Christmas Trees Edition

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Seasonal pest alerts and news about insects, diseases, and weeds impacting Christmas Tree production including Commercial Ag Updates (meetings and marketing); and Pesticide Program updates from the Rutgers Pest Management Office News Blog.

Companion Website Links:

Rutgers Weather Forecasting - Meteorological Information important to commercial agriculture.

Nursery IPM.

August 21, 2023 and

Snyder Farm Twilight Tour & Meeting, Wed. August 23, 2023

collage of hemp, a drone and agrivoltaic installation at Rutgers Snyder Farm

Twilight Tour and Meeting*
Fiber Hemp Production
Drones in Agriculture
Agrivoltaics Research

Date/Time:
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
6:00 – 8:00 PM

Location:
Snyder Research and Extension Farm
140 Locust Grove Rd.
Pittstown, NJ 08867

This program is offered to assist producers, and anyone interested in learning more about Fiber Hemp Production and current Agrivoltaics research in NJ.

Topics Include:

  • Tour of Rutgers Fiber Hemp Plots
    See what the hemp is going on with production and management. Is hemp viable in NJ?
  • Drone sprayers and ground driven sprayers in agriculture
    Learn how drones can be used in agricultural production. Learn the requirements for applying pesticides using drones.
  • Tour of Rutgers Agrivoltaics Research Plot
    Learn about current and planned agrivoltaics research at Rutgers. Are agriculture and solar energy production compatible?

For more information contact:  RCE, Sussex County  973-948-3040

*Pesticide credits pending

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Nursery, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , ,
August 21, 2023

Soil Fertility from Non-Commercial Nutrient Sources

All essential plant nutrients cycle through the ecosystem of soil, water, air, plant, microbe, and animal.  Agronomic information about the composition and beneficial use of waste materials and how the nutrients can be recycled can help growers reduce the need to purchase soil fertility inputs.  Many different types of non-commercial nutrient sources are available in New Jersey.  Examples include horse manure with bedding, shade tree leaves, lawn clippings, wood chips, food waste, coffee grounds, eggshells, wood ash and more.

With 43,000 horses in New Jersey, there is an abundance of horse manure produced.  One horse can produce about 65 pounds of manure plus bedding per day.  The quantity of horse manure is substantial on a statewide basis.  Unfortunately, sometimes horse manure goes to landfills when it should be used to build and sustain soil fertility.

The Soil Profile Newsletter 2023 issue posted at Rutgers NJAES explains how to build and maintain soil fertility harnessing the nutrient supplying ability of horse manure and many other types of non-commercial materials.  The chemical composition and soil fertility value of each material is presented for beneficial use.  Available on the web at Rutgers NJAES ‘The Soil Profile’: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/soil-profile/pdfs/sp-v28.pdf

Filed Under: Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: , , ,
August 16, 2023

NJDA Ag Recycling Program — 1 CORE Credit Award: See Dates for Atlantic, Monmouth, & Salem Sites

Pesticide container disposal is offered to agricultural, professional, and commercial pesticide applicators who hold a NJDEP pesticide license. One core credit will be given to pesticide license holders who follow required processing steps and bring their license with them at time of collection.  The program accepts non-refillable, high-density polyethylene #2 (HDPE) containers that are no […]
Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops
August 13, 2023

Private Applicators: NJDEP August Mailing of 2024 Invoices & Recertification Credit Status

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has mailed out pesticide license credit status to applicator, operator, and dealer mailing addresses of record. If you have not received your notice please review “NJDEP Pesticide Licensing & Registrations – 2024 Pesticide License Renewal Information“. If you are a Private Pesticide Applicator with a license expiration of […]
Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops
August 4, 2023

Bilingual Labeling: Parts of Pesticide Labels Will be Required to Also Be In Spanish

EPA Seeks Public Comments to Ensure Information on Bilingual (Spanish) Pesticide Labels Reaches the Hands of America’s Farmworkers [Posted to EPA OPP Update August 3, 2023]. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public comments on how to make bilingual pesticide labeling accessible to farmworkers. As part of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of […]
Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops
July 20, 2023

Christmas Tree Pest Notes for July 2023

Cooley Spruce Gall Adelgid (1850-1950 GDD = galls open): Colorado spruce (especially green forms), Sitka and Oriental spruce, and Douglas-fir share this pest’s two host life cycles. Mature adult females lay eggs at the tips of branches. These eggs hatch and the immatures move to new growth and start feeding. The combined feeding and salivary secretions induce the development of a bright green, oval “pineapple” gall on the terminals (as opposed to galls at the base of new growth on Norway spruce from the Eastern spruce gall adelgids). By midsummer, the gall will turn brown and crack open, as the adelgids within mature and emerge as adults. These winged adults migrate to Douglas-fir (or another spruce) and spend the remainder of the summer feeding on the needles, covered with cottony wax.

Coolly Spruce Gall Adelgid = dead, open gall

During late July or early August the adult Cooley spruce gall will emerge from the opened brown pineapple shaped galls. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)

Sometimes Douglas-fir is so heavily attacked that needles are spotted, bent, or distorted. Two or more generations can occur on Douglas-fir through the following season (Christmas tree growers will treat Douglas-fir when new growth is 3-4 inches). By next fall another winged generation flies back to spruce and lays eggs for the cycle to repeat itself.

Cooley spruce gall adegid

Adelgid nymph within protective cottony wax feeding on Douglas-fir needle. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)

Control by pruning out galls when seen; place sticky traps out in late summer (Douglas-fir or spruce) (1850-1950 GDD) to determine the timing to spray adults with insecticidal soap (+ sticker). Some of the tip “pineapple” galls on spruce have already opened up, and the winged adults have emerged. Except to improve the aesthetic appearance of the trees, there is nothing to be gained by picking off the galls after they have opened. Future control windows will occur during the fall or early spring months, against the overwintering females located at the bases of terminal buds. Some possible treatments include horticultural oil, carbaryl (Sevin), insecticidal soap, or imidacloprid (Merit).

The Christmas Tree Pest Notes Blog for July 2023 also contains a few additional insect pests. Those included below are pine needle scale, pitch mass borer, white pine weevil, & some comments regarding cicada killer wasp predators.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Christmas Trees