Early Season Pest Scouting — Plant & Pest Advisory

March 31, 2025 Tim Waller and William Errickson

Register for the NEW – 2025 Ornamental IPM Program PLUS Boxwood Blight, Pest emergence, Updates

Ornamental IPM 2025 v1 flyer

Please consider signing up for the NEW 2025 – Rutgers Ornamental IPM Program.

The focus of this program is to provide timely updates on pest, disease, and weeds impacting commercial ornamental producers. The webinars will focus on the most important pests for a 2 week interval, will be recorded, and will be shared shortly thereafter with Spanish overdub (spoken word). The trap packages are in an effort to find grower led solutions for monitoring economically important pests throughout the multiple regions of New Jersey. Please consider joining this program for its inaugural year.

Registration includes:

Site visit to your ornamental nursery/farm from Rutgers agents
Delivered printed IPM resources (Guides, factsheets, bulletins)
Free pheromone & sticky trap kit + guidance on setup/monitoring
Access to live bi-weekly webinars (Zoom)
(First session NEXT TUESDAY 4/8 @ 12PM)
Every Second and Fourth, Tuesday, April through September
Webinars will be recorded – posted later with Spanish overdub

This program is free, however registration is required.

click here to Register

Boxwood Blight Risk Assessment as of 3/4/2025
Region	Location	CODE	31-March	1-April	2-April	3-April	4-April	5-April
Southern	Upper Deerfield	NJ50	Very Low	Very Low	Very Low	Low	Minor Risk	Very Low
Central	Howell / Freehold	NJ10	Minor Risk	Very Low	Very Low	Low	Minor Risk	Very Low
Northern	Wantage	NJ79	Low	Very Low	Very Low	Low	Risk	Very Low
			M	T	W	TH	F	S
Please check YOUR LOCAL risk (click here)

Please download and print the Rutgers Nursery and Landscape Pest Scouting Guide or Conifer and Christmas Tree Pest Scouting Guide and refer to this post “Obtaining your local growing degree-days (GDD)” for additional information. (See pest scouting guides for complete list of references)

Please SHARE what you SEE!! If you see a pest, disease, otherwise interesting or troublesome issue please report it to the Working Group by following the QR Code on the front of the Pest Scouting Guides or by filling out this reporting form.

Keep reading for more resources!

February 6, 2025 Tim Waller

Southern NJ Nursery Round Table : Next Monday & Delaware BTM Updates

Nursery Round Tables – I am hosting these free events at the Cumberland RCE (291 Morton Ave, Millville NJ)

Free RSVP here: https://forms.office.com/r/hJhesNgBxv Or RSVP at: 856-451-2800 ext 1.

February 10th – Hands on Growing Degree-days. We are going to sit down with computers (I have 10+ laptops), our cellphones, and a tablet to see how easy it is to use GDD calculators. We will then compare with the Rutgers Pest Scouting Guides (this is the guide; https://plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/LONT-PSG-DISTRIB-2023.pdf)

Like the idea of using growing degree-days, but are unsure how to use the online calculators or other resources – THIS IS FOR YOU. On Monday 2/10 – we will be using laptop computers (I have 12 on-site), tablets, and smart cellphones to access and explore online growing degree-day calculators. We will then use the Rutgers Pest Scouting Guides to line up when to expect these pests and will discuss treatment opportunities with overlapping pest populations.

-Each person will use all three technology methods to obtain their local growing degree-days. – By the end of the training you will be able to access and utilize this powerful tool anywhere.

February 24th – 2025 Playbook: We will be discussing emerging threats like Box Tree Moth and numerous plant diseases we need to be prepared for. The session will conclude with a 30-minute CORE credit session. 1 unit – CORE obtained-only.

Note you don’t HAVE to be from southern NJ, however I would appreciate you being with a nursery or other commercial ornamental operation. I just want to facilitate thoughtful communication. Registration greatly appreciated.

____________________________________________________

ALL DELAWARE NOW QUARANTINED (DA-2024-47)(as of 12/4/24)

Subject: APHIS Establishes Box Tree Moth (Cydalima perspectalis) Quarantines in Delaware and Pennsylvania

To: State, Tribal, and Territory Agricultural Regulatory Officials

Effective immediately, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in cooperation with the Delaware Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA), is adding the entire State of Delaware and Erie County, Pennsylvania to the box tree moth (BTM; Cydalima perspectalis) quarantined area. APHIS is taking this action in response to the confirmed detections of BTM in a residence in Little Creek, Delaware, on July 11 and in Lakeside Cemetery in Erie, Erie County, Pennsylvania, on August 29. PDA has established an intrastate quarantine area for BTM that parallels the Federal quarantine. This Federal Order supersedes Federal Order DA-2024-17.

