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Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard

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Why are my Phlox plants dying and what can be done to save them?

Question: I have four creeping Phlox plants that were planted in the spring of 2023 and grew well. They looked good this spring until about 7-10 days ago when all four almost died overnight. The middle of the plants appear dead. There is some very little life at the very edges. These plants are in […]

Will adding compost adversely affect the soil I’m growing vegetables in?

Question: I grow vegetables in a field via direct seeding or transplants. I have noticed that when I try to plant I have a lot of clumps. When I squeeze the clumps, they break down easily into small granules. I need to add additional soil to to my growing area. My choices are loam, compost […]

What is the correct way to condition hay bales for gardening?

Question: I’m conditioning hay bales for planting. They have had three doses of Urea @ 1/2 C./bale, and 3 doses of Urea @ 1/4 C./bale. Bales are now on day ten. They are well watered. Today, I saw one source that recommended 2 C./lime/bale. So, I added that before checking to see what other sites […]

Is it safe to grow milkweed over a septic drain field?

Question: Is it safe to grow milkweed over a septic drain field? Answer: Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional As much as we love milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) for its attractiveness to pollinators (not to mention monarch butterflies), I believe I would hold off on growing it over your leach field. As you probably know from your question, […]

How do you determine how much to water native bushes and trees?

Question: I am in charge of watering a newly established native bush and tree garden. I know that I should water if we do not receive 1 inch of rain per week. I have been trying to understand your native plant bulletins, but they are not all that easy. Many note that I should add […]

Why is my Flowering Crabapple tree not blooming?

Question: We have had a Flowering Crabapple tree (not fruit one) for three years. The first two years it was excellent. This year it’s not blooming. It is not 5′ high and has buds. It is alive but there are no blooms. Answer: Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional There are a few reasons your […]

Can I use Bugleweed in place of Fescue grass lawn? Is it invasive?

Question: I have Chocolate Chip Ajuga Bugleweed on my property. It’s very happy and I really like the look of it. I’m interested in converting most of my lawn to a native grass and perennial meadow, though it will not be 100% native. I wanted to check in with your expert gardeners to see if […]

How can I control Japanese Knotweed on my new property?

Question: I am a new homeowner and have found an infestation of Japanese Knotweed on my 1/2 acre lot. It is in the front and back lawn. lt has also spread over the fence to my neighbors yard. It is coming up in other places that should be mowed periodically over the summer. I am […]

How can I prevent fire blight from infecting new apple trees when old trees in the area have been affected?

Question: I have an old farm with 200-year-old apple trees and some have been infected with fire blight. I am planting some new apple trees and want to know how to plant them so the fire blight doesn’t infect the new ones. Is there a distance recommendation or specifics about how the disease is spread […]

Is there something we could amend the lawn soil with to help it drain into the ground or dry up?

Question: I have a lawn question. My front yard, approx. a 1/4 acre, creates a “bowl”, we have a drainage pipe that drains the bulk of rain runoff into the woods but half of the “bowl” is still always saturated to the point we can’t mow it and it gets sun almost all day. Is […]

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