Maintain and Solve Problems
Step 6: Solve Common Problems
Solving Garden Problems, From Pests to Weeds
Don’t let issues in your garden get you down. Learn how to deal with common garden problems quickly and efficiently, with expert advice from Master Gardeners and Extension Service experts. Explore the resources linked below or contact the Garden Help Desk.
Animal & Bird Pests
We all love wildlife, but not so much when they damage our landscape! Learn the methods to control animal and bird pests with our Gardening Basic guides.
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Preventing Bird Damage To Fruits (Garden Basics Series)
AgriLife
Controlling Tree Squirrels in Urban Areas (AgriLife)
Controlling Woodpecker Damage (AgriLife)
Managing Armadillo Damage (AgriLife)
Managing Feral Hog Damage (AgriLife)
Managing Mole Damage (AgriLife)
Managing Opossum Damage (AgriLife)
Managing Raccoon Damage (AgriLife)
Environmental Damage
From freezing weather to blistering heat and drought, North Texas weather can wreak havoc on your garden. Our guides will help you protect your plants and help them recover from environmental damage
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Grasses
The North Texas climate can wreak havoc on your lawn. Learn to manage common issues in your turfgrass with our Gardening Basics guides.
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Gardening Basics
Brown Patch in St. Augustine Grass (Gardening Basics Series)
Brown Patch in Zoysia Grass (Gardening Basics Series)
Turf Inquiry (Gardening Basics Series)
AgriLife
A Homeowner’s Guide to Herbicide Selection for Warm-Season Turfgrass Lawns (AgriLife)
Earth-Wise Guide to Lawn Problems (AgriLife)
Mowing Recommendations for Warm-Season Turfgrasses (AgriLife)
Preemergence Herbicide Guide for the Home Lawn: A Quick Guide for Homeowners (AgriLife)
Insect Pests
Insect pests in your gardening can be maddening. Learn to efficiently manage pests in your garden with eco-friendly methods with our Gardening Basics guides.
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General Resources
How to Identify Bugs (Gardening Basics Series)
Insect Inquiry (Gardening Basics Series)
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) (Gardening Basics Series)
Specific Pests
Aphid Control in Vegetable Gardens (Gardening Basics Series)
Asian Giant Hornets or Cicada Killers? (Gardening Basics Series)
Bagworms (Gardening Basics Series)
Crapemyrtle Bark Scale (Gardening Basics Series)
Emerald Ash Borer (Gardening Basics Series)
Fall Armyworms (Gardening Basics Series)
Fire Ant Control (Gardening Basics Series)
Grubworms (Gardening Basics Series)
Oak Gall Insects (Gardening Basics Series)
Pine Bark Beetles (Gardening Basics Series)
Scorpions (Gardening Basics Series)
Spider Mites (Gardening Basics Series)
Southeast Asian Hammerhead Flatworm (Gardening Basics Series)
Plant Diseases
Plant diseases can be controlled by combining cultural, biological, and chemical procedures. Our Gardening Basics guides will help you choose the best method for each situation.
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General Resources
Dormant Season Fruit & Nut Spraying (Gardening Basics Series)
Rose Rosette & Black Spot
New research tackles rose rosette, black spot diseases (AgriLife, HTML)
Rose rosette continues to plague garden roses (University of Missouri Extension, HTML)
Specific Diseases
Black Spot on Roses (Gardening Basics Series)
Blossom End Rot (Gardening Basics Series)
Boxwood Blight (Gardening Basics Series)
Brown Patch in St. Augustine Grass (Gardening Basics Series)
Brown Patch in Zoysia Grass (Gardening Basics Series)
Brown Rot in Plums (Gardening Basics Series)
Cotton Root Rot in Rose of Sharon (Gardening Basics Series)
Fairy Rings in Lawns (Gardening Basics Series)
Plant Identification
Do you need to determine if you have poison ivy or Virginia creeper in your landscape? Learn how to identify plants with our Gardening Basics guides.
Trees & Shrubs
Healthy trees and shrubs are an important investment in our properties. Our Gardening Basics guides will help you identify and solve problems to keep them looking beautiful.
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The Root
Hiring a Certified Arborist (The Root, August 2022)
Pecan Trees Don’t Produce (The Root, December 2018)
Post Oaks Dying/Rapid Decline (The Root, September 2019)
Gardening Basics – General Resources
Tree Inquiry (Gardening Basics Series)
Dormant Season Fruit & Nut Spraying (Gardening Basics Series)
What’s Wrong with My Tree? (Gardening Basics Series)
Gardening Basics – Specific Diseases & Insects
Boxwood Blight (Gardening Basics Series)
Brown Rot in Plums (Gardening Basics Series)
Cotton Root Rot in Rose of Sharon (Gardening Basics Series)
Crapemyrtle Bark Scale (Gardening Basics Series)
Emerald Ash Borer (Gardening Basics Series)
Oak Gall Insects (Gardening Basics Series)
Pine Bark Beetles (Gardening Basics Series)
Twig Girdlers (Garden Basics Series)
Texas Plant Disease Handbook (AgriLife)
Texas Plant Disease Handbook (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension)
Cedar, Juniper, Arborvitae, and Cypress
Oklahoma State Univesity Extension (OSU Extension)
Weeds
Our Gardening Basics guides cover the basics of different weed control options, including mechanical, chemical, and environmentally friendly practices.
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Gardening Basics
Controlling Dallisgrass (Gardening Basics Series)
Poison Hemlock vs. Wild Carrot (Queen Anne’s Lace) (Gardening Basics Series)
Pre-emergence Herbicide in an Established Rose Bed (Gardening Basics Series)
Using Broadleaf Weed Herbicides (Gardening Basics Series)
Virginia Creeper vs. Poison Ivy (Gardening Basics Series)
Weed Control without Chemicals (Gardening Basics Series)
AgriLife
A Homeowner’s Guide to Herbicide Selection for Warm-Season Turfgrass Lawns (AgriLife)
Preemergence Herbicide Guide for the Home Lawn: A Quick Guide for Homeowners (AgriLife)
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