Search Results

A plant that was originally from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden #272824

Asked August 25, 2015, 11:16 AM EDT

My father-in-law gave us this little itty bitty plant about 12 years ago, and it stayed fairly small until this year. It is a specimen of some sort, and now that Henry died, I have no one to ask what it is. In the spring it has small white flowers. I need to trim it back because it has gotten way too large, but before I did, I was hopting that someone could identify it for me, and also probide some guidance as to the best way to handle it. Thanks in advance, Margaret



Nassau County New York

A Plant With Flowers That Feel Like Straw #255067

Asked June 18, 2015, 1:03 AM EDT

This plant was a gift and it came with no tag. It was potted by the people who gave the gift. I have researched it with books I have and by searching the internet but I have been unable to find it listed. The flower spikes are scratchy and feel like straw flowers.



Marion County Oregon

A radish plant only produces one radish? #377195

Asked November 15, 2016, 2:59 PM EST

I am a new gardener. I love radishes, so this year i purchased a six-pack of baby radish plants and put them in my garden. After googling how to grow radishes, i found out i am only going to harvest the same radish i put in the ground. WHAT"S THE POINT!!! I could have bought a package of radishes at the grocery with 30 radishes for less money than the 6 baby plants i bought. I was hoping each plant would produce mutliple radishes and then continue to produce.

Palm Beach County Florida

A Sick Little Gem Southern Magnolia #176898

Asked April 24, 2014, 2:03 PM EDT

Our Magnolia is looking pretty sick - many dried leaves and looking kind of weak. Any suggestions about what this might be? We are in Corvallis.

Benton County Oregon

A Slime Mold Story #172794

Asked April 02, 2014, 2:13 PM EDT

Hi. About a month ago I discovered Diachea leucopodia in my back yard. I had never even heard of slime mold before. but immediately got very interested.

Since then I've found Arcyria insignis, Dacrymyces stillatus, Diachea leucopodia, Henningsomyces candidus, Laetiporus sulphureus, Stemonitis fusca, and a  bunch of others I don't know the name of -- all in my own yard!

I want to learn a lot, but I'll start with two questions; first -- are these seasonal. I notice one log that when it rains there's a lot of yellow jelly fungus on it and after a dry day or two it disappears. But like the Diachea leucopodia is disappearing now. Will it come back?

And second, that Diachea leucopodia is growing and is equally happy on wood, leaves, metal (painted), and plastic! How does it get nutrients out of plastic/!

I'm in Berkeley, California.

Thank you.




Alameda County California

a small green thing ???? #147577

Asked August 16, 2013, 6:58 PM EDT

First time that I have ever seen this ,does anyone know what it is ? white seeds inside



Dallas County Missouri

A squirrel damaged maple tree #251978

Asked June 07, 2015, 4:25 PM EDT

I have a red maple the has squirrel damage on many of it's limbs. Is there anything I can do to stop him? Is the tree doomed?

Clackamas County Oregon

A Sticky Problem with a Schefflera Actinaphylla Plant #287770

Asked October 29, 2015, 3:13 PM EDT

I have a plant that I believe is a schefflera actinaphylla, which is around 20 years old.  About 10 years ago, in Virginia, it became infested with small dots that I believe to be scale insects.  They seem to be seasonal, and leave a very sticky residue which drops off the plant and coats everything around it.  I've tried washing the individual leaves with soapy water (including a soapy mix that comes in a spray bottle), changing the soil and pot, and cutting off the leaves as they become re-infected...all with no results.

Is there anything I can do to kill these bugs once and for all?  The plant's been with me since the beginning of my career, and I'd prefer to keep it.  Alternately, is there a way to grow a new schefflera from one of the leaves once the bugs go away for awhile?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Bradd Anderson (andersonb@missouri.edu)



Bristol County Missouri

A strange-looking weed. #194986

Asked June 28, 2014, 1:00 AM EDT

I have been finding clumps of something that looks like 10 -15 bean sprouts on thin white stalks pushed up from mulch in my garden or in my lawn. This is the first I've seen them in the 4 years we've lived in South Bend. What are they, and how can I get rid of them without spraying in my garden? I've been pulling them up by hand, but it's hard to keep up with them.

