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Horticulture Day: Where the Experts Go When They're Stumped

Ddryden87

Every once in a great while, a caller on Horticulture Day will ask a question that the Hort Gang just can't answer. When our experts are stumped, we turn to the Iowa State University Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic.

On this edition of Talk of Iowa, Charity Nebbe talks with members of the Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic and takes calls from listeners, 

One caller asks whether he should transplant a tree using a tree spade. Iowa State University Extension Horticulture Specialist Richard Jauron cautions, "It can be difficult, because when you dig up the tree, you are cutting off some of the root system."

Jauron continues by saying, "And if we have a long, hot, dry period, it's going to be hard for that tree to absorb enough water, even though you keep it well watered, so I probably wouldn't do it in the heat of the summer. Late summer's a good time, like late August-early September, because by then, the weather is moderating, and we shouldn't have any extreme events as far as weather-wise, but it does give the tree a few weeks to get established before winter. So that's a pretty good time, and then very early in the spring is also a very good time."

Also joining the discussion: Laura Iles, director of the Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic at ISU and Lina Rodriguez Salamanca, plant pathology diagnostician at ISU.

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InsectsHort Day
Charity Nebbe is the host of IPR's Talk of Iowa