Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine

BUCKEYE YARD AND GARDEN LINE 2008-03
4/17/08

From: Pam Bennett, Barb Bloetscher, Joe Boggs, Cindy Burskey, Jim Chatfield, Erik Draper, Dave Dyke, Gary Gao, David Goerig, Tim Malinich, Becky McCann, Amy Stone, and Curtis Young.

This is the 3rd 2008 edition of the Buckeye Yard and Garden Line (BYGL). BYGL is developed from a Tuesday morning conference call of Extension Educators, Specialists, and other contributors in Ohio.

BYGL is available via email, contact Cheryl Fischnich [ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ] to subscribe. Additional Factsheet information on any of these articles may be found through the OSU fact sheet database [ http://plantfacts.osu.edu/ ].

BYGL is a service of OSU Extension and is aided by major support from the ONLA (Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association) [ http://onla.org/ ] and [ http://buckeyegardening.com/ ] to the OSU Extension Nursery, Landscape, and Turf Team (ENLTT). Any materials in this newsletter may be reproduced for educational purposes providing the source is credited.

BYGL is available online at: [ http://bygl.osu.edu ], a web site sponsored by the Ohio State University Department of Horticulture and Crop Sciences (HCS) as part of the "Horticulture in Virtual Perspective." The online version of BYGL has images associated with the articles and links to additional information.

Following are the participants in the April 15th conference call: Pam Bennett (Clark); Barb Bloetscher (Entomology/C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic (CWEPPDC)); Joe Boggs (Hamilton/Piketon); Jim Chatfield (OSU Extension Center at Wooster/ Hort and Crop Science); Erik Draper (Geauga); Gary Gao (Delaware); David Goerig (Mahoning); Tim Malinich (Lorain); Joe Rimelspach (Plant Pathology); Amy Stone (Lucas); Shawn Wright (OSU Piketon Centers); Curtis Young (Allen) and Randy Zondag (Lake).

In This Issue:

1. WEATHERWATCH:

2. HORT SHORTS: GDD (Growing Degree Days); Plant of the Week [Forget-Me-Not, Magnolia]; Good Flowers Gone Bad [Lesser celandine]; Planting Cool-Season Vegetables; BYGL Travels: Part II.

3. BUGBYTES: Forest Tent Caterpillar Egg Hatch; The Cicadas are Coming! The Cicadas are Coming … Again!; Winter Survival? The Eggs Have it [Bagworm].

4. DISEASE DIGEST: Sanitation: Horticulturist, Cleanse Thyself.

5. TURF TIPS: Helpful Grass ID Website; Lawn Reseeding After a Preemergent Herbicide Application.

6. INDUSTRY INSIGHTS: Under Pressure [Results From a Pressure Gauge Workshop].

7. COMING ATTRACTIONS: Cincinnati Flower Show; Scarlet, Green, and Gray Fair: The Green Way to Celebrate Earth Day; BYGLive! Diagnostic Walk-About at Toledo Botanical Garden.

8. BYGLOSOPHY:

1. WEATHERWATCH. While things are happening very slowly in the north, spring has sprung in the south. Year-to-date rainfall totals tend to be above normal across the state with some areas (i.e.: Toledo, Lima, and Wooster) reporting over 5" plus.

The following weather information summarizes data collected at various OARDC Weather Stations spanning the dates: April 1 - 15, 2008, with the exception of the soil temperatures which are readings from Tuesday, April 15.

For a link to the OARDC Weather Stations, visit: http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/centernet/weather.htm

2. HORT SHORTS.

A. GDD (GROWING DEGREE DAYS). GDD is a measure of the daily maximum and minimum temperature and directly relates to growth and development of plants and insects. The GDD of any zip code location in Ohio is estimated using the GDD of ten OARDC weather stations and available on the web at the site below.

The range of GDD accumulations in Ohio from north to south is 77 to 209. Following is a report of GDD for several locations around Ohio as of April 16, 2008: Painesville, 79; Cleveland, 79; Toledo, 77; Canfield, 89; Lima, 86; Wooster, 102; Coshocton, 111; Columbus, 129; Springfield, 113; Dayton, 120; Cincinnati, 177; Ironton, 195; Portsmouth, 197; and Piketon, 209.

