In late summer, almost every year, caterpillars invade pastures, hay fields, and home lawns throughout the state. Particularly in pastures and hay fields, damage may be severe before the worms are noticed. The grass is usually not killed, but hay yield and forage can be reduced to almost nothing over…
Read More
Sooty mold can be a very confusing plant disorder to troubleshoot for many backyard gardeners and commercial landscapers. Quite often small trees, shrubs, and flowers that have no obvious insect or disease problems can be completely covered by this mysterious black mold. Even more perplexing is the fact that the…
Read More
Every summer, we receive calls about ants getting into vegetable gardens and crawling all over people’s plants. In particular, okra and southern peas seem to be a common problem for nuisance ants. Ants are attracted to the sugary nectar produced in flowers and may also be attracted to other sap-feeding…
Read More
The yellownecked caterpillar is a common pest of shade trees and shrubs. It is found throughout the eastern United States. It feeds on a variety of trees including basswood, birch, elm, honeylocust, oak, maple, and walnut. This insect is also destructive on the foliage of blueberry, apple, and other fruit…
Read More
Paul Pugliese shares common myths related to agriculture practices in relation to pollinators for Pollinator Week.
Read More
Dozens of calls and samples of roses with a variety of leaf problems are coming into the University of Georgia Extension office in Bartow County. The most common problem diagnosed each spring is injury caused by rose sawflies, also known as rose slugs. Read More
Read More
The oozing sap on stems and fruit are actually caused by two different issues. The exuding of sap or gum from the stems of stone fruit trees (peaches, plums, cherry) is so common it has been given the name gummosis.
Read More
The abundant rainfall and warm weather over the past few weeks has unleashed a potential plague of weeds, insects, and garden diseases. It appears that spring is coming early this year! So far, we are about ten inches above normal for rainfall in North Georgia. Soil temperatures are warming up…
Read More
On Tuesday, August 6th at 7pm, the Bartow County Extension office will be hosting a free seminar on “Troubleshooting Vegetable Garden Problems.” This is a great opportunity for backyard gardeners and local farmers to bring plant samples for diagnosis and discuss common vegetable problems this season. We will also have…
Read More
This Saturday, July 27, is the annual celebration of the Tomato Festival at the Downtown Cartersville Farmer’s Market. Activities will begin around 10am and will include a tomato contest for local farmers. The festival has become a favorite event among locals that love to sample different tomato varieties. There are…
Read More
