Slugs Snails Or Chewing Insects

/Slugs Snails Or Chewing Insects/

Slugs Snails Or Chewing Insects

Looks like snails or slugs but could also be chewing insects, like beetles or caterpillars. Look under the leaves for caterpillars and remove them by hand if you find them. Look for snails and slugs at dawn or dusk and remove them and dispose of them. Also look for slime trails around the plants early in the day to indicate their presence. If you have a dark, moist area of your garden or landscape that may be harboring slugs/snails, we recommend trapping them and/or collecting them from the area every morning until you've eliminated them (or as much as possible). There are also organic snail baits formulated with iron phosphate that are safe around small pets and children. Since snails/slugs lay eggs in soil, we also recommend regular cultivation of the soil with a hoe or claw-type tool around the yard/garden, but avoid damaging plant roots. This link provides great info about managing snail/slugs. Pay particular attention to the info about Baits if you have pets and children. Do NOT get bait on your edible plants.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/QT/snailsslugscard.html

By | 2016-01-20T15:42:29-08:00 January 20th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
Read More

Septoria Leaf Spot

This is Septoria leaf spot. If flourishes in damp or humid air and frequently splashing the foliage with water will encourage this fungus to get established. We see it in many gardens this year, mostly on peppers and tomatoes. First, remove all the affected leaves and place in the trash not the compost pile. Next year rotate your tomatoes because the fungus will over winter in the garden for a season and would affect next years crop. This is specific to tomatoes not cucumber or the like. Good air circulation is very important when planting. Sterilize all your garden equipment that comes in contact with the tomatoes so it doesn't spread. Mulch your tomatoes if you haven't already. It keeps the spores from splashing on the ground and spreading the disease. If the above measures do not control the disease, you may want to use fungicidal sprays. Fungicides will not cure infected leaves, but they will protect new leaves from becoming infected. Go to your local garden center for recommendations about an organic fungicide that's labeled for septoria leaf spot. Apply at 7 to 10 day intervals throughout the season according to directions. Follow harvest restrictions listed on the pesticide label. When spraying the plants, make sure you spray the undersides of the leaf as well.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:26-07:00 January 20th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
Read More

Dead Stone Pine

This Italian stone pine looks like it's already dead. It's impossible to determine from a photograph what killed a plant. It could have dried up, been kept too wet, gotten girdled by mice, been pierced by a borer etc. It's even hard with a plant right in front of you to diagnose what went wrong once the plant is totally dead.

We assume that you're also wondering about the pinkish covering on parts of this plant, and if that played a role. Again, from this photo it's impossible to know what this is. It could be a form of slime mold - there are slime molds in many colors, and they often grow on dead organic tissue. So if this is indeed a slime mold it probably isn't what killed this plant. But without culturing the substance in a lab it's impossible to know if what you see here is a slime mold or some man-made paint or flocking material.

There are also some fruiting bodies of fungi that are pinkish, but again, impossible to see what's on this stone pine from this photo.

Since this plant appears to already be dead it's probably too late to do some diagnostic work - if the dieback had just started the plant could be taken from its pot to see if rotting roots, or overly dry roots were the cause. You can still look at the base of the trunk for borer holes or girdling bark damage.

By | 2016-01-20T12:58:01-08:00 January 20th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
Read More

Mealy Bugs

There is really no 'cause' such as you describe for mealy bugs. They are common and ubiquitous insects on a wide array of plants. They do like the new, succulent growth that is often associated with house plants, but honestly, they can be found anywhere.
Stay vigilant, treat the ones you see to prevent or at least minimize the next generation. You can wipe them off with a soft damp cloth or dab them with q-tips dipped in denatured alcohol available at your local pharmacy, then wash off with water. If the infestation is persistent there are commercial sprays available at garden centers for this, but confirm the problem with a horticulturist at your local garden center and follow their recommended control. Usually the label will call for 3 sprays made 8 days apart to break up the life cycle, but make sure it is formulated for your plant.
If these aren't mealy bugs they could be cottony scales, which are more broadly attached at the base than mealy bugs. There are treatments for them too. In either case, be certain the product is labeled for your plant group and use as directed.

