Help needed

I

This message was edited Jul 2, 2010 1:40 PM

Has it been raining very much where you live, Jon? Maybe the foliage is sticking together due to being wet?

No sunny and 95, Leaves curl towards face side then seem to stick together, not all just a few. Akle said it's normal, apparently she used to grow them as a child. My very own expert, LOL.

Jon

Jon, this happens in my garden, too. I have found two perpetrators, both of whom do this to just a few leaves, with most of the other leaves unaffected, so I leave these critters to birds who like to munch on them. One is a thin, small, approximately 3/8" long green unidentified worm or catepillar, and the other is nesting spiders that I think police other pests to my plants very well.

I like to wait and see what will happen in situations like this to try and understand what's going on. Sometimes nature will balance things out without chemicals, although I must admit that with regard to the *preservation and dissemination* of rare and unusual species and cultivars of MGs, I would use Bayer 3 in extreme cases. Here's hoping yours is not an extreme case that cannot be resolved either by doing nothing or resorting to gentler pesticide controls.

The MG sticky index has some information on pests and their controls that affect MGs.

Hope this helps,

karen

Thanks Karen, I need to get the magnifying glass out for a close look, I kinda suspected a bug of some sort,
probably came with the plant. I don't seem to be having much luck lately 3 of the plants I bought have problems.
By the way I'm still working on the translations, waiting for some info in the post. Hope to post my findings soon.

Many thanks

Jon

Thanks, Jon. In the MG sticky is a link to Dr. Yoneda's website, which has glossaries of concepts with Japanese names that apply to MGs. I think it would be important to include those somehow, without infringing on copyright issues. If Dr. Yoneda's website should ever disappear from the internet, it would be wonderful if we could have preserved as much information from him as possible.

Also, evr has shared her research with this forum that further explains some of these concepts on some of her threads - it might be worthwhile to click on her home page and link those threads of hers that are pertinent to the Japanese/English thread, as well.

I look forward to finding out what the leaf curl in your garden is about - I'll be surprised if the vine doesn't grow faster than a few of its leaves curl, though.

Thanking you again for all you've been contributing -

Karen

thats the only 2 i can think of for that reason too. the spider will be gone just probably a nightly rest stop. the cat may or may not be in the leaf if you pull it open.

i hope your plants will be ok. i got a few from a dealer the other day really wanted one so bought it. it had spider mites. told the dealer what they were he said he was glad i said something but never heard of them before. must not of been into plants long. those you learn quickly about around here.

Thanks guys. first I did was pull a leaf apart, no cat but spider mite good point. So I'll be doing my Sherlock bit
first thing in the morning! Think the MG is OK it's growing 6" a day. Karen I'll check those links out and take notes.

Jon

Is your tricolor vine growing well, Jon? I hope it flowers up soon for you. I have yet to grow Pearly Gates but want to some day.

Joseph

Yes Joseph It's growing fast 6" or more daily no sign of buds as yet.
imzadi good call yes it was spider mite!

Big thanks all.

Jon

dont feel bad i have spider mites too. and been treating for them. this season seems bad for them. but thankfully mgs are tough

Jon - I was told that Spider Mites don't like high humidity. I mist my indoor vines to keep those mites away. It seemed to work for me. Maybe a mister nozzle would help keep them under control. Sometimes pesticides can damage young vines.

Well if spider mites don't like high humidity they in the wrong country here. lol.
On the bright side yesterday I had a small mantis on the vine, seemed to be eating them!
I always try to work as organically as possible in the garden and rarely use pesticides as they get the good guys too.

Jon

Good news, Jon! Love how nature balances things, don't you? LOL!

I get ladybugs here when the aphid population is high. And then they leave when their food source is devoured. :-)

Yes Becky. It is humans that put nature out of balance to begin with. Pesticides, herbicides can and do just
that! Ladybugs are one of my favorite good guys, pretty too!
Thanks

Jon

Jon - Well said! (Clapping ...) Because my blooms and plants feed so many insects, as well as my hummingbird ... I am very careful what I use on my plants. I want to keep those creatures healthy and protected from pesticides and other poisons. Sometimes I even worry about what is in some of the fertilizers. So I try to use compost and then diluted Bloom Booster to get everything to flower. :-)

I had a weird experience with my hummer yesterday ...

