....................lost the rest of my Post.....
...but---, they would bitch at me as I still do not know where it is.
My soft, thick lawn has, once more, gobbled up this 5" pipe. I have a rough idea--
maybe a 3' x 3' area where it may be. It is just GONE!!! HOW????
I have walked over it--inch by inch--hoping to feel a bump. Nope!
I have poked around in this area with a wire stake in hopes of "hitting it"---Nope!
I do not dare call them again as I know they will fuss with me all over again
that i do not know where the clean out is. Other homes here have it sticking out
a good 10" as a sentinel. WHERE is mine?????
Next time--IF I can get them over here--I will make sure to extend it by about 12"--
and to have a metal screw-on cap to this pipe. Then they can find it with a
metal detector.
It is PVC--so no searching with any apparatus will locate it
Any suggestions of HOW I could locate WHERE this clean-out pipe is?
Thanks--Gita
Yardening July 2015
Their detector should be able to detect the pipe the PVC extension is screwed into.
That looks very nice, Greenthumb! I like that dragonfly (?) perched on the stone.
Yes, dragonfly.
Ugh, the Japanese Beetles are in full assault in our yard. They aren't bothering the dahlias as much so far but they are decimating our Dawn Redwood out front. There's already visible damage toward the top and there is TONS of JB fecal matter on the plants below. They are also hitting up the V. plicatum but not as bad as last year since I treated it with systemic :0 in the spring. I am surprised they are still eating it despite it being treated. This shrub actually stinks! It never used to until the JBs began attacking a few years ago. Even before the JB season starts it stinks. I can't figure it out.
wow, I know the 'cons' of using a trap, but is it time?
Yeah I know. I've been tossing that around in my head but I just don't know. I'm not sure where I could put it that wouldn't be near a plant the JBs enjoy munching on. I don't want to attract them to other plants.
The best place to put a JB trap is in your neighbors yard..........LOL
Yeah well trying to explain why I don't want it in my yard to a neighbor might not be the easiest thing. There is a perfect place to put one though in the yard diagonal to us. They don't care about their yard at all but still I feel weird asking them to let me put a trap in their yard.
Our HD is totally sold out of anything to do with Japanese Beetles.
Jeff--you DO know that you have to position a trap 30' away and downwind (?)
from your vulnerable plants???
Many people don't have the 30' required--or just don't know--and they put their traps
right in their garden. It is like a "Welcome" sign.....
I guess I would pick the farthest corner of the yard- and downwind makes sense, to get them as they follow a scent from far away going toward your plants.
One of my new neighbors put one right in the middle of their flower bed. Was I terribly bad by not bothering to tell her she should take it down..... I probably would have but she was rather dismissive when they first moved in and I went over to offer her plants. Pretty much turned up her nose at me and my plants so at the time I wasn't inclined to go back and offer my advice.
Well she was young and you could put my house inside of hers and still have a small house leftover. She has come around as she matured, her husband is a really nice person.
Sally, even the farthest corner of our yard has something that would be food for JBs. Remember, we only have a 1/4 acre and it is heavily planted. If I did put it in the farthest corner of the yard though, I might have a good 20' between the trap and my Katsura. That would be drawing them right next to my Southern Mag, Nellie Stevens hollies, and Winter Red winterberries. Maybe I should just put it in the middle of the yard. They don't eat Red Maple do they? I don't know, I'm really going to have to think about this if/before I do it.
Jeff---I thought someone, recently, posted a link to plants japanese beetles frequent--
and I recall that red maple was one of them.
Got it!!! it was one of the Articles last week--by Toni Leland on Japanese beetles.
There were links in it for further 'education"...
Here--in case you missed it: Gita
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1296
I never seem to have many Japanese beetles, but this year I'm seeing them in larger numbers than ever before. They have eaten up the Sensitive Fern of all things.
