Looked at your petunias lately? If you find mottled or distorted leaves on your petunias, don’t be surprised when the diagnosis comes in: it just might be tobacco mosaic virus (TMV for short). Researchers aren’t sure which TMV strain this is but TMV can infect bedding plants from calibrachoas and verbena to marigolds and mums….Continue Reading Greenhouse Growers: Be on Your Toes About TMV
Fruit Farmers! Your Help Needed: Take this Survey
The Southern and Northeastern spotted wing Drosophila IPM working groups developed the 2013 SWD Economic Impact Survey to assess the impact this invasive fruit fly is having on farmers and fruit production in the Eastern US. Survey results will inform funding agencies to support research and extension efforts on SWD. Participation is voluntary and anonymous—the…Continue Reading Fruit Farmers! Your Help Needed: Take this Survey
Life Finds a Way
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night will stop Norway rats from finding a bite — to eat! With bitter cold and more than 55 inches of snow (and counting), winter in New York City has been memorable. More than ever, rats need to find a way — and their wayfinding signs…Continue Reading Life Finds a Way
Side by Side: “Strip-Trial” Techniques for On-Farm Research
Field corn is the king of crops in New York. This highest net-value and most widely grown crop occupies more than a million acres statewide. Some years it’s hammered by leaf blights that can cost considerably if not treated in time. Other years your fields get off almost unscathed. How to know which conditions tip…Continue Reading Side by Side: “Strip-Trial” Techniques for On-Farm Research
Count your growing degree days to help control white pine weevil
White pine weevils fly early to lay their eggs in the leaders of your pines, spruces and firs – often in March or April. Using growing degree days, a measure of how much heat we have had and therefore how developed the insects are, is a good way to tell when you should be looking…Continue Reading Count your growing degree days to help control white pine weevil
Got gypsy moths eggs? Check NOW
If you grow trees for a living — or just want your landscape looking buff come summer — now is the time to check for gypsy moth egg masses. True, we don’t hear about them often anymore, but it’s devastating when you get an infestation. Egg masses are buff colored, fuzzy looking, about the size of…Continue Reading Got gypsy moths eggs? Check NOW
Learn All About It!
Sure, your fields are deep in snow. But January isn’t downtime for farmers. Whatever your varied crops and specialties, you have this in common: you need to stay on top of disease, weed, and insect pests. Which is why you squeeze as much learning into the off-season as you can. From the smorgasbord of winter…Continue Reading Learn All About It!
Done with outdoor landscaping? Think again.
Think you’re done with landscaping or yard work for the year? Not so fast. Thanks to IPM funding, Long Island’s Suffolk County Cooperative Extension has posted dozens of down-to-earth fact sheets on landscape care — each a quick read, yet rich with detail. Whether you’re a professional or homeowner — and no matter where you live…Continue Reading Done with outdoor landscaping? Think again.
Christmas Tree Grower? Your To-do List …
… Just Got Longer. Not that Christmas tree growers aren’t a little busy just now, but this is a great time to take foliar samples (soil samples too, while you’re at it) so you’ll be ready to adapt your nutritional program in the spring. But why now? In a nutshell: yes, soil tests tell what…Continue Reading Christmas Tree Grower? Your To-do List …
Growing Sweet Corn for Market? Get a Jump on 2014
Sweet corn’s contribution to New York’s economy is in the neighborhood of $88 million. In fact, our fresh market-sweet corn ranks 4th in the nation. Lump all vegetables crops together, and you’re looking at a contribution on the order of $650 million. Winter prep can help boost yields. So what should growers be doing nowto…Continue Reading Growing Sweet Corn for Market? Get a Jump on 2014