MSU Extension Gardening in Michigan

Smart Gardening Videos

• Smart Gardening to Deter Deer - Using Barriers Effectively

  Published on October 15, 2024

  In this video, you will learn about using barriers in your garden to protect against deer nibbling, and rubbing on your plants.

• Smart Gardening Webinar: Captivating Caterpillars

  Published on July 22, 2020

  Join Lepidopteran lover Dr. Duke Elsner in a look at many types of caterpillars that may be munching on your gardens.

• Saving Monarchs: What you plant can make a difference

  Help monarchs by planting milkweeds and a variety of flowers that bloom throughout summer and fall. Monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed. The butterfly survives on nectar from various flowers and so needs blooming flowers all summer and fall

• Matching Native Plants to Your Yards Needs

  Smart Gardening: A homeowner explains his yard’s challenges, and how they’re met with native plants.

• Smart Reasons to Choose Native Plants

  Smart Gardening: Lawns and waterfronts benefit from using native plants.

• New for 2020: Smart Gardening: When and How to Prune Ornamental Plants - 1-Minute Version

  There are many reasons to prune ornamental plants. Watch this 1-minute Smart Gardening video from Michigan State University Extension to learn more about when and how to prune ornamental plants in your landscape.

• Smart Gardening for Pollinators

  How to protect and support bees, butterflies and other pollinators in your yard and garden.

• Mulching leaves into turf

  Tips on leaf mulching to prepare your lawn for the fall.

• Mulching to control weeds

  Tips on mulching to efficiently control weed spread

• New for 2020: When and how to prune ornamental plants with examples of plants that can be pruned to the ground

  Watch this short Smart Gardening video from Michigan State University Extension for basic tips for pruning shrubs and small trees. This version includes images of some plants that can be cut back down to the ground for a rejuvenating pruning.

• Controlling grubs in lawns and turfgrass

  Learn how to mow your lawn, how to fertilize and how much to water your lawn to control grubs.

• Smart Gardening to Deter Deer

  How to deal with deer damage in your yard or garden with three Smart Gardening Tips: (1) Choose SMART plants that deer do not like; (2) Apply SMART repellants to deter deer; and (3) Create SMART barriers to block deer.

• Soil Tests

  Tips on performing soil tests to learn your crop needs

• Healthy, smart soil

  Tips on soil compositions that benefit plants the most