Plant M.D.

8 Responses to “Plant M.D.”

1. Amy Reply 03. Oct, 2011 at 1:02 pm

   I have a white pine (about 6′ tall).It’s interior needles are black and I noticed what looks like asian beetles on it. I have 3 other white pines in the vicinity that look healthy. Can I treat this tree, and do I have to worry about the healthy ones? Thanks!

2. Margie Reply 29. Aug, 2011 at 10:19 am

   We have a flowering crabapple that did not bloom this year. The leaves have been falling since late Spring. Could it be Apple Scab?
   Also, our maple tree’s leaves have been falling since July. They have not turned color yet. Is there a disease the maples get now?

3. Sandy Reply 17. Aug, 2011 at 11:56 am

   What is the easiest rain barrel to make?

   • Tim Nacey 19. Aug, 2011 at 9:45 pm

     Here is what we did:

     Bought 4 55 gallon food grade plastic barrels (watched craigslist for postings-we were lucky and paid $5 each

     Bought 4 bulkhead fittings from Minnesota Wanner, a irrigation supply company. Some people just caulk a hose bib inside a hole, but we wanted something more durable. You just drill a hole in the side of the barrel close to the bottom, and push one end of the bulkhead fitting through the hole from the inside and screw the outside “nut” on and you have a solid fitting. The bulkhead fittings are about $5 each.

     The bulkhead fitting has threads inside so if you wanted you can just screw a hose bib into it. We don’t like the hose bibs because the water volume comes out REALLY slow, so we installed Gilmour brand spigots that let much more water flow. The Gilmour spigots cost about $6 (plus you’ll need a nipple that screws into the bulkhead fitting and then the spigot screws onto the nipple-about $2).

     So, for $18 dollars each, you have a solid long lasting high volume rain barrel.

     Our barrels didn’t have removable covers, so we used a sabre saw and cut an opening in the top for our downspout. We have 4 barrels, providing 220 gallons of rainwater storage.

4. Tim Jergenson Reply 11. Aug, 2011 at 11:43 am

   This is a test question from tj. What steps are necessary to dry, cure and store black walnuts?

   • PlantDoc 29. Aug, 2011 at 10:51 am

     My grandfather always used to bag up the walnuts in a burlap bag in the garage through the fall. The nuts would dry enough to take the husks off and then he would spend the winter months cracking the shells in a vise in the basement. We always got a nice bag of nuts for Christmas or Easter as time allowed.

5. Kimi Reply 09. Aug, 2011 at 11:05 am

   Worms eating needles of Blue Spruce

   • Plant Doc 29. Aug, 2011 at 10:53 am

     The worms are probably sawfly worms but are too mature to treat now chemicaly. Soon they should be pupating and you will be able to pick them off by hand if still Necessary

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