Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) is a popular conifer in many Kentucky landscapes; however, this species is subject to browning as a result of various environmental and disease problems. In Kentucky, brown needles on white pine are often caused by…

The Plant Disease chapter in the Master Gardener Manual (Figure 1) focuses on those living organisms that cause disease: fungi, water molds, bacteria, viruses, nematodes, phytoplasmas, and parasitic plants. Large, color pictures (Figure 2) that depict selected stages in various…

Diagnosis of “No Disease” (PPFS-GEN-11) Extension Agents and growers may occasionally receive diagnostic reports from a University of Kentucky Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory that indicate “no disease was found.”  The following fact sheet provides possible reasons behind this diagnosis. Diagnosis…

A variety of mushrooms can be seen in landscape mulch, in lawns, on forest floors, and in open meadows after autumn rains.  For many, there may be a temptation to gather and eat these wild mushrooms or toadstools.  Unfortunately, there…

Alfalfa seeded during late summer or fall is susceptible to the destructive disease Sclerotinia crown and stem rot. Fall-seeded stands are particularly vulnerable to this disease because the young seedlings do not have sufficient time to develop adequate resistance before infectious spores…