Rain Barrels

What is a rain barrel? A rain barrel can be any large container designed to collect rain water. Typically, rain barrels are placed at the bottom of downspouts in order to collect rain as it runs off of a roof. For every inch of rain that falls on 1,000 square feet of roof, about 600 […]

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Master Gardener Program FAQ Updates 2022

Master Gardener Program FAQ Updates 2022  Why the change? The Wisconsin Extension Master Gardener Program implemented a revision of the program on January 1, 2022. This change addressed Extension’s new staffing model and adoption of UW-Madison Policy and Procedures; additionally, it addresses known program confusion, addresses participant diversity, and improves program delivery.  Status quo was […]

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Responding to the Avian Influenza Outbreak

The current avian influenza outbreak is not thought to pose a risk to human health or to food safety but it is highly toxic to birds, including backyard poultry flocks.  As of April 2, 2022 the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announced a confirmed case of the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPIA) in a […]

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Soil Testing

Lawn & Garden Soil Testing La Crosse County UW-Extension offers soil testing Why, when and how: Sampling Lawn and Garden Soils for analysis What you get: Analysis of current nutrient content of your soil including: organic matter, lime requirement, potassium, phosphorous. . Current soil pH. Recommendation of type and amount of fertilizer to add. Allow […]

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How to Deal with Japanese Beetles

Managing Japanese Beetle Adults & Grubs While Minimizing Impacts on Pollinators Established in Wisconsin in the 1990s, the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) is a voracious defoliator of many landscape and garden plants. Roses, birches, lindens, grapes, raspberries, Norway maples, beans, apples, plums, crabapples, elms, beech, asparagus, and rhubarb are some of its favorite plant species. Typically, Japanese […]

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Asian Giant Hornets, or a look-alike?

Lately, we are getting many questions, and submissions of insects suspected to be Asian Giant Hornets for identification by our our Agriculture Educator, Kaitlyn Davis. Most of these submissions have been the Cicada Killer Wasp. Click for more information!

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