Month: September 2013

Source(s): Kim D. Coder, Professor of Community Forestry, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, The University of Georgia

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Have you winterized your trees yet? Fall is a time of serious change and reorganization within a tree. Many trees will not survive to grow in another Spring. You can help your trees survive and thrive.

Trees sense the changing seasons by the temperature, by a dormancy timer in the leaves, and by the amount of light they receive. The old leaves, buds, and inner bark all have a pigment that reads the seasons of the year. As the days shorten in fall, this pigment called phytochrome, tells the tree to close-down for the winter.

Getting ready for winter in an organized way is called senescence. Within a tree, a message is sent from the tissues with phytochrome which signals senescence. Senescence in trees is an ordered shutting-down of summer growth and the conservation of valuable resources. Senescence brings both the fall colors and leads to renewed spring growth.

Many of the materials a tree collected or manufactured during the growth season are withdrawn from soon-to-be dead leaves. Tree waste materials are left behind. The last bit of tree food is stockpiled in the living cells of the outer annual growth rings. Twigs, branches, and roots become the collection sites and warehouses of materials needed for another season to come.

Within the tree, biological doors and windows are being closed and locked. From the moment last Spring’s green leaved expanded and began to make food, winter dormancy has been designed into the tree system. The process of spring and summer growth reset and started a dormancy timer that now hurries the tree preparations.

The tree-filled landscapes this time of year can be mistakenly thought to be asleep. Fall and winter trees are not sleeping, but are simply still — truly counting the days until Spring.

Most of the growing points in the tree are protected inside overcoats called buds. Each growing point waits for the correct message to signal a new season of growth. Only then will it be apparent whether the tree has put aside and saved enough resources to respond to the new season of growth. Winter is a difficult time for trees. Trees must stand in the face of drying and cold winds. Food reserves must be carefully conserved for the coming needs of Spring. Water continues to be lost from the tree. Any creature needing a meal chews and nibbles on the resting buds and twigs. Trees stand alone against all circumstances that the winter season can generate.

What can you do to help your valuable trees? Little things can make your trees more effective and efficient at surviving a long winter. A few small investments now can pay-off in a large way, yielding a healthy and structurally sound tree.

The “Top 10 List” of things you can do to winterize your tree include:

• Remove or correct structural faults and deadwood that are clearly visible. Try to make small pruning cuts that minimize the exposure of the central heartwood core on branches.
• Properly prune branches that will touch the ground when loaded with rain and snow. Foliage and branches that are in contact with soil can invite undesirable pests and problems.
• Remove damaged and declining twigs, branches, and bark. Do not leave pests food and shelter for the winter.
• Remove any new sprouts that have grown at the tree base, or along stems and branches. Pruning should conserve as many living branches as possible with only a few selective cuts.
• Spread a thin layer of composted organic mulch to blanket the soil. Cover an area at least as large as the branch spread. Mulch is nature’s of recycling valuable materials, but be careful of pests hitching a ride.
• Properly wrap new trees that have not developed a corky bark and could be easily damaged. Mechanical injury from the environment, including chewing and rubbing by animals, must be prevented.
• Aerate soils if they are compacted and poorly drained. It is critical not to damage tree roots in the soil. Saturated and dense soil can suffocate roots.
• Fertilize with all the essential elements, if they are in short supply within the soil. Be sure to go lightly with nitrogen, especially under large, mature trees and around newly planted trees. It is critical to use slow release nitrogen sources for fall fertilization.
• Watering may be needed where soils are cool but not frozen, and there has been little precipitation. Winter droughts need treatment with water the same as summer droughts, except it is much easier to over-water in winter.
• Trees are investments that require a small amount of care. For the sake of your tree’s quality of life and your own, take a few minutes to winterize your tree. Wonderful springs come from well-tended winters.

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Center Publication Number: 222

Source(s): Clint Waltz, Extension Turfgrass Specialist, The University of Georgia

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Hand-held and backpack sprayers are extremely useful for treating small turf areas infested with weeds. But they have to be calibrated to apply the recommended rate of a herbicide.

Most herbicides used in turf grasses control weeds without injuring the turf. But that depends on the rate applied. The rate is usually on the product label as the amount to be applied to 1 acre or 1,000 square feet.

For example, the highest recommended rate of Trimec Classic for Bermuda grass and tall fescue is 1.5 fluid ounces per 1,000 square feet.

Applied at this rate and by the label directions, it will cause only slight injury to labeled turf grasses. But if you apply three times that amount, some turf grasses would be yellow or brown for weeks.

If a sprayer isn’t calibrated, it can’t apply herbicides at recommended rates.

