This is the 20th 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/ ] [ 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 August 12th conference call:  Barb Bloetscher (Entomology/C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic (CWEPPDC)); Joe Boggs (Hamilton/Piketon); Cindy Burskey (Clermont); Jim Chatfield (OSU Extension at Wooster/Hort and Crop Science); Erik Draper (Geauga); Gary Gao (Delaware); Dave Goerig (Mahoning); Micheal Loos (Cuyahoga); Joe Rimelspach (Plant Pathology); Amy Stone (Lucas); and Curtis Young (Allen).

In This Issue:

1. WEATHERWATCH
2. HORT SHORTS:  Plants of the Week [Woody- Common Smoketree or Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria); Perennial- Resurrection Lily (Lycoris squamigera); Annual- Geranium (Pelargonium spp.); Weed- Common Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)]; and Potato Fruit Oddity
3. 3.  BUGBYTES:  Crabby Yellownecked Cats; Fall Webworm Nests are Evident; Catalpa Sphinx Moth Caterpillars; Cypress Twig Galls; Yicky Yucky Yucca; Viburnum Leaf Beetle Continues to Spread, and What's That in Your Iris?
4. TURF TIPS:  Dusty, Rusty Turf
5. INDUSTRY INSIGHTS:  Honey, There's Bees in the Wall!
6. COMING ATTRACTIONS:  Mahoning Valley Plant Diagnostic Workshop; Diagnostic Walkabouts for the Green Industry; AGI Fall Get Together; Residential Landscaping in 3Ds; and Save the Date for EAB Training
7. BYGLOSOPHY

Although most of the state has recorded higher than normal precipitation totals year-to-date, some areas are dry and turfgrass is crispy. Erik Draper reported a heavy, but quick, rainfall event this past Sunday in Geauga county where over 2" of rain fell in less than 1 hour. Joe Boggs compared weather highlights from this year to last. Just one year ago, the Cincinnati area experienced a very warm August with 25 days above 90F, and 5 days above 100F. August temperatures, at least to date this year, have been much cooler.

The following weather information summarizes year-to-date data collected at various OARDC Weather Stations spanning the dates of August 1-August 12, 2008, with the exception of the soil temperatures which are readings from Tuesday, August 6 at 6:00 p.m. Some weather data from the Columbus weather station was not available at the time this article was written and is denoted at NDA (no data available).

• OARDC Weather Station

*WOODY PLANT OF THE WEEK. COMMON SMOKETREE or SMOKEBUSH (Cotinus coggygria) is our woody plant of the week. Smokebush is not related in anyway to tobacco. It is called smokebush because this plant develops rather showy 6-8" hairs along the panicle once the non-descript 5-petaled yellow flower is pollinated in June. This filtered, smoke-like display of pubescence changes colors and remains showy throughout the rest of the summer. C. coggygria is hardy in and tolerates most Ohio soils. It is best used as a shrub border as it will grow to 15' in height and spread. There are several interesting purple leaf forms currently being produced in the industry.

*PERENNIAL OF THE WEEK. RESURRECTION LILY – (Lycoris squamigera). Lycoris grows well is full sun or partial shade in a well-drained soil and goes by several common names including: Magic lily, Hardy Amaryllis, Autumn Amaryllis, and the Naked Lily. Lycoris was named in honor of a Roman beauty, the mistress of Mark Antony. The most intriguing aspect of this plant is the disappearance of the leaves and then reappearance of the flowers in mid-late summer. The 1" wide basal leaves are strap-shaped and appear in the spring and die back to the ground by early summer. This is similar to the foliage character of AUTUMN CROCUS (Colchicum autumnale). The fragrant lily-like flowers are rose-lilac or pink and are 3-4" long. Propagation of this plant is done by digging up the bulb offsets after the foliage dies in midsummer.

*ANNUAL OF THE WEEK. GERANIUM – (Pelargonium spp.). Annual geraniums are popular for their wide range of brilliant flower color and attractive leaves. They can be grown as bedding plants or in containers. Geraniums grow and flower best in full sun and moist, well draining soil. Geraniums growing in part shade may tolerate that level of light but will not produce flowers well. Deadhead geranium plants to maintain healthy plants. Geraniums are susceptible to disease and insects such as stem rot and mites; a good daily/weekly clean up of plant debris is an important part of garden maintenance for annual geraniums.

Barb Bloetscher reported a call came into the CWEPPDC about a lady claiming she had a new method to control Japanese beetles. She claimed her white flowering geraniums, which had been annihilated by the bugs, were surrounded by the dead insects! This led her to claim that the white geraniums had been the cause for the death of the bugs. BYGLers discussed Geraniol, which might be the cause of death of the Japanese beetles. Geraniol is a substance found in geraniums that is commonly used in citronella candles and bug repellants and might have been the toxic substance that led to the death of the ferocious eaters.

