The spring is beautiful. There have been weeds galore, some deer and some cold spells, but few foes of the garden. June 1st comes and here come more vigorous enemies.
What is munching on my rose bud?
Time for the pests to show up
And is this powdery mildew? I've never seen it this early, nor this thick before. Anybody know what this is?
Thanks!
Harper
eeww looks like some nasty stuff... hopefully someone will chime in to help... i have nothing
Yes - looks like mildew. The rose damage is probably a caterpillar of some type. Get BT.
I found aphids on my rose's yesterday!! I have never had them so bad before! EEEEWWWWWW!!
You need ladybugs!
The lady bugs were on the big Rugosa but the aphids are on my new climbing rose. They may have come in on a newly planted plant??
Give the ladies directions!
We had all kinds of ladybugs in the house during the early spring. Anna found aphids on the lupine about a month ago. She kept knocking them off with water, because the lupine babies were so small. It seemed to have worked so far.
I'm not sure what to use on the aphids.
I would try insecticidal soap as a first step if water alone can't keep up. Then you can go up the ladder of stronger stuff.
Ah! Insecticidal soap! Duh! I hadn't thought of that one. We even have some here from last year. I think it's still good.
Victor,
I found it interesting when we took our "behind the seeds" tour at Disney World that they not only use ladybugs but give everyone a vile of them to release as we walked around the greenhouses. I was on home depot website and saw that you can buy them at $24.95 per pint.
How many are in a pint I don't know.
Also thanks for suggesting the BT. I was racking my brain trying to remember what it was called.
Chuck
Victor, what's BT?
Oh! I wish I had seen this earlier. I just got back from the home depot looking for blood meal and to price out lumber for my raised veggie bed. Didn't find any blood meal, but bought two yarrows, some purple alyssum, some stargazers, five packs of seeds, a mat knife, a rain guage, some silicone spray for my pruners, an orange soda and a snickers bar. All on impulse. Well, not the silicone spray. That was on my list. I'll make sure everything gets in the ground by Saturday so I can be sure I didn't waste the money!
Tomorrow I'm gonna try the mulch store. They'll probably have the blood meal and BT. They're closer to home, too!
Maybe the orange soda will work well on the pruners?
Uh, yeah. Uh, huh. Sure, Vic.
And the silicone...
Don't go there ....
LOL. At least you got something on your list. Love snickers.
Mmmmm, snickers.
Every time I see this thread title, I think mother-in-law.
I'm just wondering Harper, if you get everything in the ground by Saturday will you have an orange tree, peanut plants and chocolate growing? Could you imagine if we could just grow milk chocolate straight out of the ground??? goodbye pms ^_^
So your MIL is not a Dave's member? :)
Hee hee- no way, Weeze!
PMS is beyond chocolate's help.
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but chocolate makes PMS worse.
Victor, I'm sorry you feel that way about the pests!
Victor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hee hee
Something ate a number of my Oso Easy Peachy Cream rose buds! Also some hostas. Grrrrrrrrr!
This is what I found on mine....
Eeek. Get the ladybugs!
Really! I have never seen so many!
Found out at Well Sweep today...if you plant some tansy, it's the ladybugs host plant and the baby ladybugs eat more than the adults.
Are baby ladybugs girlbugs?
Cute....ever seen the movie "Bugs LIfe"?
Yes - it was nice. I like the 3D thing at Animal Kingdom.
"So just because I'm a lady bug it automatically makes me a girl???"
I forgot that.
I just looked up Tansy. It's on the invasive list in many states. This is the host plant for ladybugs?
this is the one they sell
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53290/
here is another link
http://www.stonepylon.com/garden/herbcirc.htm
and quote from the page
Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) -- Perennial. Grow this dark green, fern-like herb in full sun in lean soil to keep it from becoming invasive. The leaf texture coupled with yellow button flowers makes it ornamental and the foliage is supposed to repel pests like ants. This plant is also reputed to draw earthworms, which are great for your garden. I have read that it is alleopathic (poisonous to plants growing near it) but this has not been my experience. Warning: This herb is poisonous - do not eat it!