It’s simple

You can use a number of methods to calibrate sprayers. One that’s simple, easy to do and easy to remember is called the 1/128th-acre method.

In this method, you spray 1/128th of an acre. That’s 340.3 square feet. This figures out to 18.5 feet by 18.5 feet. Here’s how to do it.

1. Mark off a plot 18.5 feet by 18.5 feet.
2. Fill the sprayer to normal capacity with water.
3. Pump the sprayer to the pressure normally used to apply herbicides.
4. Spray water over the plot area while maintaining normal and constant operating pressure.
5. Record the time in seconds it takes to spray the plot area.
6. Using the same constant pressure used in step 4, spray into a bucket for the same time (number of seconds) it took to spray the plot area.
7. Measure the volume of water in fluid ounces.

The number of fluid ounces you collect is equal to number of gallons the sprayer would apply to 1 acre if you use it at the same pressure and walking speed you used in the plot area.

This quick conversion works since there are 128 fluid ounces in 1 gallon of water. It doesn’t get much easier than this. Now all you have to do is find out how much herbicide to add to the pump-up sprayer.

How it applies

Let’s say your sprayer applies 25 gallons per acre. The right rate for Trimec Classic is 4.0 pints, or 0.5 gallons, per acre. So divide 0.5 by 25 to get 0.02, or 2 percent.

Multiply that by the sprayer capacity. A 2-gallon sprayer would hold 256 fluid ounces, and 256 times 2 percent would be 5.1 ounces. So add 5.1 ounces of Trimec Classic to the sprayer. Then fill it to the 2-gallon mark with water.

Remember, you have to walk at the same speed, maintain the same pressure and hold the spray nozzle tip at the same height you used in the plot area.

If you do these things, you’ll apply the recommended rate of the herbicide, control the target weed and, most important, drastically reduce the chance of injuring your turf grass.

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Reviewer(s): Clint Waltz, Extension Turfgrass Specialist, The University of Georgia, November 2005.

Center Publication Number: 153

Source(s): Stephen D Pettis

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There are many species of butterflies but one thing about all of them is true; they are all lovely. Most folks despise most insects but few people do not welcome these insects into their gardens. Many gardeners actually plant flowers and flowering trees and shrubs to attract these summer time friends.

The key to successful butterfly gardening is to select a variety of flowering plants so butterflies are attracted to the food source all summer long. Plant annuals, perennials, and flowering trees and shrubs to attract a variety of butterflies consistently. Utilize plants of different colors as well. Plants such as daisies, Queen Ann’s lace, yarrow, alyssum, golden rod, alfalfa, clovers, and vetches will attract beneficial insects. Keeping your plants flowering for as long as possible is another key to having a consistent variety of butterfly attracting plants. Annuals and perennials benefit from ‘deadheading’ or removing spent flowers. Pinching off old flowers stimulates herbaceous plants to produce more blooms for longer periods of time. Be sure however to leave the very last set of flowers if you wish to collect seed.

Flowering trees and shrubs benefit from pruning at the appropriate time. Plants such as hydrangea and forsythia should be pruned in early summer after flowering. Shrubs such as hollies and butterfly bushes benefit from an early spring pruning to stimulate new shoot growth. Proper fertility keeps plants growing vigorously and provides new shoots, flowers, and fruit with the extra nutrients they need to really put on a show. Irrigate in a timely manner.

Water sources attract butterflies. Birdbaths, temporary puddles, small dishes of water, and dripping water can be easily installed in any garden. Remember to replace your water every few days to avoid mosquitoes and to keep it attractive. Place small ‘perches’ in water sources so that insects can access the water. The final way to encourage butterflies is to provide them shelter. Areas that are left undisturbed benefit insects. Allow forest edges to grow wild and do not mow open areas unnecessarily. Plant perennial flowerbeds that will flower all season by staggering different species throughout the bed. Hedgerows also provide beneficial insects with shelter.