I had a productive yardening weekend. Mike, his brother Richard, his sister Bonnie, and I spent about 6 hours on Saturday limbing up trees in the forest between the house, pond, and driveway. I think it is one of those things that you never quite put your finger on to realize that that is what makes the view pleasing, but wow what a difference it makes! Sunday, I planted those shrubs that I had gone to get when the car accident happened, and Bonnie and I weeded and mulched - kind of a never ending chore at my place. The conditions on Saturday were awful - rain, humidity, and OMG the gnats!!! Worse conditions by far this year, but I can't seem to stay inside on the weekends and drag the rest of the family out with me. I can't believe they are such good sports about it. Sunday was better, other than the mud. I was actually over 5' tall with all the mud caked to the bottom of my shoes - felt like I was gardening in those platform shoes that were popular in the 70s LOL.
What a timely article. Thanks for posting the link Gita.
The Japanese beetles are very hit or miss.
Yes in this heat when it's risky to plant I look at limbs that have grown and hang down. It feels cooler when they are limb
ed up.
Jeff, I rarely have JBs here since most of the yards are nt 'lawn' . However, I have had success with hand picking those I do see by flicking them into a Big Gulp cup with soapy (I prefer Murphy Oil Soap) water in the bottom. I use the Big Gulp straw to flick them. When I am done for the time being, I put the lid on the cup and the straw in the hole and I am ready for the next round.
Method Two: When JBs are numerous, I patrol my yard several times a day with my small wet/dry vac (with an inch or so of Murphy Oil soapy water in bottom) and just vac them up!
This works for stink bugs and flatid plant hoppers and gypsy moth caterpillars, too. I find that it's a quick way to bring population numbers down quickly and it doesn't damage the branches and leaves of most plants to get sucked in to the narrow vac hose.. I've rigged an extension hose and pole support so I can get another ten feet into or above my arm's length reach. If I were there, I'd come over and give your Dawn Redwood a good vac!
Wonder if a lawn leaf vac would also work even though the bugs inside would be harder to dispose of as they would be live ?
Thanks for the link Gita. I had read that article last week but found her list of 'host' plants contradictory.
Aspenhill, I know just what you are talking about limbing up the trees and the view. When the old farm got sold and the new neighbors started to take out the old hedgerow I wasn't too happy about it but I must say I never realized what a great view of the east mtn we had. I especially love the wintertime view when the sun comes up.
Didn't knoq quite where to post this...
Here is how one of my customers has planted their mailbox.
Behind mailbox is a trellis with a red flowered mandaville vine about 7' tall. Then two large hanging baskets of red geraniums and a lower on the trellis white flowered mandaville. At base, stripped masses of red and white begonias and on the left a huge clump of white flowered spotted leaf calla lily!
Didn't knoq quite where to post this...
Here is how one of my customers has planted their mailbox.
Behind mailbox is a trellis with a red flowered mandaville vine about 7' tall. Then two large hanging baskets of red geraniums and a lower on the trellis white flowered mandaville. At base, stripped masses of red and white begonias and on the left a huge clump of white flowered spotted leaf calla lily!
Oops, forgot pic!
prizewinning mailbox planting there!
Ugh. I was so tired but it felt like a waste not to enjoy the yard. I dug up some fragrant daffodils, and moved three clumps of daylilies from 'holding' to 'enjoying' spots. We'll see how they do along the edge of the tree area out from the deck, where I can see them, and nothing else much is in bloom now.
Something is chewing up my blackeyed susan petals- little tiny shiny round dark beetles seen.
Geranium Biokovo drowned in the damp shade, so I put another small daylily clump in it's place. I needed something tall there anyway, dumb place for the geranium.
Now all they need is some blue, coleup!
Sally, maybe they're flea beetles. Try putting out saucers of any kind of light-colored beer; they like it!
