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| Landscape Alert newsletter | ||||
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| Vol. 22, No. 17, September 7, 2007 |
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In this issue |
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| A question on lecanium scale The following question to the Landscape Alert Team by email this week: Dr. Cregg: I am a resident of Troy, Michigan and have found that I have scale on my Locust and Sycamore trees. I obtained your name through the MSU Extension. I have had 4 companies to the home who have confirmed that scale diagnosis and have proposed a variety of treatment.
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| They don't indicate what type of scale this is. I am confused as to the appropriate treatment and timing. Can you offer any suggestions? I would appreciate any information you can provide. My answer Dear Homeowner: The insect problem on your trees is most likely a Lecanium sp. scale. These soft scale insects go in cycles and rarely cause any harm to landscape trees. The scale infestation sometimes becomes worse when the trees are sprayed for other reasons (like the mosquito control program in Saginaw County) because the insecticide kills predators and parasites that keep the scale insects under control. Since this insect is unlikely to harm your trees, I recommend that you do not have your trees treated. One exception is when excessive honey dew (sugary scale excretions) drips down on cars parked below the trees. This can cause some aggravation. In those rare situations, I recommend using an imidacloprid (Merit is one product) basal soil injection or an imidacloprid trunk injection in the spring. But previous observations with large trees show that it takes two years of basal soil injections to reduce the scale infestation. |
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| Landscape photo quiz Take a look at the burning bush hedge in front of a business office in Okemos, Michigan. The entire group of burning bush plants dropped all their leaves by the end of August. What is the problem? Answer: A close examination of the few remaining leaves showed that they were heavily infested with spider mites. Spider mites cause early leaf-drop on burning bush. Another question is “why do they have a spider mite problem?” There is little doubt that carbaryl, imidacloprid or a pyrethroid insecticide was sprayed earlier in the summer, suppressing predator mites and other predators, and allowing the spider mites to run wild. If left alone, we rarely see any mite problems on burning bush because of natural control by predators.
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| Turf establishment Now that summer stress has started to fade into the rearview mirror many turf managers are pursuing reestablishment projects for damaged turfgrass areas. Whether the choice is sod or seeding, autumn weather is typically favorable for establishing turfgrass due to cooler weather and hopefully regular rainfall. Reseeding damaged areas The first decision you need to make is whether to spot seed the bare areas or if the whole area needs to be reseeded. This decision is basically one of practicality. Many turf areas made it through this summer relatively unscathed and turf death tended to be scattered. If the turf was simply thinned or there are small patches of dead grass, a fall fertilizer application and favorable weather conditions should facilitate the existing turfgrass stand to recover and fill in those bare spots. If the damaged areas are large, for example lawns that essentially have only sporadic green turf plants, then overseeding is going to be necessary to restore the area to turf. Tools to renovate There are a number of different methods to ensure that reseeding efforts are successful. First and foremost, you must ensure that you get good seed to soil contact. Seed sitting on top of the soil or simply broadcast spread onto the turf without creating any holes or slits will not be successful. There are several options for creating the holes/slits to ensure seed to soil contact. Machines such as core aerifiers, power rakes, slit seeders, or even hand raking small areas should get the job done. For established areas that may just need a light overseeding to improve density, a core aerifier is a viable option. It’ll also give you the benefit of improving soil aeration, which is critical for many sites that have compacted soils or high clay content soils. For areas that need lots of help, I really like slit seeders, these machines operate by creating a slice in the soil that the seed falls directly into and ensures the seed gets to where it needs to be. Many lawn care companies offer this service or if you’re a do-it-yourselfer these devices can usually be rented at the local hardware or rental store. Species, seeding depth, and rates Making sure you have the correct species and cultivar, especially if you are overseeding an existing lawn, is a critical step to ensure satisfaction. One common frustration many property owners have after overseeding is that the newly seeded turf has a drastically different color/appearance than the existing turf stand. To avoid this problem, I would suggest you do your homework to try and find out if you know the specific species and cultivar that was originally established. In most areas if you’re not sure of the turfgrass species on the lawn, odds are it’s Kentucky bluegrass. Therefore, obviously you should select Kentucky bluegrass cultivars to reseed the turf. If, however, you are completely renovating an area and are looking for something a little different that might be able to withstand drought conditions better, I would give tall fescue a try. Look for catch words such as “turf type” or “improved” when selecting tall fescue cultivars. I would avoid the standard Kentucky 31 (K-31) tall fescue. It has its use in minimal maintenance landscapes or parks, but in most lawns it would look ugly due to its wide leaf blade. Turf type tall fescue is now being mixed with Kentucky bluegrass and is becoming more widely available to consumers, this might be a good option for folks who want to