Nursery Pest and Disease Update 5/15/2023

In this edition:

  • Insects:
    • Scale crawler emergence
    • Borer insects
    • Upcoming problem pests / Redheaded flea beetle / SLF / Pest Scouting Guides
  • Diseases:
    • Leaf spot / foliage disease management
    • Fire blight on Rosaceous hosts
    • Canker fungi
    • Boxwood blight
    • Oomycete root diseases (Phytophthora, Pythium, Phytopythium)
  • Plant Spotlight:
    • NJ native azalea species

Please click “read more” below to get updates on pests, diseases, and other important resources for the week of 5/15/2023.

[Read more…]

Central Jersey Turf and Ornamental Institute, February 22

Central Jersey Turf and Ornamental Institute

February 22, 2023: 8:00 am – 3:30 pm

Battleground Country Club

1 Covenhoven Rd, Manalapan, NJ 07726

 

Approved NJDEP Pesticide Credits*

Core – 2 units
1A – 1 units
2 – 4 units
3A – 6 units
3B – 3 units
6B – 1 unit
8C – 9 units
10 – 8 units
PP2 – 9 units

ProFACT NJ Certified Fertilizer Applicator – 3 credits

Registration Fee: $120 (includes continental breakfast and lunch)

To register online, visit: go.rutgers.edu/CJTOI

Full Brochure and Registration form can be downloaded here: CJTOI Brochure 2023

For registration questions, call 732-398-5262

Note: This is an in-person event.

 

Agenda

8:00 AM – Continental Breakfast and Sign-in

8:45 – 9:45 AM
Pesticide Safety, Regulations and IPM Update
George Hamilton Ph.D.
Specialist in Pest Management
Rutgers, NJAES

9:45 – 10:30 AM
Integrated Approaches to Controlling Tree Root Diseases
Timothy Waller
Agriculture & Natural Resources County Agent III
Cooperative Extension of Cumberland County
Rutgers, NJAES

10:30 – 11:30 AM
Fertilization for Low Maintenance Turfgrass Varieties and Updates on Recommendations
James Murphy Ph.D.
Specialist in Turfgrass Management
Rutgers, NJAES

11:30 – 12:15 AM
Right Plants in the Right Place as part of an IPM Program
William Errickson
Agriculture & Natural Resources County Agent III
Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County
Rutgers, NJAES

12:15 – 1:15 PM Lunch (Short Presentations from Associations and Rutgers Programs – TBD)

1:15 – 2:00 PM
Key Insect Pests on Oak (Quercus) – Identification, Life Cycles and Control Strategies
Steve Rettke
Program Associate
Rutgers Greenhouse and Nursery Program
Rutgers, NJAES

2:00 – 2:45 PM
Integrated Management Programs for Problematic Weeds in Turfgrass
Matthew Elmore Ph.D.
Specialist in Weed Science
Rutgers, NJAES

2:45 – 3:30 PM
New and Emerging Problems in the Urban Forest
Richard Buckley
Director – Rutgers Plant Diagnostic Laboratory and Nematode Detection Service
Rutgers, NJAES

3:30 PM Pesticide Credits and Adjourn

Central Jersey Vegetable Growers Meeting, February 24

Central Jersey Vegetable Growers’ Meeting

February 24, 2023: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm

Monmouth County Agricultural Building

4000 Kozloski Rd., Freehold, NJ 07728

 

Approved NJDEP Pesticide Credits
CORE – 2 credits
1A – 8 credits
PP2 – 8 credits
10 – 6 credits

Registration Fee: $25 (includes coffee, light refreshments in the morning and lunch)

Full Brochure and Registration form can be downloaded here: CJVGM brochure 2023

For registration questions, contact Cathy VanBenschoten at 732-431-7260 or email at Catherine.VanBenschoten@co.monmouth.nj.us

Note: This is an in-person event.

 

Agenda

8:30 am to 9:00 am:
Registration

9:00 am to 10:00 am (1 hour)
Pesticide Safety & Compliance Tools for Commercial Vegetable Growers
-Patricia Hastings

10:00 am to 10:30 am (30 minutes)
Field Trial Updates from the NJAES Specialty Crop Research and Extension Center
-William Errickson

10:30 am to 11:30 am (1 hour)
Updates on Vegetable Disease Control
-Andy Wyenandt, Ph.D.

