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| Landscape Alert newsletter | ||||
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| Vol. 22, No. 18, September 21, 2007 |
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| In this issue Landscape and nursery  Keep an eye out for swallow-wort infestations Scouting rust diseases Scouting for abiotic diseases: Fall needle drop Scouting for abiotic diseases: Improper planting depth Abiotic Plant Disorders bulletin now available Master Composter Training Workshop October 12 & 13Christmas trees and forestry Revised Baythroid XL label Spruce adelgids: Time to control nymphsAround the home Pardon me! More information on fruit flies Fall invading insects - a little something to look forward toOther news MSU Soil & Plant Nutrient Lab for soil testing Grant funding program seeks innovative ideas for the farm and ranch Weather news |
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Final issue for 2007 |
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| Keep an eye out for swallow-wort infestations Two nasty invasive plants have been gaining an increasing foothold in Michigan recently. Black and pale swallow-wort are European members of the milkweed family that have proven to be among the most highly invasive plants in the northeastern United States. These perennial, twining herbaceous vines can cover large areas in both open and wooded habitats, eventually excluding native plants. They tend to become established in disturbed areas from which they can invade less disturbed sites nearby. While both species have been present in Michigan for some time, many people do not recognize them or know they are of concern. Black swallow-wort [Cynanchum louiseae Kartesz & Gandhi (previously known as Vincetoxicum nigrum and Cynanchum nigrum)] is the most widely distributed of the two species in Michigan. A check of herbarium records at MSU (Dr. Alan Prather) and the University of Michigan (Dr. Anton Reznicek) indicate that it is known to occur in Clinton, Hillsdale, Ingham, Kalamazoo, Lenawee, Oakland, St. Joseph and Washtenaw counties. It is already quite a widespread problem in some areas of eastern Michigan. Pale swallow-wort or dog-strangling vine [Cynanchum rossicum (Kleopov) Barbarich (previously Vincetoxicum rossicum)] is less widely distributed in Michigan, with isolated populations in Berrien, Ingham, St. Joseph, Jackson, Oakland and Washtenaw Counties. Dennis Fijalkowski, Executive Director of the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy, recently pointed out an infestation of pale swallow-wort to me on the MSU campus (see photo). Control efforts have been initiated by the MSU Grounds crew and are expected to take several years to be effective. Because female monarch butterflies will occasionally lay eggs in these swallow-worts but larvae generally do not survive on these plants, there has been some concern that infestations may act as an “oviposition sink.” However, several recent studies show that female monarchs greatly prefer their native host, common milkweed, and both conclude that there is little concern that these plants will significantly contribute to declines in monarch butterfly populations. For more information on the identification, biology and management of black and pale swallow-wort please visit: Invasive Plant Species of Michigan: http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/education/factsheets.cfm. Black swallow–wort: http://www.nps.gov/plants/ALIEN/fact/cylo1.htm. Pale swallow-wort: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/cyro1.htm.
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| Scouting rust diseases Hosts include: Aconitum, Anemone, Aquilegia, Arisaema, Aster, Campanula, Hemerocallis, Heuchera, Liatris, Lupinus and Monarda. Several perennials are commonly affected by rust diseases. Each rust pathogen has its own relatively small host range. Disease management strategies are fairly similar for this group of pathogens.
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| Scouting for abiotic diseases: Fall needle drop It is normal for evergreens to lose their interior needles in the fall. Loss tends to be more pronounced during years with dry weather. It is not normal for needles to drop from the current year’s growth, or to drop in the spring or summer. Check for another cause such as salt injury, a disease problem, frost, or drought if this occurs. The information is from A Pocket IPM Scouting Guide for Woody Landscape Plants. For ordering information, please visit: http://www.emdc.msue.msu.edu/ or call the MSU Bulletin Office at 517-353-6740 and ask for inventory number E2839.
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| Scouting for abiotic diseases: Improper planting depth When planting, look for the root flare, and plant the ball with the root flare level with the ground. The kousa dogwood in Photo 1 declined over a period of several years before it died. In Photo1, he root flare was buried 5 inches down and topped with a layer of mulch. Be careful when uncovering roots of plants that have been buried for several years. Many roots have developed near the surface. These roots can be killed when uncovered. Adjusting planting depth is best done in spring after the weather settles to allow time for new root growth to develop and to allow the plant to adjust before the ground freezes. Planting too shallow can also be problematic. This yew (Photo 2) was planted with part of the root ball sticking out of the ground, and the burlap and twine left on. Burlap should be removed if possible or at least cut off the top to allow water penetration into the root ball. Twine should be removed. The root ball should be just covered with soil.
