Search Results

                   ... #166801

Asked February 13, 2014, 11:41 AM EST

                                                                                                                                    February 13, 2014Shitake and other Mushrooms:Where can I find accurate and more detailed information on growing Shitake and or other Mushrooms? Plus, I will be having my 8 mature Oaks trimmed with Arborist supervision plus, two Oaks will be removed.  These two trees may have Oak Wilt. (according to a tree trimming business owner) Can I or the Arborist supervisor on site at removal, ID this disease?  After reading the Extension’s pages on Oak Wilt, I am not convinced but can see that these trees may have the disease, and it sounds like leaving tall stumps of these two trees would be a bad idea for growing Shitake Mushrooms, however is it possible to strip the bark, bowl them out on top for planters, and paint or use a deck Australian Timber Oil to help control the sap spread by bugs?  Thank you,Steve Brinksbrinknwyc@msn.com

Olmsted County Minnesota

? #282999

Asked October 06, 2015, 7:23 PM EDT

What is this? Thank you



Knox County Tennessee

? dodder on basil #266767

Asked August 01, 2015, 9:43 PM EDT

What should I do with ? Dodder on basil plants(from seed) in my new raised bed? I have never seen anything like this! I will try to attach a photo. Should I pull out the basil plants with the yellow strings on them?  How to get rid of them so the dodder doesn't remain in the raised bed or elsewhere? I read that dodder is usually in fields. The soil was all new-bought in bags- half of it was organic.   Thank you.



Allegheny County Pennsylvania

? emerald ash borer bug #185744

Asked May 27, 2014, 2:40 PM EDT

My ash tree appears to be dead. On the trunk of the tree it looks like the tail end of a bug sticking out of it. When I pulled it out there is about an inch hole  into the tree. Is that sound like an emerald ash borer?

Meade County South Dakota

???'s about spraying with copper sulfate #241282

Asked May 03, 2015, 11:31 AM EDT

Recently I got an answer to question 220832 about trouble with a walnut tree not producing good nuts. The answer was to spray with copper sulfate, which we did. My present question is after mixing the CS spray I added a little seven spray and a small portion of dormant spray. I sprayed the walnut, apple, peach and cherry trees. Everything was fine except the peach trees have lost most of their leaves.

Did I do wrong by mixing the chemicals together? Do you think the peach tress will still produce the fruit that is already on them? 

Jasper County Missouri

?hosta virus #456632

Asked May 24, 2018, 2:48 PM EDT

Do these hostas look diseased?



Hennepin County Minnesota

?weed? ID #245176

Asked May 17, 2015, 9:43 PM EDT

Need help in id'ing the pic of weed below. It is quite prolific in the spring and thrives in bad soil. Mature leaf is soft and a bit fuzzy. Have used preem which holds it down after I've handpicked zillions of 1/2 in starts. Attached 3 variable sizes, assuming they are the same plant. Thanks for your efforts



Clackamas County Oregon

A beloved Gratefruit Tree #489199

Asked October 08, 2018, 2:56 PM EDT

Hello. My little grapefruit tree (about 5') is about 35 years old. My mom planted it at least that many years ago. It has gone from Cleveland to Denver to Chicago to Minneapolis. Indoors in the winter, out in the summer. This summer, when I returned to Minneapolis, it was on the deck, all yellow leaves. I don't know what happened - no water or something. The branches did not seem lively, so I cut the trunk down to about 3 inches above the pot's soil. Hoping maybe it would throw new shoots up from the roots, which it has in the past when it was neglected and seemingly dead. So my question is: is there any hope of it coming back next year? I've brought the (trimmed) ball of roots inside. If there is a chance of resurrecting it, how do I treat the ball of roots? Repot them? Water them? Or just try to keep them dormant over the winter. Thank you for your help. The little tree is dear to me.

Hennepin County Minnesota

a berry I cannot identify #286057

Asked October 20, 2015, 8:39 PM EDT

I just moved into a house in Talent that has a tree that I believe is a golden ginger apple tree. It has a graft on it of a berry I cannot identify. I am sending you a picture to find out what it is and if I can use the fruit for any purpose? Also a picture of the apples. Can you confirm they are golden ginger?



Jackson County Oregon

A Brian Cain, the Michigan Vintner #491653

Asked October 24, 2018, 12:13 PM EDT

I need to know the name of a particular exotic geranium in order to seek out a plant or seeds. The first picture on the left side is a geranium with white flowers with splotches of red on them. Any idea of the name of this geranium or where I can get a plant or seeds? The second picture is a "Wilhelm Langguth Specialty Geranium". Any idea where I could get a plant or seeds?



Ottawa County Michigan

A Bug #296327

Asked January 10, 2016, 11:50 PM EST

Good Day Please can you tell me this fellow is garden friendly Thank You



Orange County Alabama

A bunch of these stems along my fence #290276

Asked November 14, 2015, 2:20 PM EST

I just bought a house and there's a bunch of these 6 foot tall stems along the back fence. It's winter so there are no leaves or blooms. What are they?



St. Joseph County Indiana

A Chandler Walnut, plante... #186922

Asked May 30, 2014, 9:01 PM EDT

A Chandler Walnut, planted as sapling 3-4 years ago, is not budding as of end of May. It has produced walnuts last 2 years. I am wondering if it needs a certain amount of cold during the winter, to sprout in spring? Thank you.



