Author's Profile

3 February - Calibrate sprayers to improve control

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Pest & Disease Factsheet - Damping off

- This disease kills seedlings by drawing on the nutrients of a host's dead cells, causing plants to collapse.

27 January - Watch out for pine aphids and mildew

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20 January - Check for mice and damping-off

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Pest & Disease Management - Phytophthora ramorum

- Sudden oak death has caused extensive damage to a wide range of hosts on both sides of the Atlantic.

13 January - Be aware of the new labelling rules

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16 December - Stay alert to pesticide risks

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Pest & Disease Management - Roe, fallow and muntjac deer

- Young shoots on plants are susceptible to grazing damage while bucks' antlers can harm bark.

9 December - Protect heathers from Rhizoctonia

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2 December - Check for damage on your vent gear

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Pest & Disease Management - Honey fungus

- With action difficult and labour intensive, accurate identification of this root disease is key to tackling infection.

25 November - Use soil samples to make fertiliser plan

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18 November - Tackle weeds now to inhibit regrowth

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Pest & Disease Management - Phytophthora root rots

- These pathogens can pose significant disease risks.

11 November - Prepare now for winter's first snow

- Weather Snow in the east of the USA may mean that we have a similar cold snap ourselves shortly. Get white fleece or Cosytex ready to protect any late autumn growth.

4 November - Getting ready for the first frosts

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28 October - Preparing for colder weather

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21 October - Go online to print EoA authorisations

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Pest & Disease Management - Dutch elm disease - Serious outbreaks can be expected every 20 years

- Dutch elm disease is a fungal wilt spread by the elm bark beetles Scolytus scolytus and Scolytus multi-striatus. Known in the UK since 1927, this disease was considered relatively unimportant until an outbreak of a more aggressive strain (Ophiostoma novo-ulmi) occurred in the late 1960s, linked to the import of logs.