Question

1. Under the UC Guide to Healthy Lawns: List 5 common turf diseases and the cause of each.

2. Under the UC Guide to Healthy Lawns: List 5 common turf insects and list the damage each may cause.

3. Under the UC Guide to Healthy Lawns: What are the symptoms of compaction?

4. Under Trees & Shrubs: What is Black Spot on Roses? How can Black Spot be managed?

5. Under Trees & Shrubs: What do Gall Mites do to Camellias?

6. Under Trees & Shrubs: What causes Anthracnose on Sycamores? Is anthracnose fatal?

7. Under Insects, mites, mollusks, and nematodes: What is the difference between an Argentine Ant and a Carpenter Ant?

8. Under Insects, mites, mollusks, and nematodes: What is a Firebrat? What damage do they do?

9. Under Insects, mites, mollusks, and nematodes: What type of damage is caused by Boxelder Bugs? How should Boxelder Bugs be managed?

10. Under Insects, mites, mollusks, and nematodes: What is the importance of Millipedes and Centipedes?

Answer 1

1. Under the UC Guide to Healthy Lawns:

The 5 common turf diseases are :

a. Dollar spot

Pathogen: Sclerotinia homeocarpa, Lanzia sp., Moellerodiscus sp.

Conditions favoring disease: moderate temperatures (60°–80°F); excess moisture or water stress; fog; thatch; survives in soil as hard, dark structures (sclerotia)

b. Fairy ring

Pathogen: Agrocybe spp., Marasmius oreades, Lepiota spp., other Basidiomycete spp.

Conditions favoring disease: soils high in thatch or undecomposed organic matter containing lignin

c. Fusarium blight

Pathogen: Fusarium culmorum,
F. tricinctum

Conditions favoring disease: daytime temperatures of 85°–95°F; drought-stressed areas in full sun; survives in thatch and grass residues

d. Gray leaf spot

Pathogen: Pyriculria grisea

Conditions favoring disease: daytime temperatures of 85°–95°F; high humidity or rainfall; overwatered and overfertilized turf

e. Microdochium patch (pink snow mold)

Pathogen: Microdochium nivale

Conditions favoring disease: consistently cool temperatures (40°–65°F) and wet conditions; high nitrogen applications in fall; neutral or alkaline soil pH; pathogen survives in grass residues

2. Under the UC Guide to Healthy Lawns:

5 common turf insects are :

a. Pathogen: Bipolaris spp. and Helminthosporium spp.

Disease : Leaf spot

b. Pathogen: Pythium spp.

Disease : Pythium blight (Grease spot)

c. Pathogen: Rhizoctonia solani AG1-A, AG 3

Disease : Rhizoctonia blight

d. Pathogen: Rhizoctonia solani AG 2-2LP

Disease: Rhizoctonia large patch

e. Pathogen: Laetisaria fuciformis

Disease : Red thread

3.  Under the UC Guide to Healthy Lawns:

The symptoms of compaction are :

Areas with high traffic or high clay content often become compacted. Where soil is compacted, thin spots or completely bare areas may develop and broad leaf weeds or annual grasses often invade. Compacted soils are difficult to penetrate with a soil probe or screwdriver.

4.  Under Trees & Shrubs:

Black spot is a fungal disease that affects roses. The fungus develops as black spots on the leaves, which eventually causes the leaves to turn yellow and drop off.

Black Spot can be managed by : Baking Soda Spray – Mix 1 tablespoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon cooking oil in 1 gallon of water. Place in spray bottle or tank sprayer and apply liberally on roses. Repeat as needed.

5. Under Trees & Shrubs:

Camellia gall mites are tiny insect pests that create blistered leaves or galled twigs on infected plants. These mites on camellias also cause a slowdown in the development of the flower buds. The buds often open later than expected if they open at all. Many turn brown and drop off the plant before they bloom. If the populations get high, you might observe webbing on the foliage.

6. Under Trees & Shrubs:

Sycamore anthracnose is a disfiguring disease of sycamore and plane trees caused by the fungus Apiognomonia veneta. The fungus spreads from infected to healthy trees as spores carried by the wind or rain.

Anthracnose is seldom fatal but disfigures and weakens the tree, making it a likely target for other deadly diseases or damaging pests.

7. Under Insects, mites, mollusks, and nematodes:

a.Argentine ants are tiny, with the workers typically measuring less than 1/10-inch long.

Carpenter ants are larger in size.

b.  Argentine ants rarely fight with other colonies of their species and are highly social with other Argentine Ant colonies, which has made it easy for them to breed and expand rapidly.

Carpenter ants primarily eat other insects and plant juices and they make their colony inside the structure

c. Argentine ants will nest in and around human homes and offices, in cracks in foundation or siding, gaps in walls or in cluttered parts of homes.

Carpenter Ants are extremely destructive pests, burrowing deep into the wood of various structures by chewing the woods, to make their nests and look for food.

8.  Under Insects, mites, mollusks, and nematodes:

Firebrats are insects in the Lepismatildae family. Lepismatildae insects are commonly referred to as “bristletails,” because of the three, prong or tail-like bristles on their abdomens. The insects grow to around 12mm (0.4 inches) long, though their bristles and antennae make them appear longer. Bristletails have flat, long bodies with clearly segmented sections. These segments are covered in small scales, giving bristletails an armored appearance.

Firebrats will not physically harm humans or animals, they will damage wallpaper, book bindings, paper goods and some dry food. Firebrats may also eat small holes in fabrics including linen, cotton, and silk.

9. Under Insects, mites, mollusks, and nematodes:

Boxelder Bugs feeds on the seeds of boxelder, maple, or ash trees.  They can leave unsightly stains  in screens, under doors, around windows, or through cracks and crevices in need of caulking and sealing.

Prevention : Boxelder bugs do not cause significant damage to landscape plants, and management need only be directed at keeping them out of homes, where they may become a nuisance. If boxelder bugs frequently invade homes, seal up entry points such as cracks and screen windows and doors. Sanitation practices such as vacuuming can be used to reduce population numbers, but vigilance may be required during fall migration. Outdoors, eliminate hiding places and debris and consider removing female boxelder trees. Insecticide use is rarely justified.

10.  Under Insects, mites, mollusks, and nematodes:

Millipedes is one of nature's best composters--eating decaying plants and returning the organic matter to the soil.These millipedes have a mouthpart that has been changed or "modified" so that they can remove organic clay, and limestone particles from the moist surfaces of rock inside caves. They clean the limestone and clay of plant materials like mold, that would grow quickly anywhere that there was light in a cave.

House centipedes are actually beneficial because they capture flies, cockroaches, and other small household pests. They never damage plants or household items.