June 12, 2015
Summer Care of Raspberries
Raspberries are an easy to grow crop for home gardeners. Good cultural practices help insure an excellent fruit crop. Important cultural practices during the summer months include pruning, weed control, and irrigation.
Horticulture News Releases: Azaleas, Strawberries and Irises, Oh My!
Azaleas and rhododendrons are spectacular flowering shrubs that can brighten any yard or garden. Even though there are many species of azaleas and rhododendrons, only a small number can be grown successfully in Iowa. See the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Yard & Garden news release from June 11, 2015, for information on azaleas and rhododendrons right for Iowa.
Emerald Ash Borer Confirmed in Scott and Davis Counties, Iowa
The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been positively identified in Davenport (Scott County) and central rural Davis County (just north of Bloomfield), bringing the total of confirmed counties to 24 since it was first detected in Iowa back in 2010. This metallic green insect, which only measures about half-inch long and an eighth-inch wide, kills all ash tree species and is considered to be one of the most destructive tree pests ever seen in North America.
Iowa Master Gardener News and Updates
Iowa State University Extension & Outreach now offers a Professional Horticulture Trainee certification. This is a non-volunteer, non-credit training offered in conjunction with the Master Gardener Core Training Course each fall.
Another Good Spring for Ant Mounds
It has been a busy spring for phone calls and messages inquiring about large ant mounds in lawns, landscapes, prairies, pastures, CRP fields and roadsides. It has been that kind of year and the fall, winter and spring weather have created conditions to help ants prosper.
Oak Tatters Common Again This Spring
Inquiries to the ISU Plant & Insect Diagnostic Clinic and to Iowa DNR/ Forestry Bureau District Foresters indicate this was another year for the widespread and common deformation of the leave white oak called oak tatters.