Is It Time To...? Kansas State University Ward Upham

Preventing Common Horticulture Plant Problems Kansas State University Ward Upham

Is It Time To: Control Henbit and Other Winter Annuals Henbit

Is It Time To: Spray for Henbit and Other Winter Annuals Chickweed

Winter Annual Control Use 2,4-D,Trimec, Weed-B-Gon, Weed Free Zone Best to spray in fall Henbit Chickweed

Winter Annual Control Best to spray in fall If spray early in spring, use combination product such as Trimec, Weed-B-Gon, Speed Zone, or Weed Free Zone Spraying as late as mid-April or later is usually a waste of time and money

Is It Time To: Fertilize Cool-Season Grasses

Cool-Season Grasses Tall Fescue & Kentucky Bluegrass Tall FescueKentucky Bluegrass

When to Fertilize Cool-Season Grasses September Most important fertilization of year Use 1 pound nitrogen (N) per 1000 square feet Quick-release OK November Second most important fertilization Use 1 pound N per 1000 square feet Quick-release OK May Optional; use if irrigate, apply 1 pound of N per 1000 square feet Use fertilizer with at least 1/4 N as slow-release

Is It Time To: Fertilize Warm-Season Grasses

Warm-Season Grasses Bermudagrass, Zoysiagrass and Buffalograss BermudagrassZoysiagrassBuffalograss

When to Fertilize Warm-Season Grasses 1 pound nitrogen per 1000 square feet per year May be all that buffalo and zoysia need; too much on zoysia and thatch builds up Some people never fertilize buffalo or zoysia Apply once in June 2 pounds nitrogen per 1000 square per year Apply May and July with 1 pound each app Maximum amount for buffalo and zoysia but minimum amount for bermuda 3 pounds nitrogen per 1000 square feet per year Apply May, June and early August

Is It Time To: Seed Cool-Season Lawns

Better to Seed in the Fall Rather than Spring Warmer soils and turf comes up faster Less competition from weeds More time to become established before the heat stress of summer

If You Werent Able to Seed in the Fall Consider Dormant Seeding if have areas to thicken up Seed from December through mid-March Must have good seed-soil contact –Rake in with hand rake –Use slit-seeder –Verticut and then seed –Core aerate and seed Seed as early in spring as possible Leave ground bare if you can do so without erosion Can use Tupersan to control crabgrass May have to redo in fall

Is It Time To: Look for darker hot spots. Often have purplish tinge. Best to allow turf to undergo some stress early in season. Attempt to apply 3/4 to 1 inch of water each time you irrigate. Water the Lawn

Is It Time To: Blades should be sharpened about every 10 hours Sharp blades cut cleaner, quicker and require less energy Sharpen Mower Blades

Is It Time To: Leaves swollen, distorted and have reddish hue. Treat for Peach Leaf Curl

Peach Leaf Curl Single fungicide application will control. Must apply in fall after leaf drop or early spring before bud swell. Use chlorothalonil (Daconil), liquid lime sulfur or Bordeaux mixture.

Is It Time To: Treat for Cedar-Apple Rust

Cedar-Apple Rust Host Plants Junipers Apples or crabapples

Cedar-Apple Rust Background Must have both plants present for disease to occur. However, juniper removal is usually not practical as all junipers within ½ to 2 miles of apples would have to be eliminated. Juniper - though disease unsightly on juniper, will generally not cause serious damage. Apple - can cause premature defoliation and thereby weaken tree.

Cedar-Apple Rust Symptoms on Apple In late spring or early summer, yellow-orange spots appear on the leaves.

Cedar-Apple Rust Symptoms on Apple Eventually, tube-like projections form on bottom surface of the leaf.

Cedar-Apple Rust Symptoms on Apple In late spring or early summer, yellow-orange spots appear on the leaves. Eventually, tube-like projections form on bottom surface of the leaf. Leaves with numerous spots drop during the summer. This stresses the tree and reduces fruit set and yield the following year.

Cedar-Apple Rust Symptoms on Apple In late spring or early summer, yellow-orange spots appear on the leaves. Eventually, tube-like projections form on bottom surface of the leaf. Leaves with numerous spots drop during the summer. This stresses the tree and reduces fruit set and yield the following year. New leaves are formed if defoliation is severe enough.