St. Joseph County Indiana

A Teacher Looking For Help For 6th Graders #291670

Asked November 25, 2015, 9:57 AM EST

My name is Chris Fitzgerald, a 6th grade teacher in Kimberly, WI and a native Iowan (and a huge Iowa State fan!). I am teaching my students about soil conservation. I have presented them with a situation about a farmer who needs help in farming strategies. I was wondering if there was a way my kids could have a Google Hangout, Skype, or email with someone in the agriculture field about seeking advice for farming strategies to prevent soil erosion and produce a high yield of crop. Any information would be great.

Outagamie County Wisconsin

A tree in front of my hou... #171216

Asked March 23, 2014, 10:44 PM EDT

A tree in front of my house has lost all its leaves, which is strange for this time of year all the trees in Peru are full of leaves. One strange thing is that the tree has large white fungus at base, that if we take them out, they grow back. Another strange thing is that at the end of last winter (now we are starting the fall) the tree was filled with large pods, which still hanging from its branches (the other trees did not) The first picture is a photo of the tree. The second one is a picture of other healthy tree to help identify the specie and the third picture is a photo of the fungus. 



Ramsey County Outside United States

A Tree Mushroom-- what is it? #147350

Asked August 15, 2013, 5:18 PM EDT

Princeton, NJ August 2013



Mercer County New Jersey

A trip to England #316967

Asked April 27, 2016, 7:19 PM EDT

I am traveling to London and the Chelsea Flower Show next month. Can I bring back seeds to the U.S.? I know I cannot bring plants. Thank you.

Lane County Oregon

A type of peony? #541538

Asked January 19, 2019, 2:04 PM EST

If so, can you help us be more specific? Thanks.



Clackamas County Oregon

A volunteer plant, possibly a berry? #322928

Asked May 18, 2016, 10:21 PM EDT

Can you identify this plant for me? It has pretty big spines and dark green leaves.



Multnomah County Oregon

A young tree in yard has ... #180445

Asked May 09, 2014, 6:35 PM EDT

A young tree in yard has developed what I believe to be frost crack and the bark has pulled away from the trunk . The damage appears extensive. Should I wrap tree trunk ,with what, and how? Thank you for any help you can offer.

Macon County Tennessee

A. uva-ursi brown and dead looking in April #554533

Asked April 20, 2019, 2:03 PM EDT

Hi! I am working on updating my yard with natives to participate in the backyard habitat program, and I got a bunch of native plants in the fall to put in. I didn’t manage to get the A. uva-URSI into the ground until this month, and now as I am working on planting it, about a third of the plants are totally brown and dead looking. The remainder either are green and flowering or have a mix of green and brown leaves. Should I expect the brown ones to come back and proceed with planting them, or is it most likely dead? Thank you!

Multnomah County Oregon

AaE Master Gardener volunteer stays on vacation, here's why #256945

Asked June 25, 2015, 8:10 AM EDT

I'm a master gardener volunteer. Whenever I answer a question in AaE, I get another question - sometimes in less than 1/2 hour! eXtension (national) absolutely ignores this issue for 3 years now. I signed off on vacation after I got 5 questions in 2 days. It makes me feel exploited as a volunteer so all I can do is put myself on vacation. I am good at what I do but I am not fast and each answer I produce can take 45-60+ minutes.
Here's the email from eXtension:


"Your Status is set to 'Away'

Hello, This is a friendly reminder that we have not seen you in a while in the Ask an Expert application. Your account is set to NOT receive questions from the Ask an Expert application in the Ask an Expert preferences.

You opted out of receiving questions on June 11, 2015.

You can uncheck this option and continue receiving questions by going to: Answering Preferences"

Cuyahoga County Ohio

Abelia? #333147

Asked June 16, 2016, 6:55 PM EDT

Native to our region...Truro, Mass.?



