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Like we do, plants need certain nutrients to live. It’s important that they have enough of each essential element but not an excessive amount of any one.
Plants often need supplemental nitrogen, in addition to what they would naturally be able to obtain from the soil, for optimal growth.
Complete fertilizers provide nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and are often useful. Sometimes, though, separate phosphorus and potassium sources are needed.
This article rounds out our discussion of macronutrients, or elements that plants contain in relatively large concentrations.
In most cases, micronutrient quantities naturally available in soil are sufficient, but there are situations in which micronutrient fertilization is needed.
Hot temperatures restrict planting dates for some vegetables, but there are still quite a few vegetables that can be planted now and in the coming weeks.
Fire blight is a common problem of pears and apples and is sometimes seen on mayhaws, loquats, and other plants in the rose family.
A soil test is needed to know what your soil’s pH is and how much, if any, lime or sulfur is needed.
It’s helpful to know what poison ivy looks like.
Sedges are characterized by stems that are triangular in cross-section.
It's recommended that the warm-season turfgrasses commonly grown in Louisiana be fertilized between April and August.
Tips on staking plants, removing suckers, and avoiding blossom end rot, leaf diseases, and caterpillar damage.
April is late enough to avoid most frosts and early enough that plants are unlikely to experience excessively warm temperatures.
I’ve recently observed a variety of wildflowers blooming in my yard and neighborhood. You might have seen some of these, too.
While fall the preferred time to plant most types of tree and shrubs, planting in early spring is better than late spring or summer.
Some of the most important steps in disease management must be taken before planting.
The snap bean is another warm-season vegetable that can be planted relatively early in the year.
Sweet corn can be planted earlier than many other warm-season vegetables.
For woody plants and palms, waiting is advised.
Late winter and early spring, as the aboveground parts of plants start growing again, are good times to fertilize perennial plants in landscape beds.
If you’ve been thinking of planting a new citrus tree or have an older one that needs to be pruned or fertilized, February is a time to do these things.
Pre-emergence herbicides prevent weed seed germination.
Some products have similar trade names but contain active ingredients that have different effects.
Understanding how plants respond to pruning cuts can help you get plants to grow in the way that you desire.
A number of evergreen plants provide options for screening, depending on the desired height and width, how sunny or shady the site is, and how wet the area is.
If you’re going to use an herbicide, it’s important to do it while weeds are small.
Muscadines fruit on shoots that come from the previous season’s growth.
A primary criterion for choosing pecan varieties for yards and home orchards is resistance to pecan scab.
The sweet potato production cycle begins when sweet potatoes from the previous harvest season are planted in the spring, to produce “slips” for transplanting.
Composting is a way to take yard, garden, and kitchen “waste” and turn it into something useful.
Plants not suited to wet conditions often develop root rot or just don’t grow well in wet areas. Thankfully, we have options for wet spots.
Pears can be grown here, but selecting an appropriate variety is really important.
Each year, we face situations during which some of our plants could be injured by cold weather.
Mushrooms of Armillaria and Desarmillaria fungi, which cause root rot on a number of woody plants, often appear in the fall.
One way to add cheer to winter and early spring landscapes is to plant cool-season flowering plants.
Green, snow, and sugar snap peas can be planted between mid-September and January.
Muscadines are well-adapted to our climate.
It’s nice to have variety sometimes.
While native persimmons are astringent until ripe, some oriental persimmons are considered non-astringent and can be eaten while still fairly firm.
If you want long-term control of fire ants but also need to get rid of them quickly in one or more spots, you can take a two-step approach.
Staking is sometimes necessary but needs to be done appropriately to avoid injuring trees or predisposing them to breakage or windthrow later in life.
Fall is a good time to plant most trees and shrubs in Louisiana. It’s a good idea to soil test before making large investments in landscape plantings.
Shallots are easy to grow and taste wonderful in holiday dishes. Plant them soon if you want a crop by Thanksgiving.
The second half of October is a good time to plant strawberries in our area.
Start watching for leaffooted bugs in August and keep a lookout for them as fruit ripens.
Blossom end rot and buckeye rot are common problems with tomatoes.
Have horse flies been driving you nuts? Using repellants will give you some relief.
A newsletter for horticulturists. Growing beans in the fall, chamberbitter control, utilizing a rain gauge, and controlling cool season weeds.
The Florida Parishes produce an abundance of spring wildflowers.
Have you noticed toothpick like growths sticking out of your tree?
A newsletter for horticulturists. Industrial hemp and pruning azaleas.
Banana shrubs have a lovely fragrance but tend to look shabby in the spring.
Cucuzza is a unique gourd to add to your vegetable garden. They are edible and are popular in Italian cooking.
A newsletter for horticulturists. Planting for fall color, green onions, and buttonbush.
November through February is the best time to plant trees. Planting now will deliver spectacular fall color next year.
Finding plants that provide color in shady areas can be a challenge. Fortunately, there are some lovely options.
A newsletter for horticulturists. Fig problems, starting seeds, and ornamental peppers.
Spiny pigweed is one of the worst weeds home gardeners deal with.
Figs are one of our more easy-to-grow fruit plants, although at this time of year, leaf diseases are often observed.
Roughly 99% of insects are not “pests.”
A newsletter for horticulturists. Cool spring delays plant growth, blossom end rot, and fertilizing lawns.
Black flies, or buffalo gnats, are a major nusiance in the Feliciana parishes in spring.
Deer can be a nuisance to gardeners in certain parts of Louisiana. Here are some practical tips to help you lessen deer damage in your landscape.
A newsletter for horticulturists.Plant sweet peas now, cool season vegetable issues, mulch, and houseplants.
A newsletter for horticulturists. Plan fall gardens now, planting trees and shrubs, Camelot Foxglove
The orange dog caterpillar may look ugly now, but in a few short weeks it will turn into a beautiful butterfly.
Zinnias thrive in hot weather. A late summer planting will provide color throughout the fall.
Few questions come up as frequently as those about lichens.
Sooty mold grows where insects have secreted a sugary substance called honeydew.
Start planning for fall vegetable and flower gardens now and you will save time and money when its time to buy plants.
Following good cultural practices and scouting for insects and disease will allow homeowners to enjoy pecans year after year.
Mayhaw trees are native to Louisiana and do well in this area.
Crape Myrtle's vibrant flowers, long blooming season, disease and pest resistance, and relatively small size make them an excellent tree to add to your yard.
Scale insects can easily be mistaken for something else.
Most of our blackberry and blueberry plants have finished fruiting, so it’s time to think about pruning them and making a final fertilizer application.
Several types of insects make highly noticeable webs in trees.
Most herbs require minimal maintenance, and many are perennials that can produce for a number of years.
Here are some reasons fruit or nut trees may fail to produce, or produce less than expected.
There's a variety of reasons that this can occur.
Besides diseases that kill tomato plants outright, there are leaf spot diseases that can reduce plants’ productivity and sometimes infect fruit.
Wilting tomatoes are a common complaint. There are several possible causes.
Fall, winter, and early spring are recommended times for planting most trees and shrubs, but palms are different.
