Search Results

Asian pear tree bark #554200

Asked April 18, 2019, 4:34 PM EDT

The bottom 2 feet of my eight-year-old Asian pear tree is showing some signs of cracking. It looks kind of like when mud dries. It’s not cracking deep into the trunk. I’m wondering if it’s because of the irrigation system which sprays on the trunk of the tree every day. As you can see from the photos the one that shows the most cracking is the oldest of the three saplings. I showed another photo of smooth bark to show how it looks above the cracking area. Is this normal for an asian pear tree look like this? Should I protect it from the constant spray of water which hits the trunk every day? There are several options I have. At the nursery there’s a tree guard which looks like a flat plastic spiral you wrap around the trunk. Or I could tent the whole area with a barrier made of steaks and clear vinyl. Or is this really necessary? N



Denver County New York

Aspen tree damage in Bend, Oregon. #406706

Asked June 13, 2017, 11:05 AM EDT

Can you help me save my Aspen tree? The lower branches turned black which I cut off. Holes in trunk at ground level. Gouges/Scratches at approx 6' above ground level.



Deschutes County Oregon

Bee #587575

Asked August 09, 2019, 7:55 AM EDT

Hello, are you able to identify this bee that is in our Mason bee house. Thank you



Baltimore County Maryland

bee safe alternative insecticide #346932

Asked July 26, 2016, 3:42 PM EDT

HELLO. WHAT IS AN EFFECTIVE INSECTICIDE THAT WON' T KILL BEES?

Anne Arundel County Maryland

bees and flies on pussy willow #361770

Asked September 11, 2016, 6:50 PM EDT

If bees and flies new to my pussy willow this year are caused by scales or amphids, what should I do about them? Is the bush doomed? it's growing beautifully and had blooms in February.  

Cook County Illinois

Berry identification #417671

Asked July 29, 2017, 10:12 AM EDT

Hi, We have some berry bushes on St. Lawrence River island. My mother called them choke cherries and made jelly but I am pretty sure they are not choke cherries. No teeth on the leaves. One bush/tree is about 10 feet high and another is a 3 foot shrub. Closest I could find on internet was a honeysuckle. I don't have pictures when I'm flower. We are usually here during berry season which seems to be most of spring/summer and maybe fall. The berries have multiple small yellow seeds.
   Thanks for any help.



Jefferson County New York

birch skeletonizer #419885

Asked August 07, 2017, 8:20 PM EDT

how do i take care of this

Hennepin County Minnesota

black crazy ants #159774

Asked November 07, 2013, 8:34 AM EST

I need to know how to control black crazy ants and fire ants in a greenhouse where food and herbs are grown. It is near a natural pond too.

Harris County Texas

Blueberry plants #603158

Asked October 18, 2019, 8:27 PM EDT

I have fuzzy yellow and brown caterpillars in my blueberry plants. Many of the plants now have browned leaves pasted together with what appears to be eggs stuck in between. I have also found some light colored egg pods. What insect is responsible - or are they part of the caterpillar life cycle?



Prince George's County Maryland

Brussel sprout issue #592576

Asked August 27, 2019, 4:50 PM EDT

Hello! I was wondering if you could help me figure out what is ailing my Brussels sprouts and how to treat it. The leaves look eaten away, but there are tiny round black balls along the stems where the sprouts will emerge. Thank you!



Ottawa County Michigan

bug #467989

Asked July 06, 2018, 5:57 AM EDT

whats the bug and how do I get rid of it. I’ve only seen one but there must be more. The bug is 1/4 inch long. Small head oval body. Dark brown. Bit me twice on the hand at 4 am. Burning bite, area very red, very itchy and swollen.



Prince George's County Maryland

Can you eat fruit from a fruit tree that has been sprayed for insects when the fruit is small on th #661684

Asked July 08, 2020, 7:24 PM EDT

Can you eat the fruit from a fruit tree that has been sprayed for insects when the fruit was small before it grew to full size and ripened? I have two paw paw trees with small fruit on them. Something is making square holes in the leaves and ate part of one fruit. What kind of insect spray should I use?My paw paw trees are 7 and 8 years old and this is the first year they have had fruit. We used a small paint brush to cross polinate them. We haven't had any bees or flies around to do it.


