Two separate serendipitous events occurred recently that brought a plant back to the forefront of my attention. First, a few weeks ago a colleague asked me to confirm the species of a tree growing near a public garden. The garden was struggling to grow, and a cursory identification of the tree marked it as Black Walnut (Juglans nigra). Having earned …

The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDA) has confirmed the first detection of spotted lanternfly (Lycorma deliculata) in Illinois. This invasive pest has been in the US since 2014 but has been working its way across the mid-Atlantic states finally reaching the Midwest and the Land of Lincoln. The Good Growing blog describes this insect and its life cycle while the focus of …

As I have reported over the last 2-3 years, we are observing warming winter temperatures, and as a result, we are also observing increasing levels of Pierce’s disease (PD). With colder winter temperatures, the bacteria that causes PD, Xylella fastidiosa, can actually be “cured” from the vine. With warmer temperatures, the bacteria survives and kills infected plants. In the past, elevations …

Hurricane Hilary delivered wind and rain to many of California’s table grape vineyards at peak harvest time for most of the 90 varieties grown in the state. The immediate aftermath of the hurricane brought additional rain and humidity to many growing areas, compounding problems and loss. “The impact of the hurricane and its aftermath is devastating and heartbreaking,” said Kathleen …

With the increase in sugars, veraison kicks off the period to start managing drosophilid flies (e.g. spotted wing drosophila (SWD)), which can considerably help suppress sour rot in your vulnerable grapes. The drosophilid flies are active nearly year round in these parts, but near veraison, as the brix levels in wine grapes reach approximately 15 degrees Brix, the grapes become attractive (and thus susceptible) to SWD. …

Although Japanese beetle (JB) adults continue to be active throughout August to early September, we shared good news last week that beetle numbers on most host plants/crops are beginning to decline. The gradual reduction in adult populations is due to several factors, including the end of local emergence “curve” this time of year, but also reflects the impact of several …

As of this week, and with the record number of days over 90F this summer, the Japanese beetle (JB) is rapidly approaching the end of its annual emergence curve. As of Monday, July 30th , we will be between 75-90% emergence for southern Minnesota. Interestingly, due to the “urban heat island” effect in the Metro area, JB development is more advanced …

University of Georgia Extension  — We often think about pruning as a winter activity. However, this process starts much earlier in the year. Vines under stress are much more easily identified during the summer. Residual effects from cold damage or trunk disease issues, while they can appear early in the season, are often becoming more apparent as we move forward …