From: "Clueless about bugs" Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2008
20:02:11 -0400 Subject: Bugs on Roses To:
raymondlanier@hotmail.com
Dear Ray:
My knockout roses are really growing since we started getting all
this rain, but I've noticed some sort of bug on the underside of the
leaves. Do you know an organic remedy to my problem?
Clueless about Bugs
Clueless about Bugs,
There is a
wonderful product called Safer insecticidal soap. I comes in a spray
bottle and is an earth friendly product. Your rose probably has aphids.
As aphids feed on the rose, ants feed on the secretions of the aphids
and this is why you will find ants where there are aphids on plants. Be
on the look-out for red spider mites too. They are almost too
small to
see except with a magnifying glass. They are often overlooked on
tomatoes and are a big problem on some plants. The easy way to control
these insects, both aphids and spider mites, is a forceful spray with
the garden hose under the leaf. It seems so simple but it just drowns
them.
They are smart in that they live on the underside of the leaves.
This is why many people fail in their effort to control insects, since
they
do not spray UNDER the leaves. Spider mites lay eggs that hatch every
seven days so you must spray or wash the underside of the leaves every
seven days as the insecticide will not kill the eggs.
I am very careful
not to use a combination insecticide and fungicide on roses. I
try to use a
fungicide only, since insecticides are broad spectrum and will kill
most
beneficial insects. like honey bees, along with the ones you want to
control.
I appreciate your question.
Ray
From: "Terry Arellano"
To: raymondlanier@hotmail.com
Subject: Dahlia Question
Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2007 15:06:02 -0400
Hi Ray,
I have two dahlia plants that I am gowning in clay pots. They have a
lot of foliage and buds that are getting ready to bloom, but the leaves
do not look too good. The older leaves are splotchy and not the dark
waxy green of the new leaves. Any clue what's going on here?
TIA for your help!
~terry
Terry,
Dahlias are susceptible to Leaf Blight or Blotch, and powdery mildew.
This is common in the south where the humidity is high. Hybrid roses
must be sprayed every seven days or after each rain to prevent a number
of fungal problems. The best preventive measure is not to water after a
time period that the leaves cannot become dry by sunset. If leaves are
wet and stay wet at night this is when problems can start with disease.
Many of these fungus problems like black spot on roses are not cured
but
controlled using applications of fungicide. I would try removing the
diseased leaves, keeping the plant dry by watering the soil only. Be
careful not to over water as these diseases can go to the roots of the
plant cause root rot or crown rot.
Ray
From: Amy Boiselle
<amyboiselle@ya...>
To: Ray Lanier <raymondlanier@hotmail.com>
Subject: bee balm
Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2007 09:29:18
Dear Ray,
My scarlett bee balm was falling to the ground and
looked to be dying or just not faring well. I decided
to cut it back to the ground. I know its early but it
looked terrible. Did I kill it? Thanks for your
advice.
Plant material is under a great amount of stress because of the drought.
Monarida is in the mint family and requires a cool location and I
suspect
that you plant is suffering from lack of water. I would give the area
around
the plant a good watering and it should come back. It's taken two hits,
one
from the pruning and one from the drought. Plants during this time of
year
are just trying to survive the heat and drought. I am not talking about
annuals, but perennials and most other landscape plants. I saw a dogwood
tree on Lenior St. die two years ago because of lack of water. I would
guess
the tree was 30 years old. I hope your plant will have another flush of
growth. I have adopted a couple newly planted trees along Western Blvd.
I
take several gallons of water along with me when I'm going that way and
give
them a much needed drink. I'm sure other trees would like to be adopted.
Ray
Ray received a question about a problem
with
Hollyhocks by a means other than email. Here's his answer:
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 20:50:23 -0400
From: Raymond Lanier <raymondlanier@hotmail.com>
To: donaldmdavis@bel... Subject: Hollyhock i.e. Mallow
Your Hollyhock has leaf spot and the symptoms being of circular
appearance on
the leaves. It's usually not necessary to treat the plant. This plant
is a
biennial meaning it will grow one year ,bloom the next and then die.
Give
the plant ample water. Plants grown in favorable conditions are
less
stressed and can resist disease. The plants came from China where they
were
eaten much like we would eat greens. Yuck.
