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Aphids and Whiteflies in the garden

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Each garden and therefore each gardener is faced with pests that plague their plants from time to time. It’s something that we have to learn how to deal with, and when possible learn to control those pesky pests.

Some plants such as honeysuckle, citrus trees and other flowering shrubs and vines are infested each year with aphids and whiteflies. How can you control some of these pests naturally?

Well, whiteflies can be a real challenge. Planting marigolds near or around plants that frequently get infestations of whiteflies might help. Marigolds secrete a substance around their roots that is absorbed by nearby plants and this helps to repel the insects. This might now work for large shrubs and trees though.

Whiteflies have several natural enemies. Get to know the bugs in your garden. Some of them are beneficial. Insects such as lacewings, big-eyed bugs, minute pirate bugs and a tiny wasp called Encarsia are natural predators of whiteflies. Avoid using pesticides in the area as that will kill off these beneficial bugs that otherwise would find and attack the whiteflies.

Aphids are a big problem in my garden each year. They love my honeysuckle – particularly my Harlequin Honeysuckle for some reason. They also thrive on the newly developing leaves and flower buds of my roses.

When an aphid infestation is really bad I get one of my spray bottles and add a couple of drops of dish washing liquid to the water in the bottle. I then go out and spray the affected areas of each plant with this mixture. By selectively spraying the affected areas of the plants I don’t bother the many other insects that are in my garden- many of which are beneficial. I find that for really bad infestations I have to spray the affected plants with this soapy mixture two or three times in one week. After that the aphids are usually gone.

Like the whitefly, aphids have many natural enemies as well. One of the most important enemies of the aphid are the various species of parasitic wasp that lay their eggs inside aphids. Other predators that feed on aphids are lady bugs or the lady beetle as it’s known in some parts, lacewing and syrphid fly.

There are a number of mail order companies, and some nurseries, that sell a huge variety of beneficial insects for the garden. You might think about purchasing some of these insects to help control your whitefly or aphid problems.

I’ve purchased ladybugs in the past. 2000 I believe! I tried to put them on the plants that I knew the aphids and other pests enjoyed bothering. The lady bugs stayed in my garden for the most part for a day or two but then dispersed throughout the neighborhood. I do think that at the time they stayed long enough to control my pest problem.

If anyone has any other suggestions for controlling whiteflies or aphids in the garden I’d love to hear your suggestions. Please leave a comment.






Crocosmia not blooming well

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Crocosmia is a very pretty summer flower that often bears orange or fiery red flowers on vertical stems.

I mentioned that I grow Crocosmia in a recent post and said that some of my clumps were getting quite large and crowding out other plants.

What I didn’t realize was that if the clumps get too large, enough that individual Crocosmia begin to crowd one another that their blooms will suffer.

If you find that your Crocosmia are blooming poorly do think about dividing the clump. Poor bloom and a thick stand of foliage are two indications that the Crocosmia needs rejuvenation.

In the early spring dig up the clump and divide it gently into several smaller portions.

If you examine your clumps you’ll notice that there are two different forms of roots and new growth. You’ll find that some corms have produced underground stems with roots (stolons) that are destined to send up new shoots. Detach and plant these tiny new plants on their own. The other form of growth that you’ll see is a chain of corms along a slender root. Keep these chains attached as you replant for best success.

Winter care for house plants and ornamentals

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Did you receive any ornamental house plants over the holidays? How are they fairing in your home?

As you might know many of the potted plants that you might have received over the holiday season are not usually meant to be kept as permanent house plants. They’re raised in green houses and often don’t adapt well to the conditions within your home.

Many of them do not like being kept at high temperatures. If you want to prolong their life try to keep them in full sunlight, in rooms that are between 65 F and 72 F.

If you haven’t already removed the foil around the plants pot you should do that now The foil might be preventing the plant’s pot from draining properly and roots might stay too wet and die off.

If you have Amaryllis blooming in your home right now remember to cut the faded flowers. You don’t want seeds to form as that robs the bulb of energy that should be put toward next nears growth.

House plants with large leaves such as Philodendron, Dracaena, and rubber plant will benefit from a leave wash on occasion. Rinse with clear water or a damp clothe to remove dust and grime as this will keep the leaves pores open, and help keep your plant healthy.

If you want to reflect more light towards your houseplants you can line the window sills or shelves that the plants are sitting on with aluminum foil as it will reflect the light and provide a little bit of extra light for the houseplants.

If you live in an area with mild winters remember to check your window boxes and other outside containers that might have evergreen plants in them to see if they need watering.

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