Plants for a Butterfly Garden	Plant type	Flowering time	Favored Soil Situation	Sun or Shade
Hydrangea quercifolia, Oakleaf Hydrangea	Shrub	Late May-July persisting	Moist loam	Partial shade
Callicarpa Americana, American Beautyberry	Shrub	June	Dry loam	Partial shade
Lilium longiflorum, Easter Lily	Perennial	April-May	Moist loam	Full Sun
Hemracolis spp., Daylily	Perennial	May-July	Dry loam/clay	Full Sun
Achillea filipendulina, Yarrow	Perennial	May-August	Dry clay	Full Sun
Iris xiphium, Dutch Iris	Perennial	April	Dry clay	Full Sun
Rudbeckia hirta, Black-eyed Susan	Perennial	June-August	Dry clay	Full Sun
Ageratum eupatorium, Floss Flower	Perennial	May-October	Moist loam	Full Sun
Centaurea cyanus,Corn Flowers	Annual	March-May	Moist loam	Full Sun
Lantana camara, Lantana	Shrub	June –September	Dry clay	Full Sun
Buddleia davidii, Butterfly Bush	Shrub	June-September	Dry Clay	Full Sun
Milkweed Asclepias spp.	Annual	Mid June	Moist loam	Full Sun
Sunflower	Annual	June-August	Moist loam	Full Sun
Ilex verticillata, Winterberry	Shrub	December- January	Moist loam	Full Sun
Cleome hasslerana, Cleome	Annual	May-September	Summer to early fall	Full Sun
Cosmos spp., Cosmos	Annual	May- September	Spring to early fall	Full Sun
Lunaria annua, Money Plant	Biennial	April- May	Spring to mid summer	Full Sun
Delphinium spp., Larkspur	Annual	April- May	Spring	Full Sun

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Resource(s): Flowering Perennials for Georgia Gardens

Center Publication Number: 110

Source(s): Jacob G Price

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Mature palms are the primary host for Ganoderma zonatum. G. zonatum is a lethal fungal disease in which there are no labeled fungicides. Infected palms are found in all situations and environments. The fungus is an increasing problem in Florida and has occurred in Georgia and South Carolina.

Symptoms/Signs of Infection

First symptom is wilting of older leaves and light green or yellow new leaves. The only positive confirmation of Ganoderma is formation of conks as shown above. Cross section of the trunk at the soil line reveals decay that is widest at the base and travels up the center of the trunk no more than five feet. The presence of any conk on a palm is probably G. zonatum.

Disease Dissemination

G. zonatum is thought to be spread by spores from conks of infected trees.

Disease Management

No fungicides are recommended for the disease. Remove and incinerate conks and the infected portions of the palm along with the stump and roots. Avoid wetting the palm base and mounding mulch next to the trunk. Soil fumigation may help remove spores. Palms should be monitored every six months where no infection has been found and monthly where the disease is confirmed. The length of time between infection and conk formation is not known therefore imported palms may carry the fungus.

Re-planting

Do not plant a palm where an infected palm was removed. No other plant species are infected with G. zonatum so replacement with any other plant material is acceptable.

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Resource(s): Common Landscape Diseases In Georgia

Center Publication Number: 117

Source(s): Gary R Peiffer

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Yard wastes can be composted without a bin – if you don’t mind the looks of an uncontained compost mound in your yard. The only costs are your time and work.

What You Need

• Shovel or pitchfork
• Work Gloves

Maintaining Your Compost

Find a good location and pile your yard waste in a mound about 3 feet x 3 feet x 3 feet. If you cover the pile with a layer of soil, it will keep in moisture for the microorganisms and soil animals working to make compost.

It is best to have two piles. After the first pile is large enough, stop adding organic material and let it work. In the meantime, add your wastes to the second pile.

Make sure the pile is moist, especially if it is covered with soil.

Adding Wastes

Add wastes as they become available. Non-wood materials, such as grass clippings and garden wastes work best.

You can turn the pile to speed up composting. Compost should be ready in three to four months if you turn the pile, or in about one year if you don’t turn the pile.

Several types of compost bins can be seen at the Fernbank Science Center Compost Garden, 186 Heaton Park Drive, Atlanta, GA 30307. The DeKalb County Extension Service also has compost demonstration sites located throughout the county.

For information about home composting, call or visit your local County Extension office or The Georgia Department of Community Affairs at 404-679-4940.

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Resource(s): Composting and Mulching

Center Publication Number: 3

Source(s): Stephen D Pettis

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A greenhouse provides winter sanctuary for gardeners and a place to keep green plant material. Greenhouses are simple, easy to build and they can be quite inexpensive if you use recycled materials.

Greenhouses have been around for centuries. The first greenhouses were invented by the Dutch in the 1600’s.Through ingenuity and the invention of paned glass, grapes were started early under panes of glass leaned up against stone walls. This trapped heat and maximized the poor spring sunlight to allow earlier crops of fruit. From panes of glass leaned against walls, greenhouses have evolved but are still simply a collection of windows.

Windows and glass doors are replaced in homes around our county everyday. The windows that are replaced are often thrown away and wasted. These windows and doors could be recycled to create a greenhouse in a number of ways.

The simplest is to build a cold frame raised bed. Simply build a raised bed the size of your window. Make sure the top slopes a bit to ensure water drains off quickly. Install weed barrier cloth in the bottom and fill with potting soil. This bed can be used to harden off seedlings started indoors in the spring, used for rooting cuttings in the summer, and for cool season veggies in the fall and winter.

