Last week we took the opportunity to reintroduce ourselves, for the benefit of first time readers.  As promised in that blog, today we are posting a brief overview of the five most popular beneficial insects for your garden. The text was actually published last July on our blog site and we are reproducing parts of it here today:

“Introducing beneficial insects to the garden to keep insect pests in check is the best way to becoming more environmentally friendly.  Biofloris is committed to providing the highest quality beneficials for the garden as well as educational support for release and establishment in your garden.

Quick reminder:

• A predator in this context is an insect that catches and consumes other insects (prey). Please click here for more information on pest insects.
• A parasitizer in this context is an insect that inserts it’s own eggs into the larva or egg of another host and consumes the host internally

Convergent Lady Beetles, Lady Birds, Lady Bugs (Hippodamia convergens)

Convergent Lady Beetles, Lady Birds, Lady Bugs

Of all the beneficial insects around, the convergent Lady Bug is probably the most familiar to homeowners and children alike as a friend to your garden.  Both the larva and adult have a voracious appetite for many different species of aphids; so encouraging these pretty little beetles in the garden makes good sense. The only drawback is that it is often difficult to find them in local stores or garden centers…

Beneficial Nematodes (Steinernema carpocapsae & Heterohabditis bacteriophora)

Beneficial nematodes

…to control various lawn grubs such as Japanese Beetle, June Beetle and European Chafer.  These microscopic worms are a powerful tool to grub control if released under the right conditions. …

Brown Lacewings (Hemerobius spp.)

Brown Lacewings

Unlike the more familiar green lacewings, brown lacewings are active at night.  They control numerous garden pests such as mites, leafhoppers, mealybugs, thrips and whitefly.

Parasitic Wasps (Trichogramma spp.)

Parasitic Wasps

This is one of the smallest parasitic wasps around, and the best thing about this wasp is that it parasitizes over 200 different spp. of moth and butterfly eggs before the larva emerge and damage plant foliage.

Praying Mantis (Mantis spp.)

Praying Mantis

A fascinating appearance and front legs that strike with lightening speed, these highly predacious insects feed on flies, moths, crickets and grasshoppers, to name just a few.  They generally are more easily established in gardens using organic practices…”

http://www.biofloris.com/blog_en/2010/07/beneficial-insects-for-the-garden/

Next week, we’ll provide a brief reminder as to how to ensure proper application of beneficial insects in your garden.

African Violets

To continue with our recent blogs about caring for indoor plants, today’s post provides a few simple and concrete suggestions for tending to African violets.

Where to keep the plant

• The plant needs a lot of natural or artificial light, but should never be exposed to direct sunlight
• African violets thrive when surrounded by plants of the same kind
• The plant likes to be kept in a small pot; it can grow to be three times larger than the pot.
• Once a week turn the plant around or change its place so that the light does not always fall on the same spot

African Violet

Watering

• Water the plant every seven days using water at room temperature.
• Do not overwater
• Pour water into the bottom plate three times out of four and into the pot from above once every four times, taking care not to moisten the leaves
• Be sure to check the watering: if there is excess water in the bottom plate an hour after watering the plant, you gave it too much water. Remove excess water
• The plant may need a bit more water during the summer

Nutrition

• You may nourish the plant with liquid vitamins (SCHULTZ brand for African violets) – except when in flower- giving the recommended dose of 7 drops per liter of water. Use vitamins once or twice a month except in August, a month during which the plant should rest

African Violet

Leaves and flowers

• Any leaves showing brown spots should be removed
• White pigmentation spots are not harmful
• Once the plant has flowered, carefully remove the dried stem and flower down by the root

Repotting

• Be sure to stir the soil well before repotting.  Once or twice a year, change the soil, taking care not to disturb the roots. Use the following mix: half of the mix should be FAFARD soil for indoor plants (no additives) and the other half FAFARD soil for African violets
• Always use clean pots
• Plastic pots are preferable to clay pots which retain too moisture.
• It is important to put the plant in a different place in the house

If you have more pointers to add, send them along!