The attached Federal Order (click here) and additional information about BTM are located on the APHIS box tree moth webpage. For additional information, you may contact:

Matthew Travis
National Policy Manager
580-240-5394
matthew.a.travis@usda.gov

If you see, or think you see this pest, or its damages in New Jersey please contact:

RCE -Cumberland Co. Nursery Agent: Tim Waller – twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu
Nursery Inspection Program Manager: Sarah Katzenbach – sarah.katzenbach@ag.nj.gov (609) 406-6939

Please educate yourself about this in-bound pest here – Resources:

Video: Click here for- “Demystifying Box Tree Moth” – HRI
Factsheet: Box Tree Moth: Fact Sheet, Management & Visual Guide
OSU Guide: What to look for with Box Tree (Boxwood) Moth
USDA-APHIS Box Tree Moth : APHIS BTM Landing page
[Draft] Compliance agreement: National Plant Board – Box Tree Moth

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Turf Tagged With: 2025 nursery IPM, box tree moth, BTM, CORE Points, Cumberland Extension, Early Season Pest Scouting, field nursery, GDD50, Growing degree-days, Nursery, Nursery IPM, pest scouting guide, PSG, Southern NJ, Twilight Meeting

April 30, 2024 Tim Waller

Nursery Update 4/30/24 -Boxwood blight, borers, flea beetles

Please note: The Rutgers Nursery and Green Industry Working Group is working to deliver regular pest and disease updates throughout the season. These will be in addition to important alerts, critical topics, and pesticide credit opportunities. This tool is made for you, the commercial agriculture business, so please let us know if there are particular topics you would like to see included in the regular update.

Email: twaller@njaes.rutgers.edu Phone: 856-451-2800 Ext. 1.

Insect Pests

*Projected GDD50 accumulation as of 4/30/2024*
CODE	Location	1-Apr	1-May	1-Jun	1-Jul	1-Aug
NJ50	Upper Deerfield (South)	47	237	696	1408	2308
D4116	Bridgeton (South)	45	172	632	1346	2243
KMIV	Millville Airport (South)	57	249	676	1362	2237
NJ05	Greenwich (South)	53	247	716	1436	2338
NJ10	Howell (Central)	33	172	551	1191	2026
N59	High Point (North)	18	117	440	990	1711
USPEST.ORG – Model: *simple average/growing degree-day*, Min: 50F – Max: 95F, NMME forecast
Forecast: 7-month NMME based seasonal climate forecast (USPEST.ORG) – *Subject to change regularly = Check Often*

Keep reading for more ALERTS – Boxwood Blight risk this week – Red-headed flea beetle timing, borer activity, and upcoming pests.

February 8, 2024 Tim Waller

Southern NJ Commercial Nursery Growers IPM Roundtable (Tu) 2/27/24

SOUTHERN NJ – COMMERCIAL NURSERY GROWERS – ONLY in Cumberland and surrounding counties.

Southern NJ Nursery IPM Roundtable – Tuesday 2/27/24 6-8pm.
The event is free but please RSVP by calling 856-451-2800 ext. 1 and mention this meeting.
In response to many conversations, nursery visits, and phone calls I have had with folks over the last few years, this type of meeting is long overdue, especially since we all face the same pests, diseases, weeds, and seasonal problems.
Please consider joining this face-to-face discussion centered around Nursery IPM.

Topics on deck:

What pests are important to you – and what questions do we need answered
Pest Scouting approaches – RU Pest Scouting Guides – Rutgers Plant and Pest Advisory
Pesticide Regimes, New Vs ‘Old’ materials – what works, what doesn’t
Invasive Pests and New Diseases – what to be looking for
Worker safety and leveraging REIs
Cultural practices and irrigation system modifications

Please consider joining, and please RSVP to the Cumberland County office at 856-451-2800 ext. 1.

NOTE: If you are outside Southern NJ, we will be planning similar events in the near future, near you, and I ask that you wait until that time as space is limited.

Filed Under: Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Turf Tagged With: 2024 Nursery, disease management, Early Season Pest Scouting, insect pests, IPM, IPM Updates, Nursery, Nursery IPM, research priorities, roundtable, Scouting, Weed Management, weeds

May 14, 2023 Tim Waller, William Errickson and Steven K. Rettke

Conifer Pest and Disease Update 5/15/2023

In this edition:

Insects – Pest Scouting with growing degree-days (250-600 GDD50)
- Scales
- Mites
Diseases
- Needle casts (Rhabdocline and Swiss needlecasts – Douglas fir, & Rhizosphaera – spruces)
- Phytophthora
Soil fertility – resources

Please click “read more” below to get updates on pests, diseases, and other important resources for the week of 5/15/2023.