With warmer weather comes plant growth. The most conspicuous plants in the lawn and landscape right now are winter annuals such as hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta), henbit (Lamium amplexicaule), purple deadnettle (Lamium purpureum), and chickweeds (Stellaria media and Cerastium fontanum ssp. vulgare), to name a few. In lawns, these winter annuals are typically found in […]
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April 4, 2023 Tim Waller
HIGH potential for Boxwood Blight this Thursday 4/6
There is a potential for boxwood blight infections this WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY throughout much of NJ – especially central regions. Thursday’s high temperatures coupled with prolonged periods of leaf wetness overnight will contribute to the spread of boxwood blight infections.
If BWB is important to your business – Use the USPEST – PUSH Alerts – (click here) – to setup weekly email alerts. Create an account, watch the tutorial, and then set up your subscriptions. You select which locations (as many as you like), days you want to receive emails (pick Sunday/Monday), and what you would like to receive alerts about (BWB and a variety of other pests and diseases). Rutgers is not directly affiliated, however this is an incredible tool.
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It is time to begin protective fungicide applications in high value areas if you have not already done so!
- Protective fungicide applications should remain in effect or be initiated immediately for Boxwood Blight in “Infection risk or High Risk areas”.
- If your area is not listed (throughout all of NJ please visit the USPEST.ORG Boxwood Blight Risk Model – CLICK HERE TO CHECK YOUR LOCAL PREDICTIONS
Boxwood Blight risk-model information, considerations, and links:
| Boxwood Blight Risk Assessment as of 4/4/2022 | ||||||||
| Region | Location | CODE | 3-Apr | 4-Apr | 5-Apr | 6-Apr | 7-Apr | 8-Apr |
| Southern | Upper Deerfield | NJ50 | Very Low | Low | Minor Risk | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| Central | Howell / Freehold | NJ10 | Very Low | Low | Minor Risk | Very High | Very Low | Very Low |
| Northern | High Point | NJ59 | Very Low | Very Low | Low | High Risk | Very Low | Very Low |
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | |||
| Please check YOUR LOCAL risk (click here) | ||||||||
April 3, 2023 Pat Hastings
Pesticide Storage Inventory with Cover Letter Due May 1st to Fire Department
All licensed pesticide applicators, as well as dealers, who store pesticides are required by law to send a copy of their storage inventor(ies) with an explanatory cover letter to the local fire company by May 1st each year. In New Jersey, all licensed pesticide applicators and dealers who store pesticides are required per N.J.A.C. 7:30-9.5 […]
March 28, 2023 Jim Murphy
Spring Green-up
Rain late last week combined with rising soil temperatures has initiated green-up of some cool-season grasses in central New Jersey. Soil temperatures have been slowing increasing over the last few weeks. Currently, the 24-hour and 5-day rolling averages for soil temperature are 47 degrees F at Hort Farm 2 in North Brunswick, New Jersey. Keep […]
March 23, 2023 Steven K. Rettke
Some Early Spring Insect Pests of Christmas Trees
The accumulation of heat units (Growing Degree Days (GDD) will soon begin to increase rapidly in New Jersey as we approach the early weeks of April. If past histories or present-day monitoring indicate the need for interventions, then the best control windows for numerous insect/mite pests are beginning to occur. The following is an incomplete listing of a handful of some of our early-season Christmas tree insect pests that may need to be scouted & possibly controlled. Those included in this blog are the European pine sawfly, Eastern spruce gall adelgid, Cooley spruce gall adelgid, Nantucket pine tip moth, Pales weevil, White pine aphid, & Pine bark adelgid.
After many years, these slow growing Colorado blue spruce trees are close to reaching their peak selling growth stage as Christmas trees. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)
March 22, 2023 Tim Waller
Immediate potential for Boxwood Blight 3/24 and 3/25 – First infection potentials
There is a potential for new boxwood blight infections this FRIDAY and SATURDAY throughout much of NJ – especially central regions. Increased temperatures and prolonged periods of leaf wetness will contribute to the spread of boxwood blight infections.
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It is time to begin protective fungicide applications in high value areas if you have not already done so!
- Protective fungicide applications should remain in effect or be initiated immediately for Boxwood Blight in “Infection risk or High Risk areas”.
- If your area is not listed (throughout all of NJ please visit the USPEST.ORG Boxwood Blight Risk Model – CLICK HERE TO CHECK YOUR LOCAL PREDICTIONS
Boxwood Blight risk-model information, considerations, and links:
| Boxwood Blight Risk Assessment as of 3/22/2023 | |||||||||
| Region | Location | CODE | 22-Mar | 23-Mar | 24-Mar | 25-Mar | 26-Mar | 27-Mar | NOTES |
| Southern | Upper Deerfield | NJ50 | Very Low | Low | Low | Infection Risk | Very Low | Very Low | |
| Central | Howell / Freehold | NJ10 | Very Low | Low | HIGH Risk | HIGH Risk | Very Low | Very Low | High prob. of first BWB infections |
| Northern | High Point | NJ59 | Very Low | Very Low | Infection Risk | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | |
| Please check YOUR LOCAL risk (click here) | |||||||||
(input your area code – select closest weather station – check 7-14 prediction – click on graph / table)
These advisories are general in nature, change rapidly over time, are site-specific…therefore Someone from your business should be using this risk model daily if boxwood is important to your financial stability– In 30 seconds you can have a better idea of boxwood blight (and other pathogen) activity in your immediate area! Please contact Tim Waller if you need help using this service (twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu), we want to help!
Fungicides;
- You very well may have these materials already applied as ‘cover-sprays’ – But – be mindful that protectant fungicides loose efficacy the more rain (or overhead irrigation) they are subjected to, and reapplication may be warranted.
- ROTATE between Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC codes) to avoid this pathogen becoming resistant to specific chemicals
Format: [FRAC code]: Chemical name (Trade names * no endorsement implied, other options exist)
- [M05]: Chlorothalonil (Daconil WS)
- [M05 + 1] Chlorothalonil + Thiophanate methyl (Spectro 90WDG)
- [11] Trifloxystrobin + [7] Fluopyram (Broadform)
- [11] Trifloxystrobin + [3] Triadimefon (Armada 50WDG)
- [M03] Mancozeb
- [12] Fludioxonil (Medallion WDG)
- [3] Tebuconazole (Torque)BW
DISCLAIMER: The label is the law, always refer to it for allowable host crops, use-restrictions, application rates, reapplication intervals, re-entry intervals (REI), and mix compatibility information. Production and pesticide information on this site are for private/commercial pesticide applicators and landscape professionals only, and are NOT for home gardener use. Provided materials represent examples and do not cover all possible control scenarios. Trade-names listed do not imply endorsement and are used as examples only. Please contact your local agent or chemical sales representative for more information or to discuss additional pest management options.
Resources
- Click here for additional BWB research updates
- CLICK HERE FOR A FREE DOWNLOAD – BOXWOOD HEALTH, Best Management Practices Production and Landscape Management (18 pages – Version 3.0)
- Click here for more BWB initiatives
Background on the pathogen:
