Center for Urban Agriculture – Page 31 – Empowering Georgia through UGA Extension

What Are You Doing for Earth Day 2015?

November 30, 2015April 22, 2015 by Becky Griffin

What are you doing to celebrate Earth Day 2015?

By being part of a Georgia community garden you are already doing quite a bit. Community gardens help the environment in several ways.

Pollinator Conservation

As a vegetable gardener you know how important those pollinators are to your food production. You may have a special pollinator garden area and you are very careful about the use of pesticides. This example teaches new gardeners and garden visitors to also protect pollinators. The result is not only a healthy pollinator population in your garden, but in the surrounding community as well.

What Are You Doing for Earth Day 2015? — Bee on Zinnia – a great pollinator plant!

Locally Grown Food

Growing food locally in your garden means that a bit less food is shipped across country saving gas, limiting air pollution, and lowering refrigeration energy.

Soil Health

Hopefully you have had a soil test. You know what nutrients to add to your soil so that you are not over-fertilizing. Overuse of fertilizers is a big pollution concern. Unused fertilizer can end up in streams and rivers. By meeting just your soil needs you are cutting down on pollution. Maybe you all have a compost system where you change garden waste into soil compost. Talk about recycling!

Environmental Awareness

Just by having a garden in your community you have raised environmental awareness. No doubt you have had people stopping by as you all are working to ask questions about the garden. And no doubt you told those people, with pride, about your sustainable growing practices. You probably gave them a tour telling them about the food crops you are growing. Those people may not become gardeners but they are now more aware of where food comes from and what it takes to grow it!

However you decide to celebrate Earth Day today take a moment and reflect on what you are already doing for our earth on a daily basis.

Happy Earth Day!

Finding the best armadillo control

November 30, 2015April 21, 2015 by Willie Chance

Michael Mengak, Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources

I have recently received several calls about armadillo problems.

There are no repellents or poisons registered for armadillo.

Armadillo are not protected in Georgia – it is legal to hunt or shoot at any time UNLESS it is illegal in your city or county or prohibited by local ordinance. This is generally not a viable option in urban areas. You are responsible for following all local laws and ordinances.

For trapping, use a wood box trap. Traps that have previously caught an armadillo are more likely to catch another one. However, there is no bait or lure that will work on getting an armadillo into a trap.

The double door trap works better for armadillo (one that has an open door on each end) so the animal can more easily “wander” into the trap from either direction.

In a study at Mississippi State in 2009, they reported that 23 armadillos were caught in wooden box traps and only 3 were caught in standard wire cage traps. Here is a link to that study.

Other information you may find useful:

Trapping Armadillo

Natural History of Armadillo

Watch for and report fungus affecting native azaleas!

June 7, 2016April 20, 2015 by Willie Chance

Be on the lookout for fungus affecting native azaleas in Georgia

Dr. Marin Brewer at the University of Georgia is working on a fungus that affects Rhododendron canescens, which is commonly known as Piedmont Azalea, Pinxter Azalea, Wild Azalea, Sweet Mountain Azalea, or Wild Honeysuckle. The fungus, known as Exobasidium, forms a flower-shaped gall from the leaves of the azalea. The galls emerge in April and last into the summer.

Piedmont azalea (Rhododendron canescans)

If you see these flower-shaped galls on azalea in Georgia or have seen them in previous years please contact Dr. Marin Brewer at mtbrewer@uga.edu. We would like to collect them fresh and record their locations. They have been previously spotted in Florida and Alabama.

80 years ago, Dust Bowl led to establishment of the Natural Resources Conservation Service

November 30, 2015April 18, 2015 by Willie Chance

Eighty years ago, April 14, 1935, an ominous wall of blowing sand and dust swept across the Great Plains. This day is known in history as Black Sunday. During the 1930’s, the Dust Bowl days were a period during which huge dust storms ravaged the Midwest because of years of overplanting, poorly managed crops and severe drought conditions. During that massive storm, people were forced to crawl on hands and knees in search of shelter, literally unable to see their hands in front of their faces. Cars stalled and stopped in the choking dust. Many thought the end of the world had come.

Legacy of the Dust Bowl

In response to Black Sunday, and the damage caused by dust storms, Congress passed Public Law 74-46 on April 27, 1935, and recognized that “the wastage of soil and moisture resources on farm, grazing, and forest lands… is a menace to the national welfare.” This law established the Soil Conservation Service, now USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, or NRCS. Since that time, our commitment to soil science and soil health has helped America’s private landowners implement conservation practices that protect and improve soil and other resources.

