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The following growing-degree-day (GDD) and precipitation data was collected for a ~four-week period, January 11, 2007 through February 5, 2007. Soil temperature and phenological indicators were observed on or about February 5, 2007. 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.
REGIONAL
NOTES Southeast Region (Hanson) - General Conditions: The first week of January was pleasant with Boston seeing a record-breaking temperature of 70 degrees F on January 6th! Many of the plants showing flowers in December carried over into January and reports of the following flowers were observed: Cherry 'Hally Jolivette', candytuft, Forsythia, Lamium, Helleborus x hybridus (Lenten Rose), Helleborus foetidus, primroses, Viburnum, and Daphne. Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’ and 'Pallida' and witchhazel ' Arnold Promise' (witchhazels Jelena and Pallida) were also in bloom. The red fruit of cranberry viburnum and the bark of Acer griseum (Paperbark maple) continue to add color to the winter landscape. Unfortunately, around January 11th, cold weather set in and that has been the norm since. January 26th temperatures dropped to 3 degrees at night. The flowers of the Helleborus foetidus and H. hybridus appear damaged. January saw light rain and scattered light snow that did not amount to much. Pests/Problems: "Fall invaders" like lady bugs and western conifer seed bugs continue to be active indoors. Deer continue to browse some of their favorite foods: Chamaecyparis, Pieris, Meserve Hollies, Apples, oakleaf hydrangea, azalea, and rhododendrons. There were no other pest problems to report. East Region (Boston) - General Conditions: No report. Central Region (Boylston) - General Conditions: Much colder weather has dominated since our last report. Little or no snow cover until this past weekend, when 1.5” fell. Pioneer Valley Region (Amherst) - General Conditions: Early January temperatures were mild but during the middle ~2 weeks or so of the month the temperatures gradually dropped below freezing. Now the ground is frozen. There were several light snowfalls in late January, with the last snowfall in early February still coating the ground with and inch or two of snow. Pests/Problems: None noted beyond the browning of petals on the earlier blooming Chaenomeles speciosa (common flowering quince) and Japanese flowering cherry. Berkshire Region (Great Barrington) - General Conditions: Despite the lack of snowfall, we still managed to get decent precipitation in the form of rain in January. There was no snow cover when seasonal and lower than average temperatures arrived at mid-month. With some temperatures getting as low as -5 degrees F and no snow cover, there might have been some cold injury to shallow rooted plant species. The ground is now frozen and a little snow cover exists but very cold temperatures have settled in for a while. Lawns that were still green in early January are now their normal winter brown. Pests/Problems: Deer browsing activity has picked up as the weather has gotten much colder. 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, UMass Extension Plant Diagnostic Lab, UMass, Amherst. BERKSHIRES - Ron Kujawski, Specialist, UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery & Urban Forestry Program, Amherst. No report this month.
Mild winter weather and its impact on deciduous trees and shrubs – Dehydration of foliage on broad-leaved and needled evergreens is often a problem when Massachusetts experiences mild temperatures during the winter. In these situations, the ground is often frozen and/or there is little soil moisture available to the transpiring evergreens to compensate for the moisture lost by the foliage. However, this year there has been regular rainfall associated with the mild temperatures and this should minimize dehydration damage. Marginally hardy flowering trees and shrubs that flowered experienced freeze damage to opened buds and petals when temperatures dropped below freezing, but it remains to be seen the season progresses if there will be more extensive damage or not. Ramorum Blight, also known as Sudden Oak Death (SOD). Since the early 1990’s, oaks and tanoaks were 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. USDA APHIS currently regulates 84 plants, two of which are 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 2006 Monitoring Surveys:
No report: Visit the Landscape Message Archive for previous messages.
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! UMass Extension’s Turf Management
Guide and IPM Facts: For more information about the turf pests
mentioned in this message, you will need to refer to the following
publications: the freshly revised Professional
Guide for IPM in Turf for Massachusetts, 2006-2007 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 Lyme Disease Diagnostics - UMass
Extension, in cooperation with researchers at UMass Amherst, will
assess deer ticks for the presence of Lyme Disease. There is a
fee of $35 per sample. To submit a sample, follow
the directions at the UMass Extension tick diagnostics website
at http://www.umass.edu/agland/diagnostics/lyme_disease.htm NEXT UPDATE: The next issue will be available in early March. This message is produced by the UMASS Extension, Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program. The copy is prepared by Dan Gillman 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.
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