Willie Chance

UGA mobile apps help professionals care for lawns

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Sharon Dowdy, News Editor with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Four mobile applications designed by University of Georgia specialists are putting lawncare information at your fingertips, literally.

The turfgrass apps created by UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences faculty make turf management in Georgia readily available. Turfgrass Management, Turf Management Calculator, Turfgrass Weeds and Turf Management Quiz can all be downloaded from the UGA Turfgrass Team website at www.GeorgiaTurf.com or straight to a mobile device through iTunes.

A lite version

The most popular UGA turfgrass app is Turf Management Lite. This free app was created with students, homeowners and professionals in mind. It includes photos of turfgrass varieties, pests, weeds and diseases.

Mobile applications, or apps as they are commonly called, can be downloaded onto smart phones like Droids and iPhones as well as portable tablets like iPads.

“Back in 2009, mobile apps were fairly new to smart phones. We saw a great opportunity to put the information where it can be easily accessed by mobile phone, iPods and tablets, instead of publishing a telephone-book-sized publication,” said Patrick McCullough, a UGA turfgrass specialist based on the Griffin campus. The turfgrass apps are his brainchild.

“Rather than have to go to the office and get an Extension publication or go online to view a publication, turfgrass professionals can now access the information they need in the field,” he said.

In-depth subscription version

There are three versions of the first app: Turf Management Lite, Turf Management Subscription and Turfgrass Management – Spanish. The lite and Spanish versions are free, but the subscription version costs $20 per year.

The subscription version includes everything from the lite version, plus information on pest control applications and a pesticide database. “You can search for trade names as well, and it includes PowerPoint presentations from UGA turfgrass faculty,” McCullough said.

The Spanish version is very popular in the turfgrass industry. “We have folks in the industry that speak Spanish as their first language. This app is a nice opportunity for those who are fluent in Spanish or primarily communicate in Spanish at work to have research-based turfgrass advice,” he said.

The Spanish version has been downloaded in more than 40 countries across the globe.

Making calculations easy

In 2011, the Turfgrass Management Calculator app was released. “It’s a comprehensive program that covers all types of applications, pesticide rates, fertilizer requirements, topdressing sand requirements, and calibration of sprayers and spreaders. Users enter known values of equations – like how much area is needed for a pesticide treatment at a certain rate. The app then does the calculation for you,” McCullough said.

College students majoring in turfgrass management use the app to double-check their math when learning these calculations, he said. “Some of these are very complex formulas. You can enter information for two products with different application rates and see which is more cost effective.”

The calculator app costs $5 and includes more than 16,000 pre-programmed calculations. It can also convert units from standard to metric. “It’s really a great tool for turfgrass managers and professionals, but students can learn a lot from it, too,” McCullough said.

Flash cards and quizzes

The Turfgrass Weeds app was released in 2011. It is designed to help users learn turfgrasses and weeds through a series of flash cards. “The cards reshuffle so users can continue to study and learn turfgrass species and weeds,” he said.

Just a few months ago, the UGA Turfgrass Team released its latest turfgrass app – Turfgrass Management Quiz.

“This app is a trivia style education game. You get test questions or photos with four choices to answer. You tap the correct answer, and when you’re done, you get a quiz score,” McCullough said.

The quiz app has two modes – quiz mode and study mode. Quiz mode scores your answers and study mode helps you get the correct answer.

“This app is perfect for students, but it can also be used by any turfgrass professional who wants to brush up on their knowledge. It’s a fun application that challenges you to get the best score, improve on your score and test your knowledge,” he said.

The new turfgrass apps are perfect for those who like to learn on their phones or mobile devices. UGA publications are also available online for computer users and in print form for those who still like the feel of a book in their hands.

“(Mobile apps) are a new technology – a new method to get information in the hands of the end user. We are trying to make it easier for people to get UGA turfgrass recommendations so it just makes sense for us to create these programs,” McCullough said.

To download the UGA turfgrass mobile apps or get more information on the turfgrass research at UGA, see the website www.GeorgiaTurf.com.

UGA researcher studies fire ant genetics to better understand ant’s success

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A newly-hired University of Georgia entomologist hopes to develop genetic resources to understand fire ant success in the southeastern United States. Ultimately, this research could lead to new methods to reduce the number of fire ants inflicting pain on humans and taking over lawns and pastures across Georgia.

“I’m searching for methods to knock down specific genes in the fire ant. The ability to perturb gene function can help us better understand the basis of traits related to fire ant social structure and population density,” said Brendan Hunt, an entomologist in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the newest faculty member of the Griffin campus.

