Spotted Lanternflies: Pause Before Your Spray | |
As invasive spotted lanternflies move into more areas of Maryland, here are important considerations:
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Spotted lanternfly is mainly a nuisance pest in residential gardens and landscapes and has not been shown to significantly damage otherwise healthy plants. They cannot chew plants as they have a straw-like mouthpart and suck up juice from plant stems (not from fruit or leaves).
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Spraying pesticides, including home remedies, can do more harm than good when it comes to spotted lanternflies in residential greenspaces. Any chemicals can potentially harm other animals, including pollinators and beneficial insects.
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Consider more sustainable management options or leaving spotted lanternflies for predators like birds, spiders, and praying mantids to feed on.
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Be aware of spreading inaccurate information and sensationalized media. Check your sources and be sure you are referencing science-based information.
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Social Wasps: Yellowjackets, Hornets & Paper Wasps
Our updated resource page includes a downloadable picture guide to help you identify some of Maryland's most common social wasps. You can also send photos to us for ID help.
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Phytotoxicity: Chemical Damage to Garden Plants
Pesticides, cleaning agents, and salts can damage garden plants in various ways. The risk of damage can be higher during drought and when temperatures are above 85℉.
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July is the time to start your fall vegetable garden! Many things can be grown for fall (and even winter and early spring) harvests. You can sow seeds for kale, broccoli, collards, turnips, lettuce, spinach, chard, carrots, and more. Placing a row cover fabric over your plants in the fall can provide protection from cold to extend your growing season. Check out these resources to get started:
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VIDEO: How to use row cover to protect crops from pests | |
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In May, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed the Agriculture and Biodiversity Protection Act, which went into effect on June 1, 2024. This new law will change the regulation of invasive plants in Maryland. Invasive plants are non-native species that cause harm to the economy, environment, or human health.
Currently, 6 plants are prohibited for sale in Maryland. The new law will expand this list. Updated regulations will be posted on the Maryland Department of Agriculture website.
Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas is a field guide you can use to identify and manage terrestrial and aquatic species that are threatening our region.
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Browning Lawn
Q: What do I do to bring life back to my yard?
A: Turfgrass dieback can be hard to diagnose, especially from a viewing distance, since many symptoms overlap, but we think several factors are contributing to this situation...
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Do you have a gardening question? Our Certified Professional Horticulturists, faculty, and Master Gardener Volunteers answer questions - year-round! | |
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2024 Climate and Biodiversity Action Webinar Series
Select Wednesdays, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. | FREE
This year's theme is regeneration. Join Dr. Sara Via, Professor and Climate Extension Specialist, for webinar discussions on these topics:
- July 17 - Regenerating Home and Municipal Landscapes
- August 7 - Regenerative Agriculture and Other Fixes to the Food System
- August 28 - Rewilding: Regenerating Communities and Ecosystems
- September 18 - Progress in the Energy Transition
Recordings will be available afterward. | Details and registration
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Help advance conservation efforts by collecting valuable data on the plants and animals around you. It can be as easy as taking photos and uploading them to a shared data platform like iNaturalist.
These are some ongoing community science projects you can participate in.
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Follow our blog to learn about pollinator conservation, growing native plants and food, and how to solve plant pest and disease problems. | |
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Featured Article
Master Gardener Erica Smith shares an update on the first tomato providing ripe fruit on her deck this year -- 'Veranda Red.'
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Next time you're on campus, the University of Maryland's Arboretum & Botanical Gardens invites you to take the self-guided Mindful Moments walking tour. This tour and its mindfulness prompts were created in collaboration with the Faculty & Staff Assistance Program and the University's Health Promotion & Wellness Services. See the campus from a new perspective and utilize the resources of the only arboretum in Prince George's County to connect with yourself in nature. | |
Tour of Backyard Basecamp
August 2 | 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Baltimore, MD | |
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Visit BLISS Meadows, a 10-acre land reclamation project, where we operate an urban farm and educate our community on how to grow, harvest, cook, survive, and thrive in the outdoors.
Our tour will be led by Aitya Wells, the Founder and Executive Director of Backyard Basecamp, Inc. - a nonprofit with a mission to (re)connect Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to land and nature.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate, please contact Stephanie Pully at pully@umd.edu or 410-531-1754 by July 19th.
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Planting Trees in a Changing Climate
September 12 | 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | Online
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Learn how trees contribute to a more resilient community and get tips for choosing and planting trees on your property with Robert Shaut, Director of Tree Operations at Casey Trees. Topics will include how climate change impacts trees, choosing the best trees for your property, and tips on planting and caring for your trees.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate, please contact Steph Pully at pully@umd.edu or (410) 531-1754 by August 29, 2024.
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The University of Maryland Extension programs are open to any person and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression.
©2024 University of Maryland College of Agriculture & Natural Resources
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