Monthly Archives: March 2016

March 23, 2016

Greenhouse IPM Update 3.23.16

I just figured out how to hyperlink in my emails.  I’m quite the dinosaur!  Click on the blue words to get the link if you are a dinosaur like me.  Let me know if it doesn’t work for you!

It’s a rove beetle eat predacious mite world out there.  Great information from Sarah Jandricic (OMAFRA) on how to keep your thrips beneficials from eating each other!

A little early nursery scouting might be in order – things they are already seeing in Ontario – Bagworms, Viburnum leaf beetle egg masses, and gypsy moth egg masses.

Lots of information from Tina Smith at UMass and Leanne Pundt at UConn
Keeping an eye on those calis. Calibrachoa troubleshooting for diseases and disorders

Tackling thrips with bios and pesticides (remember to check for NYS labels on any pesticides)  Lots of other resources linked to this report.

Be nice to your nematodes.   This article makes the point about not storing nematodes in a refrigerator that is opened frequently.  Another temperature shock could be mixing chilled nematodes with too warm water.  Not sure we have the research on this yet, but it makes sense.

What are those strange lumps?  It could be crown gall – found on some lobelias this spring. It is caused by a bacterium and can be spread by water splashing, although it needs an entry point to get into the plant.  No good control so add it to your scouting list.

Do you have a pH and/or EC (electrical conductivity) meter stashed in your greenhouse that you last used last season?  It probably needs to be recalibrated.  Have you ever done that?  Here’s how!

And to go along with that – a short webinar on Diagnosing low substrate pH problems from Brian Whipker at NC State on Friday March 25.

To keep Margery happy – lovely photos of Thielaviopsis – and how to avoid having your own.

Where have all the archived updates gone?  Well, NYS IPM is in the process of getting a new website and we consolidated all the updates into one blog to archive them  Coming soon!

’Tis the season for greenhouse information!  From my email to yours.  Have a good week!

March 22, 2016

Christmas Tree IPM Update 1.17.16

Digging back through the masses of email.  And then getting ready for MORE meetings and presentations!

Even though we haven’t seen much salt use so far, it is useful to know the impact of salts on plants and how to protect them

More or less deer browse with no snow? Learn more about how to manage the little darlings – Deer management resources, including webinars January 20 and 27, 2016.  Registration and webinar information in second paragraph.

More webinars – Soil and Nutrient Management for Field Grown Ornamentals and Christmas Trees in February from Michigan State University

There may be no such thing as a free lunch but MSU has free Pest Scouting Bulletins to download.  Perennial Crops includes conifers.

Just in case you didn’t do it yet – how to winterize your sprayer

Getting an old field ready for new trees – help from MSU
Part 1 and Part 2

Well, that should keep you off the streets for a bit!  Have a great week!  Come by and say HI if you are at the CTFANY meeting!

March 22, 2016

Greenhouse IPM Update 1.17.16

How the email piles up!  But lots of good stuff in there, even if I think of just deleting them all and starting over.  Is that Spring Cleaning?

Webinars for everyone – from E–GRO
January 22 – Managing Nutrient Solutions for Hydroponic Leafy Greens and Herbs is full but contact Brian Whipker for more information: bwhipker@ncsu.edu

January 29, 11-2 Eastern time – PGR University: Cutting Edge PGR Webinar https://attendee.gototraining.com/r/4737168154709094146
February 5 – 2–3 Eastern time – Blisters, Bumps and Lesions: What we know about the physiological disorders of intumescence and edema

There is much more to find at the e-GRO website –  Videos, research, alerts . . .

Want your education face to face? Plant Nutrition for Greenhouse Crops: On-site Media Testing, Feb 16, Sturbridge MA.  Click here for more information
How nice!  Handouts and information from previous events are all collected in one site,   And note the buttons for Fact Sheets, Publications and Resources, etc.

Got drips running down the back of your neck when you are in the greenhouse?  Here’s the article for you. Reducing Humidity in the Greenhouse

And that relates to botrytis and how to manage it!

Moisture levels even matter in space!

Ten ‘easy’ steps to greenhouse sanitation – NOW is the time to do it if you haven’t already.

And something else to clean in case you didn’t do it yet – how to winterize your sprayer – even if winter doesn’t really happen in your greenhouse

There may be no such thing as a free lunch but MSU has FREE Pest Scouting Bulletins to download – including Greenhouse.

And one on Commercially Available Biological Control Agents for Common Greenhouse Insect Pests!

Really being prepared!  Northeast Greenhouse Conference and Expo – November 9-10 in Boxborough, MA.

Keeping hydroponic roots happy!  Temperature, oxygen levels and beneficial microbes at optimum levels helps.

Stay warm and cuddled up to your computer watching webinars!  Have a great week!  Maybe even get out to one of the many greenhouse educational meetings this month!

March 22, 2016

Christmas Tree IPM Update 3.22.16

Just a little snow fell at my house yesterday but it still feels springy!

