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.

August 6, 2020

Register for the August Nursery Twilight Meeting (credit-bearing online webinar)

 Thursday, August 27, 2020

6:00-7:00 pm

Click here to register for the twilight meeting

Registration password: nursery20

Please join us for presentations on pest management topics from our two nursery agents Tim Waller and Bill Errickson, Spotted Lanternfly updates from Steve Rettke, and water related updates from Sal Mangiafico. Given the current state of in-person meetings we are aiming to make this as educational and painless as possible. We would like everyone to feel comfortable with this online format for future meetings. We plan to have a longer meeting in late September (+2hr) to hear from more nursery specialists and provide another opportunity to obtain pesticide credits.

August 27th Agenda

(5:30pm)   Webinar platform opens to registrants; Photo ID Check, Welcome Remarks

__(recording begins)__

(6:00pm)  Effective IPM approaches Using Degree-days and Other Predictive Models– Timothy Waller, RCE (Cumberland)

(6:15pm)  Reduction of Pesticide Usage Through Cultural Practices- Bill Errickson, RCE (Monmouth)

(6:30pm)  Spotted Lanternfly Update & Review of Current Information Concerning This Invasive Insect- Steve Rettke, Ornamental IPM Program

(6:45pm)  Harmful Algae Blooms in NJ Lakes and Ponds and Their Effects on Agriculture- Sal Mangiafico, RCE (Cumberland & Salem)

__(recording ends)__

(7:00pm)  Additional questions; Photo ID Check, Adjourn

NJ Pesticide License Recertification credits obtained: PP2 (1); 3A (1); 3B (1); 10 (1)

In cooperation with the NJNLA, NJLCA, and NJCTGA

Instructions:

  • Register for event at the above link
  • Include your pesticide license number if you would like recertification credits
  • After registration you will receive a confirmation email with a link to the actual twilight meeting.
  • Registered guests will receive a reminder 1 week prior to the event with more specific instructions.
  • Day-of: click the link in the registration confirmation email and select “join by browser-New” (if you do not currently have a WebEx app on your computer or video-enabled smartphone.
  • Day-of: Have your photo ID ready if you wish to obtain credits

Additional requirements for those seeking credits:

  • Licensed applicators with a recertification period expiring October 31, 2020 will be given an exemption from the NJDEP online credit cap of 25% and are eligible for all credits, otherwise this exemption does not apply.
  • Government issued photo ID is required and will be verified prior or immediately after the  meeting (i.e. will not be video recorded)
  • Attendees must be visible throughout the entire session (with live video on) and must stay to the end.
  • Polls will be randomly scheduled, & attendance will be visually monitored by a moderator.
  • Call-ins (audio only) are not eligible for pesticide recertification credits as of now; you need a computer/phone/tablet with *live* video capability.

 

We are here to help you connect, please contact Tim Waller (twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu) with any questions or concerns. Thank you very much for your willingness to cooperate within our online space!

 

Rutgers is dedicated to protecting your privacy and keeping your personal information safe. Your information will be kept strictly confidential; used solely to meet NJDEP ID verification protocol for recertification credit. Any information will be deleted after 60 days.

 

Filed Under: Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Turf
August 5, 2020

Early August Nursery Update (2nd generation scale hatch and boxwood blight considerations)

This PPA has four updates:

  1. Growing Degree-day Update GDD50
  2. 2nd generation scale insect hatch / crawler growing degree-day targets
  3. Tuliptree and Magnolia scale insect activity and notes on treatment
  4. Late summer boxwood blight considerations

(1) Growing Degree-days as of 8/5/2020

(Weather station selected for each location. Ex: NJ50 = Upper Deerfield)

Upper Deerfield (NJ50)= 2242 GDD50 Howell/Freehold (NJ10) = 1946 GDD50 Pequest (NJ58) = 1901 GDD50

Growth by date

Cornell ForeCast Map

If you need help getting your Growing Degree-day models set up, please contact (twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu) 

(2) 2nd generation scale insect hatch / crawler GDD50 targets

A second generation of scale insects will be hatching soon. Scout for crawlers and treat as needed.

format: scale insect species – (growing degree day GDD50 targets)

  • Maskell scale – (2035)
  • Euonymus scale – (2235)
  • Japanese maple scale – (2508)

Please refer to Tim Waller’s summer scale insect treatments PPA for additional information.

(3) Tuliptree and Magnolia scale egg hatch and crawler activity

Magnolia Scale

Magnolia Scale & Maturing Females Photo- Steven Rettke of RCE

Tuliptree Scale

Tuliptree Scale With Honeydew & Sooty Mold Photo- Steven Rettke of RCE

Tuliptree scale and Magnolia scale insects begin hatching around ~2000 GDD50 but continue to emerge through the month of September (+6 week period). Therefor scouting for 1st and 2nd instar nymphs (crawlers) is critical to controlling these pests. Treatments will be ineffective if made too early in the season, as many of the un-hatched eggs will still be viable and lead to infestation and damages later.

Given this wide window of emergence, three treatment strategies can be deployed

  1. Delay pesticide applications for these pests until mid-October as the females will be dead and not harming the trees, all of the eggs will have hatched, and all of the crawlers will be vulnerable to appropriate materials (best approach)
  2. Apply multiple suppressive sprays at the first sign of emergence (time consuming, labor intensive, costly)
  3. Root or trunk applied systemic insecticides (often for very large trees)

Please refer to Steve Rettke’s Magnolia and Tuliptree scale insect PPA for additional information.

