Welcome to the UConn Home & Garden Education Center, we're here to help you grow!
The UConn Home & Garden Education Center (HGEC) is a horticultural informational resource for the citizens of Connecticut and beyond. The staff at the Center reach nearly 400,000 citizens in outreach efforts each year.
Important Announcements
Send images, description of symptoms or problems, and any other information/questions to Ladybug@uconn.edu
The UConn Plant Diagnostic Lab is operational.
Samples may be mailed or dropped off directly to the lab or to the UConn Home & Garden Education Center. Both are in Ratcliffe Hicks at the Storrs campus. For more information on how to collect and submit a sample, please visit https://plant.lab.uconn.edu.
UConn HOME & GARDEN EDUCATION CENTER HOURS: MONDAY - FRIDAY, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
Tree Curiosities
Knowledge to grow on
Fact Sheet Spotlight: Organic Lawn Care
Monthly Gardening Tips for Connecticut & Gardening Tips for May
Newsletter for current horticultural news & events.
View our June newsletter or visit our newsletter archives.
Current Newspaper Articles and Archives:
Read Spring Lawn Care Tips
or visit our archive.
UConn Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
The UConn IPM program educates growers and the general public about the judicious and safe use of organic and synthetic pesticides and alternative pest control methods. The program incorporates all possible crop management and pest management strategies through knowledgeable decision-making, utilizing the most efficient landscape and on-farm resources, and integrating cultural and biological controls.
Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG)
The mission of the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group is to gather and convey information on the presence, distribution, ecological impacts, and management of invasive species; to promote uses of native or non-invasive ornamental alternatives throughout Connecticut; and to work cooperatively with researchers, conservation organizations, government agencies, green industries, and the general public to identify and manage invasive species pro-actively and effectively.
Ticks & Tick Testing
The two species of ticks most likely to be encountered in Connecticut are the wood or American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) and the smaller black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus) often called the deer tick as white-tailed deer are a favored host. Both carry diseases but it is the black-legged one that can transmit Lyme disease, human babesiosis and human granulocytic anaplasmosis.
Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory - Tick Testing Options
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station-Information on Submitting Ticks
CAES: Spotted Lanternfly, New Invasive Insect
The Spotted Lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula (White), an invasive planthopper, was discovered in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2014. It is native to China, India, Vietnam, and introduced to Korea where it has become a major pest. This insect attacks many hosts including grapes, apples, stone fruits, and tree of heaven and has the potential to greatly impact the grape, fruit tree, and logging industries. Early detection is vital for the protection of Connecticut businesses and agriculture.
Diagnostic Services
Plant Diagnostic Laboratory
The UConn Plant Diagnostic Laboratory diagnoses plant problems including diseases, insect pests and abiotic causes.
Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory
The Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory processes about 14,000 soil samples annually. Samples are routinely tested for a variety of major and minor plant nutrients, lead and pH.
