Plant Problem Diagnostics is ever a challenge, a delightful challenge that encompasses a vast array of the diversity of nature. Let us look at some of the colorful examples seen this past week as we lead up to the 85th Ohio Plant Diagnostic Workshop on September 7.

Have you been thinking about renovating your flower garden?  Trying to decide which perennial and annual flowers would grow best in your garden?   Well, guess no longer!  Come spend a day with Pam Bennett, OSU Extension Horticulture Educator, and find out for yourself.  In Clark County, Pam and her volunteers specialize in herbaceous ornamental plant trials and evaluate more than 200 varieties of annuals and two genera of ornamental grasses yearly!

 

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In 1927 Edmund Secrest encouraged each child within us to learnabout our common trees. The message stands for us still today.

Fall Webworm has two generations per season in Ohio. The "fall" in the webworm's common name is based on the appearance of second generation nests late in the season. The first generation began to appear in southern Ohio in late May (see, "Spring, Summer, Fall Webworms," June 13, 2018) and second generation caterpillars are now on the scene.

I'm seeing damage on ripening tomatoes in southwest Ohio caused by Brown Marmorated Stink Bug nymphs. I first saw damage from both the adults and nymphs on my own tomatoes in 2015. At that time, we didn't know which direction BMSB populations would take in the southwest part of the state.

This is the time of the year in Ohio when female spiders of many web spinning species reach maturity. They become most evident when their gossamer creations are illuminated by early morning sunlight reflecting off a heavy dew. I was lucky to experience this magical but fleeting light effect during an early morning hike around my neighborhood a few days ago.

I was asked to help a vegetable grower figure out what was going on with something wreaking havoc and eating his ripening sweet corn.  Typically, when someone mentions sweet corn and problems, the first demon that comes to mind are those little masked, sweet-toothed bandits, known as raccoons!   When I arrived out in the field, I was surprised to see the corn stalks standing tall in nice rows.  The masked marauders climb up the cornstalk to the get to the ripest, uppermost ear of corn; consequently, the corn stalks are most often snapped off or pushed over down to the...

My wife loves mandevilla. The deep green foliage and showy flowers of these tropical or subtropical vines provide a nice trellised accent on our front porch. So, when she told me one of our vines was under attack by hordes of sap-sucking aphids, I acted quickly … in the interest of domestic bliss.

In the world of plants, most often our attention focuses on bloom color, size and timing of when blooms will make an impact in our landscape.  Blooms are nice as a moving focal point during the growing season, but people become a little upset when plants don’t do what they are supposed to and only when they are supposed to do it.  This is the time of year that concerned citizens call into the office wondering whether or not their magnolias or rhododendrons are going to die.  When asked why they think that the plants are going to die, the response is always the same, “...