Anthracnose Andor Insect Pests

/Anthracnose Andor Insect Pests/

Anthracnose Andor Insect Pests

Please accept our apologies for the delay in responding! Peeling or flaking bark is normal for Sycamore trees. However, the leaves are commonly infected with a fungal disease called Anthracnose, which causes leaves at the branch tips to turn brown, starting at the tips of individual leaves. There are also several species of insects that commonly feed on the leaves. (Some of them, if in high enough numbers can also cause visible damage). Most of these are hard to see without a magnifying lens. So, of course, there could be both disease and insects affecting this plant. From what we can see of the leaves on the tree in this photo (although the photo you sent previously appeared green and healthy), it does look like there could be anthracnose. We recommend using a magnifying lens to examine the leaves (on both sides of the leaf) to see if you can find any insects. We've included a link about Sycamore so that you can compare what you see/find to the descriptions and photos of the various possibilities. In addition, you can take samples (sealed a bag) to your local Dept of Agriculture office and they will typically send you a response for free. They will want samples of the brown leaves (for anthracnose), and samples of any insects you find, because one problem goes to the pathologist and the other goes to the entomologist for ID.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/sycamore.html

By | 2016-01-09T18:01:05-08:00 January 9th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Powdery Mildew On Tomato Foliage

This looks like powdery mildew, a common fungal disease that crops up where air circulation is limited and nights are cool and humid. Growing in shade also makes the problem worse. Spray the plants with any of the organic fungicides such as Actinovate, Green Cure or Serenade. Your local nursery may have other options. Fungus disease cannot be cured, but can be arrested so plants can continue to grow and produce. Keep the affected leaves picked off the plant and up off the ground to prevent reinfection. There are various types of powdery mildews and many of them are host specific (Powdery mildew of tomato won't spread to roses, for example), so you may have more than one type of mildew. You will likely need to make changes to the overall environment to reduce the spread, like increase air circulation in/around the plants with pruning of some stems and leaves, make sure air movement into the garden area is sufficient (not being blocked by other plants or structures), and the plants requiring full sun should be in full sun all day (at least 6-8 hours/day), especially tomatoes..
Here's more info about Tomatoes and Powdery Mildew:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/tomato.html

By | 2016-01-09T14:28:34-08:00 January 9th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Water Or Soil Problem

Please accept our apologies for the delay in responding! This looks like it could be too much water, and/or a soil drainage problem. If the soil is consistently wet, and does not drain well leaves can turn yellow and develop water-soaked areas (like the dark spots on the leaves, the leaf stem, and the mid-vein). Very heavy clay soils hold too much water and drain poorly; unfortunately many soils in CA are like this. We recommend using a soil probe to determine soil moisture in the root zone water accordingly, allowing the soil to dry down a bit between waterings. Weather conditions determine the rate of evaporation so it varies. Trees weakened by water issues (or other inappropriate soil conditions, as discussed in the following web-link) can make the tree more susceptible to disease. The brown spots may be the result of a fungal or bacterial disease, but we recommend getting the advice of a licensed arborist, or take some leaf samples (sealed in a bag) to your local Dept of Agriculture Office, before attempting to use disease control products. The Ag Dept will usually send the samples to the county plant pathologist and reply to you for free. Be sure to provide as much info about the growing environment and care practices as possible.

By | 2016-01-09T13:16:22-08:00 January 9th, 2016|Trees|0 Comments
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Deadwood On Rosemary

This is common for rosemary that have some age, especially if its never been pruned; the "inner" growth gets shaded out by the newer growth and doesn't receive enough sunlight so it begins to drop its leaves in the inner part of the shrub, only growing leaves and new growth on the mid to upper branches. You can prune this shrub back and it will rejuvinate to some extent, however avoid pruning back (cutting the stems) of the oldest, thickest stems as this will not likely produce new growth. You can cut the shrub back to almost half the length of the thinner, middle to upper stems. (Its ok to prune back the stems that originate from the older, thicker stems, just don't cut the old/thick stems). Pruning should be done now (ideally in early spring in your area), before any more hot temps and dry air come to your area. Make sure the plant is watered well before pruning so it won't struggle to produce new growth. However, rosemary are fairly drought tolerant and should not be watered too frequently. It could also be that this plant is not getting enough water to allow it to maintain the growth of the middle inner branches, so make sure it does get watered once a month or so, and watered deeply (rather than just shallow penetration of water).

By | 2016-01-09T12:38:49-08:00 January 9th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Grasses As Weeds

This is a grass, and most likely would be considered a weed. It is generally best to simply yank it, knowing it isn't something desirable for your garden. Its going to be hard to kill it any other way without killing your good grasss. We recommend you dig up a "bunch" and take it to your local garden center for accurate ID and find out if they can recommend a product. If there's not a product, we recommend you dig these weedy grasses out of the lawn (make sure to get all of it, and as much of the root systems as possible - this is easiest to do when the soil is moist) and re-seed with the same grass spieces as your turfgrass. If you decide to go this route, you'll need to be diligent with keeping the soil and new seedling grass moist until its well established. Also, you'll want to be prepared to re-seed immediately after taking out the weedy grass so that you don't leave bare spots for other weed seeds to grow in. Alternately, if you have a creeping turfgrass, like bermuda or something, you can encourage it to fill in the bare spots left after removing the weeds by keeping the soil/grass moist and fertilizing AND pulling any other weeds (right away) that pop up while its trying to fill in.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:28-07:00 January 9th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Lichen

