Blossom End Rot

If you have tomatoes with a sunken, brown leathery patch on the bottom of the fruit, you probably have blossom end rot. Though most common on tomatoes, blossom end rot…

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Hornworms on Tomatoes

Hornworms are the largest larval insect commonly seen in the garden. Though usually seen on tomato, they can also attack eggplant, pepper, and potato. The larval stage of this insect is…

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Vegetables: Disease and Pests

Tomato Leaf-Spot Diseases     This time of year, two common leaf-spot diseases appear on tomato plants. Septoria leaf spot and early blight are both characterized by brown spots on…

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Flowers:​ Sidedressing Annual Flowers

Modern annual flowers have been bred to flower early and over a long period of time. They are not as easily thrown off flowering by high nitrogen levels as vegetables…

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Making Hummingbird Nectar

Making your own nectar couldn’t be easier.  In a few easy steps, you can bring these nectar-loving birds to your feeder. Materials: 1/4 cup of refined white sugar 1 cup…

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Moving Houseplants Outside for the Summer

It is often helpful to set many houseplants outside for the summer so they can recover from the low light levels endured during the winter months. As soon as night…

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Thinning Excess Fruit

Some areas of Kansas have avoided late freezes resulting in a heavy fruit crop this year. At first glance, this might seem to be a good thing. But too many…

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Missouri Master Gardener State Conference

September 16-18. Registration opens May 15. Three daysof trips, tours, advanced and continuing education highlighting horticulture in the Kansas City metro.Conference is hosted by the Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas…

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Fertilizing Cole Crops

If you planted cole crops such as cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower earlier this spring, we are near the time when they will need a little fertilizer boost. These plants need…

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