Plant Problems

Deer Damage Control

Deer Damage Control

Do you hate walking out the door in the summer to find your impatiens nipped off at the ground or your hosta leaves cut back to the stem? Maybe you're plagued even earlier in the year, with mysteriously disappearing tulips or neatly cropped pansies. It’s almost time to start seeing deer damage, and if they're already sampling your garden your garden, now is the time to act.

Pest Alert: Spotted Lanternfly

Pest Alert: Spotted Lanternfly

Another major tree pest has emerged: the spotted lanternfly. This striking planthopper was first identified in Pennsylvania in 2014, and while it has not yet become widespread, it has the potential to spread quickly. Tree-lovers everywhere need to be on high alert. Spotted lanternfly targets grapes, hops, and the invasive tree of heaven first, but it can also attack and kill maples, oaks, fruit trees, pines, sycamores, willows, walnuts, and poplars.

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Plant Disease Alert: Hydrangea Leaf Diseases

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Plant Disease Alert: Hydrangea Leaf Diseases

We love hydrangeas. Oakleaf hydrangeas, hardy hydrangeas, smooth hydrangeas - we love them all. Most of the year they’re easy to care for as long as they have enough water, but late in the season some weird looking things can show up on the leaves: hydrangea rust and leaf spot. The good news is that these fungal leaf diseases pose no long-term threat to the health of your plants, but there are some steps you can take to minimize the aesthetic damage.

Plant Disease Alert: Boxwood Blight

Plant Disease Alert: Boxwood Blight

We love boxwood here at 317grow. It’s one of our favorite evergreens for its adaptability and tidy appearance. Right now it might be one of the only shrubs in your landscape with color beyond dull grays and browns. But boxwoods are under threat from a quick-acting and deadly virus: boxwood blight.

Pest Alert: Grub Control

Pest Alert: Grub Control

Keeping your lawn healthy and clean is a hassle enough but year after year pests can make it even more difficult. If you've noticed  thinning grass and/or patches in your lawn chances are its time to check for grubs. The easiest way to check for grubs is to simply dig up some soil of about 2 inches deep and examine it.

Pest Alert: Japanese Beetles

Pest Alert: Japanese Beetles

Japanese beetles are always present in the Indiana landscape, but some years are definitely worse than others. This is one of those years. Are you stumped about how to keep the iridescent pests off of your plants? Today we'll talk about the pros and cons of different strategies.

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Cold Snaps and Spring Blooms

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Cold Snaps and Spring Blooms

Our temperatures have been all over the place this winter, and we had especially warm weather just a few weeks ago. Most plants use temperature as an important cue in deciding when to break dormancy, so you have probably seen bulbs coming up much earlier than usual.

Plant Disease Alert: Boxwood Blight

Plant Disease Alert: Boxwood Blight

Just last week we highlighted boxwood as December's plant of the month, and there I alluded to a new disease that poses a major threat to boxwoods: boxwood blight. Today we'll go into more depth on why this fungal disease is so serious, how to spot it, and what to do if you think you've seen it.

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Plant Disease Alert: Rose Rosette Disease

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Plant Disease Alert: Rose Rosette Disease

Roses have always been a favorite garden plant, and with the introduction of easy-to-grow Knockout roses anyone can enjoy blooms all summer. But lately we've been seeing a spike in a disease that will ruin your roses: rose rosette disease. If you want to keep your roses, the disease must be caught early and cut out aggressively. So we want you to know the warning signs.

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