Aberdeen Florist & Garden Center
500 US Highway #1 South Aberdeen, NC 28315
Your Premiere Botanical Source In The Sandhills
Over the last few decades, our culture has taught us that thanks to modern chemistry, there is a miracle cure for everything that plagues us. Madison Avenue has become increasingly adept at selling us instant gratification. This is most apparent in the marketing push for medicines for our selves. We are bombarded with ads for the newest patented prescription for everything from over weight to anxiety. Some are truly miracles, for those most in need, but increasingly we are learning (if we read the fine print & disclaimers) that in some cases the side effects may be more dangerous than the original malady we are targeting. The same can be said for the horticultural world. The 40’s and 50’s brought us DDT, Chloradane, Sylvex, and a host of miracle cures for our agriculture. Granted, they were effective, but little was known about the side effects. Then in the 70’s and 80’s, we added some new words to the vocabulary. “Non-bio-degradable” & “carcinogen” came in popular usage, and we started to question and remove substances from the spectrum that poisoned our environment. “Green” & “organic” took on a whole new meaning. Big business got the hint, and developed a whole new line of safer plant prescriptions, designed to be safer for humans, but consequently more expensive due to EPA regulations on labeling. They are also safer for the bugs, as the industry now emphasizes “integrated pest management,” instead of annihilation. This means reducing the damaging population to a less destructive level, leaving the few that escape to reproduce and continue their destructive mission. Eventually, application of the same chemical has no effect on the immunized critters, and one must find another product in another class of pesticides to use in the fight.
Fortunately, a counter-culture is emerging that tells us that sometimes the old way is the best way. The “old timers” did very well with little money to spend on chemicals, yet they grew their own bounty of fruits, vegetables & flowering plants. They learned to use common household substances to control pests on plants. They passed on this knowledge when we were willing to listen. For those who need a refresher, here are some of those old tricks, along with some new ones:
Aphids
Wash them off! A strong spray of water with a little liquid dish detergent sends them out of harm’s way. An aphid is wingless for most of its life, and consequently is unable to return to the host plant. Lacking a source of food, it dies. The detergent acts as a surfactant to dislodge any eggs, and breaks down the ‘skin’.
Or make this spray:
Chop 3 to 5 rhubarb leaves and add to a quart of water. Boil for 30 minutes. Strain and add a dash of liquid, non-detergent, soap. Fill spray bottle with liquid and use it on aphids.
Note: Because rhubarb leaves are poisonous, don't use this spray on edible plants.
Mealy bugs
Commonly seen as cottony masses along stems and under leaves. The cotton is a waxy cuticle formed by the insect for protection. It can also hold the eggs ready to hatch. For small infestations, remove with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. For more serious treatment, use garlic pepper spray:
2 cloves garlic, 2 hot peppers, process in blender ½ full of water.
Strain. Use ¼ c. of this concentrate and 1 tsp. Liquid dish detergent to 1-gallon water.
Spray to wet all plant surfaces, and repeat in a week. Bad infestations on houseplants can be difficult, check soil surface and pot rims for masses. Remove surface of soil & replace with clean mix, and thoroughly scrub pots with soapy water before replacing plant. Scrub shelves, floor, surrounding area with disinfectant before bringing in healthy plants.
Mealy bugs can be spread from plant to plant on your watering can, your hands, and by using equipment without cleaning it.
Spider Mites
These may appear when the humidity is low. They cannot stand to be wet, though the eggs can with stand some dousing. They are so tiny and can cause so much damage. Suspect mites when surface of leaf shows tiny white mottling. Check the undersides of leaves for tiny webbing, or tap the leaf over a sheet of white paper, and examine for movement. If infestation is not checked early, fine textured webs will be formed between leaves & stems, and leaves will begin to curl inward. The most susceptible plants indoors are palms, scheffleras, and dracaenas. Outdoors, look for them on impatiens & marigolds during dry spells. Soap sprays are most effective, and some recommend addition of garlic juice at the rate of 1 T. per gallon.
Whiteflies
One of the most resistant of garden pests, partially because of excessive use of chemicals has developed many new resistant strains. For best control, understand the life cycle of a white fly. It goes from egg to feeding nymphs to reproducing adults in a few days. To check for whiteflies, gently disturb the foliage by passing your hand across the tops of the plants. Adults will rise into the air, and fly around looking to return to the host. Eggs and nymphs spend their time feeding on the undersides of leaves. They appear as tiny green bumps in irregular patterns on the under surface. They may leave a sticky honeydew substance on the surface of the leaf. This attracts ants, which may move the nymphs from plant to plant. The honeydew will eventually develop sooty mold (most noticeable on gardenias & crape myrtles), which if left alone will smother the leaves. Start the campaign against whiteflies with a spray of 1 tsp. lemon scented dish detergent in a quart of water. After this dries, follow with a spray made from
1 c. sour milk (let stand out for 2 days),
2 Tbsp. Flour and
1qt. warm water.
This will stick to the eggs & nymphs and smother them before they can develop.
An alternative spray can be made from 1 Tbsp flea shampoo & 1 gal water.
These 2 sprays can be alternated every 3 days for 5 applications.
Place potted plant in a bag with a fresh flea collar and leave for a day.
