and the diseases that affect it.

A caller was wondering about plants for a steep slope. There are many good choices: Hill Ground Cover, Flowering Ground Covers. Native wildflowers will also add color.

A caller wanted to grow herbs in his apartment. Here’s information on growing herbs under lights

A new pest of fruit, the Spotted wing Drosophilia (fruit fly) is moving into our area.

Check your Bradford Pears for European Pear Rust

A listener was wondering what to plant under a pine tree, a very shady, dry area.

Garden Day at MSU will be Saturday, August 2. Great speakers and workshops and an opportunity to visit the trial gardens

The best time of the year to control creeping Charlie is coming up

Bronze Birch Borers are still a problem.

Here’s a great video on how to prune arborvitae by MSU’s Dr. Bert Cregg.

Bookmark the URL’s for MSU’s plant diagnostic laboratory and soil and plant nutrient lab

Who do you call if your county doesn’t have a Horticulturist or Master Gardener on staff? The state-wide MSU Extension Garden Hotline

Landscape plants attacked and ignored by Japanese Beetles

A listener was looking for “Garden Handy” gloves. Does anyone have a source?

A listener was having problems with maggots in her turnips. It sounds like the cabbage root maggot.

Robert in Dearborn was redoing his back yard. Take a look at the information on lawn renovation.

Tom from Dearborn emailed me about his maple that was dropping leaves and turning brown on one side of the tree. I think the problem is Verticillium wilt. Here’s information on maple diseases, common maple diseasesand Verticillium susceptible and resistant trees and shrubs

Japanese beetles are emerging in large numbers.

Cool, wet weather is ideal for slugs and here is more information

Downy mildew on cucumber and other cucurbits has been reported in Michigan. Time to start your preventative spray program.

Tomato and potato late blight is becoming a problem.

Lawn still growing very rapidly?

When should you harvest your home grown vegetables

A caller was wondering about pitch mass borer on his spruce

Had a great discussion with a caller about the weird growth of raspberries this year. Here’s info on growing raspberries

Saturday, July 18: MSU Tollgate Open House: “Art in the Gardens“. Over 20 gardens to view, musicians, artists and vendors on site, informal presentations on garden subjects and guided garden tours, hayrides and walking tours of the Tollgate grounds. Sponsored by the Tollgate Garden Volunteers. Tollgate Education Center is located at 12 Mile and Meadowbrook Roads in Novi.

Violas Starry Night otherwise known as Lord Primrose Viola is not your regular viola.

Blossom End Rot Plagues many tomato growers. Here’s how to prevent the problem.

Lose a tree or thinking about planting a new one? Here are MSU’s New Tree Selection Guides

Japanese beetles are starting to appear, so you need to apply grub control materials now

With all the tree damage we’ve experienced don’t forget about oak wilt

A caller’s tomato leaves had spots on them, were yellowing and wilting. This could be either tomato late blight or early blight which even though the names are similar are totally different diseases and can attack throughout the season.

In order to control weed grasses, you first have to identify which one is causing the problem.

A caller had a sunny, south-facing slope and was wondering what plants would do well. Here are some suggestions

Here’s good information for beginner composters and those who have been composting for a long time

Dr. Dave Smitley, MSU Ornamental Entomologist, has written a very well balanced article on how planting garden center flowers that may have been treated with neonicotinoid insecticides is good for bees and other beneficials

A listener was concerned about colored bumps and spots on pussy willow leaves causing the leaves to curl and twist. Sounds to me like willow blister galls caused by eriophyid mites. They are unsightly but don’t harm the plant. Go here for more information.

Greg in Novi said that his Scarecrow Animal Repelling Sprayer works very well. Havahart also makes the same type of Sprayer

Check your spruce and pines for these scales

See if Potato and Tomato Late Blight have been reported in Michigan and other states.

Squash Vine Borer adults are laying eggs now.

Prune your tomatoes to get the largest fruit

White and yellow flowers in your lawn?

Poison Ivy can be hard to identify.

What did that? Here’s help in identifying pest damage.