(4) Late summer boxwood blight considerations

As we enter into a period of cooler nighttime temperatures (< 77F) and frequent rain events, boxwood blight preventative sprays should be considered if you have not been making regularly scheduled applications. Boxwood blight is typically not as active during the heat of the summer, however, when cooler temperatures are coupled with prolonged periods of leaf-wetness the pathogen can infect.

Please refer to Tim Waller’s boxwood blight post for additional information and links to many other resources including numerous post from Rich Buckley of the Plant Diagnostic Lab.

 

 

Please take the 2020 Nursery Industry Survey: https://forms.gle/dUjLxaiu6qDQYYsRA

Filed Under: Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Turf
July 28, 2020

Unsolicited Seeds From Foreign Sources

Several states are now reporting and you may have read or heard news reports of packets of seeds arriving in the mail from foreign shipping addresses that were not ordered. If you receive such a packet, DO NOT open or discard them. Rather, follow these directions from the NJ Dept of Agriculture:

UPDATED NJDA ALERT (https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/news/hottopics/topics200727.html)

We have been receiving reports of people receiving seeds in the mail from China that they did not order. Sometimes the seeds are sent in packages stating that the contents are jewelry. Unsolicited seeds could be invasive, introduce diseases to local plants, or be harmful to livestock.

Here’s what to do if you receive unsolicited seeds from another country:

This is known as agricultural smuggling. Report it to the USDA!

  1. DO NOT plant them and if they are in sealed packaging don’t open the sealed package.
  2. Take a photo of the package and seeds and send the photos to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture Joseph.zoltowski@ag.nj.gov and USDA SITC at  SITC.Mail@aphis.usda.gov
  3. Maintain the seeds and packaging and send to the USDA Office located at 1500 Lower Rd, Linden NJ 07036 for evidence. 

If individuals are aware of the potential smuggling of prohibited exotic fruits, vegetables, or meat products into or through the USA, they can help APHIS by contacting the confidential Anti-smuggling Hotline number at 800-877-3835 or by sending an Email to SITC.Mail@aphis.usda.gov. USDA will make every attempt to protect the confidentiality of any information sources during an investigation within the extent of the law.

One-line email signature graphic: We R Here When You Need Us.

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Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
July 23, 2020

Differentiating the Common Wood Borers of Ash Trees

Today, it is understandable for arborists and landscapers to assume that Emerald Ash Borers (Agrilus planipennis) are the cause when they observe branch die-back of ash trees (Fraxinus genus). During the 21st century, this invasive Asian tree beetle borer has killed many 100’s of millions of ash tree species as it has spread across much of the eastern half of the United States. However, it is important to remember some of the other wood borer species that cause ash decline, if not death. This blog will discuss the symptoms to distinguish between the Emerald ash beetle borer, the Ash/Lilac Clearwing moth borer (Podosesia syringae), the Banded Ash Clearwing moth borer (Podosesia aureocincta) and Ash Bark Beetle borers (Hylesinus species). Only the ash bark beetle species will have more than a single generation per season.

Symptoms on ash from banded ash clearwing moth borer infestation. (Photo Credit: Steven K. Rettke of RCE)

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Plant Diagnostic Lab
July 22, 2020

NYCAMH/NEC Farmworker Needs Assessment Survey

The New York Center for Agricultural Medicine & Health/Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety in Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing based in Cooperstown, NY is conducting a farm worker health needs assessment to help them better address worker health and safety needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops Tagged With: , , , , ,
July 21, 2020

Don’t Let Your Guard Down With Farm Worker Health

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical, indeed essential, role of farm labor in getting food from farm to plate. However, health concerns should not stop with a negative COVID test, especially if an employee or family member is exhibiting any of the ‘flu-like’ symptoms that are associated with corona virus.

A recent farm call was a reminder that working outside, especially during this July heat wave, exposes workers to a number of potential health risks that may present very similar symptoms and can be equally health, and even life, threatening. Recently published studies from the Rutgers Institute of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences suggest growing numbers of people worldwide are at risk of heat stress and related complications, including farmers and ag laborers working in high heat and humid conditions.

Harvesting and other activities along field edges, including going into the woods instead of using a portable bathroom facilities, also lead to a high risk of tick bites, which can also carry a number of diseases, many as or more debilitating than Lyme disease that most are now aware of. A recent story at Today.com suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic might lead to more tick-borne disease this year, quoting Rutgers entomologist and assistant professor Alvaro Toledo at the Center for Vector Biology with suggestions how to prevent tick bites.

It is critical for your employees’ health and well-being to get proper diagnosis and treatment for all of these ailments. This table illustrates how many tick-born diseases, as well as heat stress, all have potential symptoms very similar to those of COVID-19. Each is linked to additional resources at the CDC. In many cases, it may be the ‘other symptoms’ that may be unique to each disease and assist a medical practitioner with correct identification and lead to better verification with further testing.

   Disease    >

Symptoms  v

 COVID-19 Heat Stress Lyme Disease Ehrlichiosis Babe- biosis Powas-san Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever
Vector* Human Black-legged Tick (a.k.a. Deer Tick) (I. scapularis) Lone Star Tick (A. americanum) & Black-legged Black-legged Tick Ground hog(I. cookei), Squirrel (I. marxi) & Black-legged Ticks American Dog Tick (D. variabilis)
Fever or chills X X X X X X X
Cough X X
Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing X
Fatigue X X X X
Muscle/body aches X X X X X X
Headache X X X X X X X
New loss of taste or smell X
Sore throat X
Congestion or runny nose X
Nausea/vomiting X X X X X X X
Diarrhea X X
Rash X X X
Other symptoms X X X X X X
Potentially Deadly/Disabling
 X X X X X X X

*NOTE – main vector listed, but many tick born diseases may be vectored by other species of ticks, or different species causing same disease may be carried by different tick species.

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