Four Lined Plant Bugs Emerging in Lavender – May 15, 2024

Four lined plant bugs are emerging now in southern areas and will be emerging over the next week or two further north. Look for curling and spotting on the tops of the new shoots and small bright red nymphs that hide behind leaves as you approach the plant. Now is the best time to try to manage the insects before they cause significant damage. If you had a problem with them last year, they would likely cause similar or more problems this year. If you did not have them last year, don’t assume you will not have a problem. Populations tend to build over time. It is best to make at least two applications a week apart starting with the very first signs of feeding damage. It is very important to get good spray coverage and follow the directions on the label for optimal timing during the day. If possible, use a pressurized sprayer with a pressure gauge to ensure a consistent fine mist that penetrates deeply into the plant and can swirl through the plant canopy. For more information on sprayers, visit Sprayers 101 at https://sprayers101.com/.

Register now for Hazelnut IPM Training – May 30

Registration is now open for an OMAFRA Hazelnut IPM workshops to be held at the Simcoe Research Station auditorium, 1283 Blueline Rd., Simcoe on Thursday, May 30 from 9:30 AM -12:30 PM. This in-person workshop will start with a 2 hour in-class overview of pests and scouting in hazelnut orchards from Dr. Melanie Filotas, OMAFRA Horticulture IPM Specialist for specialty crops followed by a visit to one of the Simcoe Research Station hazelnut orchards to view pests active in the orchard in late spring.

While the workshop will cover key characteristics of the most important pests of hazelnuts, due to time constrains we will not be able to provide detailed information on life cycles and management during the session. For in depth descriptions of insects and diseases in hazelnuts, refer to the pre-recorded presentations on available on the ONhortcrops YouTube channel. There will be time allocated during the session for participants to ask questions about these videos. To access the full playlist with all 7 videos, click here.

This workshop is free to attend, however registration is required. To register click here or call the Agriculture Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300. A minimum of 12 registrants is required by May 26 for this session to run.

New Pest Control Product Registrations for Herbs (incl. Lavender) and Ginseng

Over the past few months, the following new pest products or new uses have been registered for various herbs and ginseng in Canada as a result of the Minor Use System. Consult the label for full product details including the crops covered, comments, precautions and application details.

Note: Not all herbs are covered by these registrations. Always confirm on the product label which herbs are included. Some herbs are in multiple crop groups because historically they were in one group and then moved. Table 1 provides a quick summary of the common culinary herbs and which Crop Groups they are in. The new Crop Group 25 Herbs contains hundreds of species of herbs and edible flowers. Ginseng is in Crop Group 1B Root Vegetables (Except Sugarbeet) and is not covered by the herb registrations. For the full list of crops in each group, consult the Residue Chemistry Crop Group document here or refer to the product labels for the list of herbs covered by each registration.

Lavender Crop Update – Adjusting to a Warm Spring – May 3, 2024

The warm weather over the past week has put us about 10 days ahead of normal based on Growing Degree Days in the south (Figure 1).

Figure 1. A lavender plant on May 3 in Simcoe showing significant green-up and new growth.

Further north, plants may be even more ahead of normal due to the lack of snow cover this winter, which in a normal year prevents temperatures from warming up as quickly in areas downwind of the Great Lakes. That means that plants will be as advanced as they normally are around May 13 or later. This also means that various activities in lavender will likely be earlier than normal even if temperatures the rest of the spring end up being near normal. This includes:

Ginseng Crop Update – April 26, 2024

So far this year, 130 growing degree days (GDD) have accumulated at Delhi, which is 7 days ahead of normal. The warm weather over the weekend will accelerate growth and by Tuesday, we will be back to 10-11 days ahead of normal if the forecast is accurate.

2024 IPM Workshops (Incl. Ginseng)

Registration is now open for the majority of the OMAFRA IPM workshops being held over the next three months. Workshop options of in-person, hybrid or virtual-only will vary depending on the session and is noted below. All workshops listed below are free to attend. Registration is required. To register, please click the registration link under the specific workshop or call the Agriculture Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300.