Pests & Weeds Archives - Page 2 of 30 - Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com

Summer tips from Orleans County Master Gardeners

Here are just three of the many tips in the garden checklist for July from the Master Gardeners of Orleans County. Find lots of details within those tips–and more!–here. Do you have gardening questions? Contact the Master Gardeners in Orleans County here. If you live in a different county and have questions, find your Cornell Cooperative Extension office here…....

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Jul 1, 2025

Box tree moth now detected in Chautauqua County

by Connie Oswald Stofko Chautauqua County is now the fourth county in Western New York where the box tree moth has been identified, according to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The other counties where box tree moths have been identified are Niagara, Erie and Orleans. Box tree moths are invasive insects that can quickly damage or kill boxwoods. The other counties in Western New York—Genesee, Wyoming, Cattaraugus and Allegany—haven’t yet detected box tree moths. If you…...

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May 27, 2025

How to get rid of invasive thistle in WNY

by Connie Oswald Stofko There are two kinds of thistles you might have in your garden now: the Canada thistle and the bull thistle. Both have these harmful traits: The bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) is fairly easy to dig up with a shovel. You can see more at WNY PRISM about the bull thistle and what it looks like. On the other hand, the Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) is a gardener’s nightmare, so we’ll concentrate on that. (See more here…...

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May 13, 2025

Potted flowers & more gardening tips from Orleans County Master Gardeners

Here’s a bonanza of tips that you can use now from the Master Gardeners of Orleans County. Plus, for folks in Orleans County, the Master Gardeners are launching a program to encourage gardeners to support pollinators Save your spring holiday flowers If you received potted flowers this spring, you may be able to keep them going outside in your garden. See this article by Nancy Walker, Master Gardener. What to do in your garden now See the great list of…...

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May 13, 2025

Lots of rabbit damage this winter: why?

by Connie Oswald Stofko The rabbits killed half of my blackberry bush; only three healthy canes, or stems, are left. My neighbor’s five-foot rose of Sharon that she has been nurturing for ten years looks like a skeleton. Many gardeners around Western New York have the same question: Why was there so much damage from rabbits this winter? First of all, we have a lot of rabbits in Western New York, said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in…...

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May 6, 2025

Sick tree? Get help for free

The Forest Health Research Lab is available year-round to help your tree health problems at no cost. This isn’t just for forests; you can ask questions about pests or diseases for a few trees or a single tree. The folks at the research lab can identify the problem and provide recommendations. Start by submitting a report form. The more information you provide, the easier it will be for them to identify the problem and help you find a solution. They will…...

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May 6, 2025

Who has been in your garden? See winter tracks

by Connie Oswald Stofko If you’re like me, anytime you see tracks in the snow, especially if they are near a plant that has been nibbled on, you assume it’s rabbits. But sometimes I get surprised—we occasionally have deer, too. Or the random skunk. How can you tell what has been in your garden? You can get help with these Winter Tracks from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. In addition to drawings, there’s helpful text, too. For…...

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Feb 11, 2025

vegetable garden with fencing to keep out rabbits in Cheektowaga NY

Random tip: keep rabbits out of veggies

by Connie Oswald Stofko We’re not ready to plant vegetables outside yet, but this is a good time to plan for spring. Here’s an idea for keeping rabbits out of your vegetable garden. I saw these raised beds in the yard of Beth and Brian Kreutzer in Cheektowaga. I think these garden beds are genius: simple, fairly easy to build and a solid defense against pesky rabbits. You can tell the fencing works by the healthy vegetables! The Kreutzers’ patch…...

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Jan 28, 2025

Plant garlic now, plus more from WNY Gardening Matters

It’s time to plant garlic. Find out about that and more in the newest edition of WNY Gardening Matters, produced by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Erie County. See these articles:…...

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Oct 22, 2024

Help trees; scrape off spongy moth eggs

Now through spring, you can help protect your trees by looking for and destroying spongy moth egg masses, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Egg masses appear as fuzzy, brown patches and can be found on trees, firewood, lawn furniture and other hard surfaces. Each egg mass contains 600-700 eggs. To get rid of the eggs, scrape them off into hot, soapy water. The spongy moth (formerly called gypsy moth) isn’t native; it came from France. Spongy…...

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Oct 15, 2024