TIP! Fix your plants!

Got plant problems? Not anymore!

April 14, 2015; 7:00 AM • by Ross Catrow

First things first: you should know that I am terrible at plants. Once, I had this lemon tree that I loved with all of my heart and when it died because I forgot about it for an entire week I was very sad–as sad as you can be over something that you forgot existed for seven days, I guess.

Anyway, while writing about our ever-growing beer scene and an opportunity to learn about growing hops, I stumbled across the Virginia Cooperative Extension. This is a thing that greener thumbs than I probably know all about, but I had no idea!

One of the many services they provide is diagnosing ailing plants and identifying disconcerting bugs! Got some weirdness growing up your azaleas? Found a pile of smaller insects slain in front of a large and disturbing insect’s burrow? Just submit a sample to the VCE and they’ll identify the problem and provide control recommendations. You can send samples through the mail or drop them off at any Chesterfield County library.

This is so neat, and, assuming that I can get a single plant to live to the point where bugs and disease are a problem, I will be contacting them often!