Septoria leaf spot and early blight are common foliar diseases of tomatoes in home gardens. Fungal diseases overwinter on plant debris in the soil. Fungal spores are splashed onto plant foliage by raindrops or splashing water and invade the plant tissue when leaf surfaces are wet. Rainy weather in spring and early summer favors development of foliar diseases on tomatoes.
Grasshoppers are an occasional pest in Iowa farms and gardens. The number of grasshoppers varies greatly from year to year and from place to place. This appears to be one of the years when at least some growers and gardeners are going to see more than the usual number.
Sigh. It's hard to believe but the periodical cicada emergence of 2014 that we waited 17 long years to see is over. They came, they sang their song, they perpetuated the species (which is all that was expected on them, after all), and now they are gone. Oh, there will be a few stragglers next summer to remind us of what was, but for the most part, those of us living in central Iowa will not see them here again until 2031. Let the countdown begin!!
“All good things must come to an end” and that includes the cicada emergence of 2014. Most of us will be sad to see them go, though many living in the midst of the emergence will be relieved that the cacophony of cicada singing will soon be over.
Japanese beetle is becoming a more common field crop pest in Iowa. Literature shows adults need about 1,030 growing degree days (base 50°F) to complete development. Japanese beetles will continue emergence until around 2,150 degree days. Based on accumulating degree day temperatures in 2014, Japanese beetle adults should be active in some areas of southeastern and southwestern Iowa this week (Fig. 1). Expect adults to emerge in central and northern Iowa in about 7-14 days if warm temperatures continue.
Trees can become afflicted with problems that can change their appearance and overall health. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach horticulturists offer tips on fighting these issues. To have additional questions answered, contact the ISU Hortline at 515-294-3108 or hortline@iastate.edu.
My magnolia is infested with magnolia scale. What are my control options?
Magnolia scale (Neolecanium cornuparvum) is the largest scale insect in Iowa. Adult magnolia scale females are pinkish orange to brown, elliptical and up to one-half inch in diameter. Females give birth to their young (known as nymphs or crawlers) in late summer.
DES MOINES – Two adult Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) beetles have been collected from a trap in a residential tree in Boone and have been positively identified as EAB by a federal identifier. The trap was placed in the tree this summer after suspect galleries were found in an ash tree branch that fell during a storm.
A statewide quarantine restricting the movement of hardwood firewood, ash logs, wood chips and ash tree nursery stock out of Iowa into non-quarantined areas of other states was issued on Feb. 4, 2014 and remains in place.
Summer marks the season when your lawn can look its best – if you know how to maintain it properly. Here are some tips from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach on how to keep your lawn looking sharp during the year’s hottest months, with help from ISU Extension horticulturists.
DES MOINES – An adult Emerald Ash Borer submitted by an Iowa City resident to the Iowa EAB Team has been positively identified as the destructive beetle by a federal identifier. A follow-up examination of ash trees growing in the vicinity of where the beetle was collected has failed to confirm an infestation.
Emerald ash borer has been confirmed in Dallas County, IA. Current Map
