Greenhouse Update - May 23, 2005
Leanne Pundt, Extension Educator, UConn
Thrips -- seem to be below damaging levels, especially for seasonal bedding plant growers. Management is more challenging for growers with year round production, where thrips may overwinter on older stock plants. Dirt floors, harboring weeds and thrips also promote their development. Look for thrips feeding damage on garden impatiens, verbena, Ipomoea Sweet Marguerite and other favored hosts.
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| Thrips on Verbena L.Pundt photos click on photo for a larger image |
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Growers are reporting good results with Conserve, Conserve & Avid, and Tristar (now labeled for western flower thrips -- see updated label at www.clearychemical.com. As plants are now in flower, it is much more difficult to spray without damaging the sensitive blooms. Spot test a few plants for potential damage before treating your entire crop. See May 2nd update for additional ways to prevent spray damage.
Botrytis blight -- many greenhouses are packed full as sales have been slower than anticipated due to cool, cloudy, rainy weekends. We are also due for another cloudy week.
Botrytis blight is getting a foothold on the lower leaves, or where spent flowers have dropped. Botrytis is best managed by:
Two-spotted spider mites -- isolated pockets continue to plague growers. See April 8th update for more information. Thunbergia Sun Lady or Blue Glory are good indicator plants for spider mite activity. On Sun Lady, you can see the characteristic faint chlorotic spots where the mites have fed. On Blue Glory, the mite damage looks more like a nutritional deficiency. But, if you turn over the leaves, you can see the two-spotted spider mites and their empty egg shells.
 Thunbergia Blue Glory - Faint yellowing on upper leaves looks like a nutritional deficiency. L. Pundt photo - click for larger image |
New England Greenhouse Update now online. University Extension Specialists in New England, in conjunction with USDA's Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, contribute information to this new website. Timely updates are provided for commercial growers of greenhouse crops and flowers in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. You can use this additional resource for more information about current observations and recommendations on environmentally safe production practices.
| GREENHOUSE IPM COORDINATOR (commercial interests and growers) |
LEANNE PUNDT | 860-626-6240 |
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