Mountain Hemlock Needle Drop

HI there! I have an *adorable* 3 foot tall Tsuga mertensiana that we planted about 2 years ago. It looked exceptionally wonderful earlier in January February. Of course we have had a strange Winter this year with a lot of wind and not too much rain (and snow late in the season).
I just went out today and was alarmed to see that it had dropped *alot* of its needles. They are in a puddle on the ground! The top 1/3 of the tree still looks pretty good, and the lower 2/3 has sparse needle coverage. I DO however, see some little tiny budlets on the ends of the branch tips, little tiny. I am wondering if this needle drop will result in it pushing new growth here soon. No wooly bug action, no webs of any kind. I did water it and few other conifers in our landscape as I felt that the wind had been brutal with not much moisture from rain. This was a week ago. I did just water again, trying to water deeply. Any ideas?? Thanks

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Multnomah County Oregon trees and shrubs about 4 hours ago

cat feces and blueberries

I know not to grow vegetables is my raised beds since our feral cat has and is using them as a latrine but can I now plant blueberries or raspberries in them?

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Jefferson County Washington berries about 11 hours ago

Black/grey bugs with unusual pattern

i have recently over the past few days been finding tiny grey bugs with black spots that almost look like ladybugs from a small distance does anyone know what these harmless pests are called and how to get rid of them

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Outside United States about 19 hours ago

Fig tree

Can anyone tell me if this is ok, healthy, or a problem I read this is fig rust but I’m not sure and if so how do I treat should I take off leaves and will it survive

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Hennepin County Minnesota tree diseases 1 day ago

what is the name of these weeds ?

can anyone help me to identify the name of these weeds? the images were acquired in the carrot field.

thanks in advance

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Outside United States plant identification 1 day ago

boxelder bug infestation

We live in the foot hills of the Coast Range. Above the Casino. (Spirit Mountain) Have lived here 28 years. It's only been the last few years that we have had the problem with the Boxelder's. This last summer / fall has been the worst. The siding on our house is cedar shingles, probably the worst scenario. There were millions, the whole wall was black. They were crawling under the shingles. When this would happen I would get the pressure washer out and use it to wash them away and wash under the shingles. They have found ways to enter the house through the winter. We have the Shark cordless vacuum beside us at all time. We have oak, maple, and some fruit trees close to the house. I have tried to find them in the trees but have never seen them. Will the nest in any of these trees? How far will they travel? Can I start spraying this spring around the house and trees to try and eliminate the bugs and what would be the best spray to use? I did look at a couple of sites on the internet. One site recommended Lambda Star UltraCap 9.7 to spray the side of the house and around trees. I will wait to hear from you regarding the problem. Thank you Larry Ediger

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Polk County Oregon box elder bugs 1 day ago

Wala Walla onions going to seed

I typically grow Walla Walla sweet onions for bulbs. I have problems with the onions going to seed, before they die back. This ruins the bulb, in my view anyway. Am i doing something wrong? Lack of water maybe? Thanks for any help you can give me.

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Washington County Oregon onions 1 day ago

Root bound arborvities

I bought some 18 in. tall plants that where in 6 in. pots. They have long roots growing up on the insides of the pot. Are these the tap roots? Can they be trimmed while planting or do you have to dig a wider hole to accommodate.

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Clackamas County Oregon arborvitae trees and shrubs 1 day ago

Peaches

I have a peach tree which gives me peaches every year, but their small, about the size of a silver dollar. What do I need to do to get regular size peaches?

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Washtenaw County Michigan peach tree fruit production 1 day ago

Potting soil for vine maples

What soil mix should I put into 24” cube-sized fiberglass planters to grow vine maples on patio? Thanks.

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Clark County Washington potting soil horticulture gardening 1 day ago

Permanent damage

We have a tree which is approximately 30-40 feet high with a circumference of 101 inches that has a swing on it. It has developed quite a large crack about 18 inches deep and about 8+ feet tall. I think that this is a frost crack/sun-scald from what I have read. My biggest concern is the integrity of the tree. I am thinking that this tree should be taken down. Please advise.

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Ramsey County Minnesota tree damage frost cracks 1 day ago

Soil For Raised Container Garden

I am starting a raised container garden this spring. What type of soil should I fill it with? Thank you.

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El Paso County Colorado 1 day ago

Could broccoli and cauliflower grow in a raised bed where Squash Bugs killed zucchini plants?

The last two years, squash bugs (grey shovel-shaped ones that lay tiny round golden eggs in clumps beneath the leaves) attacked and ruined my zucchini plants. This year I want to try to grow broccoli and cauliflower in that same raised bed. Is this possible?

