The Ortho Problem Solver

Environmentally correct methods do often work. Some will do nothing about pests no matter what because they fear any interruption in the wildlife.

I purchased the book because of the information it has in a variety of other areas--soil PH, lists of pests/fungus/other and photos of the damage they do, and overall general information. It is a very interesting and comprehensive reference book. It has a good layout with several sections.


This book is the "missing link" to solving garden problems.   July 26, 2001
 21 out of 22 found this review helpful

Having just completed training in the Master Gardener program in our state, I found that I still needed a better visual reference to correctly identify garden problems. Recently, while shopping for a pesticide, I was able to pinpoint my exact problem because the store had prominently displayed a copy of "The Ortho Problem Solver" by Michael D. Smith! Its brilliant photographs and easy to understand narratives were surpassed only by its explicit and wonderfully cross-referenced index feature. I was unable to tear myself away - and kept calling my husband over to help me remember photos for later diagnosis at home.

As a serious photographer, I was able to appreciate the clarity and specificity of the photographs - and as a gardener, I was determined to own my own copy of this book immediately! (I will only be disappointed with this purchase if a newer version of the book is published before I receive my copy!)


Master Gardener Comments:   June 25, 2001
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

This book is the best source I have found to help diagnose plant problems. The fifth edition has better color pictures than previous editions, and it is wider to allow more space for the pictures and writing. Of course, since it is an Ortho book, the product recommendations are for Ortho products. However, this gives the reader a clear indication of the type of compound they should consider for control. Well worth the money for the avid gardener.


You pay for Ortho's ads   July 18, 2000
 60 out of 64 found this review helpful

This book was a bit of a disappointment to me. The information is not as extensive as it first seems with it's 1000 plus pages. 143 pages are product labels which I see as a platform for advertisement of ortho products. Most solutions to plant problems refer the reader almost exclusively to one of it's own products. Another disappointment is the repetitive word for word descriptions of particular plant problems that many plants have in common. That may be unavoidable to some extent because there can only be a few ways to describe things that are similar but I was surprised at the exact duplicate wording throughout the book. I think it is a good reference in general but I feel that anyone who purchases such an expensive reference should know what they are paying for. Had I known ahead of time, I don't think I would have spent the money. Multiple resources such as Sunset's Western Garden Problem Solver, Rodale's Garden Insect, Disease & Weed Identification Guide, and other Complete Garden books can give you the same information with less biased solutions at a lower cost.