This message was edited Jul 10, 2015 9:06 PM
Then you'll find all sorts of wobbly figure-8's chewed into your BES's, Sally. heeheeheee
Judy, that is a fabulous mailbox planting, I love it!! Makes me want to do more around mine... if only the neighborhood people wouldn't walk their dogs to go potty in others' yards!! :(
What I notice most on that mail box combo is the health and vigor of each individual plant and the multi layers, especially the Calla. That clump is almost 3 feet in diameter and almost as tall. Pardon me, but I think the Calla lilies I have seen seem way wimpy compared to these
Anyone here grow Callas? How do yours do for you?
Sally, how well do you think they daylily clump will do in the damp shade? I have a DL in shade and it barely blooms. Maybe it gets 1 stem with 4 blooms a year.
Question for those who have Impatiens capensis: I noticed mine had seeds on it last night but I've never seen it bloom...what gives? It's in the Front Yard garden and I check that garden daily but usually only around dinner time after I come home from work. I'm disappointed I haven't seen it bloom and it's really weird because there are a fair amount of seeds on it.
Sequoia, in addition to the obvious orange blooms, Impatiens capensis produces insignificant cleistogamous flowers forming seed capsules with fertile seeds without any need for cross-pollination. Last year I saw only a couple of blooms but had numerous seedlings this spring in several locations.
From Wikipedia: "Cleistogamy or automatic self-pollination describes the trait of certain plants to propagate by using non-opening, self-pollinating flowers."
Edited for spelling
This message was edited Jul 13, 2015 8:45 AM
Seq, we'll see-- This is normally not especially damp, but will the frequent rain, I think the leaves got rotted. And degree of shade varies, so ?
Oh man, that stinks GT, I'm bummed out now. I don't have any Jewelweed on our entire property and don't know of any neighbors with it. I let this seedling grow because I knew they were hard to start from seed because of the double stratification and I really like the blooms on it. I wonder what makes it the cleistogamy type or the orange/yellow flowering type?
Both occur on the same plant. Let it seed and I am sure you will have more plants next year, just not where you intend them.
I have a couple general Yardening questions....
My huge Kopper King Hibiscus is starting to bloom. So far--2 blooms--
but it has many buds ready to pop. of course--the Jap. Beetles are all
there waiting.
Today--there are the 1st 2 blooms--and each one already had holes
in them from the beetles. I have been picking the beetles off with a cup of
soapy water--but when all the KK buds are open--that will be impossible.
Been picking them off my roses--or what is left of them. They are totally trashed!
My question is:
Can I spray the unopened bloom buds with something that will deter the beetles
from munching on them? I have ALL kinds of products--would a systemic stop them?
How about Horticultural Oil? Or--how about some insect spray? I have them all!
1--Kopper King Hibiscus with the first bloom--already a hole in it!
2--Bloom close up...
3--These are the bloom bud-clusters. As you can see, even the foliage
is already chewed up. The beetles just wait for the blooms to start opening--
and they are at it.
I need some ideas of what would work the best. Thanks, Gita
Another question---
Do you cut off the spent, grayish remnants of the bloom spikes on an Astilbe?
They look so ugly! Are there seeds in those withering fronds?
Another Question____
You can tell I have been outside all day.....
This is re Crab Grass, which is coming up all over now, but is still in that
"fresh growth" stage.
Most weed Killers all now have "Crabgrass Control" on their bottles as well.
I am wondering if that means that if I spray a weed killer on this new
Crab Grass--will it kill it?
I could go outside and spray some Weed Killer on them and see.
Just thought some of you would have had more experience with this.
I can also go outside and read the bag or the bottle and see what it says....
Oy Vay---all that minute print!!!! ..."My eyes grow dim...I cannot see...eee..eee!"
I should know all this--SHOULDN'T I? I help customers re this all the time...
Thanks one more time---G.
Gita, there is a product from Bonide called 'Japanese Beetle Killer' that I hear works really really well, you can read about it here: http://www.bonide.com/products/product.php?category_id=196
If you have this, it is safe to spray on your baby's blooms, leaves, AND buds. I have had LOADS of customers at work say that it works really well to kill adult Japanese Beetles. I've not tried it myself (don't really have a Jap. Beetle problem in my yarden), but I'd sure try it if I did.