To put these GDD accumulations into perspective, the following is an abbreviated listing of plant and insect species with their respective phenological event and average GDD accumulations at which these events occur. Due to variations in weather, temperature, humidity, etc., these events may occur a few days earlier or later than predicted by the average GDD. By looking at a city, town, or village near you from the above list, or visiting the above web site, you can see what could be taking place in the landscape around you.

Red maple, full bloom, 75; star magnolia, first bloom, 83; border forsythia, first bloom, 86; eastern tent caterpillar, egg hatch, 92; Manchu cherry, first bloom, 93; northern lights forsythia, full bloom, 94; Norway maple, first bloom, 116; border forsythia, full bloom, 116; chanticleer callery pear, first bloom, 123; sargent cherry, first bloom, 127; larch casebearer, egg hatch, 128; Japanese pieris, full bloom, 129; saucer magnolia, first bloom, 133; common flowering quince, first bloom, 137; Bradford callery pear, first bloom, 142; European pine sawfly, egg hatch, 144; weeping Higan cherry, first bloom, 145; P.J.M. rhododendron, first bloom, 147; chanticleer callery pear, full bloom, 149; Norway maple, full bloom, 149; inkberry leafminer, adult emergence, 150; sargent cherry, full bloom, 151; star magnolia, full bloom, 151; Allegheny serviceberry, first bloom, 153; Manchu cherry, full bloom, 155; spring snow crabapple, first bloom, 155; apple serviceberry, first bloom, 159; spruce spider mite, egg hatch, 162; Bradford callery pear, full bloom, 164; Allegheny serviceberry, full bloom, 169; saucer magnolia, full bloom, 174; P.J.M. rhododendron, full bloom, 178; boxwood psyllid, egg hatch, 179; weeping Higan cherry, full bloom, 179; Koreanspice viburnum, first bloom, 185; regent serviceberry, first bloom, 186; Japanese flowering crabapple, first bloom, 189; eastern redbud, first bloom, 191; gypsy moth, egg hatch, 192; Koreanspice viburnum, full bloom, 205; azalea lace bug, egg hatch, 206; 'Spring Snow' crabapple, full bloom, 209; common flowering quince, full bloom, 214; birch leafminer, adult emergence, 215; 'Coralburst' crabapple, first bloom, 217; and elm leafminer, adult emergence, 219.

B. PLANTS OF THE WEEK. Read all about perennials and landscape trees and shrubs in the ONLA publications "Perennial Plants for Ohio" and "Landscape Plants for Ohio." The descriptions and photographs of plants were provided for these publications by the OSU ENLT Team along with other industry plant lovers. These full-color publications are available at [ http://Buckeyegardening.com ] for $5.00. Click on "garden store" and then "ONLA plant guides." ONLA members can purchase these in quantities at a reduced price at [ http://onla.org ].

* PERENNIAL OF THE WEEK. FORGET-ME-NOT - (Myosotis sylvatica.) This dainty, beautiful blue-bloomer is a great plant to combine with daffodils and other spring blooming plants. Five blue delicate petals surround a yellow center; white and pink cultivars are available as well. Forget-me-not is actually a biennial that acts like a perennial as it self-sows readily so you have a continual bloom of plants each spring. It prefers shade and does quite well under trees and in a woodland setting. Once it finishes blooming, you can pull it from the garden site to plant annuals if preferred. It is a member of the Borage family which includes 2000 species of plants and over 100 genera. Plants in this family generally have hairy leaves. Other plants in this family include borage, Virginia bluebells, bugloss, comfrey, and lungwort.

* WOODY OF THE WEEK. MAGNOLIAS - (Magnolia spp.). Magnolias are ever-increasing in popularity in Ohio with many different species and cultivars catching the gardener's eye. It is always a question each year if some of the early saucer, star, and hybrid magnolias will sail through without frost injury. The tally each spring depends upon the diverse weather factors throughout Ohio: how far out a particular magnolia is during a frost; how low temperatures go, and for how long; and microclimate differences. The verdict for much of Ohio this year is pretty good. There is some wholesale flaming and frosted edges of tender flowers in some cases, but many magnolias in southern Ohio have already completed a successful bloom season and many in northern Ohio were not far enough along to be damaged badly by weekend frosts.

