¡¡HeadsUp!!August2016

You’vearrived!!Youabsolutelyknowthatyou’reamemberofthe‘A-List’whensomelifeformisnamedafteryou.Scientistssayaboutfivemillioninsectsandothercrawlyorflightycrittersarewithoutabinomial(genusANDspecies)name…yet.Therejustaren’tthatmanysuperstarswho,insomeway,remindscientistsoftheanimalsthey’restudying.Aboveare7bugs(“bugs”usedgenericallyratherthanscientifically)namedforthefollowingcelebrities:JohnnyCash;Beyoncé;J-Lo;GeorgeW.Bush;DarthVader;ShakiraandAngelinaJolie.Howmanycanyoumatch?Seepage6foranswers.

Lacebugsonazaleaandrhodies.Thenymphandtheadultstagedodamage

Anthracnose(Disculadestructiva) ondogwoods

V O L U M E 2 , N U M B E R 5

WhiteRustAnaxiomyoucantaketothebankaboutrustfungiisthatthevisualsignonaplantisALWAYSrust-colored.Thatmeanssomeshadeoforange.

Well,isn’tthereALWAYSanexceptiontotherule?WhileWhiteRustappearsveryrust-likeitisnotatruerust.Noshadeoforangehere.

Albugocandidacausesdamageonradishes,mustards,spinachandothercrucifers.Youwon’tfindanythinginHortsensebutPNWwillbeatreasuretroveofinformationforyou.

Scab(Venturiainaequalis)damagesmanyMalusspecies(e.g.,apple,crab)

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WhiterustonArabiscaucasica(WallRockcress)

PhotoCreditsabove:1:Erick(Ownwork)[CCBY-SA3.0(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)],viaWikimediaCommons2:JasonE.Bond[CCBY3.0(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)],viaWikimediaCommons3:VladimirPešić,TapasChatterjee,MonicaAlfaro,andNikolaosV.Schizas.[CCBY4.0(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)orCCBY4.0(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)],viaWikimediaCommons4:AprilNobile/©AntWeb.org,viaWikimediaCommons5:Inthe“PublicDomain”oftheUS6:EduardoMitioShimbori,ScottRichardShaw[CCBY-SA4.0(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)],viaWikimediaCommons7:ChrisA.Hamilton,BrentE.Hendrixson,JasonE.Bond[CCBY4.0(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)],viaWikimediaCommons

Questions…comments…feedbackon¡¡HeadsUp!!?…contactElaineAnderson

Top3AugustPlantProblemsWe’veSeen

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¡¡HEADSUP!! AUGUST2016

BeholdTheMighty,HumbleLeaf

SomeofusMasterGardenersarefarremovedfromourinitialintroductiontoBotanyandneedalittlerefresheraboutaleafanditsparts.Thesimpleleafiscriticaltoourdiagnosisofplantproblemsforanumberofreasons.Thefirstcrucialpointisthattheleaf(alongwithaflower,seedorfruit)usuallyissufficienttoidentifyaplant.¡¡HeadsUp!!hasoftensharedanecdotalinformationthatsomeclientsdon’talways‘know’theirplants.It’soften,“thebig,leafythingyinthebackyardwithickyblackgunkoniteverysummer.”Orit’s,“theplantwegaveMomonMothers’Daysowecallitthe‘Henrietta’tree.”Suchinformationisnotusefultoyouifyou’retryingtofindproblemsthatmayaffectthesampleyou’vebeengiven.But,knowingtheleaf’sshape,margin,veinstructureandarrangementonthestem,canbeusefulinmakinganIDkeywork.It’snotalwayseasy…buteminentlysatisfyingwhenyoucan.AfterpositivelyID’ingtheplant,itisimportanttolookata“good”leafcloselyfordiagnosticpurposes.A“good”leaf,shouldappearaliveandhavesomechlorophyllinitsblade.

VerticilliumWilt

Itshouldnotbedesiccated,intattersorobviouslydead.Itshouldhaveitspetioleattachedtothestemsoyoucanobservetheaxil.Itshouldrevealitsmarginsandvenationalongwithanintactmidrib.IfthisallsoundsGreek,thediagrambelowmightprovebeneficial.Canyounamealltheparts?Answersonpage6.Bylookingattheleaf…reallylookingatit…youmightdetectinsectactivity(sucking,chewing,honeydew);fungalfruitingbodiesoneitherside;perhapsevenviralorbacterialevidence.Andbeespeciallyawareofanyevidenceofpoorculture.