Healthy soils are the foundation of agriculture (and landscaping – editor’s note). In the face of mounting challenges, soil health is critical to our future.

As America’s agency for soil conservation, classification and studies, NRCS is excited that 2015 will bring worldwide attention to the importance of soil. During the International Year of Soils, and on Earth Day 2015, we have lots to celebrate. Thank you to the farmers, backyard gardeners and all of our nation’s conservationists who are doing their part to protect natural resources.

We salute the soil, and we hope you will too.

What are these bees making nests in lawns in early spring?

November 30, 2015April 16, 2015 by Willie Chance

Ground bee nests are usually in groups - image taken by Diane Stephens, Houston County Master Gardener — Ground bee nests are usually in groups – image taken by Diane Stephens, Houston County Master Gardener

Ground or Digger Bees Attack Lawns

The first sign of ground or digger bees in lawns may be strange little mounds of soil with a hole nearby. The ground bees will be flying over this area. Ground bees are solitary bees that dig and nest in the ground. These bees live one per hole but there may be many holes in an area creating ground bee communities. There are many types of ground bees that vary in color and range from one-half to three-quarter inch in length. Some types of solitary wasps live like this as well.

Female ground bees dig nests in the ground up to six or so inches deep in which to raise young. The bees pile earth around the sides of the hole. These bees can be very active in March and April. The female ground bee stocks the nest with pollen and nectar to feed the young bees. Some solitary wasps stock their nests with insects.

Ground bees typically cause little problem. The digging should not be enough to damage the lawn. The bees are not very aggressive and probably will not sting. You should be able to work and mow grass around them with few problems. People that are allergic to bee stings may want to be cautious when working around the bees.

We do not recommend chemical controls for ground bees or wasps. These bees can be beneficial – serving to pollinate plants or destroy harmful insects. They will probably only be around for four to six weeks and then disappear until next year.

If you must control them, use cultural controls.

Ground bees like dry soils. Water the soil when bees first become active. Apply one inch of water once a week if it does not rain.
Ground bees nest in dry areas where the grass is thin. Find and correct the problems making the turf thin. This may involve soil sampling, irrigation, soil aeration or other practices.
Find ways to thicken the turf in these areas to reduce ground bee problems. Know the needs of the turf grass and meet them!
In areas that will not grow grass, mulch the area.

If you must use a pesticide, watch during the day to see where the holes are located. After dark, dust these areas with carbaryl (sold under the name Sevin and other names) dust. A dust insecticide should cling to the bee’s body better than a spray. Keep people and pets out of the area while it is being treated.

The bees are not generally harmful and pesticides are toxic. The cure may be worse than the problem. Try to put up with the bees if you can. These bees may be difficult to control and may return year to year. If you have ongoing problems with them, follow all recommendations very carefully. See this site where I found much of this information http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/lawn/note100/note100.html

There is one large caution in connection with ground bees and wasps. Ground bees are not aggressive but can look like other bees and wasps that are very aggressive and harmful. Make absolutely certain that you are not dealing with a yellow jacket or bumble bee nest. Both of these insects can literally cover you with stings very quickly. They can also have extremely large nests in Georgia. If you ever get into trouble with these, run until you escape them. Running inside may help. Do not stop to swat, roll on the ground, etc.

Before you begin control of any stinging insect, make certain of your pest. This or other websites can help you identify the lawn invader http://aces.nmsu.edu/ces/plantclinic/documents/t-10-waspsandbees.pdf.

One difference between ground bees and other bees or wasps is that ground bees live by themselves and make many holes in the ground. Yellow jackets and bumble bees have many insects per hole. Use the following from Dr. Will Hudson, UGA Entomologist, as a guide for identification.

Many holes with one 1 bee per hole = solitary bees (like ground bees) that sting only as a last resort.

One hole, many bees = social bees (like yellow jackets and bumble bees). Keep away! These are non-reproductive workers that will sacrifice themselves in defense of the nest.

For insects other than ground bees, you may want to hire a pest control company or a wildlife removal company. They should have the training and equipment to do the job properly.