Photos: http://www.creativecommons.org/

Poinsettia at Botanical Garden of Montreal

Before Christmas, we posted a blog on the history of the poinsettia plant.  Today, we’re going to address the dilemma of whether or not it’s worth keeping this plant or it should simply be discarded.

The following paragraphs are but general guidelines.  At the end of this post we suggest a couple of very good links with more detailed instructions on how to treat a poinsettia during the year in order to get it to bloom again.

A poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is particularly beautiful when its red bracts (a leaf with a flower in the angle where it meets the stem) appear, around Christmas time.

These bracts are not flowers, but leaves.  Its real flowers, are clustered structures (type of seeds) located in the center of the bracts.  The plant blooms for a longer period when placed in sunlight, away from wind draughts.  Water it well.  After it blooms, the poinsettia loses many leaves and tends to become less attractive.  Because it is rather difficult to get it to bloom a second time, many people prefer to simply get rid of it once it has bloomed once. 

If you do, however, decide to keep it, keep watering it well after it has bloomed.  Be sure to prune it a lot, in the spring, and plant it in the garden in the summer.  Around September 1^st, bring it back indoors. From the beginning of October through the end of November, make sure it gets very long nights (complete darkness from 5 PM until 8 AM), in order to allow new bracts to form.

Source: Joan Lee Faust, Le guide complet des plantes d’intérieures

Poinsettia in Oaxaca, Mexico

Please let us know how you have fared with poinsettia plants.

The following websites provide step by step instructions on what do to get your poinsettia to bloom next Christmas time.

http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin/en/info_verte/poinsettia/refleurir.htm

http://gardening.about.com/od/winterinthegarden/a/Poinsettia.htm

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/flowers/poinsettia.html

Terrie Greco, B.A.; HLT Dip.

Ah yes, the ‘dog days of summer’ are here, and along with the hot humid weather comes a not so attractive disease on your plants called Powdery Mildew. 

When this disease starts rearing its ugly head around mid July, it looks like Mother Nature has sprinkled icing sugar on the leaves.  Small powdery white spots begin to appear randomly on the leaves of numerous hosts.  As the spots become larger, and eventually merge, photosynthesis is reduced; the leaves dry out, turn brown and hang their heads down in shame on the stem of the plant. 

Unfortunately, numerous plants succumb to this disease – Sunflowers , Zinnia (Zinnia spp.), Rose Bushes (Rosa spp.) Bee Balm (Monarda spp.) and Lilac (Syringa spp.) – to name just a few. 

Here is a picture to help you identify Powdery Mildew: 

Powdery Mildew

The fungal spores are found in the soil and spread by water droplets, so although it’s impossible to stop rainfall, you can practice a few good cultural habits to minimize the spread of Powdery Mildew throughout the garden. Here are a few suggestions to help you combat Powdery Mildew:  

1. See to adequate spacing between plants allows air to circulate in the garden and leaves will dry off more quickly after rainfall or watering.
2. Minimize overhead watering if you can.
3. Use garden mulch to reduce water splash.
4. Remove leaves when the first signs of Powdery Mildew appear.
5. Do not compost foliage with Powdery Mildew or this disease will be back again in full force next summer.

In her book ECOLOGICAL GARDENING, Marjorie Harris provides additional tips to deal with Powdery Mildew such as using baking soda and/or Epsom salts. 

In and of itself, this disease does not kill plants, but leaves them weaker over time.  

Below are a couple of useful links with some photos of Powdery Mildew.  

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/IPM/english/tomatoes/diseases-and-disorders/powdery-mildew.html 

http://www.umassvegetable.org/soil_crop_pest_mgt/disease_mgt/tomato_powdery_mildew.html

Terrie Greco, B.A.; HLT Dip.

When I was a child I found great pleasure in holding what I considered to be a fragile yet comical creature in my hand – the caterpillar.  Over the years, I came to realize that caterpillars are programmed for plant destruction. It’s a survival strategy to which allows them to develop into the adult stage as a moth or butterfly and reproduce.

