Landscape, Ornamentals, Nursery, and Turf Edition
Seasonal updates on ornamental, nursery, and turf pests.
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Rutgers Weather Forecasting - Meteorological Information important to commercial agriculture.
Pesticide Applicator or Dealer Storage Inventory with Cover Letter Due May 1st to Fire Department
Preparing Orchards Against the Frost – Low Tech Strategies
Frost is common in the north-eastern US, however, frost events during bloom, specifically in orchard crops can be economically devastating. Often the cause is a few hours of temperatures below the injury threshold temperature for the developing buds as cooler nights result in the rapid loss of thermal energy. Fortunately, there are several passive methods or low-tech strategies, that can help maintain a slightly higher orchard floor temperature, has the potential to prevent substantial crop loss. [Read more…]
Eastern Tent Caterpillar: The Landscape Harbinger of Spring
Throughout much of NJ during this week, the growing degree days (GDD) will be increasing consistently. By the end of the week, many areas will exceed 90 GDD, which means the eastern tent caterpillars will begin to hatch. Not all eggs will hatch at once since a staggered hatching period will potentially increase survival rates if the weather happens to cool again.
The photographs of the eastern tent caterpillar’s life cycle included in this blog were all taken during the spring of 2016 at the same site in Freehold, NJ. They are placed in chronological order covering a time span of 10 weeks from 1st egg hatch on 3/23/16 to late pupation on 6/2/16. In 2016, central NJ experienced a relatively warm early spring that enabled the speedy first hatching.
Date: 3/23/16 (No hatch). Do you see it? One inch long Tent Cat egg mass overwinters encircling 2-3 year old twigs. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)
Date: 3/23/16 (No Hatch). Close-up of the Tent Cat egg mass. It has the appearance & feel of styrofoam. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)
This Week’s Changes and Updates to Relief Programs that Impact Farmers
This past week brought several changes and updates to relief programs that impact farmers. This blog from the University of Minnesota is a good summary of changes and announcements by USDA on relief programs that impact farmers and includes links to websites with more information: https://blog-abm-news.extension.umn.edu/2021/03/paycheck-protection-program-extended.html.
The American Rescue Plan Act uses the 2501 definition of “socially disadvantaged”, which includes Black/African American, American Indian or Alaskan native, Hispanic or Latino, and Asian American or Pacific Islander. Gender is not a criteria in and of itself, but of course women are included in these categories.
For the latest CFAP details, visit farmers.gov/cfap.
To find your local service center and learn more about how to access their services during the pandemic, visit farmers.gov/service-center-locator.
Nursery Pest Scouting Guide: 60-150 Growing Degree-days & Boxwood Blight Information
Pest Scouting:
Please print or download the two resources of this post (click on them):
- Printable Pest Scouting 60-150 GDD
- Expanded Pest Scouting Guide 60-150 GDD with CLICKABLE LINKS with links
- (Zoom in and click directly on the links within this document)
The information provided in the downloads gives scouting ranges (in growing degree days, base 50F) for specific insect pests harming nursery crop production and maintenance. Additionally, forecasting predictions (GDD50 accumulation) for calendar dates of multiple regions of New Jersey (S,N,C) are provided.
To determine your local growing degree-days, please review this post “Obtaining your local growing degree-day information”
Scouting Ranges:
- This document supports scouting, it does not replace it. Keeping good notes on pest development will help dial in scouting and treatment efforts at your local level.
- It is important to note that these GDD50 are not exact, rather provide a range of GDD and subsequent calendar dates that can be used to scout for, and treat for, insect pests.
- The pests listed here will be listed again in future scouting range announcements as they undergo further developmental life stages or are vulnerable to management options.
