National Pesticide Information Center (A cooperative effort of Oregon State University and the EPA)
B. Rosie Lerner, Consumer Horticulture Extension Specialist Herb gardeners can snip fresh herbs throughout the winter by propagating their garden plants now. There are several approaches to overwintering plants. One easy method is to dig up a plant, or a portion of one, and pot it up. Plants such as chives, lemon balm, mint, burnet and sweet woodruff can be lifted and divided into sections to create more plants. Dividing is a fairly foolproof method […]
YARD (Lawns, woody ornamentals and fruits) Fall is a good time to plant many container-grown or balled-and-burlapped nursery stock. Prepare a good-size planting hole wider than the ball, but plant at the same depth it grew in the nursery and water thoroughly. Mulching will help protect against large fluctuations in soil temperature and moisture. Do not be alarmed if your evergreens, particularly white pine and arborvitae, drop some older needles. All evergreens shed needles at […]
National Pesticide Information Center (A cooperative effort of Oregon State University and the EPA)
Q. I have discovered an infestation of what I believe to be aphids of some sort on the stems of my Victoria Salvia and Chamomile plants. They are dark and tear-shaped of various sizes, and the ants are attracted to the “honey-dew” that the insects are making. I have sprayed them with liquid Sevin, but it does not seem to have knocked them out completely. What do you recommend to fight these? – JG A. […]
Q. I live in northern Indiana. Please tell me how to grow mint. What is the difference between peppermint and spearmint? A. Mint is an important commercial crop in Northwest Indiana, with over 9,000 acres raised in 2007 at a value of over $6 million (USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Indiana/index.asp). The bulk of the Indiana mint crop is peppermint, followed by spearmint. Mint belongs to a botanical genus of plants called Mentha. Peppermint is Mentha […]