11:30 am to 11:45 am (15 minutes)
Updates from the USDA NRCS and FSA
-Clare Flanagan
-Gabi Grunstein

11:45 am to 12:00 pm (15 minutes)
Grown in Monmouth
-John Ciufo

12:00 pm to 1:00 pm (1 hour)
LUNCH

1:00 pm to 1:15 pm (15 minutes)
RU Ready to Farm: Rutgers Beginner Farmer Program Update
-Brendon Pearsall
-Bill Hlubik

1:15 pm to 1:30 pm (15 minutes)
Food Safety Update
-Meredith Melendez

1:30 pm to 2:30 pm (1 hour)
Integrated Pest Management for Vegetable Growers
-Steve Rettke

2:30 pm to 3:00 pm (30 minutes)
Updates for Weed Management in Cole Crops
-Thierry Besancon, Ph.D

3:00pm
Pesticide Credits and Adjourn

 

 

Nutrient Management for Christmas Trees

Joseph Heckman, Extension Soil Fertility

Whatever the crop, soil testing and record keeping are guides to sustainable soil fertility and nutrient management.  When soil tests levels are low, Christmas tree growers should attempt to build soil fertility levels into the optimum range.  And once that goal has been achieved, growers should focus on maintaining soil test levels in the optimum range.

This practice requires information on balancing fertilizer amendments with crop nutrient removal.  In the case Christmas Trees, this means nutrients associated with harvest of cut trees.  Rutgers NJAES has this type of data already built into an extension fact sheet: Soil Fertility Recommendations for Christmas Trees   https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1187/

For nutrient management purposes it is useful to know what a harvested or cut Christmas Tree removes from the soil.  On average, a harvest of 100 cut Christmas Trees contains 29 lb. Nitrogen, 3 lb. Phosphorus, 8 lb. Potassium, 12 lb. Calcium, 2 lb. Magnesium, and 1 lb. Sulfur.

An average fresh cut Christmas Tree that is 92 inches tall may be expected to have a fresh weight of about 48.5 lb.  Water typically makes up about 54% of a fresh cut tree weight.  Thus, on a dry basis a cut tree would have a weight of about 22.4 lb.

Tree recycling and mulch making are now common in many communities.  If the trees are shredded the nutrient content data above can be used to estimate the nutrient density of the resulting wood chips.

Reference:

Zinati, G., J.R. Heckman, and M. Vodak. 2016. Nutrient Removal by Christmas Tree Harvest. Journal Plant Nutrition. 39: 1506-1512.

Rutgers Specialty Crop Research and Extension Station Field Tour

Join Rutgers Cooperative Extension and the Monmouth County Board of Agriculture for a FREE twilight walking tour of some of the current research projects that are happening at the Rutgers Specialty Crop Research and Extension Center in Cream Ridge.

Rutgers Specialty Crop Research and Extension Station Field Tour

September 20, 2022

5:30 – 7:00 pm

FREE

Location: 283 Route 539, Cream Ridge, NJ 08514

Pesticide License Recertification Credits Available

  • 1 credit CORE (BASIC SAFETY & HANDLING)
  • 2 credits PP2 (PRIVATE APPLICATOR CATEGORY)
  • 2 credits 10 (DEMONSTRATION & RESEARCH)
  • 2 credits 1A (AGRICULTURAL PLANT)

To register or for more information, contact Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County at 732-431-7260 or email Catherine.vanBenschoten@co.monmouth.nj.us

 

Agenda

5:30 to 6:00 pm: Welcome, Sign-in, and Refreshments

6:00 to 6:15 pm: “Integrated Pest Management for Beginning and Experienced Farmers”

  • Brendon Pearsall – Beginner Farmer Program Coordinator, Rutgers, NJAES, RCE

6:15 to 6:30 pm: “Low Input Native and Ornamental Plant Trials”