Please share this information with others in the landscape industry. For more information:

Call your local Extension Agent at (800) ASK-UGA1 or locate your local Extension Office

Purchasing Potted Vegetables For Your Garden

November 30, 2015April 15, 2015 by Becky Griffin

When using potted plants in your Georgia community vegetable garden, start with healthy ones. Visit quality nurseries or plant stores and choose plants free from diseases and insects. You don’t want to bring home any problems. Check where the stem meets the soil for soft spots. Don’t choose plants that look wilted but have obviously been watered. That could be a sign of a soil borne disease.

Before planting your new vegetable plants, check the roots. Sometimes the plants can be root-bound or pot-bound. The plant was outgrowing the current container and the roots had no where to go in the pot but around the perimeter of the soil.

Before going into the ground these roots need to be broken apart so that they will venture out into the new soil. Otherwise, they may keep growing around the soil ball and the plants won’t thrive. Even after weeks of being in the ground, the plant will easily pull out of the planting hole. This is an unhealthy plant!

You can break apart roots with your hands or use scissors or a sharp knife (carefully!) to cut an incision into the root ball. You will need to go about 1 inch deep and about 3/4ths the way up on the root ball. After cutting gently pull the roots apart.

Cut about a 1 inch slit into opposite sides of the root ball.

Gently separate the roots using your hands.

Put the plant in the ground spreading the roots into the soil as much as possible. This may seem like tough love for an already developed root system but, your plants will be healthier and more productive in the long run. Remember, your local extension agent has all sorts of information on the correct way to plant just about anything!

Happy Gardening!

What are these bees making nests in lawns in early spring?

November 30, 2015April 14, 2015 by Willie Chance

Ground or Digger Bees Attack Lawns

If you must control them, use cultural controls.

Ground bees like dry soils. Water the soil when bees first become active. Apply one inch of water once a week if it does not rain.
Ground bees nest in dry areas where the grass is thin. Find and correct the problems making the turf thin. This may involve soil sampling, irrigation, soil aeration or other practices.
Find ways to thicken the turf in these areas to reduce ground bee problems. Know the needs of the turf grass and meet them!
In areas that will not grow grass, mulch the area.

Many holes with one 1 bee per hole = solitary bees (like ground bees) that sting only as a last resort.

One hole, many bees = social bees (like yellow jackets and bumble bees). Keep away! These are non-reproductive workers that will sacrifice themselves in defense of the nest.

For insects other than ground bees, you may want to hire a pest control company or a wildlife removal company. They should have the training and equipment to do the job properly.

Please share this information with others in the landscape industry. For more information:

Call your local Extension Agent at (800) ASK-UGA1 or locate your local Extension Office

Scientist seeks help tracking Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

November 30, 2015April 12, 2015 by Willie Chance

Sharon Dowdy, news editor with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Edited from a longer article. You can find it here.

A University of Georgia entomologist is asking Georgians to help track an insect that loves to stowaway in homes and has the potential to hurt the state’s crops.

The brown marmorated stink bug, a native of Asia, was first spotted in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1998 and has since been found in 42 states and two Canadian provinces, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. To date, it is classified as a nuisance pest in Georgia, but could quickly become an agricultural pest, too.

Paul Guillebeau, an entomologist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, decided to find out how many Georgians are unwillingly hosting the pest.He thought of the project after lying in bed at night and counting the number of stink bugs crawling on his Athens, Georgia, ceiling. “On any given day, there are at least five or six on the ceiling and at least 20 throughout the rest of the house,” he said. “You could spray them, but then you’d have dead stink bugs to deal with. It really becomes tedious. They only stink if you handle them, and they don’t do any damage, but they are annoying.”

Guillebeau likens the pest to lady beetles and kudzu bugs, which also torment homeowners by slipping through the tiniest crack to find a warm spot indoors. The stink bugs are first attracted to light and then to the warmer, indoor temperatures.

“I think my house is fairly well sealed, but they are awfully good at getting inside,” he said.

As temperatures begin to rise, the bugs are coming out of their winter slumber and searching for food and water. “Now they are flying to the windows, searching for a way to get out,” he said.

Once the brown marmorated stink bugs return to the outdoors, UGA entomologist Kris Braman hopes home gardeners will take a close, identifying look before killing them.

“The brown marmorated stink bug damages a host of plants, from ornamentals to trees to food crops,” she said. “But there are many other look-alike stink bugs and some of these are predators (that feed on harmful garden pests).”

