THINGS TO DO:
Go to the Silver City Farmers' Market Home & Garden Expo. This
is the second year for this event and it promises to be bigger and
better than last year. Here is the link with all the information
http://silvercityfarmersmarket.blogspot.com/2012/02/upcoming-events-march-3-scfm-annual.html. It is a great way to gather gardening ideas and support our local Farmers' Market at the same time.
Control insects on houseplants. If
you have houseplants that you move indoors in the winter and outside to
a shady spot in the summer I am sure you have noticed how insects seem
to flourish indoors. Most insects love the warm, dry, still environment
of a house. Be it a greenhouse or your house. Houseplants can be
affected by a wide range of insects. Keeping them healthy by not
overfertilizing or overwatering is one of the keys to preventing
problems. Check them frequently for pests and you will be able to stop a
problem before it gets out of hand. Be sure to check the undersides of
the leaves and the leaf crotches since this is where trouble usually
starts.
Aphids are small tear-drop shaped sucking insects that
can be green, black, reddish, yellow, wooly and cluster on the new
growth. The leaves will look distorted. Wash aphids off with water or
use Safer's Insecticidal Soap which will dry them up and kill them.
Scale are
also sucking insects. They gather on the leaves and branches and can be
recognized by their hard, brown covering. This covering is waxy in
nature and protects the insect inside which makes them hard to control
with contact-kill insecticides. Your best form of attack is
Horticultural Oil which will coat and smother them.
Spider mites
are another nasty sucker. They are microscopic and the first signs are
dull, stippled leaves, webbing and the plants may be stunted. Misting
your plants or spaying them with water in a kitchen sink or shower will
help deter them since they prefer warm, dry conditions. Safer's
Insecticidal Soap or Horticultural Oil are the best sprays for control.
Mealybugs
are of recognizable size but hard to detect because they cluster on
leaf stems, branch crotches and roots. They have round, white, fuzzy
looking bodies and can eventually kill a plant. For small infestations
rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab will take care of it. For larger
problems use Horticultural Oil.
Whiteflies look just like their
name implies. They are tiny, winged white insects that flutter above the
plant when disturbed. They attach themselves to the undersides of the
leaves and are one of the most difficult insects to eradicate. Be
persistent. Alternating Horticultural Oil and Safer's Insecticidal Soap
every other week is effective. Increase air circulation and wash leaves
off with water. A homemade spray of 1 teaspoon liquid dish soap, 1 cup
cooking oil, 1 cup rubbing alcohol and 1 quart of water can be used
every 10 days. Don't forget the undersides of the leaves. All of these
sucking insects excrete a shiny substance called honeydew. It is often
the first sign of a problem and left unchecked can encourage the growth
of
Sooty Mold. This looks like soot covering the leaves and is
more unattractive than it is dangerous. First control the insects that
are creating the honeydew and then wash the sooty mold off with a damp
cloth.
Fungus Gnats are very active when conditions are moist
and/or humid. They look like tiny flies and lay their eggs on top of the
wet soil. They are more annoying than damaging. Most importantly let
the surface of the soil dry out between waterings. Yellow Sticky Traps
will catch the adults and Diatomaceous Earth will kill the eggs.
One
more word of advice (I make mistakes so you don't have to); although a
feather duster is a good way to clean your plants it is also a good
vehicle for your pests to hitch a ride on. Always follow label
directions when using any of these insecticides as some plants may be
sensitive to certain oils and soaps. If it is possible when all danger
of frost has passed, move your plants to a bright shady or part shade
location away from of strong winds. This will allow natural predators to
intervene.
PLANT OF TE MONTH:
Juniperus species (the dreaded Juniper). I
was in the grocery store the other day talking to a long time customer
and she was suffering terribly from allergies, specifically Juniper.
There are many people here who have a sensitivity to this pollen. I have
several friends who even plan their vacations around this season.
Anyway this customer said that she couldn't understand why her fruit
trees and flowers almost always succumb to frost but the Junipers never
do. She thought that someone should hybridize the juniper so it would
freeze. So anyone out there that can come up with an apricot-juniper
cross, we'll be the first to buy stock!
Juniper plants range from
ground covers to large trees and are either male or female or both. The
males are the messy ones (huh) that produce all that pollen. The females
are the ones you see with berries and no pollen. So if you are in the
market for a juniper look for ones with berries since they will either
be female and pollen free or male & female and therefore produce
very little pollen. Unfortunately the juniper trees that cause most of
the problems in our area are the native varieties One-Seed Juniper
(Juniperus monosperma) and Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scpulorum)
which is the source of many female cultivars. Two of these female
varieties are 'Blue Haven' which will reach 20' tall and 10' wide and
'Skyrocket' that is columnar at 15' by 4'. Both are silvery blue, cold
hardy and drought tolerant. We are growing two other Junipers this year.
One is 'Sea Green' (Juniperus x pfitzeriana). It is fountain shaped,
dark green and will reach 4' tall by 6' wide. The other is 'Blue Rug'
(Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii'). A very low grower, only 1-3" tall
and 6-10' wide with steely blue foliage that turns purple in the winter.
This Juniper is useful to stabilize embankments or in a rock garden. So
there are ways to plant these diverse evergreens in your landscape
without adding to the pollen count. Choose the right varieties or start
studying plant genetics.