* WEED OF THE WEEK. COMMON GOLDENROD - (Solidago canadensis). This rhizomatous perennial plant is seen along roadsides, meadows and ditches in Ohio as well as territories beyond. It is a tall, erect, leafy plant from the Asteraceae (Aster family). It produces a large, yellow, composite head flower that is arranged as curving, panicle-like clusters in August through October. These flowers produce a multitude of small seed attached to a long hair-like pappus that sit atop stems reaching up to 4 feet tall. This arrangement provides the ideal launching pad for Solidago canadensis to disperse its seeds by wind. Additionally, a single rhizome of goldenrod can give rise to an entire colony of plants in one season. One positive note concerning our weekly weed is hay fever sufferers are reminded that much of the pollen that makes them miserable this time of year is not produced by this plant but another weed that blooms at the same time, namely common ragweed, (Ambrosia artemisiifolia).

Dave Goerig reported a vegetable gardener delivered a green, cherry tomato-like fruit to the office last week for identification. The owner explained to the group that the fruit was not found in his tomato patch, but was produce in his potato patch. His concerns were centered on food safety. He noted he had applied an insecticide to the plants and asked if the mutation that occurred was a result of the spray.

Tomatoes and potatoes are both members of the Solanaceae (Nightshade) family of plants. Because they are related, they share many things in common. For instance, these plants are generally susceptible to the same plant diseases. Other common traits they have are their flowers look alike, and so does their fruit. Cutting the mutated suspect open revealed a cavity full of small seeds. Mystery solved, this oddity was a fertilized flower of the potato plant that grew a small fruit! Gardeners seldom see this fruit develop in Ohio as the heat of summer soon withers the vines in the garden which signifies its time to dig the tubers. Also, plant breeders choose selections that tend to not produce fruit. Selections are based on quality, yield and disease resistance of the tubers.

The gardener was relieved to know it was not a plant mutation because of the spray material he used. He was especially thankful when we told him the tubers are still OK to eat, however under no circumstances, no matter how much they look like tomatoes, DO NOT eat this fruit because it is known to contain higher concentrations of solanine, a substance known to be toxic to humans.

The caterpillars feed gregariously in colonies and their feeding behavior also changes as they develop. First instars feed as leaf skeletonizers, and later instars consume entire leaves. The colonies typically focus their attention on defoliating one branch before moving to another. Small trees with multiple colonies can be rapidly defoliated. Adding to the potential to produce heavy defoliation, yellownecked caterpillars also have at least two generations per season in northern Ohio and a possible third generation in the central and southern parts of the state.

Yellownecked caterpillars may be found feeding on a wide variety of trees and shrubs including: crabapples and other ornamental fruit trees, oak, maple, elm, beech, linden, honey locust, azalea, and boxwood. Early instar caterpillars are susceptible to the biological insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) (e.g., Dipel, Thuricide, or Caterpillar Attack). More traditional insecticides are needed to control later instars. Of course, a more direct (satisfying?) control method is to knock the caterpillar colonies to the ground and perform the "caterpillar dance." Thus far, no populations have developed resistance to this control method.

For more information, see:

• OSU Extension "Bug Doc" Fact Sheet
• Penn State Entomology Notes

Fall webworms only feed on leaves that are enveloped by their silk nest. As caterpillars grow in size, they expand their nest by casting silk over more leaves to accommodate their expanding appetites. The webworms will feed on over 120 species of trees and shrubs including almost any shade, ornamental, and fruit tree. Joe noted he has even found nests on baldcypress.

If nests are few in number and easily accessible, the best control approach is to physically remove and destroy the nests and caterpillars. Insecticide applications should be used sparingly since insecticides may limit the impact of bio‑allies. There are over 50 species of parasitoids, and 36 species of predators known to make a living off of fall webworm. In past seasons, parasitoids have proven to be very effective in reducing year‑to‑year populations of this defoliator.

For more information, see:

• Penn State Entomology Notes
• OSU Extension, "Bug Doc" Fact Sheet

Catalpa sphinx moth caterpillars are also called catalpa hornworms owing to a distinctive black "horn" on their posterior end. The caterpillars have two "color forms": the dark form and pale form. Dark form caterpillars have a broad, black stripe running down their backs, and their sides are yellow to yellowish-white with black spots. Pale form caterpillars are light green or greenish‑yellow and may have a row of black spots down the back rather than a black stripe.