Knowing more about fire ant genetics could lead to new control applications, he said.

Hunt earned a doctorate at Georgia Tech where he studied fire ant genetics and molecular evolution of social insects. He was also involved with the sequencing of the fire ant genome.

He is also interested in how environmental factors affect animal development. Hunt says a “model example” of the environment’s influence on development can be found in honeybees and fire ants.

“A female honeybee or fire ant egg can develop either into a queen or a worker and based on nutritional and feeding differences during their development,” he said. “A queen actively produces and lays eggs for a long time and lives for a long time while a worker is basically sterile.”

To build his research program at UGA, Hunt is collecting fire ants, an easy task as he’s found plenty living outside his office. “They are everywhere on this campus, which is great for me. One of the reasons fire ants are so successful is that they love mowed lawns, meadows and farmland,” Hunt said. In addition to studying fire ants, Hunt teaches undergraduate classes on the UGA Griffin campus.

For information on how to control fire ants in Georgia, see the UGA CAES publication “Managing Imported Fire Ants in Urban Areas” at www.caes.uga.edu/publications.

Free video helps to provide required OSHA training on the newly revised Safety Data Sheets

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 (Editors’ notes – these changes impact pesticide applicators in several ways:

  • SDS sheets should replace the MSDS sheets used in the past. You will want to update your MSDS sheets with these new 16-section format Safety Data Sheets. These sheets need to be available to employees so they can understand the risks associated with using these chemicals at work.
  • Employee training on the new system is required by Dec 1, 2013. The following article includes an online video to help with this requirement. Additional employee training may also be needed.

Pesticides will remain under US EPA regulation.  EPA is not requiring pesticide labels to make any changes. The OSHA regulated SDS and the signal word will not match the EPA pesticide label.  This OSHA training focuses on chemical label elements that are NON-pesticide.)

Original article found on this website

“Exposure to hazardous chemicals is one of the most serious threats facing American workers today,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. “Revising OSHA’s Hazard Communication standard will improve the quality and consistency of hazard information, making it safer for workers to do their jobs and easier for employers to stay competitive.” This update to the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) will provide a common and coherent approach to classifying chemicals and communicating hazard information on labels and safety data sheets. Once implemented, the revised standard will improve the quality and consistency of hazard information in the workplace, making it safer for workers by providing easily understandable information on appropriate handling and safe use of hazardous chemicals.

Hazard Communication Standard

In order to ensure chemical safety in the workplace, information about the identities and hazards of the chemicals must be available and understandable to workers. OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) requires the development and dissemination of such information:

  • Chemical manufacturers and importers are required to evaluate the hazards of the chemicals they produce or import, and prepare labels and safety data sheets to convey the hazard information to their downstream customers;
  • All employers with hazardous chemicals in their workplaces must have labels and safety data sheets for their exposed workers, and train them to handle the chemicals appropriately.

Major changes to the Hazard Communication Standard

  • Hazard classification: Provides specific criteria for classification of health and physical hazards, as well as classification of mixtures.
  • Labels: Chemical manufacturers and importers will be required to provide a label that includes a harmonized signal word, pictogram, and hazard statement for each hazard class and category. Precautionary statements must also be provided.
  • Safety Data Sheets: Will now have a specified 16-section format.
  • Information and training: Employers are required to train workers by December 1, 2013 on the new labels elements and safety data sheets format to facilitate recognition and understanding.

Employee training – This video explains the new GHS labeling system adopted by OSHA when they revised their hazard communication standard in 2012. Employers must provide training on this particular topic to their workers by no later than December 1, 2013. This video is free for employers to use for worker training, compliments of OSHA Training Services Inc.

UGA Trial Garden in Athens

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http://ugatrial.hort.uga.edu/

The Gardens at Athens were started in 1982, when Allan Armitage and Michael Dirr, along with a number of students, plowed some ground and built a wobbly lathe area. Today, we evaluate plants or seeds from almost all the plant breeding companies in the world, along with material from perennial plant nurseries, individual growers and gardeners, as well as material from Dr. John Ruter’s breeding program.

Trial gardensThe Gardens at UGA serves research and teaching functions and is an important resource for breeders, retailers, growers, landscapers, and consumers. Our open houses provide opportunities for gardeners, breeders and growers to view the trials. We enjoy visits by plant breeders and representatives of many of the major international horticultural firms who want first-hand data to produce better cultivars for the expanding southern market.

