Pesticide Licensing & Certification

The following is a link to a fact sheet with information about the new requirements for pesticide licensing and certification. http://ipm.ncsu.edu/pesticidesafety/AG714W.pdf

Thousand Cankers Disease

Another new pest could be coming our way. Thousand Cankers Disease has be identified in Tennessee. Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD)is a disease of Black Walnut. TCD poses a serious problem to the health of the black walnut tree. Walnut trees are important because of their nut crop and the desired wood for various products. TCD is a progressive disease that kills a tree within two to three years after initial infection. The disease-causing fungus, Geosmithia, is transmitted by the walnut twig beetle. Branches and trunk tissue are killed by repeated infections by the fungus, as the beetles carry the fungus into new bark cambium tissue.

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has issued a quarantine of all plants or plant part of the genus Juglans coming into the state from Tennessee and many other western states that already have Thousand Cankers Disease established.

Invasive Weed

Plant protection specialist with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have identified the invasive Mile-A-Minute weed in Western Alleghany County. The following link gives details about the weed and information on identifying it. If you were to identify the weed on properties you are managing then contact Rob Baldwin, NCDA&CS Plant Protection Specialist, 336-466-0478.

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/pepe1.htm

Late Blight Early in 2010

The following is an article I have sent to the Mitchell News Journal to be the the June 2 edition. There are confirmed cases of late blight in Florida, Louisiana and Maryland, so be on the lookout for late blight on potatoes and tomatoes.

Vegetable gardeners need to be on the lookout for late blight early during the 2010 gardening season. Late blight gets its name because it normally doesn’t pose a threat until late in the gardening season, but this year late blight has already been confirmed in Florida, Louisiana and Maryland.

You might be asking what is late blight? Late blight is a fungus disease of mainly tomatoes and potatoes. The late blight pathogen is Phytophtora infestans, which in Latin means ‘plant destroyer’. The pathogen can infect foliage, stems, fruit and tubers. The pathogen will show up on the leaves as a black lesion and can have white growth around the outer edge. The infection on the stem will usually occur where a leaf or group of leaves meet the stem and will appear as a brown greasy looking lesion. On tomato fruit, late blight will appear as a dark greasy looking lesion. The pathogen can be spread by wind blown spores and it favors warm moist conditions to multiply. It may overwinter in potato tubers or could spread to our area from developing strains in Florida that stay alive long enough to move up into our area as crops in other states develop.

For gardeners control will take a multi-step process. Gardeners should use clean transplants and tubers, use resistant varieties when available, control volunteer tomato and potato plants, and when there is a risk of late blight occurring use a fungicide program as part of management. Most fungicides work as protectant’s so they must be applied before the late blight fungus infects the plants. If late blight becomes severe the foliage or fruit that rot should be destroyed to eliminate them as a source of spores for plants that aren’t infected.

For help in identifying late blight symptoms contact your local Cooperative Extension Center.

Take a Bite Out of Mosquito Problems

The recent bout of heavy, but needed rain will likely trigger a significant increase in mosquito activity in about 10 to 14 days. In residential areas in particular, now is the time for homeowners to take the initiative to reduce the likelihood of serious mosquito problems around your property before they become reality. Before resorting to insecticide applications, consider a few other critical tasks:

Standing water is the critical item because mosquitoes will not be able breed without it. Permanent bodies of water can pose a more formidable impediment, but most of our problems in residential areas are the result of MMOs or "Man-Made Objects" (yes, we guys will take the blame).

Natural low-lying areas will begin to dry slowly, but make sure you're not contributing to the problem with clogged drainage ditches, tire ruts, etc.

Other water-collecting items such as empty buckets, tires, dishes under outdoor potted plants, and the tarps over boats, equipment, etc. need to be emptied, inverted, discarded or whatever is workable to remove the water.

Have birdbaths? They make great observation posts for watching mosquito larvae in the water. There's no need to add chemicals. Do yourself and the birds a favor and flush out the birdbath. The same thing applies to pet water bowls outdoors (livestock water troughs out in pastures are another issue since they're not always as easily flushed out or routinely maintained).

The time for excuses is over. Get out the ladder and climb up there and unclog those rain gutters. The decaying leaf material and other debris actually attract mosquitoes. If you're planning home improvements, consider gutter guards to divert the debris. Also, make sure that your downspouts direct the water away from the house and not simply create a big puddle along the side of the house. If you have those concrete or plastic splash blocks, make sure they're directing water away from the foundation.

Finally, if you're using rain barrels to collect that precious rain runoff, make sure you have them screened, which helps keep out the junk and the mosquitoes as well.

And while you're at it, get your neighbors to do the same. Mosquito control "takes a village," but it only takes one careless villager to make life miserable for the rest of the neighborhood.

For more information on mosquito control around the home, see Residential, Structural and Community Pests Insect Note ENT/rsc-6 at: http://insects.ncsu.edu/Urban/mosquito.htm.

