Cornell Cooperative Extension

Extension experts associated with Cornell Cooperative Extension in New York.

(This group currently has 2 experts available to answer questions)

Questions asked to this group

Composting for both garden and environment

Hi There,

I an relatively new to composting and find that there is a lot of information and advice out there to sort through. I am trying, though.

My issue is that I want to compost all of my compostable material (as much as I can, anyway) for the environmental benefits. I also want to have good compost for my garden. I have read that I should not include onions, garlic and citrus in the compost, if I am using it for my garden.

Does it make sense to have two separate compost bins? One for my garden friendly scraps, and one for everything else? It seems like a lot of trouble and I have not come across this idea in any of my reading. But I do want to get the maximum benefit for both my garden and the environment. What do you suggest. Thank you, J. Lynch

New York composting Posted about 1 month ago

Frog in our apartment

Hello, this random little guy showed up in our Manhattan apartment & I wanted to know what species of frog he was :)

New York County New York frogs Posted about 1 month ago

Raspberries not ripening.

So this year was my first year that I had planted raspberries. They where planted in the spring and grew nicely throughout the summer. In the fall they had put out a lot of raspberries but it was late and only one ripened the others died from the cold. What could have happened? Is it normal for the first year because they aren’t adjusted to the climate? They are crimson night raspberries.

Westchester County New York Posted about 1 month ago

Is my gardenia plant dying?

My gardenia indoor tree has been loosing brown leave for a while. This morning I noticed brown bumps on the stems they seem to be hard. I don’t think their bugs what can I do. I notice that a few stems are brittle. Plus the pot thst it’s in might be to small. I’ve had the tree at least 15 years always in the same spot in a Florida room.

Richmond County New York scale insects gardenia care gardenia with pests scale inseccts Posted about 1 month ago

Tiny bugs walking around...

Hi! For the past couple of weeks, I have once or twice a day spotted tiny dark brown/black bugs moseying around my apartment, mostly in my combo living room/dining room, also in the kitchen. They do not appear to fly. They are roughly the size of an ant and I am able to squish them with the tip of my finger. They feel 'flat' and not as if they have a hard exoskeleton. They do not appear to be anywhere other than on the floor nor have a particular type of space they prefer. They may be attracted to light though I'm not 100% sure about that. They move fairly slowly and do not seem to jump either. I do not own any plants and am on a raised 1st floor with a basement below (boilers located in part of it) and 2 more floors above me. I do occasionally have large roaches/'waterbugs' (3"-4") that visit, but these are definitely not like them.
Many thanks in advance!

Queens County New York sawtooth grain beetle Posted about 1 month ago

Lone goose PS.... Canadian Goose

If I see a goose all alone by a pond where usually there is a big flock of geese, should I be worried there is something wrong with it?

Genesee County New York wildlife Posted about 1 month ago

Oozing sap

Do you know why this black cherry tree is oozing sap? Is it still good for lumber?

Herkimer County New York Posted about 1 month ago

Pine Tree Disease or Fungus?

I live in Stormville, NY, which is in southern Dutchess County. I have a 35 year old pine tree that has recently developed a fungus on the branches (especially the lower branches), and the main tree trunk seems to be excreting some sort of sap. The tree also seems to be dropping a lot of pine needles and becoming sparse. I hope the attached pictures will clearly show the problem. Can this problem be stopped? Is the tree salvageable? Please advise....... Thanks!

Dutchess County New York Posted about 1 month ago

Christmas Cactus Fungus?

This was gifted to me by my mother. I am a newbie at caring for it. I’m not off to a good start? What is happening on the stem? I’ve tried to repot once to a bigger pot. The root is very tight. Tight ball of roots. Any ideas ?

Steuben County New York christmas cactus Posted about 1 month ago

Tony brown bugs

Can you tell me what kind of bug this is. They are on my front steps white vinyl hand rail

Suffolk County New York springtails collembola Posted about 1 month ago