Did You Know? Vegetable Gardening Can Save You Money

 

Let me start by saying that I hope everyone had a wonderfully blessed Christmas. I know that I enjoyed being with my family over Christmas and I have reveled in watching my kids play with all of their gifts. Perhaps the sweetest thing was hearing my 5 year old son say that the reason he couldn’t wait for Christmas was because it is Jesus’ birthday. He then quickly added that he couldn’t wait for his toys too, but at least he put Jesus first!

Sorry that I didn’t post on Thursday. I was tied up making food for the Christmas Eve celebration…my goal for this blog is to post 5 days a week and I apologize that I didn’t meet that goal last week. Hopefully you’ll cut me some slack since it was Christmas! :)

In today’s Did You Know? post, I want to look at some real world numbers of food costs in the grocery store and compare that to the amount of money it costs to produce the same veggies in your backyard. In doing this, I know that I am going to be preaching to the choir for a lot of you, but I’m hoping that I can convince a few of you doubters to at least give veggie gardening a try in the new year.

I went to the local grocery store today and here are some of the prices I noticed:

  • Tomatoes on the Vine – $2.49/lb
  • Romaine Lettuce – $2.49/head
  • Strawberries – $3.50/pint
  • Onions – $1.49/lb
  • Cherry Tomatoes – $2/pint
  • Green Peppers – $1.25 each
  • Cucumbers – $1.19 each

 

Now let me be the first to say that I realize that these prices are elevated because it’s December 26 and all of these veggies are having to be trucked in from warmer parts of the world. But with the exception of the peppers, these are reasonable prices for the summer, give or take 10%. Let’s look at each of these items individually and compare what it would cost to grow them.

  • Tomatoes on the Vine – for $2.50, you can get a packet of 60 seeds for just about any type of tomato. Sure you have to start them from seed and grow them large enough to plant outside and that takes energy. But not much more energy than the light you leave on above your sink or in your garage by accident. With that $2.50 packet of seeds, you can produce 30 tomato plants, which will yield at least 20 pounds of tomatoes a piece. That’s a total of 600 pounds of tomatoes for $2.50. If you want to buy a tomato plant that has been grown by someone else, you can buy at least one (usually two) plants for $2.49. One plant would still yield at least 20 pounds of tomatoes.
  • Romaine Lettuce – for $2.50, you can purchase a packet of 500 seeds that will yield 250 heads of lettuce.
  • Strawberries – you can buy strawberry plants in the spring for very little money. For less than $10, you can buy enough plants to fill many pint baskets. I estimate that you can get about half of a pint of strawberries from each plant so for $10, you should get 5 or 6 pints. As an added bonus, strawberries are perennials (they come year after year) so once you have them, you never have to buy them again…just make sure you take some of the little runners (I call them babies) and transplant them.
  • Onions – for $1.99, you can get a packet of 700 seeds that can produce 350 onions.
  • Cherry Tomaotes – for $2.50, you can get a packet of 60 seeds that can produce 30 plants. 30 cherry tomato plants will produce at least 120 pints of tomatoes.
  • Green Peppers – for $2.50 you can get a packet of 60 seeds that can produce 30 plants. Each plant will produce 10-15 peppers so your total yield will be anywhere from 300 to 450 peppers.
  • Cucumbers – for $2.50, you can purchase a packet of 60 seeds that can produce 30 plants. Each cucumber plant will produce 20-30 cucumbers so your total yield will be anywhere from 600 to 900 cucumbers.

 

Let’s put the numbers side-by-side so that we can compare them. (Please excuse the look of my third grader-ish chart…I’m still learning the ins-and-outs of WordPress)

 

Grocery Store Backyard
Tomatoes on the Vine    $2.50 1# 600#
Romaine Lettuce           $2.50 1 head 250 heads
Strawberries                 $10.00 3 pints 6 pints
Onions                         $2.50 1.5# 90#
Cherry Tomatoes          $2.50 1.25 pints 120 pints
Green Peppers              $2.50 2 peppers 300 peppers
Cucumbers                   $2.50 2 cukes 600 cukes

 

Now I understand that you have to have to correct amount of sunlight that the plants need and you need the space to put the veggies in the ground. My goal for this illustration is to show you just how much money you can save by having a vegetable garden. In this down economy and with food prices increasing every time you go to the grocery store, it just makes sense to take some control of your food production. And what better way than to throw a few vegetable plants in the ground. I want to hear about your experiences with vegetable gardening! Leave me a comment below or e-mail me at stacey@midatlanticgardening.com. Happy gardening!

