Page 3 - 2015 Summer Gazette
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When Problems Sneak Into Your Retail Display,

Be Ready With Effective Solutions

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By Tami Van Gaal, GGSPro Technical Specialist

                             With the spring season still fresh on our        coleus. Alude and Fosphite are effective and include many edibles
                             minds, now is the time to reflect on some        on their labels. Segway (ornamentals only) and Ranman (some
                             common disease and pest problems that            edibles) are also extremely effective curative options, but both
                             occur in the garden center, recognize which      have a 12-hour REI.
                             problems touched your store, and identify
                             solutions to quickly treat and control these     Several insect pests can quickly decrease salability. With some
                             problems in the future.                          planning, biological control agents (BCAs) can be effective,
                                                                              generally when pest pressure is low. See Rick Yates' BCA article
                             Ideal solutions for the retail environment will  in this issue of the Gazette to see if BCAs might be right for you.
                             be fast and effective with a short REI, have
                             labels including edibles and ornamentals,        When pest pressure is too high for control with BCAs, we must
present no/minimal odor and residue, bring no risk of burn or other           achieve control with sprays. Highly visible aphids are quickly
phyto, and will not present a residual bee hazard. It’s a tall order,         treated with TriStar (which includes many edibles on the label).
but we have solutions that fit the bill for some of the most common           A tank mix of Botanigard and Azatin O (substitute Azaguard
diseases and pests.                                                           or Molt-X) will also provide control and can be used on nearly
                                                                              all crops.
The main foliar disease encountered in garden centers is Botrytis.
This ubiquitous disease requires humid/moist conditions and can               Watch for spider mites on roses, mandevillas, ipomea, geraniums
attack both dying and healthy foliage and floral tissue, producing            and New Guinea impatiens. Spider mites are a perfect candidate
characteristic gray, fluffy sporulation. Botrytis attacks healthy             for BCAs. Phytoseiulus persimilis, a predatory mite, ships
tissue with as little as four hours of free moisture. Therefore,              overnight and will swiftly control spider mite hot spots. Chemical
to greatly reduce this risk, avoid wet foliage and flowers going              control is more challenging due to concerns about bloom safety
into night. Bloom-safe options for control on certain edibles and             and REI. Suffoil-X can be used on all edibles, but is not safe for
ornamentals include Affirm (no herbs or leafy greens) and ZeroTol             open blooms. Shuttle O has some edibles on the label, but has a
2.0. Cease has a strong track record for prevention. Pageant                  12 hour REI.
Intrinsic is effective and includes tomatoes on the label, but also
presents a 12-hour REI.                                                       Open flowers provide thrips a good source of food and great hiding
                                                                              spots against sprays. Predatory mites, Amblyseius cucumeris,
Powdery mildew also occurs in the garden center, especially on                can be used for control when applied weekly. If chemical control is
sensitive crops like gerbera, dahlia and calibrachoa. Look for white          needed, turn to a tank mix of Botanigard and Azatin O (substitute
film-like sporulation on the upper leaf surfaces. Powdery mildew              Azaguard or Molt-X) for labels including most edibles and
develops best under high humidity with dry tissue. Decrease                   short REIs.
humidity to avoid the disease. Affirm provides good curative control
(no herbs or leafy greens), while Regalia PTO does a spectacular              Always remember to read and follow the entire label, especially
job for prevention. Regalia PTO is not labeled for edibles in NY              when treating edible crops. Chemical treatment options expand a
(substitute Cease).                                                           bit when edibles are not part of the picture. Contact GGSPro for
                                                                              more information and personalized solutions.
Downy mildew remains a serious problem for impatiens in many
areas of the country. If you continue to offer Impatiens walleriana,            Photo Listings:
purchase products from growers practicing very strong prevention,               1. Powdery mildew on calibrachoa
which should include a drench of Subdue MAXX just before the                    2. Botrytis on geranium
plants ship to your garden center. Immediately remove and dump                  3. Spider mite damage on dahlia
(off-site) any impatiens infected with the disease. Contact GGSPro              4. Botrytis stem canker on zinnia
for advice on follow up sanitation. Remember that a few other
crops are also sensitive to downy mildew, including basil and

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