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- Roots, Shoots, Fruits & Flowers: Online Gardening Classes, Tree Frog, White Grubs & Melonworms
Judy sent this email asking about what opportunities are available to learn gardening online, “Several ladies in our local garden club are interested in the Master Gardener program... Is there a list of programs, when, and where they are offered anywhere on the [LSU AgCenter] website?”
Not for Master Gardener classes, but yes, there is an AgCenter online gardening course developed during the lockdown last year, “Home Garden Certificate Course”. If a gardener is interested, a search for “AgCenter + home garden certificate course” will provide the correct link to this online education. It is a free service, and accessible at any time.
There is a similar online training for composting. Again, a search for “AgCenter + home composting class” will enable a gardener to access this convenient class.
Finally, there is an online class for backyard citrus. Like the home gardening and composting classes listed above, a homeowner or gardener can look for “AgCenter + backyard citrus class” on a search engine to reach this training. Again, all these courses are free and accessible at any time and to anyone.
Blanchard's tree frog, a native frog. Photo: Brad Glorioso, Ecologist, USGS.
Walton is a self-described “herp”, short for “herpetologist, or reptile & amphibian specialist, and sent an image of a tree frog for identification.
Dr. Ashley Long, a Wildlife Specialist with the AgCenter, identified this frog as Blanchard’s cricket frog (BCF). BCF is a native from the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas to the Great Lakes, southern Minnesota, and southern South Dakota. Brad Glorioso, a USGS Ecologist, made this observation, “I have found this species to be common in nearly all permanent freshwater habitats in its range. It can also be found with regularity in or near semi-permanent or ephemeral water bodies”.
White grubs in the lawn. Photo: David Cappaert, Bugwood.org.
Melonworm, a pest of cucumbers. Photo: Alton Sparks, Jr., Bugwood.org
Robert was concerned for his lawn because he found lawn grubs, “I have grub killing my grass. Will permethrin [an insecticide] kill them?”
AHA responded, “I checked for the suggested [insecticidal] treatments for lawn grubs. One of them is Sevin®.” Other products for treating white grubs in the lawn include Advanced Lawn Grub Control® and Meridian 25WG®. As always, read the label for safe and effective use for any pesticide.
Ruth described a pest on her cucumber plants, “This has never happened to us! We had small, light green worms eating the leaves of our old cucumbers and borrowing inside the cucumbers and having a feast. What critter is visiting us this summer? “
Based on this description, AHA found this image and sent it to Ruth for positive identification. She agreed that her caterpillar was the melonworm.
After determining the pest, then a treatment is easier to determine and includes these insecticides:Again, whenever a gardener uses a pesticide, always read the label for safe and effective use.
“Before you buy or use an insecticide product, first read the label, and strictly follow label recommendations. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by Louisiana State University AgCenter.”
“This work has been supported, in part, by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Renewable Resources Extension Act Award, Accession Number 1011417.”