Here are some of the "Landscape Plants for Ohio" descriptions of early-blooming magnolias:

SAUCER MAGNOLIA (Magnolia x soulangiana). Small, highly popular specimen magnolias (10-15') grown as a tree or multi-stemmed shrub with spectacular cup-shaped early spring flowers. Bright green foliage and the flowers white on the inside and pink on the outside are the key ornamental features. Saucer magnolias have good urban tolerance and are best grown in sun or partial shade.

STAR MAGNOLIA (Magnolia stellata and hybrids). Small tree or shrub (10-15') with lovely, aromatic, white, star-shaped flowers that develop before leaves emerge in mid-spring. Attractive, dark-green lustrous foliage. Full sun is best for flowering. Many cultivars include 'Royal Star' with double flowers.

Numerous hybrids include the 'Little Girl' crosses of M. stellata and M. liliiflora. 'Ann', 'Betty', and 'Jane' have combinations of purples, reds and whites in flower. Hybrids between M. stellata and M. kobus known as M. x loebneri, include 'Dr. Merrill' with flowers larger than the species and highly aromatic.

C. GOOD FLOWERS GONE BAD. LESSER CELANDINE (Ranunculus ficaria) is an introduced ornamental perennial that has escaped cultivation to become a nuiscance weed. Also known as fig buttercup, this low growing ornamental plant escaped cultivation and has become a persistent weed problem in some areas. The plant produces colonies of heart-shaped waxy green leaves that begin growing in late winter. Yellow flowers are born singly on stalks rising just over the leaves. By summer, the weed has died back to a finger-shaped tuber that will begin to grow with the first warming days of late-winter. The plant prefers moist woodland areas but can be an invasive weed in many landscapes. Lesser celandine reproduces by seed as well as bulblets that are produced along the above ground portion of the stems.

Lesser celandine can be controlled with either systemic or burn-down types of herbicides. Since this plant returns from a persistent tuber, using burn-down products (e.g. Scythe) will require more than one treatment. The weed will re-sprout from the tuber and this growth must be burned down as well. Eventually, the perennial tuber is weakened and can no longer produce another plant. This process may take several applications over two seasons. Mechanical control of small patches can be done by pulling plants and removing the finger-shaped tubers. Care must be taken to remove all of the bulblet-bearing stems as well.

Non-selective systemic herbicides (e.g. glyphosate) will also provide control if mixed with a non-ionic surfactant to enhance penetration of the waxy leaf cuticle. However, the window for application is very short due to the odd life cycle of the plant. The application should target the weed after it emerges in late winter but before it produces flowers and seed in early spring. Dates will vary across the state. Again, multiple applications may be needed until all of the tubers and bulblets have been killed.

Lesser celandine in turfgrass can be controlled with typical broadleaf weed killers. Combination herbicides containing 2, 4-D, dicamba and MCPP provide the best control but must be applied while the weed is actively growing. Ester formulations of 2, 4-D are more effective at penetrating the waxy leaf cuticle, but are more volatile compounds, potentially damaging nearby plants during warmer weather.

D. PLANTING COOL-SEASON VEGETABLES. Gary Gao reminded the group that April is typically a good time to plant cool-season vegetables in the home gardens. Currently, there are great variations in soil moisture levels across the state of Ohio. If the soil is workable, planting the cool season vegetables now is a good way to kick-off the growing season. Some of the common cool season vegetables are spinach, lettuce, peas radishes, Brussels sprout, broccoli, cabbage, mustard greens, and Swiss chard. Other vegetables that can be planted now are asparagus, rhubarb, and onions.

More information can be found in a collection of OSU Extension FactSheets at the following website: [ http://ohioline.osu.edu/lines/vegie.html#VEG.1 ]. Commercial vegetable growers can get more information by purchasing a copy of OSU Extension Bulletin 670, "Ohio Vegetable Production Guide" from their local extension office or download the Bulletin at the following website: [ http://ohioline.osu.edu/b672/index.html ]

E. BYGL TRAVELS: PART II. Last week's BYGL highlighted a recent green industry study tour to Israel in mid-March. This week's BYGL highlights the return visit last week of Israel's Ministry of Agriculture's Extension vice-director and vegetable department head Omar Zeidan and floriculture specialist Shlomo Israel to Ohio for a taste of our plant treasures. Jim Chatfield, a Unitarian, traveled last week with Omar, a Muslim, and Shlomo who is Jewish, and lead off this nondenominational travelogue by quoting Buddha: As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are, otherwise you will miss most of your life."

