September, 2003

CALENDAR

-Thursday August 28-October 2 (each Thursday), Certified Plant Professional Training, 9 AM until 4 PM. Call 252-237-0113 for registration form.

-Wednesday, September 17: Herb Training in Plymouth. This class is being offered to people interested in getting into herb production (field grown). If you or you know of someone who is interested please call me at 237-0113.

-Thursday, October 2: Landscape Contractor Exam in Greenville.

-Friday, October 3: Certified Plant Professional exam in Greenville.

WILSON COUNTY FAIR - GREEN ASSOCIATION SHOWCASE

For our new members or for those businesses that have never taken advantage of this free way to market their services the Green Association has a room off the exhibit hall to display plants or other services. Two veteran displayers are Border Magic and Smith Evergreen Nursery. I am sure they would be happy to tell you more about this marketing opportunity.

The upcoming Wilson County Fair is scheduled for September 16 - 21, 2003. Exhibit booths ca be put in on Sunday, September 14 from 1:00 - 6:00 p.m., and on Monday, September 15 from 8:00 - 11:00 a.m. There is a possibility that some of you may want to put up your booth on Saturday, September 13. If so, you will have to contact Dave Allgood at the fair grounds (237-8443) and make sure someone will be out there to let you in the exhibit hall.

The Fire Department will not let paper be used on the backs, sides or bottoms of the booths. You can use paper posters, lettering, etc. You CANNOT use pine straw, wheat straw or dried cornstalks unless sprayed with retardant.

Please call the Wilson County Extension office 237-0113 if you have any questions.

FALL WEBWORMS

I don't know about you but I am getting a lot of calls on fall webworms. Fall webworms are hairy caterpillars that make webs at the tips of branches. They feed on over 600 kinds of trees, shrubs and plants but prefer pecan, persimmon, sourwood, and willow.

They typically cause cosmetic damage and can be messy if tree overhangs house, deck or parking area. Because webs are so high in the tree spraying is impractical.

Fall webworms pupae and the cocoons fall to the ground to overwinter. One way to try to reduce next year's population is to rake and remove mulch and leaves, then apply new mulch.

If trees are small pull down webs by wrapping the web around a broom handle and step on the caterpillars.

If spraying use a BT product such as Dipel.

If you want a fact sheet on Fall webworms call me at 237-0113. If one of your clients wants the fact sheet have them call the Master Gardeners on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays from 1-3 PM and they will mailed one out to them.

WEBSITE

My website has been updated and has plant of the month articles with pictures, newsletters and newspaper articles. Please check it out. There even is a Wilson County Green Association link. If anyone has ideas on how to improve the GA link or is capable of making web pages please let Cyndi know.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/wilson/staff/clauderd/index.html

GA TOUR

I would like to thank Jay Horton, Barnes Thompson, and Gaye Moore for giving us tours of their properties.

I would also like to thank Harvey Edwards for landscaping two sites so wonderfully in the past that they are still gems today.

I would like to recognize the homeowners who let us view their gardens Edna Earle Boykin and Billy and Maggie Lamm. Thank you!

I also would like to thank Wesly Ferrell for picking up and delivering the lunches and to the GA as a whole for paying for the lunches.

About 16 people went on the 2003 GA Summer Tour.

-Thursday, August 21-23, Summer Green Show, Greensboro Coliseum. Call 252-237-0113 for registration form

-Tuesday, August 26, Wilson County Green Association Summer Tour, 9 AM until noon. Lunch will be provided to those who call 252-237-0113 and RSVP by August 20.

-Thursday August 28-October 2 (each Thursday), Certified Plant Professional Training, 9 AM until 4 PM. Call 252-237-0113 for registration form.

-Wednesday, September 3, Johnston County Educational Workshops, held at the Pitt County Extension Center, 9 AM until 5 PM. For more information call 919-816-9119. Speakers include Danny Lauderdale, Tony Avent, Fred Yelverton, Art Bruneau, and Ted Bilderback.

(The use of trade names in this publication does not constitute endorsement of one product to the exclusion of similarly labelled products.)

This page was created by Cyndi Lauderdale, Agricultural Extension Agent.

Date Created: 10/08/2003.