The presence of lichen tells you that the shrub or tree is not growing as well as it should be. Suggest you prune or rub off the lichen and prune the rest of the tree if you have not recently, then fertilize in spring and again in summer this year to stimulate new growth.
Lichen (pronounced äóìlikenäó) is a biological class of complex organisms (a fungus and alga or cyanobacterium) that have a symbiotic relationship. The green algae and cyanobacteria produce food by photosynthesis. The fungi cannot photosynthesize, but provide a protective exterior surface for the algae/cyanobacteria. This enables the algae/cyanobacteria to exist in full sun, thus maximizing its ability to produce food for both. Lichen gain water and mineral nutrients mainly from the atmosphere, through rain and dust. THis is not a disease and will not hurt the tree or shrub.

Lichen not only grow on plants but on the ground and on rocks. Lichens have a great deal of variability in color and form depending on the species. The color can range from white to green to yellow/orange/red, and some have black specks. Some are flat and others look like ruffles. Some look like small, leafless shrubs.

By | 2016-01-09T07:27:06-08:00 January 9th, 2016|Trees|0 Comments
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Japanese Cedar

Your evergreen plant looks to be a Cryptomeria. This conifer makes a lovely addition to the garden. Cryptomeria is the national tree of Japan. It can be found planted at many sacred sites and is also planted on a large scale as a forest tree. Only one species exists, Cryptomeria japonica. It grows fast into a very large lofty, pyramidal or conical evergreen tree, with red-brown bark which peels in vertical strips. The wood is scented, waterproof, lightweight and strong, so it is used for all types of construction in Japan.
Though only one species of Cryptomeria exists, many ornamental varieties are in cultivation and are very suitable to Northwest landscapes.
Cryptomerias are especially interesting because they offer a wide range of color and texture choices. During winter several varieties have foliage that changes color from green to bronze or burgundy. Some varieties are soft and plume-like foliage while others have branches and leaves that resemble dreadlocks or ringlets. Cryptomerias lend year round interest and are an excellent addition to gardens. They have slow to medium growth rate so prepare for the larger varieties to need room to grow.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:28-07:00 January 9th, 2016|Trees|0 Comments
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Dracaena Problem

There could be one or more of several reasons why the leaves are browning: make sure when watering (about once every 7-10 days) that the soil feels dry down to the first knuckle before watering again and that the water drains out without allowing the plant to sit in water (if there is a pot within in a pot such as yours, suggest you take out and water in the sink allowing it to drain out completely before returning to the cover pot and make sure the plastic pot has drainage holes ); feed with a slow-release or organic fertilizer formulated for container plants; keep away from heating or air conditioning vents; the potting soil should be a well-draining commercial potting soil or cactus potting soil (sterile and well-draining); needs bright, indirect light. Finally, if the leaves continue to brown, suggest you thoroughly wash the accumulated salts from the soil and switch to steam iron water - many houseplants come from the rainforest and are sensitive to the salts in tap water. There could also be some disease issues, but we think it is more of a cultural issue as well as mealybug problem. Here is more info: http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/qa-leaf-spots-on-dracaena/index.html

By | 2016-01-09T03:50:30-08:00 January 9th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Aphids On Leafy Vegetables

These look like aphids. They will typically feed on the newest plant growth. You can identify Aphids (with a magnifying lens) by the two "cornicles" (structures that look like tiny tailpipes) extending from the rear. If you see the cornicles, you would want to control these insects with a pesticidal soap if this plant were growing outdoors, available at your local garden center or wash off with a strong stream of water. However, in a greenhouse this is a nightmare and you should destroy the plant by taking it outside into the cold. These insects reproduce rapidly (giving live birth, rather than laying eggs), so you can also narrow the possible insect species down if you see that some of them are smaller versions of the larger ones. Sometimes an adult will develop wings and they look a bit different than the rest, but they'll still have the "tailpipes". Also, the white bits are probably the cast-off exoskeletons of aphids, while the green or grayish moving creatures are the aphids themselves.Although the white bits are out of focus and may be whitefly. Here is a link that you might find helpful:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7404.html

By | 2016-01-09T02:34:22-08:00 January 9th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Fruit Rot On Cucurbit Family

Current recommendations:

1. Select an area in the garden where Phytophthora blight has never occurred when possible. The fungus that affects cucurbits can also cause blight in pepper and fruit rot in eggplant.
2. Select well-drained gardens locations.
3. Physically separate plantings of susceptible veggies(cucurbits, pepper, eggplant, and tomato). Plantings should be located such that there is no opportunity for water to move from one planting to another.
4. Clean garden tools and disinfect after use by spraying Lysol.
5. Avoid over irrigating. Given the amount of rain in recent weeks in Florida, fruit rot would be expected and following the suggestions here should help a little -- not stop it but help a little. Do not irrigate at night time when temperatures are above 70ŒÁ F.
6. Fungicides have provided minimal control. Copper fungicides can provide some control. A preventive spray program is expected to be more effective than waiting until symptoms occur.
7. Inspect your garden plot for symptoms routinely, especially after major rain storms.
8. Do not discard cull fruit in the garden, including fruit that are healthy but over-sized or over-ripe.

By | 2016-01-08T20:09:29-08:00 January 8th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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