The greenhouse can be built by starting out with a wooden frame of any sort. Orient the greenhouse so that full direct sunlight cannot penetrate the windows. If you have a full sun situation, purchase shade cloth to reduce sun penetration that might harm tender plants.

Use an opaque roofing material such as corrugated plastic or fiberglass. Attach the windows to the frame with hinges so that each is independent allowing for temperature regulation. In the winter, caulk the windows to insulate against the winter chill. Employ the use of a boxed heater and lights to warm the greenhouse during particularly cold winter nights.

Source(s): Sharon Dowdy, Public Relations Coordinator, CAES – Office of Commuications, The University of Georgia.

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Lisa Ames spends her workdays getting up close and personal with insects, about 500 per year to be exact. Working in the University of Georgia’s Homeowner Insect and Weed Diagnostic Laboratory in Griffin, Ames helps UGA Cooperative Extension Agents identify insect samples for Georgia homeowners.

“Most of the time, the County Agents can easily identify the insects that are brought into their offices,” she said. “I get involved when the samples aren’t so easy to identify.” Ames says if a homeowner has captured it – chances are she can and has identified it. Most of the samples Ames receives come to her in vials of alcohol.

Since 2002, she has identified more than 2,000 insect and weed samples through the laboratory which is operated by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Although the insect samples vary from year to year, Ames says most of the samples are either ornamental insects, stored product-paper insects or spiders.

“Most of the spider samples that people think are brown recluses are actually filistatids or southern house spiders,” she said. “The brown recluse has six eyes arranged in three pairs.” Ames says the “fiddle” is much larger on the brown recluse than on the southern house spider. “The fiddle, or violin, is the marking on the spider’s back that has a shape resembling the musical instrument,” she said. “It’s so small on the southern house spider that it’s almost insignificant.”

The most common samples Ames receives are what she refers to as “stored product and paper” insects. “These are the insects, like drugstore beetles and sawtoothed grain beetles, that are found in flour and other pantry products,” she said. “I get a lot of Indian meal moth samples because they get into dog food and bird seed.” Ames says County Agents send these common samples to her because many stored product pests are very small and require a microscope to ensure a positive identification.

She gets a lot of termite samples for the same reason. “I get a lot of termites, because Extension Agents want to have confirmation before they give homeowners that kind of news,” she said.

Ames also identifies a lot of insects that homeowners view as harmful. “I often get insects that homeowners have found in groups,” she said. “When insects congregate, people usually assume they are up to no good.”

But not all of the insects Ames identifies are harmful. “I get a lot of beneficial insect samples just because they bite, sting, or are scary looking,” she said.

In addition to the spider, termite, and stored product samples, Ames gets a fair number of centipede, giant flatheaded worm, and giant resin bee samples, too. The number of samples she’s received this year has been reduced by the state’s drought conditions.

In addition to the insect samples, Ames also identifies about 50 weed samples per year, most of which are submitted in April and July.

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Resource(s): Insect Pests of Ornamental Plants

Center Publication Number: 237

Source(s): Paul Pugliese

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Brown Patch on turfgrasses is caused by a fungus disease named Rhizoctonia solani.

Appearance

Circular patches of dead grass that range from a few inches to several feet in diameter. Occurs during periods of high humidity and warm temperatures (75ºF to 85ºF). Georgia’s summer climate is ideal for this fungal disease to thrive! Brown areas of dead grass are surrounded by a reddish-brown or purplish halo. After 2 to 3 weeks, the center area of brown grass may recover and turn green resulting in a doughnut shape of dead brown grass.

Hosts

Attacks all turf grasses including Bermuda, Fescue, Centipede, and Zoysia grasses. There are some varieties of these grasses that are “resistant” or less susceptible to the Brown Patch disease but none are totally immune.

Seasons

Prevalent during warm, humid summer months.

IPM

Conditions that favor Brown Patch are:

• Excessive nitrogen fertilizers
• Frequent watering or watering late in the day
• High humidity

Don’t apply excessive nitrogen fertilizers; use only enough to maintain a reasonably healthy green turf. Excessive nitrogen tends to favor the development of Brown Patch due to lush, tender new growth of grass that is most susceptible to attack by the fungus.
Also, watering early in the morning allows the grass foliage to dry before nightfall. Most fungi grow and develop during the night, given adequate moisture. Water lawns early, less often and more deeply!

Mow lawns slightly higher than normal during periods of excessively high heat conditions. This reduces stress to turfgrasses, thus, helping to reduce the possibility of disease .