The Gardens are open year-round and are located between Snelling Dining Hall and the Pharmacy building on the UGA campus. The garden is open to the public and professionals alike and detailed information on the plants we trial is available to all by visiting Garden Trials.

The trials are planted in April and May and consist of major and minor bedding classes, tropicals, vines, plantings of specialty annuals, over 150 free-standing containers, ~180 rose cultivars, numerous hanging baskets and three large perennial beds.

How Plants are Evaluated

Annuals Every two weeks, every cultivar is evaluated by Meg Green (Trial Garden Supervisor) for “horticultural” performance. This allows us to follow the performance of each cultivar through “good times and bad.” The data are combined into a single performance rating, based on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being exceptional, 1 being almost dead. The ratings are then used to generate a graph of performance over time, and are updated at every evaluation date. This allows a real time viewing of performance and more importantly, an in-depth understanding of how a plant performed from spring to fall. Most cultivars will be accompanied by a photo. These graphs can be found under annuals.

The Best of the Bunch

trial gardens 2For annuals, we also select the best cultivars for each genus and list them under ‘Best of the Best‘. For both annuals and perennials, we also choose the recipients for the Classic City Award; the very best plants in the garden over the entire season, well worth a place in any landscape.

During the evaluations, there is also a weekly list of Plants of Distinction (10 plants that are good that week). This allows growers and landscapers to easily identify plants that perform well during given times of the year.

UGA Department of Horticulture professor John Ruter took over as Director of the Trial Gardens from garden co-founder Allan Armitage on July 1, 2013. For more complete information, the Trial Gardens have an excellent web site.

Georgia Pest Control Industry Impact

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Info taken from the GA Pest Control Association magazine, Profile, 2013, Issue 2

1213 company offices in Georgia

9235 employed by companies

5632 registered employees

1760 office workers

2202 certified operators

$231,884,400 Paid in salary and benefits

$321,436,500 Annual revenue production

$560,833 Average revenue per company

35,412 Wood destroying organism Inspection treatments

Protecting Health & Property

Figures compiled with cooperation from the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Cooperative Extension Service, University of Georgia

Reliable statistics for Georgia counties available from UGA

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Do you ever need statistics about your county or region to make good decisions? The Georgia County Guide is a book filled with detailed county-level and state data related to agriculture, crime, economics, education, government, health, housing, labor, natural resources, occupations, population, public assistance, transportation, and vital statistics.

popchg2010It puts the answers you need right at your fingertips in a comprehensive, easy-to-use format that covers all 159 counties in Georgia with more variables than any other county data source.

You’ll find the very latest statistics for every county as well as population data for each municipality in the state. This is data you can count on to make decisions, compiled from approximately 90 federal, state, and private agencies. The cost of the County Guide is $35 (includes shipping, handling and tax).

Statistics from the Georgia County Guide are also available in electronic format on CD.

Online you will also find the Georgia Statistics System . This free service of the Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development offers the Georgia County Guide and Farm Gate Value Report data for users to customize statistics, maps, and graphs. Find links to:

  • Demographic and Agricultural County Profiles.
  • Metropolitan, Micropolitan, and Combined Metropolitan Statistical Area Maps.
  • Population Estimates for all Municipalities with County Locator.

The Georgia Statistics System web site will customize the statistics, maps and graphs that you want from the Georgia County Guide and the Farmgate Value Report.  The site’s purpose is to facilitate economic development by improving the information base available to decision makers in local government, schools and businesses.   This is a service of the UGA Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, the Cooperative Extension Service, and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia.

Reliable statistics for Georgia counties available from UGA

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Do you ever need statistics about your county or region to make good decisions? The Georgia County Guide is a book filled with detailed county-level and state data related to agriculture, crime, economics, education, government, health, housing, labor, natural resources, occupations, population, public assistance, transportation, and vital statistics.

popchg2010It puts the answers you need right at your fingertips in a comprehensive, easy-to-use format that covers all 159 counties in Georgia with more variables than any other county data source.

You’ll find the very latest statistics for every county as well as population data for each municipality in the state. This is data you can count on to make decisions, compiled from approximately 90 federal, state, and private agencies. The cost of the County Guide is $35 (includes shipping, handling and tax).

Statistics from the Georgia County Guide are also available in electronic format on CD.

