Hudson Valley Horticulture
Cornell Cooperative Extension of the Hudson Valley
~~~Commercial Horticulture Electronic Newsletter~~~
Volume 8, Issue 7
August 15, 2008
Participating Counties: Orange * Dutchess * Putnam * Rockland * Sullivan * Ulster * Westchester *
Editor: Rosemarie S. Baglia
http://www.cce.cornell.edu
· Looking
to Buy or Sell Plants? Visit New York State Flower Industries (NYSFI) Market
Place Website
· Easily
Identify Hosta Virus X with Agdias HVX Immuno Strip
· Emerald
Ash Borer Found in the Province of Quebec in Proximity to the Northeastern NYS
Border
· CPSC
Staff Finds Synthetic Turf Fields OK to Install, OK to Play On
· 2008
Certified Tree Steward Program
· 2008
Arboriculture Field Day
· DEP
and Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Respond to Presence of Asian
Longhorn Beetle in Worcester, MA
Regional Updates
Easily Identify Hosta Virus X with Agdias HVX Immuno Strip
Do you need to know if you are
propagating a Hosta Virus X-free plant? Want to know if the stock you
are receiving is HVX free? Want to monitor your plants or confirm suspicious
symptoms? You are in luck. Agdia has introduced the first rapid test for the
detection of Hosta Virus X Agdia HVX ImmunoStrip. This test strip can
detect the presence of the virus in just minutes, is simple to interpret, easy
to use, portable, has a 1-year guaranteed shelf life, and can test leaves and
roots. For more information please go to the website www.agdia.com/hosta/hostapage.html,
call 800-622-4342, or email slutes@agdia.com.
Source: LI Horticulture News, July 08
Submitted by Stephanie D. Mallozzi, Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County
Looking to Buy or Sell Plants? Visit New York State Flower Industries
(NYSFI) Market Place Website
NYSFI has announced their Market Place website, www.nysfimarketplace.com .
The goal of the website is to connect horticultural businesses and to assist
the green industry in buying and selling flowers from New York
businesses. The Market Place is simply a place where sellers can find
buyers and buyers can find sellers. The Market Place can be used by
greenhouses, nurseries, landscapers, and garden centers wholesalers or
retailers. This site is a service to NYSFI members. While the site
is free to use for buyers, sellers must be members of NYSFI. NYSFI
members will be able to place advertisements for plants for sale and for wanted
items, and anyone can search the products currently available for sale.
There is also a garden center and member search option, so even if you don’t
plan on using the site to purchase or sell plants, you should make sure your
contact information is current so you can be found. Members of NYSFI
should have recently received their user ID and password in the mail. If
you have not received this information, contact Karen Hall at NYSFI at
716-941-3502 or mrskdhall@aol.com.
The Market Place website is coordinated by the NYSFI and is funded by the New
York Farm Viability Institute (NYFVI).
Source LI Horticulture News, July '08
Submitted by Stephanie D. Mallozzi, Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess
County
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Found in the Province of Quebec in Proximity to the
Northeastern NYS Border
Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus planipennis, has been confirmed
in the province of Quebec about 20 miles from the northeastern NYS
border. This highly destructive beetle attacks and kills ash
(Fraxinus). Two hundred traps have been placed in Essex and Clinton County to monitor for EAB. For more information about the Canada infestation, go to: www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/pestrava/agrpla/survenqe.shtml
. NYS has already taken steps to thwart this serious pest by limiting the
movement of firewood. NYSDEC regulations can be found at www.dec.ny.gov/animals/44008.html.
For more information on EAB go to: www.agmkt.state.ny.us/CAPS/pdf/Emerald%20Ash%20Borer%20Poster.pdf.
Submitted by Stephanie D. Mallozzi, Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess
County
CPSC Staff Finds Synthetic Turf Fields OK to Install, OK to Play On
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff
today released its evaluation of various synthetic athletic fields. The
evaluation concludes that young children are not at risk from exposure to lead
in these fields.
CPSC staff evaluation showed that newer fields had no lead or generally had the
lowest lead levels. Although small amounts of lead were detected on the surface
of some older fields, none of these tested fields released amounts of lead that
would be harmful to children.
Lead is present in the pigments of some synthetic turf products to give the
turf its various colors. Staff recognizes that some conditions such as age,
weathering, exposure to sunlight, and wear and tear might change the amount of
lead that could be released from the turf. As turf is used during athletics or
play and exposed over time to sunlight, heat and other weather conditions, the
surface of the turf may start to become worn and small particles of the
lead-containing synthetic grass fibers might be released. The staff considered
in the evaluation that particles on a child's hand transferred to his/her mouth
would be the most likely route of exposure and determined young children would
not be at risk.
Although this evaluation found no harmful lead levels, CPSC staff is asking
that voluntary standards be developed for synthetic turf to preclude the use of
lead in future products. This action is being taken proactively to address any
future production of synthetic turf and to set a standard for any new entrants
to the market to follow.