December 26, 2011Permalink Leave a comment

Reader Question: Last Frost Date

 

Here’s a reader question that I received this week:

I’m thinking of starting my own vegetable seeds this year and I keep reading about the last frost date. I live in Northern Virginia and I’m not sure when mine is.

Tammy

This question is relevant to me in so many ways. I’ll cut right to the chase for the last frost dates for the Mid-Atlantic region but then I want to expand on them a bit. The average last frost date for Zones 5-7 is somewhere between April 1 and April 30. It can vary depending on the year but this is a good baseline. In Richmond, VA I always use April 15 as the last frost date and that has served me well for years. If we were experiencing a particularly cool spring, I’d assume that closer to the end of the month would be safer. If you look at this pdf for Vienna in Northern Virginia, it shows that there is a 90% chance that freezing temperatures will occur on March 30; a 50% chance of freezing temps on April 10 and a 10% chance on April 22.

The reason that you want to know your last frost date is so that you can figure out when to start your seeds. For instance, tomatoes need to be started indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost date. Many seed packets will say 6 weeks is sufficient but I have found that they need 8 weeks unless you’re starting them in a greenhouse. All the grow lights in the world just can’t compensate for the rays of light that emanate from that golden orb in the sky. With that being said, if you use April 15 as your last frost date, you can count backwards and see that you need to start your tomato seeds on February 19. You may be thinking that seems like forever from now but it’s only 8 weeks away. Unless you already have your seeds for next year, it’s time to get cranking on selecting which jewels you’ll have growing in your veggie garden this year. I’ve found that it takes a week to ten days to receive my seeds so that means that I need to have all of my tomato seeds ordered by February 5 and that is only 6 weeks away.

If you’ll be growing peppers in your veggie garden this year, you need to get moving even faster….those seeds need to be planted 8 to 10 weeks before the last frost date. That means they need to be planted February 5 and should be ordered by January 22. That’s exactly one month from today! I hope that you find it exciting and not overwhelming that you can start planning your vegetable garden. If you haven’t signed up for the catalogs that I mentioned in another post, I highly recommend that you do that as soon as the holidays are over. I love seeing my mailbox full of seed catalogs!

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’ll be focusing on vegetable gardening for the next couple of weeks. I hope that you are excited to learn more about it…I know that I’m excited to learn more about your experiences. I’ll share successes and failures and veggies that I am in love with…there’s just a few! :) Leave me a comment below or e-mail me at stacey@midatlanticgardening.com and let me know what you’re planning for your veggie garden this spring. Or perhaps you have a cool season garden in the ground right now…either way, let me know! Happy veggie gardening!

December 22, 2011Permalink 1 Comment

Plant Profile: Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum)

 

In Monday’s Did You Know? post, I mentioned the Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum) and I promised that we’d look at it further in future posts. Well, today’s the day so let’s dive in. Paperbark Maple is a delightful small tree that reaches 20′-30′ tall by  15′-25′ wide at maturity. It is a slow grower so it will take many years to reach its ultimate size. In commercial settings, this plant would perform brilliantly in a courtyard where a more typical maple would overpower the space. In a residential setting, this tree can be used as a specimen or in front of evergreens to show off its beautiful bark. Paperbark Maple is often sold as a multi-stemmed tree but single leaders are available as well.

Acer griseum prefers moist, well-drained soil but will tolerate less. If it is planted in a particularly droughty area of the landscape, it will most certainly languish. This immediately rules it out for streetscape plantings where the trees are planted in those tiny little tree wells in the middle of a concrete jungle. Most gardeners enjoy tending their landscape so once it is established, it can fare quite well in most gardens. Acer griseum is native to China and is hardy in Zones 4-8. This fits the bill for all of the Mid-Atlantic gardening region.

Paperbark Maple is grown primarily for its beautiful, cinnamon colored exfoliating bark that is best noticed when the tree is bare in the winter. It is particularly breathtaking when viewed against a snowy backdrop. The bark peels off in curious thin, curly strips…in fact it’s hard to resist peeling the bark as you pass it by. Another noteworthy characteristic of this species is that it tends to cast dappled shade so ornamentals can be grown underneath…this is very different from the dense shade that a red maple or sugar maple cast.