Thanks,
Ray
From: Lea
<lea1@quickservekids.com>
To: raymondlanier@hotmail.com
Subject: Lantanas and fences
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2007 10:51:01 -0400
Hi, Ray--
Thank you for being a resource to the neighborhood. I have a couple of
questions for you.
First, I planted a lantana early last summer. When I bought it at the
farmer's market, the guy said not to expect much from it that season,
but that it should do beautifully this year. Well, turned out it was
gorgeous last summer--fast-growing, with many blooms. I was so proud--
my plants never do so well!
Based on what the farmer said, I was sure the lantana I chose is a
perennial, but now it has no signs of life. I did cut it back in the
fall. Think I killed it? Or am I expecting things too early?
Also, do you know of a quick resource (magazine, library book,
something like that) for ideas for bungalow-appropriate plantings in
front of fences? We really need ideas--pictures!--but, unfortunately,
can't spend the money on a professional plus the plants...not an ideal
situation for us brown-thumbs.
Many thanks,
Lea Roark
713 Dorothea Drive
From: Raymond Lanier <raymondlanier@hotmail.com>
To: lea1@quickservekids.com
Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2007 18:26:00 -0400
Subject: RE: Lantanas and fences
Lea,
Lantanas are one of the last plants to leaf in the spring. If you cut
the plant back to the ground it has a long growing period before it
will bloon again. Also some plant are better off pruning in the spring.
When you prune a plant that has hollow stems in the fall, water will
fill the stem and cause rot. Otherwise the plant is sealed and
protected from the wet winters we have in this area. Butterfly Bush or
Buddleia, should never be pruned in the fall for this reason. There are
many kinds of Lantania and some will not overwinter. Miss Huff is a
orange-yellow that will withstand our winters. Elizabeth Dunbar has a "
Dallas" Lantana facing the east that does very well. They like a
dry,full sun location.
Readers corner has a good selection of gardening books and the
arboretum is a great place to get ideas about plant material. Southern
Living magazine is dedicated to gardening.
We will be having a plant swap at the Memorial Day picnic so if any of
our gardeners are dividing plant please remember to save a few for your
neighbors.
Ray
From: Anna Bigelow
<anna_bigelow@ncsu.edu>
To: raymondlanier@hotmail.com
Subject: native grasses
Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2007 18:09:21 -0500
Hi Ray! We spoke about this the other
day a bit,
but I thought I would ask online so others might benefit from your
wisdom...
I love the idea of having an urban meadow instead of a lawn, but having
lots of
shade means I have to curb my dream a bit. so can you recommend some
native
grasses or other low maintenance plants that are shade and drought
tolerant for
my scrubby looking front patch?
and I forgot the name of the hydrangeas you thought might do well...
thanks! I loved reading the earlier postings and I look forward to
learning
more.
Anna
Interesting question about native
grass. The
only native grass is Buffalo grass which can survive in the toughest
areas and
is drought resistant. It is used mostly in meadow plantings and golf
course
roughs. All of the grass the you see used as lawn grass has been
imported from
europe or asia. Fescue grass came from the cooler parts of europe and
has a hard
time in our unforgiving summers. On the other side of the grass
selection zoysia
and centipede grasses from asia can suffer cold damage. The fescue 31
was
developed as a pasture grass during the 40's. and suffers being shaved
at
2" rather than growing to 2'. There is a good selection of plant
material
you could use in your shade in the afternoon location. India Hawthorn,
Japanese
Fatsia, Mahonia Bealei, Daphne odora, etc. A good way to find a
selection is to
look at other locations with the same lighting as you have and see what
is
growing there and most of all, to see what you like.
I found treasure in front of 1010 W.
Lenoir St.
which was crocus planted in the grass. If you want to see a great use
of color
and contrast, this works.
I like the anti-lawn idea too. You can
go to seedland.com
and they have a native meadow seed mixture in the southeast native seed
mixture
list. I like Queen Anne's Lace and broom straw myself. Strawberries
have become
popular to plant in lawn areas instead of "grass". Grass is called
America's waste land by many in horticulture because of it's demanding
maintenance and expense.
Ray
From: "Dana A. Damico"
<dadamico@earthlink.net>
To: raymondlanier@hotmail.com
Subject: Massive Hydrangea
Date: Sat, 3 Mar 2007 14:13:03
Hello Ray - I know I've moved, but can I still ask a gardening
question? Others in Boylan Heights may wonder the same thing about
their
hydrangeas.