As an overall guideline, CPSC staff recommends young children wash their hands
after playing outside, especially before eating.
To view the CPSC Staff evaluation, please go to: www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/foia08/os/turfassessment.pdf
Submitted by Rose Baglia, Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County
2008 Certified Tree Steward
Program
This fall, Cornell University
Cooperative Extension of Westchester County will once again be offering the
Certified Tree Steward Program for municipal employees with
responsibilities in tree care. For the first time, however, this
course will now be opened to municipal employees that also work outside of Westchester County. This 5-day program will include information on tree
selection/identification, tree biology, site selection/preparation, proper
planting/pruning, pest management and performing an urban tree inventory.
The dates of this event will be Wednesday Nov. 5, Thursday Nov. 6, and Friday
Nov. 7 at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County and Tuesday Nov.
18 and Wednesday Nov. 19 at the Bartlett Arboretum. Please note that
attendance is limited and early registration is strongly encouraged.
For more information please contact Martha Mocbeichel at mpm47@cornell.edu or
914-285-4640 to request a program brochure.
Written by Rick Harper, Cornell Cooperative Extension Westchester County
2008 Arboriculture Field Day
Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Westchester County will be
offering Certified Arborists and Tree Care Professionals the opportunity to
receive an update on the status of important insect & disease pests
impacting the health of our urban forests and community trees. The
keynote speaker will be Dr. George Hudler, Chair of Cornell Universitys
Department of Plant Pathology, who will provide an update on the diseases of
urban trees, as well as highlight his research on Bleeding Cankers on European
Beech. Dr. Elizabeth Lamb from Cornell Universitys NYS IPM Program and
Dr. Paul Weston will also provide an update on the status of important insect
pests and highlight local research being carried out on Hemlock Woolly Adelgid.
The date of this event will be Tuesday October 7 at Lasdon Park &
Arboretum, Route 35, Katonah, NY. Please note that attendance is limited
and early registration is strongly encouraged.
For more information or to register, please contact JoAnn Trautmann at
jdt34@cornell.edu or Martha Mocbeichel at mpm47@cornell.edu or
914-285-4640. To download the program flyer go to http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/westchester/PDF/2008ArboricultureFieldDay.pdf
Written by Rick Harper, Cornell Cooperative Extension Westchester County
DEP and Connecticut
Agricultural Experiment Station Respond to Presence of Asian Longhorn Beetle in
Worcester, MA
The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) today announced that federal
agricultural officials have confirmed the presence of the Asian Longhorn Beetle
(ALB) in nearby Worcester, Massachusetts. This beetle is a serious pest
in other parts of the world and can kill hardwood trees in roadside plantings,
shelterbelts, and plantations. In the United States, the beetle prefers
maple species.
This discovery is certainly a concern, said Christopher Martin, DEP Director of
Forestry. The close proximity to Connecticut definitely places our
forests at risk. We are asking Connecticut residents to keep their eyes
open and report possible ALB infestations to CAES or the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and
Quarantine (APHIS). Early detection is the best defense. Residents
should also remember to purchase firewood from local sources and not transport
firewood from out of state. Firewood arriving to Connecticut from
infested areas can easily bring along unwanted hitch hikers like ALB and other
harmful forest pests.
ALB typically does not spread quickly on its own, but it can easily be
inadvertently transported in untreated firewood and other forest
products. Trees affected include: Boxelder, Norway, Red, Silver, and Sugar maples,Alders, Birches, Elms, Horsechestnut,
Poplars, and Willows.
A complete list of host trees in the United States, however, has not been
determined. Previous infestations have occurred in New York, Illinois and New Jersey.
Residents suspecting they have seen ALB should report their findings to CAES at
(203) 974-8474 or (203) 974-8485. Residents can also report sightings to
APHIS via their website at www.aphis.usda.gov/.
Submitted by Jennifer Stengle, Cornell Cooperative Extension Putnam County
Regional Updates
Orange
Cicada Killer Wasps and Dodder
Recently we have been seeing a lot
of Cicada Killer Wasps in our diagnostic lab. The Cicada
Killer Wasp occurs in all states east of the Rocky Mountains. This wasp
prefers light textured well drained soils and burrows 6” to 9” deep with a
noticeable amount of soil surrounding the opening on three sides. They
have rusty red heads and thorax, russet colored wings and black and yellow
striped abdomens. Some wasps may be 1¼ -2” long. They lay their
eggs in these underground holes. The wasps feed on flower nectar while
the larval stages feed mostly on cicada insects. The females sting and
drag at least one cicada into each hole. She then lays an egg into the
hole. The egg hatches into a larva and feeds on the cicada for 4-10 days
until only the cicadas outer skin remains. During the fall, the larva
spins a silken case, shrinks and prepares to over-winter in the soil.
Only one generation occurs per year.