Brown marmorated stink bugs have striped antennae, smooth shoulders and small mouthparts. Beneficial, predator stink bugs have solid antennae, spines or indentations on their shoulders and a “much stouter” mouth.

“You may need a hand lens to get a close look, but it will be worth it because they eat harmful garden insects like the Mexican bean beetle,” Braman said.

To participated in Guillebeau’s tracking survey, go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/FCLPJLX. The three-question survey will remain open until responses begin to dwindle and the state has been represented.

“I think they are everywhere across the state, but we will just have to wait and see,” Guillebeau said. “I just hope of one of my colleagues develops a trap to catch them before they come in my house next year.”

For help identifying the Brown marmorated stink bug see this article.

This video contains more information on the stinkbug.

Find more information on beneficial insects on page 28 of the publication Insect Identification Guide for Southeastern Landscapes.

Dealing with freeze injury to ornamental plants

November 30, 2015April 10, 2015 by Willie Chance

Jean Williams-Woodward, Extension Plant Pathologist

Freeze injury symptoms can include blackening or bleaching of foliage, tip dieback, stem or branch splitting, and plant death. The damage may not be readily apparent, especially on trees. Trunk damage and splitting may develop months to years later.

Often weak pathogens invade the damaged tissues resulting in trunk and branch cankers (usually from Botryosphaeria spp. infection) and secondary infection by weak pathogens, such as Colletotrichum spp. and Pestalotiopsis spp.

The best approach to deal with freeze injured tissues is to prune off the affected tissues. Prune dead branch tips after bud break. Give plants, such as liriope, a shearing to remove dead foliage.

Freeze injury symptoms of bleached, necrotic foliage and split bark (seen at arrows) on boxwood (left), cast-iron plant (upper right) and holly (bottom right). (Images of holly and cast-iron plant by Jean Williams-Woodward; Image of boxwood by Greg Bowman, Gordon County Extension Coordinator)

UGA Urban Pest Management Certificate Program runs through June 11

November 30, 2015April 10, 2015 by Willie Chance

UGA Urban Pest Management Certificate Program

Thursdays through June 11 – Griffin

Credit (24 hours total) 18 HPC & 6 WDO Cert/Reg Hrs

See agenda for details.

Registration Form

The Urban Pest Management Program on the UGA Griffin campus has established a 10-week lecture series resulting in the awarding of a Certificate in Urban and Structural Pest Management. The goal of the program is to provide Georgia’s pest management companies new service technicians exposed to various aspects of the industry, and to award current pest management professionals a University of Georgia-sponsored credential. Georgia Department of Agriculture-approved credit (Certificate Program) will be granted to currently registered and certified employees.

What is Urban and Structural Pest Management?

Urban and structural pest management is the protection of our property, food, and health from insect and rodent pests commonly found in homes, restaurants, and other businesses. The service technician is the front line of this defense, and thus the backbone of the pest management industry.

Who is this Certificate For?

This Certificate is appropriate for:

individuals with no experience in the pest management industry, but who are looking to enter a stable and exciting field;
individuals who, even though they might have extensive pest management experience, would like to energize their career by acquiring a professional credential, and;
owners and managers of pest management companies looking to improve the skills of current and future employees.

The Certificate’s Lecture Series

Classes are held once per week, in the evening, on the UGA Griffin Campus. The Certificate’s curriculum is designed to expose students to various aspects of the pest management industry, including sales, customer service, and legal affairs. More than half of the Certificate’s 10 lectures are about the identification, biology, and management of the most common urban insect pests found in Georgia.

A Unique Training Opportunity

Because a laboratory session is part of each technical lecture, the Certificate provides a unique training opportunity even for the most experienced technician. Over the course of the Certificate’s various laboratory sessions, students are shown specimens of the 100 or so most common insect pests most likely to be encountered in and around Georgia’s urban environment.

Program Fee

The Certificate fee is $195. Individual lectures can be taken for $20 each. Military veterans with a valid DD Form 214 attend free of charge.

For more information, contact Dr. Daniel Suiter at 770-233-6114.

To register for an upcoming Certificate Lecture Series, print the registration (PDF), fill it out, and return the bottom section with your payment to the address listed on the form. Faxed registrations are also accepted at 770-228-7287.

Directions to the training facility and a list of local hotels are available.

For more information see http://www.caes.uga.edu/departments/ent/upmp/certificate.html

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