Contact MSU’s Plant Diagnostic Center here

My guest was Karl Eckert, Eckert’s Greenhouses, talks about the Plant Something Michigan campaign and the Monarch Butterfly Watch. Most of us are familiar with the common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, but there are many others which are colorful and interesting.

As part of National Pollinator Week MSU is presenting Bee Palooza on June 22 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the MSU Horticulture Gardens.

A listener was seeing her rose stems split. I misspoke and identified the culprit as Rose Sawfly, which are active now; however the problem is most likely the Rose Stem Girdler, (Agrilus aurichalceus) but could be the Rose Stem Sawfly, (Hartigia trimaculata).

Another caller was having problems with Phlox leaves turning brown and buds bending over. I’m seeing spittle bug and 4-lined plant bug damage on my Phlox which looks like the symptoms on the listener’s plants.

Another caller was having problems with her Paper Birch. The two most common issues are Birch leaf Miner and Bronze Birch Borer. Apply systemic insecticides after the birch flowers and make sure there are no flowering plants near the tree in order to prevent bees being exposed to the pesticide.

Listeners were also having problem with raccoons and Canadian geese in their yards. Here’s a great site about Living with Wildlife

Viburnum leaf beetles are moving into Michigan and can cause severe damage to a wide range of viburnums.

Lawn turning brown in patches? Brown streaks in the grass? It’s probably heat stress

The European Pine Sawfly can cause a lot of damage on pines, especially Mugo Pines so keep an eye out for them.

A listener was having problems with an ant nest in his yard. It could be the Allegheny Mound Ant.

Why trees and shrubs slow to leaf out; a great article by MSU’s Dr. Bert Cregg.

Goji Berries were on the mind of one caller. I will try to get Dr. Eric Hansen, MSU fruit expert, to discuss goji on the show.

The American Elm may be coming back.

A listener was interested in growing Hazelnuts (filberts).

If you’re interested in Native Plants, here’s a MSU website that has a tremendous amount of information including a webinar on smart gardening for bees.

Here’s information on how to help preserve our native and honey bees

The American Elm may be coming back.

If we have a cool spring and summer you may not want to use mulches in your vegetable garden. However, you still want to mulch your flowerbeds and under shrubs and trees

Here’s how to identify and control the weeds in your lawn. To identify a weed grass.

One of the best ways to improve the health of your lawn is to mow at the proper height.

Boxwood winter damage and possibility of boxwood blight were on listener’s minds. If you do have to prune, do as much thinning as you can

A listener asked about Solarization, covering the soil with black plastic and letting the sun’s heat kill weeds and some other soil pests.

A listener wanted to know about transplanting a Wisteria. Unfortunately established Wisteria don’t react well to transplanting; a better approach would be to root cuttings.

Mosquitoes were an issue for one caller. Here’s more information: Mosquitoes, Mosquitoes 2,Mosquitoes 3 , Mosquitoes 3. While Bats really don’t reduce mosquito populations that much they are valuable predators on many flying insects and fun to watch.

This link to find a Certified Arborist in your area is part of my reference section but here it is again.

Renata Reibit, MSU Horticulture Demonstration Gardens Perennial Manager, reminded listeners that the 2014 Plant Sale to benefit the MSU Horticulture Gardens will be Friday, May 16th 5-7 p.m. for MSU Garden Members (you can become a member at the door) and Saturday May 17th 7 a.m.-2 p.m. for the public. Wide range of native plants, perennials and annuals.

Southfield is holding the inaugural Southfield Home and Garden Expo on Saturday May 17th 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at the Southfield Municipal Complex on Evergreen Road.

The Jackson County Soil Conservation District, Men’s Garden Club and Master Gardeners are sponsoring their Native Plant Sale Saturday, May 17th from 8 a.m.- 12 p.m. at the Herman Gumper Exhibition Building at the Jackson County Fairgrounds. I’ll be at the Soil Conservation District booth if you’d like to stop by.

Sunday, May 18th is Flower Day at the Detroit Eastern Market sponsored by the Metropolitan Detroit Flower Growers Association. Flower Day is the largest display and sale of annual and perennial plants in the United States.

Monday, May 19th, I’ll be speaking at the Jackson County District Library in Parma beginning at 6 p.m. All you wanted to know about gardening but were afraid to ask.

