Yaacov's blog

We asked the experts at Davey Tree on twitter what they thought the top 5 pests and diseases to look out for in 2010 and here's are the threats you should be monitoring in your garden.

Apple Scab

2009 was a bad year for apple scab which means there is plenty of innoculum laying around on old leaves that if we have a wet spring apple scab could come back with a vengence. The easiest and safest way to reduce the risk of apple scab is to get rid of any leaves that are on the ground. Scab spores generally travel less than 100 feet so compost or haul the leaves away and there should be little to worry about.

Big Pests AKA Deer and rodents

Early snow fall and cold temperatures are forcing animals to scavenge from shrubs and trees for any nourishment as most of their normal food sources are buried under snow. Watch out for field mice nesting under newly planted trees.

Emerald Ash Borer and Pine Bark Borer

Drought stressed trees are especially susceptible to damage from boring insects as they have less energy to defend themselves by producing defensive chemicals and heal from insect damage.

Anthracnose

 Another fungal disease which damages new shoots, leaves and even whole branches. Look out for small black, brown or tan spots on new leaves and cankers on larger branches. The best way to prevent anthracnose is to keep your trees well pruned with lots of airflow so the fungus has a hard time spreading. Also prune out small infected twigs before they spread to larger branches.

Root Rot

The most common reason poorly planted trees and shrubs die. Anytime your garden gets too much rain or irrigation and your plants are sitting in wet soil or clay for a long time is when you should worry about root rot. Sloppy planting such as planting a tree with the top of it's root ball well below the surface in heavy clay soil is just asking for trouble. Walk around your yard and look for low lying areas. Keep a close eye on anything planted there after a big rain and always turn off your irrigation when it's raining.

Location

It's true, admission is free and on most freezing cold days you'll have the place all to yourself. Details at Free winter weekdays at BBG.

New Jersey plants already got more than enough water earlier in the year causing problems with both ornamental gardens and vegetable gardens. Anyone still have vegetables thriving? I've seen plenty of NJ lawns with lawn mower ruts from heady riding mowers being used after a rain.

Today brings even more rains, but at least the temperatures have moderated. This means LOW risk of more fungus problems. Too bad most tomatoes have already bit the dust. How about some fall vegetables?

Here are a few of my favorites: Brussels sprouts, cabbage, endive, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, leeks, pumpkins (and pumpkin pie), spinach and zucchini.

To celebrate this rainy day, I'm looking looking for some great recipes to use with these vegetables. How about some potato leek soup?

Here's a little blog about perennials. They're great because they're low maintenance, survive the winter and come in tons of different sizes and colors. Did I mention the foliage? Big leaves little leaves all different color leaves.