3/23/2019 A day in the life Plant Clinic (aka The Help Desk) - PDF document

3/23/2019 A day in the life… Plant Clinic (aka The Help Desk) Homeowner Home and Garden advice Of an OSU Master Gardener MG program began as a way to meet demand for this information Restricted to calls from non-commercial sources Provide diagnosis and Diagnosing Home Gardener problems advice within the office or by phone and making recommendations OSU Extension Service: 1320 Capitol St. NE Two big advantages… 1. It’s free! 2. Talk to an actual person Requests are either… Phone calls (or e-mail) Visits to the office A service for residents of Marion County  In 2018, there were 1,543 requests for info 1

3/23/2019 Requests for information are usually: 4. Critter problems  Deer control  moles  voles  gophers 1. Plant identification  Ornamentals 5. Requests for cultural information  Weeds  Tree fruit  Lawns  Apple/pear/plum variety  Small fruit  Pruning  Ornamentals  propagation 2. Insect Identification 6. Plant problems (including lawns) 3. Pests in the home  Cultural  ants (carpenter, sugar)  Disease  termites  Insect pest  pests of stored products  Herbicide damage  spiders! Difficulties: A simple intake form assists with problem solving: 1. Client may only tell you so much 2. You cannot visit Recording inquiries The resources we use are…  Tallied in October for OSU year-end report  Books  Web-based 2

3/23/2019 We also can use other faculty and clinics… Insects (and spiders): • Insect ID clinic- Bill Gerth • No charge per sample Plant Disease: Miscellaneous others • Plant Disease Clinic-Melodie Putnam • $75 charge per sample Also: Distance Diagnostics http://www.dddi.org/OSU/index.cfm Plant ID: • OSU Herbarium-Dr. Melanie Link-Perez • No charge per sample Inquiries to avoid: What kind of information do we give out? 1. Commercial operations… • Size of operation  Verbal: Information just over the phone • Is product being sold?  Photocopies of book chapters  Refer these to commercial agents!  OSU publications • Printed from the web • Hard copies from office files http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/ Others… Other things we do not do… 2. Human health issues • Poisonous plants  Soil or water tests  house calls EM 8677: Laboratories serving Oregon EC 628: Soil sampling for home gardens and small acreages 3. Legal disputes 3

3/23/2019 You don’t have to do it all by yourself! So if you are in doubt… Leave it for me! MG volunteer Community Horticulturist Crop Specialist Diagnosing plant problems First, identify the plant 1. Growing conditions 2. Biotic problems 3. Resources Neil Bell OSU Extension Flowering pear ( Pyrus sp.) Marion and Polk Counties 1. Determine that a “real” problem exists • What are the characteristics of the plant? • How does it display them through the year? Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica ) Spruce ( Picea sp.) and Russian Cypress ( Microbiota decussata ) with Incense Cedar (C alocedrus decurrens ) 4

3/23/2019 Western redcedar ( Thuja occidentalis ): foliar browning Dwarf Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium ‘Compacta’) Crape myrtle Lagerstroemia sp. Rhododendron sp. 2. What is the “population” of the plants? Tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ) Arborvitae ( Thuja occidentalis ) 5

3/23/2019 The “population” refers to the number of plants of the species of interest that are present Dwarf Alberta Spruce ( Picea glauca ‘Conica’) Boxwood ( Buxus sempervirens ), with Hebe ( Hebe sp.) 3. And…how many of the plants are affected? Azalea cultivars ( Rhododendron spp.): Powdery mildew ( Erysiphe azaleae ) Kinnikinnick ( Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) 6

3/23/2019 4. What is the pattern of damage within the population? Turfgrass: undetermined problem Red Alder ( Alnus rubra ) Uniform pattern=abiotic factors (non-living) 1. Entire population uniformly affected Normal Abnormal Uniform pattern Uniform pattern=abiotic factors (non-living) Usually the result of non-living, environmental causes 2. Same part of entire population affected  Occurs over the entire population of plants, or discrete groups Abnormal Periwinkle ( Vinca major) 7

3/23/2019 Arborvitae ( Thuja occidentalis ) Foliar browning on Pinus , Rhododendron and Euonymus Uniform pattern=abiotic factors (non-living) Abnormal Random pattern Random pattern=biotic factors (diseases/pests)  Occurs because of progressive spread of a living organism Abnormal Noble Fir ( Abies nobilis ) 8

3/23/2019 Kinnikinnick ( Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ): Black Root rot? Turf: Cranefly ( Tipula sp.) damage Don’t overanalyze “uniform” versus “random” Arborvitae ( Thuja occidentalis ): spider mites Arborvitae ( Thuja occidentalis ) near La Grande, OR Is the pattern… A. Uniform B. Random Turfgrass (unknown species) Japanese Cedar ( Cryptomeria japonica ) 9

