May 19, 1993
Anthracnose of Shade Trees
With the wet weather this spring, conditions have been favorable for the development of anthracnose on shade trees. Anthracnose is a fungal disease that occurs most commonly on ash, maple, sycamore, and white and bur oak. Anthracnose is caused by several closely related fungi. Each fungus is specific to the host tree it affects.
Proper Care of Asparagus
An asparagus planting will produce good crops for 15 to 20 years when given good care. Proper cultural practices include a limited harvest season, fertilization, and insect and weed control.
Fruit IPM Update
The continued wet weather favors outbreaks of the major foliar and fruit diseases on apples and strawberries. Insect pests are becoming active, too.
APPLES
Growing Up
Vertical gardening has become a way of life for many whose gardening space is limited. However, even those with extensive amounts of space enjoy the beauty of gardening upward. Extending the garden vertically adds a whole new dimension to the planting area. Vertical gardening provides an attractive way to screen an unwanted view, add interest to blank walls, or to separate the garden into individual compartments.
Pine Sawfly Season
May is the month when the European pine sawfly larvae feed on the old needles of pine trees. Larvae are usually present from the beginning of the month, or about the time redbuds begin to bloom. Clusters of the gray-green larvae often go undetected until the middle or end of the month when larvae are larger and damage is more advanced. Attack is most often observed on mugo, Scots and red pine though attack on other species is possible.