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SEASONAL CONCERNS
MASTERGREEN is dedicated to providing you with information that will help you identify potential problems. As the year progresses, issues unique to the current climate conditions as well as regional diseases and infestations will arise. Here at MASTERGREEN we want you to be armed with knowledge so that you can act as soon as the warning signs appear.
Fire Ants- Fire ant mounds vary in size, usually in direct proportion to the size of the colony. In addition, when the mound of an active fire ant colony is broken open, whitish rice grain-like larvae and pupae usually can be found. These immature ants will eventually develop into workers or winged adults. Mounds constructed in clay soils are usually symmetrical and dome-shaped; mounds built in sandy soils tend to be irregularly shaped. It is often difficult to distinguish the red imported fire ant from the tropical fire ant and the southern fire ant, which are also found in North Carolina. (Information Courtesy of NC State)
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Ground Pearls- Symptoms attributed to ground pearl injury are first a yellowing of the grass, followed by browning. Ground pearl damage becomes most noticeable when the grass is under stress due to drought, nutritional deficiencies, etc. Under stress conditions, the grass may not be able to tolerate ground pearl feeding damage, and the grass may die. On the other hand, properly watered and otherwise well managed lawns often do not show noticeable damage, even though they are heavily infested with these insects. There are other factors such as disease, nutritional unbalances, drought and nematodes (especially in centipede grass) that can cause off-color areas in lawns. The lawn should be carefully examined to determine what corrective measures are needed. (Information Courtesy of University of Florida)
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White Flies - Whiteflies are very small insects that resemble tiny white moths. Whiteflies usually feed on the lower surface of their host plant leaves. The silverleaf whitefly causes the leaves of melons and stems of poinsettias to blanch noticeably when these whiteflies are abundant. (Information Courtesy University of Minnesota)
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Lace Bugs - There are more than thirty reported lace bug species in North Carolina. Most are not considered a pest. The azalea lace bug may be the best known. Each species tends to feed only on it's preferred host and closely related plants. Lace bugs cause a blotched or spotted appearance of the upper leaf surface, however, immature(nymph) and adult lace bugs are found mostly on the underside of leaves. Spots of excrement resembling dark varnish are a distinguishing characteristic and appear on the underside of the leaves. Infested leaves turn yellow and may drop off prematurely. (Information Courtesy of NC State)
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Scale Insects - Scale insects are a diverse group of insects in the order HOMOPTERA. There are about 6,000 species of scale in sects in 21 families worldwide. About 1,000 species occur in North America. The three most common families of scale insects are the armored scale, the soft scale, and the mealybugs. Most of the pest species belong to one of these three families. (Information Courtesy of NC State)
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Spider Mites - Twospotted spider mites are widely distributed in the United States and feed on over 180 host plants, including over 100 cultivated species. Violets, chickweed, pokeweed, wild mustard and blackberry are common sources from which mites spread to nearby crops. Twospotted spider mites pierce the epidermis of the host plant leaf with their sharp, slender mouthparts. Soon a chlorotic spot forms at each feeding site. After a heavy attack, an entire plant may become yellowed, bronzed or killed completely. The mites may spin so much webbing over the plant that it becomes entirely covered. (Information Courtesy of NC State)
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Spittle Bugs - Immature spittlebugs (nymphs) are small, green, soft-bodied insects that have an unusual and distinctive characteristic that distinguishes them from other insects. The nymphs, clustered in between leaves and stems, surround themselves with a frothy, white mass that looks like spittle, which protects them from sym and preying insects. Adult spittlebugs are small (¼ inch), winged insects that hop or fly away quickly when disturbed. They feed on plant sap and lay their eggs inside of stems or between the leaf blades and stems of many garden plants and forage crops. The greenish nymphs that hatch from the eggs suck sap from the plant. The insect excretes drops of undigested sap mixed with air. Its tail moves up and down as if working as a bellows, forcing out bubbles of sap. The bug then reaches back and covers itself with the frothy spittle. Spittlebugs are most often noticeable in the spring when the nymphs are feeding, but adults may be found on the plants throughout the summer. (Information Courtesy of University of Idaho)
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Japanese Beetles - Adults emerge as early as mid May in eastern North Carolina. Peak emergence occurs in July. Throughout summer, the beetles attack the fruit and foliage of many plants. Soon after emerging, females deposit 40 to 60 eggs in small batches 2 to 3 inches deep especially in damp soil. During dry periods, adults may be more attracted to low lying and irrigated areas to lay eggs. In extremely dry weather, many eggs and larvae perish. In warm, wet summers, eggs hatch in about 2 weeks. The newly emerged larvae feed until cold weather forces them into hibernation. One generation occurs each year. (Information Courtesy of NC State)
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Fire blight- Twig and leaf blight symptoms are similar to those of blossom blight. Blighted twigs and watersprouts wilt at their tips giving the appearance of a shepherd's crook. Fruit blight generally occurs in immature fruits. The fruit first appears oily or water-soaked; often droplets of milky-like ooze form on the surface. The fruit shrivels, becomes mummified and remains attached to the branch. Limb and trunk blight occur when the bacteria move downward from infected blossoms, twigs and shots into larger branches or the trunk During humid or rainy weather, blighted tissues usually exude a milky-like, sticky liquid or ooze containing the bacteria. The appearance of ooze on the surface of diseased blossoms, fruit, twigs or would is a very distinctive diagnostic characteristic of fire blight. (Information Courtesy of NC State)
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Maple Leaf Spot - A maple disease which made its appearance in late spring was twig and leaf blight, which causes a blackening of the newest growth of silver, red, and other maples. Leaves and young twigs turn dark brown to black and appear as if they have been scorched. While this blight, technically referred to as anthracnose, does cause some damage, the major problem results from the unsightly appearance of blighted twigs and foliage which detracts from the beauty of the affected trees. (Information Courtesy of Mississippi State University)
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Anthracnose - Dogwood anthracnose is a disease of flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). Recently, the disease has been detected in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. An anthracnose fungus, Discula sp., has been identified as the causal agent. Infection of dogwoods is favored by cool, wet spring and fall weather, but can occur throughout the growing season. Drought and winter injury weaken trees and increase disease severity. Consecutive years of heavy infection have resulted in extensive mortality in both woodland and ornamental dogwoods.
The origin of this disease is unknown. The fungus may have been introduced or a change in environment may have altered host/parasite relationships, enabling a previously innocuous fungus to become a significant pathogen. (Information Courtesy of NC State)
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Phomopsis Juniper Twig Blight - Visible symptoms include browning and dieback of young needles and shoot tips. Gray lesions usually girdle the shoot at the base of the dead tissue. Tiny, black or grayish fungal fruiting bodies may be visible in the gray lesions. On highly susceptible hosts, the fungus may invade and girdle larger stems, resulting in browning and death of major branches; however, this degree of disease severity is rare. Both Kabatina tip blight and Phomopsis tip blight are most damaging on younger plants. (Information Courtesy of Virginia State University)
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"Expect Results!"©
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