Landscape, Ornamentals, Nursery, and Turf Edition

Seasonal updates on ornamental, nursery, and turf pests.
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January 29, 2025

You’re Invited: Farm Viability Extension Specialist Candidate Seminars

Three top candidates for the position of Extension Specialist in Farm Viability have been invited to campus for multi-part, in-person interviews. We invite all members of the agricultural community to attend the candidates’ stakeholder seminars.

These seminars will take place at the Middlesex County E.A.R.T.H. Center located at 42 Riva Ave, North Brunswick Township, NJ 08902 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. on the following dates. We welcome you to attend in person, but a Zoom option is available. Email kbrown@njaes.rutgers.edu for Zoom attendance troubleshooting. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: ,
January 21, 2025

REGISTER NOW – Stop the Bleed Training at NJACTS

Flyer for a Stop the Bleed TrainingA Stop the Bleed® training will take place at the NJ Agricultural Convention and Trade Show on Thursday, February 6, 2025 from 10 AM to 12 PM. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn the life-saving skills of pressure application, wound packing, and use of tourniquets. Registrants for this free training will also receive a complementary bleeding control kit.

Space is limited, secure your spot today!

To attend, you must first register for the NJ Agricultural Convention and Trade Show. Single and multi-day passes are available on the VGANJ website.

Then, email Kate Brown (Ag Agent, RCE-Somerset County) at kbrown@njaes.rutgers.edu to reserve your spot for the training. Please include participant’s name and a contact phone number.

Questions? Email kbrown@njaes.rutgers.edu.

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With:
January 17, 2025

Take the NJ Organic and Regenerative Farming Survey

The New Jersey State Organic and Regenerative Farming Board, in collaboration with Rutgers Cooperative Extension, is conducting an anonymous online survey to better understand organic and/or regenerative farmers production practices, current resources used, and needs. Fill Out the survey here: https://go.rutgers.edu/z23g6ei7

Who can take the survey: Farm business owners, prospective farmers, agricultural service providers, farm employees are invited to participate in this survey.

What will be done with the survey results: This information will be used to justify program creation, budget requests, and resources developed.

Survey Incentives: Respondents are eligible to receive a Jersey Fresh baseball cap, courtesy of the NJ Department of Ag. Show a screenshot confirmation of survey completion to a ORF board member to receive your cap. Caps will be given out in person at the NOFA-NJ conference on 1/25 and the NJ Ag Convention on Feb 4-6

Survey Link: https://go.rutgers.edu/z23g6ei7

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Organic Production, Vegetable Crops
January 15, 2025

Central Jersey Turf & Ornamental Institute

February 28th, 2025

8:30 am – 3:30 pm

at the Monmouth County Agricultural Building

4000 Kozloski Road

Freehold, NJ  07728

Registration: $75 (includes morning refreshments and lunch

CJTOI Brochure 2025

For registration questions, contact Cathy VanBenschoten at 732-431-7260

or email to Catherine.VanBenschoten@co.monmouth.nj.us

DEP Pesticide Credits Applied For:

Core – TBD

PP2 – TBD

1A  – TBD

2  – TBD

3A  – TBD

3B  – TBD

6A  – TBD

6B  – TBD

7A  – TBD

8A  – TBD

8B  – TBD

8C  – TBD

9  – TBD

10  – TBD

13 – TBD

 

 

Program Agenda

8:30 – 9:00 AM            Registration/Sign-in

 

9:00 – 10:00 AM          Pesticide Safety Regulations and Updates

George Hamilton Ph.D. – Specialist in Pest Management, RCE, Rutgers, NJAES

 

10:00 – 10:30 AM        Mosquito Management for Green Industry Professionals

Dina Fonseca Ph.D. – Professor, Chair Dept. of Entomology, Director, Center for Vector Biology, Rutgers University

 

10:30 – 11:00 AM       Managing Ticks in NJ

 Emily Fontaine – Program Coordinator, NJTicks4Science, Rutgers University

 

11:00 – 11:15 AM       Break

 

 11:15 – 11:45 PM        IPM Essentials for Ornamentals

William Errickson – Monmouth County Agricultural Agent, RCE, Rutgers, NJAES

 

11:45 – 12:15 PM       Boxwood Best Management Practices

Timothy Waller Ph.D. – Cumberland County Agricultural Agent, RCE, Rutgers, NJAES

 

12:15 – 1:00 PM          LUNCH

 

 1:00 – 1:30 PM           Managing Invasive Plants

Michele Bakacs – Middlesex County Natural Resources Agent, RCE, Rutgers, NJAES

 

1:30 – 2:00 PM            Mites: Magnificent Marvels of Miniature Malevolence

Steve Rettke – IPM Program Associate, RCE, Rutgers, NJAES

 