Comment

If you think you have Brown Patch in your lawn, bring a sample of grass (about 4″ square) with both living and dead tissue to the Extension office for proper diagnosis. A fungicide recommendation may be required if the problem cannot be corrected by cultural or IPM practices.

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Resource(s):

• Turfgrass Diseases
• Common Landscape Diseases in Georgia

Center Publication Number: 45

Source(s): Jim Howell, Ph.D., Entomologist, The University of Georgia

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Bats are very beneficial creatures that feed on a wide variety of insects, including mosquitoes. Nonetheless, we as homeowners do not want them to establish residence in our attics or the walls of our homes.

Identification

Sixteen bat species call Georgia home and all of them are insectivores. The big brown bat is the most common house-infesting species in the Atlanta area and is one of the few that will remain throughout the year. Other species migrate south in the fall.

The big brown bat has broad black ears and thick black wings and is chocolate brown on its back and sides, lighter on its belly, and reaches a length of about 4 to 5 inches. Another species, the Brazilian free-tailed bat, is common in the southern part of the state and forms huge colonies in deserted buildings, sometimes numbering in the thousands.

Biology

Big brown bats mate in the fall, and their young are born the following May or June. During that time, about 40 to 100 pregnant females roost together in nursery colonies. The young are capable of flying in three to four weeks. This species is largely crepuscular, feeding on mosquitoes and other insects. After an initial evening foray, the bats return to their roost. They feed again later in the night before moving back to the roost, where they will remain during the day. Predators of the big brown bat include rat snakes, the barn owl and the great horned owl.

Problems

Bats often roost in attics or other hollow spaces in homes. Bat droppings can build up over time, creating unpleasant odors. They also harbor bat bugs, which can be a problem for humans, especially after the bats have been removed.

Control

The favored method of bat control is exclusion. To be certain all bats are outside the structure, this should be done in the fall, when there are no young. It should also be done after dark, when the bats are out foraging for food. Bat valves are also available that will allow bats to leave, but not to enter.

Building bat boxes is a good way to keep bats out of your house but to keep them in the area.

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Center Publication Number:227

Source(s)

• Lynn Batdorf, Curator – National Boxwood Collection, National Arboretum in Washington, DC
• Dr. Gary Wade, Extension Horticulturist, University of Georgia College of Environmental & Environmental Sciences

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Lynn Batdorf, Curator of the national boxwood collection at the National Arboretum in Washington, DC spoke at the Landscape Planning Short Course in Athens on January 29, 2009. He offered some interesting insight into the genus Buxus as he described in detail the history, culture and many cultivars of boxwood. I summarized my notes from his lecture in bullet form below.

• There are 97 species of boxwood worldwide, but only 7 are temperate plants. The rest are tropicals. There are 182 cultivars of the temperate species in the national boxwood collection at the National Arboretum.
• Boxwood roots grow shallow, within the top 15 inches of soil, and the roots extend out several times the canopy spread. A mature boxwood is difficult to transplant due to the extensive root mass and percent of root loss during transplant.
• Boxwood prefers an alkaline pH, in the range of 6.8 to 7.5 for optimum growth. It often suffers nutritional deficiencies at low pH. Dolomite lime is recommended to increase pH because it contains magnesium which boxwood likes. Do not plant boxwood adjacent to azaleas, camellias, gardenias or other acid-loving plants.
• Boxwood responds to fall fertilization because it promotes root growth, and roots grow all winter. Fall fertilization also minimizes winter leaf bronzing, since this is often linked to nutritional deficiencies. Tip bronzing, for instance, indicates magnesium deficiency.
• Hand thinning is much better for boxwood than shearing. Shearing results in a thick, dense outer canopy, poor air flow within the foliage, and encourages leaf and twig diseases. Branch die-back can often be attributed to shearing and poor cultural conditions.
• Boxwood leaves remain on plants for 3 years before they shed. It’s important to keep them on the plant as long as possible by preventing inner leaves from becoming shaded. It’s also important to maintain leaves as far down within the canopy as possible.
• Use hand pruners to make selective thinning cuts inside the canopy on selected branches. Thinning gradually controls plant size, but more importantly it opens the canopy and improves air flow and light penetration which are important for maintaining leaves.
• Boxwood does not respond well to severe pruning. Exposing the old wood often results to frost and winter injury and sunscald on the trunk and branches.
• There is no such thing as boxwood decline. Boxwood problems are caused by numerous insects and diseases, including leaf miner, mites and scales, but most of these are encouraged by poor cultural/management conditions or improper soil pH.
• English boxwood does not get leaf miners because the leaves contain an alkaloid that kills the insect.