Online you will also find the Georgia Statistics System . This free service of the Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development offers the Georgia County Guide and Farm Gate Value Report data for users to customize statistics, maps, and graphs. Find links to:

    • Demographic and Agricultural County Profiles.
    • Metropolitan, Micropolitan, and Combined Metropolitan Statistical Area Maps.
    • Population Estimates for all Municipalities with County Locator.

The Georgia Statistics System web site will customize the statistics, maps and graphs that you want from the Georgia County Guide and the Farmgate Value Report.  The site’s purpose is to facilitate economic development by improving the information base available to decision makers in local government, schools and businesses.   This is a service of the UGA Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, the Cooperative Extension Service, and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia.

Winterizing Trees: Dormant Season Preparations

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Kim D. Coder Professor of Tree Biology & Health Care, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources

Find the entire article here.

Have you winterized your trees yet? Fall is a time of serious change and reorganization within a tree. Many trees will not survive to grow in another spring. You can help your trees survive and thrive.

Winter is a difficult time for trees. Trees must stand in the face of drying and cold winds. Food reserves must be carefully conserved for the coming needs of spring. Water continues to be lost from the tree. Any creature needing a meal chews and nibbles on the resting buds and twigs. Trees stand alone against all circumstances that the winter season can generate.

A few small investments now can pay-off in a large way, yielding a healthy and structurally sound tree.

The “Top 10 List” of things you can do to winterize your tree include:

  1. Remove or correct structural faults and deadwood that are clearly visible. Try to make small pruning cuts that minimize the exposure of the central heartwood core on branches.
  2. Properly prune branches that will touch the ground when loaded with rain and snow. Foliage and branches that are in contact with soil can invite undesirable pests and problems.
  3. Remove damaged and declining twigs, branches, and bark. Do not leave pests food and shelter for the winter.
  4. Remove any new sprouts that have grown at the tree base, or along stems and branches. Pruning should conserve as many living branches as possible with only a few selective cuts.
  5. Spread a thin layer of composted organic mulch to blanket the soil. Cover an area at least as large as the branch spread. Mulch is nature’s of recycling valuable materials, but be careful of pests hitching a ride.
  6. Properly wrap new trees that have not developed a corky bark and could be easily damaged. Mechanical injury from the environment, including chewing and rubbing by animals, must be prevented.
  7. Aerate soils if they are compacted and poorly drained. It is critical not to damage tree roots in the soil. Saturated and dense soil can suffocate roots.
  8. Fertilize with all the essential elements, if they are in short supply within the soil. Be sure to go lightly with nitrogen, especially under large, mature trees and around newly planted trees.
  9. Watering may be needed where soils are cool but not frozen, and there has been little precipitation. Winter droughts need treatment with water the same as summer droughts, except it is much easier to over-water in winter.

Trees are investments that require a small amount of care. For the sake of your tree’s quality of life and your own, take a few minutes to winterize your tree. Wonderful springs come from well-tended winters.

Boxwood blight update

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Jean Williams-Woodward, UGA Extension Plant Pathologist

Boxwood Blight is caused by the fungus, Cylindrocladium pseudonaviculatum, which causes leaf spotting, stem dieback, and death of almost all cultivars and species of boxwood. The disease moves quickly through infected plants, gardens, and nurseries.

It has been identified in 12 states (CT, DE, MA, MD, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, VA) and three Canadian provinces, and it is causing significant damage to boxwoods in those states, some in landscapes while others are restricted to nurseries. The pathogen also infects pachysandra (ground spurge) and causes similar leaf spots and stem dieback.

To date, Boxwood Blight has not been found in Georgia. However, introductions are possible on infected plants or on boxwood tip cuttings originating from out-of-state nurseries and suppliers.

Tan, circular leaf spots with a dark brown border develop within two days of inoculation. This is followed rapidly by the entire leaf turning brown, black lesions developing on the stems, and plant defoliation (see images). In some cases, time between leaf spot symptoms to plant death was two weeks.

This is a very damaging disease that you do not want in your nursery or landscape. The fungus produces white tufts of spores on the leaves and stems. The spores are very sticky and they will stick to pruning or digging tools, worker’s pants and hands, and dogs or other animals that may walk next to infected plants. In NC, wild turkeys were suspected of spreading the disease within field-grown boxwoods.

There is no control for this disease once it is present. The only control is preventing its introduction and preventive fungicide applications to protect non-infected plants.

