Question:
My husband has removed several branches from out Pear tree that have turned brown. What should we spray the tree to prevent this from reoccurring?Answer:
- Fireblight is the name of the disease that causes the random branches of both fruiting and non-fruiting pear trees to turn brown and die. It also affects Pyracantha, Photinia, Apple trees and others.
- For most, pruning out the damaged branches is the most feasible answer than spraying.
- However, with this disease, you should sterilize your pruning equipment after every cut with Lysol or rubbing alcohol.
- This prevents spreading the disease to other parts of the tree. Your husband probably didn't do this, as is not a standard pruning precaution.
- Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do now. If the problem repeats itself, I’d prune out dieback and sterilize the equipment after every cut.
Note:
Question:
I’ve been noticing moths circling my lawn and there are patches of dead grass. Do I have a Lawn Moth problem? Is there any connection between this moth and the one that causes wormy apples?Answer:
- There is no connection between Lawn Moth and the Coddling Moth that produces wormy apples. They're different species with different hosts and life cycles.
- The adult lawn moth is a white or brownish colored moth that hovers over the grass in the late afternoon or early evening laying eggs.
- The eggs hatch into a larva called the Sod Webworm. It’s the Sod Webworm that does all the damage not the moth. They're a grayish color and about three quarter of an inch long.
- The damage always starts next to a hot, dry area like a sidewalk, cement walkway or driveway. These are usually areas under stress from heat and or water. It would be very unusual for it to start in the center of a lawn.
- Hence, I wouldn't expect to see this problem along the coast but inland were it’s hotter and drier. A key characteristic of the Sod Webworm is that the grass starts to thin out instead of dying in patches.
- The turf literally goes bald.
- Here is a simple test you can do to detect Sod Webworms. You section off several areas of the lawn into two foot by two foot square with stakes and twine and be sure to have one section that is unaffected. In a bucket of water mix two to four tablespoons of a liquid detergent per gallon of water, and saturate the two-foot square sections.
- The solution will agitate the worms forcing them to the surface in about fifteen minutes. If nothing happens then Lawn Moth/Sod Webworms isn’t the problem.
- I should also note that Lawn Moth hasn’t been a problem in recent years. So, I’d take a representative sample of the problem to your favorite garden center to help figure it out. The sample should be two inches by two inches and about a one inch deep.
- For a comparison, take a sample from a good area and one that is damaged. These samples can be put back into there respective location when you’re done.