- If you need more information, OR you are regularly seeing specific pest development stages at growing degree-days different than those listed here, please contact Tim Waller at twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu
GREAT RESOURCE from Steve Rettke: “Landscape Pest Notes: Some Early Spring Insects/Mites”
| Projected GDD50 accumulation as of 3/29/2021 | ||||||
| Region | Location | April 1st | May 1st | June 1st | July 1st | August 1st |
| Southern | Upper Deerfield (NJ50) | 75 | 185 | 591 | 1269 | 2111 |
| Central | Howell / Freehold (NJ10) | 61 | 142 | 490 | 1111 | 1906 |
| Northern | High Point (NJ59) | 24 | 30 | 242 | 695 | 1301 |
| Forecast: NOAA NCEP Coupled Forecast System model version 2 (CFSv2) forecast system (3.5 months) (USPEST.ORG) | ||||||
| Pest Scouting – Growing Degree-day Ranges | (60-150 GDD50) | |||||
| CROP TYPE | Common Name | Scientific Name | GDD Min (50F) | GDD Max (95F) | Reference | Developmental / Target Stage |
| Many | Southern red mite | Oligonychus ilicis | 69 | 157 | RU | Spring hatch |
| Conifer | Eastern pine shoot borer | Eucosma gloriola | 75 | 200 | 4 | 1st adults active |
| Malus, Prunus, many | Eastern tent caterpillar | Malacosoma americanum | 90 | 190 | 2 | Larvae treatment before tents apparent |
| Many | Gypsy moth | Lymantria dispar | 90 | 448 | RU | Larvae treatment (early instars) |
| Conifer | Cooley spruce gall adelgid | Adelges cooleyi | 90 | 180 | 4 | 1st adults active – Douglas fir |
| Conifer | Balsam twig aphid | Mindarus abietinus | 100 | 150 | 4 | Stem mothers present (control target) |
| Conifer | Pine engraver (Ips bark beetle) | Ips spp. | 100 | 150 | 4 | 1st adults active |
| Conifer | European pine sawfly | Neodiprion sertifer | 100 | 195 | 4 | 1st larvae active |
| Pieris | Andromeda lace bug | Stephanitis takeyai | 115 | 279 | RU | Nymphs (1st generation) |
| Azalea | Azalea lace bug | Stephanitis pyrioides | 118 | 372 | RU | Nymphs (1st generation) |
| Conifer | Larch casebearer | Coleophora laricella | 120 | 150 | 4 | Egg hatch |
| Conifer | Nantucket pine tip moth | Rhyacionia frustrana | 121 | 448 | RU | 1st generation egg hatch |
| Birch | Birch leafminer | Fenusa pusilla | 123 | 290 | RU | Adults – egg laying |
| Many | Gypsy moth | Lymantria dispar | 145 | 200 | 4 | Egg hatch, 1st larvae |
| Holly | Holly leaf miner | Phytomyza ilicis | 147 | 265 | RU | Adults – egg laying |
| Many | Cankerworms, inch-worms, loopers | (many) | 148 | 290 | 2 | Larvae treatment |
| Lilac, ash, privet, many | Lilac / Ash Borer | Podosesia syringae | 148 | 299 | 2 | Adult flight |
| Yews, Rhododendrons, many | Black Vine Weevil | Otiorhynchus sulcatus | 148 | 400 | 2 | Pupation / Adult emergence |
| Dogwood, many | Dogwood Borer | Synanthedon scitula | 148 | 700 | 2 | Adult activity |
| Conifer | Spruce spider mite | Oligonychus ununguis | 150 | 175 | 4 | 1st egg hatch |
| Conifer | Spruce needleminer | Endothenia albolineana | 150 | 200 | 4 | 1st larvae active |
| Conifer | Balsam gall midge | Paradiplosis tumifex | 150 | 300 | 4 | Adults laying eggs |
| References | RU | Rutgers Cooperative Extension – IPM Notes | ||||
| 2 | http://ccetompkins.org/resources/using-growing-degree-days-for-insect-management | |||||
| 3 | https://extension.psu.edu/ipm-basics-for-christmas-trees#section-2 | |||||
| 4 | https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/agriculture/christmas_trees/gdd_of_conifer_insects | |||||
| 5 | https://www.agriculture.nh.gov/publications-forms/documents/landscape-pests.pdf | |||||
| 6 | https://extension.umd.edu/ipm/pest-predictive-calendar-landscapenursery | |||||
| 7 | https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/agriculture/christmas_trees/gdd_of_landscape_insects | |||||
Boxwood Blight risk-model information, considerations, and links:
| Boxwood Blight Risk Assessment as of 3/29/2021 | |||||||
| Region | Location | CODE | 29-Mar | 30-Mar | 31-Mar | 1-Apr | 2-Apr |
| Southern | Upper Deerfield | NJ50 | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| Central | Howell / Freehold | NJ10 | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| Northern | High Point | NJ59 | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| Please check your local boxwood blight risk at (https://uspest.org/risk/boxwood_app) | |||||||
Considerations:
- These advisories are general in nature so someone from your business should be using this risk model (CLICK HERE) 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!
- Treatment considerations and additional links (CLICK HERE)
Become a Boxwood Blight Advocate to receive quarterly updates (through the Horticultural Research Institution)
Landscape Pest Notes: Some Early Spring Insects/Mites
The accumulation of heat units (Growing Degree Days (GDD)) is increasing rapidly across many areas of New Jersey as we soon enter into the early weeks of April. If past histories or present-day monitoring indicate the need for interventions, then the best control windows for an increasing number of insect/mite pests are beginning to occur. The following is an incomplete listing of a handful of some of our early season landscape pests that may need to be scouted & possibly controlled. The insect/mite pests included here are: Hemlock Rust Mites; White Pine Weevils; Native Holly Leafminers; European Pine Sawflies; Honeylocust Spider Mites; White Pine Aphids; and Eastern Spruce Gall Adelgids.
As our landscapes start to “wake-up” with warming temperatures, the insect & mite pests will begin activity. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)
When monitoring indicates controls are warranted, then pesticides can prevent early spring pests from building-up. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke, Rutgers Coop. Ext.)