I was sitting on my screen porch talking on the phone to my aunt. And suddenly, I saw the hummer. She came right up to the screen and was hovering and looking right at me. Then she zipped right and then left while still staring at me. And then went over to some blooms. That was odd! So I looked around the yard and realized that not many plants are blooming right now. I am wondering if she wants me to put the feeder back up outside? She may have a nest and won't go very far to find blooms to nectar from elsewhere. Most folks around here do NOT grow flowers. And a lot of folks have their yards sprayed. Ugh! Needless to say, I am making sugar water as I write this! LOL!

I wish I had about 5-10 acres of land to garden on ...

I've never seen a humming bird here, I think were just not on a migratory route, I wish! I only have a small garden
here in keeping with most Japanese gardens, if I had 5-10 acres the government would tax me for not growing rice!
Having said that the entire village is like one big garden between two large rivers and surrounded by rice fields.
Lovely place for a gardener and nature lover to live.

Jon

Jon - You will have to share a photo or two of the area you live in! Sounds really lovely. :-) I don't know what continents that hummers can be found. But I haven't heard of any in Japan. Whichi is too bad.

Yes Becky I need to get out with the camera, sounds daft but being one of very few foreign people here I always
feel such a tourist if I go out with the camera.

Jon

Jon - Be a tourist for an hour and take a few photos to share with us! :-) I take photos all the time in my yard. I am sure my neighbors are wondering whyand what! LOL!

I will get out and take some photo's this week, becides the walk will do me good! I'm looking at starting a flickr
page like Josephs, his are so impressive! He's taken more photos in three weeks than I have in three years. Lol.
Guess I'm just plain lazy!

Jon

My little boy Akira

Jon - Your son is adorable! How old is he? He looks like he would lots of fun to play with! Such a happy little guy!

Yep! Dust off that camera and take some photos! Most of us will never get to visit Japan, so we will be tourist through your eyes (and camera)! :-)

He is 21 months and three days! We have our second baby due in January!

Jon

Is Akira talking much yet? In the photo, he looks like he has a lot to say! Enjoy him! They grow up so fast. Mine are all into adulthood now. Though it seems like only yesterday they were your son's age. :-)

Do you know if your next child is going to be a boy or girl? Here in the USA, almost everyone has an ultrasound done and finds out the gender. No surprises anymore like when I had my three children... :-)

Edited for personal reasons.

Jon



This message was edited Aug 3, 2009 9:02 AM

Jon - I am so sorry to hear about your first born son. An old friend of mine lost a son to SIDS as well. {{Hugs}} Enjoy that little boy of yours all the more! :-) I hope Akie has a very easy pregnancy and delivery and that the new one is just as healthy and cute as Akira! You are blessed many times over! :-)

Thank you Becky

Jon

Here are some snaps taken in our village this morning.

more

yet more

more!

DITTO

Keep watching

Rice fields

more rice

even more rice

Nearly forgot this one

Jon

This message was edited Aug 3, 2009 10:40 PM

Great photos, Jon, thanks for posting them!!

Hey Joseph what are you doing outa bed at this time? I know jet lag. Photo's just a 15 min walk around this morning, took longer to paste em all. LOL. My pearly gates reached the top of it's trellis today, I think I can see embryonic buds forming, busting with anticipation! Can't wait to post a pic. Next year lots of asagou for me.
I heard an English person pronouncing asagou the other day and he got it quite wrong and I think that you and I ought to set the record straight for the benifit of others. Asa = morning, Kou pronounced like cow = face
There is a shift in hiragana when two words are co-joined so kou becomes gou and pronounced like gow.
So pronounced as asagow.

Jon

Jon, how your son Akira is going to learn this complicated language ? LOL

My native language is french and when I arrived in Hungary I could not speak a word of Hungarian. I watched with envy Hungarian children with their mother speaking step by step and in fact they learn the language as a bird learn to sing. It is much more difficult and quite different when an adult learns a language.

As first "asagow" : Pearly Gates is perhaps not the most beautiful - lots of leaves and few flowers.
Here is an White Ipomoea Nil looking like Pearly Gates

Dany