My plant is slowly dying. It has thick oozing substance. Sometimes it forms hard thick balls that I can pull off. I went online and it said to use baking powder in water. I spray it on once a week. It's better but still has some thick oozing sticky substance. Do u have any suggestions?

My brother just gave me a Pink Lemonade Blueberry bush. It's about three feet tall. I assume I have to wait until spring to plant it outside? Any tips for caring for it over the winter? I would love to take really good care of it now, so it will thrive when planted. Thank you.

First of all, thank you for testing my soil and sending back the results. After reviewing the information I have a question. The information you sent back to regarding a soil test done on Dec. 9th , #3VM5A8, indicated my soil is over optimum for both Phosphorus, and Magnesium. Is there anything I should do to compensate for that, or will adding the suggested fertilizer correct that situation. Thank you again for the information.

White pine is about 20 years old. Needles are turning brown, and a black substance are turning. Some of the needles black and branches are coded in black.

Hello,

I grew an abundance of hot/superhot peppers this year. I’m using the Bernardin’s Habanero Gold jelly recipe which is a safe canning recipe but I’m wondering if I can substitute the peppers in the recipe to create some variety and still have it remain safe? My assumption is that using peppers hotter than a habanero will only continue to drop the Ph but I’m uncertain and I’m looking for some guidance if this is safe practice (similar thought to hot sauce). 

The peppers I’m looking to substitute the habaneros with are, Aji lemon drop, sugar rush stripy, jays peach ghost scorpion, fatalii peppers. 

Thank you!

Do you currently offer a class in the lansing area? I know of a senior who might be interested.

Looking to plant four acres for bee health. A local bee keeper puts many hives (about 80 stacked boxes) on my property due to the vegetation currently here. In 2024 his production of honey was only 70% of what it was in 2023. My goal is to plant various bee friendly crops for better production, use of land and health of the honey bees. Are there programs out there or advice on crops to plant and when, etc.? Thanks in advance.

Greetings! I have 2 questions. 1. How can I get soil testing done? 2. Is there a use for fireplace ash in my yard/garden? Or...what is the best way to dispose of fireplace ash?

I've been getting unknown bites on my ankles for about 2 months. They appear in clusters or a line of several (often more than 3 in a single line). I recently found a bug on myself early in the morning after walking to the restroom. I've included pictures of the bug. At first, i assumed it was fleas, but both of my dogs were tested and no fleas were identified. I am fearing bed bugs, but I have turned my mattress inside out and see no signs. The bug did not appear to be a bed bug, but I'd like a professional opinion. Keep in mind, these photos were taken after I unsuccessfully tried to crush the bug. It was impossible to crush. Hopefully I didn't distort the appearance.

We have a red breasted sap sucker that visits the maple tree in our yard regularly and has for the last three weeks. There are multiple .25 inch holes onto two sides of the tree and several smaller horizontal holes on the tree. There is sap coming from one side of the tree. Should we simply tolerate this as a natural phenomena or do we need to limit these suckers opportuneness to visit so frequently? If so, how can we protect the tree if it is necessary?