From: Charles Apperson and Mike Waldvogel, Extension Entomologists

Azalea Lacebug

The azalea lace bug (Stephanitis pyrioides) is one of the most damaging pests of evergreen azaleas. They overwinter as eggs in azalea leaves and begin hatching around now. Control is best targeted early in the season when nymphs are present for two reasons. First, nymphs are easier to kill than adults and if you kill nymphs before they mature and lay eggs you have a better chance of clearing up the infestation. Second, the longer azalea lace bugs are on your plant the more damage they do. On evergreen azaleas this damage sticks around for a long time so plants may be permanently damaged. So scout your azaleas and get those lace bugs cleared up before damage occurs. For more information and control options for lace bugs, consult Ornamentals and Turf Insect Information Note No. 39 available on the Internet at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/shrubs/ort039e/ort039e.htm.

From: Steve Frank, Extension Entomologist

Cutworms on Vegetables

We have seen a couple of cases of cutworm injury to vegetables in the last two weeks, and it is a good time to remind growers of the importance of scouting for this potentially damaging pest. Several species of cutworms are found in North Carolina, and they can cause serious damage to a wide range of crops including vegetables in both the home garden and commercial production. Cutworms are most damaging in the spring when they feed on young transplants or newly emerged seedlings. Depending on the species, larvae may be found in the soil around the base of plants or on foliage. Cutworms typically hide during the daylight hours and feed at night or on cloudy days. The black cutworm is one of the most destructive cutworms in North Carolina; it severs plant stems close to the soil surface and will move down rows feeding on multiple seedlings each night. This feeding can result in significant stand losses in a very short period of time.

Cutworms overwinter as larvae or pupae in the soil. Moths emerge in the spring, mate and lay eggs on weedy vegetation or crop plants. Conservation tillage and planting into fields where winter weeds were recently disked increases the risk of cutworm infestation. Destroying winter weeds at least two weeks prior to planting spring crops and managing the crop to ensure good seedling vigor will reduce the risk of losses from cutworms.

It is important to scout seedling vegetables regularly for cutworm damage. Prevention is the first line of defense against this pest, but chemical control is often needed when infestations occur. Refer to the North Carolina Agricultural Chemicals Manual (http://ipm.ncsu.edu/agchem/agchem.html) for cutworm management recommendations in specific crops.

From: Mark Abney, Extension Entomologist

Forest Tent Caterpillar

We most often talk about the Eastern tent caterpillar which seems to be the greater pest in the landscape attacking crabapple, cherry, and related trees. Less common in most areas is its cousin the forest tent caterpillar, which has similar appearance but a broader host range including most hardwood trees such as oak and maple. Historically, there have been some major outbreaks in eastern forests, primarily in the northern U.S. This caterpillar can be distinguished by the “key hole” markings down the back, unlike the continuous strip of the eastern tent caterpillar. The other distinguishing behavior is that they do not spin a tent as much, but rather lay a silk trail that becomes more like a mat on a trunk or branch. For more information, see the U. S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service’s Forest Insect and Disease Leaflet 9 available at http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/fidls/ftc/tentcat.htm.

Inspect Your Transplants!

Now is the time when many gardeners purchase transplants for their home vegetable gardens. This is perfect timing to go over 3 important tips for selecting the best transplants. Remember the following:

1) A young transplant is much better than an old transplant. A common error made by transplant growers is to start plants too early in the season. When held, transplants become too old and woody and are slow to resume growth after transplanting.

2) Transplants should never have fruits, flowers, or flower buds before transplanting. An ideal transplant is young, growing fairly rapidly, but slightly hardened at transplanting time. It should never be over-hardened or too ‘soft’ when transplanted. Rapid growth after transplanting assures a well established plant before fruit develops.

3) Only purchase disease-free transplants. In the past few years, there have been a number of disease issues on transplants sold at home garden centers, including late blight on tomatoes last year which started a very severe epidemic in the Northeast and Southeast. Although we did not find any late blight on tomatoes at home garden centers in North Carolina, it was confirmed in several other states. Starting your gardening season with infected plants will often involve more plant maintenance, yield loss, and possibly even plant death. Do not purchase any plants that have brown or black spots (lesions) on stems or foliage, or plants that look wilted, have distorted leaves or ones that are off-color (i.e. too yellow). It's not worth your time or effort to start off the growing season with diseased plants. In addition, some pathogens may be able to persist for more than a year in your garden after you introduce them (not all diseases, but some).

From: Kelly Ivors, Extension Plant Pathologist

Boxwood Leafminer

Boxwood leafminer adults will be emerging any day. The maggots can do significant damage to the appearance of boxwood, but they usually do not cause dieback. Because the boxwood leafminer has only one generation of midges per year, treating in April and May with a systemic insecticide may prevent premature plant defoliation. Another application should probably be made in mid to late February of the following spring. The maggots develop in blister-like galls on the current year's leaves. Heavily-infested shrubs may become discolored particularly during the winter. These shrubs also tend to defoliate prematurely. In our demonstrations, Orthene and Merit have both given good control of this leafminer when injected into the soil or applied as a drench. Orthene 9.4% emulsifiable concentrate is actually labeled for leafminers on shrubs. Merit is labeled for leafminers on ornamentals and now being marketed in several homeowner products. Ornamentals and Turf Insect Note No. 16 (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/shrubs/ort016e/ort016e.htm) provides information on the biology and control of the boxwood leafminer.