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| Abiotic Plant Disorders bulletin now available
Abiotic Plant Disorders- Symptoms, Signs and Solutions is a new bulletin available through MSU Extension. Robert Schutzki, MSU Horticulture, and Bert Cregg, MSU Horticulture and Forestry, teamed up to write this 16-page informational guide with colored photos to help readers identify potential problems in their landscape. |
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| Master Composter Training Workshop October 12 & 13 Van Buren County MSU Extension is offering Master Composter Training as an intensive two-day training workshop on October 12 and 13 at the Van Buren County Human Services Building East Conference Rooms in Paw Paw, Michigan. The Master Composter Workshop focuses on backyard composting and will introduce you to the basic science of composting, as well as, the rewards and satisfaction of creating an immediately usable organic soil product. The cost for the Master Composter Certification Workshop is $65, which includes materials and meals. A registration brochure is available at http://web1.msue.msu.edu/vanburen/07compostbrochure.pdf. Call 269-657-8213 or e-mail: mclawsonb@msu.edu for local lodging information. This workshop will allow you to become a certified Master Composter with the fulfillment of some additional requirements or can be used as continuing education credits for Master Gardener volunteers. |
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| Revised Baythroid XL label Bayer has revised Baythroid XL 24(c) for Christmas Trees that has wording to cover growers that dig a few live landscape ornamental trees from a Christmas tree field. For a copy of the new label, please visit: http://www.ipm.msu.edu/cat07land/PDF/9-21label.pdf. |
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| Spruce adelgids: Time to control nymphs If you have had problems with Cooley spruce gall adelgid on Douglas-fir or spruce or Eastern spruce gall adelgid on Norway, white or Black Hills spruce, this is the time to apply a registered insecticide to control the overwintering nymphs. The nymphs live and develop inside the galls until late summer when the galls open and the nearly mature nymphs emerge and settle on the needles. Here they become adults and lay their eggs. When these hatch, the resulting nymphs settle near the buds and overwinter, completing the cycle. Spray with a currently registered insecticide in late September or October and/or again in early April to kill these overwintering nymphs. Some growers have timed this application when the red maples begin to turn red in the fall. Make sure to get good coverage. |
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| Pardon me! More information on fruit flies It’s always flattering to hear from readers. In the September 7 Landscape CAT Alert issue, I wrote about fruit flies, and admittedly, I was a bit cavalier in my remarks. Two readers wrote to tell me that there is an easy solution to fruit flies and I want to share with you their insights (and my failings). This from a Macomb County reader As a Master Gardener, I look forward to receiving your alerts in our weekly e-news. I was, however, disappointed at your option for dealing with fruit flies. Yes, emptying the garbage more frequently helps, but "A little spray of a household aerosol insecticide will also help keep their numbers down" doesn't seem like IPM to me. An option given at our Master Gardener class a few years ago was to use a small jar with a homemade paper cone set on top of it. A bit of juice or rotting fruit in the bottom would attract the flies, while the cone shape kept them in the jar to die. I hadn't tried this method until this summer. Instead of a paper cone, I simply set my kitchen funnel into a tall wine glass with a splash of wine in the bottom of the glass. The flies seemed to like the wine much better than the juice. Every day I simply emptied my trap and replaced the splash of wine. The pests were gone in no time, and I wasn't spraying chemicals into our family home. This from a Leelanau County reader Howard Russell gives up to fruit flies too easily! Try the following as an experiment. You will be delighted. It works. Ahh, there is a solution to the fruit fly plague. Insecticide spray? Oh no! (They seem to be immune!) The solution is apple cider vinegar! It is routine at our house, surrounded on the Leelanau peninsula by orchards of various fruits, to lay out the fruit fly traps this time of year. They WILL inevitably get in the house, so we put up our defenses. Here it is: Fill several juice glasses, (or smaller), with apple cider vinegar to about 2/3rds full. Add a drop or two, no more, of liquid dishwashing soap to the vinegar and swirl a bit. Stretch 'handywrap' or similar (we use 'stretch-tite') across the top of the glas,s so it is taut. A rubber band around the perimeter will hold it in place, if not natural attraction. Punch about a dozen or so holes in the 'handywrap' with a toothpick and set out the traps, one in the kitchen and one in each bathroom. (Various colognes etc., attract the rascals to the bathrooms. And they love mirrors!) Oh, if you have a serious problem, empty and refresh about every week or so. Guaranteed to work! |
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| Fall invading insects - a little something to look forward to It won’t be long before boxelder bugs, cluster flies, Asian lady beetles, pine seed bugs and a few others of our six-legged friends will begin to congregate on the sides of our homes. More often than not, they choose the sides that are warmed by the afternoon sun. As it gets colder, these bugs will attempt to find a way in though cracks, crevices of other points of entry in order to find a comfy place to spend the winter. In unheated structures, they go dormant until spring but in heated homes, many stay active just to annoy us. There is part of me that wants to say there is not much we can do about these unwelcome guests other than spraying a little insecticide around windows and doors, and hoping for the best, but I know of at least two readers who will take offense to these slacker, non-IPM comments. In the spirit of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), I suggest (like many others) that caulking or otherwise sealing around windows and doors might help to deny them access to the inside. This can be very helpful in older homes with wooden siding and windows, but no amount of caulk will help those of us with vinyl siding. Vinyl siding and soffits are not nailed tightly to the house; vinyl is “hung” or loosely nailed to allow these plastic panels to expand and contract with changing temperature. As such, bugs can easily find their way around siding and soffits and into the wall voids and rafters. From there, they more or less magically appear in the interior living space, which is our space. At this point, conflicts of interest usually arise. What we do about them at this point is a matter of personal choice. I wish the best of luck to all of you. Have a great holiday season and may all of you successfully overwinter. Pray for peace. – Howard
