No. 11/July 7, 2015

Phosphorus Law Reminder for Illinois Turf Managers
Are you an applicator for hire who applies fertilizer to lawns? Does the fertilizer you use contain phosphorus? If so, you need to be aware of legislation that can affect you. In 2010, Illinois Legislature passed a bill that restricts any applicator for hire from applying phosphorus-containing fertilizers to a lawn unless a recently conducted soil test indicates a phosphorus (P) deficiency.

Rain and Plants
Plants need water to grow, but too much water can be as bad as too little, and in some cases, maybe even more problematic. Several things occur when there's too much moisture for plants.

Last Weekly Issue
This is the last weekly issue of the Home, Yard, and Garden Pest Newsletter for 2015. We will continue to publish issues every other week through September. We reduce the frequency of issues during July, August, and September due to typically lower rainfall resulting in fewer disease problems and reduced weed growth. Insect and disease damage is less harmful to plant health due to reduced energy production by leaves after July 1.

Fourlined Plant Bug
Fourlined plant bug, Poecilocapsus lineatus, is a pest each year on a variety of herbaceous plants. Damage appears as contorted leaves with brown to black spots. Frequently, the spots are numerous enough to coalesce into large areas that may consume half or more of the leaf.

Yellow Poplar Weevil
Yellow poplar weevil, Odontopus calceatus, also known as the sassafras weevil, magnolia leafminer, and tuliptree leafminer is numerous this year. Keep an eye out for it in southern Illinois.

Magnolia Scale
Magnolia scale, Neolecanium carnuparvum, is common this year in northern and central Illinois. It attacks star magnolia, Magnolia stellata; cucumbertree magnolia, M. acuminate; saucer magnolia, M. soulangiana; and lily magnolia, M. quinquepeta.

Verticillium Wilt of Woody Ornamentals
There are over 300 hosts for Verticillium wilt, though that includes both woody and herbaceous plants. Common woody hosts in Illinois include maple, ash, elm, redbud, smoke tree, tulip tree, and oaks in the red oak group. There are a number of species of Verticillium which cause the wilt disease, with different species or strains of the pathogen exhibiting distinct host plant preferences.