Yamhill County Oregon

Can you help me identify this plant? #326407

Asked May 29, 2016, 4:03 PM EDT

There is quite a bit of this plant growing in my yard in different locations. I thought perhaps it was some kind of a nettle. It is not a stinging nettle. I have those in my yard as well. I would love to know what it is and if it is and if it is a native plant. Also, is this plant useful to any wildlife or insect? Otherwise, I may pull it out. Thank you for any help you can give me. I've been trying to find the answer to this question for months. Maureen Cuthbert



Dakota County Minnesota

Can you purchase frog eggs? #544737

Asked February 23, 2019, 11:30 AM EST

I noticed a decline in frogs in my pond in Hood River Oregon. I would like to re-establish them, but I'm not having any luck finding frog eggs to purchase. Any suggestions? Kind regards, Michelle Hollister

Hood River County Oregon

Can you tell me what is ... #197438

Asked July 07, 2014, 9:15 PM EDT

Can you tell me what is wrong with this spruce tree? This may be a black hills spruce but I have some white spruce with the same problem. Is there something I can treat the trees with? Thank you.



Hennepin County Minnesota

Caterpillar #276393

Asked September 07, 2015, 6:25 PM EDT

what kind of Caterpillar is this



Iowa County Wisconsin

Caterpillar ID #421408

Asked August 15, 2017, 1:14 PM EDT

What is it?



Hennepin County Minnesota

Cedar mulch in vegetable garden? #132404

Asked June 05, 2013, 8:53 PM EDT

Is there any problem with using cedar mulch in a vegetable garden (tomatoes, peppers, Swiss chard, herbs) to keep weeds down? Thanks!

Ingham County Michigan

Compost leaves with gull leaf desease? #570649

Asked June 15, 2019, 4:08 PM EDT

My neighbor and I have hackberry trees. His tree has gull leaf desease and the leaves fall into my yard all summer and fall. I guess my tree will get it too. I don’t think this will kill the trees, but I want to compost the leaves if I can. I avoid composting all the leaves in my yard since the gull leaf leaves are mixed throughout the other tree leaves around that land in my yard. Hate to be missing composting all the leaves if it is ok to compost the gull leaf ones! I read some leaf desease are ok to compost, but could not find out about gull leaf desease and composting. Can I compost the gull leaf deseased leaves from the hackberry tree? Thank you very much.

Frederick County Maryland

Copperheads #144253

Asked July 30, 2013, 5:10 PM EDT

We have had close to four dozen copperheads in or within a few feet of our yard in a month. We suspect they're after insects.
The yard is not very big, so the snakes are a hazard. Also, as you probably guessed, the house is in the country.
Thanks in advance for your advice for how to deal with this problem.

Lavaca County Texas

Crate Myrtle diseased (possible fungus) #420067

Asked August 08, 2017, 5:01 PM EDT

Hello there! Firstly, let me say how grateful I am for all that you do for our community. I noticed a few weeks ago that my crate myrtle (which I planted in spring of 2016) started developing some white spots/scales on the branches. Some of the leaves have browned (not many) and it looks like there is some kind of a resin on the leaves as well. The flowers are in bloom, but are obviously being affected by whatever is attacking the plant. I'm wondering if it's a fungus of some kind and if so how I can treat it. I would hate to lose the plant. I have attached photos I took. Please take a look and let me know your thoughts as well as if you need further information. Thank you so very much! Cheers, Lesley Shollmier



Tulsa County Oklahoma

Crepe Myrtle #187719

Asked June 02, 2014, 6:41 PM EDT

Last summer our crepe myrtle was covered with what looked to be aphids on the bottoms of the leaves. Many of the leaves dropped and some of the branches turned black. This spring they look healthy but I'm concern that whatever it was that attacked them will return. My questions: What is it? How do you eliminate it?

Fairfax County Virginia

Curled leaves on viburnum snowball bush #666278

Asked July 20, 2020, 12:56 AM EDT

Hi, this snowball Bush is about 4-5 years old but has never been too happy. This year it didn’t blossom at all and the leaves are slightly curled. I don’t see any insects on it. I don’t know if the curled leaves could be a result of the late freeze this spring. I noticed this also on my lilac tree.
I feed this bush and give it compost in the spring, It’s in a partly sunny spot but with some shade. It gets water a little water 2-3 times a week on a soaker hose. Any advice or suggestions?



Denver County Colorado

Dark Knight Blue Mist Spirea with brown spots #460658

Asked June 08, 2018, 10:12 AM EDT

Full name: Caryopteris clandonensis Dark Knight Blue Mist Spirea

The plant was very healthy when I bought it.  I planted only two weeks ago, in an area with sun from the morning to about 2 pm.  The soil is quite alkaline, a soil test shows pH is in the range of 8.0  (please see attached picture).    Water it regularly, once a day.   

This morning I noticed there are brown spots on the leaves (please see attached picture).  Please advice what the problem is, and how I may protect my plant.  



Frederick County Maryland

Deck Holes #626870

Asked April 23, 2020, 12:28 PM EDT

What is causing holes in deck?



Polk County Oregon