Home & Garden

By Karen Johnson,  U of M Extension Educator, McLeod and Meeker Counties The 2022 Meeker County Gardeners’ Gala will be Thursday, March 24, at the Church of St. Philip in Litchfield. All gardening enthusiasts are invited to come to an evening of education, fellowship, and planning for the upcoming growing season. Registration is from 5:30-6…

By Katie Drewitz, U of M Extension While hunkering down to avoid the recent cold snap, perhaps you’ve been paying more attention to your house plants and noticing a few things that need your attention. Let’s discuss how to properly care for your houseplants and the environment in which they are growing. Sunlight, water, and…

Pruning is a great way to prevent spread of diseases like oak wilt Late winter is the ideal time to prune branches on trees, according to experts with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. When done correctly, pruning in the winter is less risky to tree health. “Now through early March – just before trees…

By Katie Drewitz, U of M Extension University of Minnesota Extension Educators are excited to bring you the third annual Gardening from the Ground Up Zoom webinar series. Free virtual workshops will take place from 1-2:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, Feb. 22-25, each afternoon. The series will cover a wide variety of topics ranging from soil nutrients,…

By Kristine Moncada and Maggie Reiter, University of Minnesota Extension November is usually not a time most people think about doing yard work, besides raking excess leaves. However, if you want to start a bee lawn, we are near the best time of year for that task. Seeding after the current growing season is over…

By Katie Winslow, U of M Extension The rain over the past week has helped to green up many of the lawns that had gone dormant over our summer heat and drought. As we head into September, it is time to start thinking about our fall lawn care. This year, perhaps more than ever, what…

By Katherine Gathje, U of M Interim Extension Educator Apple scab is the most common disease among apple trees in many states. It is caused by a fungus that affects the appearance of the leaves and fruit. Here are some ways to identify apple scab and manage the disease. Apple scab creates noticeable spotting on…

By Matt Russell, Extension Forestry Specialist As of July 1, 2021, approximately 80% of Minnesota is experiencing at least a moderate drought. Severe drought conditions are prevalent in several western and southern Minnesota counties. Coupled with the month of June 2021 being the second hottest on record in Minnesota, trees are facing difficult conditions to…

By Katie Drewitz, U of M Extension Over the past several weeks I have received a few insect identification questions that resulted in the six-spotted tiger beetle. Most often when I am writing about or discussing insects, I’m doing so to inform you on the status and prevention measures for emerald ash borer, spotted wing drosophila,…

By Katie Drewitz, U of M Extension This year’s growing season is off to a fairly dry start in Central Minnesota. Your trees, lawn, and gardens may be noticing the lack of rain. There are a few things you can do to provide your plants with water while not compromising their health or root vigor.…