Only the female wasp has a stinger and both sexes are not aggressive, unless
provoked. The only reason to control the wasp (in general) is the fear of
being stung. They are considered to be beneficial insects and harmless by
entomology experts.
If a home owner feels they must deal with these giant wasps, some possibilities
exist:
1. Promote thick growth of turf through adequate watering and
fertilizing. This helps prevent the establishment of cicada killer colonies.
2. Clear the nesting area of weeds, leaves, mulch, etc. Lay down weed
blocker landscape fabric and cover with two or three inches of fresh mulch.
3. This option involves dust insecticides. Apply one or two teaspoons of
a dust insecticide to the tunnel opening, but do not close the tunnel.
This will allow the cicada killer to track the dust into the tunnel.
An unusual looking weed we have been seeing is a parasitic annual plant called Dodder.
Dodder lacks chlorophyll (the stuff that makes plants green) and leaves.
The thread-like stems are yellow, orange or red in color and twine
counterclockwise on other plants and envelope them. Seedlings develop a
small temporary root to support 4-10 cm long thread-like stalks that attach to
the host plant. After attachment, the root system no longer
functions. The roots of dodder are modified to penetrate the host plant
and extract nutrients and carbohydrates.
Some common host plants include bedding plants, chrysanthemum, azaleas,
cranberries, alfalfa, clover and other legumes. Dodder only survives if
an appropriate host is available.
Flowers are small, white or sometimes pink, in numerous compact clusters.
The fruit is a small capsule with four tiny orange seeds. Seeds are
long-lived in the soil (up to five years) and germinate in the spring and early
summer.
Control is very difficult. Herbicides will kill dodder but they also kill
the host plant. Removal is best done by hand before the dodder plant goes
to seed.
Written by Debbie Lester, Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County
Rockland
Leaf Spot Disease of Trees and Shrubs
The Horticulture Diagnostic Lab in Rockland County reports an influx of leaf
spot diseases on various woody plants, perennials and vegetables. Brown or
black blotches on leaves and defoliation are common occurrences, according to
David B. Schroeder, Cooperative Extension Plant Pathologist, University of Connecticut. Schroeder states the causal fungus over winters on fallen leaves and
in the spring, during or following a rain, spores produced by the fungus are
discharged and carried by wind and splashing rain to newly emerging leaves. In
a few days to several weeks, depending on temperature, small spots appear on
the leaves. As the fungus grows, the spots enlarge. Leaf spot fungi are
generally favored by cool, wet weather early in the growing season. Leaf spot
diseases are seldom a problem following warm, dry weather in the spring.
The majority of trees and shrubs have learned to live with leaf spot diseases.
Even severe defoliation will not cause the death of an otherwise healthy tree.
Also, the by the time symptoms of leaf spot are obvious, it is often too late
to apply a chemical for control.
Since many of the leaf spot fungi over winter on fallen leaves, one cultural
method of reducing the severity of leaf spots is to rake and destroy all old
leaves under the tree. This will reduce the number of fungal spores available
to infect developing leaves in the spring. Disposing of old leaves is not
likely to be effective if leaves from the same species of tree or shrub in your
area are not destroyed because spores of most of the causal fungi can be wind
disseminated for long distances.
As with trees and shrubs, by the time symptoms of leaf spot effects perennials
and vegetables, it is too late to apply a fungicide. Remove leaf spot by
cutting out heavily infested portions of the plant.
Submitted by Donna Cooke, Cornell Cooperative Extension Rockland County
Other Professional Horticulture
Programs of Interest
Certified Landscape Technician Training
Contact: NYSTLA at (914) 993-9455 or
visit www.nystla.com.
An optional national testing program to recognize proficiency of qualified
landscape professionals.
Certified Nursery Professional Training Program
Contact: In Dutchess, Putnam & Westchester: Scott Olivieri, (914)
682-4224; In Orange, Rockland & Ulster: Mark Masseo (845) 658-9148
By passing this exam you can earn the title Certified Nursery Professional
(CNP). Contact your New York State Nursery and Landscape Association,
listed above, for more details.
Cornell
Cooperative Extension County Commercial Horticulture Educators
Dutchess:
Stephanie Mallozzi, sdm10@cornell.edu, 845-677-8223 x 104
Orange:
Rosemarie Baglia, rsb22@cornell.edu, 845-344-1234
Putnam: Diane
Olsen, dko3@cornell.edu, or Jennifer Stengle, jjs95@cornell.edu, 845-278-6738
Rockland:
Donna Cooke, dmc72@cornell.edu, or Paul Trader, pwt2@cornell.edu, 845-429-7085
Ulster: Teresa
Rusinek, tr28@cornell.edu, 845-340-3990
Westchester:
Rick Harper, rwh26@cornell.edu, 914-946-3005
Sullivan:
Marianna Quartararo, mdq2@cornell.edu, 845-292-6180 x 112
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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