The leaves of Acer griseum are a bit different from the typical red or sugar maple as well. The leaves consist of three lobes that sort of resemble poison ivy to me (remember the saying, leaves of 3, leave them be). Its leaves are plain jane during the summer but erupt into a magnificent array of colors in the fall. Paperbark Maple is often one of the last trees to change into its fall wardrobe, but the colors are magnificent…they can vary from yellow to orange, and red to pink. It’s interesting to note that the leaves can remain on the tree through the first part of winter in Virginia.

Paperbark Maple is not bothered by any serious pests or diseases so it can fit into almost any landscape. It’s especially at home in gardens where the caretaker is a bit more relaxed and likes for nature to take its course (that’s me by the way). If you have been looking for a tree that can fit into a small landscape and has year-round interest, Acer griseum should certainly be considered. I’d love to hear your opinions and experience with Paperbark Maple. Leave me a comment below or e-mail me at stacey@midatlanticgardening.com. Happy gardening!

Oh, just to give you a heads up, I am going to start delving into vegetable gardening in this Friday’s post. I actually have a reader question that deals with veggies so I may begin tomorrow (there’s decisiveness for you). I have to warn you: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE vegetable gardening so this blog may tend to lean heavy in that direction for the next couple of weeks (or months). Send me your feedback and let me know if this is something that you are interested in…I’m here to help you with any gardening questions you have and I want to make sure that I’m meeting your needs. Thanks!

 

December 21, 2011Permalink Leave a comment

Pests and Diseases: Gloomy Scale

 

Gloomy Scale – it doesn’t have a particularly interesting name or conjure up images of anything too vile. I’d like to introduce to an insect that you’ve probably seen hundreds of times but not even realized it. Gloomy Scale’s latin name is Melanaspis tenebricosus and it is found all throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Let’s look at the life cycle of Gloomy Scale before we discuss its control options because without understanding this, control is virtually impossible.

Scale in general can be broken down into two types: Armored scale and Soft scale. Soft scale can resemble little balls of cotton (Cottony cushion scale) or have similar fluffy-like appearances. Armored scale, such as Gloomy Scale, aren’t nearly as obvious and can go undetected for years and build to damaging populations. Gloomy scale resembles little flat gray colored discs that can be found on the trunks and stems of its victims. The discs that are visible are the outer covering that the adults produce to protect themselves. It is under this protective covering that all the dirty work is done. The adults lay their eggs here where they hatch into crawlers. These crawlers leave their parents and ensure that the infestation proceeds further on the plant. Once the babies have found an area that is suitable for them, they set up shop and begin producing their protective coating.

Scale feed by inserting their stylet (think of it as a straw) into the plant tissue and suck out its contents. As you can imagine, this isn’t good for the plant. Think of it like a tick on you, just sucking and sucking until it gets its fill. But with scale, it doesn’t really fill up per se…it just keeps producing babies that hang out to cause more misery. In cases of light infestations, the damage is usually minimal but remember, Gloomy Scale usually goes unnoticed and can build to heavier populations. It’s at these heavy populations that the damage becomes obvious but unfortunately, that’s when it’s harder to treat. Gloomy Scale is usually found on maples, particularly the red maple (Acer rubrum). Red maples will exhibit signs of decline such as dying branches, yellowing leaves and overall poor health. Of course, red maples can decline for many more reasons than just scale, but we’ll discuss that at another time.

SO HOW CAN YOU TREAT GLOOMY SCALE?

Once you’ve determined that your maple is infected with these little monsters, you may have to wait to treat them. While that may sound counterintuitive, if we look back at the life cycle it will make perfect sense. If you are going to spray a contact insecticide, you have to spray when the crawlers are active, which is generally in May or June. If you spray a contact insecticide when the crawlers aren’t running around, all you’ve done is spray a toxic pesticide for no reason and wasted your money. Another more desirable option is to treat with a systemic insecticide. Systemic refers to the way that the chemical is delivered to the pest. In systemic pesticides, the chemical is taken up by the plant (usually through a root drench) and translocated throughout the vascular system to all areas of the plant. When an insect feeds on that plant, it receives a dose of the pesticide as well. There are lots of downsides to this method as well…look at my article on organic gardening vs. conventional gardening for more information.

