Paul Pugliese.
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Caution! Warning! Danger! Poison! These are the signal words that you will find on the labels of various pesticide products. These signal words are listed in order of least toxic (Caution) to most toxic (Poison). Typically, most of the products you would find at the local garden center fall into the “Caution” category. The signal…
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I can never tell if my clients are serious or just pulling my leg when it comes to old wives’ tales and folklore related to farming, gardening, and predicting the weather. I’m a big fan of the classic movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. This movie underscores the absurdity of the whole Groundhog Day tradition. …
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During the last week of February, I was out pruning some trees and got to experience an amazing sap flow on one of the river birch trees we have planted in our front yard. Usually, I prune my trees earlier in the winter, but got behind with some other chores this year. When I removed…
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The Holly (Ilex) genus consists of more than 400 species. Hollies offer a diverse range of plant characteristics. They can be deciduous or evergreen and vary from small (18 inches) to very large (over 50 feet). Fall and early winter is the ideal time to plant hollies and other new shrubs in your landscape. Female…
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Construction and major landscape renovations can have a negative impact on existing trees, but the damage is often not immediately visible. We commonly see trees, in close proximity to the construction zone, die within five to seven years of building a new home. In many cases, trees should be removed prior to a home being…
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Recently, we had a client contact the Extension office asking about watering newly planted landscape shrubs. The client asked, “I have gotten such mixed messages on how I should have been watering — gardeners are telling me [water] every day; arborists and the nursery are saying [water] once a week, which I did. That didn’t…
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There are many options for controlling weeds in home lawns. Many of the turfgrass herbicides on the market today are highly selective and control specific weeds without damaging the grass. However, it’s important to note that these herbicides are not completely harmless to lawns and the ability of a lawn to “tolerate” an herbicide depends…
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This month Paul Pugliese addresses a common issue with Japanese Maple root suckers that grow from grafted rootstock.
