Pesticide License Turf and Ornamental 7A Pest ID

Common weeds

Common weeds

Annual bluegrass

Annual bluegrass

• Winter annual

Leaf blade: Folded in the bud, glossy, light green.

Sheath: Slightly compressed and smooth.

Ligule: Medium long, pointed, white and membranous.

Auricles: None.

Collar: Narrow, smooth and continuous.

Seed head: Short, branching, open and greenish-white.

Spikelets: Flattened, with three to six florets.

Barnyardgrass

• Summer annual grassy weeds

Growth habit: A course-textured annual with broad, compressed purple sheaths that lie flat on the ground and spread in a semicircular pattern under close mowing. It usually germinates later than crabgrass.

Leaf blade: Rolled in the bud, long, tapered, heavy midrib and dark green in color.

Sheath: Compressed, smooth and tinged with purple.

Ligule: None.

Auricles: None.

Collar: Broad and continuous.

Seed head: Green to reddish-purple, with conspicuous short, stiff bristles.

Spikelets: Barbed with long or short awns.

Crabgrass

• Summer annual grassy weeds

Growth habit: This pale green annual has short, sparse hair with blades that taper to a point. Fingerlike seed head produces thousands of seeds that germinate in the spring when soil temperatures reach 55 degrees F.

Leaf blade: Rolled in the bud, hairy or smooth, about ¼ inch wide, tapers to a sharp point.

Sheath: Compressed and smooth or hairy.

Ligule: Long and membranous.

Auricles: None.

Collar: Broad and sparsely hairy.

Seed head: Three to 13 narrow racemes at the top of the stem.

Spikelets: Found in two rows, elliptical and sparsely hairy.

Foxtails

• Summer annual grassy weeds

Growth habit: This summer annual reaches maturity in midsummer and is often confused with crabgrass until it flowers.

Three species commonly occur in Missouri: green, giant and yellow. It is coarse-textured and forms tufts in mowed turf. It usually germinates after crabgrass but before goosegrass.

Leaf blade: Giant foxtail upper surface is covered with hairs. The upper leaf surface of yellow foxtail has sparse, long hairs present only near the base. Green foxtail's leaf blades are hairless. Giant and green foxtails are rolled in the bud, whereas yellow foxtail is folded.

Sheath: The sheath of yellow foxtail is flat-tened, smooth or sparsely hairy. Green and giant foxtails have a round to somewhat flattened sheath that ranges from smooth to densely hairy.

Ligule: A fringe of hairs.

Auricles: None.

Collar: Broad, continuous and smooth.

Seed head: Coarse and bushy, resembling the tail of a fox.

Spikelets: Ridged with several bristles and contains one seed.

Goosegrass

• Summer annual grassy weeds

Growth habit: Goosegrass thrives in full sun and compacted sites. Stems, leaf blades and seed head lie flat on the ground in a rosette pattern and tolerate close mowing It germinates later in the spring season than crabgrass.

Leaf blade: Folded in the bud, coarse texture, dark green, about ¼ inch wide and tapering to a point. Blades are very tough and wiry.

Sheath: White near the ground, green above, tightly compressed, overlapping and sparsely hairy margins.

Ligule: Short and membranous, divided at the midrib.

Auricles: None.

Collar: Broad, continuous and sparsely

Seed head: Two to 10 narrow racemes at the top of the main stem that are broader than crabgrass and have a zipperlike appearance.

Spikelets: Flat and contain ridged seed.

Fall panicum

• Summer annual grassy weeds

Growth habit: This sprawling to ascending bright green summer annual can be found in all seasons in subtropical conditions and propagates by seed. It is common during turfgrass establishment and frequently seen in wet, open habitats.

Leaf blade: Rolled in the bud with flat, smooth, pointed leaf blade that is sometimes hairy on the upper surface. Leaves have a distinct broad, light green midrib. Upper surface is dull; lower surface is glossy.

Sheath: Smooth, slightly compressed, often purplish.

Ligule: Fringe of hairs.

Auricles: None.

Collar: Broad and continuous.

Seed head: Panicle, compact.

Spikelets: Yellow, smooth, dull seed readily separated from hulls when ripe.

Bermudagrass

• Perennial grassy weeds

Growth habit: This aggressive perennial grass produces rhizomes and stolons. It is most aggressive in southern Missouri.

