Infection Ideas, Tips & Guides

Got pests? Encourage native ladybugs to inhabit your garden instead of buying wild-harvested ladybugs to manage unwanted insects. Purchased ladybugs are expensive and potentially disease-carrying, threatening native bug species already living in your garden and the surrounding area. Your best bet is to attract and encourage native ladybugs to thrive and flourish, which will responsibly deter unwanted pests.

As fall begins, many turfgrasses show signs of common diseases. “These fungi are always present, but disease occurs when the environmental conditions are ideal for its development,” says Clint Waltz, PhD, turfgrass specialist, Turfgrass and Education Center at the University of Georgia. “That means an extended period of humidity and temperatures in the 60s to 80s.”

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When it comes to pruning your garden as well as shrubs and trees around your yard, it can be a bit intimidating, especially if you haven't done it before. Especially with the fall season, it can be tricky dealing with unexpected weather and more. Fortunately, it's not as complicated as you may think. Just make sure to avoid these pruning mistakes this upcoming fall season.

Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.

If you’ve ever had an ant problem at home, you know how irritating it can be. They’re incredibly stubborn little pests and, unfortunately, it can be challenging to figure out which home hacks actually work. One non-toxic solution people often suggest is using coffee grounds to kill these little visitors—but does it work?

A little trim and tuck is all your houseplants need to look their best indoors. While they don’t need as much pruning as the ones in your garden, some shaping and tidying will make them bushier and prettier, instantly uplifting your home’s decor. Lucky for you, we know everything about giving plants haircuts!

How to Identify and Manage Apple Scab Fungus Venturia inaequalis

The word “cancer” really puts the darkest thoughts in our minds! Amongst humans and animals, it is a truly devastating condition marked by invasive cell growth and quite a grim prognosis. But can plants get cancer, and do they suffer alike? Let’s investigate.

Hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp. and cvs., Zones 3–9) are timeless favorites of gardeners everywhere, but these beloved shrubs are also favored by a wide variety of pathogens. Fortunately, there are many ­preventive measures we can take to keep our plants safe, and knowing the signs and symptoms of common diseases can help us make a prompt and accurate diagnosis when disease does strike. With a little planning, research, and appropriate action when needed, you can keep your hydrangeas healthy and flowering for many years to come. Here are some of the most common hydrangea ailments, their signs and symptoms, and recommended management strategies.

How to Grow and Care for Heavenly Bamboo Nandina domestica

When and How to Prune a Weeping Willow

A strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, is spreading across wild and commercial bird flocks in the US. 

Foot care is crucial in managing diabetes and greatly affects our overall health and well-being. Almost 50 percent of people living with diabetes do not have any symptoms of neuropathy in their feet. This means that they are living with neuropathy and the effects of it without even noticing. Although different types of diabetic neuropathy can affect people who have diabetes, research suggests that up to one-half of people with diabetes have peripheral neuropathy. More than 30 percent of people with diabetes have autonomic neuropathy.

Recently, the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) has been receiving photos of coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) that are malformed and green. The plants are infected with aster yellows, a bacterial phytoplasma (a type of bacterium that does not have cell walls). Aster leafhoppers (Macrosteles quadrillineatus) carry the pathogen and infect the plant tissue when they feed on it. They are small olive-green to tan insects with wedge-shaped bodies. Adults are 1/8 in length and have three pairs of spots on their heads.

How to Identify and Treat 9 Common Dahlia Diseases

Learn About Dutch Elm Disease Ophiostoma ulmi, O. novo-ulmi, O. himal-ulmi

How to Identify and Manage Armillaria Root Rot in Pear Trees Armillaria mellea

What is going on with this Roma tomato?

This current strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI, more commonly known as bird flu) is causing problems. It’s been detected in nearly 97 million birds in commercial or backyard flocks, with another 9,500 wild birds confirmed infected. In birds, it can cause coughing and breathing trouble, swelling and, ultimately, death. 

Tough on the outside but softies inside? Snake Plants are the most solid and resilient houseplants that even purify indoor air! But occasionally, cunning bugs and pests get to even these hardy succulents!

How to Identify and Manage 9 Common Gladiolus Diseases

Powdery mildew is among the most widespread plant diseases and is easily recognized by its white growth that covers foliage like a dusting of flour. This group of fungal pathogens affects hundreds of plants, from important food crops to trees, shrubs, and flowers. Even some turf grasses are susceptible to powdery mildew. Gardeners find infected plants unsightly, and severe infections can cause foliage to turn yellow and drop prematurely. Heavily infected plants experience reduced growth, flower production, and fruiting, which is particularly problematic for food crops.

17 of the Best Fireblight Resistant Pear Varieties

After all that hard work, a bad harvest can spoil your mood. Not anymore, though; with these tips and tricks on pruning cucumbers for a juicy harvest, you’ll have plenty of these veggies, and that too, really good ones!

How to Identify and Control Botrytis Blight in Roses Botrytis cinerea

Yes, cactus corking is normal! It’s like your cactus growing tough outer skin as it ages or faces stress. It might not be pretty, but it’s usually harmless. Here’s why it happens and how to take care of it!

You know how people get paranoid and confuse a heartburn with a heart attack? They do the same with plants! We help you identify six such plant disorders commonly mistaken for diseases so you may diagnose them easily and address them with a calm and informed mind.

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