February 26, 2017

Greenhouse IPM Update 2.26.17

Spring?!  I know it’s not but I do like seeing that witch hazel and some snow drops blooming on campus.

And that makes me think of aphids…really?  Well, since Sarah Jandricid reports that foxglove aphids produce more offspring at 50-60F than at higher temperatures, maybe we should be thinking about them.  Especially if you had foxglove aphids last year (they are the one’s with dark green patches at the base of their ‘tailpipes’).  Go look now!

Early – that’s the key word – and here it is in Michael Brownbridge’s article Prevention and Early Intervention:  The Keys to Biocontrol Success in Greenhouse Crops published in Greenhouse Grower

More aphids?  Dan Gilrein’s e-GRO blog post on aphids and calibrachoas (aphids do seem to love them!)

Spring cleaning?  I am trying to reduce the amount of stuff in my office and house (not that you can really tell yet) but the same is true for greenhouses, and even relates to IPM.  Reducing clutter might help figure out where the pests are hiding over the winter (sneaky weeds get everywhere!).

Hooray for alliteration! Premier Tech led me to Pythium and then to Penn State – who have a lot of useful information on plant diseases I hadn’t found before.  Noodle around on the website, there are some listed by crop and other under general diseases.

And back to Pythium – Here’s Penn State’s fact sheet and the one from Premier Tech  and their list of things you can do after planting to minimize root diseases

Just in case you get tired of me telling you about Integrated Pest Management (well, how could you?), here’s the word from Van Belle Nursery with a nice video, too.

Want to read something a little edgy?  Very comprehensive article on the causes of leaf margin issues from Paul Thomas and U of Georgia.  We usually see a few of these every spring!

Wonderful wrigglers?  Not worms but nematodes – the good kind!  A nice article from UMass on using beneficial nematodes.

Boxwood blight – I don’t even have to add the alliteration.  The original article and one where you can see the pictures (which are from Margery Daughtrey!).

Back to bee basics.  Grow wise Bee Smart  BMP’s for bee health in horticulture
http://growwise.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/HRI-Pollinator-BMPs-January2017.pdf

Rent a chicken?  There are a few chicken owners I know but they haven’t capitalized on their bug eating habits yet (that I know off) for greenhouses.

Wow, a lot to cover today!   Must be because it is spring!

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!