Leaf blade: Rolled in the bud, about ⅛ inch wide, gray green, slightly hairy or hairless, except for a fringe of long hairs at the edge just above the collar.

Sheath: Green, smooth and flattened.

Ligule: A conspicuous ring of white hairs.

Auricles: None.

Seed head: Erect or ascending.

Spikelets: In two rows slightly compressed to one side.

Dallisgrass

• Perennial grassy weeds

Growth habit: This coarse-textured, robust-growing, clumpy perennial grows primarily from seed and short rhizomes.

Leaf blade: Leaf blade is smooth on both surfaces with a few long hairs at the leaf base and behind the ligule at base of the leaf blade. Plant has a round verna-tion, or arrangement of leaves in the bud.

Sheath: Leaf sheaths at the base of the plant are sometimes rough and hairy

Ligule: Ligule is tall, membranous and either sharply or bluntly tipped

Auricles None.

Send bead: Three to seven alternate branches pointing upward on tall stalk.

Spikelets: Hairy, arranged in four rows with flat, white, round seed.

Johnsongrass

• Perennial grassy weeds

Growth habit: This perennial reproduces by large rhizomes or by seed.

Leaf blade: Alternate, rolled in the bud, smooth on both surfaces with a thick, gure 4-14

grass.

prominent white midvein.

Sheath: Smooth, pale green, reddish-brown to maroon, compressed, often with hairy margins.

Ligule: Membranous and jagged across the top. Older ligules have a fringe of hairs across the top of the membrane.

Auricles: None.

Seed head: Large, purplish, hairy, open and about 6 to 20 inches long

Spikelets: Long, ovate, reddish-brown with flat-lying straight hairs.

Nimblewill

• Perennial grassy weeds

Growth habit: Perennial, mat-forming grass that produces stolons. It is coarse-textured with grayish-green foliage. Stems are erect when young but spread, becoming wiry and root at the nodes later. In dormancy, the foliage turns nearly white.

Leaf blade: Rolled in the bud, short (about % to 3 inches long) and smooth except a few hairs near the ligule.

Sheath: Compressed, have prominent dark green veins and are membranous along the margins.

Ligule: Very short and membranous.

Auricles: None.

Seed head: Slender, spikelike panicles that are produced both at the ends of stalks and from the stem.

Spikelets: About % inch long with conspicuous awns that are about to % inch long.

Quackgrass

• Perennial grassy weeds

Growth habit: This rhizomatous perennial generally grows erect, bending at the nodes, and can tolerate mowing. Its rhizomes are pearly white.

Figure 4-16. Quackgrass.

Leaf blade: Rolled

in the bud, hairy to smooth on the upper Surface and smooth on the lower surface.

Sheath: May be hairy or smooth.

Ligule: Membranous and very short.

Auricles: Present but hard to see on seedling.

Seed head: A long spike.

Spikelets: Arranged in two rows, four to six are seeded and awns are usually present

Yellow nutsedge

• Miscellaneous perennial weeds

About 200 sedge species occur in

Missouri. Yellow nutsedge is the most prevalent species that infests turf and ornamental settings. It has triangular stems with leaves coming out of each of the three sides of the stem that are light green and have a glossy texture. During warm periods, the plant grows rapidly. Roots often end with small nutlets about the size of a popcorn kernel.

Wild garlic

• Miscellaneous perennial weeds

The slender, smooth leaves of wild garlic are hollow and attach to the lower portion of the waxy stems. Both bulbs and bulblets are produced under-ground, and the green to purple flowers are often replaced with aerial bulblets.

It has a characteristic onion-garlic odor.

Wild onion is similar to wild garlic but does not produce underground bulblets or have hollow leaves.

Star-of-Bethlehem

• Miscellaneous perennial weeds

Star-of-Bethlehem is a cool-season perennial that grows from a central bulb. The leaves are narrow and linear with a pale green to white midrib. The flowers have six white petals with a characteristic green stripe on the underside of each petal. It

flowers during spring in ornamental beds, roadsides and lawns.

Bedstraw

• Winter annual broadleaf weeds

Bedstraw is most often found in dense shade underneath trees and shrubs. The leaves are arranged in whorls around the square stems. As the plant approaches maturity, the stems weaken and fall over. They also have tiny saw-toothed appendages that cause plants to stick together and to clothing. The flowers are small with four white petals.

