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SCOUTING INFORMATION BY REGION REGIONAL
NOTES
- Southeast Region (Hanson) – General Conditions: December produced a mixture of cold and warm days. Three days were over 60 and and a few days were in the high forties and fifties. Temperatures also dipped below freezing, with a low of 7 degrees recorded one morning in Hanson, MA. There was a fair amount of precipitation which varied around the county. Some areas had over 30 inches of snow and over 9 inches of rain. On Dec. 31, it was reported that Kingston had 11.5 inches of snow and Hingham 8.5 inches. Several days also saw a mixture of snow/sleet or sleet/rain. The fruit of cranberry viburnum, the berries of many hollies, and the bark of Acer griseum and Kousa dogwood are providing color and interest in the winter landscape. Helleborus foetidus is beginning to bloom. Pests/Problems: On the warm days in December, Winter moths emerged and the numbers were high. Overall, it appears that where Winter moth is present in MA, numbers were high. We will have more information on Winter moth from Dr. Joe Elkinton and his lab. Deer browsing is minimal, so far. Vole runs were observed. Ladybugs were active indoors on warm days. The branches of conifers and broad-leaved evergreens were weighted down by the weight of the snow and ice and some damage was observed. East Region (Boston) – General Conditions: No report this month. Metro West (Waltham) – General Conditions: No report this month. Metro West (Hopkinton) – General Conditions: No report this month. Central Region (Boylston) – General Conditions: No report this month. Pioneer Valley Region (Amherst) - General Conditions: The temperatures were generally above normal but in early December and around the winter solstice there were significant cold periods. Precipitation continued to be plentiful through the month. However, on December 11 and 12, there was significant tree damage due to ice build up on the branches. Over three inches of rain/freezing rain fell during those two days. After heavy rain during the day, it continued as the temperature dropped just below freezing during the night of December 11. To add to the problem, strong winds followed the freezing rainfall. Pest/Problems: There are a considerable number of downed trees due to the ice storm. Berkshire Region (Great Barrington) - General Conditions: No report this month. The following growing-degree-day (GDD) and precipitation data was collected for a four-week period, December 1, 2008 through January 7, 2009. Soil temperature and phenological indicators were observed on January 7, 2009. Accumulated GDDs represent the heating units above a 50° F baseline temperature collected via our instruments from the beginning of the current calendar year. This information is intended for use as a guide for monitoring the developmental stages of pests in your location and planning management strategies accordingly.
CAPE COD REGION - Roberta Clark, Horticulturist for Barnstable County, Barnstable. SOUTHEAST REGION - Deborah Swanson, Horticulturist for UMass Extension in Plymouth County, Hanson.
EAST REGION - James R. Allen, Horticulturist and Greenhouse Manager
for UMass Biology Department, Boston. METRO WEST REGION – James Martin, Consulting Arborist, reporting from the UMass Extension Center, Waltham. METRO WEST REGION – Mark Sawyer, Horticulturist, Weston Nurseries, Hopkinton. CENTRAL REGION - Joann Vieira, Superintendent of Horticulture, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston. PIONEER VALLEY - Dan Gillman, Plant Pathologist, UMass Extension Plant Diagnostic Lab, UMass, Amherst. BERKSHIRES - Ron Kujawski, Specialist, UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery & Urban Forestry Program, Amherst.
No reports this month. IMPORTANT INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES For a complete listing of upcoming events, see our Conferences and Workshops page. Don't forget to visit the UMass Extension Online Weed Herbarium!
Planting and Maintaining Sustainable
Landscapes: A Guide for Public Officials and the Green Industry -
An updated and reprinted collection of fact sheets, including
Trees and Shrubs for Low Maintenance Landscapes; Recommendations
for Planting and Maintaining Trees and Shrubs; Integrated
Pest Management and Plant Health Care; Streetscape Design
and Planting; Selecting Turfgrasses for Low Maintenance Sites;
Turf Pesticides and the Environment; Children's Protection
Act and School IPM Plans; and Guidelines for Planting within
the 100 Foot Wetland Buffer. Click
here to order online from the UMass Extension Bookstore DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES UMass Laboratory Diagnoses Turf and
Landscape Problems - Accurate
diagnosis for a turf or landscape problem can often eliminate
or reduce the need for pesticide use. The UMass Extension
Plant Diagnostic Lab is available to serve commercial
landscape contractors, turf managers, arborists, nurseries
and other green industry professionals. It provides woody
plant and turf disease analysis, woody plant and turf
insect identification, turfgrass identification, weed
identification, and offers a report of pest management
strategies that are research based, economically sound
and environmentally appropriate for the situation. Send
specimens and payment (payable to the University of Massachusetts)
to UMass Extension Plant Diagnostic Lab, Holdsworth Natural
Resources Center, 160 Holdsworth Way, UMass, Amherst,
MA 01003. The fee for a woody plant disease analysis
is $50; the fee for turf disease analysis or nematode
assay is $75. All insect, weed and turfgrass identification
samples are $25 each. For more detailed submission instructions
see http://www.umass.edu/agland/diagnostics Soil and Plant Tissue Testing -
The University of Massachusetts Soil and Plant Tissue Testing
Laboratory is located on the campus of The University of Massachusetts
at Amherst. Testing services are available to all. The function
of the Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Laboratory is to provide
test results and recommendations that lead to the wise and economical
use of soils and soil amendments. For complete information, visit
the UMass Soil and Plant tissue Testing Laboratory web site at: http://www.umass.edu/soiltest NEXT UPDATE: The next issue will be available on or about February 6, 2009. This message is produced by the UMASS Extension, Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program. The copy is prepared by Anna Greene from data and reports provided by the staff and faculty of the UMass Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program and the UMASS Extension Turf Program as well as cooperating horticulturists and Green Industry professionals. The text is adapted for access via the Internet by Jason Lanier. DISCLAIMER. This message is intended for commercial use. UMass Extension assumes no liability for recommendations. It is the responsibility of the applicator to verify the registration status of any pesticide BEFORE applying it. Different states have different regulations as well. The use of trade names (™) does not imply endorsement. Similarly, there may be other products you prefer to use. Comments or suggestions in regard to the Landscape Message? Please e-mail the webmaster. Missed a previous message? Visit the Landscape Message Archive.
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2008-2009 Professional Management Guide
for Insects, Diseases and Weeds of Trees and Shrubs in New
England - Pesticide label
registration changes every year in all states and you can only
legally apply pesticides according to the current year's label.
This updated 2008-09 guide tells you what is current and legal
for use in all the New England states and is the way for you
to stay current with pesticide information. If you already
have the 2003 version, this is the updated supplement for pesticide
information. Remember, if you're a pesticide applicator, it's
the law! Created by UMass Extension professionals, this manual
offers the latest on virtually all the insects, diseases, and
weeds of woody plants in New England; current and legal listings
of chemical compounds labeled for the management of these pests;
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) considerations for most of
these pests; environmentally friendly alternatives in pest
management such as horticultural oils, soaps, biologicals,
etc.; and Growing Degree Day (GDD) information for most of
the insect pests of woody plants. 