Why do we have so many earwigs this year?
Well for one thing it has been a wet and slightly warmer spring. These weather conditions have made better that ideal living and growing media for the earwig. They like wet damp hiding places and with a little mulch or lose compost to hid in during the day.
How to identify good earwigs from bad earwigs. They are all the same so to speak. They are opportunistic eaters. They live on dead decaying matter, eat aphids and other small prey and love young growth of certain plants, like Marigolds. This is shown in the picture with all the cans full of earwigs and decimated marigold plants. The cans were placed next to plants that the earwigs thought were there most tasty.
Simple home remedies used to lower the earwigs population.
There are quit a few methods you can use depending on your preference and patience. I prefer a little beer in a small cat food can but there other preparations you can put in the cans.
Predatory insects that help control the earwigs.
Believe it or not, there are other insects and animals that prey on the earwigs. Since the earwigs are nocturnal, hungry birds have to hunt them out in their hiding places during the day. Evening birds and amphibians will be able to find them out and about in the duff on on their favorite plants.
Follow the reference links for more in-depth information.
Does something not look right on your plants or in your lawn
and garden?
What if I told you that it could possibly be a fungus that
is infecting them all?
Powdery Mildew could be the suspect we are looking for.
Powdery mildew looks like white to gray spots with a talcum powder like growth.
The mildew is host specific, i.e., the mildew that can be affecting your lilac
and elm trees would not affect your grass, or mildew on grapes would not affect
your lilac. Mildews thrive in warm dry climates. When plants have high
humidity, poor air circulation, or are located in shaded areas, it allows the
mildew to have an ideal growing environment.
The simplest and easiest option is to buy plant/seed
varieties that are resistant to powdery mildew, i.e., roses, cucumber, squash,
and beans.
Not everything we want to plant will have an available
resistant variety; therefore powdery mildew needs to be managed culturally and
chemically.
Cultural practices: ·Prune with good air circulation in mind.
·Do not over fertilize and possibly look into
slow release fertilizers for future applications.
·Do not overhead water to help reduce humidity
and reduce chances of spread of other fungus problems.
Chemical practices:
●Fungicides-
function as protectants, eradicants or both.A protectantfungicide is a
preventative to protect against new infections from occurring. An eradicant
fungicide kills an actively growing infection. For highly susceptible plants,
apply protectant fungicide before disease appears. Eradicants should be applied
at earliest appearance of disease.
●Horticultural
oils- can be an effective eradicant in plants with mild to moderate symptoms
and has some protectant effects with products such as Saf-T-Side Spray Oil,
Sunspray Ultra-Fine Spray Oil, neem oil or jojoba oil.
●Sulfur- usually a
spray that is only effective before the symptoms have appeared. Copper may also
be used in the same manner. It has a lower effective rate. ●Bacterial
Fungicides-made of a pathogen that
kills the fungus and helps prevent future infections. These are also safe for
beneficial insects, pets, and people.
With applying any chemicals, you want to make sure that you
are reading the labels and ensuring that you have correct target pest on
plants, proper protective equipment, and applying at correct rates. The label
is law and we do not want to damage the environment with an application applied
incorrectly. Now with our new knowledge on how powdery mildew works, we can
better manage it in our gardens going forward.
Consider signing up for land and garden pest alerts at the
Pest Alert Network in order to find out about pests as soon as they are found
in our area. These are the alerts for Powdery Mildew.
Strolling the grounds of my one acre “estate” on a warm summer day, I was distressed to see something wrong with two of my Sycamore trees. While two of the trees looked great, nice dark green leaves everywhere, the other two had sections of leaves that had yellowed. Upon further inspection, I noted that the veins of the leaves were still green, but the areas between the veins had turned yellow. In some cases the edges of the leaves were brown. “What is wrong?” I wondered.
What is wrong with my trees was something called, Iron Chlorosis. This problem is apparently common in places that have high alkalinity soil (pH above 7.0). My soil was significantly above this level. It is believed that there is a link between alkalinity and iron in the soil. The problem isn’t a lack of iron, but the inability of the plant to benefit from the iron that is there. For some reason, higher pH changes the chemical reactions which then render the iron unusable to the tree.
So, now that I know what is causing the trees’ problem, is there anything I can do about it? Yes, there are a number of things that can be done to deal with this problem. The best solution is prevention. Do a soil test to determine the soil pH and then select a species that will do well in a particular soil.
DIY soil test kits can be purchased from many garden outlets or your local U of I Extension Office can point you in the right direction to get the the test for a fee. There are several reputable labs that do a great job and send you the results and they are reasonable in cost. However, if the trees are already there, like mine, you have several options. According to North Dakota State University (NDSU) one option is to add elemental Sulfur to the ground around the tree. The Sulfur will help free up iron for the tree to take up. This is a slow process and may take a year or more before seeing results. Another option from NDSU is to inject iron directly into the trunk. This involves drilling a series of holes in the tree. This procedure should not be done more than once a year. Finally, the foliage can be sprayed with an iron solution. This usually provides the quickest results, however as new leaves come on they most likely will exhibit the problem.
Solving the problem of iron chlorosis is a difficult and time consuming challenge. Research and careful planning and follow up are keys to your success. Saving your beautiful plantings are worth the effort. Good luck!
Every organic gardener has had the experience of
dealing with any number of “weed” varieties in their home garden. One
could define a weed as a “plant that interferes with the management objectives
for a given area of land at a given point in time”. J. M. Torell, Plant Pathology Specialist-Western Laboratories. "Our job is to run interference in a
safe way and to get maximum yield from the preferred food plant source."
But wait. There are ways to use these “undesirable” plants to our
advantage. Many home gardeners as well as professionals have embraced an
early flush of green as well as harvested, in new and traditional ways, the
seeds and fruits from some of our most troublesome invaders.
