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: I bought this River Birch ‘Fox Valley Dwarf’ about three years ago. I lost the second and third stem the first winter but the now-single stem has done okay since then, it’s currently about 5′ tall. But it has these galls or something every year. It doesn’t seem to be hurting the tree too […]
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Question: I would like to use some spearmint growing in a neighbor’s landscape garden. Since the garden is next to the street where dogs are walked, a neighbor in my building (who is hyper cautious, I might add) advised against eating the mint because of concern that dogs may have peed on the plants at […]
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Question: As I was inspecting/removing aphids from our young apple trees, I noticed an odd growth on a few of the leaves of one of the trees (a native bred Black Oxford from our local orchard and nursery). My inclination is to cut off any affected leaf to keep this odd growth from spreading, but […]
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Question: I have three varieties of dry beans planted, and the leaves of one of them, Vermont cranberry, look like they have some sort of virus or other disease. Other varieties right next to them (black coco and silver cloud canellini) look fine. Can you give me an idea what it might be and whether […]
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Question: Fire ants have moved into our yard over the past couple years. I’m hoping you might be able to recommend a control method that is safe to use in food gardens and around kids and pets. They have overrun my strawberry mound. Answer: Liz Stanley, Horticulture Community Education Assistant Fire Ants (Myrmical rubra): For […]
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Question: I have several blueberry bushes that are developing reddish/purple leaves and berries throughout the summer. This affected the berry bushes last year as well. I am struggling to diagnose the cause and come up with a remedy so I’m hoping to get some guidance. I have had some suspicion of fungal disease and have […]
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Question: I have a hummingbird feeder which I fill with sugar water. Lately there have been some small bees or wasps (looks like a fly with skinnier wings, maybe a flying ant) eating the food from the feeder. Can you tell me what they are and how I can rid of them safely? Wondering if […]
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Question: We have quite a few stone fruit trees/shrubs in our yard, including sour cherry bushes, apricots trees, and plum trees. This past spring the blossoms on these shrubs and trees browned, and many of the younger branches died. We only got a fraction of the fruit that we usually do, but the fruit that […]
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Question: What is getting into our garden and eating these young cornstalks? Answer: Marjorie Peronto, Extension Educator It looks like damage from a critter, perhaps a woodchuck, who sits on its haunches and eats the stalks, making a mess and leaving evidence. If you do not have fencing around your garden, I suggest you consider […]
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