The caterpillars I find most intriguing are categorized as ‘the social caterpillars’ – (see link below for an explanation).  They are the:

• Eastern Tent Caterpillar            Malacosoma americanum
• Forest Tent Caterpillar               Malacosoma disstria 
• Fall Webworm Caterpillar         Hyphantria cunea

Both Eastern and Forest Tent caterpillars emerge mid-late May from over wintering egg masses found on twigs.  Eastern Tent caterpillars will attack crabapples, apples, and cherry trees.  Forest Tent caterpillar prefers maples, oaks and birch as host plants.  Fall Webworm larva emerge in  late August from eggs laid on the undersides of leaves – this pest infests numerous fruit tree species along with elm and willow species.

Defoliation can be severe, and if repeated, can result in the death of the tree.  Treatment with Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) – a natural and safe bacterium – is the best known solution.  It has proven over the years to be user-friendly, efficient and safe.  One important thing:  Bt is much more effective when the larva is small.

Why is Bt more effective on younger larva?  

• Bt bacterium produces a crystalline protein toxin that kills the single layer of cells lining a caterpillar gut
• Cells in the younger larva  are not multiplying and dividing as rapidly as in older larva – therefore the older larva can effectively ‘heal’ the gut wall and survive the effects of Bt.  COOL!
• If Bt has not been effective for you in the past – you probably applied it too late!

Pruning out egg masses and opening webs to natural predators are easy ways to check an infestation before it’s too late – remember folks – effective treatment means catching things early!

This link describes the safety of the product Bt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TTS80xyw4A

 Excellent instructions and information on the use and application of Bt(Bacillus thuringiensis)

http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/pesticides/infosheets/bt.pdf

Oh, and don’t forget to check out the following Web site for more info: http://www.bugwood.org/

Terrie Greco, B.A.; HLT Dip.

We have an intruder in this country  – a bold, brash, bright reddish orange beetle known as the Lily Leaf Beetle (Lilioceris lilii). This beetle hails from Europe and Asia, and was noticed in the Montreal area in the early 1940’s.  It has been heading west ever since, leaving a trail of destruction among your favourite Lily plants.

Even if this ‘import’ had natural predators, its habits are so disgusting that even the most self respecting bird avoids it. The larva has a peculiar habit of using its own excrement as a protective cloak.  Not an attractive appetizer let alone a main course for any predator.  If this wasn’t bad enough, the brightly coloured adult has an uncanny sense of timing.  When the adult senses danger, (such as a gardener preparing to pluck it from the leaf) it folds up its six black legs and ‘sky dives’ to the ground – with its black underside facing up. Adventure and camouflage all in one clever ploy!

The burning question – how do we control it? Using Neem oil as a repellent on the leaves shows plenty of promise. Monitoring and handpicking are very effective. Watch for the brightly coloured adults emerging from the soil in late spring and grab them before they find true love!  Each female can deposit 400+ eggs – capturing and destroying a few will make a difference.  If some beetles end up having a tryst – don’t call yourself gram or gramps yet! Brush off small orange rows of eggs from the underside of leaves before the larval stage emerges. Two or more generations are possible, so be diligent with these recommendations until late August.

Check out the following photographs.

Lily Leaf Beetle .Note the bright red orange body and black head and legs – capture and destroy!!!

Lily Leaf Beetle. Adult females lay small orange cylindrical shaped eggs in neat rows on the underside of Lily leaves in late spring – brush them off with a gloved hand or remove the leaf.

Lily Leaf Beetle larva covered in an ‘excrement cloak’ – gross! Some insects have no manners…

Lily Leaf Beetle. I have removed these leaves to show the eggs and different stages of the larva. Notice the severe destruction of the leaf tissue! These insects have no mercy.

Lily Leaf Beetle. It just goes to show you that this pest can destroy a plant within a few days.

Keep your eyes open in the garden – you never know what’s hiding behind that leaf! Keep reading this blog for more info.