Pulling weeds is just
about the most tedious task any gardener faces. But with many common species,
you can take another route: Try eating them. Here's a somewhat complete list of
commonly weeded plants that can add rustic flavor to your garden harvest. Just
be careful — before you eat anything outside, positively ID it visually by
using a guide book or by asking a knowledgeable person. Here's two recommended books: Delicious Forages and A Feast of Weeds.
Red Clover (Trifolium
pretense)This plant's blossoms
can be eaten fresh or steeped in hot water for tea. And you can toss both
the green leaves and blossoms into a
salad.
Wild garlic is an herbal
treat often found lurking in fields, pastures, forests and disturbed soil. It
resembles cultivated garlic or spring onions, but the shoots are often very
thin. Use it in sandwiches, salads, pesto or chopped on main courses like
scallions. Sorrel (Rumex
acetosella) Also known assheep
sorrel or dock, this wild plant is a tart,
lemony green found all over North
America and Europe. It slightly resembles Swiss chard, with thin, triangularly
shaped leaves. Use the young leaves in salads for an interesting citrus flavor,
or cook older, tougher greens in soups, omelets, or stir-frys. Wood sorrel is
another variety that can be eaten; however, it looks more like clover, with three double egg-shaped leaves.
Watercress The cress family (garden
cress, watercress, rock cress, pepper cress) are leafy greens long
cultivated
in much of Northern Europe. They have a spicy tang and are great in salads,
sandwiches, and soups.
Chickweed (Stellaria
media)A low-growing succulent with bright green,
pointed oval
leaves, this plant is supercharged with vitamins, minerals,
omega-6 fatty acid derivatives, and deliciousness. Throw young leaves and stems
in salads. However, take note: Don't eat too much chickweed, as it can give you
diarrhea. For more information about edible weeds in Idaho check out https://www.northernbushcraft.com/plants/
Unlike my
childhood memory of Granny Allen’s ramble of raspberries, full of blooms, bees,
and berries, I have intentionally kept my inherited cluster of raspberries
small.These amazing plants have
tolerated moving to several locations as my landscaping has evolved over the
years.The neglected collection of
crowns and canes continue to survive regardless of my inattention, still able
to produce a tasty source of edible entertainment for the grandkids, filling
their mouths more than their cups, with tasty berries.
My
only attempt at pruning my berry patch was taking a shovel to a wandering
sucker that ventured too far from its designated home, never giving much thought
to how mindful pruning practices could improve fruit production.As with all plants we nurture in our garden,
it is important to know your plant.With
intentions of creating a bountiful crop to create Granny’s preserves, a better
understanding of my mistreated patch is priority!
Raspberries are unique because they have perennial
roots and crowns that can live for many years.The canes or stems that produce the flowers and eventually berries are
biennial.Biennial canes live for two
years then die.
Primocanes (that will flower and fruit the
following year.) are new shoots that arise in the spring from the main crown,
or new suckers that rise from roots away from the main plant.
Floricanes are the second season canes that die
after producing fruit. Most berry brambles produce fruit on floricanes.
Primocane vs. Floricane
Varieties Most varieties of blackberries and raspberries are floricane
fruiting, or summer-bearing, which means they produce berries only on the
second-year growth, the floricanes. The fruit appears in early- to midsummer.
Primocane varieties are also known as fall-bearing or everbearing plants.
Ever-bearing varieties produce fruit on the floricanes in the summer, but they
also produce fruit on the primocanes. The primocane fruiting occurs at the tips
in early fall or late summer in the first year. They will then produce fruit
lower on the primocanes the following year in early summer. If you are growing
this type of berry, it is best to sacrifice the early summer crop by pruning
back primocanes after they produce in the fall. Cut them down close to the
ground, and you’ll get fewer but better-quality berries the following year.
There are two types of raspberries.Summer or June Bearers and Ever Bearers, also
known as Fall Bearers.
Summer/June Bearers produce vegetative, non-fruiting primocanes the first growing
season.Flowers and berries will form on
these canes the following year.During
the second growing season, the floricanes produces its fruit, then the cane
dies to the ground.
When pruning
Summer/June bearers, it is easy to identify the dead canes and prune it back to
the crown. Cutting out dead canes is recommended after harvest when the canes
are dry or in the early spring, before new growth starts.Prune out spindly canes and thin the crown,
leaving 2-4 of the strongest canes, cutting them back to 4-5 feet in
height.Remove unwanted suckers that are
sprouting outside of your designated area.
Summer Bearing – June
Bearing
Fall/Ever Bearers, if pruned correctly, have the potential to produce two crops in one
season.The primocanes that grow during
the first year will produce fruit late in the summer or early fall at the top
of the cane until the first frost, then the top of the cane will die. The next
summer, fruit will form lower on the same cane.To get both fall and summer crops, prune the canes as described for June Bearers.
Fall Bearing – Everbearing
If you desire a
larger crop of berries in the fall, cut Fall Bearer canes at ground level. This
convenient practice will typically produce one larger crop of berries in the
fall but no summer crop. It is recommended to mow or cut off all canes close to
the ground. If stubs are left, buds that sprout in the spring will produce
weak, unproductive branches.
Raspberries are
forgiving and with a small amount of time and attention they will produce a
bounty of berries.To the delight of my
grandkids and satisfaction of knowing this would have pleased Granny, I
approach my berry patch armed with sharpened shears, knowledge, and confidence
with intention for an abundance of berries for Granny’s freezer jam.
They are all the same so to speak. They are opportunistic eaters. They live on dead decaying matter, eat aphids and other small prey and love young growth of certain plants, like Marigolds. This is shown in the picture with all the cans full of earwigs and decimated marigold plants. The cans were placed next to plants that the earwigs thought were there most tasty.
