Are Bees the Only Pollinators?

With real evidence of bee population loss in the last few years, the term ‘pollinator’ might be on a gardener’s mind right now.  But what about other pollinators? Can you encourage other beneficial insects to your landscape and do they have any other benefits?  Do they all sting? 

In the chart below, we can find some common plant pollinators who you may not have thought of as beneficial, but all have something to give to your garden.  

European Paper Wasp

Let’s start with one of the hardest to accept, the European Paper Wasp. Difficult as it may be to have around because they do sting, not only are they pollinators, but they also feed on soft bodied, leaf-eating pests - caterpillars, aphids.

The Hoverfly is a pollinator in disguise.  They have evolved to look like bees, mainly to ward off predators. Lucky for us these little flies are harmless, unless you’re an aphid. Once the adult Hoverfly has selected the best aphid colony in your garden to lay its eggs beside, soon those eggs develop into aphid-eating maggots. 

Butterflies and Moths are also good pollinators because of the large amount of pollen that collects on their feet and legs. Some special characteristics that set them apart from bees are not only do they taste with their feet, but they can also see the color red.

Less known but just as important as pollinators are bats, birds, mice, and other vertebrates. 
Psst...they also eat their weight in bad bugs!

With these factors in mind, you might want to try to attract these pollinators to your yard and garden by planting a wide variety of plants that bloom from early spring until late fall. Plant is clumps with native plants and don't forget night-blooming plants. You could also install a bee hotel for native bees and mason bees.

You may be able to do less pest control and more relaxing while these and other beneficial pollinators do the work for you. 
Follow us on Facebook during Pollinator Week June 18-23!

No slowing down for Tree & Turf Team this season

Well, things aren’t slowing down for Tree and Turf team this season. After the earliest start for team back in March, the newly combined team has been meeting weekly at Caldwell Extension office going through new client call-ins, emails and walk-ins. We’ve stayed busy researching through numerous education web sites, reading through extension office library books to come up with best answers to help with client’s questions.  A good part of weekly meeting involves research and follow ups with clients.
  

LISA Training

Setting out measuring cups

The team has also continued the process of its own learning by taking class at Rich’s house back in early May. The new educational service called LISA “Lawn Irrigation System Audit” allows anyone to call extension office and schedule Master Gardener to come out to their home.  The MG can perform water irrigation test that determines how well your lawn irrigation system is performing across your whole lawn. So, if you notice any dry brown areas or soggy wet areas in your lawn, this service could be a benefit that could help determine if you need to move or adjust your irrigation water flow.

then measuring each cup

Watering for a set amount of time

The service is reasonably priced at $20.00 per call.  The overall  time to do the whole service at the client’s place is about an hour.

What we have seen lately are clients calling a professional landscape person to help in planting a new tree into their yard. Then a short time later [4 to 12 months], the tree starts the slow die-off process because it was improperly planted.  They then call the Extension Office asking "Why is my tree dying?". Notice the triangle wires sticking out of the ground, this is part of wire basket in which the tree was shipped.⇓

We’ve had several clients call in the past month where landscaper dug too small of hole for that size tree. Then just rolled the root ball wrapped in burlap sack along with thick wire basket into hole. This didn’t allow roots to grow and be healthy, instead the roots were stuck in very small space and tree started slow death.

This is what you want to remove before putting your tree root into the ground:  All of the Wire rack and burlap sack ⇒⇒

I’ve included a couple of very good Education web sites that show the proper way to plant new trees and a good maintenance schedule to help your tree stay healthy.

Monday is just around the corner for us with more new client questions to research for right answers. 

So, until next month, keep on digging!

The Tree and Turf Team

Hollyhocks

It's easy to fall in love with the cheerful hollyhocks sprawled all over my elderly neighbor’s junk filled backyard. He was happy to share seeds with me and told me he remembered them from the 1950’s when his parents bought the farm.  

There are 1500 species and 27 genera in North America and grow in zones 2-10. The edible flowers are considered a delicacy in Turkey. Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) are in the mallow family.

Hollyhocks require:

• Full sun
• Moist, well-drained soil
• Should be watered with drip irrigation or soaker hose
• Grow up to 8 feet tall
• Biennials -- take two years from seed to bloom
• Plants reseed themselves
• Companion plants are pansies and campanulas

They attract hummingbirds and butterflies. In the Victorian era, hollyhocks were a symbol of ambition and initially were plants for the wealthy. They were used medicinally for respiratory ailments and for cooking.

My hollyhock plants looked ragged, with bumpy reddish growths on the lower leaves. The spots became dry, brown, and left holes in the lovely green leaves. Initially I treated them with a detergent based wash, then applied insecticide per the research from my plant books. The problem continued, and I noted that other gardens’ hollyhock leaves were equally as unattractive as mine. It seemed we would need to co-exist. I just picked off the offensive leaves.

Before Google was available for research I had to rely on books. In my master gardening class, I learned how to use the Google search site (site:.edu hollyhocks). Using this educational search, I was able to find out what was causing problems. To my amazement, the culprit was a fungus! The mystery was solved as I perused the pictures and found the Puccinia malvacearum fungus.

One of the most common problems with hollyhock is Rust (Puccinia malvacearum). Rust causes the plant to look ragged, with bumpy reddish growths on the lower leaves. The fungus overwinters in infected plant debris. In the spring new infectious spores are formed on infected plant debris that cause infection on the newly emerging leaves.

Disease Control Strategies: 

• Cut infected plants at the soil line and remove debris as soon as the hollyhocks are done flowering. This prevents the rust disease from overwintering and infecting in the upcoming spring. 
• In addition, remove and destroy any mallow weeds growing near hollyhocks.
• Adding a layer of mulch around hollyhocks in the spring will hinder overwintering of spores within in plant debris. 
• Scout hollyhocks in early spring. Remove and destroy the first leaves that appear infected. 
• Proper location choice can be important to reduce the chance of infection. An ideal site will have adequate sunlight, good soil drainage, and sufficient air circulation.
• It is also recommended to water the plants early in the day, so that they dry relatively quickly.
• Consider purchasing more resistant varieties such as the Alcea rugosa and Alcea ficifolia.
• A preventative fungicide can be applied to plants BEFORE infection or as soon as infection is detected. Frequent treatments will need to be applied as new growth emerges.

My initial plants are a very old variety, I have secluded a few and removed most of the plants. We have a large area, and I hope to avoid infecting any new plants. I have new plants from the seed swap at the Canyon County U of I Extension Office. According to Wisconsin Horticulture these are fungicide treatments and usage that will help your hollyhocks.  

“If you decide to use fungicides for control, select products that are labeled for use on hollyhocks (or more generally on ornamental flowering plants) and contain the active ingredients chlorothalonil, mancozeb, myclobutanil, tebuconazole, or triticonazole. When making more than one application, DO NOT use the same active ingredient for all treatments. Instead, alternate the use of at least two active ingredients with different modes of action to help minimize problems with fungicide-resistant variants of the hollyhock rust fungus. Myclobutanil, tebuconazole and triticonazole have similar modes of action and should NOT be alternated with one another. Be sure to read and follow all label instructions of the fungicides that you select to ensure that you use products in the safest and most effective manner possible.”

I will also be purchasing new seeds in my quest for lovely, cheerful hollyhocks!