UMass Extension Landscape Message #27 - 2009

Scouting Information by Region

Regional Notes

Cape Cod Region (Barnstable) – General Conditions: After an unusually cold month of October, November was abnormally mild and on the dry side. Temperatures were consistently above normal, reaching the low 60s °F on November 8 & 9. While much of the Cape has had light frosts, there has not yet been a killing freeze and some annuals are still in bloom. The weather pattern is forecast to change to a colder pattern now that December is here.  Pests/Problems:  Winter moth adults were first observed on November 17 in Marstons Mills. Reports of heavy flights have come in from various areas of the Cape since then, leading to the thought that spring of 2010 will see caterpillars in high numbers. Some fall cankerworm adults are also present. Adult deer ticks continue to be active, especially anytime the temperatures are above 38 °F. Keep checking for ticks as you continue to do fall clean up.

Southeast Region (Hanson) – General Conditions: Hanson received 2.74 inches of rain. This November has been was of the warmest in many years. Many areas of the county have yet to have a killing freeze. Some yards still have geraniums alive and some landscape roses are still in bloom. Good fall color seemed to appear later in the season with foliage color provided by Sugar, Japanese and Norway maples, Acer triflorum, Acer griseum, American beech, birches and oaks, along with Fothergilla, Hydrangea, Fringetree, Clethra, Itea and viburnums. The berries of the invasive plant, oriental bittersweet, can now be easily seen covering the canopies of many deciduous trees. It was a very good year for cone production on white pine, spruces and firs. Ornamental grasses are also providing texture and color in the landscape and are usually not cut back until late winter early spring.  Pests/Problems:  Winter moths began to emerge around November 14th and have been appearing in great numbers for the past two weeks. We are banding trees to estimate a winter moth egg count and the numbers are very high. In a 4 day sample, 998 females were caught on bands in Hanson!  Based on these preliminary numbers and field observations, we predict that spring 2010 will be a big year for winter moth caterpillars. Winter moths should continue to emerge into December, usually when temperatures are above freezing. Winter moths begin to emerge at dusk and are active at night. There is nothing that can be done at this time to manage winter moth caterpillars. However, now is a good time to try to manage invasive species like bittersweet, burning bush, barberry, autumn olive, etc. The fruits of these plants stand out in the winter landscape making identification easy for eradication. Digging out or cutting back these invasive plants now will help to stop the spread of these plants by wildlife! Western conifers seed bugs and lady bugs have 'invaded' buildings, as they do at this time of year. Deer ticks are active. Deer are browsing.

East Region (Boston) – General Conditions: Soils are sufficiently moist with the 5.14" of precipitation received last month and the 3.34" received this month.  This number incorporates the first snow that fell in the Boston area on October 18th.  Despite the string of cool night temperatures in mid-October and the first frost received on the 15th of that month, the temperatures have been relatively mild in the month of November.  Most deciduous trees have dropped their leaves with the exception of the oaks and beeches.  Fall fruit and cone is heavy and in its glory.

Metro West (Waltham) – General Conditions: No conditions report available. See Environmental Data below.

Metro West (Hopkinton) – General Conditions: No conditions report available.

Central Region (Boylston) – General Conditions: No conditions report available. See Environmental Data below.

Pioneer Valley Region (Amherst) - General Conditions: Mild temperatures with occasional frosts and regular rainfall sum up the weather for the Pioneer Valley this month.  Soil moisture is adequate and regular rainfall helped hydrate evergreens well for the upcoming winter.  Lawns remain green but most herbaceous and deciduous plants are dormant.  A notable exception is Callery pear, which continues to exhibit striking yellow-orange-red fall coloration.

Berkshire Region (Great Barrington) - General Conditions: Temperatures continue to be above normal.  There have been reports of Forsythia blooming.  Though this is not unusual, it is indicative of the above normal temperatures during November.  A ground covering snowfall occurred in central and northern Berkshire County on Dec. 1.  However, with soil temperatures still around 40 °F, the snow did not last long.  Pests/Problems: All is quiet on the Western front, except for deer ticks.

Environmental Data

The following growing-degree-day (GDD) and precipitation data was collected for a 4-week period, November 4, 2009 through December 2, 2009. Soil temperature and phenological indicators were observed on December 2, 2009. 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.

