My Hostas are under attack from Pill Bugs or Roly-Polies! The best way to eliminate pillbugs (Armadillium vulgare) is to destroy their breeding and hiding sites.  Eliminate unnecessary piles of leaves, grass clippings and mulch. Flower pots, planters, dog houses,...

What is causing brown spots on my coleus? Coleuses are wonderful annuals for Parker County with their colorful foliage, tolerance of summer heat and ease of propagation. They like shade from the afternoon Texas sun and even moisture but not constantly wet feet. They...

Many north Texas homeowners are noticing unsightly silken webs appearing on a variety of trees this summer. One of the most common foliage feeding caterpillars in north Texas is the fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea. Despite its name, the fall webworm is active...

Is there something that can be sprayed on plants while they are dormant to rid them of insects before they do damage? You can rid your defenseless trees and shrubs of inconspicuous killers by using a prophylactic spray. The spray that should be used is referred to and...

Cankerworms are a major defoliator of broad leaf trees in east and central Texas. Such outbreaks of cankerworms are not predictable and reach high levels with little warning. Cankerworms pose a threat to broad leaf trees. Early detection and control measures are...

January-February is a good time to control scale insects on evergreen shrubs and trees such as camellias, hollies, bay laurel, myrtle, euonymus, citrus, photinias and boxwood through use of a horticultural oil spray. Fruit trees may be sprayed at this time of year in...

1. Yellow Woodsorrel  Oxalis stricta 2. Carolina Geranium Geranium carolinianum 3. Annual Sow-thistle Sonchus oleraceus 4. Dollarweed Hydrocotyle sp. 5. Henbit  Lamium amplexicaule 6. Bristly Mallow  Modiola caroliniana 7. Dandelion Taraxacum officinale 8. Horse...

Scale can be a problem on purple wintercreeper euonymus although not as bad as on euonymus shrubs. If you notice white or manila spots on the leaves of this groundcover, check the underside of the leaves and if you see scale you can control it. Also if the plants seem...

What do you do about leaf-rollers on Cannas, Vinca Minor and Vinca Major?   Systemic insecticides are a special group of insecticides that are taken up into the plant through its leaves or through its roots. Unlike most insecticides that remain on the foliage,...

Is black mold on a bag of peat moss dangerous to breathe? It is never a good thing to breathe black mold. If you find this before making your purchase, leave it alone and go to another bag. If you have already purchased the bag and for some reason you then find the...