Paul Pugliese.

  • Yellownecked Caterpillars on Blueberries

    yellow necked caterpillars

    The yellownecked caterpillar is a common pest of shade trees and shrubs.  It is found throughout the eastern United States.  It feeds on a variety of trees including basswood, birch, elm, honeylocust, oak, maple, and walnut.  This insect is also destructive on the foliage of blueberry, apple, and other fruit trees. The adult stage of…

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  • Managing common landscape diseases

    nursery tree picture

    The most important part of landscape disease management is identifying the problem. Eighty percent of all plant disorders are the result of the inability of a plant to adapt to its environment. Knowing the problem, whether it is stress related and/or disease related, begins with being able to correctly identify the plant. Read More

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  • blueberry plant

    Blueberries are one of the most popular backyard fruits for Georgia because they are relatively low maintenance compared to other fruit species. However, there is one particular disease issue known as “mummy berry” that can be problematic for blueberry growers. The disease is easily recognized when the fruit begins to ripen, as infected berries become…

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  • Rotten Tomatoes

    Blossom end rot on tomatoes

    If calcium is deficient in developing tomato fruits, an irreversible condition known as blossom-end rot will develop. Blossom-end rot occurs when cell wall calcium is deficient during early fruit development, and results in cell wall membrane collapse.  Blossom end rot is a physiological disorder of tomatoes and not caused by a plant disease. Symptoms include…

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  • herbicide injury on tomatoes

    Question: Is it safe to use hay and manure in my vegetable garden? NO!  That’s the short answer I’ve finally settled on with all the calls and plant samples our office has had to troubleshoot from vegetable gardens in recent weeks.  Please help tell your friends and neighbors they’re probably better off not using hay…

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  • Struggling Lawns

    turfgrass damage

    The local Extension office has received numerous calls in recent weeks about warm-season lawns that are struggling to green-up this spring.  Based on conversations with my colleagues, this appears to be a wide spread issue throughout North Georgia.  What we are observing is that some lawns are very patchy and thin as well as being…

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  • Shot-hole disease on Cherry Leaves

    cherry shot hole disease

    Every summer, we receive a lot of calls about holes in the leaves of ornamental cherry trees and other related fruit trees.  Generally, when you think of holes in the leaves of a tree, you automatically assume that it was caused by some sort of chewing insect such as a beetle or caterpillar.  Although these…

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  • Top Food & Farming Myths about Pollinators

    Food and Farming Myths presentation

    Paul Pugliese shares common myths related to agriculture practices in relation to pollinators for Pollinator Week.

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  • Tiny insect saws holes through rose bush leaves

    Sawfly damage to roses

    Dozens of calls and samples of roses with a variety of leaf problems are coming into the University of Georgia Extension office in Bartow County. The most common problem diagnosed each spring is injury caused by rose sawflies, also known as rose slugs. Read More

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