Dormant oil sprays Home orchardists often under value the importance of applying a dormant oil spray to their fruit trees. Dormant oil sprays are typically applied to the point of run off to the branches and trunks of fruit trees to control over wintering adult insects and insect eggs that were...

January is not too early to start to plan for a new home orchard or to consider replacements for aging fruit trees in an existing home orchard. There are several different kinds of fruit trees to consider, apple, cherry, peach, pear, and plum. Since we are in the northern portion of Illinois,...

Now that you have cleared off the coffee table and the kitchen counter from the holiday catalogs, the next pile will be gardening solicitations and more catalogs.   Historically, this time of year was when gardeners ordered to get the hard-to-find seeds, perennial plants, and certain varieties of...

We winterize everything else, why not the home orchard? Now is the time to prevent problems later by spending some quality time with your fruit trees. Rodent damage to the trunk at the soil line happens when grass is left to grow tall next to the trunk. Remove the grass and weeds using hand...

Recent warming temperatures signals the beginning of the pruning season. Gardeners may need to just help nature shape up a shrub that did not read the rule book on how it should look, or they may begin...

Note: this is the fourth post in a series on fruit trees. Read part one. For fruit growers, nothing may be more disappointing than finding insect and disease damage on our produce. It is...

Note: this is part three of a series on fruit trees. Read part one. Whether you have an orchard or just a few fruit trees in your...

Note: this is part two of a series on fruit trees. Read part one. Whether you have a single fruit tree or a...

Note: this is part one of a series on fruit trees You don’t need space for a full orchard to plant and enjoy fruit trees in the home landscape. However, where you place those fruit trees – whether it’s a whole...

January begins the annual flight of vegetable, flower, and fruit tree catalogs to your mailbox (or your email inbox). Depending on your level of gardening, the catalogs may arrive frequently and in mass. It used to be you received a...

We winterize the lawn mower, why not the home orchard and landscape? Now is the time to prevent problems later, by spending some time with your favorite young trees and fruit trees. Rodent damage to the trunk...

The weather can, does, and will influence foliage disease each year, starting in the early weeks of spring. While early spring was a long time ago, many diseases are now quite visible in the home landscape. Ornamental flowering crabapples and apple trees have had...

Emails to the office this time of year are always a mix of “When can I…?” or “Is it too late already to…?” kinds of questions. Here are three common examples: Q: When should I be putting down crabgrass preventer? A:...

Our plants will break dormancy at different times each spring. This depends on, as you can guess, the kind of weather we have. Besides the warming weather, “chilling hours” influence how soon we see bud swell and blooms....

University of Illinois Extension and Master Gardener Help Desk phone lines have seen more action recently, especially when it comes to what can be done outside. Here are a few that may ring a bell for many homeowners: Q:            I am going to...