Common chickweed

• Winter annual broadleaf weeds

Common chickweed is a hardy, low-growing weed with creeping stems that root at the nodes. It has a delicate appearance, is light green and has opposite elliptic to egg-shaped leaves. The root system is fibrous and shallow, and the flowers have five small white petals. It thrives in moist, shady sites, often on the north side of buildings.

Deadnettle

• Winter annual broadleaf weeds

Deadnettle is slightly pubescent (covered with a soft down) and has square stems and opposite leaves with scalloped edges. It is closely related to henbit but has more triangular and less deeply lobed leaves. The upper leaves and stems are conspicuously red with purple-red flowers.

Henbit

• Winter annual broadleaf weeds

Henbit starts growing in the fall. It has square stems and usually grows in an upright position. Young leaves have petioles, whereas upper leaves attach directly and encircle the stem. Flower color ranges from pink to purple.

Shepherd's-purse

• Winter annual broadleaf weeds

The deeply lobed leaves of shepard's-purse form rosettes in the fall that may be confused with dandelions, but they lack sap. It blooms in the very early spring. Its white flowers develop into the characteristic triangular seed pods and are filled with numerous tiny reddish-brown seeds.

Speedwell

• Winter annual broadleaf weeds

Several weedy species of speedwell exist. Plants are very low growing; leaves vary in shape but generally are small and numerous. The leaves may resemble those of common chickweed, but the margins are notched. The flowers are light blue with white throats. The fruit is a heart-shaped hairy pod.

Carolina geranium

• Winter annual broadleaf weeds

In turf, the Carolina geranium plant remains prostrate and produces leaves on long petioles from a central axis. The leaves are deeply dissected into five to seven lobes; and each lobe is again lobed and bluntly toothed on the margins. Flowers have five pink to lavender petals. Seeds have a conspicuous "cranesbill" beak about ½ inch

Black medic

• Summer annual broadleaf weeds

Other names: In Missouri, black medic can behave as an annual or biennial. It is a legume with trailing stems that grow close to the ground and a taproot that penetrates deeply into the soil. Its leaves have three leaflets with prominent veins and toothed margins. It has long, hairy petioles and yellow flowers. The fruit is a recurved, kidney-shaped, black, hairy one-seeded pod In Missouri, black medic can behave as an annual or biennial. It is a legume with t

Carpetweed

• Summer annual broadleaf weeds

Carpetweed germinates late but grows very rapidly. The green, smooth stems branch along the ground in all directions from the root, forming a flat circular mat.

Three to eight of the smooth, light green, tonguelike leaves group together forming whorls at each joint on the stem. Several of its small white flowers also grow at each joint.

Common lespedeza

• Summer annual broadleaf weeds

Common lespedeza is a wiry, prostrate-growing, freely-branched summer annual.

Leaves are smooth, oblong leaflets with three leaves. Leaflets have a prominent midvein and many parallel veins that are nearly perpendicular to the midvein.

Pink to purple blooms flower in late summer. It is usually found in dry soils of open fields and turfgrass areas.

Prostrate knotweed

• Summer annual broadleaf weeds

Prostrate knotweed is one of the first summer annuals to germinate in the very early spring. The plant grows flat along the ground and may have a spread of two feet or more. Stems are wiry and leafy, and at each node is a thin papery sheath. Leaves often have a bluish cast. It is most often found in hard, compacted areas.

Common purslane

• Summer annual broadleaf weeds

The leaves and stems of common purslane are very fleshy or succulent with reddish stems. It has a prostrate growth habit, and the stems root wherever they touch the ground. Flowers are small and yellow; seeds are very small and black.

Prostrate spurge (Milky spurge)

• Summer annual broadleaf weeds

Prostrate spurge is a very common prostrate-grow-ing warm-season annual that forms circular mats. Stems are hairy; leaves are opposite, small and may contain a maroon spot. A key identifying feature is the milky sap in its stems. Seeds are three to a capsule. It is most prominent in mid to late summer.

Ground ivy

• Cool-season perennial broadleaf weeds

Ground ivy is a prostrate, creeping perennial with square, hairy stems. Leaves are opposite, kidney-shaped to round and prominently veined with scalloped margins.