2:00 – 2:30 PM             Things to Consider Before Applying Fungicides to Control Turfgrass Diseases

Ming-Yi Chou –  Extension Specialist in Turfgrass Pathology, Rutgers University

 

2:30 – 3:00 PM           Innovations in Weed Management

Matthew Elmore Ph.D.  – Extension Specialist in Weed Science, Rutgers University

 

3:00 – 3:30 PM           Implementation of Best Establishment Practices Can Reduce Weed Encroachment and Herbicide Use

Bradley Park – Researcher in Turfgrass Management, Rutgers University

 

3:30 Pesticide Credits, Evaluations, Adjourn

 

This Annual Event is Hosted by Rutgers Cooperative Extension

 

Filed Under: Landscape, Nursery, & Turf Tagged With: , , , ,
January 14, 2025 and

REGISTER TODAY – NJ Ag Convention Coming Soon

We are only days away from the start of the 2025 NJ Agricultural Convention and Trade Show at Harrah’s in Atlantic City starting on February 3rd to February 6th. The convention has evolved over the years to include much more than vegetable topics. See the graphic below or the VGANJ website convention program for a list of expanded topics.

Nursery growers – we have a full day for you. Do you raise livestock? We have a new session for you. Want to learn about agricultural policies? Come to the session on Tuesday morning hosted by Rutgers Cooperative Extension Director, Brian Schilling and colleagues from the State Agricultural Development Committee. Need to learn about Food Safety Regulations, we have both a session and a workshop for you. USDA will be hosting sessions on Tuesday to promote programs for farmers. There are too many more topics to put into text so please check out the program on the VGANJ website. 

Need pesticide recertification credits? This year the workshops and sessions will help you fulfill the obligation to obtain those credits. Monday afternoon hosts a 6-CORE credit workshop that requires a separate special registration. Check out the program and how to register on the VGANJ website.

Have you registered for your hotel rooms yet? If not please use the room block and register online at https://book.passkey.com/GO/SHVEG5 or call to make Room Reservations on the phone at 1-888-516-2215 (8:00am-2:00am EST, 7 days a week), Group Name: New Jersey Vegetable Growers. Group Code: SHVEG5. There are plenty of rooms left in the room block, but the pre-registration ends soon, so reserve your rooms today. Please reserve your rooms through the group block to help us meet our obligations for the convention contract. 

Don’t miss the great Tuesday events. There is a FREE “Lunch and Learn” on Tuesday (sign up for tickets at registration on Tuesday, limited to 100 participants) in the back area of the trade show hall with time to meet with vendors and also discussion with the new NJ Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Wengryn. Tuesday night hosts a charity auction and if you attended last year, you know how great this event is with food, drink, and time to catch up with old friends and make new friends in farming. Thanks to VGANJ Secretary, Darcy Perehinys the Tuesday events will once again have amazing food! Lots of prizes from our sponsors will be available for bid at the Charity Auction. If you haven’t attended this event in the past, don’t miss it this year as it is much improved from years past. Tuesday is a big day and with the Lunch and Learn and Charity Auction Happy Hour – if you attend both these events you can eat for free!!!!

One more event you won’t want to miss is the annual awards banquet on Wednesday night. Tickets can now be purchased online on the VGANJ website. This year’s NJ Vegetable Grower of the Year award goes to Brian Porch, of Porch Farms in Salem County, NJ. The award will be presented by VGANJ President, Jim Abma. Come help us celebrate Brian and all the other award winners who will be honored by the NJ Department of Agriculture. 




Filed Under: Agrivoltaics, Blueberry, Christmas Trees, Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, pesticide credits, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, vegetable, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape, work shop Tagged With: ,
January 13, 2025

Horned Oak Galls & Gouty Oak Galls: Two Exceptions to the Rule

Curiosity of Plant Galls:

Explaining the unusual gall growths or deformities in plants can be challenging. Different galls can be found on virtually any plant part, including leaves, flowers, twigs, bark, or buds of trees and shrubs. Galls caused by insects or mites can typically be identified by the characteristic size, shape, color, and structure that develops.

Insect/mite galls are produced by the interaction of plant hormones with strong plant-regulating chemicals released by the gall maker as they feed. The immature larvae live their entire lives within an individual gall, which provides excellent protection for the larvae as they feed and mature.

This blog contains information on horned and gouty oak galls. When the number of galls infesting an oak is few, tree damage is insignificant. However, tree injuries become more severe when gall numbers reach high levels.   

Maple Bladder Gall Mites

Curious & colorful leaf galls created by maple bladder galls mites may cause alarm to some people but they are mostly harmless. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)

Maple Bladder Gall Mites

An extreme infestation of horned oak galls on branches of pin oak tree. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Plant Diagnostic Lab