What’s New
-Newly Expanded and Revised-
A newly revised and expanded disease management guide by Dr. Sharon M. Douglas, Emeritus Plant Pathologist, is now available. It can be downloaded to print hard copies or can used in electronic form with links. The Table of Contents includes: Host Genus and Disease Index, Host Common Name and Disease Index, Introduction to Use of the Disease Management Guide, An Introduction to Tree Health Problems, Common Tree Health Problems, Disease Management Guide, Disease Management Calendar, Fact Sheets, Disease Diagnosis, and Selected References. The Guide includes fact sheets with full color photos. Disease Management Guide for Connecticut Arborists 2015-2016
New Fact Sheet
This new fact sheet reviews one of the fundamental strategies for maintaining plant health and suppressing plant diseases by managing nutrition. Proper nutrition can often influence the fine line between host susceptibility and resistance. Examples of specific diseases and elements are covered in the fact sheet on Using Mineral Nutrition to Suppress Plant Diseases (PDF*format) by Dr. Wade Elmer.
June 2015
New Fact Sheet
Fire Blight Management During Bloom
Rhododendron tissue proliferation is a condition that causes tumor-like growths and shoots to form at the base of many cultivars of rhododendron. Early symptoms are often confused with crown gall, a disease caused by the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens. A new fact sheet on Rhododendron Tissue Proliferation by Dr. Lindsay R. Triplett is now available that describes how to handle this condition.
Updated and Revised Fact Sheets Available
Last year many gardeners were disappointed with their basil crops--plants collapsed early in the season, often before they could be harvested. Widespread outbreaks of downy mildew of basil was the likely culprit. A new fact sheet on Downy Mildew of Basil by Dr. Yonghao Li is now available that discussed how to recognize and manage this destructive disease.
Dooks Needle Blight (Formerly Canavirgella Needlecast) of White Pine
Many white pine throughout the region have been showing a yellow and brown discoloration of current-season needles. Although several needlecasts have been associated with this damage, Canvirgella needlecast was reported as a key component. Recently, however, the identity of Canavirgella banfieldii has been questioned, since there is evidence that it is really Lophophacidium dooksii, the fungus associated with Dooks needle blight—the two names are thought to be synonyms for the same fungal species. Dooks Needle Blight (Formerly Canavirgella Needlecast) of White Pine by Dr. Sharon M. Douglas is now available.
Excess Water Problems on Woody Ornamentals
As the snow is melting, localized flooding may occur. Excess water and poorly drained soils can present serious problems for many woody ornamentals that may result in plant decline and death as well as uprooting of trees and large shrubs. Learn how to recognize and manage water issues in the newly updated fact sheet Excess Water Problems of Woody Ornamentals by Dr. Sharon M. Douglas.
Pruning- An Introduction to Why, How, and When
Pruning is probably one of the least understood and most daunting landscape maintenance practices for most homeowners. Many people aren't sure what to do or when to do it. This updated fact sheet reviews the basics of pruning for shrubs and small ornamental trees. Learn more about pruning with Pruning: An Introduction to Why, How, and When by Dr. Sharon M. Douglas.