Among the boxwood blight scare come samples of pachysandra with small yellow leaf spots. And rightly so–landscape contractors and residential clients alike are worried that they have a disease in the lowly pachysandra that will move into their fancy boxwood garden. [Read more…]
August 22, 2014 Richard Buckley
Another Day in the Neighborhood….
Wow, what a beautiful summer. The weather has been really nice, even a little cool (we are about a week behind normal on some degree day models). The grass is greener this year and everybody is livin’ large. Everybody, but us turfgrass diagnosticians! Until today…
Small grayish-purple leaf lesions indicate an early gray leaf spot infection. Photo: Sabrina Tirpak, Rutgers PDL
July 30, 2014 Richard Buckley
It’s Back!
Boxwood samples have been coming into the Plant Diagnostic Laboratory on a daily basis since the winter. Most of them have been diagnosed with winter damage, boxwood leafminer, or Volutella stem and leaf blight. Yesterday, we got our first sample with boxwood blight! The situation was typical of several others in New Jersey – new transplants this spring and then a bunch of dead shrubs mid-summer.
Boxwood blight infected sample is on the floor in the black plastic bag. Winter damaged boxwood sample is on the counter. Photo: Richard Buckley, Rutgers PDL
Just a short note today to keep you on your toes! And by the way, please notice how the sample was submitted – an entire plant, double-bagged…
July 17, 2014 Richard Buckley
What is that on my shoe?
Some may call it endoplasmic reticulum, some may run screaming from the blob, and still others might simply say that the dog just yacked in the yard. Me, I just call them cool and with all the rain and humidity in the last couple weeks, the Plant Diagnostic Lab has had a run on slime molds.
Slime mold (Physarum sp.) plasmodium on Kentucky bluegrass. Photo: Becky Sesnowich, Tinton Falls
July 7, 2014 Richard Buckley
Golf Turf Diseases of the Week: Here Comes the Fuzz!
For the most part, late spring and early summer this year has been reasonable, weather-wise. So goes the weather, so goes the turfgrass. So far, the turfgrass submissions to the Plant Diagnostic Laboratory have been slow and steady… until last week, that is. Golf turf suddenly realized it was summer and the party started with some dollar spot.
Dollar spot sample. You know things are crazy in the field when we get samples of dollar spot from golf guys! Photo: Sabrina Tirpak, Rutgers PDL
June 23, 2014 Richard Buckley
Rusty, but never Crusty
Last week I had the pleasure of attending New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers’ Association Annual Twilight Meeting at Black Oak Farm in Asbury, New Jersey.
New Jersey Christmas Tree growers share tips on tree care during NJCTGA twilight meeting last week at Black Oak Farm. Photo: Tim Dunne
