Poison Ivy

/Poison Ivy/

Poison Ivy

We can't say for sure, but it looks like poison ivy. We could use a photo that looked down on the plant instead of toward the side. Until you find out for sure, please don't touch the plant. The adage "leaves of 3, let it be" is important for poison ivy because it can be a clump, shrub or a woody vine. Found most everywhere, it adapts to sun or shade conditions, various soil types, as well as wet or dry environments and can have different leaf shapes. But usually when the plant is young, its stems are a light reddish-green and can be hairy or hairless. When the plant matures more, the stems become brown and woody. If it is growing in your garden as a volunteer, suggest you dig it out as a precaution and wear gloves in case it is poison ivy. Dispose in the trash, not a compost pile.

By | 2016-04-11T08:22:00-07:00 April 11th, 2016|Weeds|0 Comments
Read More

Psyllid

We think the raised bumps may be psyllids, often referred to as plant lice. Suggest you take your photo or a few of the problem leaves to your local garden center for confirmation. If they are psyllids, they suck the nutrients out of the foliage and stems, but if the infestation is not too extensive, most horticulturists recommend leaving it alone. However, if the infestation is severe, spray with an organic control effective against chewing insects such as Spinosad with a residual of 7-10 days. Spray in the early evening when bees have returned to their hives. Once the spray on the plants has dried it is completely safe for beneficial insects. Another option is to spray with a horticultural oil. The oil will act as a suffocant.

By | 2016-04-11T06:25:42-07:00 April 11th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
Read More

Flea Beetle On Tomato

You are probaly correct, the damage looks alot like flea beetle damage. If you haven't seen the insects it is possible its something else causing this, so we recommend inspecting your plants regularly and at differnt times of the day, as some pests are nocturnal feeders (or early/late in the day). Keep the plant healthy with proper watering, fertilizing as necessary (especially at flowering and fruit set), and good air circulation in/around the plant. If you haven't staked/caged the plant yet, we recommend you do that now to avoid causing damage later on that could expose the plant to disease and insect damage thru wounding. Here's a link about flea beetle.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/PESTS/fleabeetles.html

By | 2016-04-11T05:53:03-07:00 April 11th, 2016|Plant Pests|1 Comment
Read More

Wood Violet

Your plant might be the fragrant wood violet. Leaves are heart-shaped and the plant makes a good ground cover especially under shrubs or trees. Its fragrant blue-violet, pink, or white petite flowers appear in spring-summer. Prefers partial shade and regular water. Control spread by cutting back runners in autumn or digging out if you do not want it spreading to other areas. If you disagree, please take another photo when it blooms showing the open flower facing the camera as well as any other information you might have about it and we will try to help you identify it, but from this photo we think it might be a V. odorata. Or you can take a few clippings to a horticulturist at your local garden center to see if it can be identified in hand.

By | 2016-04-11T05:51:23-07:00 April 11th, 2016|Perennials|0 Comments
Read More

Parrots Feather

Parrot's Feather has feathery blue-green foliage with a velvety sheen that creeps across surface of pond. Its stems can grow from 20 to 60 inches long, and are divided into four to six vivid green segments.

Parrot's Feather's lushly textured foliage helps provide shade for the pond and fish. It also provides a hiding place and spawning material for the pond inhabitants.

Because of its capability of establishing itself in wet soil above the water, Parrot's Feather can be used in waterfall crevices, as well as along pond edges. Although it may be prone to frost damage, it winters well beneath the ice in frozen ponds. Zones 4-11. During shipping Parrot's Feather (plant) will often lose color and turn yellow. Once planted it will quickly regain its natural vivid green coloration.

By | 2017-09-11T15:48:59-07:00 April 11th, 2016|Perennials|0 Comments
Read More

Arborvitae Dieback

From this shot, it looks like the plant is a pyramidalis arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis 'Fastigiata'). Check the trunk at the soil line to make sure it's not injured or damaged.
Occasionally pests such as spider mites are an issue - you can check for them by placing a white sheet of copy paper under a branch and shaking the branch slightly. If present, the spider mites will fall onto the paper and should be easily spotted. Look for other signs, such as webs for spiders, tunneling on the stems and leaves, leaf miners and wet sticky sap that might be a sign of aphids. If you discover a pest, your local garden center or nursery can help you determine effective solutions. (Never spray without knowing what your pest is, because that, too can cause browning!)

By | 2016-04-11T04:23:36-07:00 April 11th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
Read More

Sycamore

We in the horticulture business believe in "the right tree for the right place". This tree occurs naturally along stream and river beds where it can get 30-80 ft. tall and 20-50 ft wide. It needs rich, deep, moist, well drained soil. When a plant is not in its optimum environment, it tends to not be able to fend off diseases and pests. What you probably have is anthracnose. This is very common on sycamores. You will want to carefully remove and dispose of any litter from the tree. You might want to visit your local independent garden center to see what they would suggest as a preventative fungicide to use while the tree is in its dormant state. Sycamores can also have large root systems that can damage sidewalks and pipes.

By | 2016-04-11T03:26:36-07:00 April 11th, 2016|Trees|0 Comments
Read More

Persian Shield

There is nothing wrong with the plant losing it's purple color and is normal on older leaves that will die off. There isn't much you can do to make it more purple. Its highly unusual to attempt to, but exposing it to brighter light may help. It will sunburn and bleach if given too much, so just a little more light and not too much. Stress may help it color up more too. You can do this by not fertilizing it and let it completely dry between watering. Let it go fairly dry, but not too dry that it damages leaves. Just enough lack of water that you can tell it's beginning to wilt, but make sure that when you do water that the water goes all the way through the drainage holes of the container. This type of stress will help it color up. This is a bit unusual though and not a common practice.

By | 2016-04-11T02:58:45-07:00 April 11th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
Read More

Salt Damage

It appears to be the result of salt damage to your Spathiphyllum. This is quite common in house plants. The salts accumulate in the soil because they are not being leached out properly when watering. If possible, about every month or two, give your plant a nice shower using room temperature water. Let the water flow through the pot and out the drainage holes in the bottom. When watering in between showers, if possible, water in a sink or outside until the water comes out the drainage holes in the bottom. Try not to let it sit in the drained water. If you fertilize, do so lightly as this is another source of salts in the soil. Here is a link that might be helpful:
http://coopext.colostate.edu/4dmg/Plants/guidline.htm#Signs of dehydration and overwatering

By | 2016-04-11T02:01:54-07:00 April 11th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
Read More

Orchid Cactus

This plant is an orchid cactus. Usually called Epiphyllum but most garden varieties are actually hybrids between Epiphyllum and other cactus genera, hence it may be listed as "Epicactus". It is from the tropics and bears gorgeous flowers in the spring or summer depending on the variety (may take 3-5 years to bloom from a cutting) in filtered light and should be watered regularly. Feed with a slow release fertilizer formulated for blooming plants. Tends to sprawl but that older growth is usually where the flower buds develop. Bring indoors whenever frost is predicted and place in bright indirect light. Best displayed in a large pot or hanging basket to show off the blooms. Individual flowers only last a few days at the most.

By | 2016-04-11T01:34:44-07:00 April 11th, 2016|Succulents|1 Comment
Read More