Scale insects
There are many types of scale with different appearances, from tiny white “lice” to larger forms that look like small oysters along the woody stems of the plant or shrub. They settle in for the season and suck the juice from the stems, then deposit eggs around the nodes of the stem and winter over in hard cases. They may be brown, white, grey or green, depending on the species and stage of development. They are hard to kill because their shell is hard to permeate with typical spray. Houseplants with minor infestations may be treated with the cotton swab and alcohol or Listerine. For serious infestations, it is necessary to use more serious tactics.
Probably the most dreaded pest problem for gardeners, there are remedies short of tossing out the plant. The best practice is prevention. Dormant oil sprays are very effective on outdoor plants; these should be applied during cooler months when daytime temps are below 65° F. First prune out severely encrusted branches and discard them. Do not put infested cuttings in the compost pile. Spray to coat all stem surfaces. Eggs coated with the oil will not be able to hatch come spring. During the growing season, there are several methods of discouraging these pests from choosing your plants. Repellent spray made from hot pepper, garlic, and onions, processed in blender with water, strain and add ¼ c. to a gallon of water along with a tbsp of liquid dish soap.
Bugs, beetles & caterpillars
Grated citrus peel (lemon, orange, grapefruit, lime) boiled in qt of water & spray on foliage.
Slugs & snails
Left over brewed coffee
Stale beer in dish buried up to rim for trap
Fungicides
Powdery mildew: 1 tbsp baking soda in quart of water with drop of dish soap to help it cling.
If found early, spray with 1/3 c. hydrogen peroxide in 1 gal. Water.
1 c. horsetail (equisetum) stems boiled in 2 qt. Water for 20 min.
For sensitive plants including orchids:
Dust cinnamon on cut & broken orchid roots to prevent root rot. Wet the roots first to help the dust stick. Use very sparingly as too much can injure roots. Do not use on healthy roots as it will cause unnecessary drying & stunt growth
Sprinkle cinnamon to control slime mold & mushrooms, it has great anti-microbial properties.
Herbicides
To control unwanted weed growth such as cracks in sidewalk, etc. pour on straight household vinegar. Don’t use around desirable plants as it lowers the pH too much.
Leaf shine:
Pineapple or citrus juice sprayed on glossy leaves will dissolve the white mineral deposits
Milk applied with soft cloth will remove dust & shine them naturally.
Avoid mayonnaise & other oil based products because they can fill the pores and cause damage.
Stale beer makes a great leaf shine.
Fire Ants
Melt ¼ lb. Paraffin; add ½ c. sugar & 4 oz. Boric acid.
Pour out into a thin slab, cool and crumble to make a bait. Scatter around mounds. Workers will feed it to the queen, eliminating the colony. Keep this substance away from animals & children.
Feed them a scattering of raw grits. When eaten, they will swell in their abdomens and they will die.
®Nutrasweet is toxic to ants. Aspartame was originally developed as an ant poison. Sprinkle a packet where ants travel and they will carry it back to the mound and be killed. Must be moistened for black or carpenter ants.
Prevention:
At the end of the growing season is the best time to remove and replace mulch. Old leaves fallen from the plants harbor pathogens & insects. Compost them, and add fresh layer of pine needles (the best available in our area) shredded leaves or (if you must) pine bark mulch. If you use bark, be sure it doesn’t contain bits of raw wood (termite attractor), and bark should never be used around annuals as it competes with the plants for needed nitrogen (which you have added in the form of fertilizer) in its process of decay. Pine needles give nitrogen back. Mulch is so important to protect roots from temperature changes, and to retain an even amount of moisture.
Of course the best practice is to build a good immune system in your plants and make it them un-attractive to pests & disease. Stressed plants are most susceptible.
Stress comes from allowing plant to dry out too much too often. A wilted plant is in stress, and even though it picks up after watering, it looses some vigor each time it wilts. Over watering can also cause stress; making roots available to root rot diseases. Silicon solutions protect leaf surfaces from penetration by fungus and small insects. We offer Soluable Silicon Pro-tekt® in our store available in 8oz. & 1qt. sizes.
For containers, start with clean disinfected pots and sterile potting soil. The soil from the last season is great compost, but may harbor insect eggs or microorganisms waiting for a new host to attack. Packaged soils with fertilizer built in may not be the best for your use. One size does not fit all. It’s best to add your own after planting according to the requirements of the plants and the weather conditions. Buy plants that are vigorous and have not been stressed at the retailer. Buy directly from the grower when at all possible. Plants that have been hauled for days in dark trucks and unloaded onto sidewalks and parking lots have 2 strikes against them. Plants that have seriously over grown their container may have been stressed. Tap one out of the pack or pot and check for desiccated roots (all should be white and fleshy), If roots are wrapped tightly around and around it has been in the container too long, and will be hard for a plant to over come after transplant. When planting, incorporate mushroom compost for to encourage rapid root development. A plant is only as good as it’s roots. Don’t pack soil around roots, pour soil in place and use water to settle it around plants.
In the garden, incorporate generous amounts of organic matter, from your own compost pile, or as mushroom compost. Mulch well.
Aberdeen Florist Inc. © 2008
(910) 944-7826 (910) 944-7827