UMass Extension Landscape Message #2
February 10, 2006

Quick Info Menu ------------------------------- ENVIRONMENTAL DATA REGIONAL NOTES - Cape Cod - Southeast - East - Central - Pioneer Valley - Berkshire PHENOLOGY WOODY ORNAMENTALS - Insects - Diseases - Lab Report - Weeds TURFGRASS - Insects - Diseases - Weeds INFO RESOURCES DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES Use this menu to instantly jump to any portion of the message!

The LANDSCAPE MESSAGE is an educational newsletter intended to guide landscape, nursery and urban forestry professionals in identifying pests in the landscape, monitoring their development, planning management strategies and creating site-specific records for future management reference. UMass Extension has updated this issue to provide timely pest management information and the latest regional news and environmental data throughout Massachusetts. The next update will be available on Friday, March 3, 2006. Missed a previous message? Visit the Landscape Message Archive. Interested in additional turf-oriented content? UMass Extension Turf Program Management Updates

ENVIRONMENTAL DATA

The following growing-degree-day (GDD) and precipitation data was collected for a four-week period, January 10 through February 8, 2006. Soil temperature and phenological indicators were observed on February 8, 2006. Accumulated GDDs represent the heating units above the 50° F baseline temperature collected via our instruments since the beginning of the current growing season. This information is intended for use as a guide for monitoring the developmental stages of pests in your location and planning management strategies accordingly.

REGIONAL NOTES

Cape Cod Region (Barnstable) - General Conditions: January was not only warm, it was wet, with 5.5" of rainfall during the month. Hamamelis 'Jelena' began to bloom early in the month, with 'Arnold Promise' and 'Diana' in bloom by the end of the month, about 2 to 4 weeks earlier than past years. Buds of Corylopsis spicata and Enkianthus umbellata are already showing green. With a return of more normal winter temperatures, plant development should also slow down. Snow drops are blooming.

Southeast Region (Hanson) -

General Conditions. According to weather reports, January 2006 was the sixth warmest on record going back to 1872. Hanson had some very rainy days and one or two with light snow. Temperatures ranged from a few days with a high of 60° F to a low of 10° F. A few days were in the 50s. January 18 was a high of 60° F with extremely high winds and wind gusts. Hanson, like many other towns on the south shore, was without power for several hours. Many trees and power lines were felled by the high winds.

Snowdrops were in bloom in Halifax on January the 12th. Helleborus foetidus is beginning to bloom, and Helleborus orientalis and H. niger have are flower buds beginning to show. Winter aconites have started to bloom. The fruit of cranberry viburnum, the berries of many hollies, and the bark of Acer griseum are providing much needed color and interest in the winter landscape.

Pests/Problems: Western conifer seed bugs are active. The Hanson office has received samples from homeowners about this nuisance pest which is usually a pest we see in the fall and not in January. Deer continue to actively feed on apple trees, Chamaecyparis, and other yummy ornamentals.

East Region (Boston) - General Conditions: Report not available this month.

Central Region (Boylston) - General Conditions: The mild January weather brought witchhazels into glorious bloom, and snowdrops and hellebores are showing their buds.

Pioneer Valley Region (Amherst) -

General Conditions: January was a balmy month in the Pioneer Valley. Both the daily high and the daily low temperatures were above normal everyday except four scattered days during the month. There were two significant (3 to 5 inches) snowfall events; otherwise, the precipitation that fell was rainfall. In a sheltered site on the southwest side of a building, there are some unknown leaves/bulbs coming out of the ground, and flower buds on a nearby rhododendron are showing color.

Pests/Problems. In limited observations there was no evidence of deer browsing on sites that experienced noticeable damage in previous winters. Soil moisture continues to be high. The water level in a nearby 'vernal' pond dropped a little but continues to be 10 to 12 inches deep. Scouting revealed no insect or disease problems in the landscape.

Berkshire Region (Great Barrington) -

General Conditions: Turfgrass, including golf courses, athletic fields, and many commercial and residential sites has remained green for much the winter. Mild conditions in January have kept wild areas open and may have reduced browsing pressure in managed landscapes by deer. Heaving of plants in perennial borders has been common due to alternate freezing/thawing cycles. Snowdrops (Galanthus) and hybrid witchhazels at some sites have been in bloom since mid January.

