Plant Care

All Plant Care Content
Coneflower with Aster yellows disease.

Aster Yellows Phytoplasma

Aster yellows is a phytoplasmal disease carried and introduced by aster leafhopper. It is known to infect over 80 different plant families, as the aster leafhopper has extremely broad feeding habits.

hand examining clump of soil organic matter

Soil: It’s Not Just Dirt

Most soils are complex ecosystems with worms, insects and microscopic organisms, which all work together in helping plants grow.

Young man shoveling a pile of compost.

Organic Gardening: Soil Management

Gardeners throughout South Dakota are experimenting with organic gardening. While the adoption of organic gardening methods can be daunting, learning some fundamental soil management concepts will set the foundations for success.

Two dandelions side by side. The left has a bee foraging on it. The right has a hover fly foraging on it..

Should I Get Rid Of My Dandelions?

While there is much appeal to having a lawn that is free of other plants, there can be benefits. Some weeds that are sprayed out of lawns, including dandelions, can serve as early-season food sources for pollinators.

fruit and vegetable garden with raised beds

Fertilizing Gardens in South Dakota

Publication about fertilizing gardens in South Dakota

Hand collecting seeds from a flower head.

Saving Seed: Will the seed produce plants similar to the plant it was collected from?

It can be very rewarding to harvest and save seed of ornamental and vegetable plants. But why is it that sometimes when we plant the seed we saved, the results do not seem to be very like the plant we collected the seed from?

Rose rust disease symptoms on the tops and bottoms of leaves.

Rose Rust

Common rust of roses is a fungal disease that is found throughout the United States. While hot and dry summers limit the prevalence of the disease, it surfaces when weather conditions are cool and wet.

Raised bed garden container.

Gardening in Raised Bed and Containers in the Northern Great Plains

Fact sheet for anyone interested in gardening in raised beds or containers, especially those that may have limited space or of various physical abilities.

Rose leaves with dark black to purplish spots throughout.

Black Spot Disease in Roses

Black spot is a recurring fungal disease in roses that will decrease the vigor and blooms of rose plants if it is not managed. Learn some expert tips for identifying and managing it in your gardens.

A group of raised ground beds with crops growing in them at McCrory Gardens in Brookings, South Dakota.

SDSU Extension 2024 Garden Hour webinar series starts May 7

May 02, 2024

The fourth season of South Dakota State University Extension’s popular Garden Hour webinar series starts May 7, 2024.