Oddly, the nemesis of catalpa hornworms, the parasitoid Contesia congregata (Family: Braconidae), seemed conspicuously absent from the hornworm conclave. At least, no caterpillars were found festooned with white, oblong, silken wasp cocoons. This is a "gregarious parasitoid" meaning that multiple wasps develop inside a single caterpillar. Heavy parasitism by this wasp typically exerts significant suppressive pressure on catalpa hornworm populations. Indeed, this wasp is considered a major factor in producing dramatic year-to-year fluctuations in catalpa hornworm populations.

Tomato aficionados may recognize that this is the same species of wasp that parasitizes TOMATO HORNWORMS (Manduca sexta), and TOBACCO HORNWORMS (M. quinquemaculata). However, recent DNA analysis has shown there are significant genetic differences between wasps in this species that attack catalpa hornworms and those that attack tomato/tobacco hornworms.

For more information, see:

• Texas A&M Entomology Fact Sheet
• University of Nebraska Fact Sheet

The name "twig gall" is not totally accurate because the galls arise from leaves, not twigs. Needle growth extends through the galls with the needles protruding beyond the surface. A portion of this season's growth usually extends beyond the tips of the galls. The galls will eventually shrivel and become dark gray to grayish-brown once the midge larvae complete their development. Occasionally, the foliage extending beyond the gall will die and become reddish-brown.

Opening the galls will reveal the tiny, orangish-yellow midge fly larvae (maggots), which direct the gall formation. It will also reveal that the galls are plurilocular (vs. unilocular), meaning that each gall has multiple larval cavities. This gall is also unilarval (vs. multilarval), meaning each cavity houses a single larva. The flies have 2 generations per year. The current second generation galls are nearing their peak stage of size and development. Shortly after that galls change color, they will detach from the trees, and the midge flies spend the winter as pupae in the fallen galls.

The midge fly will infest both baldcypress and pondcypress. Although the galls and browned-tipped foliage may reduce the aesthetic appeal of infested trees, the flies appear to cause no appreciable harm to the health of the tree. Populations are often regulated by a wide range of parasitoids that target the maggots. Therefore, insecticide applications are not recommended. Pruning and destroying galls now on small trees will reduce the number of future galls.

For more information, see:

• University of Florida Pest Fact Sheet

Adults of this small (3/16" long) native of the southwestern U.S. have black wings and orangish‑red legs, head, thorax, and abdomen. The nymphs share this striking color scheme, but they appear more reddish in color since their black wing pads fail to cover their entire abdomen. Both adult and immature yucca plant bugs have a somewhat oval-shaped body. The bug has multiple, overlapping generations, so populations can build rapidly. Intense annual feeding activity may eventually cause yucca plants to die. Insecticides labeled for use on yucca can provide effective control of this insect; however, multiple applications are required.

For more information, see:

• Connecticut Agricultural Station Fact Sheet
• University of Maryland Plant Diagnostics

VLB is a relatively new invader into Ohio and was first observed in Ohio in 2002. Since then, VLB has been spreading further into Ohio mostly in the NE portion of the state. Most populations have been observed in wooded areas on the native ARROWWOOD VIBURNUM (Viburnum dentatum) and on EUROPEAN CRANBERRY VIBURNUM (V. opulus). As the VLB populations continue to build and spread, it is expected that infestations will spread into residential plantings of viburnum and include other preferred and moderately preferred hosts.

The most effective means of control for small scale plantings is pruning and destroying infested twigs after egg laying has ceased in the fall, anytime from October to April. When pruning is not practical, a number of pesticides may be effective in controlling VLB. Home gardeners may use acephate, carbaryl, cyfluthrin, imidacloprid or malathion. Spray when larvae first appear in early May for best results. If damage from adults is excessive, a second application in mid- to late-summer may be helpful.

For more information, see:

• VLB in Ohio
• Cornell Citizen Science VLB Page

Rust is usually associated with slow-growing turfgrass. It is especially severe on drought stressed sites and compacted soils where perennial ryegrass or bluegrass is growing slowly, as the disease is damaging leaf tissue faster then new leaf blades are being produced. Rust causes the turfgrass to take on a generally yellow to orange appearance, and symptoms are more evident when the weather is dry. The rust-colored tiny spores of the fungus rub off easily onto shoes, lawn mowers; pets' fur, fingers, and clothes etc. and can be a nuisance. This occurs because the fungus causes the epidermis of the leaf to rupture and release enormous amounts of spores which are orange-yellow or rusty in color.