The preferred method for treating scale is to apply a dormant horticultural oil during the winter months to smother and suffocate the overwintering scale. While it may not be a pleasant way to die for the scale, it certainly has the least amount of collateral damage to other insects, including beneficials. If you have a heavy infestation of gloomy scale on your maples, it may take several years to win the war against them, but to me, it is worth it to go slowly and avoid damaging the beneficial insects that visit the trees, including honeybees. The decision is ultimately yours and you have to remain diligent in scouting for Gloomy Scale either way.

IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT SCALE IN THE FIRST PLACE?

My best advice is to try to replicate the natural environment that the plant is found in…in the case of Red Maple, that is a wet area. Red Maple is also known as Swamp Maple and its natural habitat is not in a parking lot island surrounded by 2 acres of asphalt. While the area doesn’t have to be a floodplain, red maple will do best in areas that are naturally more moist. Also try to help the trees out during very droughty times so that they aren’t more susceptible to pests in general, including Gloomy Scale. And lastly, reduce the amount of turf around the tree so that it has less competition with roots for water and nutrients. Just be sure that you go easy on the mulch…no mulch volcanoes please!

The next time you are out and about in your yard, take a glance at your maples and see if you are able to spot any grayish-black discs. If you do, invest in some dormant horticultural oil and smother these little beasts this winter. I’d love to hear your feedback after you’ve had some time to scout for them. Leave me a comment below or e-mail me at stacey@midatlanticgardening.com. Happy scouting!

 

December 20, 2011Permalink 3 Comments

Did You Know? Hollies are Dioecious

 

Yep, it’s true. Hollies are one of the plants that have to have a male and female to produce berries. They’ll each flower separately but if there’s not a man around, girlfriend’s not producing any fruit. And many hollies are grown for their beautiful red berries that are borne in the fall and persist until winter when they are picked clean by the birds.

Let’s discuss the sexuality of the Ilex genus a bit further to fully understand what requirements hollies have for pollination. Hollies are considered dioecious which means that male flowers are produced on one plant and female flowers are produced on another. Whether it be through the wind or by insects, the pollen from the male flower must make it to the female plant’s stigma for pollination to occur. When the flower is pollinated, a berry is produced as the result.

Some people wonder if a native American holly (Ilex opaca) can pollinate the other hollies in their yard and the general answer is no. Mother Nature knew better than to let that happen; otherwise we would have a jumble of hollies that had crossed with each other and no individual species. There are some species that can be pollinated by Ilex opaca and they include Ilex attenuata and Ilex aquifolium. In the nursery trade, male and female hollies are labeled and sold as such. For instance, Ilex x meservae ‘China Girl’ is pollinated by ‘China Boy’. And Ilex verticillata ‘Apollo’ pollinates Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’. With all of that being said, there are some exceptions to the rules and they include the ever popular Ilex x ‘Nellie R. Stevens’. Nellie, as she is lovingly referred to, is partially parthenocarpic which means that she is self-pollinating but the fruits she produces are sterile. Even with that, she will produce better fruit set if an Ilex x ‘Edward J. Stevens’ is close by.

So how close do your hollies need to be to each other for good fruit set?

In the case of Ilex opaca, a quarter of a mile will suffice for high quality fruit set. In the case of Ilex verticillata, you’ll need one male for every 5-6 females. As you can see in the picture to the left, it’s best to plant your males in the back where there fruitless stems won’t be so apparent.

I hope that you’ve learned a bit about holly berry production today. If you have any experience with your hollies having exceptional fruit production or very poor production, leave me a comment below or e-mail me at stacey@midatlanticgardening.com. Happy gardening!

December 19, 2011Permalink Leave a comment

Winter Interest Plants

 

In today’s post I’ve decided to give you a quick list of plants that offer you winter interest. Over the next couple of months I’ll try to discuss them further in the Plant Profile posts.

Deciduous Trees

Acer griseum (Paperbark Maple) - this tree is grown in the winter for its beautiful exfoliating bark

Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple) - the form and silhouette of Japanese maples make them perfect in the winter

Evergreen Trees

Cunninghamia lanceolata (China Fir) – beautiful large trees with striking blue foliage

Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Pendula' (Weeping Alaskan Cedar) - large tree with graceful weeping arms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picea abies 'Pendula' (Weeping Norway Spruce) - if you're looking for a specimen for the garden, this is it!