It has a minty odor when crushed. Flowers in spring. Grows more commonly in shaded areas rather than full sun. Looks similar to henbit.

Mouse-ear chickweed

• Cool-season perennial broadleaf weeds

Mouse-ear chickweed has creeping stems that root at the nodes. The leaves are oppo-site, two to three times longer than wide and densely hairy. Flowers are white and have five petals.

White clover

• Cool-season perennial broadleaf weeds

White clover is a cool-season perennial legume that spreads by under- and aboveground stems. Whether it is objectionable in lawns depends on personal prefer-ence. Leaves are trifoliates, alternate and smooth; the margins have small teeth. Flowers are produced in rounded heads and are white or sometimes pinkish. Seeds are very hard and may live for many years in the soil.

Dandelion

• Cool-season perennial broadleaf weeds

Dandelion is a common weed that forms a basal rosette. The leaf margins are deeply lobed and wavy. Flowers are produced in the Spring, and a second bloom occure in the fall when day length is less than 12 hours. Flowers are bright yellow, and seed heads are globelike and grayish-white. Leaves, flower stalks and the taproot exude a milky sap when cut. The thick, fleshy taproot can give rise to the new shoot.

Curly dock

• Cool-season perennial broadleaf weeds

Curly dock is a weed of low-maintenance turf areas, landscapes and nursery crops. It seldom flowers in mowed sites. The plant forms large rosettes and has leaves with crinkled edges. Leaves are often tinted with red or purple. Flowering stalks are erect, ridged, reddish-brown and reach a height of 2 to 3 feet.

Broadleaf or common plantain

• Cool-season perennial broadleaf weeds

Several plantain species are similar in appearance. Both broadleaf and blackseed plantain form rosettes with prominently veined leaves. Blackseed plantain leaves tend to be lighter green, less waxy and more tapered at the tip; are more reddish-purple at the base of the petioles; and tend to have narrower petioles. Both species have rattail-like seed heads that are several inches long.

Buckhorn plantain

• Cool-season perennial broadleaf weeds

Buckhorn plantain has slender, narrow leaves that are about 1 inch wide with three to five prominent veins. Overwintering leaves are wider than those produced in the summer. Its seed head is a short, cylindrical spike. It reproduces by seed and by new shoots produced at the base of the plant.

Red sorrel

• Cool-season perennial broadleaf weeds

Red sorrel is a rhizomatous perennial with arrowhead-shaped leaves and a sparsely leaved flowering stem. Young leaves are egg-shaped; the characteristic lobes develop on the third, fourth or fifth leaf. It is often found on, but not limited to, acid soils with poor drainage, low nitrogen and little competition from other species.

Violet

• Cool-season perennial broadleaf weeds

Violets are among some of the first plants to bloom in the spring. Numerous species occur, and flower color varies from light blue to deep purple. Plants are hairless; leaf blades are heart-shaped and pointed at the apex. They reproduce by seeds and rhizomes. Violets are primarily a weed of turf and landscapes, and they prefer at least partial shade.

Field bindweed

• Warm-season perennial broadleaf weeds

One of the most troublesome weeds of North America, field bindweed is difficult to control. The spade-shaped leaves hav rounded tips and vary in size. The funnel shaped flowers vary from white to light pink and are nickel-sized. The plant is very aggressive, climbing over shrubs and othe ornamentals. Besides reproducing from seed, it can spread from its deep root system

Horsenettle

• Warm-season perennial broadleaf weeds

Horsenettle is an erect to spreading spiny perennial that grows from deep-rooted rhizomes with taproots. Leaves are thin and alternate, folded at midrib and have wavy to coarsely lobed edges. Flowers are white to pale violet clusters that bloom in summer. round, yellow tomatolike berry. Usually found in gardens and ornamental beds.

Yellow woodsorrel

• Cool-season perennial broadleaf weeds

Although classified as a perennial, yellon woodsorrel often behaves as a warm-season annual. Stems branch from the base, and leaves are palmated and divided into three leaflets, giving a cloverlike appearance. Funnel-form flowers are yellow (violet in some species). The seed pod is cylindrica. five-sided and pointed. The plant contains soluble oxalates that give it a sour taste.

