The Doctor Will See Your Plant Now

ANA CRISTINA FULLADOLSA’S latest patient isn’t showing a positive on the virus test strip. A culture is inconclusive. And talking about symptoms? Forget about it.

That’s because it’s a sickly strawberry, sent to Fulladolsa to examine as director of UMD’s Plant Diagnostic Lab. For nurseries, farmers and landscapers across Maryland, she’s their own “Dr. House,” investigating languishing leaves, rotting roots and deformed daffodils.

[When a Plant Disease Stumps Others, a UMD Lab Investigates]

“Every day, you’re solving a puzzle,” says the assistant research professor. She works closely with state and national agencies as well as the University of Maryland Extension to monitor new diseases and pests, prevent outbreaks and educate the public. She offers these tips on how to grow healthy plants:

Don’t just dig a hole, plop some daisies in it, then love them not. Ask the nursery for advice on watering and fertilizing, and consider first getting a soil test to understand pH and nutrient levels.

“Sometimes we really want a particular plant in our garden, but it’s not adapted for this environment,” Fulladolsa says. Native species are best, but no matter what, consider rainfall, sun exposure and space before you plant.

If your favorite maple starts losing its leaves prematurely, or your vibrant azaleas are looking yellow and patchy, “the problem’s not going to go away,” she says. Waiting to take action can make it harder or more expensive to manage, or might even doom the plant.

Marylanders can contact Extension’s Home and Garden Information Center online for help; equivalent offices are a great resource in other states. If Extension experts don’t have the answer, they’ll bring in Fulladolsa to do more digging.