experiment a little and see what they think. Please see our fact sheet on “Purchasing Quality Turfgrass Seed: Read the Label” at www.turf.msu.edu under the Homeowner section for more tips on purchasing seed. Overseeding rates for Kentucky bluegrass are 1.5 – 2 lbs./1000 sq. ft. For mixtures containing perennial ryegrass or fine fescues, rates should be increased to 3 – 5 lbs./1000 sq. ft. For tall fescue, the seeding, not overseeding, rate is 6 – 8 lbs./1000 sq. ft. Strive to incorporate the seed to a depth of about 0.25 inch. Deeper planting depths may result in some of the seed not making it to the surface. Consider mulch for moisture retention Spreading a light mulch cover on top of the newly seeded area will help the soil retain moisture and keep the seedlings from drying out. The recommended rate for using straw mulch is 1 bale of straw/1000 sq. ft.. Be careful with how much mulch you apply, you don’t want to end up smothering those young seedlings. Apply enough so you can still see about 1/3 to ½ of the soil underneath. There are also numerous, more sophisticated mulch products that are easier to spread than straw and expand with moisture to cover the soil. Even something as simple as turf clippings can be used as mulch, once again don’t spread them too thick over the area. Fertilizer, irrigation, and herbicides At the time of seeding, apply a starter fertilizer at a rate of 1 lb. N/1000 sq. ft. to help those young seedlings get established. Make sure to keep the seeded area moist throughout establishment. In many cases, this may require watering several times a day. A good mulch cover will help the area stay moist so the site may be watered less frequently. Water lightly when irrigating, there is no need to see water puddling or running off the site. To be safe, avoid applying all herbicides this fall, i.e. no weed and feed products. Young seedlings don’t tolerate herbicides very well and the guideline is usually to wait three "real" mowings before applying any herbicides or in some cases at least 60 days. By "real" mowings, I mean you’re actually cutting significant grass, not just running over the area to trim down any weeds. Finally, don’t be afraid to get out there and mow the new turf. It’s always challenging to set absolute guidelines when talking about when you should start mowing new seedings. My recommendation, don’t wait until the seedlings are so tall they’re starting to fall over. If you typically mow your lawn at three inches – start mowing the newly established areas when the seedlings get to or slightly exceed the three inch height. Mowing turf helps it spread laterally and fill the area, so start those engines as soon as you start to see the grass creep up to your established cutting height. Hopefully, these tips will help you reclaim those bare areas and get the turf off the blocks quickly this spring. Fall fertilizer application If you missed putting down a fertilizer application last weekend you’re not too late. Fertilizing turf in the first couple of weeks in September will help the turf recover from summer stress. A fertilizer application will help by stimulating tillering and rhizome growth (lateral spread of turf) which help the turf fill in bare areas. Consider applying a slow release fertilizer that will ‘feed’ the turf through September and October. There are numerous fertilizers that are considered slow release including: natural organics, sulfur or polymer coated ureas, methylene ureas and IBDU. |
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| Where did all these darn skeeters come from? Over the Labor Day weekend, southern Michigan experienced a large hatch of small aggressive mosquitoes and boy, do they bite! Dr. Ned Walker, MSU Mosquito Guy, told me they were Aedes trivittatus, a floodwater mosquito that was brought about by our recent rains. These pesky little buggers are characterized by their small size and by the presence of two white stripes running down the top of the thorax. Ae. trivittatus larvae can be found in a variety of freshwater habitats including flooded woodlands, marshes, open pools and woodland pools and in small pools associated with wooded streams. This species occurs throughout the area east of the Rocky Mountains. The reason for their sudden appearance is their rapid development rate. Ae. trivittatus skeeters develop very fast in the hot summer sun. When daytime temperatures of 80's and 90's are accompanied by warm nights, the larvae can proceed from hatching to adulthood in as little as five days. And that’s fast, folks, even by bug standards. Workers in New Jersey report that Ae. trivittatus has emerged over the past several years as the primary nuisance mosquito species and generates more complaints than any other kind of mosquito in that state. Ae. trivittatus are persistent, determined and aggressive biters often attacking the victim in a swarm-like manner. To most, the bite is much more painful and irritating than that of other mosquitoes. They do not hesitate to bite in bright sun, shade, open areas or inside structures. I can attest to this: I have clouds of them around my place. While some mosquitoes kind of flirt around hoping to catch their victim off guard, Ae. trivittatus does not fool around and goes right for it. Ae. trivittatus is an important vector of dog heartworm parasites in our area. What a charming little bug! |
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| Early fall ant swarms Several people have sent in specimens of winged yard ants during the past week. Swarmers (often called allates) of several species of yard ants take flight during this time of year, often in mind-numbing numbers. Yard ants are related to carpenter ants but rather than living in rotted wood, they nest in the ground. Their colonies can be very large. The swarmers that I am seeing are reddish brown and anywhere from 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch long. Yard ants are ‘one humped’ ants, that is, they have a single hump on the skinny part between the abdomen and thorax. Like other formini ants, they also have a small circle of hairs around the tip of their abdomens. These swarms tend to be short lived, so we shouldn’t be seeing them much longer.