Alwaysmakesureyourclinicnameisontheplantdiagnosis/plantIDformyousubmittotheDiagnosticLab.Alsoinsureyourclient’semailaddressislegible.

Verticilliumwiltisafungusthatdamagesurbanshadetreesresultinginprematureyellowing(chlorosis),wilting,lossofleavesandbranchdieback.Leavesmaydropearlierinfallandbudsmayfailtoopeninspring.Treesmayappearhealthyinwinterbutfailtoleafoutinthespringandeventuallydie.WhileJapanesemaples(Acerpalmatum)makeupthebulkofourVerticilliumdiagnoses,manyotherplants,bothtrees,herbaceousplantsandveggiesaresusceptibletothefungus.(Continuedonpage5)

Sugarmaplewithchlorosis

ByAwakeningConscience(Ownwork)[CCBY-SA4.0(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)],viaWikimediaCommons

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¡¡HEADSUP!! AUGUST2016

WateringAsAnArt Form

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1.TheweatherWemaynotneedtowateratallinApril,therainyseason.Typically,ourgardenswillneedlesswaterinJunethantheyneedinAugustandSeptember.Butinanygivenmonth,waterrequirementsmayvary.Temperaturescanbecruisingalonginthe70’sandsuddenlywegetseveraldaysoftemperaturesinthe90’s.Whentemperaturesdramaticallyincrease,plantsmaybetranspiringmorewaterthanisavailableforthemtotakeup.Whenwefailtoincreasewateringatthosetimes,plantscansufferdroughtstress,heatstressandscorch.Wateraccordingtotheweather.(ContinuedonPage4)

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EachAugustwereceivemanystressedplantsamplesinthediagnosticlab.Whilethesimple“cultural”answeris:“wrongplantinthewrongplace,”sometimesthiscanbeovercomeiftheclienttakesextracareofthestressedplantnomatterwherethey’replaced.AndthatusuallycomesdowntosomethingthatKingCountydoesn’thavemuchofinthesummer:water.AstheSlovakianproverbsays,purewateristheworld’sfirstandforemostmedicine.So,theproverbialquestionis:Howmuchshouldaclientwaterthegarden?Theshortansweris...well,thereisnoshortanswer.Wateringisanartform,withfourvariables.

MarieSpartaliStillman[Publicdomain],viaWikimediaCommons“A lady in the garden at Kelmscott Manor, Gloucestershire”

You’veSeenItBefore,ButYouJustCan’tSay…

whatitis.Thismuchyoudoknow:it’sarhododendron;it’sstuntedandobviouslystressed.Sowhatiscausingtheseratherattractive,butthoroughlyinappropriate,redleaves?Andwhataboutthebrownness?Answer:leafscorch.OryouifyouwanttosoundCSI-ish,“marginalleafnecrosis.”“Necrosis”isaparticularlygoodclient-attention-gettingword.It’sprematuredeathofcellscausedbytoomuchsun,toomuchortoolittlewater;impropersoilconditions(rememberthatourrhodiesloveanacidicpHof4.5~6)or,inthiscase,thedamageisfromsaltbecausetherhodieisplantedtooclosetosomeveryhighseawatertides.

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¡¡HEADSUP!! AUGUST2016

WateringArt (continuedfromPage3)2.ThesoilVerysandysoildoesn’tretainwaterwellandrequiresmorefrequentwatering.Theotherextremeissoilhighinclay.Clayslowsdrainageresultinginoverwatering.Prolongedoverwateringcanleadtodrownedroots(plantrootsrequireoxygen)orrootdiseaseswhicharefosteredbyoverlywetsoils.Goodsoilcontainsamineralpartandanorganicpart.Themineralpartisamixofsand,siltandclay.Theorganicpartisprimarilydecayingvegetationwhichactslikeaspongehelpingthesoiltoretainwater.Organicmaterialalsofeedsthemicroorganismsinthesoilwhicharebeneficialtoplants.Agoodsoilmixwillalsoallowporespaceforairsorootscanbreathe.Wateraccordingtothesoil.