Yolo County California

a clear bluebonnet yard #178586

Asked May 01, 2014, 11:54 PM EDT

i have a large front yard with a very large patch of bluebonnets. BUT the rough wild oat weed also grows in the same place. This year the weeds grew so thick & tall it completely covered the bluebonnets. Is there a way to kill the weeds without harming the bluebonnets? i am waiting for the pods to burst before mowing. maybe there is a way to kill the weed for next spring without hurting next

Henderson County Texas

A couple of my cherry tom... #270420

Asked August 15, 2015, 5:38 PM EDT

A couple of my cherry tomato plants suddenly wilted a day after heavy rains. They are in containers with fresh garden soil. They wilted top to bottom (all at once) and some leaves are browning from the center. One plant seems to be completely affected while another appears only affected at the top. Any ideas and how should I treat? Note, we have some kind of chestnut tree nearby. Thank you!

York County Maine

A couple of years ago I p... #173249

Asked April 05, 2014, 2:38 AM EDT

A couple of years ago I purchased a real nice 8x 8 greenhouse and several germination heat pad to start my seeds. The first couple of years I started and raised some really nice plants, tomatoes peppers etc. but in the last couple of years my seeds germinate and then never get strong and healthy then finally die. I started some tomato plants almost a month ago and the plants are only about two inches tall with the main stems little more than .005" in size. What am I doing wrong? I have spent a considerable amount fo money getting into this hobby and it has really turned into a flop. HELP Don N Grantsville, Utah

Tooele County Utah

A crabapple tree that died back but has two new branches growing just above the graft. #282432

Asked October 04, 2015, 11:27 AM EDT

The question is which branch to cut off in Feb.or March and which should I let grow. One is a single branch a little off center above the graft and the other is more centered but has a branch off the side of it maybe 4 to 5 inches from the old tree start point above the graft. So which one should I let continue to grow? I could email a picture of it. I live in Newcastle, WY.

Weston County Wyoming

A difficult plant ID #406404

Asked June 12, 2017, 11:32 AM EDT

This spring I was gifted some "cardinal flower" seedlings by a friend. They had been started from seed ordered on-line. It has now developed that the plants are not cardinal flower at all.




The plant is actually somewhat pretty and I am inclined to keep it and watch its development. But the friend has discovered that the Amazon seller is actually located in China ( that was initially impossible to tell) and it has a negative history of substituting seeds. It has received negative feedback from previous buyers.




I have, so far, not been able to find any photos on the net that match this plant nor a description. I hope the master gardener program can find someone to explore this mystery. Or possibly there is a widely knowledgeable weed expert on the U of M faculty ?







Kent Scheer

Wadena, MN



Wadena County Minnesota

A fellow organic farmer i... #342712

Asked July 13, 2016, 8:49 PM EDT

A fellow organic farmer in Jamaica just asked me for help with his Scotch Bonnet peppers. I have no experience of growing peppers. The conventional expert suggested that


"Symptoms appear to be those for bacterial spot caused by hot weather and moisture.The disease can enter fruit and cause rotting also affecting seeds.Try f/n applications of Mankocide"

What would an appropriate organic treatment be?

Helpplease!




Dorienne Rowan-Campbell

Rowan's Royale Organic Farm










Utah County Outside United States

A few of my pine trees ha... #202452

Asked July 26, 2014, 10:29 AM EDT

A few of my pine trees have cottony, white deposits on the branches and needles towards the tips of the shoots. What is causing this and how can I fix it?



Wicomico County Maryland

A few years ago I pulled ... #655501

Asked June 24, 2020, 1:27 PM EDT

A few years ago I pulled out all my raspberries because they had white drupelet disorder and raspberry dwarf virus. I covered the patch with black plastic and solarized the soil for 1 year. I added compost etc.. and the soil was in great condition. I bought Nova's which are supposed to be a variety immune to most diseases. Last year the canes were healthy. This year, the record rains must have affected them. Once again, I have the same two diseases. Should I just pull them all out?

Delaware County Ohio

A few years ago I was giv... #178968

Asked May 04, 2014, 8:57 AM EDT

A few years ago I was given some seeds from Siberian Irises which are now very beautiful. Now I'd like to harvest the seed pods & plant more seeds. Can you give me more specific information on how I might do this?

White County Tennessee

A few years ago we had pr... #213486

Asked September 21, 2014, 1:01 PM EDT

A few years ago we had problems with mice in a corner of our yard. Mice were moving d-con mouse poison in the fall and storing it under rocks etc. We have now turned that corner of our yard into a garden. Is there any way that the d-con could end up in our vegetables in trace amounts, and is it harmful? Thanks

Hennepin County Minnesota

A freind found this is her house and was curious what it was #471769

Asked July 19, 2018, 2:56 PM EDT

A friend of mine found this in her house and wasn't sure what it was. We tried to research but was having not much luck and thought id ask to see if you knew. Thanks for taking your time to check it out and read my message.



Martin County Minnesota

A friend attended a lectu... #121454

Asked April 13, 2013, 1:28 PM EDT

A friend attended a lecture (in Columbia) by one of your master gardeners who supposedly advised against buying any boxwoods this year due to a disease. Can you tell me if this is true and what disease is affecting new boxwoods? What should I do to protect my existing boxwoods?

Howard County Maryland