As for your crab grass, YES, now is the time to spray them.. of course, your results will depend on what product you have. The word 'control' is ambiguous; do they mean that it will PREVENT new weeds from germinating, or do they mean the product will KILL already-growing weeds? I'm afraid you're going to have to read your labels for that one, but if it's a "Killer", then NOW, while they are growing, is the time to spray them.
By the way, that Hibiscus is absolutely GORGEOUS!! =)
This is from the label:
"This product is highly toxic to bees exposed to direct treatment on blooming crops or weeds. Do
not apply this product or allow it to drift to blooming crops or weeds while bees are actively visiting the treatment area"
Unless you aren't concerned about the pollinator population, use this product to spray JBs. It's a tough call because you want your flowers to look pretty but most of us here don't want to negatively affect bees. This year I tried using a systemic on a few select shrubs that JBs love and I don't think I'll be using it next year as it does not have the impact I was looking for. You can use a systemic, which does kill the JBs but not as I thought. It does not prevent them from eating the plant as they have to eat the plant in order to injest the insecticide. They die and fall to the ground, at which point birds will happily eat them. This was an unintended effect, which I am concerned about. I'm not sure what insecticide infected JBs will do to the bird population. The few select shrubs I treated were chosen because they aren't frequented by bees as often as other plants. The best 'control' I know of for JBs is still mechanical, which almost isn't a control at all. All this being said, I will still probably treat my yellow KO rose as the treatment has definitely helped this plant.
Thank you both.
Speedie--HD does not carry too many Bonide products.
However--most of the insect control products show JB's on their tag.
What i am looking for is more a preventative that would deter JB's
from even going on the flower buds of my Hibiscus.
This Hibiscus is so spectacular when in full bloom, I want to see it intact.
Other than my roses--which are totally destroyed this year anyway, they do not seem to
frequent to many other plants. No buds even have a chance of opening and blooming.
My cup of soapy water sits right by my hose reel. Grab and go drown those suckers..
1--This is what my roses look like--the leaves were chewed up before the JB's came.
2--KK Hibiscus bud ready to open--and you can see who is waiting for it.
3--BES's taking over my front bed. Under all this there is an Azalea bush....somewhere...
Will be yanking some of these out. it was pretty when just a few BES's bloomed--
That "thing" on the left is a self-seeded Giant Amaranth I had last year.
It is growing about 3" every day--will end up being 6' tall and then bloom.
4--Felicia's Phlox after the rain storm last night. It IS 6' tall by now! Will have to tie
it to the lamp post....I slept right through it....
5--My poor rose blooms! There are, probably, 8 JB's on this one rose.
very good point, Sequoia -- but I'm not sure I've ever seen a bee in a hibiscus moscheutos bloom. They do love the roses, but I'm considering using a bug-killing spray on non-blooming parts of the rose bush. I also might need to spray my young grape vines -- and since they're not in bloom, that shouldn't impact pollinators.
As for chasing them away before they take a bite... I've heard you can make a "blender beetle" solution and spray the plants, the idea being that the scent of crushed dead beetles will keep others away. However, I doubt that's effective. J Beetles have no trouble going where there are heaps of dead ones... and for all I know, "blender beetle spray" would have lots of attractive beetle hormones in it, too.
Yeah Jill, I think I've read somewhere that dead beetles emit some phermone or something that attracts more. Sometimes I can't resist squishing a few but mostly I just give them a good flick.
Try using a small wet/dry vac to suck up those beetles. A canister vac works, too. I'm currently using both on a flatid plant hopper explosion. I use them with the crevise tool attachment....large enough to get the bugs yet small enough to not do much to the plants!
Do they crawl out of the vacuum then? What do you do with them after their death?
Apparently insecticidal soap is effective for Japanese Beetles, quote from article "...a few large insects, including boxelder bugs and Japanese beetles, are susceptible."
See: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05547.html