3.Theterrain/environmentPlantsonbermsorslopesmayrequiremorewaterduringhotperiods,andgenerally,plantingsthataresouthandwest-facingtendtorequiremorewaterthanplantsthatarenorthandeast-facing.Largetreestendtotakeupwatercreatinglocaldryareas.Wateraccordingtotheterrain/environment.

Beans:Fusariumwilt;rootrot;graymold

Cedar:shootblight;flaggingèèè

Cherry:shothole,brownrot

Dahlia:rootrot

Grape:erineummites

Hydrangea:leafscorch;sawflies

Laurel:sawflies;rootweevils;aphids

MorefromtheDiagnosticLabDatabaseforAugustwithLinks

4.TherequirementsoftheplantAswesay,“rightplantrightplace”.Pinesdon’tdowellinwetenvironmentsandmostfernslikeshadymoistenvironments.Wateraccordingtotherequirementsoftheplant.

Encourageclientstolearnaboutthewaterrequirementsoftheirplantsandthevariousmicroenvironmentsintheirlandscapes.Therearenopatanswersonwateringbutonesureandveryimportantactionthatmustbetakenis:alittledigintothesoil.Thesoilshouldbedampbutnotwetordustydry.Howdeeptodigdependsontheplant–invegetablegardensjustfourtosixinches–inlandscapesandlawnseighttotwelve.Oh…andwhenwatering,doitearlyintheday.Howmuchshouldclientswater?Didwementionit’sanartform?

DeutscheFotothek[CCBY-SA3.0de(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en)],viaWikimediaCommons

Publicdo

mainpho

tobyNAS

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PhotobyRunologe[CC0]

viaWikimediaCommons

Pear:leafspot;rusts

Plum:shothole;plumpockets

Raspberry:phytophthera;

grasshoppers

Rhododendrons:powdery

mildew;rootrot

Rose:blackspot;roseslug

Tomatoes:lateblight;nutritional

deficiency

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¡¡HEADSUP!! AUGUST2016

VerticilliumWilt(continuedfrompage2)

Thelistincludes:dahlia(doyouthinkit’smerelyacoincidencethatoneofthemostcommonstrainsofthefungusisnamedVerticilliumdahliae?)chrysanthemum,potato,smokebushandmanymore(doaWikipediasearchifyouwanttobecompletelyoverwhelmedbysusceptibleplantsinourKingCountygardens).Signsofthediseaseinplantdebrisaresmall,black,thick-walledpinhead-sizedfungalstructurescalledmicrosclerotia.Andthequickanddirtytestthediagnosticlabuses:detectingbrownorblackstreaksunderthebarkonabranchorstematleastasbigasyourthumb,(useaknifetocutaverticalportionofthebranch/stem).ThediseasecanonlybedefinitivelyconfirmedbyVerticilliumspecificlaboratoryanalysis.

Thefunguspenetratestherootsorstemsofsusceptibleplantsthroughwoundsoropenings,andcolonizesinthewater-flowingtissueorxylem.Toxinsblocktheupwardflowofwaterresultinginwiltingleavesandbranchdieback.Theplantcreatesresinsorgumtoblockthetoxins,formingthestreaksinthegrowthringswhosecolorvariesbyhost.Astheplantdies,thefungicolonizeandarereleasedintothesoilastheplantdecomposes.Sometimesonlypartoftheplantmaywilt.Occasionallytreesmay

besavedwhensymptomaticbranchesareprunedout.Maples,inparticular,canshowacute,rapiddie-off.Stressfactorssuchasdroughtand

improperfertilizationcancontributetothedisease.Verticilliumwiltresidesinlandscapesoilformorethantenyearsandisspreadincontaminatedsoilbywindorwater.Ifthediseaseissuspected,avoidspreadingsoilfromaroundtheaffectedplants.Removeanddestroyanyplantsthatexhibitsymptomsandavoidreplantingwithsusceptibleplants.

