Fletcher Scale on Taxus, Ottawa Co., Mi, 1995

The plots were located in a commercial Taxus Field at Zelenka’s Evergreen Nursery in Robinson Twp., Ottawa Co., MI. Each treatment was replicated 6 times with each replicate consisting of six 20 inch-high Taxus shrubs. The field was not irrigated and has sandy soil with a high organic content. Marathon treatments were applied on 8 May by sprinkling with a salt shaker over a 2 ft X 12 ft area. All other treatments were applied on 11 Jul using a single nozzle, hand held R&D CO2 sprayer through an 8003 flat fan nozzle at 50 psi. Sprays were applied at a rate of 100 gal of finished spray per acre. Precounts were made on 28 Jun and postcounts were made on 27 Jul by clipping three 5-inch-long twigs from each bush (one from the top, one from the middle and one from the bottom) to make a total of 18 twigs per replicate. The twigs were taken back to the lab and examined under a dissecting scope for live scale.