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| Landscape Alert newsletters |
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| Pest management advice for landscape management and nurseries Right tree, right place May 2, 2008 -- We’ve all heard the mantra “Right tree, right place.” For many people, however, it’s one of those pieces of advice like “Eat right and get regular exercise” that seems to go in one ear and out the other. None of us can debate the importance of matching tree to site; just like no one can deny that proper diet and exercise are important for our own health. Read more. Scouting for weeds: corn speedwell May 2, 2008 -- One of the earliest flowering weeds that homeowners may find infesting their lawns and landscapes this spring is corn speedwell. There are actually several species of speedwell (Veronica) in Michigan. These speedwells are usually very small plants with subtle differences and thus easily confused. Read more. Tar spot on maple fungicide timing is now May 2, 2008 -- Nursery tree growers who experienced problems and MDA restrictions last season with tar spot (Rhytisma sp.) leaf infections on maple trees should be targeting fungicide sprays now if "tree appearance" is critical. Apply either triadimefon, mancozeb or Junction at budbreak and at 7-14 day intervals. Read more. |
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Lawn tips to save cash May 2, 2008 -- If you’re like me and keep getting cut-off at the pump by the max credit card charge, you’ve probably also thought about ways to reduce mowing or save money in other ways without compromising lawn quality. Here are some quick tips for maintaining a healthy lawn and saving some cash at the same time. Read more. Herbicide-resistant weeds in Michigan Christmas tree plantations May 2, 2008 -- Since the 2004 growing season, several greenhouse experiments have been conducted to evaluate triazine, ALS, glyphosate and PPO resistance in 58 weed samples collected from Michigan Christmas tree plantations. The most popular seedheads submitted were that of common lambsquarters, common ragweed, hoary alyssum, horseweed, Powell amaranth and velvetleaf. Read more. Charcoal of Fraser and Canaan fir May 2, 2008 -- A disease that looks very similar to Phytophthora root rot is beginning to be seen more often in Fraser and Canaan fir plantings. We have seen this disease in Michigan for three years now, first on seedling trees, and now on young transplants and mature trees. The nursery stock for the current outbreak was obtained from a nursery outside of Michigan. Read more. Christmas trees and forestry insect update for May 2 May 2, 2008 -- Spruce needleminer Scouting blue spruce this past week, it seems we are seeing an increase in the numbers of spruce needleminers. Right now you will find the larvae webbed into nests of hollowed-out needles. These immature larvae over-wintered in these nest and will feed for a few weeks and then pupate. Read more. Gypsy moth spray window update May 2 May 2, 2008 -- Growers should note that the spray window open date have been set for Zones 1 and 2 - all compounds for Tuesday, May 6. The spray window open date for Zone 3 – Dimilin has been set for Tuesday, May 6. The spray window open date for Zone 4 – Dimilin has been set for Saturday, May 10. Read more. Ground nesting bees are scary but harmless May 2, 2008 -- Many people have called the lab recently to complain about large congregations of ground nesting bees in their yards. There are many common species of solitary bees that nest in the ground. Most of these belong to families Colletidae, Andrenidae and Halictidae. Those that terrorize us early in the spring are most likely andrenid bees. Read more. Warm weather brought the ticks out May 2, 2008 -- Our recent warm snap fired up the dog ticks. We had several people send us American dog ticks last week during our first real warm weather of the year. Many more called the lab to report tick activity in their area. American dog ticks, Dermacentor variabilis, can readily be distinguished from other tick species by their white markings on their backs. Read more. Polyxenus millipedes May 2, 2008 -- Last week a lady brought in some strange little creatures she found crawling on her basement walls. It was quite obvious that she was very annoyed with these little intruders. With a quick look through the scope, I was able to tell her that her bugs were adorable little Polyxenus millipedes, also known as duff millipedes. Read more. Red squirrel injury to arborvitae May 2, 2008 -- Last week a gentleman brought in a small arborvitae that he thought had died over the winter. He brought in the whole shrub, roots and all. A quick examination of the shrub told us that it was not dead. The branches were not brittle and many of the lateral buds had broken and new growth was appearing all over the shrub. Read more. Where did all those winter cutworms go? May 2, 2008 -- In the first issue of the 2008 Landscape Alerts, Chris DiFonzo and I documented a widespread outbreak of winter cutworms that occurred last fall in many northern counties of the Lower Peninsula. We expected to hear more about these guys this spring, but alas we have not. Were did they go and what happened to them all? Read more. |
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