Cylindrocladium diseases are difficult to manage with fungicides. Dr. Kelly Ivors at NCSU has conducted some fungicide trials against boxwood blight and has found that fungicides containing chlorothalonil (Daconil, Spectro, Disarm C, Concert II), fludioxonil (Medallion, Palladium) or tebuconazole (Torque) provided the best control when applied preventively. However, most of these products are either not labeled for control of Cylindrocladium or for use on boxwood or both. Pageant (pyraclostrobin and boscalid) is labeled for both boxwood and Cylindrocladium disease and provided fair to good preventive control. There is a great need for fungicide labeling changes and additions for this disease. Currently, fungicides are only needed in high risk areas where Boxwood Blight is known to occur. Spraying plants after the disease is present will NOT control this disease. Curative applications are ineffective.

If the disease is detected, the infected plants and all of its fallen leaf debris needs to be bagged on-site and removed from the area to be burned or buried to prevent its spread. In nurseries, propane torches have been used to burn any remaining leaf debris to rid the area of the pathogen; however, this may not completely control this disease.

The fungus also produces microscelrotia within roots and leaf debris of infected plants. Microsclerotia may allow the pathogen to remain viable at the site for years. Not to sound like an alarmist (but I have to here!), if I was in charge of a boxwood planting (box garden, topiary garden, historic plantation garden, nursery production, etc.), I would not bring in any boxwoods from anywhere. I would do all propagation in-house. You may think you are buying plants originating from a “safe” nursery, but in reality it could be a brokered plant that originated from an area where boxwood blight is present.

I also would not allow anyone to prune, shear, take tip cuttings, or touch my boxwoods if they have worked on boxwood somewhere else previously without first disinfecting their tools and changing their clothes. I’d rather make someone angry today, then for me to cry later because all my boxwoods are dead. Bottom line: You won’t get this disease if you don’t bring in any boxwoods. The spores are not wind-borne; they are water-splashed and carried on plants, people, tools, and animals. If you do bring in boxwood plants, make sure they come from a nursery certified to be free of Boxwood Blight.

Dr. Ivors has also conducted a Buxus cultivar susceptibility trial. Buxus sempervirens cultivars (English, American, Justin Brouwers, etc.) tend to be more susceptible. Buxus microphylla cultivars tend to be more tolerant of the disease; however, all cultivars can be infected. In fact, more tolerant cultivars could look asymptomatic, yet carry the pathogen (i.e. be a ‘ Typhoid Mary’), and spread the disease to surrounding susceptible plants. The value of cultivar susceptibility testing is in the establishment of new boxwood hedges. If planting a new area, use a more tolerant cultivar to lessen your disease pressure in subsequent years. See http://plantpath.cals.ncsu.edu/ornamentals for more information on Boxwood Blight and links to Dr. Ivors’ research trials.

Circuit Rider Arborists Take to the Road

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Article taken from the the GUFC Tree Talks Newsletter.

The Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) has been allocated Urban and Community Forestry funding from the U.S. Forest Service to help communities in Georgia develop effective, sustainable community forestry programs. This funding has been used to initiate a Circuit Rider Arborist Project which, in partnership with the Georgia Urban Forest Council, will provide the services of an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) arborist to communities wishing to develop or broaden their community forestry program.

Some of the services to communities may take the form of:

  • Meeting with community officials to promote the benefits of an effective community forestry program.
  • Providing technical expertise and professional advice on tree management issues and activities.
  • Writing, revising or evaluating tree ordinances.
  • Developing effective, efficient tree boards.
  • Working with current Tree City USA communities to strengthen and improve their community forestry programs.
  • Encouraging and working with communities to become a Tree City USA, by providing assistance and guidance with completing required paperwork.
  • Developing a management or storm mitigation plan.
  • Creating partnerships with municipal officials, community organizations and residents that bring resources to a municipality’s community forestry program.
  • Organizing Arbor Day events and other educational opportunities.
  • Training work crews and volunteers on proper planting, pruning, and other tree care Best Management Practices.
  • Encouraging communities to employ services of an ISA certified arborist. This may entail conducting workshops to prepare city workers or tree board members to take the ISA Certified Arborist exam.
  • Using inventory software to evaluate the economic and environmental benefits of a community’s urban forests.
  • Conducting regional roundtables on topics of interest to multiple communities.
  • Directing communities toward existing educational and arboricultural resources.

Services are free to communities, but are available on a limited basis to ensure that all communities that want to participate can take advantage of this opportunity. Communities are being asked to provide staff and volunteer time to work on selected projects with the Circuit Rider Arborist. This program is currently funded through May 2014.

For more information see the original article.

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