The group started with a stop at Johnson Woods Nature Preserve near Orrville to get a feel for "natural Ohio." Wildflowers were not yet up as this somewhat late spring was not fully awake, but there were at least leaves of spring beauty and hispid-leaved buttercup as harbingers of spring's awakening. There were woodpeckers knocking away on trees throughout, and the wonderfully cacophonous din of peepers and other frogs near and in the waters of buttonbush swamps at Johnson Woods. A vernal welcome!

Of course, the travelers took full measure of Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster. They toured the arboretum, meeting with Secrest Arboretum curator Ken Cochran and other scientists, with everyone learning about horticulture production in Israel from seminars by Omar and Shlomo, and then set out to look at some of Ohio's vigorous and growing green industry. Tour stops included Rhoads Farm Market and Split Rail Nursery in Circleville in Pickaway County, Justin Marotta's Possum Rum Greenhouse near Bellville in Richland County with his over 300 fuchsia types and more, and Ohio's largest wholesale nursery, Willoway, and largest wholesale greenhouse, Green Circle Growers, both in Lorain County, as well as a few others.

At just these few stops in a few days, Omar and Shlomo saw some of Ohio's best. They viewed over $100 million dollars worth of Ohio's diverse horticultural production. This included everything from linden trees being dug for the B&B market, to refreshingly lively new cultivars of violas, to nursery stock being shipped as far as Colorado, to an almost unimaginable number of flowers being grown and shipped to garden centers in Ohio and other states (literally millions and millions of flats of bedding plants). In the vein of the Kiplingesque "He who only England knows, knows England least", Ohioans sometime forget the jewels we have in our own backyard until traveling elsewhere and also seeing Ohio anew through the eyes of visiting friends.

One of the important engines of the economic growth of the green industry in Ohio is a new system of producing tree "liners" in Ohio. For many decades, Ohio and other eastern states relied heavily, though not completely, on Oregon and the Pacific Northwest for young trees that were lined out in beds and grew to size more quickly in that more moderate climate. These tree liners would then be shipped eastward and then Ohio nurserymen would "finish" those trees for a year or two or more before sale in this half of the country.

That still goes on, but Dr. Hannah Mathers (OSU, Horticulture and Crop Science) working with Willoway Nursery and others has developed a new system for growing tree and shrub liners in Ohio using retractable roof greenhouses and other technology to efficiently compete with the West Coast liner production. This system is fueling growth of Ohio's "green" economy and our group saw the fruits of this new research and its applications both at Willoway and at Split Rail Nursery where they plant trees that started with Willoway's liner production here in Ohio.

Speaking of fruits, though this is a late start to the season, we saw wonderful strawberry plants at Rhoads fruit farm in Circleville that will bear fruit three weeks earlier than usual around late-May due to special cultivars and plasticulture techniques. We saw fruit trees for sale at Petitti's greenhouses in northeast Ohio. Vegetables showed off Ohio's growing local foods movement with wonderful salads and entrees at South Market Bistro in Wooster where chef Mike Mariola works magic throughout the season with the freshest herbs and vegetables available. On the flower front were wonderful cultivars of florist geranium at USDA's Ornamental Plant Germplasm Center located on the main OSU campus in Columbus, and those cheery looking, cold-loving violas and pansies everywhere we went. Ohioans: get thee to a garden center now!

Near the end of our trip on Wednesday at Green Circle Growers, Shlomo Israel was very pleased to see their source of potassium phosphate fertilizer. Bags proudly sent around the world from the Dead Sea area; from Israel to Ohio. Danny Gouge of Willoway Nursery brought this story full circle with a story told earlier in the day. He recently was contacted by a garden center owner in Sydney, Australia, who while checking out Willoway's website, saw pictures of the wonderful pink-variegated 'Shirazz' Japanese maple that Willoway offers as part of their Novalis line. Danny could not help her by sending, but he did direct her to a New Zealand source for this lovely maple. The wondrous world of plants.

3. BUGBYTES.

A. FOREST TENT CATERPILLAR EGG HATCH. Participants in the Cincinnati BYGLive! at Spring Grove and Arboretum on Monday found newly hatched forest tent caterpillars (Malacosoma disstria) cavorting among flower parts on a white ash. With leaves not yet expanded, the flower parts were the only food available. The tiny caterpillars were at first difficult to find, but an empty overwintered egg mass covered in silk alerted the group that the game was afoot. Of course, this game of hide-and-seek will soon change.

Heavy localized defoliation was experienced in southwest Ohio last year. The resulting large numbers of overwintered egg masses that are currently being found indicate the region may see significant numbers of caterpillars again this year. The caterpillars will feed on a wide variety of deciduous trees including ash, sweetgum, oak, birch, cherry, aspen, elm, basswood, and sugar maple. Baldcypress also serves as an occasional host. High populations can completely defoliate large trees. Fortunately, since the defoliation occurs very early in the spring, healthy trees are able re-foliate in time to produce sufficient carbohydrates to support spring growth next year.

Despite its common name, forest tent caterpillars construct only rudimentary mat‑like silk nests on leaves or bark. The caterpillars are gregarious during early instar stages with colonies containing 100-300 individuals. They will remain in colonies during the day, and feed on leaves at night. When disturbed, or when the caterpillars run out of food, they may become a nuisance by spinning down from the trees on silk threads. As the caterpillars develop, they disperse from the colonies and become solitary feeders. However, last instars will often reconvene the mass meetings creating collections of dramatic writhing patches of hairy caterpillars on tree trunks and branches.

Forest tent caterpillars have short grayish-white hairs, and distinct white markings running down their backs. These markings have been variously described as looking like "foot prints," or as being "keyhole‑shaped." The markings are flanked by cobalt blue lines running the length of the caterpillars' bodies. Trees should be closely monitored and early instars targeted for control if the population is high. Later instars are voracious feeders and produce rapid defoliation. Effective treatments include the naturally occurring bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), applied to early instar stages, as well as other insecticides labeled for general caterpillar control on the targeted plant host(s).

B. THE CICADAS ARE COMING! THE CICADAS ARE COMING…AGAIN! In 2004, we trumpeted the coming of Brood X (that=s "10," not "X") of the 17-YEAR PERIODICAL CICADA (Magicicada spp.) in southwest and central Ohio. Now, were trumpeting the second coming, but it's Brood XIV (14) this time. Most of the area affected by Brood X in 2004 will not experience a cicada emergence this year; however, where the two broods overlap, Ohioans will "enjoy" a repeat performance.

The geographical area covered by Brood XIV is impressive. The cicadas will emerge in parts of southern Ohio; as well as parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts. Several 17-year cicada species will appear in this Brood including: M. cassini, M. septendecula, and M. septendecum. Typically, the emergence begins around mid-May. The cicada flying, "singing," and egg laying activity usually peaks by late-May. By early to mid-June, it's all over but the stench of decaying bug bodies.

Periodical cicadas are a problem because of numbers, noise, and egg laying. There is little reason to describe what these 1 1/2" long insect look like; their shear numbers will make identification self-evident. They emerge en masse creating an entomophobic nightmare. Once a "critical mass" is achieved, the males begin to "sing." They vibrate two membranous sound producing organs, called tymbals, which are located on either side of the abdomen just behind their thorax. The songs of individuals are augmented by a combined chorus of tens of thousands. When the males synchronize their chorus, the sound can become deafening. Of course, the cacophony is music to the "ears" of a female cicada, and ultimately brings her to a mating meeting.

Once mated, the female cicada will use her spade-like ovipositor to insert eggs through the bark of twigs and into the white wood. The resulting damage splits the bark and white wood leaving deep longitudinal furrows of ruptured tissue. The injury often causes the twig to die, the leaves to turn brown ("flag"), and the twig to detach and drop.

In most cases, management of the periodical cicada is not necessary, but fruit trees and newly transplanted trees may need to be protected. Small trees and shrubs can be covered with a fine mesh nylon netting as a physical barrier to prevent egg laying. Few chemicals that are available to homeowners will limit the damage. Nurseries and orchards have a greater arsenal available to them than landscapers and homeowners. The practice of delaying planting trees until fall to avoid damage is seldom justified, particularly in new housing developments where trees have been removed, soil disturbed, and most of the cicada nymphs destroyed. Even in older residential settings, the random distribution of the cicadas makes predicting damage a hit-or-miss proposition.

C. WINTER SURVIVAL? THE EGGS HAVE IT! As usually occurs after a long winter, many BYGLers get asked the question "Has the winter weather killed off pesky insects?" And as usual, the answer tends to be, "Nope!"

The BAGWORM (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis) is a case in point. The bagworm overwinters as eggs inside the pupal case of the female located inside the bag she constructed last year. Some eggs can be destroyed during the winter if they are exposed to low temperatures (-10F or lower) for several days. Although temperatures in Ohio were indeed cold this winter, temperatures were not low enough, nor were low temperature sustained long enough, for there to have been an appreciable impact on the eggs.

To prove this point, Curtis Young collected a number of bagworm bags to check the condition of the overwintered eggs inside the female bags. What Curtis found was very healthy looking eggs, currently tawny in color and smoothly rounded full of liquid. The greatest mortality factor to the eggs was Curtis as he cut open the pupal cases to examine the eggs inside! Thus at least in the Lima area, it looks like it is going to be another banner year for bagworm activity.

Even though the bagworm eggs are on the host plants right now, they are not susceptible to most management tactics, except handpicking. Those who are interested in handpicking all the bags off of infested plants can do so, but chemical treatments are not recommended for another month and a half to two months from now (late-May to mid-June) depending on when egg hatch occurs in your area. One may also want to cut some bags open to check on winter survival of eggs just to prove to yourself that the eggs are alive and numerous.

4. DISEASE DIGEST.

A. SANITATION: HORTICULTURIST, CLEANSE THYSELF. The season for sanitation practices in our gardens and landscapes is already upon us - but it is never too late to start. Eliminating a plant pathogen or pest is a time-honored cultural practice that pays big dividends, from removing black-spotted rose leaves and canes to pruning out infestations of oystershell scale. There is a storied history to this aspect of natural control. We have an advantage today with our understanding of the importance of pest and pathogen life cycles, with our knowledge that tiny, sometimes invisible to the naked eye entities may cause plant problems, with our understanding of the infection process.

Think of how much more difficult it was when these ideas emerged, when for example late blight of potato was ravaging the fields of Ireland during the Irish potato famine in the 1840s. There was not even a germ theory of disease. Once people understood that the Phytophthora infestans fungus was involved and worked out the life cycle of the fungus and the disease cycle for late blight, they realized that leaving cull piles of diseased potatoes in the fields till the next season was a clearly bad idea. It helped reintroduce the pathogen to the next potato crop. A simple revolution - clean it up.

So too it goes with ornamental disease control today. It is very important to understand both the life cycle of a disease-causing fungus, and the resulting disease cycle. For example, Diplocarpon rosae, the fungus that causes rose black spot, overwinters in black-spotted leaves from the previous season's infestations and on infected rose canes. Removing infected plant tissue from the planting will limit re-infections the next season. If the disease does develop from fungal spores blown in from nearby plantings, remove newly infected black-spotted leaves during the season.

This sanitation protocol is a critical approach to managing black spot on susceptible roses, even if fungicide programs are also used. In wet years total or even acceptable control of this disease even with fungicides is often not enough. There are many other diseases where this type of sanitation is critical, from cleaning up leaves and stems of hollyhock with hollyhock rust to not reusing pots with soil contaminated with soil borne pathogens.

Sanitation is also one of the sometimes unrecognized results of other common horticultural practices. When possible, deadheading of geraniums is often recommended in order to make the planting more attractive and to encourage better bloom production. An important additional benefit often accrues when Botrytis gray mold is part of the package. The Botrytis fungus thrives on senescing, declining plant tissue. Think of a healthy florist's geranium (Pelargonium x hortorum) without any disease problems. No matter how healthy, it will develop senescing tissue during the season, namely on blossoms as they age. These dying blossoms are a real treat for the Botrytis fungus which colonizes the petals, which fall on healthy leaf tissue below, where the fungus proliferates and, especially on the now moistened and shaded leaf tissue, the result is Botrytis infections of the leaves. Unless you deadhead.

5. TURF TIPS.

A. HELPFUL GRASS ID WEBSITE. The first step in developing a successful turfgrass management program is to identify the turfgrass. The differences in growth habits and cultural needs between turf-type tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass can translate into significant differences in management strategies. Of course, it is also important to separate the true preferred turfgrass species from weed grass species growing in the turfgrass.