I have two massive hydrangeas (and one small one) outside our new house
in Alexandria, Virginia. How do I prune them? I did some research
and learned the optimal time to prune is after they flower. Does that
mean it's too late for me? Or do you think it's still safe? And if it's
safe, how
far can I cut them back? I love them but they're massive with a capital
M! Help.
It looks like you have some large mature Hydrangea plants. These are
named Hydrangea macrophylla and are also called mop head hydrangea.
This plant forms flower buds in the summer and holds them
until the next season much like Azaleas. They must be pruned just after
they have bloomed or you will lose a season of blossoms. When people
tell me that their Hydrangeas have not bloomed this year I know that
improper pruning has taken place. You can prune off all the old
flowering shoots down to a healthy bud. New shoots will also form from
the base of the plant that will flower the following year. The name
Hydrangea comes for the Greek word
Hydro for water. They need a good supply of water. They were once used
as an indicator plant in greenhouses. Their leaves started to droop
first for needing water and it signaled it was time to water all the
other plants.
Now
is the time to cut back Liriope grass before new growth starts putting
out. This
plant will start very soon to grow and if you wait too late you will
cut the
tinder new growth and you will have a look like a crew cut all summer.
It may
already started to grow as it and daylilies are some of the first
plants to
start growth in spring. Take a look inside the clump before you start
to cut.
You can use a weed-eater, lawn mower at a high setting or just a knife.
You can
also divide clumps an April just after flowering.
Ray
From: Jeff Mason
To: raymondlanier@hotmail.com
Subject: Voles
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 17:44:48 -0500
Hi Ray!
Just wanted to drop you a note and tell
you that
your new feature on the BH
website is very nice! I hope you get lots of questions.
Here's my question: I seem to have a
problem
with voles. I know I have them
as our cat catches them. They appear to have eaten off the roots of my
beautiful kiwi plants, (which killed them), and I have tunnels in my
yard.
How do I get rid of them before they eat up the rest of my plants?
Thanks for the help!
Voled
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 18:34:52 -0500
From: Raymond Lanier <raymondlanier@hotmail.com>
To: Jeff Mason
Subject: RE: Voles
Jeff,
Voles, also called meadow mice can
cause a lot
of damage to plant material
as you have discovered. They are active day and night and can also be
good
for soil aeration. Planting in wire baskets or planting hardware cloth
around your plants can prevent them from digging into the roots.
Perma-Till
which is an expanded slate aggregate can be buried around you plants
and the
voles can not chew through this material. I would try small Hav-a Heart
traps in the tunnels. I would never use a poison as the extension
service
suggest.
I
planted a beautiful oleander in my yard last fall and it did very well,
despite
the fact that the zone here is not perfect for it. However, the
winter has
been harsh on it and it currently has drooping discolored leaves. It
appears to
still be alive. Would pruning it be advised? If so, how soon should I
do it and
how harshly should I prune it back?
Oleander
(Nerium) is a tender evergreen shrub native to the orient. There are
many
tropical plants that will survive our winters although they become
weather worn
toward the spring. The leaves on your plant have become winter burnt
much like
an onion in the refrigerator dries out and becomes hard. During the
dry, windy
days of February which we had last week, plant material has a difficult
time
staying hydrated. Some of these tropical plants will suffer just
because of the
low temperatures. The Oleander is not happy below 45 degrees. Also,
when the
ground is frozen the plants have little water to transpire to the leaf
areas and
thus the drying process starts. Another problem is the newly planted
plants
haven't the large root system to gather up water. It takes three years
for most
plants to become established. Remember, some trees have roots as deep
as the
tree itself is tall. This is why it is so important to water newly
planted
material during the dry months of winter. Last weeks humidity was in
the single
digits on some days. Your Oleander will come back strong and I would
suggest a
light pruning for the reason that being in this colder area it will
take you
plant longer to start growing after our winter. If you were in Florida,
you
could cut it back hard and you would would get fast growth and fast
blooms. Here
if you were to cut yours back to the ground it would grow nice and
green but you
would not see many blooms until very late in the year. There are some
nice
plantings of Oleander across from 42nd. Street Oyster Bar.