Ornamental disease and pests

Ornamental disease and pests

Fungus leaf spot, spot anthracnose, feeding scab or shot-hole (fungi)

• Leaves

Leaves have scattered spots or blotches that vary in size, shape and color. Spots may contain dark, speck-sized, fungus-fruiting bodies. They are somewhat round and can have dark margins. In shot-hole, the centers drop out.

Tar spot (fungus)

• Leaves

Spots are black and shiny.

Fungus leaf spot, spot anthracnose, feeding scab or shot-hole (fungi)

• Leaves

Leaves have irregular dead blotches.

Bacterial leaf spot or blight (bacteria)

• Leaves
  Leaves have dark, angular spots and blotches that are water-soaked at first and have translucent margins.

Leaf curl or blister (fungus)

• Leaves

Leaves have variously colored "blisters" and are often partly or entirely puffy, thickened or curled.

Botrytis blight or gray mold (fungus)

• Leaves
  

Leaves are spotted or blighted and later covered with dusty mold growth. Mold is coarse, and tan to gray.

Powdery mildew (fungus)

• Leaves
  

Mold is white to light gray, and powdery to mealy.

Sooty mold (Fungus)

• Leaves
  

Mold is black, and sooty or crusty.

Rust (fungus)

• Leaves
  

Leaves have yellow, orange, reddish-orange, reddish-brown, chocolate brown or black mold in raised pustules.

Mosaic (virus)

• Leaves
  

Leaves are mottled with various shades of light green, dark green and yellow. Mottling may form an irregular mosaic pattern.

Ringspot (virus)

• Leaves
  

Leaves have yellow-green or reddish-brown rings, or oakleaf, watermark or line patterns.

Leaf scorch (noninfectious disease) or other causes

• Leaves

Leaves appear scorched at margins and tips, often later between the veins.

Wilt disease (fungus, bacteria, others)

• Leaves

Leaves wit, wither and die. One or more branches or entire plant may be affected. Outer sapwood is discolored.

• Twigs, branches, trunk

Twigs and branches die back, usually starting at the tips. Foliage common wilts. Outer sapwood is discolored.

Fire blight (bacteria)

• Leaves

Foliage appears to be scorched by fire. Twig tips curl downward to form "shepherd's crooks."

• Twigs, branches, trunk

Foliage appears to be scorched by fire. Twig tips curl downward to form "shepherd's crooks:”

Root rot (fungi)

• Twigs, branches, trunk

Outer sapwood has no discoloration.

• Roots

Roots decay, feeder roots die back and mold growth appears under bark or over roots, usually with shoestringlike black strands.

Wetwood (bacteria)

• Twigs, branches, trunk

Sap flows down the trunk and branches from wounds, leaving a gray to white stain.

Canker or dieback (fungi)

• Twigs, branches, trunk

Definitely marked, often sunken, swollen, flattened or targetlike areas appear in the bark and outer wood of twigs and branches.

Wood rot (fungi)

• Twigs, branches, trunk

Wood decays in the branches or trunk. Bracket, shelf or mushroom fungi may form on the bark surface.

Black knot (fungus)

• Twigs, branches, trunk

Greatly swollen areas appear on twigs, branches or trunk. Galls on Prunus species are rough and black in summer. In spring, an olive green and velvety mold forms.

Rust gall (fungus)

• Twigs, branches, trunk

Small to large, roundish or spindle-shaped galls form on branches or trunk. They are often covered with yellowish to orange dusty masses in spring or early summer.

Crown gall (bacteria)

• Twigs, branches, trunk

Rough, roundish, tumorlike galls appear at or near the soil line or graft union.

• Roots

Trees lose vigor, growth is slowed, foliage is discolored and tops (crowns) may wilt and die back.

Roundish, rough, tumorlike galls, up to a foot or more in diameter, form on roots.

Burs or burls (fungi)

• Twigs, branches, trunk

Large, irregular swellings appear anywhere on the trunk or scaffold limbs of older trees.

Witches broom (complex)

• Twigs, branches, trunk

Dense, brushy masses of stubby shoots form on branches.

Insects

Insects

Aphids

• Plant-sucking insects

Numerous soft-bodied, slow-moving, tiny, winged or wingless insects feeding on the undersides of leaves or on the bark; foliage may be wet and dripping; leaves are mottled, discolored or curled.

