Field Nursery Task Calendar (3nd draft) by Mark Halcomb UT Area Nursery Specialist McMinnville, Tennessee

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Marianna Meagan Jenkins
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1 Field Nursery Task Calendar (3nd draft) by Mark Halcomb UT Area Nursery Specialist McMinnville, Tennessee Shaded tasks are expected to apply to all nursery operations. Additional information is available on most tasks by contacting Mark Halcomb at ; fax ; Recommended pesticides are listed in the appropriate publications, available at all UT county Extension offices. Pub. 1234, Disease Mgt. of Woody Ornamentals in Nurseries & Commercial Landscapes ; Pub. 1589, Commercial Insect & Mite Control for Trees, Shrubs & Flowers ; Pub. 1226, Weed Mgt in Ornamental Nursery Crops. Oct - Nov Oct - March Dec, Jan, Feb Jan,Feb,Mar Mid Feb Feb - March Possibly best period to transplant into field. Success will depend on available moisture and ability to irrigate if dry. Late Sept. can also be good. Harvest bareroot and B&B plants. Possibly 2 nd best period to transplant into field. Spray dormant oil to suffocate pine bark adelgid (white pine), mites (hemlock, arborvitae, juniper) and scale insects (euonymus). Place Ambrosia beetle traps. Check daily through April. Major pruning--best period to perform major pruning. Begin earlier if task can not be completed prior to April 1st. Prune--Establish central leaders in trees. Shape evergreens. Shear Foster & other upright hollies. Spray pre-emergence herbicides to prevent summer annuals. Apply to clean, freshly cultivated & hoed ground. Test irrigation water when levels are high. Ryegrass Spray with Envoy, Fusilade or Vantage. Stick field-stuck cuttings. 1

2 Feb - March Feb - April Feb 15 to 30 Plum & cherry-- Black Knot; prune & remove. Apples Graft Thistles--Spot spray with Roundup. Fertilize--Apply annual maintenance application. March Possibly 3rd best period to transplant into field. Success dependant on available moisture & ability to irrigate throughout summer. Later is suicide without irrigation. Dogwood--Plan frost protection for dogwood seedlings. Install some types. Cut tops from dormant budded seedlings. Pear--Cut callery pear tops from dormant budded seedlings. Prepare to install gro-straight to avoid dog-leg. Shade trees Cut back 1or 2 year old seedling shade trees to produce straight leaders. March, April Early April April Plum Black Knot; at bud swell, spray to prevent. Check Ambrosia beetle traps daily through April. Record and post all pesticide applications. Replace filters in respirators and tractor cabs (charcoal) for safer breathing during pesticide applications. Dogwood Frost damage; Protect dogwood seedlings. Dogwood Damping-Off; Drench dogwood seedlings with Cleary s + Subdue MAXX. Malus Scab; spray susceptible cultivars 4+ times, at 7-14 day intervals, beginning at green tip. Malus & Pyrus Fireblight; Spray to prevent (Streptomycin at 20% bloom, repeat 5-7 day intervals during bloom. Weekly for 5-6 weeks.) Plum Black Knot; at pink bud, spray to prevent. Repeat at full bloom. 2

3 April April - Sept April - Sept Red maple Tip borer; Spray Talstar when the 2 nd pair of leaves are size of dime. Malus Aphids; Scout & spray foliage. Summer Pruning Spray Cleary s 3336F (20 fl. oz./100 gallons or 3.75 tsp./3 gal) onto tree trunks following major pruning or limbing up before wounds dry, to avoid possible infection by a canker disease. Avoid stress with timely irrigation. Waiting can cause cankers, borers, reduced growth and even death. Mid April Ash Lilac borer & banded ash clearwing borer; Spray to protect. Mid April - Early May Apples & crabapples--cedar Apple Rust; spray susceptible cultivars 3-4 times, at 7-14 day intervals, beginning with new growth. Late April April, May Dogwood Dogwood borers; Wet trunks from 2 sides with hand-gun or back-pack. Plum Black Knot; Spray 2 to 3 weeks after full bloom. Scout dogwood seedlings & liners for spot anthracnose (crinkle leaf), callery pear seedlings and 1 st year buds for Entomosporium leaf spot May Malus, Pyrus, plum, quince, spirea, serviceberry, pyracantha, hawthorne, mtn. ash Scout for Fireblight. Scout conifers for mites, crape myrtle foliage for a leaf eating beetle, maple, oak, & dogwood for leafhoppers & thrips, willows for leaf beetles, tulip poplar for yellow poplar weevils white pine for pine bark adelgids. Plant a sorghum-sudangrass hybrid on vacant blocks to increase organic matter once incorporated. May,June,July Apply Marathon to soil around plants to be shipped to JB free areas with TDA supervision. 3