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Morrow County Oregon horticulture 1 day ago

Who to contact on drainage and erosion

What type of expertise should I contact to plan and implement erosion control and/ or rain drainage control? We have a steep slope from our house down to the bottom of the yard, 12 feet. The drainage between our suburban houses causes a fast stream across the yard at the bottom perpendicular to the slope when it rains hard. Having erosion (bare ground now) along the bottom plus now slumpage of the slope.

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Howard County Maryland stormwater management 1 day ago

Fruit tree native to MD?

Hello, We have 12 protected acres in N. BaCo, 6 acres are not wooded but landscaped with small groves of trees throughout. Is there a type of fruit bearing tree that we can plant (which has fruit that is edible to both humans and animals)? We were thinking apple etc, but not sure if there is a somewhat native variety of a fruit tree. Thanks, Renae

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Baltimore County Maryland plant selection native trees fruit 1 day ago

Honey bees

How to move an old active hive? A friend has a very old hive on the second story wall of his garage. He said the bees may have come from Univ of MD colony.

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Prince George's County Maryland beekeeping 1 day ago

SWD in fall raspberries

Hello. I have been growing fall bearing raspberries in Oakland county for the last 15 years. I am a backyard gardener. Due to a increasing weed problem I decided to move my patch and start a new area of about a 100 ft of new plants. Reading now about SWD I wonder if it is worth the investment. I don't mind dealing with a few bugs and don’t sell my fruit. I do not want however to be ignorant about the growing SWD issue. Am I just asking for trouble planting raspberries at this time? Are there any effective control methods on the horizon? I hate the thought of not having the berries but also don’t want to have a whole crop of infected fruit. What say you?

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Oakland County Michigan fruits and vegetables raspberries swd spotted wing drosophila raspberry insects 2 days ago

Japanese Maple - Bihou - Gray Branches

I planted a Japanese Maple, Bihou variety in my back yard. Over the winter the leaves fell and all the branches were yellow. As the winter progressed and we are now approaching spring, some of the branches have become gray on top. The bottom parts of the branches are yellow like they should be and leaves are sprouting. Is the gray on top normal and is this something that will go away as spring progresses? Is this normal? If no, what should I do?

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Sacramento County California maple trees 2 days ago

Getting rid of bamboo

I recently purchased a small lot in the town of Garibaldi. In the back yard there is a large clump (approx. 40 feet long x 8 feet wide) of bamboo. It has been growing there for many years. I want to do my best to get rid of it. How's the best way to start, and how do I keep it in check for years to come? Is it actually ever possible to get rid of it entirely?

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Tillamook County Oregon bamboo control 2 days ago

Soil Testing

I have 5 raised beds, the soil in which is a combination of equal parts compost, vermiculite and peat moss in which I grow a variety of vegetables. This mixture was suggested by the book "Square Foot Gardening". Is there any reason to have the soil tested and can a lab adequately test this soil mixture?

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Frederick County Maryland raised bed gardening soil testing vegetables raised bed soil raised bed soil testing plant care 2 days ago

trimming Euonymous

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Boulder County Colorado 2 days ago

Compost ratios

Greetings, 3 related questions- I was informed that compost needs 30 parts carbon (leaves) to 1 part nitrogen (grass). Are the leaves measured roughly by volume or weight? Big difference between mulched leaves and raked leaves. 2) Are dead grass clippings still considered an effective source of nitrogen? I get plenty of green grass clippings during the Spring/Summer/Fall, but no leaves. Then plenty of leaves in the Fall but no grass clippings. 3) My compost pile (4 cu ft) stopped decomposing in January. No more heat, even now (3/21). I suspect far too little grass clippings. Would turning the pile again and adding a nitrogen like bone meal get it going again? Any other suggestions?

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Charles County Maryland compost plant care compost ratio greens to browns ratio in compost carbon to nitrogen ratio in compost 2 days ago

Spider bite

Started out with a itchy burning then a quarter size cluster of small blisters.but I had stomach cramps and chest pains and shortness of bresth.body aches and jus didn't feel right.what could it be

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San Joaquin County California 2 days ago

Early spring flower/weed?

Every spring these weeds pop up in our lawn before the grass starts to grow and we’d love some help identifying them and how to eliminate them from our yard. They go away after we start mowing but are definitely multiplying each year. The flowers are white, I think they might have a bulb... very difficult to hand pull and now there are so many! Thank you!

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Chester County Pennsylvania plant identification galanthus 2 days ago

Woodpeckers making holes in weeping willow trees

I live in a town home, and association-members are wanting to take down a tree where there are 6-8 holes (about 4 inches in diameter) which have been caused by a woodpecker/ we assume. 1. How do we determine if the tree can survive, in spite of the holes/? 2. Is there something we can do to deter further holes in the tree? 3/ Can we plug up the holes? 4/ Please give us advise/recommendations--suggestions. Thank you. Lois Anderson

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Ramsey County Minnesota woodpecker damage 2 days ago