April 28, 1995
Dothistroma Needle Blight
Many Austrian pines have been arriving in the Plant Disease Clinic showing symptoms of the disease Dothistroma needle blight. This fungal disease causes yellow to reddish-brown spots or bands on needles. Needles die from these banded areas to the tip. Diseased needles will eventually fall from the tree. Infection by the fungus usually occurs first on lower branches and spreads upward. For photos of disease symptoms, refer to Pm-1528 "Common Diseases of Conifers in Iowa".
To control Dothistroma needle blight:
Prevention of Undesirable Fruit
Apples, pears, and cherries are examples of trees that produce edible fruit. Ornamental trees also produce fruit. In some cases, these fruit become annoyances. The green ash, honeylocust, crabapple, and ginkgo are popular ornamentals that may produce objectionable fruit. The best way to avoid objectionable fruit is to select fruitless varieties when available.
Strawberry Jars
Strawberry jars are clay or ceramic containers available in numerous sizes with varying numbers of planting pockets in their sides. They can bring a garden anywhere--an herb garden to the front porch, fragrance to the deck, foliage to a dinner party. Strawberry jars are not just for strawberry plants, impatiens or begonias as we so often see.