Everything you wanted to know about Hydrangeas

Growing plants in shady, dry areas under trees is tough. Here are some suggestions but remember to check the plant zones to make sure they will survive our winters.

Never made compost? Learn how.

It’s always best to blend an organic fertilizer that balances your soil’s nutrient levels based upon a soil test, however here’s a mixture that should work until you can get your soil tested.

My guest was Karl Eckert of Eckert’s Greenhouses in Sterling Heights, talking about his work with Forgotten Harvest and Macomb Fresh to provide vegetables for the hungry in our communities and establish school gardens so that young people can enjoy growing and eating fresh vegetables. If you aren’t in the Metro Detroit area and would like to help, you can find your local foodbank here

Here’s Dr. Kevin Frank‘s advice on Reseeding Your Lawn and Crabgrass PreventionA great feature of MSU’s Enviroweather System is that you can use growing degree days (GDD) to determine when to apply lawn herbicides and look for pests

Garlic Mustard, a very invasive weed, seems to have survived the winter in fine shape. Diane Brown has information on control.

A grass that stays green during droughts, has few weed and insect problems and is very soft to walk on? Too good to be true? Probably. Click here for more information.

Oak Wilt is a devastating disease that kills oaks within months. Here’s information on identifying and preventing oak wilt.

A caller wanted to know if Ginko Fruit is edible. It is, but be wary – the fruit doesn’t contain the active ingredient in poison ivy but can cause severe skin rashes. >>More information . I hope it tastes better than the fruit smells – I think it stinks.

If you want to establish a wildflower garden click here for a MSU website about using Michigan native species.

A caller was wondering if he should replace the boxwoods around his deck. I think it’s too early to make that decision, but there is a new disease, Boxwood Blight and Insect Pests that you should think about before planting.

A caller wondered about mulching black walnut leaves into his grass. I don’t think that should cause a big problem unless the yard is really covered. In that case probably raking them up and disposing of them (not in a compost pile) is a good idea. Here is information about Plants Sensitive and Tolerant of Black Walnuts. These lists are only observations – how plants react in your yard may be different.

Here’s information about Designing and Installing Home Irrigation Systems. However I suggest you contact a professional to design the system even if you plan to do the installation yourself.

If you haven’t picked up the Michigan Gardener at your favorite garden center or greenhouse, click here to find it online.

Check out the articles and videos on caring for your lawn from MSU’s Green Team Turf Experts. Tom in Southgate – take a look at the weed section and see if you can identify that grassy weed growing in your lawn.

For those of you near Hidden Lake Gardens, their Plant Sale will be May 9 and 10

Southfield is holding their first Home and Garden Expo May 17th

Dr. Dave Smitley, MSU Ornamental Entomologist, has released his 2014 recommendations for Grub Control.

June from Milford‘s spruce trees are shedding needles from the inside out and bottom up. Click here for more information.

Four fantastic speakers make for a great day of education and entertainment. Jennifer Sweet, MSU Horticulture Gardens Program Coordinator, was my guest speaking about the “It’s All About Plants” program May 3. For more information and to register: www.hrt.msu.edu/register/spring-program/

For those of you in the East Lansing/Lansing area mark your calendar for Saturday May 17th. The MSU Horticulture Gardens plant sale will be held from 7 am until 2 pm.

If you’re in the Jackson area here’s a great opportunity to buy some great plants. The Jackson County Conservation District, Men’s Garden Club and Master Gardeners are combining their spring plant sale which will take place on Saturday May 17 at the fairgrounds. Join Dean at the Soil Conservation booth. Click here for more information

If you’re planting your first garden this spring or your 25th check out Smart Vegtable Gardening 101 an on-line course offered by MSU. You must sign up before April 22.

Trying to figure out what that plant is in your garden or what plant to put in that open spot? Here are two apps that will help:
Identitying Weeds in the Garden and Alternatives for Invasive Plants in the Midwest.

Here’s information on what commercial vegtable varieties do best in the Midwest. Some of these varieties are also available to backyard gardners. Check out the information on Heirloom Tomato Varieties.