From: Steve Bambara, Extension Entomologist

Tent Caterpillars on the Prowl

All areas of the state should be in some stage of tent caterpillar activity. They have been active in eastern counties for several weeks. In the Piedmont they seem to be in the crawling/dispersing phase. Personal observation is that there are many fewer webs this spring than in years past. These hairy caterpillars can make a cherry or crabapple tree look a little ugly, but most trees seem to recover and re-foliate. Unless trees are taller than 15 feet or you have dozens to deal with, a long stick or pole can be used to destroy the web masses quite effectively. Resist the temptation to burn them! See Ornamentals and Turf Insect Note No. 61 (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/trees/note61/note61.html) for more information.

From: Steve Bambara, Extension Entomologist

Alternative Ag Classes

Below is a link to a website, from Dr. Jeanine Davis, which list upcoming alternative agriculture classes, workshops and events.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/events/specialtyhort-events-calendar.html

Grape Pruning Workshop

North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Mitchell County Center will be holding a Grape Pruning Workshop on Thursday February 25, at 4:00 p.m. The workshop will be held at the Extension Center in Bakersville. Topics for the training will include pruning timing, training and trellising of grapes, and proper equipment. Weather permitting we will go outside and do some hands on pruning. To register contact the Mitchell County Extension Center at 828-688-4811.

Evaluating Storm Damaged Trees and Shrubs

What do you do with trees and shrubs that have been damaged by recent shrubs or that could be damaged before winter is over? The first thing to do is not automatically go and get the chainsaw and start cutting everything down.

The first thing to do is to take care of trees or limbs that may pose a hazard to life or property. Then you can remove debris and start work on removing damaged limbs and maybe even the entire tree. How do you know which trees to remove? Begin by evaluating the tree. The following are a few steps to determining if a tree should be removed or not.
- Is the tree healthy and vigorous other than the storm damage? If the tree is basically healthy, not creating a hazard and did not suffer major structural damage it should recover.
- Are major limbs broken? The larger the broken limb is the harder it will be for it to recover. If the majority of the branches are gone the tree probably should be removed.
- Has the leader been lost? The tree can live without the leader, but it will be deformed and stunted.
- Is at least 50% of the tree’s crown (branches) still intact? A tree with less than half of its branches remaining may not be able to produce enough foliage to nourish the tree through the coming growing season.
- Are there remaining branches that can form a new branch structure? The limbs that are left will grow more vigorously as the tree tries to heal itself. Check to see if the branches are in place that can fill in the holes left by broken limbs.
- How large are the wounds from broken branches? The larger the wound is the less likely that it will heal. If the wound is small compared to the size of the branch it should heal over in a couple of years.

After evaluating the tree it is decision time. Should the tree be left? Yes, if the damage is light, the tree was healthy and vigorous before, there are ample branches to replace the broken ones and keep the trees form, if the tree is young, still has a central leader and good branch structure. No, if more than 50% of the crown is lost, the tree lost the central leader, the tree is posing a risk, or the tree is old, diseased or dying from some other cause.

If you are not sure what to do and if the tree does not propose a risk or hazard then wait and see how it responds during the growing season. Remove any damaged limbs, and see what happens. Avoid allowing untrained individuals to talk you into cutting back all of the branches in an effort to avoid breakage in future storms. This method of “topping” causes many weakly attached branches to grow back from the stubs and these will tend to break out when the next storm strikes.

Information for this article was taken from the University of Missouri Extension publication, “First Aid for Storm-Damaged Trees.”

Agri-tourism Workshop

Jan. 28—The Business Side of Agritourism Workshop Lake Logan Episcopal Center, Waynesville

Agritourism is an exciting new enterprise. Increasingly, consumers are interested in visiting farms, learning about farm life and purchasing products directly from the farm. From hayrides, barnyard animals and corn mazes to pick-your-own and roadside stands featuring fresh fruit, vegetables, Christmas trees and value-added products to bird watching, fishing, hunting and camping—let your imagination take you and your customers to a field of dreams. To help you, NC Cooperative Extension Agri-cultural Agents have developed a one-day workshop for farmers interested in learning more about The Business Side of Agritourism. Registration fee for the workshop is $35. To register, contact the Mitchell County Extension Center by January 22 at 688-4811.

Starting Transplants from Seed

Mitchell County Rural Living Workshops Each 4th Thursday—4:00 p.m. January-December

The Mitchell County Center of NC Cooperative Extension will be offering a monthly series of workshops for homeowners and farmers that can help them to cut their cost of living expenses by becoming more self-sustaining. January's program will be on starting vegetable and flower transplants from seed.