Scouting for Hessian Fly in Georgia

Now is the time in central and southern Georgia to check susceptible wheat for Hessian fly infestation. Hessian fly is most in the pupal (flax seed stage) and will be emerging and laying eggs over the next few weeks.

It may be feasible to control or at least suppress re-infestation of Hessian fly in susceptible fields by a well-timed insecticide treatment of Karate
Z. This requires scouting and assessing the level of infestation.

This new guide provides photos and information for sampling and making a treatment decision.

Scouting for Hessian Fly in Georgia and Alabama

UGA Wheat Production Page

-David Buntin, Grain Crop Entomologist

What's A Fair Pasture Rental Rate?

How do you figure a fair rental price for pasture land?

You can use these publications from the Ohio Extension and North Dakota Extension offices to help you determine what a fair price to rent pasture land.

Ohio State Extension Publication:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/fr-fact/0008.html

North Dakota Extension Publication:
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/hay/r1092w.htm

Storm information available + Health Department waving well water tests

For those of you in counties effected by last night’s storms, remember there is information available for you on the Natural Disasters In Georgia Web site at http://www.caes.uga.edu/topics/disasters/

The Thomas County Health Department is waving well water tests (bacteria) for those that have had damage to wells from this mornings storm. Please contact the Thomas County Health Department 229.226.4241

Walk Georgia Registration opens this Sunday

The spring session of Walk Georgia will open for registration this Sunday, February 15. Registration will be open through March 9. Activity may be logged March 1 – April 25, so dust off your walking shoes (or tune up your bike, or pump up your basketball) and join us as we explore our great state.

Participate as an individual or build your dream team and get registered at www.walkgeorgia.org. For those of you that completed last year’s survey, thank you for your thoughts and suggestions. We have incorporated many of your ideas and look forward to hearing from you at the close of the spring 2009 session.

For more information, contact your local University of Georgia Cooperative Extension office at 1-800-ASK-UGA1 or email walkga@uga.edu.

To get started, go to the Walk Georgia website starting Sunday and create your account.
www.walkgeorgia.org

Move more and enjoy living more!

The Walk Georgia Task Force

Thomas County Extension Conducting Pesticide Training Class

Thomas County Extension will have a pesticide training class coming up on March 3rd, Tuesday, starting at 9 AM until 12 AM.

This training program is designed for: New private pesticide license applicants and as a continuing education credit for private and commercial license. This class is typically for individuals in the agriculture sector, such as farming, landscaping, or forestry.

The program agenda will be:
8:30 Registration Check In
9:00 Pesticides
11:00 Break
11:15 Application Equipment
11:45 Test for new private pesticide license
12:00 End of program

Registration for the program is $5, and the deadline to registration is Friday, February 27th. Space is limited, so please reserve your spot by contacting the office at 229.225.4130 or email us at uge4275@uga.edu with the subject - Pesticide Training. The office is located at 227 West Jefferson Street, across from the library.

The University of Georgia Thomas County Extension service is an educational organization provided by the U.S. government, the state government through the University of Georgia and the Thomas County government. Anyone interested in more information can visit the website www.thomascountyextension.com.

Growing Bigleaf Hydrangea

Bigleaf hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla, also called French, Japanese or Snowball hydrangea, is both a florist plant and landscape plant in Georgia. Often purchased as a gift plant from florists, bigleaf hydrangea can be transplanted to the landscape for repeat blooms each year. Homeowners delight in changing the flower color from pink to blue or from blue to pink by adjusting the pH of their soil.

Check here for the Hydrangea publication.

Thinking of planting some Flowering Perennials?

With spring around the corner, you might be thinking of planting the flower bed soon.

Check out University of Georgia Horticulture specialist Dr. Paul Thomas's publication -
Flowering Perennials for Georgia Gardens

Here is a sample of the publication:
"Plants are classed according to their growth cycle as annuals, biennials or perennials. Annuals are short-lived plants that complete their entire life cycle within one growing season. Biennials normally do not bloom until the second season, form seeds and then die. Perennials live from year to year, with varying bloom times.

Perennials are also classed as woody (trees and shrubs that produce woody above-ground stems and branches that live from year to year) or herbaceous (plants that produce comparatively soft tissues which often die back to ground level at the end of the growing season). Herbaceous perennials persist by means of various underground storage structures—bulbs, corms, tubers, tuberous stems, tuberous roots and crowns.

The distinction between annuals and perennials, woody and herbaceous, is not always sharply defined because climate influences growth potential. Further, those biennials and perennials that bloom the first year along with tender perennials (those actually killed by frost) are often treated as annuals in the landscape.

This publication is devoted specifically to herbaceous perennials (subsequently referred to simply as perennials), primarily to those that persist from crowns and/or fleshy roots. For information on bulbous-type herbaceous perennials (daffodil, canna, dahlia, etc.), refer to Extension bulletin 918, Flowering Bulbs for Georgia Gardens. "

Deciduous Tree ID in Winter

The University of Florida/IFAS – Leon Co Extension is offering a Tree ID Lab in Tallahassee, FL.

If you would like more info about the program you can call Genice Harris at 850-606-5202 or harrisg@leoncountyfl.gov by Mon 2 Feb, or you can also call the UGA Thomas County Extension Office, R.J. Byrne, at 229.225.4130 or uge4275@uga.edu

Due to the popularity of our annual late summer/early fall Tree ID Lab with foliated specimens, we’re offering for the 3rd year a similar program on identifying deciduous trees in winter, using twigs, buds, bark & form. The program will entail an indoor lab and field hike. Our goal is to teach you how to identify about 50 of N FL’s most prevalent deciduous species. We will use fresh specimens in our indoor lab. Bring a hand lens or magnifying glass.

Wednesday 4 February
9:00 – 12:00 am
Leon Extension AuditoriumTwig & Bud Indoor Lab

Monday 9 February
1:00 – 4:00 pm
Elinor-Klapp Phipps ParkBark & Form Field Hike

Free for UF Extension volunteers (Master Wildlife Conservationists and Master Gardeners)

$20 total for professionals (materials, CEUs, Certificate of Completion for attending all 6 hours of training)

$10 total for citizens (materials and Certificate of Completion for attending all 6 hours of training)

Contact Genice Harris at 850-606-5202 or harrisg@leoncountyfl.gov by Mon 2 Feb to register for either or both events, and for CEUs