  • Bill Errickson – Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent III – Monmouth County Rutgers, NJAES, RCE

6:30 to 6:45 pm: “Growing Ginger and Turmeric in in Moveable High Tunnels”

  • Bill ErricksonAgriculture & Natural Resources Agent III – Monmouth County Rutgers, NJAES, RCE

6:45 to 7:00 pm: “Honey Bee, What’s in Your Pollen? Residuals and Pollen Diversity in Relation to Colony Health”

  • Chelsea Abegg – NJAES – ANR Soils and Plant Technician

7:00 to 7:30 pm: Sign-out for Credits, Course Evaluations

7:30 pm: Monmouth County Board of Agriculture Meeting

 

Flower in pot Flowers in field Plants in field

Descriptions of Presentations

6:00 to 6:15 pm

“Integrated Pest Management for Beginning and Experienced Farmers”

Brendon Pearsall – Beginner Farmer Program Coordinator, Rutgers, NJAES, RCE

RU Ready to Farm: Getting Rooted in the Garden State – The Rutgers NJAES Beginner Farmer Training Program has just concluded its first year of hands-on training at the Specialty Crop Research and Extension Center in Cream Ridge. The program team will discuss the process of leading 12 first-time farmers through the planning and production of a 46-share CSA program. This year featured many challenges, and the students got to put their IPM training to good use as they were confronted with various pest and disease issues. We will highlight some of the techniques used to minimize the need to spray, including mechanical controls, attracting beneficial insects, and frequent scouting.

 

6:15 to 6:30 pm

“Low Input Native and Ornamental Plant Trials”

William Errickson, M.S. – Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent III – Monmouth County Rutgers, NJAES, RCE

Selecting native and ornamental plants that are well-adapted to the growing conditions in our region can greatly reduce pest and disease issues in the landscape, leading to a reduction in pesticide use, while enhancing the ecosystem services that are provided. This presentation will showcase heat and drought tolerance evaluations of field-grown native ornamental grasses, sun and shade tolerance of container-grown native azaleas, and recent introductions to the All America Selections ornamental plant program.  Specific pest and disease challenges will be discussed in addition to managing abiotic summer stress while limiting the amount pesticides, fertilizers, and water required in the landscape.

 

6:30 to 6:45 pm

“Growing Ginger and Turmeric in in Moveable High Tunnels”

William Errickson, M.S. – Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent III – Monmouth County Rutgers, NJAES, RCE

Fresh baby ginger and turmeric are high-value specialty crops that can be produced in high tunnels in NJ. While ginger is generally a reliable low-input crop, it can be susceptible to soil-borne pathogens if specific cultural practices and crop rotations are not followed. This project evaluates ginger and turmeric production in moveable high tunnels in comparison to field grown ginger. Specific disease problems, controls, and cultural practices will be discussed.

 

6:45 to 7:00 pm

“Honey Bee, What’s in Your Pollen? Residuals and Pollen Diversity in Relation to Colony Health”

Chelsea Abegg – NJAES – ANR Soils and Plant Technician

Something is happening to the honey bees that New Jersey blueberry and cranberry crops depend on and now beekeepers are raising their service fees or refusing to bring their bees to New Jersey crops. With colony health declines during and shortly after NJ pollination services, we will discuss what factors could be influencing these colony declines and how Rutgers is working to the solve the problem.

Green Industry Native Plant Survey

Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth, Cumberland, and Middlesex County have developed a brief needs assessment survey to gain a better understanding of the educational materials and technical resources that are needed in the nursery and landscape industries to help promote the production and marketability of native plants.

If you operate a nursery, greenhouse, or landscape business in NJ and grow native plants (or have an interest in starting to grow native plants), please fill out this 5-minute online survey to help Rutgers Cooperative Extension develop resources and programs to support our green industries.

Survey Link: https://go.rutgers.edu/ojkdrelv

Or scan the QR code below to access the survey:

For more information contact Bill Errickson, Agriculture Agent RCE of Monmouth County: william.errickson@njaes.rutgers.edu  732-431-7260

Printable Flyer: RCE Native Plant Survey Flyer