Because they are slow-moving and soft-bodied insects, aphids are easily controlled with chemical sprays. However, as they are not usually serious pests of woody ornamentals, the use of sprays is warranted only if populations are large.

Leafhoppers or tree hoppers

• Plant-sucking insects

Wedge-shaped, tiny, hopping insects feeding on foliage, giving the leaves a mottled appearance; in severe cases, the leaves turn brown.
Damage is usually minimal, (Figure 5-33) but if control seems necessary, spray the foliage when the adults and nymphs are present.

Scale insects

• Plant-sucking insects

Immobile insects attached to leaves or stems; protective covering may be almost any shape or color; foliage is sticky; tiny, aphid-like young hatch and move out from adult sites.

The young scales that emerge from the eggs are known as crawlers. This is the only stage in the scale's life when it is without its waxy coat. The crawlers settle on new growth and shed their old skin. The females lose their legs, antennae and eyes, and begin to excrete their waxy shields.

The euonymus scale (Figure 5-35) is a serious pest of euonymus, camellias and similar plants. This species can completely defoliate a plant. It overwinters as a mature female, the eggs are laid in early spring, and the crawlers hatch in early June. Spray in early June, even if you see the mature males as white flecks in early spring. A second generation hatches in southern Missouri, but will not cause serious damage if the first treatment has been thorough.

The oystershell scale overwinters as an egg beneath the female scale's body, which resembles a miniature oyster shell. The first generation hatches in late May or early June; in the southern half of Missouri, a second generation hatches in early August.

The cottony maple scale overwinters as an immature female and follows the typical life history. The crawlers emerge in early June and move to the foliage. Unlike the crawlers of the other scales mentioned, these remain active and stay on the leaves for the rest of the summer. Therefore, treatment can take place anytime after the first week in July.

Immature members of the lecanium scale group vary in size, shape and color.

Once egg laying begins, however, all lecanium scales turn brown and become brittle and helmet-shaped. The eggs hatch and the crawlers emerge in mid-June. Fletcher scales, which are lecanium scales that attack yew and arborvitae, emerge as crawlers in mid-April and should be treated at that time.

Other common scales are the pine needle scale Figures 5-36 and 5-37), scurfy scale, Putnam scale, San Jose scale (Figure 5-38), spruce bud scale, European elm scale (Figure 5-39) and tuliptree scale.

Timing is usually crucial in controlling scale insects because the insecticide must be on the plant at the time that the crawlers are moving about, and most scales are in the unprotected crawler stage for only a short time. To tell if crawlers have emerged, look under the shields to see if they are empty.

The dormant stages of some scales can also be controlled with plant spray oil, which kills through suffocation. Cottony maple, San Jose and a few other scales are susceptible to plant oil spray. Since the oil must completely cover the scale to be effective, it must be applied thoroughly to the infested plant.

Plant bugs

• Plant-sucking insects

Wedge-shaped, nonhopping insects feeding on new shoot growth; leaves are first mottled, then turn brown from severe feeding.

Mites

• Plant-sucking insects

Microscopic, eight-legged insects feeding and forming webs on the underside of leaves.

Miticides should be used if damage is apparent; however, some are effective only against small mite populations. Control with miticides usually requires multiple applications because eggs may not be killed. Any sustained use of a miticide is likely to reduce populations of predator mites, thus increasing populations of damaging mites.

Lace bugs

• Plant-sucking insects

Small, flattened insects feeding on the underside of leaves; adults have lace-netted wings.

Leaf miners

• Plant sucking insects

Leaves have meandering line markings.

A systemic insecticide effectively reduces numbers in hawthorn, birch, oak, holly and other infested species. Apply when miners first appear in new foliage in late spring or early summer.

Elm leaf beetles

• Leaf-eating insects (defoliators)

Dull green and black adults and yellow-and-black-spotted larvae feeding on elm leaves, usually on Chinese elm; leaves are Skeletonized.
Begin spraying foliage for elm leaf and similar beetles as soon as feeding is evident because it will progress rapidly through the tree. Feeding will begin in early June in southern Missouri and in late June in northern Missouri.

Japanese beetles

Japanese beetles

• Leaf-eating insects (defoliators)

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Leaf miners

• Leaf-eating insects (defoliators)

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Leaf miners

• Leaf-eating insects (defoliators)

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