If you’re seeing spots before your eyes, it could be some sort of dizziness syndrome, or it could be that you’re looking at your lawn, and it’s got a particular fungus disease…which shows up as spots. Actually, there are several lawn maladies that show up as spots, but one in particular, especially at this time of year – Dollar Spot.
Category: Fungi
Mushrooms in the Lawn
What’s that in the middle of the lawn? They look like mushrooms. If you’ve had a tree cut down in the past few years, they probably are.
Foraging
“Foraging” refers to the gathering of wild edibles for food to grace our table. Historically, the human race began as hunter-gatherers, gleaning food from what was found, not raised. With the growing interest in fresh and local, there has been a resurgence of interest in foraging for wild edibles. Morel mushrooms have always had…
Warm Season Veggies
Cool season veggies are great – cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, cabbage and George Bush’s favorite – broccoli. As the soils warm however, the time for planting warm season veggies is upon us. Crops such as peppers, eggplant, squash, tomatoes and cucumbers thrive on warm growing conditions – 75 to 85 degrees F. Hopefully, your weekend project…
Be Mindful of Flooded Areas When Hunting Morels
As morel mushroom hunting season approaches, be mindful of food safety. It’s important to remember flood waters don’t carry just water. There is a host of unsavory things that are downright dangerous— ▪Human disease pathogens from raw sewage, ▪Pesticides carried from farm fields and lawns on soil particles and plant residue, ▪And rubber and petroleum…
Flood Recovery Impacts Plants in the Landscape
The flooding and subsequent ponding has a profound effect on trees and shrubs in the landscape. The contaminants these waters carry negatively impact vegetable garden sites and orchards. Here are some flood resources to address residents’ concerns. Food safety in vegetable gardens and orchards after a flood*: https://grobigred.com/2019/03/22/gardenflood/amp/?__twitter_impression=true by Nebraska Extension Urban Ag Educator John…
Powdery Mildew
Powdery mildew is an obligate parasite. Huh? In short, powdery mildew doesn’t want to kill your plants – but it sometimes happens, by accident of course. We most often see this disease on plants outdoors where there is poor air circulation. You probably have seen peony bushes around town or even your own that ended…
Cleaning up the Garden
Cleaning up the garden, aka “garden sanitation” is not a sexy topic, but an important one in terms of future pest control and productivity. So, what are the things to clean and to leave alone? After all, you’re not going to advise us to scrub the dirt with a scouring pad are you? Good…
Ash Tree Bolete
We’ve been receiving multiple samples and questions about the Ash Tree Bolete. We are proud to have Professor Emeritus Tom Weber from University of Nebraska – Omaha as an Extension Master Gardener share his insights with this particular fungi. The first organism on the list of ash tree associates, good or evil, that pops up…
Puffballs
They are oddly shaped, can smell funny and look like an alien life form arising from the soil. These oddities of nature are puffballs, fungi that appear in late summer and early fall. Puffballs can range in size from 1 inch across up to 24 inches and weigh up to 10 pounds. They can be…