In the Extension office this time of year, we often receive calls from concerned people wondering if they had missed the timing for dormant oil application to fruit trees.  When asked why they can’t apply dormant oil, the answer is always “because it’s not the dormant season now!”  They are relieved to hear the answer I give them of “have no fear and confidently spray away”!  Then the discussions begin, “then why is it called a dormant oil spray if that doesn’t matter!”

 

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The Ohio Department of Agriculture along with USDA_APHIS is asking Ohioans to please send in information on unsolicited seeds. Earlier this week the ODA distributed the release that included a BYGL Alert.

Check out this week's OSU Turf Team Times recorded on Friday, April 11, 2025. Contributor's include: Pamela Sherratt; Dr. David Gardner; Dr. Shaohui Wu; Dr. Shetlar; and Dr. Ed Nangle.

Recently, OSU's State Fruit Pathologist and Fresh Produce Safety Specialist, posted a guide for Disease Management in Home Strawberry Plantings. The resource is available on the web, and you will also see guides for home apple and grape disease management as well.

Welcome back to the OSU Turf Team Times - your go to resource for turf information in Ohio. This is the recording from Friday, March 28, 2025. We are in the early season and this turf resource will be recorded every other week for awhile. After checking out this recording, watch for a BYGL Alert sharing the next recording this Friday, April 11, 2025.

Arborvitae is a plant that is widely used as an evergreen hedge or screen. Some are suffering or completely dead. What can be done?

As temperatures warm, Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) (SLF) eggs laid last fall will begin to hatch later this spring. The National Phenology Network is forecasting SLF egg hatch in North America based on growing degree day (GDD), base 50F. The map below was captured on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. You can continue to monitor the USA NPN website for SLF egg hatch at: https://usanpn.org/data/maps/forecasts/spotted_lanternfly

Bamboo is used to create beautiful furniture and other products for homes. These products often originate offshore and may come with a surprise. Here's another example of how these ‘guests' ended up in the United States.

Just in time for the upcoming season, Ohio State University Extension's FactSheet, How and Why to Hire an Arborist, has been updated and is posted on the Ohioline website. The updates include information about the different types of arborists and the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ). There are also links to additional references and resources on the subject.

As weather warms...and it will - the calendar says it is officially spring - people will hopefully be spending an increasing amount of time outdoors. As they are outside, they may notice some things that they had not observed last year, and it may catch them by surprise and they may begin seeking answers. We had just the situation in the OSU Lucas County Extension office when a resident stopped by to ask what happened to their tree over the winter.  Their verbal description of "vertical raised lines" on the main trunk of some of their trees in their landscape, and photos on their cell phone...