Garden Help Desk

Back to Nature Cotton Burr Compost

Ben HenryMay 17, '20

Healthy soil is said to consist of 45% minerals, 25% air, 25% water, 3% to 5% organic matter, and 1% live soil organisms. All of these ingredients are important, but most important are the organic matter and soil organisms. Without them, soil would be virtually sterile and incapable of sustaining...

How to Fight Early Blight

Ben HenryMay 17, '20

The month of August is almost here. Keep up with feeding and proper watering. Do routine inspections for insects. Aphids and white flies are now a problem. Early detection is the key to control. Pesche’s Garden Center offers both organic and natural controls. It won’t be long before you’re enjoying...

The Four Lined Plant Bug is a Real Thug!

Ben HenryMay 17, '20

The four–lined plant bug, Poecilocapus lineatus which is easily identified by the four black strips running down its back, has a wide range of hosts including: fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs, and cucurbits. Many of our customers have brought in plants that a covered with a series of ugly, purple spots....

Tags: Pests, summer

Rose Bush Slugs

Ben HenryMay 17, '20

As the weather finally warms up the bad bugs show up. The rose slug skeletonizes leaves on roses. Several of our customers mistook the damage for a disease. Rose slugs look more like caterpillars than slugs. They are the larvae of primitive wasps called sawflies. There are three species: the...

Tags: Pests, Roses, summer

House Plant Pests in Winter

Ben HenryMay 17, '20

Uugghh! Bugs! Did you have your houseplants outside this summer?Did you bring any new plants home?Did you re–pot any plants recently? This cold winter our customers are bringing in an abundance of houseplant leaf samples with various insect problems. Homes that lack humidity create favorable environments for insects like spider...