Eggs are inserted into the undersides of newly formed leaves, causing tiny, green blisters to appear on the leaf bottoms. They have a brief lifespan females live 3 days, males only 2. In March and April the larvae pupate, and adult flies begin to emerge in May. Life History– There are three larval stages in the life cycle of this fly, the last of which overwinters. Both females and males then feed on the sap. Moreover, the females insert their ovipositors into the leaf tissue, causing wounds from which sap flows. The larval leaf-mining can cause partial defoliation, especially during a dry season and the mines make the trees unattractive. The fly is particularly damaging to the American hollies.ĭamage– It is the most injurious insect pest of holly in the eastern United States. Other hosts include winterberry (or black alder) and inkberry (or bitter gallberry) and their varieties. Host Plants– The native holly leafminer has infested American, Japanese, Chinese, English, and yaupon hollies. It is found along the East Coast and westward into Ohio and Alabama. Pupa– The oval pupa is reddish brown, 2 mm long, and uniformly tapered to blunt points at both ends.ĭistribution – As the name implies, the native holly leafminer is indigenous to the United States. Larva– The pale-yellow, legless larva is tapered from front to back, with its head retracted into the body. There is only one generation per year.Įgg– The white egg is oval and 0.25 mm long. The native holly leafminer female is generally more active than the male. The first two segments of the antennae are gray, and the third segment is black. Native holly leafminer, Phytomyza ilicicola Loew, Agromyzidae, DIPTERAĪdult – The adult is a small (2.5-mm), black and gray fly. Native Holly Leafminer Skip to Native Holly Leafminer Sooty mold may be present, and plant vigor may be impaired. Tea Scale – Cottony masses are evident on the lower leaf surface.Southern red mite – Small chlorotic spots on leaf surface, heavily infested leaves becoming bronze in color tiny, spiderlike animals (spider mites) on lower leaf surface usually in spring or fall.Native holly leafminer – Irregular, elongate, yellow or brown splotches on upper leaf surface (tunnels) small, chunky maggots in tunnel.They are often accompanied by sooty mold. Japanese wax scale – White, waxy blobs up to 6 mm in diameter appear on limbs and twigs.The native holly leafminer, Japanese wax scale, and southern red mites are the most frequently reported pests of hollies in the southeastern United States. Other than in a commercial nursery, the presence of a few insects or mites on a holly is no reason for great alarm. Although numerous insects and mites have been collected from hollies, plants often withstand prolonged infestations without visible deleterious effects. Over 11 million hollies of 42 varieties are produced in Southern nurseries each year. Hollies, with their tremendous variation in growth habits, leaf size, shape, and color, and sometimes showy berries, are highly desirable landscape plants. Once it is well established, drought won’t bother it at all.Key to Holly Pests Skip to Key to Holly Pests Sky Pencil Holly will best acclimate to your soil and climate if you water it regularly the first year. Watering after you finish planting may not be able to reach all the roots. You don’t want to shock the plant while it is adapting to your environment. Keep it shorter by keeping it sheared to the size your want.Īlways saturate the root ball completely when you plant new Holly Shrubs in your yard. Sky Pencils will someday reach 10-feet tall. Not only for appearance, but also to allow your new columnar evergreen to stay full. It will be best to keep the top growth sheared of flat. The Sky Pencil Japanese Holly stays straight and narrow naturally. By keeping your hollies well fed the first season you also increase the rate of drought tolerance. To get increased foliage growth, you need more roots first. If you treat your Sky Pencil with an application of acid fertilizer like Holly-Tone, it will grow even faster in your yard. G ive your new landscape holly an added boost when you plant it. Adding some compost or humus to the soil is always a good way to assist your holly bush to root out with lightning speed. This will let the roots spread faster without having to put a lot of muscle into the effort. Dig it twice as deep and twice as wide as the root ball.īe sure to really make the ground soil loose. Sky Pencil Holly will be drought tolerant faster if you prep your planting hole right. Just be sure to pick a planting spot in full sun for the best appearance vigorous growth. You’re going to love this easy-to-grow Ilex.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |