Question: Our River Birch has leaf spot that I noticed at the end of Sept, 2021. It was followed by an early drop of leaves. Would fertilizing the tree help or do we need to spray with a fungicide? And if spraying is recommended, what is the safest product to use? Answer: Abi Griffith, Horticulture […]
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Question: Japanese Beetles invade my blackberry bushes. How do I kill the insect so they stop destroying my berry bushes? Answer: Abi Griffith, Horticulture Community Education Assistant Japanese beetles can be very frustrating to deal with! For detailed information about the insect’s life cycle and control, see UMaine Extension’s Pest Management Fact Sheet on Japanese […]
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Question: I live in Belgrade. I’m trying to figure out what frost dates to use but every search seems to give me a different answer. It seems to be anywhere from 4/27-5/27 for Spring and 9/17-10/9 for Fall. Can you please recommend a date to use? Answer: Abi Griffith, Horticulture Community Education Assistant Because we […]
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Question: Is there a generalized recommendation for fertilizing ornamental trees? Answer: Abi Griffith, Horticulture Community Education Assistant In general, as long as a tree or shrub appears healthy and is growing at an acceptable rate, we don’t typically recommend fertilizing. Hopefully the species of ornamentals have been well chosen for the site. If you are selecting trees to plant, […]
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Question: I am the founder of a community garden and we are looking to start our season with a presentation on pollinators and bee friendly gardening. We would like to see if you have any references? Answer: Abi Griffith, Horticulture Community Education Assistant That’s great! You should definitely check out our Pollinator Program webpage which has a lot […]
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Question: I noticed last summer that both my apricot tree and plum tree displayed some sort of growth that I wasn’t able to nip in the bud. Now that it’s spring, I’m wondering if you could help identify what may have caused the diseased looking growth and what I might be able to do for […]
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Question: We are working with a landscaper to grade our yard and address the overall health of the lawn. We haven’t done anything to the lawn since we moved in six years ago and it has grown many mossy spots. The landscaper is recommending: lime, grass seeding and grub treatment. I try to be very […]
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Question: I’m working on a container garden this year. I’ve done some research on what to plant in, and I’ve learned about food safe containers. I was speaking with someone recently about my tiny garden, and they mentioned that they’d had luck with felt planters. I am wondering it would be safe to plant vegetables […]
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Question: For the first time last summer I identified many liverworts growing in my vegetable garden. I did some research and found out the cause and best practices to prevent them. However, some solutions for eradicating them were chemical. Since all my gardens are organic I would like your best organic solution for eradicating the […]
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Question: Does it matter when potatoes are planted if planted at least 90 days before the first frost? Answer: Abi Griffith, Horticulture Community Education Assistant You could probably get away with planting about 90 days before your first frost, but there are a few things you may want to take into consideration. Check the “days […]
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