University of Illinois Extension

Blog Posts (43)

What’s the real deal with cover crops and SCN?

Manage brown rot of peaches and other stone fruit in the garden

Managing brown rot of peaches and other stone fruit in the garden. Peach fruit infected with brown rot. Fruit is covered in brown fuzzy mass.

Corn tar spot disease monitoring in Illinois

corn tar spot

You don’t know what you have till it’s gone

Breeding elms to combat Dutch elm disease

A mature American elm at Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL

How to get fruit plants ready for winter: Start preparing for a successful harvest

How to get fruit plants ready for winter: Start preparing for a successful harvest. Unharvested apples and apple mummies in an apple tree.

Garden tips to transition to fall

Aster Yellows on Coneflower

This purple coneflower is infected with aster yellows, which produce odd and deformed flowers that can actually be interestingly attractive at times, but must be controlled to limit infection of other susceptible species in the landscape.

What's wrong with my lilac? Summer foliar diseases on lilac

diseased lilac leaves

Protect apple foliage and fruit with a spray schedule

close up of red apples on a tree

Don’t lose your crabapple and apple foliage

apple blossoms

Manage pests and disease in home orchards

Kissing under the mistletoe – A holiday favorite with a dark side

European mistletoe with green leaves and white berries on a wooden table

Dealing with plant pandemics

Tobacco mosaic virus on petunia

Crop disease forecast for 2021

hands holding a telescope looking to the future

Emerald Ash Borer and Other Species Eliminating Pests or Pathogens

Black Walnut

Sycamores

Gardening with Natives

Idea Garden Tropicals on the Move

Weather influences foliar disease

Should we paint tree wounds?

wound sealer painted on a tree wound

Why are some plants’ leaves white now?

Bacterial Leaf Scorch Infecting Illinois Oaks

This pin oak tree tested positive for bacterial leaf scorch and displays the most distinctive symptoms characterized by brown leaf margins, a colorful band and green tissue along leaf veins.

How plants and pests begin preparing for fall

Late summer questions to the Master Gardeners

Tomato Care

Tomatoes are one of the most planted garden crops in the US, with several common problems here in central Illinois that can be managed through fairly simple cultural practices.

Virtual Field Days Coming to a Screen Near You

mobile phone screen with an image of a corn and soybean field and a person in the field saying "hello"

Plant Pathogen Spread

The alien-looking fingers protruding from these crabapples release spores that can infect trees in the juniper family to perpetuate cedar-apple rust disease.

Top 5 early summer topics for gardeners

Too Much Moisture, More Tree Problems

Maple anthracnose, via U of I plant clinic

Sycamores and Anthracnose

Sycamores across central Illinois are late to leaf out this year due to a commonly occurring fungal infection.

It's time to think about corn nematodes

corn seedlings

Two trees you should never plant in Illinois - Colorado blue spruce and Callary Pear

Colorado blue spruce is a non-native, commonly planted landscape tree that suffers from many issues here in Illinois.

Trouble(s) with Cucurbits

squash bug nymphs feeding on pumpkin vines

Spring clean-up from another perspective

Trouble(s) with Tomatoes

a green tobacco hornworm on a tomato stem

Sick plants? No problem! UIUC Plant Clinic still open!

a dead soybean plant

Peach Leaf Curl

Peach leaf infected with peach leaf curl

Opportunities for on-farm research in 2020 with University of Illinois

aerial view of a combine harvesting corn

Rapid Response to Ramorum Blight

This rhododendron shoot is infected with the pathogen Phytopthora ramorum, displaying the typical symptoms of ramorum blight. PC UI Plant Clinic

Training your Apple Tree

apples in tree

Scouting in the Garden

News Releases (9)

Guide outlines steps to take when pesticide drift occurs

Six ways to keep your hosta foliage looking great

Extension offers best gardening tips for fall season

Backyard landscape or garden got you stumped? Request advice from Master Gardeners

Become a U of I Extension Master Gardener

Keep houseplants happy with simple solutions

When to worry about needle drop on white pine trees

Unsightly black spots on maple leaves won’t harm trees

Emergence of downy mildew threatens Illinois basil crop

Staff (2)

chelsea harbach's face

Chelsea Harbach

Extension Educator, Commercial Agriculture

Ken Johnson Staff Photo

Ken Johnson

Horticulture Educator