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| MSU Soil & Plant Nutrient Lab for soil testing The MSU Soil & Plant Nutrient Lab (SPN) provides soil testing and plant tissue analysis services for farmers, homeowners, greenhouse operations, consultants, agribusinesses, governmental service agencies and research programs at MSU and other universities. Water samples are tested to determine suitability for use in growing plants. Samples of soil and plant tissue can be sent directly to the Soil & Plant Nutrient Lab at A82 Plant and Soil Sciences Bldg., Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1325 or can be taken to any county Extension office to be delivered to the SPN Lab. A listing of the services provided can be found at www.css.msu.edu/soiltesting under “Testing Price List.” Test reports include the test results plus recommendations. The MSU SPN Lab works closely with the MSU county extension offices and educators in providing information about testing and managing nutrient inputs for growing plants whether in home landscapes, greenhouses or on farms. Questions regarding testing services, results or recommendations can be directed to county extension educators, the SPN Lab or Jon Dahl at 517-355-0218 or Darryl Warncke at 517-355-0271 x 1270. |
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| Grant funding program seeks innovative ideas for the farm and ranch The North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE) Program is seeking innovative farmers or ranchers who want to implement a new, sustainable, idea to improve their operation. NCR-SARE is currently accepting applications for their 2007 Farmer Rancher grant program. NCR-SARE awards grants to farmers and ranchers for on-farm research, demonstrations and education projects. By providing funds ranging from $6,000 per individual grant to up to $18,000 for grants awarded to groups of three or more, NCR-SARE helps facilitate essential agricultural research and development. Beverly Pender is an urban farmer in Kansas City. Utilizing the lots she owns, and the lots donated to her from neighbors, she has been able to carry on Soul and Soil Rainbow Gardens. Thanks to NCR-SARE grant funding, she will be able to add on to her gardens, and local youth, seniors and the homeless will also reap rewards. “Our objective is to promote urban farming and to teach the community about healthy food production,” Pender explained. Pender’s grant is just one example of the wide range of projects that NCR-SARE has funded over the years. Other funded topics include pest and disease management, soil conservation, local marketing, public education, waste management, agri-tourism, crop diversity, aqua-culture and many others. NCR-SARE grants are awarded based on the applicants ability to describe how their project will be sustainable in terms of having long-term profitability, being good for the environment, producing healthy foods, being socially responsible and supporting their community. Last year NCR-SARE funded 52 Farmer Rancher grants totaling $400,037. This year farmers and ranchers throughout the North Central Region will once again have the opportunity to apply for roughly $400,000 in grant assistance. The 12 states that comprise the North Central Region are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The NCR-SARE program receives its funding through the United States Department of Agriculture. Grant proposals are due in the NCR-SARE office by December 3, 2007. Interested applicants may contact Joan Benjamin with NCR-SARE at 402-472-0809 or ncrsare@umn.edu. The current Farmer Rancher Grant Call for Proposals application can be found on the NCR-SARE web site at http://ncr.sare.org/prod.htm. Previous project reports are made available through the national SARE web site at www.sare.org. Contact: North Central Region - Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Farmer Rancher Grant Program 402.472.0809 or 1.800.529.1342 (toll free) ncrsare@umn.edu www.sare.org/ncrsare |
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| Weather news An upper air troughing feature across the western United States will lead to southwesterly flow across the Great Lakes region during the next several days, leading to above normal temperatures and to the passage of at least two frontal boundaries through Michigan. A cool front will move from northwest to southeast across the state Friday, September 21, before stalling out across the Ohio Valley region on Saturday. That front will quickly return northward through Michigan as a warm front Sunday only to be followed by another cool frontal passage and the chance for more showers and thunderstorms Monday and Tuesday. For the first frontal passage Friday, moisture is generally lacking and for most of the state only scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected, with best chances for rainfall across northern sections of the state. Most areas of the state will remain dry. Precipitation that does fall will generally remain in the 0.10-0.25 inch category where rain occurs. High temperatures Saturday (behind the cool front) will fall back to the upper 60's north to near 80ºF far south, gradually warming back into the 70's to low 80s by Monday. Low temperatures will generally range from the mid- 40's north to upper 50's south on Saturday, warming into the 50's to low 60's Sunday and Monday. Showers and thunderstorms will be possible once again across the state as the next frontal boundary approaches from the west. More moisture is expected ahead of this front (possibly of tropical origin), increasing the chances of a more widespread rainfall event in most sections of the state late Monday into Tuesday evening. Further ahead, latest medium range forecast guidance suggests a general continuation of upper air troughing across the western United States with southwesterly flow (and an active storm track) across the Upper Midwest. As a result, both 6-10 day and 8-14 day outlooks, covering September 26-30 and September 28 through October 6, call for above normal temperatures state- and region-wide. Precipitation totals during both time frames are forecast to range from near normal or slightly below normal levels over eastern sections of the state to above normal levels in the west. |
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