PHENOLOGY

The phenological indicators are a visual tool for correlating plant development with pest development. The following are the 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 - James R. Allen, Horticulturist and Greenhouse Manager for UMass Biology Department, Boston.

CENTRAL REGION - Joann Vieira, Superintendent of Horticulture, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston.

PIONEER VALLEY - Dan Gillman, Plant Pathologist, Urban Forestry Diagnostic Lab, UMass, Amherst.

BERKSHIRES - Ron Kujawski, Specialist, UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery & Urban Forestry Program, Amherst.

WOODY ORNAMENTALS

INSECTS

During the latter part of November and well into January, during warm spells, the adult moths of winter moth and fall cankerworm were very active. Bruce spanworm was also active but not expected to be in outbreak proportions, as are winter moth and fall cankerworm. Where flight was heavy (much of eastern MA) much defoliation is expected in the spring.

Reported by Robert Childs, Entomologist, UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program, Amherst

DISEASES

Trees and shrubs - The spring of 2005 was wet in many parts of New England and resulted in a lot of leaf spot and shoot blight diseases. These diseases, as well as branch cankers, may disfigure woody plants, but they seldom kill otherwise healthy plants. However, if leaf spots and blights were serious problems last year on high value plants where appearance is important, consider several applications of fungicides beginning as buds open if conditions are wet this spring. If there was extensive branch dieback due to canker infections, this may be an indication that the tree or shrub is in a weakened condition. Useful management interventions consist of those activities that enhance the vitality of the woody plants. Suggestions include soil aeration, weekly soaking irrigations during dry periods, fertilization of poor soils, maintenance of a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch over as much of the root zone as possible, as well as removal of dead branches and pruning to improve branch structure and air movement throughout the crown. Lastly, consider replacing trees and shrubs with recurring leaf spots and blights with resistant varieties or other plants better adapted to the site.

Ramorum Blight, also known as Sudden Oak Death (SOD): Since the early 1990's, oaks and tanoaks have been dying in the coastal counties of California. Since then, other types of plants have been found to be infected or associated with this disease, referred to as Sudden Oak Death, ramorum leaf blight or ramorum dieback, or by regulation as Phytophthora ramorum. The first positive identification of the disease was in 1995 on tanoak in Mill Valley (Marin County), California. Since that time, surveys confirmed Phytophthora ramorum on various native hosts and nursery plants in several locations in California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. When nursery surveys find infected plants, prompt quarantine and/or eradication activities ensue. Research conducted by the Agriculture Research Service, US Forest Service, universities, and others is under way to better identify hosts, improve methods of detection, and develop effective treatments. Currently, 84 plants are regulated, two of which at the genus level (Camellia and Rhododendron). There are no chemical treatments currently available to eliminate Phytophthora ramorum from infected plants.

Status of Phytophthora ramorum Monitoring Surveys: The 2005 National Nursery Survey involved 49 states and Puerto Rico. It reported that 3,790 nurseries have been visited and 68,275 samples collected. The surveys identified 56 positives sites in seven states. Overall, 99 positive sites have been reported this year. The breakdown by state is: CA (55), GA (4), LA (2), OR (20), TN (1), SC (1), and WA (16).

New Hosts Added: USDA. PPQ issued a Federal Order on November 15 adding Abies concolor (white fir) and Viburnum opulus (= V. trilobum) (American cranberry viburnum) to the official USDA APHIS list of host and associated host plants.

Dan Gillman, Plant Pathologist, based in the Urban Forestry Diagnostic Lab at UMass, Amherst.

TURFGRASS

Insects: No report: Visit the Landscape Message Archive for previous messages.

Weeds: No report: Visit the Landscape Message Archive for previous messages.

Don't forget to visit the UMass Extension Online Weed Herbarium!

UMass Extension’s Turf Management Guide and IPM Facts: For more information about the pests mentioned in this message, you will need to refer to the following publications: the Professional Guide for IPM in Turf for Massachusetts, 2003-2004 edition and Turf IPM Facts . Call (413) 545-2717 to order these publications from the UMASS Outreach Bookstore.

DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES

UMass Laboratory Diagnoses for 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

NEXT UPDATE: The next issue will be available on Friday, March 3, 2006.

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 and made available to subscribers via electronic transmittal by Ellen Weeks.

DISCLAIMER. This message is intended for commercial use. UMASS Extension assumes no liability for recommendations. The use of trade names does not imply endorsement. Similarly, there may be other products you prefer to use.

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