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New Phytophthora pathogen — not P. ramorum — found on two nurseries

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A soilborne plant pathogen not previously seen in the United States — Phytophthora austrocedri — has been detected at two Oregon nurseries and has infested an unknown number of plants. The detections have prompted an aggressive quarantine of some of the plant material on both operations as growers and authorities strive to identify infested areas and contain the pathogen’s […]

Learning, connecting, engaging

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Oregon’s Integrated Pest Management Center serves as an innovative pest management hub for growers Article and photos By Silvia I. Rondon Since the early 1960s, the Oregon Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Center has accumulated a rich history of leading and coordinating multistate research and outreach programs to help a broad audience in the agricultural and […]

Boxing out boxwood blight

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Growers must work vigilantly to keep the fungus that causes boxwood blight out of their nurseries Boxwood is one of the most popular landscaping plants around. It’s evergreen and pretty, it provides natural privacy, it’s easy to maintain and it can be shaped into attractive ornamental topiaries. In fact, so popular is boxwood that it’s […]

How to catch a thrips

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Rigorous scouting can help manage tip-feeding thrips before they cause irreparable damage By Lloyd Nackley and Melissa Scherr Thrips belong to the insect order Thysanoptera, of which there are several species that are damaging to nursery and ornamental crops. Whether there is only one or many, we call them thrips regardless, just like with other […]

Space limited for boxwood blight workshop on October 20

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Five organizations are collaborating on a boxwood health workshop for growers set for 8:30 a.m.–noon Thursday, October 20 at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center, 15210 N.E. Miley Road, Aurora, Oregon. Registration is now open and is limited to 40 people; those interested can sign up online. There is a $15 cost.

A beneficial breath of fresh air

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Testing the use of wintergreen oil to attract beneficials that kill nursery pests By Jana Lee, Victoria Skillman and Katerina Velasco Graham Can minty odors really enhance pest control? When pests feed on a plant, the plant releases odors, one of them being methyl salicylate (MeSA), also known as oil of wintergreen. When MeSA is […]

Nostoc: A nursery nemesis

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Exploring novel approaches to long-term, sustainable management, and even use, of cyanobacteria By Luisa Santamaria, Maria Marlin and Katie Gregor One mention of nostoc is likely enough to fill any nursery manager with intense terror and agony. Nostoc, a green jelly-like film growing over gravel or on ground surfaces that are constantly wet, is a […]

Green practices and silver bullets

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Integrated pest management, or IPM, has continued to improve and deliver benefits for growers While integrated pest management (IPM) has been an accepted best practice for growers since its introduction in the 1960s, it hasn’t always been growers’ first choice when looking for a fast, efficient answer to their crop dilemmas. The field of study […]

Keeping lawns healthy

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Research points to certain practices for minimizing invasive annual bluegrass By Alec Kowalewski, Clint Mattox, and Alyssa Cain Desirable turfgrass species in western Oregon include, but are not limited to, perennial ryegrass and tall fescue. Perennial ryegrass will produce a dense, dark green lawn when regularly mowed, irrigated, and fertilized. Tall fescue, on the other […]