3/26/2018
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 and making recommendations or by phone
OSU Extension Service: 1320 Capitol St. NE Two big advantages…
1. It’s free! 2. Talk to an actual person
Requests are either…
A service for residents PhoneVisits to calls the (or office e-mail) of Marion County
In 2016, there were 1,760 requests for info
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Requests for information are usually: 4. Critter problems Deer control moles 1. Plant identification voles gophers Ornamentals Weeds 5. Requests for cultural information Apple/pear/plum variety Tree fruit Lawns 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
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We also can use other faculty and clinics…
Insects (and spiders): • Insect ID clinic- Bill Gerth • No charge per sample
Plant Disease: • Plant Disease Clinic-Melodie Putnam Miscellaneous others • $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… Verbal: Information just over the phone • Size of operation • 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 3. Legal disputes EC 628: Soil sampling for home gardens and small acreages
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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
Neil Bell OSU Extension Flowering pear Marion and Polk Counties (Pyrus sp.)
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 ) with Incense Cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) Spruce (Picea sp.) and Russian Cypress (Microbiota decussata)
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Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica) Rhododendron sp.
Crape myrtle Lagerstroemia sp. Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum)
2. What is the “population” of the plants? The “population” refers to the number of plants of the species of interest that are present
Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Picea glauca ‘Conica’)
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Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens), with Hebe (Hebe sp.)
Azalea cultivars (Rhododendron spp.): Powdery mildew (Erysiphe azaleae)
3. And…how many of the plants are affected?
Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) Turfgrass: undetermined problem
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4. What is the pattern of damage within the population?
Normal
Red Alder (Alnus rubra)
Uniform pattern=abiotic factors (non-living) Uniform pattern 1. Entire population uniformly affected Usually the result of non-living, environmental causes Occurs over the entire population of plants, or discrete groups
Abnormal
Periwinkle (Vinca minor)
Uniform pattern=abiotic factors (non-living) 2. Same part of entire population affected
Abnormal
Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis)
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Uniform pattern=abiotic factors (non-living)
Abnormal
Foliar browning on Pinus, Rhododendron and Euonymus
Random pattern=biotic factors (diseases/pests)
Abnormal
Random pattern Occurs because of progressive spread of a living organism
Noble Fir (Abies nobilis) Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi): Black Root rot?
8 3/26/2018
Turf: Cranefly (Tipula sp.) damage Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis): spider mites
Don’t overanalyze “uniform” versus “random”
Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) near La Grande, OR Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica)
Pop Quiz: Uniform or Random?
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Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) Boxwood: Buxus sp.
5. What part or parts of the plant are affected? Just leaves?
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) Manzanita (Arctostaphylos x media): Leaf gall aphid (Tamalia cowenii)
Leaves and fruit?
Apple (Malus sp): Red Maple (Acer rubrum): Anthracnose (Kabatiella sp.) Scab (Venturia inaequalis)
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Leaves, fruit and shoots?
Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum): Mummyberry (Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi) Cherry (Prunus avium), Coryneum blight (Wilsonomyces carpophilus))
Individual stems dying back entirely? Twig or branch dieback?
Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum): Verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae) Black walnut (Juglans nigra): Thousand Cankers Disease (Geosmithia morbida)
The whole plant?
Cherry (Prunus sp.) English Walnut (Juglans regia)
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Birch: Betula utilis Red Maple (Acer rubrum): Phytophthora Canker (Phytophthora sp.)
6. What is the pattern of damage within the plant… Uniform pattern=abiotic factors (non-living)
Normal Abnormal
Uniform pattern=abiotic factors (non-living)
Abnormal Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Picea glauca ‘Conica’): sunburn
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Rhododendron (Rhododendron sp.): Nitrogen deficiency Cyclamen (Cyclamen sp.): leaf-edge chlorosis
Random pattern=biotic factors (diseases/pests)
Abnormal Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Picea glauca ‘Conica’)
Hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata): Leaf spot (Diplocarpon mespili) Weeping Cherry: (Prunus sp.)
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Pop Quiz: Uniform or Random?
Juniper Pacific Silver Fir (Juniperus sp.) Abies amabilis
European White Birch: (Betula pendula) Yew (Taxus sp.)
7. What is the pattern on the plant part?
Normal
Camperdown Elm (Ulmus glabra ‘Camperdownii’)
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Uniform pattern=abiotic factors (non-living)
Abnormal
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum): Hosta: drought stress blossom-end rot
Random pattern=biotic factors (diseases/pests)
Abnormal Rhododendron (Rhododendron sp.): Powdery mildew (Eriysiphe azaleae)
15 3/26/2018
Beets (Beta vulgaris ): Maple (Acer sp.): Bladdergall mite Leafminer (Pegomya sp.) (Vasates quadripedes)
And on conifers….
Normal Pear (Pyrus communis): Scab (Venturia pirina)
Uniform pattern=abiotic factors (non-living)
Abnormal
Weeping baldcypress (Taxodium distichum ‘Cascade Falls’)
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Random pattern=biotic factors (diseases/pests)
Abnormal
Grand Fir (Abies grandis), Phenoxy herbicide damage
Douglasfir (Pseudotsuga menziesii): Needle cast (Rhabdocline spp.) Douglasfir (Pseudotsuga menziesii): Silver-spotted Tiger Moth (Lophocampa argentata)
Pop Quiz: Uniform or Random?
Pacific Dogwood: (Cornus nuttalii) Aspen (Populus tremuloides)
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Apple (Malus domestica) Neolitsea sericea
8. When did the symptoms appear?
Apple (Malus domestica) Alstroemeria (Alstroemeria sp.): Frost damage Photo: Luanne Whitaker
Symptoms appear early in the year?
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis): cold injury
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Symptoms appear later in the year
Viburnum tinus-sunburn Cherry Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)-Shothole (Thyrostroma carpophilum)
Symptoms appear after specific event
Lilac (Syringa vulgaris): Powdery Mildew (Erysiphe syringae) Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis): spray damage by horticultural oil
9. Are the symptoms spreading, improving or constant?
2007 2009 Port Orford Cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana): Phytophthora root rot (Phytophthora spp.)
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Common Lilac Aspen (Populus tremuloides) (Syringa vulgaris) Leaf scorch
Common Lilac Common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) (Syringa vulgaris)
Symptoms stay the same
Cherry (Prunus sp.) Rosa Berries ‘N’ Cream™
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10. Are any signs of a pest present?
Damage from non-living factors will induce symptom development, but there will be no signs of a pest
Rhododendron (Rhododendron sp.): Rhododendron (Rhododendron sp.) Sunburn
Symptoms: Physical characteristics of a problem expressed by the plant.
Include: • wilting • leaf discoloration • leaf spots • leaf distortion • defoliation • galls • cankers • rots/dieback • “plant decline”
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus): wilt Holly (Ilex sp.): leaf discoloration
Western Spicebush (Calycanthus occidentalis): leaf spots Redbud (Cercis canadensis): Leaf distortion due to phenoxy herbicide
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