 

Deciduous Shrubs

Ilex verticillata (Winterberry) - produces an outstanding crop of berries and available in both dwarf and non-dwarf sizes

 

Hamamelis x intermedia (Witch Hazel) - this plant surprises people in February with its blooms

Callicarpa americana (Beautyberry) - beautiful purple berries are borne in the fall and often last into early winter if the birds don't get them first

Evergreen Perennials

Helleborus orientalis (Lenten Rose) - see my post for more information

Dryopteris erythrosora (Autumn Fern) - large clumps of evergreen foliage that can reach 3'-4' tall

Arum italicum 'Pictum' (Lords and Ladies) - see my post for more information

Deciduous Perennials – well it kind of goes without saying that deciduous perennials look like mulch since all of their perennial parts are underground for the winter.

I hope that you’ve received some inspiration to add some of these beauties to your garden. Too often we overlook the simpler, quieter parts of plants like the bark or marbled foliage for showy flowers. But it’s during the winter that we can appreciate the exfoliating bark of a paperbark maple or the bright red berries of the Winterberry. I’d love to hear about the plants that you enjoy in your winter garden. Leave me a comment in the section below or e-mail me at stacey@midatlanticgardening.com. Happy winter gardening!

December 16, 2011Permalink 1 Comment

Reader Question: Poinsettias

 

Here is a question that I received from a reader regarding poinsettias:

Hi Stacey. I’m enjoying reading your blog but I haven’t seen any posts about poinsettias. I always buy them for the Christmas season but by New Years they look pitiful. I’m hoping that you can let me know what I’m doing wrong.

Carolyn in Pennsylvania

First of all, thank you Carolyn for taking the time to e-mail me. I enjoy helping gardeners (indoors or out) solve their problems. Before we discuss what may be happening with your poinsettias, let’s look closer at poinsettias as a whole.

The latin name for poinsettia is Euphorbia pulcherrima. Looking at the latin name and knowing a few things about the Euphorbia genus, we can summise quite a bit about their preferred growing conditions. Euphorbias are a drought tolerant lot that originally hail from Mexico. Being native to Mexico, they prefer warm climates and are perennial in their native land and other areas where the temperatures stay above freezing year round. Members of the Euphorbia genus generally exude a milky white sap when the stem is cut or broken and this sap can cause a skin irritation in some people. And contrary to popular belief, poinsettias are not poisonous…they may cause a tummy ache if you eat an entire plant or two, but in that case, you kind of deserve it.

The colorful part of the poinsettia is the bract, which is a type of modified leaf. Many people think they are the flowers but the flowers are actually borne in small clusters in the center of the plant. When the plant’s flowers have shed their yellow pollen, the colorful bracts will drop off and as a result, you’ll end up with an average looking plant with only green leaves. It’s interesting to note that poinsettias are “short day” plants which mean that they will initiate flower buds when the days are shorter than the nights…this occurs naturally when we pass the autumnal equinox which occurs around September 21 each year.

So Carolyn, back to your question of how to keep poinsettias looking great past the Christmas season. The primary problem with poinsettias and most houseplants, is watering. Some people tend to kill their plants with kindness by watering them too much…others tend to treat them more like a cactus and never water them. The problem is that both over and underwatering produce the same symptoms of wilted, unhealthy plants. The key to watering poinsettias is to let them dry out between waterings but not to the point that they wilt. If you have your poinsettias in the metallic colored pot wrap that they came in, be sure to remove the wrap when watering it. Otherwise, you’ll end up creating a little pool for the poinsettia’s roots and they won’t find it very amusing. If you’ve repotted your poinsettia or sat it inside a more decorative container, make sure that it isn’t standing in water when you’ve finished with the watering can.

Poinsettias are much like frail little elderly ladies when it comes to breezes and drafts…they prefer to avoid them. While Aunt Bessie can shuffle over to another area of the room if the draft bothers her, your poinsettia obviously can’t. Its way of dealing with this problem is to go into self-preservation mode and drop its leaves to wait for better conditions to come along. If those conditions don’t manifest themselves, then you can say bye-bye to your beloved poinsettia. Try to avoid really hot and dry areas of the house as well. Woodstoves and radiators are the dreaded, mortal enemies of the long-lived poinsettia. The humidity is just too low and the plants soon succumb to the dry heat. If you can pick another area for the poinsettia to show its beauty, you should be able to keep the plants thriving past New Years. If you were creating a little microclimate just for your poinsettias, they would prefer daytime temperatures of 60° to 70° and nighttime temperatures of 55°. They would also enjoy six hours of indirect but bright light. Often times, kitchens can provide just the right amount of heat, humidity, light and nighttime coolness to keep poinsettias in their own little happy land.