4 Mid May Spray newly planted maple & oak to prevent flatheaded apple tree borers. Wet trunks from 2 sides with hand-gun or back-pack. Dogwood Powdery mildew; Begin spraying young dogwoods, buds and seedlings every 2 weeks to prevent mildew. June 1 June Apple & crabapple 1 st year plants -- Southern Blight; prevent with Contrast 70 WSP or Terraclor with coarse spray to lower stem & root zone. Fact sheet available with details. Scout untreated Malus for Southern Blight, conifers for bagworms, oak for oak psyllid causing new foliage to wad up. Peach Bud. June - Aug 15 June - Aug Spray Japanese beetle adults where necessary. For White Fringed Beetle adults, spray every 10 days. Keep borders mowed. Re-apply pre-emergence herbicide 90 days after previous application. Plan for fall or early winter application. Cut the sorghum-sudangrass hybrid. June - Sept. Clear blocks of remaining culls, soil test, collect nematode samples, plow, and prepare for planting. June 15 to 30 Late June June 20-July 10 July Fertilize This is the recommended time to apply the 2 nd annual maintenance application, assuming the 1 st application was applied in late Feb. or so. Spray newly planted maple & oak to prevent flatheaded apple tree borers. Wet trunks from 2 sides with hand-gun or back-pack. White pine Prune. Plant nutrition Do not apply dry fertilizer after July 1. We do not wish to invite freeze injury if early freeze occurs. Liquid fertilizer applications may be made up until Sept. 15 without injury. 4

5 July July 14 July - Sept Scout conifers for bagworms &mites, oaks for oak psyllid causing new foliage to wad up, red maples for leafhoppers causing hopper burn: short internodes, cupping, & marginal foliar burn. Apple & crabapple 1 st year plants -- Southern Blight; 2 nd application for maximum protection to high value crops. See June 1 above. Peach Take nematode samples where peach will be planted. Soil test a portion of blocks to be planted next season. Can be done any time of year. Foliar burn is more likely when the temperature. + humidity exceeds 140 and when tank mixing more than 1 pesticide with liquid fertilizer. Two E.C. formulations (liquids) increase chance. Use 1 dry formulation if possible. Irrigate if needed. Avoid unnecessary cultivation during drought that encourages moisture loss. Haul clean, dry, triple rinsed plastic pesticide containers to area below Warren Co. Fairgrounds every Wed. County Sanitation dept. personnel will be present Fumigate propagation beds before soil temperatures drop, preparing for fall or spring sticking. Peach Fumigate blocks to be planted in peach seed. Mid July Dogwoods dogwood borers; wet trunks from 2 sides with hand-gun or back-pack. Ash Lilac borer & banded ash clearwing borer; spray to prevent. August Pruning Avoid heavy pruning Aug, Sept, & Oct because new growth may not harden sufficiently to avoid early cold injury. Plow the sorghum-sudangrass hybrid under. Broadcast lbs per acre to speed decomposition. Aug - Sept Peach Take soil samples to be tested for nematodes where peach seed will be planted. A portion can be sent for soil analysis. 5

6 Aug - Sept 15 Aug 15 - Sept 15 Aug 15 - Sept 30 Sept Dogwood Bud. Pear Bud. Drill Crimson Red Clover into row middles. Inoculate seed. Avoid small liners or 1 st yr. buds. Fescue can be drilled into row middles for a permanent cover instead of clover, which is not permanent. Roadways & waterways Use no-till drill to re-establish fescue. For White Fringed Beetle adults, spray every 14 days. Keep borders mowed. Spray fescue & perennial weeds before plowing new blocks. Two split applications are generally more effective than one. The second application should be made after some regrowth occurs. Gramoxone can be more effective than Roundup. Test irrigation water when levels are low. Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec Spray pre-emergence herbicides to prevent winter annuals, which are mostly broadleaves. Princep (Simazine) or Gallery are effective on the broadleaf weeds. Add Surflan, Pendulum or Barricade where ryegrass is a problem. Apply to clean, freshly cultivated & hoed ground. Sept 15 Liquid fertilizer applications may be made up until Sept. 15 without injury. Sept 15 - Oct Dogwood Pick or buy dogwood seed. Don t pick too early. Bareroot Storage Dig trenches on a slope to store bareroot outside if space will be limited. Clean & disinfect bareroot storage facilities with bleach. Oct - Nov Nov Peach - Plant peach seed. Dogwood Plant dogwood seed. Root prune dormant, budded dogwood seedlings, prior to a rain. Bareroot Storage Periodically clean, disinfect bareroot storage facilities, tables, tools with bleach; spray roots with Cleary s as needed. 6

7 Nov Gather & secure liquid pesticides to prevent freezing. Store dry formulations of pesticides in the dry. Winterize irrigation systems, sprayer tanks & pumps. Nov Late Nov - late Dec Check, drain or replace antifreeze in all vehicles. Kerb is best applied now, if used. Comm/Calendar/calendar-field task

Additional information is available by Linking to the Middle Tenn Nursery Production Web site

Additional information is available by Linking to the Middle Tenn Nursery Production Web site Container Nursery Task Calendar by Mark Halcomb, UT Extension Area Nursery Specialist, McMinnville, Tenn and Dr. Donna Fare, Research Horticulturist, U.S. National Arboretum, McMinnville, Tenn. Revised