Cedar-Apple Rust Symptoms on Juniper Produces reddish-brown galls on twigs of junipers that are ½ to 2 inches in diameter.

Cedar-Apple Rust Symptoms on Juniper In April, galls swell and produce orange, one- inch long tendrils in a gelatinous mass during wet weather.

Cedar-Apple Rust Symptoms on Juniper It takes two years for galls to develop. Galls only produce spores the second year.

Cedar-Apple Rust Recommendations for Crabapple Best control on crabapples is to plant resistant varieties. Varieties resistant to both scab and rust include: Donald Wyman Bob White Golden Raindrops Prairiefire Red Jewel

Cedar-Apple Rust Spray Recommendations for Apples & Crabs First spray should be applied when orange tendrils on junipers appear. (Early April) Repeat applications as long as juniper galls remain active. (late May) Triadimefon (Bayleton, Green Light Fung-Away) or myclobutanil (Immunox) Immunox labeled for both apples and crabapples and for both rust and scab

Cedar-Apple Rust Spray Recommendations for Junipers Rarely sprayed because disease normally does not cause serious damage to junipers. If spray, apply three to four fungicide applications sprayed at 10-day intervals, beginning in early July. Can use Bordeaux mixture, ferbam, and Bayleton. Because galls take two years to develop, will not notice benefit until the second year.

Is It Time To: Treat for Sphaeropsis Tip Blight

Sphaeropsis Tip Blight Austrian, Ponderosa, Scotch, and Mugo Most severe on mature (30 years or older) Austrian pines.

Sphaeropsis Tip Blight Symptoms In late May or early June, new developing shoots fail to elongate properly and turn yellow or tan. Small droplets of resin often form on the stunted needles. Needles tend to remain attached to the tree. Repeated infections can cause death of entire branches.

Sphaeropsis Tip Blight Control Recommendations Two to three applications of fungicide needed. Apply first about the third week in April just as new buds are elongating. Following sprays spaced at day intervals. Removal of dead shoots may help but will not give complete control since disease carried on cones. Use coppers (Bordeaux, Tenn-Cop) or thiophanate (Fungo, Clearys 3336).

Is It Time To: Treat for Sycamore Anthracnose

Sycamore Anthracnose Young leaves may wither and turn black. Older leaves may have brown areas that follow the major veins of the leaf.

Anthracnose on Sycamore Recommendations Usually chemical controls unnecessary as tree will releaf. If want to control disease, use thiophanate-methyl (Clearys, Fungo), mancozeb, fixed coppers, or Bordeaux mixture. Sometimes, professional arborists use a September injection of a fungicide such as Arbotect to protect sycamore trees that have a history of anthracnose. Inject 2 consecutive years.

Is It Time To: Treat for Bagworms

Bagworms Junipers and arbovitae are favorites Can also attack other ornamental shrubs, shade, and forest trees.

Bagworms Life Cycle Bags look like Christmas ornaments.

Bagworms Life Cycle Bags look like Christmas ornaments. Young bagworms hatch in May in Kansas. Larva May 22

Bagworms Life Cycle Bags look like Christmas ornaments. Young bagworms hatch in May in Kansas. Bagworms spin silken bags around themselves. July 7

Bagworms Life Cycle Female is wingless and never leaves the bag. Male is a small, gray, clear-winged moth that resembles a wasp. Female BagwormMale Bagworm

Bagworms Damage Feed on foliage of host plant. Often damage is not noticed until bagworm so large that it is hard to control.

Bagworms Control Recommendations Small infestations can be picked off by hand. Wait at least a week after seeing first larvae appear before spraying to allow complete emergence of insects. Can use acephate (Systemic Insect Control), malathion, or permethrin (numerous trade names) for control.

Is It Time to: Do Something About Pine Wilt Most severe on Scotch pine Also reported on Austrian and white pines

Pine Wilt Symptoms Trees wilt and die rapidly Needles turn brown and remain attached to tree Trees have reduced resin production. Twigs are brittle and dry and site of branch removal does not produce resin Symptoms usually appear from August through December

Pine Wilt Control Recommendations First, confirm disease if it is rare in your area by sending branch sample at least 2 inches in diameter to K-State Diagnostic Lab ($10 fee) Cannot save infected trees Help prevent spread to nearby trees by removing infected trees to ground level.