If you are successful in keeping your plants alive and kicking past the holidays, fertilize them once a month or better yet, topdress them with a little compost. Carolyn, I hope that I’ve fully answered your question. If you or anyone else have any other questions regarding poinsettias, please leave them in the comment section below or e-mail me at stacey@midatlanticgardening.com. Happy indoor gardening!

December 15, 2011Permalink Leave a comment

Plant Profile: Hinoki False Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’)

 

Today’s post is about one of my favorite evergreen shrubs/small trees, the Hinoki False Cypress. This plant conjures up memories of my days at Virginia Tech. There used to be one right outside the classroom at the greenhouses and I would admire it as I was going to my Floriculture class. At the time, the plant was no taller than me and it was of considerable age…Hinoki False Cypress is a slow growing but striking specimen in the landscape.

It’s this slow growing tendency that makes this plant ideal in the landscape. Even though the plant tops out at around 6′ tall, its pokey growth rate enables it to be used in the smallest of gardens. It is best used as an accent or backdrop for other plants. Its rich, dark green foliage accentuates lighter colored foliage and blooms…imagine it paired with ‘Pee Wee’ Hydrangea or one of the fall blooming Anemones. Stunning! Another popular use is in the rock garden…the plant has an alpine air to it so it fits perfectly.

This particular Chamaecyparis enjoys a little protection from afternoon sun here in Zone 7. Don’t plant it in full shade or it will get rangy and look more like an awkward teenager than a striking specimen. But a little protection from the blazing hot sun can help keep it from turning brown and crispy around the edges. Hinoki False Cypress also enjoys moist well-drained soil. That doesn’t mean it won’t tolerate less…it just means that if it could pick anywhere in the world to put down its roots, moist well-drained soil would be it. If you have an area that is slow to drain after a rain, select another plant for this area; Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’ will have no parts of standing water.

In my opinion, one of the most attractive features of this small tree is the foliage when viewed up close. Its sprays of flattened foliage are dark green and whirled in appearance. To me, it resembles a miniature stand of conifers that you would see in a conifer forest. Speaking of miniature, Hinoki False Cypress is often used in bonsais due to its slow growth. And considering that it was the Japanese that perfected the art of bonsai, it makes sense that the plant is native to there. Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’ is hardy to Zone 4 so it will breeze right through Mid-Atlantic winters unscathed and look absolutely amazing with a covering of snow in the winter.

There are few pests that enjoy the Hinoki False Cypress. Bagworms can be an issue but they are easily picked off a shrub that only reaches 6′ tall at maturity. As long as it is planted in anything but wet soil, this plant should thrive for years and years in your garden. If you have experience with Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’, leave a comment in the section below or e-mail me at stacey@midatlanticgardening.com. Happy gardening!

December 14, 2011Permalink 9 Comments

Pests and Diseases: Spider Mites

 

Since I touched on spider mites in my organic vs. conventional gardening article, I thought it would be wise to expand on them a bit more. Many people believe that spider mites are insects but they aren’t. At the fear of offending an entomologist, I’ll just say that insects have 6 legs whereas arachnids have 8 legs. Guess how many legs a spider mite has…if you guessed 8 you would be correct.

When viewed up close, as in the picture to the left, the spider mite is a ferocious beast to behold. I have observed them under a microscope and you can just see them ripping and tearing into the plant tissue to obtain their dinner. They use their needlelike mouthparts to literally suck the life out of your plants. They are very small and can build to damaging populations very quickly; spider mites can develop from an egg to an adult in a week’s time. They are only about as big as the period at the end of this sentence so they often go unnoticed until their damage is evident.

Their damage is usually seen as stippling on the upperside of the leaves. With a heavy or prolonged infestation, the leaves will turn brown and drop off. The damage may be apparent on the tops of the leaves but the villains reside on the undersides of the leaves where they can be protected from weather extremes and predators…and pesticides. While I don’t advocate the use of conventional pesticides, anything that kills (-cide) pests is a pesticide in my eyes. That includes some of the control methods that we’ll discuss later.

WHAT CONDITIONS FAVOR SPIDER MITE DEVELOPMENT?

