Plant

All Plant Content

An orange beetle with black spots and a white head sitting on a green leaf

Lady Beetles of South Dakota

A guide for monitoring, properly identify, and promoting the growth of lady beetles.

strawberries growing on a vine in a pot

Strawberries in South Dakota

Learn how to grow junebearing or everbearing strawberries in home gardens.

a person putting tomatoes into a bag.

Growing Tomatoes in South Dakota

Few vegetables inspire us more than home-grown tomatoes, bursting with vine-ripe flavor. Tomatoes are easy to grow in containers or in the ground, and are excellent sources of vitamins A and C, as well as cancer-fighting lycopenes.

A crate filled with fresh vegetables.

Blossom End Rot on Tomatoes and Other Vegetables

Publication about the symptoms, causes and management of blossom end rot on tomatoes and other vegetables.

rows of leafy vegetables growing in a raised bed

Growing Asparagus

Publication about growing asparagus.

Three common aphids. From left: Green peach aphid colony. Potato aphid colony. Foxglove aphid on the underside of a pepper leaf.

Are Your Pepper Plants Covered With Aphids?

During this time of the growing season, it is common to observe aphids on garden plants, including peppers. However, when dense aphid populations are present, they can reduce pepper yields and cause rapid plant health decline.

beetle with metallic green head and red wings resting on soybean leaf

Japanese Beetles

Japanese Beetles (Popillia japonica) are pest beetles feed on trees, ornamental plants and food crops.

Gray tear drop shaped bugs feeding on a yellow squash.

Squash Bugs Are Active and Ready to Kill Your Plants

Squash bugs are a headache for gardeners almost every year in South Dakota. As their name implies, squash bugs feed on squash along with many other cucurbits. Injury caused by extensive feeding appears as wilting and may result in the death of infested plants.

Green leaves with notches along the edges

What Is Feeding on My Lilac Bushes?

There have been multiple reports of mysterious defoliation occurring on lilac bushes.The defoliation is often described as notches showing up around the edges of the leaves, resembling the edge of a saw blade.

Orange beetle with black stripes and a red head on a green leaf.

Blister Beetles Causing Problems in Gardens

Typically, we don’t see a lot of issues with blister beetle feeding in gardens. However, when they show up, blister beetles can rapidly defoliate plants.