• CAPE COD REGION - Roberta Clark, Horticulturist for Barnstable County, Barnstable.
• SOUTHEAST REGION - Deborah Swanson, Horticulturist for UMass Extension in Plymouth County, Hanson.
• EAST REGION - Julie Coop, Horticulturist, reporting from the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain.
• METRO WEST REGION – James Martin, Consulting Arborist, reporting from the UMass Extension Center, Waltham.
• METRO WEST REGION – Mark Sawyer, Horticulturist, Weston Nurseries, Hopkinton.
• 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.

Woody Ornamentals

Insects

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) remains dormant but will, once again, become active and resume feeding, developing, and eventually reproducing through the winter months. Sprays of horticultural oil can be applied whenever the weather is conducive to spraying it.

Viburnum Leaf Beetle - Inspect viburnum plants for the signs of over-wintering eggs along the terminal ends of stems. Remove and destroy when found.

Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) - The eradication effort during last winter removed more than 26,000 trees from the northern section of Worcester. This work has apparently had a tremendous impact on the population numbers of ALB in that region. During August and September of 2008, thousands of beetles were collected by survey crews and local residents, but the survey work during those peak adult beetle months that was performed this year resulted in a total of only 27 beetles being collected in the entire Regulated Area of Worcester. One of those, however, was collected in a section of West Boylston that resulted in the new find of 19 localized trees that were infested. This find extended the Regulated Area to its current 77 sq. miles, which now includes all of West Boylston.

Spider Mites remain active. Cool-season mite species, such as spruce spider mite are active. Inspect weekly for increases in numbers and treat when necessary on such hosts as spruce, hemlock, and firs.

Lacebugs on shrubs are now ending their activity for the season. Make note of the plants that harbored large populations this year and begin monitoring them next season by mid-May.

Nuisance Pests: Ladybugs and the Western Conifer Seedbug have begun to invade homes in search of a sheltered over-wintering site. Caulking around doors and windows should be checked and repaired to keep these pests out of homes. Also inspect attic vents and screening; make repairs where necessary.

Reported by Robert Childs, Entomologist, Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences Department, UMass Extension, Amherst.

Diseases

Ramorum blight, also known as sudden oak death (SOD) and ramorum dieback: The Phytophthora ramorum detection, quarantine, and eradication survey completed its seventh year as a United States Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service-Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA-APHIS-PPQ) regulatory program in 2008. The program began by monitoring nine counties in California along with part of Curry County in Oregon. It focused on regulating movement of risk articles such as wood, soil, foliage, and nursery stock. Infested areas grew to 14 California counties and the larger part of Curry County in Oregon, which Oregon aggressively surveyed and treated since 2001. Discovery of a shipment of P. ramorum-infected Camellia plants from a large production nursery to many garden centers and retail nurseries nationwide resulted in the USDA-APHIS-PPQ regulatory program receiving a great deal of scrutiny and policy revision in 2004. As a result, in January 2005 USDA-APHIS-PPQ extended the regulation of nursery stock to the entire states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Through ongoing surveys of nurseries, USDA-APHIS-PPQ continues to define the extent of the pathogen’s distribution in the U. S. and limit its artificial spread beyond infected areas through quarantine and a public education program.

Status of Phytophthora ramorum in 2009:

Note: To date in 2009, surveys detected diseases caused by P. ramorum in 23 sites: 19 nurseries and 4 landscape plantings. Here are details on the site detections:

• California – 3 nurseries found by regulatory inspection.
• Oregon – 4 nurseries by regulatory inspection.
• Washington – 2 nursery by nursery stock cleanliness inspection, 3 found by regulatory inspections, and 3 landscape plantings found in trace forwards.
• Alabama – 1 nursery found in routine nursery inspection.
• Georgia – 2 nurseries found in CAPS* survey.
• Mississippi – 1 nursery that was also positive in 2007 and 2008, found by follow-up inspection.
• New Jersey – 1 nursery found by CAPS* survey.
• North Carolina – 1 nursery found by follow up inspection, 1 nursery found by CAPS* survey.
• South Carolina – 1 nursery found by routine state nursery inspection and 1 landscape find by trace forward.

* CAPS survey – Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey, partially funded by APHIS.

Reported by Dan Gillman, Plant Pathologist, UMass Extension Plant Diagnostic Lab, Amherst.

Weeds

No report.

Landscape Turf

No reports available.