And that leads us directly into the first question I received this spring:  When should I treat for white pine weevil?  Now (although maybe a slightly warmer day than today) urging by the Cornus maas blooming outside my office window and the silver maple I saw blooming in Geneva last week.  7-58 growing degree days.  You are trying to control the adults before they lay eggs and you know how a young white pine weevil’s fancy turns to love in the early spring.  Target the top third of the plant where they hang out.

Brian’s blog post on wpw:
For more pictures:
Do you get Sarah Pickel’s PA Christmas tree IPM report?  A good way to see what is heading our way.  Contact her at: c-sapickel@pa.gov
Sarah Pickel | IPM Education Specialist
PA Department of Agriculture | Bureau of Plant Industry
2301 North Cameron Street | Harrisburg, PA 17110
P: 717-772-5227

What is she seeing besides white pine weevil?
Pales weevil – larger than White pine weevil and with different habits.  While mostly a pine problem, the adults will feed on the bark of other conifers resulting in flagged or dead branches.  Eggs and larvae are only found in newly cut (less than a year) pine stumps so chipping or removing pine stumps is a good management practice.

Eriophyid mites – just starting.  These mites are tiny so it takes close scouting.  They can be carrot shaped or more elongated.  The eggs may be in clusters on the bottom of the needles.  Just a bit larger than the stomata spots.  There is a threshold for this pest – 80% of twigs with mites and at least 8 mites on a single needle on one shoot.  Get your hand lenses out!
Are you out in the trees yet?  I bet you are on the warm days.  Seems appealing when I am in my office.  I did walk my  conifer plantation the other day, though!  Lost one but the other 8 are happy.  🙂

Have a great week!

March 22, 2016

Greenhouse IPM Update 3.22.16

So they are saying snow but I am encouraged by the blooming of the tree outside my office window and the things that keep appearing at home!

There is just a TON of information out at the moment.  Let’s see if I can squeeze a lot in a small space here.

Greenhouse Product News’ Ornamental Disease Digest- Diseases by crop and lots of articles by Margery Daughtrey and Ann Chase – always edifying and entertaining.

It’s dinnertime but still –  “Edible Alerts’?  They are e-GRO’s list of information on topics relating to vegetables and herbs grown in the greenhouse and hydroponic production.  Things like basil fusarium wilt, greenhouse tomato diseases and disorders, and pythium on hydroponic lettuce.

And don’t forget the regular e-GRO alerts – this year we have already had some on black root rot (Thielaviopsis to those of you in the know who like to use lots of letters), scouting plug trays (you all do, right?) and aphids in hanging baskets.

We have a project on-going looking at aphid management and plant nutrition.  Overfertilized plants have more aphids, right?  Well maybe – but stay tuned.  Still, using controlled release fertilizers can help prevent waste of nutrients.  What do you know about them?  Check here for lots of information!

Do you know what Pycnanthemum is?  Pollinators don’t care what it is called, they just like it.  It keeps coming up on top in  pollinator ‘ taste trials’ – for NYS IPM trials and at Penn State, too.  I’ve already had requests for where it can be purchased! (psst – It’s mountain mint)

Do you know your pythium from your phytophthora?  It does matter when you want to control them.

A use for humidity?

I know you are all busy with the early spring so have a great week!

March 22, 2016

Greenhouse IPM Update 3.9.16

Back in the saddle again!  I think there are about 5 partial updates on my computer.  But I promise not to send them all at once.  This should keep you out of trouble for a while!

Rain predicted for tomorrow so it’s a good time to talk about humidity.  Which Premier Tech kindly did for us, through Horti-Daily.  They didn’t mention pest management (Hey!) but you know that it has an effect.  Can we all say together: Botrytis!

Things to keep on your calendar – The Greenhouse Canada Grower Day June 15 in Niagara Falls.  The topic this year is Whiteflies – with some great speakers and interesting ideas.

Five wasps in one!  Koppert is unveiling a new mix of 5 parasitic wasps to manage aphids – especially to find the earliest infestations.  Not available in the US yet – but maybe?
Turns out Bioline has a 3 in 1 aphid wasp mix.  Has anyone tried it and is it better than just 2?

Do you use Met 52?  Monsanto BioAg says it will keep producing it but it won’t be available from Feb – Oct 2016.
Pit bull bees – that can bite the legs off the varroa mites that plague them! Breeding better bees

What’s in your water (sorry American Express)?  Do you know? And does it affect sanitation?

Well, this just looks like fun! A roof cleaner for greenhouses – but will it work on kitchen floors?
Pest management from the comfort of your couch?  It sounds like they are trying to get there. An automated pest monitoring system!

Growing vegetables on a cruise ship. Does the grower get to go along?

Koppert has an IPM app.  Has anyone tried it?

Poinsettias as landscape plants . In NYS?

Enjoy our mini-spring – and keep your fingers crossed.  Winter aconite and snowdrops and crocuses out!

Have a great week!