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Flowers, Fruits, and Frass

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Spruce Spider Mite by Sarah Hughson

  Now that temperatures are beginning to fall in Illinois, conditions are becoming favorable for spruce spider mite Spruce spider mites are typically active in spring and fall when temperatures are cool and become inactive during the hot summer months. Active mites will feed on various...
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Overwintering Tender Plants by Brittnay Haag

Overwintering Tender Plants Indoors Looking to save a little money on plants next spring? Have a plant that is special to you? Finally found the perfect shade of pink annual plant and want to keep it for next year? Now is the time to take action- bring your plants indoors before...
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Tree planting this fall by Kari Houle

Fall is coming, and that means it's a great time to bring home a new tree. But before they do,homeowners should repeat the mantra"right plant, right place," according to Kari Houle, University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. "If you have space for a tree that can only be 30 feet tall...
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Fall is the right time to divide some perennials

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – If your garden has a vigorous perennial that has been in the garden for more than a few years, or it has started to choke out other plants and no longer looks healthy (dead centers, floppy and unable to support healthy foliage and flowers), then it may be time to divide....
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Fearful looks aside, spiders can be lovable

Many homes are being purposefully adorned with abnormally large, scary black spiders and their webs to hinge on the fact that a large percentage of the population may suffer from the fear of spiders, known as arachnophobia. In contrast to most of America, I suffer from arachnophilia, a love of...
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Brown spots in the lawn

Many who have been seeking out the McLean County Master Gardener help desk have been complaining of brown patches in the lawn. Unfortunately, most lawn ailments present themselves as unsightly browning in a sea of lush green. The following are some of the potential culprits. If the grass is brown...
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Fall Carrots for a Holiday Harvest

Eliot Coleman, author of The Winter Harvest Handbook, says "sweet winter candy carrots are his most acclaimed winter crop." He states "the tastiness resulting from growing in the fall weather elevates the humble carrot to another plane." Many gardeners who have experimented with spring grown vs....
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