Spider mites are usually at their worst when it is hot and dry. When I say hot and dry, I’m not only talking about when the temperatures are high and the humidity is low. You can have an average summer where it rains periodically but if you site a plant that is susceptible in an area that is hot and dry, such as by an asphalt drive or against a brick wall, that microclimate is hot and dry even though the surrounding area isn’t.

Plant stress also triggers spider mite development. Plants produce all kinds of hormones in reaction to stress and plant pests are wise enough to be able to detect them. If a plant is located in an area that is not conducive to growth, such as large shade trees planted in small parking lot islands, spider mites and all types of plant pests will move right in. Think of it as the plant posting on its Facebook wall that dinner is served.

HOW CAN YOU BE SURE THAT SPIDER MITES ARE THE CULPRIT?

The best investment that you can make in terms of combating pest and disease issues is a good quality hand lens. The 10X magnification is sufficient to cover 90% of the pests you will encounter. Equipped with a hand lens, you can easily see the spider mites on the undersides of the leaves.

Another trick you can use is to hold a white piece of paper under the plant and then tap on the leaves…the spider mites should show up on the paper as little crawling specks.

The most obvious ID tactic is to look for webbing…now it won’t look a Halloween display but it should be readily visible when the critters are present.

WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU HAVE SPIDER MITES?

  • If your infestation is particularly bad, you may have to count your losses and remove the plant. Dwarf Alberta Spruce are notorious for spider mites and if your plant looks like this, you may be better off pitching it. There is a saying in the nursery industry: “if in doubt, throw it out”.
  • You can keep the plants showered with water and that will usually be enough to send the mites running. Now I’m not talking about a continuous shower…I mean spraying them 1-3 times per day for about a week with a garden hose. This could open you up to other issues such as fungal diseases so be sure to allow enough time for the plant to dry before the sun sets for the evening.
  • Mix up a potion of soap and water and spray the little monsters. You have to make sure that you are spraying them on the undersides of the leaves, not just the top of the leaves. That’s what makes controlling them and many other pests difficult…they know exactly where to hide.

 

The long and short of spider mites is that they are a pest whose population can quickly explode into damaging populations. But if you consider where you site your plants before installing them, it can dramatically lower your chances of having an infestation of epic proportions. And if you do see them wreaking havoc on your plants, give your plants a cool shower a couple times of day…chances are the spider mites will decide that your landscape is inhospitable to uninvited guests and move on. If you’ve had any issues with the eight-legged critters we discussed today, post your experience in the comments below. And remember that I am here to help you, so don’t hesistate to e-mail me with any questions or concerns you may have at stacey@midatlanticgardening.com. Happy gardening!

December 13, 2011Permalink 1 Comment

Did You Know? Soil Erosion

 

On Saturday, I posted about organic vs. conventional gardening. I also spoke about permaculture, which essentially boils down to looking at the system as a whole instead of merely looking at the parts. I thought that I would give you a couple of horrifying, although intriguing, facts about soil erosion and then give you some ideas as to what you can do to prevent losing yours.

Did You Know?

    • That soil erosion, combined with a severe drought, was the reason behind the Dust Bowl of the 1930′s? Do you know why the soil eroded as quickly as it did? It was from overgrazing animals and conventional agriculture that removed the deep rooted grasses from the Great Plains. When the roots were gone, so was the “glue” that held the topsoil in place. Pictures like these were common. 

 

  • That the Chesapeake Bay is where most of the soil that erodes from Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia ends up? Below are two pictures that show the Bay…the one on the top shows the Bay on August 23, 2011 and the one on the bottom shows the Bay on September 13 after Tropical Storm Lee passed through the area. Notice how much sediment is polluting the water. 

 SO WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HOLD ONTO YOUR SOIL?

  • Cover the soil…whether it be with mulch or plants, covered soil is much more difficult to wash away than is bare soil.
  • Consider putting in swales on contour to allow the water that flows across your land to infiltrate slowly rather than washing quickly through your landscape. This method also enables you to turn your land from your average, run-of-the-mill land into productive land that is more valuable. Check out this website for more information.

I feel compelled to tell you about a video on YouTube called Greening the Desert. It tells the story about land that was turned into desert by overgrazing but then it shows the transformation that can result from planning and more importantly, planting. Check it out if you need to be inspired in your own garden! Let me know what you think of these amazing references in the comment section below or e-mail me at stacey@midatlanticgardening.com.

December 12, 2011Permalink Leave a comment