Barnstable County Massachusetts

Ability to purchase Methyl Bromide? #223769

Asked January 06, 2015, 12:36 AM EST

We have a problem with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. perniciosum. My understanding the only way to correct this problem is with Methyl Bromide, can you give some information on purchasing this. If a picture is needed I can take one. Thank you Debbie

Lane County Oregon

Aborvitaes turning brown #451206

Asked May 02, 2018, 3:48 PM EDT

U of M: Mid-fall 2016 I dug out five Buckthorns (great growers for about a decade), and replaced them with Aborvitaes. They are in direct sun in an area that stays a little wet during early spring, but then dries out mid-April thru Sept, to where I have to water them. They are in a backyard with grass, so they get a little fertilizer when I fertilize the grass. Last year they had moderate growth (all are about 7-8'). This year I noticed that each is brown on the bottom 10-12". What can I do to save them?

Hennepin County Minnesota

About "foliar" fertilization of evergreens #432987

Asked October 27, 2017, 2:58 PM EDT

We have dwarf blue pine and various junipers growing in our courtyard. We also have deciduous bushes growing there. The courtyard is underlain with sheets of black plastic material to prevent (or at least minimize) water infiltration into our sub-grade parking facility under the courtyard. The plastic has been installed right up to the plants, so that the drip zone is largely impenetrable to surface applications of fertilizer. Fertilizer spikes would be frowned upon because they would damage the plastic liner. I have decided that the foliar application of liquid fertilizer is the best solution for the deciduous plants. I have no information how well "foliar" application might work on evergreens. Do the needles absorb fertilizer much as leaves do? Is it worth a try? A suggestion has been made to me to flow a dilute liquid fertilizer solution down into the root zone near the trunks of the plants (where there is an opening in the plastic liner) and allow the fertilizer to diffuse into the feeder roots. There seems to be enough moisture under the plastic cover to keep the plants alive. (Also, water leaks into our sub-grade parking space when the snow melts or it rains.) I cannot imagine the damage to shrubs and evergreens if fertilizer pools up in areas near the trunks and am hesitant to begin this mode of fertilization. I am hoping foliar spray is the answer. Please advise. Also, what do you call it when you apply fertilizer to needles. My spell-checker does not like "needular."

Hennepin County Minnesota

About 2 years ago a tree ... #261163

Asked July 12, 2015, 6:54 AM EDT

About 2 years ago a tree that was on the limited common property associated with my condominium was cut down. Due to the fact that the tree roots were running under my patio area, and that removal of the stump would have meant having to dig up my patio, the stump was left. Over the spring and summer months there are "suckers" [for lack of a better term]and weeds which sprout from and around the stump and become an eyesore. As the stump is on limited common property, the association is saying it is my responsibility to "clean up" the suckers and weeds that are growing around the stump. I am wondering if there is a product that can be used to kill off the stump and stop the growth of the suckers and weeds. I have tried Roundup to kill the weeds numerous times since spring, but it does not kill them. Additionally, I do suffer from some impairments which make physically attempting to clear the problem very difficult.

Hennepin County Minnesota

about Gardenias #301300

Asked February 15, 2016, 11:12 PM EST

Hello! My name is Yvette Richards and I keep four pots of gardenias. Two of them are doing very well and the other two are not. Four of them are having very healthy green stems, two of them are getting red gardenia flowers, and the other two are not blooming red gardenias. I want the 2 nonblooming Gardenias to give me red flowers again. What can I do? I give them water everyday, What should I do??? Oh, yes, they are put where they can get sunshine through windows. What can I do? Any advice? Puzzled, Yvette Richards

Clatsop County Oregon

about grapes #244815

Asked May 16, 2015, 1:43 PM EDT

after you see the little clusters of grapes, one or two,,I snip off the remaining part of the branch. I think it makes for a better crop. Is this a good thing to do, and am I right about it, or just dreaming? thank you

Columbia County Oregon