If the disease has been a problem in the past, most likely it will reoccur year after year. Newly seeded juvenile stands of perennial ryegrass (less than a year old) are often more severely affected than mature established turfgrass lawns and sports fields. Management strategies include prevention. Use blends of resistant turfgrass cultivars. The National Turf Evaluation Program (NTEP) has free information on turfgrass cultivar quality & disease tolerance at http://www.ntep.org/

Provide adequate water and fertilizer to keep the grass growing. Core aerate the turf to improve water and fertilizer uptake, reduce soil compaction, improve root growth, and improve overall growth and health. Fungicide applications provide the best results if made preventively or during the very early stage of the disease. Research at OSU has suggested that the sterol inhibitors and strobilurins show good to excellent efficacy (e.g. Bayleton, Eagle, Banner, Trinity, Tourney, Heritage, Disarm and Insignia). The key is to monitor weather patterns so that the applications can be made preventively. If a fungicide is applied once the disease has become severe, often results are disappointing.

For more information, see:

• National Turfgrass Evaluation Program
• OSU Fact Sheet on Management of Turfgrass Diseases
• Cornell University Fact Sheet on Turfgrass

The best choice at this time of year depends upon the location of the colony, and the relative ease of removing a wall. By late August, the wall void could have 6-9 layers of honeycomb filled with honey. If the building's owner can wait, the ideal time to remove the colony is a warm spell in January-early March when the colony's population is at the lowest point, and most of the honey has been consumed. Due to many factors, most colonies do not survive the winter untended by beekeepers, so the likelihood of removing the comb sans bees is fairly high. An added bonus is that in cold weather, bees are slow and sluggish. In many cases, the honeycomb can be harvested and used by the beekeeper if it is disease and pesticide free.

If the owner wants to have the colony removed this year, they will probably have to hire a carpenter to help remove and rebuild the wall that is removed to extract the honeycomb and bees. In a well established colony, 5-10 feet or more of wall may need to be removed in order to even reach a portion of the comb! Obviously, this work needs to be done on warm, dry days, and the cavity should be washed and allowed to completely dry before the wall is rebuilt.

Many people try to kill the bees themselves by filling the entrance hole with insecticides, however the colony is usually above or away from the hole, so the poison does not completely kill them. The horrors begin though, if the bees are killed without removing the comb, as without the bees to cool the honeycomb on warm days, the wax and honey will melt through plaster or stucco walls. In addition, ants, carpet beetles, flies, wasps, and other sugar loving insects are attracted to this sticky sweet mess. Wax is also flammable and can be dangerous in homes with working chimneys.

In summary, because honey bees are valuable, it is best to contact a beekeeper as soon as the bees are noticed so that they can remove and save the bees; however, when a colony is found late in the summer, contact a beekeeper, but consider waiting until spring to have them removed. Do not use insecticides unless the beekeeper advises that the colony will be too difficult to remove. If the colony is treated, all entrances should be plugged after the bees begin to die, so that other bees do not "rob" the insecticide coated honey and kill more colonies. Plugging the hole will also prevent another colony from "moving in" again the following spring. Beekeeping organizations are found in almost every county in Ohio as well as other states. Usually if an organization is contacted, someone will at least call and inspect the situation to determine if the colony can be saved. The homeowner can then work with the beekeeper to determine the best way to remove them. If pesticides were used, typically the beekeeper will leave, due to the concern of introducing insecticide into his beehives.

For more information, see:

• OSU Fact Sheet on Honey Bees in Walls
• Honey Bee Lab Site
• eBeeHoney.com

“Residential Landscaping in 3Ds,” a one-day program that focuses on landscape design and plant selection, is scheduled for September 30, 2008 in Delaware, Ohio. Our speakers include Melissa Hoover, owner of Melissa Hoover Landscape Design http://mhlandscapedesign.com in Lancaster, Ohio; Jennifer Schneller, Landscape Architect of Melissa Hoover Landscape Design, LTD., Lancaster, Ohio; Dr. Gary Gao, Extension Educator and Associate Professor, OSU Extension ‑ Delaware County; Dr. Kelley Dimke, Ohio Master Gardener, Dublin, Ohio.

Continuing education credits are offered for Ohio Certified Nursery Technicians and Ohio Master Gardeners. There is a registration fee $40 per person. The fee includes this all‑day program, handouts, breaks, lunch and a certificate of completion. A program flyer can be obtained by calling OSU Extension in Delaware County at 740-833-2030, or by emailing Cindy Kaelber at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or log on to the web at [ http://delaware.osu.edu/horticulture]. The registration deadline is September 27, 2008. Space is limited. Registration will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Late or on‑site registration is subject to a $5.00 late fee.

For more information, see: