The 2023 Purdue Turf and Landscape Seminar will be held on November 16th and 17th at the W.H. Daniel Turfgrass Research and Diagnostic Center in West Lafayette, IN. This event is designed for intermediate and advanced turf and landscape professionals, providing them with the latest technology for managing turf and landscape systems, and to maintain[Read More…]
Resources for landscapes and gardens in the Midwest
Landscape Report
Abiotic Damage
Many areas around the Midwest continue to creep towards an increasing drought situation (Fig. 1). Currently almost 80% of the Midwest is listed as being abnormally dry to exceptional drought (Fig. 2). Current soil moisture data indicates that most of the Midwest is very dry (Fig. 3). Going into the fall it’s very important[Read More…]
Many trees are planted for their beautiful fall color, especially in locations where the climate provides reliable autumn weather. I have said this multiple times during extension talks and conversations with submitters to the PPDL, but I seem to have not experienced a ‘normal’ fall since moving to Indiana with how erratic the weather has[Read More…]
Stop me if you’ve heard this one…. A tree is in a slow decline year after year. You are called to your client’s property only to find the root flare well below grade. Most professionals in the Green Industry have encountered this at some point in their career. The most common reason for the slow[Read More…]
Remember the pre-Christmas freeze? What about the extremely long fall? The Midwest experienced above-average temperatures through most of the winter, but those extremely cold temps in late December made for more than a few pipes to freeze in the southern part of the Midwest. The dichotomy in weather patterns over the last several years has[Read More…]
Recently, home lawns have been maligned in several media outlets as a waste of time and resources. Mismanagement by using too much water or misplacing fertilizer may compound the issue by straining environmental resources or serving as pollutants. While not going into all the defenses for turfgrass use on home lawns, (remember “right plant, right[Read More…]
When transplanting trees, it is important to consider the long-term viability. Since the typical life span of an urban tree is 7-20 years (USDA), proper establishment techniques are very important to decrease this mortality rate. When a tree becomes established, it is much more difficult to correct below ground problems. Root deformations can occur for[Read More…]
While recent temperatures have been moderate in many parts of the state, rainfall has been lacking. (See The Annual Drought Article). There are chasms in the clay of my backyard that will swallow my kids and dogs whole. While I am not truly worried about the safety of my smaller family members, a lot of[Read More…]
About ten years ago I was listening to a talk by a climatologist. She indicated that data is trending towards more floods and more droughts in the Midwest. At first listen this made absolutely no sense. How can a place simultaneously have more flooding and more drought? Well, if you’ve paid attention over the last[Read More…]
Join us at the Purdue Turf and Landscape Field Day on July 26th! The Purdue Turf and Landscape Field Day is an annual one-day event with the objective of providing professional turf and landscape managers exposure and educational opportunities with the latest research and technical resources. The Field Day features research tours, talks on current[Read More…]
When we see round holes in the bark of a tree we often think the cause might be due to wood boring insects or bark beetles. However, that is not always the case. Small holes arranged in neat, uniform rows and columns on the trunks of trees or woody shrubs are usually caused by sapsuckers,[Read More…]
Depending on where you are located in the Midwest, rainfall in 2021 has either been too much or too little. This trend was forecasted several years ago by climatologists, in that more droughts and more floods are projected as the ramifications of climate change take shape in the future. Though this statement doesn’t make logical[Read More…]
Phytotoxicity is damage to plants caused by chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides. Phytotoxicity can be a positive (killing weeds) or a negative (damage from pesticides on ornamental plants), depending on the intended results. Some of the common phytotoxic effects can show symptoms such as stunting of leaves and whole plant, necrosis (death), chlorosis (yellowing), abnormal growth[Read More…]
Diagnosing herbicide injury on ornamental plants can be difficult due to the sheer number of cultivated plants and the number of active ingredients used around ornamentals. Modern cultivars of ornamental plants include characteristics much different from the species, so it’s important to know ‘normal’ to properly diagnose a problem. There are several reasons that herbicide[Read More…]
The hard freeze last week had many homeowners concerned about their perennial and annual plants in their landscape. For the vast majority of perennial plants, there aren’t many issues long-term of concern. Some foliage and flowers have significant damage, but the plants will recover, and possibly release new vegetative buds in severe cases. The plants[Read More…]
PART 1 – The Importance of “Physical” Soil Testing In my 40 years of teaching and consulting, one of the biggest and most frustrating problems I continually encounter is when so called “landscape professionals” and homeowners continue to apply annual soil fertilizers, lime, and other soil amendments without ever conducting a professional soils test. Before[Read More…]
This week’s forecast is indicating unseasonably cold temperatures for most of the state with lows in the lower 20’s. While the temperatures shouldn’t reach record setting status, it could cause some plant stress. Plants are most susceptible to cold injury going into dormancy and coming out of dormancy, with maximum cold hardiness during the winter. [Read More…]
It’s that time of year that roadways and sidewalks begin to be treated with salt. To prevent accidents, both vehicular and slips, salt is an invaluable tool that keeps people safe. For all of the benefits for humans, plants aren’t as appreciative. We have two great resources available that explains salt damage in great detail[Read More…]
I hear this complaint or issue more frequently, “what can I do about the neighbor’s tree?” or “my neighbor just butchered my tree!”. Often, we see issues with a neighboring tree that may threaten safety or appears to be an elevated risk. For example, from the view of your window you see your neighbor’s tree[Read More…]
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