 |
 |
 |
 |
| {photo} |
|
||||
|
|
|||||
SCOUTING INFORMATION BY REGION REGIONAL
NOTES
- Southeast Region (Hanson) – General Conditions: Areas of Plymouth County received approximately 1.20 inches of rain over the past two weeks. Soils are moist and cold. Most soils are bare of snow, but snow does linger in those cool areas in the shade. Silver maple, Helleborus foetidus, Adonis vernalis (winter aconites), snowdrops, crocus, pussy willow, Hamamelis mollis 'Pallida' and Hamamelis x intermidia 'Arnold Promise' are in full bloom. Cornus mas flower buds are plump and showing color. Helleborus x hybridus and Helleborus niger have pushed up flower buds and are showing color. The fruit of cranberry viburnum, the bark of Acer griseum, Heptacodium miconioides, Stewartia pseudocamellia, and Cornus kousa are still providing color and interest in the landscape. Most lawns have not started to green up and many look ragged after a tough winter. The black-winged blackbirds have been back for a few weeks, and lawns abound with robins. Pests/Problems: Be on the lookout for deer ticks on warmer days. The Plymouth County Extension office has received several inquiries regarding "a forecast" for winter moth caterpillars this spring. While we have no definitive data or crystal ball, we are thinking that we will see high numbers of winter moth caterpillars based on the high number of moths that emerged last fall and the high number of females caught on bands. Winter moth caterpillar eggs are pinkish-red and have not started to hatch. Winter damage to broad-leaved evergreens like Ilex opaca (American Holly), Ilex glabra (Inkberry), Ilex crenata (Japanese Holly), Buxus sp. (Boxwood), Euonymous fortunei, Rhododendron, and Kalmia is showing up in some areas. Deer continue to browse. Vole damage to trees has been reported. There were no other pest problems to report. East Region (Boston) – General Conditions: Spring is happening! Hamamelis x intermidia, H. mollis, H. japonica and their assorted hybrids are in full bloom. Snowdrops are as well. Flower buds are swelling and ready to explode on the Cornus mas and C. officinalis, Daphne mezereum, Corylopsis glabrescens,and Viburnum farreri. The highest temperature of 61° F was recorded in the past two weeks on the 7th of March. The lowest temperature of 13° for the same time period was recorded on the 4th of March. Soils are plenty moist. Pests/Problems: More extensive damage from rabbits to the trees and shrubs and to the turf areas from moles is now being exposed with the snow melt. Some cold tolerant pests of the herbaceous sort have emerged. They are Ranunculus ficaria and Allium sp. Metro West (Waltham) – General Conditions: No report this week. Metro West (Hopkinton) – General Conditions: The storm on March 2 left the Hopkinton area with about nine inches of snow. The only areas that have snow now are in deep shade. Crocus and snowdrops are flowering now. Lawns in the area are starting to green. Pests/Problems: There is evidence of deer browse. Central Region (Boylston) – General Conditions: The recent warm days have continued to erode the snow. The ground is now mostly exposed. Crocus, snowdrops, and Christmas Rose (Helleborus niger) are blooming, as are witch-hazels (Hamamelis cvs.), Daphne mezeurem, and pussy willows (Salix sp.). Pests/Problems: Deer continue to feed on apple trees and unprotected ornamentals. Winter burn/dessication is beginning to show on many evergreen plants. Pioneer Valley Region (Amherst) - General Conditions: Mild to seasonal temperatures and a little rainfall aided snowmelt and brought a touch of green to the Pioneer Valley during the last two weeks. The flower buds are beginning to swell on all the red maples while red maples near the Campus Pond as well as buds on Corneliancherry dogwood are beginning to burst open. Silver maple and witchhazel hybrids are in full bloom. Pests/Problems: After the snow melted, snow molds were visible in many lawns long covered by several inches of snow this winter. Promote new growth in the spring with light fertilization. Reseed affected areas if regrowth does not occur. Fungicide interventions provide little benefit at this time of the year. See http://www.umassturf.org for a snow mold fact sheet. Berkshire Region (Great Barrington) - General Conditions: Mud season is in full force as soils thaw. Still some snow is around in shaded areas and where it was piled onto lawns and gardens bordering on driveways. Snowdrops, snow crocus, and Iris danfordiae are in bloom. Pests/Problems: Deer ticks are abundant. Deer continue to browse on landscape plants. Receding snow and ice exposed snow mold and extensive vole runways. The following growing-degree-day (GDD) and precipitation data was collected for a two-week period, March 4, 2009 through March 17, 2009. Soil temperature and phenological indicators were observed on March 17, 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.
Phenological indicators are a visual tool for correlating plant development with pest development. The following are indicator plants and the stages of bloom observed for this period:
CAPE COD REGION - Roberta Clark, Horticulturist for Barnstable County, Barnstable. SOUTHEAST REGION - Deborah Swanson, Horticulturist for UMass Extension in Plymouth County, Hanson.
EAST REGION - Julie Coop, Manager of Plant Health, Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, Jamaica Plain. 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.
INSECTS -
Reported by Pat Vittum, Extension Entomologist, UMass Department of Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences, Amherst. 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 April 3, 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.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
is rebounding from the significant winter mortality it experienced in 2005 in Massachusetts. Monitor for the new egg masses that are appearing now. Once the weather is conducive to apply dormant oils, take advantage of this option where the numbers of HWA are increasing. Later, HWA can be managed with oil sprays at the summer rate or with systemic applications of imidacloprid.
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. 