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| Don’t ya just hate fruit flies? Fall is also the time of the year for fruit flies, those tiny little guys with the bright red eyes. Flies of all kinds peak in numbers during late summer because there is lots of decaying fruit and other organic material out there this time of year. This is especially true for anyone with a vegetable garden or backyard orchard. Fruit flies love fermenting fruits and are attracted to any sweet liquid be it fruit or vegetable juice, soda and beer left in the bottom of the can, or something thrown into the garbage can. Fruit flies are small enough to pass through window screens so it is difficult to keep them out of the house. They are very irritating to gardeners who want to display their hard earned produced on the kitchen table. If you put a bowl of tomatoes or fruit out this time of year, it will likely have a swarm of these tiny little pests around it in a matter of minutes. Many callers claim they appear out of nowhere. There is no easy solution to fruit flies other than don’t keep anything out that might attract them and emptying the kitchen garbage pail more frequently. A little spray of a household aerosol insecticide will also help keep their numbers down.
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| New bulletin from MSU Pesticide Safety Education Program: Questions and answers about fleas A new bulletin from the MSU Pesticide Safety Education Program, “Questions and Answers about Fleas” (E-2986), is available from the MSU Bulletin Distribution Center at: http://web2.msue.msu.edu/bulletins/intro.cfm. It can also be ordered by calling the Bulletin Office at 517-353-6740. The cost for the 3-panel brochure is $0.35/copy. The bulletin will also be available for free from the PSEP website in pdf format at: www.pested.msu.edu. This is the ninth three-panel brochure in the Community IPM Education Series. The series of brochures are available for purchase from the MSU Bulletin Office or for download in pdf form from the PSEP website. The bulletin answers the questions: What are fleas?; Why do fleas bite?; How do fleas develop?; How can you tell if you have a flea problem?; How do fleas spread?;and What do you do when you find fleas?. Fleas are insects that are parasites of mammals and birds. The most commonly found flea pest in homes is the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis). Cat fleas will bite and feed on dogs, cats and humans, and on outdoor animals such as rodents, foxes and opossums. Wildlife in urban areas often harbor flea populations. If you have a flea problem, you must treat your pets. It is a good idea to consult a veterinarian for available flea treatments. Choose treatments that are relatively safe and effective to use and always follow label directions. |
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| Weather news A cold front will move west to east through the state during the day Friday, September 7, bringing widespread showers and thunderstorms to most areas of the state. Rainfall totals will generally be between 0.25-0.5 of an inch, with some locally higher amounts possible through Saturday. Following the passage of the cold front, the development of an upper air troughing feature over the central United States is expected, which should lead to an extended period of cool and unsettled weather through much of the upcoming week. Scattered showers and a few rumbles of thunder will be possible across most areas of the state late Saturday into Sunday, with many areas remaining dry. An area of low pressure will bring a better chance for rainfall Tuesday into Tuesday evening, with more widespread areal coverage of precipitation expected. Temperatures will fall back to below normal levels statewide by late this weekend, with highs ranging from the low 60's north to the upper 70's south and lows in the low 40's north to upper 50's south by Sunday. Cooler than normal temperatures are expected to continue through at least the middle to latter half of next week as well. In the medium range time frame, the upper air troughing feature mentioned above is expected to gradually weaken and give way to more west to east zonal flow. The 6-10 day outlook, covering September 12-16, calls for near normal mean temperatures and precipitation totals statewide. During the 8-14 day period, covering September 14-20, below normal mean temperatures are expected over all of the state, with precipitation totals remaining at near normal levels. Further ahead, NOAA long lead outlooks for next couple of months are vague on precipitation for Michigan and the Upper Midwest, with near equal chances for below-, near-, and above normal totals. The outlooks suggest that temperatures will average out at above normal levels throughout much of the fall harvest season. |
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