Cale Bigalow (Turfgrass Science, Department of Agronomy, Purdue University) has developed a must-visit website for anyone needing help with grass identification. Vernation, ligules, auricles, leaf tips, leaf surfaces, seedheads, etc., for most of the common grasses found in Indiana as well as Ohio are revealed through detailed drawings, or photos. The site is easy to use, and the results are quick! Grab a sample of an "unknown grass" and tryout this helpful website at the following address: [ http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/tool/index.html ]. You will not be disappointed!

B. LAWN RESEEDING AFTER PREEMERGENT HERBICIDE APPLICATION. Joe Rimelpach reported that he was recently asked whether a lawn can still be over-seeded after a preemergent herbicide has been applied this year. The answer is "No," 99% of the time since the preemergent herbicide not only prevents crabgrass and other weed seeds from germinating, but also keeps desirable turfgrass seeds from germinating. There is one exception though. If the active ingredient in the preemergent herbicide is siduron (e.g. Tupersan), over-seeding or reseeding can still be done. Refer to the pesticide label for more information.

6. INDUSTRY INSIGHTS.

A. UNDER PRESSURE. Erik Draper reported that a recent day spent testing PRESSURE GAUGES FOR PESTICIDE SPRAYERS revealed some interesting, and troubling results. Of the 25 gauges tested for accuracy, only 3 were within 1-2 lbs. of the actual pounds per square inch (psi) as measured by the gauge tester. Most gauges were 5-10 lbs. off or read lower than the actual psi generated. The gauges most often off by 20-50 lbs. were the higher pressures gauges, such as those used on air blast sprayers. One person brought their old gauge and the new one they just purchased to replace that old one. Just for fun, the new gauge was tested and found to be off or low by 10 lbs.! After testing a few new gauges, it turns out that it is not that unusual for new gauges to be less than perfectly accurate.

What this means is that most of the pesticide applications were misapplied by 10-20%. This under application of chemicals can result in frustration and less than satisfactory control of pests and/or diseases. Calibrating sprayers begins with testing the pressure gauge and ends with testing each of the nozzles. Doing a simple calibration to begin the season is better than doing nothing at all. Especially when the cost of replacing a spray gauge or nozzles is truly insignificant compared with the cost of the chemicals being applied and the cost of achieving no control of pests and diseases. Take some pressure off of yourself and calibrate that sprayer.

7. COMING ATTRACTIONS.

A. THE CINCINNATI FLOWER SHOW. Staged on the banks of Lake Como at historic Coney Island, the Cincinnati Flower Show celebrates its 19th anniversary April 19 - 27, 2008. You will discover displays of unparalleled beauty, extraordinary markets and gardening advice from the experts. For further information, check-out the Flower Show website at: [ http://www.cincyflowershow.com/ ].

B. SCARLET, GREEN, AND GRAY FAIR - THE GREEN WAY TO CELEBRATE EARTH DAY. Are you looking for a way to celebrate Arbor Day? Come to Wooster on Tuesday, April 22nd from 1:00 - 7:00 p.m. on the campus of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster. The aim is to celebrate, educate and demonstrate that "it's easy being green."

Environment-related displays, exhibits, demonstrations, presentations, student contests and food will be featured. You can find a complete list of exhibitors, program activities, sponsors and more at [ http://www.wcsen.org/WCSGGF/ ]. Ohio State's Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI), also in Wooster, is the co-host of the event. Coordinating sponsors are the Faculty Council of OSU's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, of which OARDC and ATI both are part; and the Wayne County Sustainable Energy Network.

C. BYGLive! DIAGNOSTIC WALK-ABOUT AT TOLEDO BOTANICAL GARDEN. Mark your calendars for the season's first diagnostic walk-about at Toledo Botanical Garden on Monday, May 5th. The walk will begin at 1:00 pm and participants are asked to meet at the flag pole near the conference center. To RSVP, or to find out additional information, please county the OSU Extension office at Toledo Botanical Garden at 419-578-6783.

8. BYGLOSOPHY. "An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what you do know and what you don't." -- Anatole France, French novelist (1844 - 1924).

Where trade names are used, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Ohio State University Extension is implied. Although every attempt is made to produce information that is complete, timely, and accurate, the pesticide user bears responsibility of consulting the pesticide label and adhering to those directions.

OSU Extension embraces human diversity and is committed to ensuring that all educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, age, gender identity, or expression, disability, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or veterans status. Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Adm. and Director, OSU Extension, TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868.