3/23/2019 Is the pattern… Is the pattern… A. Uniform A. Uniform B. Random B. Random Kinnikinnick ( Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Massachusetts’) Rhododendron ( Rhododendron spp.) 5. What part or parts of the plant are affected? Is the pattern… A. Uniform B. Random Boxwood ( Buxus sp.) Flowering Dogwood ( Cornus florida ) Just leaves? Manzanita ( Arctostaphylos x media ): Leaf gall aphid ( Tamalia cowenii ) Red Maple ( Acer rubrum ): Anthracnose ( Kabatiella sp.) 10

3/23/2019 Leaves and fruit? Leaves, fruit and shoots? Blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum ): Mummyberry ( Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi ) Apple ( Malus sp): Scab ( Venturia inaequalis ) Blueberry ( Vaccinium sp . ): Mummyberry ( Monilinia sp.) Cherry ( Prunus avium ), Coryneum blight ( Wilsonomyces carpophilus )) Individual stems dying back entirely? Stem-tip dieback? Atlas Blue Cedar ( Cedrus atlantica ): Needle Blight ( Sirococcus conigenus ) Japanese Maple ( Acer palmatum ): Verticillium wilt ( Verticillium dahliae ) 11

3/23/2019 Twig or branch dieback? Black walnut ( Juglans nigra ): Thousand Cankers Disease ( Geosmithia morbida ) Cherry ( Prunus sp.) The whole plant? The whole plant? English Walnut ( Juglans regia ) Escallonia ( Escallonia sp.) Birch: Betula utilis Red Maple ( Acer rubrum ): Phytophthora Canker ( Phytophthora sp.) 12

3/23/2019 Uniform pattern=abiotic factors (non-living) 6. What is the pattern of damage within the plant… Normal Abnormal Uniform pattern=abiotic factors (non-living) Abnormal Dwarf Alberta Spruce ( Picea glauca ‘Conica’): sunburn Cyclamen ( Cyclamen sp.): leaf-edge chlorosis Rhododendron ( Rhododendron sp.): Nitrogen deficiency 13

3/23/2019 Random pattern=biotic factors (diseases/pests) Abnormal Dwarf Alberta Spruce ( Picea glauca ‘Conica’) Hawthorn ( Crataegus laevigata ): Leaf spot ( Diplocarpon mespili ) Weeping Cherry: ( Prunus sp.) Is the pattern… Is the pattern… A. Uniform A. Uniform B. Random B. Random Juniper ( Juniperus sp.) Boxwood ( Buxus sp.) 14

3/23/2019 A. Uniform Is the pattern… Is the pattern… A. Uniform B. Random B. Random English Yew ( Taxus baccata ) Hebe ( Hebe ‘Emerald Gem’) Uniform pattern=abiotic factors (non-living) 7. What is the pattern on the plant part? Normal Abnormal Blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum ): drought stress 15

3/23/2019 Random pattern=biotic factors (diseases/pests) Abnormal Tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum) : blossom-end rot Rhododendron ( Rhododendron sp.): Beets ( Beta vulgaris ): Powdery mildew (Eriysiphe azaleae) Leafminer (Pegomya sp.) Pear ( Pyrus communis ): Maple ( Acer sp.): Bladdergall mite Scab ( Venturia pirina ) ( Vasates quadripedes ) 16

3/23/2019 And on conifers…. Normal Weeping baldcypress ( Taxodium distichum ‘Cascade Falls’) Uniform pattern=abiotic factors (non-living) Abnormal Grand Fir ( Abies grandis ), Phenoxy herbicide damage Random pattern=biotic factors (diseases/pests) Abnormal Douglasfir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ): Needle cast ( Rhabdocline spp.) 17

3/23/2019 Is the pattern… A. Uniform B. Random Pacific Dogwood (Cornus nuttalii ) Douglasfir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ): Silver-spotted Tiger Moth ( Lophocampa argentata ) Is the pattern… Is the pattern… A. Uniform A. Uniform B. Random B. Random Aspen ( Populus tremuloides ) Apple (Malus domestica) 8. When did the symptoms appear? Is the pattern… A. Uniform B. Random Apple ( Malus domestica ) Alstroemeria ( Alstroemeria sp.): Frost damage Photo: Luanne Whitaker 18

3/23/2019 Symptoms appear early in the year? Rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis ): cold injury Symptoms appear later in the year Cherry Laurel ( Prunus laurocerasus )-Shothole ( Thyrostroma carpophilum ) Viburnum tinus -sunburn Symptoms appear after specific event Lilac ( Syringa vulgaris) : Powdery Mildew ( Erysiphe syringae ) Birch ( Betula sp.): exposure to phenoxy herbicide 19

3/23/2019 Symptoms appear after specific event 9. Are the symptoms spreading, improving or constant? Arborvitae ( Thuja occidentalis ): spray damage by horticultural oil 2007 2009 Aspen ( Populus tremuloides ) Port Orford Cedar ( Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ): Phytophthora root rot ( Phytophthora spp.) Leaf scorch Common Lilac ( Syringa vulgaris ) Common Lilac ( Syringa vulgaris ) 20