ByU.S.DepartmentofAgriculture[CCBY2.0(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)],viaWikimediaCommons

SunTzu’s“TheArtofWar”StarringtheParasitoidWasp

Thegardenisabattlefieldpittingthegoodwiththedamaging.Wetrytogrowbeautifulplantsthatprovidejoy.Butcontraryforces,ledbydestructiveinsects,oftenimpedeourprogress.Ifhumansareatopthe“foodchain”oflife,weshouldbeabletooutwitourenemies.But,toourdismay,mostofusdon’thavethepassionforcontinualwarfare.Anystudentof(garden)managementstrategyshouldbefamiliarwithSunTzu’sclassictreatiseon“TheArtofWar”whichoffersanumberofoldbutsurprisinglycontemporaryaphorismstowinningthebattle.Perhapsoneofthebestis:“Inallfighting,thedirectmethodmaybeusedforjoiningbattle,butindirectmethodswillbeneededinordertosecurevictory.Inbattle,therearenotmorethantwomethodsofattack—thedirectandtheindirect;yetthese…(Continuedonpage6)

PhotoofVerticill

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tissuebyDr.D.Sh

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PhotobyRolandJ.Stipes,VirginiaPolytechnic

InstituteandStateUniversitycourtesyof

Bugwood.org

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¡¡HEADSUP!! AUGUST2016

SunTzu’s“TheArtofWar”(continuedfromPage5)

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Suchwaspsdon’tstingbutwhattheydotogardenpestscouldbeconstrued,bytheoverlysensitiveclient,asgruesome.ThefemalewasplaysitseggsviaanimpositorINSIDEitsprey(ourmutualinsectenemy).Astheeggshatch,thelarvaeeatthehostcausingitsdeathandleavinghollowmummies.Thisprocessmaybefastornot.TheAleiodesshakirae(Shakirawaspasreferredtoonpage1)givesitspreyaSt.VitusDaydancedeath…acompletebellydancetoanultimatedeath.Thebrownmarmoratedstinkbug(onpage5)hasbeendeclaredasa“pendingthreattoPacificNorthwestagriculture.”ManyofthemaremakingregularappearancesinKingCountygardens.Thefemaleparasitoidwasp(Trissolcusmitsukurii)fromAsia(picturedatthebottomofpage5)isbeingtestedbytheUSDAasaremedytothisstinky,piercingandsucking,harmfulbeetle.

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twoincombinationgiverisetoanendlessseriesofmaneuvers.Thedirectandtheindirectleadontoeachotherinturn.Itislikemovinginacircle–younevercometoanend.Whocanexhaustthepossibilitiesoftheircombination?”Let’simagineourclientsbeingonthefrontline…thedirectattackers…observingtherulesofengagementwiththeinsectworldbybeingculturallysmartgardeners:evervigilantonsendingdamaginginsectstotheirjustrewards.And,whenabsolutelynecessary,theyuseonlyWSU-approvedchemicalsthatyouhavesharedviaHortsense.Enterasecondlineofindirectattack…abiologicalcontrolbyinsectsthat,insomerealways,resembles“justifiedviolence.”Ifourclientsprovidetherightenvironmenttoattractparasitoidwasps(therearefavoredflowers!),theywillcome.

Answerstopartsofaleaffrompage1.1.Apex2;Midrib;3.Secondaryveins;4.Leaflaminaorblade;5.Leafmargin;6.Petiole;7.Budataxil;8.StemHowmanydidyougetright?

Answerstothecelebrityinsectsquizonpage1.¡¡HeadsUp!!fullyrealizesthatthisisanimpossiblequizbecauseyou’regivennoinformationfromwhichtomakechoices.Butherearetheanswersnevertheless:1.Beyoncé(becauseithasagoldabdomen);2.AngelinaJolie(becausesheworkswithrefugees—huh?);3.JenniferLopez(becauseshesomehowinspiredthescientist);4.DarthVader(orLordVoldemort?...enoughsaid);5.GeorgeW.Bush(it’sa“slimemoldbeetle”—dubiouslynamedbyascientistwhoobviouslydisliked‘Dubya’;6.Shakira(becauseitsdyingpreyshakeslikeShakiradances);7.JohnnyCash(becauseitwasdiscoveredatFolsomStatePrisoninCalifornia).

AugustBrainExercise:TwoCryptogramsforMasterGardeners

Bothcryptogramscomefromphrasesfoundinthis¡¡HeadsUp!!(CourtesyofDiscoveryEducation.com)

¡¡HeadsUp!!iscreatedbyMasterGardenerDiagnosticiansforMasterGardeners