Helping Clients go Green!

Are your clients interested in a more sustainable "Green" approach to landscaping and lawn care? If so consider viewing this video from Gardener's Guild Inc. a California based landscape company and learn how they adopted organic lawn care in their business.
Going Green
If after you visit this video you want assistance in making the switch let us know.

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Drought Conditions Still Real

Although we have got several inches of rainfall in most of our Western North Carolina counties, dry conditions still prevail. Some areas of Henderson and Transylvania County are still experiencing levels of drought of limited rainfall. Over 67 counties in NC are listed as abnormally dry with 7 considered to be in moderate drought stages.
Visit NC Drought Map to see the changes going on across the state. As we continue to experience reduced rainfall in many areas, we must all continue using water conserving practices. If you are still using a lot of overhead irrigation you may want to revisit converting to drip or low input systems.
These systems can save you time, energy, and money as well as "liquid gold".


For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Speaking of Gardening Symposium: August 28- 29, 2009

Explore great plants at this year's Speaking of Gardening symposium. Two days of garden lectures by six highly regarded designers, research specialists and nurserymen will provide participants with great new ideas and inspiration.

Symposium topics include private and public garden design, new plants from NCSU plant research program, designing with grasses, new perennials from Jelitto and the Human Flower Project. Visit The NC Arboretum Website to register for these two days of workshops. The classes qualify for CEUs in a number of different areas including PLANET. Speaking of Gardening


For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Water Harvesting Workshop

Water Harvesting Workshop in Asheville! A half-day water harvesting workshop is scheduled for Sept. 8, 2009 sponsored by NC State University Dept. of Biological & Agricultural Engineering and NC Cooperative Extension. Professional engineers will earn 4 professional development hours (PDHs) for successful completion of this workshop. NCSU-BAE is also an approved continuing education provider for the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), and the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Approval of PDHs is pending from the NC Board of Landscape Architects. Approval pending for Irrigation Contractor CEUs.
Location of workshop- The NC Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted WayAsheville, NC 28806. To register and for more information click HERE.

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Rust on Native Azaleas in Nursery

This week, Rust disease was identified on native deciduous azaleas and smooth hydrangea in a nursery in western North Carolina. Most guidebooks list it as either Rust, hemlock-blueberry rust (Pucciniastrum vaccinii) or hemlock-hydrangea rust (Pucciniastrum hydrangeae). Apparently it affects hemlock needles in early spring and summer, then the infected needles inoculate both wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)(photo) and panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) during the summer (Sinclair et al 1987). Because Rhododendron are in the Ericaceae family along with blueberry, these plants also seem to be infected. Additionally, blueberry grown as an ornamental in nurseries has been a "hot" trend lately, which could contribute to the renewed presence. On native deciduous rhododendron, for example, R. canescens (piedmont azalea), R. periclymenoides (pinxterbloom azalea), R. runifolum (Plumleaf azalea), R. viscosum (Swamp azalea), and R. calendulaceum (flame azalea), symptoms resemble these photos. Symptoms of leaf rust first appear in mid-summer as circular yellow flecks about an 1/8 inch in diameter on the upper leaf surface.

The fungus can be found forming spores in rust-colored pustules on the undersides of the leaf below the yellow flecking (photo below).

The orange-colored spores in the pustules are disseminated by air currents to other azalea leaves. If the leaf remains wet overnight, new infections (pustules) can form repeating the cycle throughout the remainder of the summer and fall. When conditions are favorable for severe disease development with numerous pustules early in the summer, extensive defoliation of infected leaves can occur. In mild climates, the fungus may over winter as spores in pustules of fallen leaves. So removing leaves from deciduous azalea blocks or plantings in the spring can help reduce the severity of disease later in the season. However, the fungus also can be re-introduced to azaleas in the nursery/landscape each year from nearby hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) that serve as a second (alternate) host of the fungus. Normally, fungicides are not needed to control leaf rust (Benson and Creswell). It is possible to let the foliage die back and fall off this year without control, especially if plants are not going to be sold until spring 2010. In a study conducted by Jones, Bir and Benson in 1981, Plantvax 75W (oxycaboxin; Class: Carboxamide), Mancozeb 80W (Manganese ethylenebis; Class: carbamate), and Ferbam 76W (Ferbam; Class: carbamate) provided the best control for rust on the hybrids mentioned above when applied from mid-August through September according to label recommendations. Heritage (Azoxystrobin; Class: QOI-strobilurins), is only labeled for Puccinia sp. of rusts and not Puccinastrum spp. of rusts. Please read the labels of all fungicides applied and always wear personal protective equipment required on the label.

For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

New Products for Ornamental Greenhouse, Nursery, and Landscape Pests

New Products for Ornamental Greenhouse, Nursery, and Landscape Pests

From: Steve Frank, Extension Entomologist, NCSU

A new product Kontos is available to manage most sucking pests in greenhouses. It is also labeled for use in nurseries. Kontos from OHP is effective against whiteflies, aphids, mealybugs, thrips, and other insects. Kontos has a unique mode of action (IRAC group 23) that makes it an important tool in resistance management programs. This could be particularly important as a product to rotate with Conserve (spinosad) to kill thrips. It is also soft on beneficial organisms. More information on Kontos can be found at:Kontos.

In ornamental landscapes we now have Acelepryn by Dupont. This unique chemical has a very low vertebrate toxicity. So low in fact that it does not require a signal word on the label. It is effective on many landscape pests and can be used as a foliar spray or drench to provide translaminar and systemic plant protection. Acelepryn also is soft on beneficial organisms compared to older products. More information about Acelepryn can be found at Acelepryn.




For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.

Weekly Word on Weeds

Weekly Word on Weeds, from Dr. Joe Neal, NCSU Department of Horticulture

Want an overview of weed control in container nurseries?
Here is a link to video of one of my presentations at the SE Greenhouse conference on weed management in container nurseries. BASF corporation taped the presentation and posted it on their web site. I just saw it today. Here is the link:

Joe Neal Video


Editor's footnote: Dr. Joe Neal's daughter Marie, desperately needs a liver transplant. If you wish to help out go to Marie Neal and check out the procedure to make a contribution.




For more information contact your local Cooperative Extension Center and ask for the Commercial Horticulture Agent.