By | 2016-01-20T05:21:46-08:00 January 20th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
Read More

Squash Bugs Or Squash Vine Borers

Squash Vine Borers and Squash bugs,and can easily destroy your plants.
Squash Bug Adults look like long brown stink bugs, with a flat abdomen. Nymphs are pale green to grey with a black head and legs. Older nymphs are covered in a grey powder. The eggs are oval, dark brown, and shiny, and are layed in clusters. Once they become numerous they are almost impossible to stop. Check with your local organic garden center for the best way to proceed.
Squash vine borer adults look like black wasps with red markings, they lay single eggs that hatch out as larva-- they look similar to a cream colored caterpillar. These larva tunnel into the crown and stems of the plant, and proceed to eat the juicy green inner plant tissue. The plant suddenly looks wilted and if the larva is allowed to go unchecked, can kill the plant in 3-4 days. Do daily checks of the crown areas, your looking for what appears to be piles of wet saw dust, this is actually farce, caterpillar poop. This is where they enter the stem and began to eat. If caught early you can gently cut a slit in the stem and pluck the culprit out.

By | 2016-01-20T04:19:23-08:00 January 20th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
Read More

Arborvitae Dieback

Arborvitae can brown for many reasons. Your plant is browning in the middle, which is normal (evergreens drop up to a third of their needles each year, though they don't drop all at once as with deciduous trees). This specimen appears to have been in this location for some time, so in all likelihood the watering and drainage are not problematic (though too much/too little water or poor drainage can take a toll, resulting in a different pattern of browning). Check the trunk at the soil line to make sure it's not injured or damaged.

Occasionally pests such as spider mites are an issue - you can check for them by placing a white sheet of typing paper under a branch and shaking the branch slightly. If present, the spider mites will fall onto the paper and should be easily spotted. Look for other signs, such as webs for spiders, tunneling on the stems and leaves, leaf miners and wet sticky sap that might be a sign of aphids. If you discover a pest, your local garden center or nursery can help you determine effective solutions. (Never spray without knowing what your pest is, because that, too can cause browning!)

By | 2016-01-20T02:18:23-08:00 January 20th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
Read More

Leaf Miners

This looks a case of leaf miner damage. These are tiny caterpillars of a small, brownish moth that tunnel into a leaf and eat it during their larval stage. They are usually easy to spot because they leave a trail or tunnel inside the leaf. But when there are too many, the damage forms a continuous look much like this. They are difficult to control, but here are some options:

Monitor plant leaves closely. At the first sign of tunneling, squeeze the leaf at the tunnel between two fingers to crush any larvae. Done soon enough, this killing larvae can allow plants to survive minor outbreaks. Pick off and destroy badly infested leaves in small gardens.

Use floating row covers to prevent fly stage from laying eggs on leaves.

Use yellow sticky traps to catch egg laying adults. Cover soil under infested plants with plastic mulches to prevent larvae from reaching the ground and pupating.

Organic neem oil will break the pestsäó» life-cycle by preventing larva from reaching maturity. Neem oil may also have repellent qualities and interfere with egg laying activities.

By | 2016-01-19T22:00:19-08:00 January 19th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
Read More

Planting Bacon Avocado

Wait to transplant your avocado tree until danger of frost has passed in your area - typically in May. Planting pit should be 1 to 1 1/2 times the plant's original container depth and 4-6 times the plant's original container width in a rectilinear shape enabling the root system to go through the backfill to the corners, encouraging roots to web more quickly into the native soil. Poor draining soil is one of the most common reasons why an avocado tree or any fruit tree will not thrive. Follow the directions on the compost/humus package to add to the native soil for the backfill. Plant the tree's rootball about 1 inch higher than the surrounding backfill to accomodate any future settling. Consult a horticulturist at your local garden center for any further directions, specifically to resolve any conditions common in your locale. Plant in full sun and also construct a watering basin about 4-6 times the plant's original container diameter and build a berm about 4 inches. Feed with a slow release or organic fertilizer formulated for citrus/avocado and water the newly transplanted avocado thoroughly to collapse any air pockets. Make sure the tree is in full sun.

By | 2016-01-19T14:13:37-08:00 January 19th, 2016|Fruit Plants & Trees|1 Comment
Read More

Fruit Tree Damage

This appears to be old borer damage several seasons old followed by sunburn and decomposition. It may be too old to see if you can spot any exit holes with sawdust-like frass. If you do see the holes that borers were the problem. Suggest you show this photo to a horticulturist at your local garden center or a master gardener at a nearby university cooperative extension service to confirm the problem. Or cut off the affected branch so that the horticulturist can identify the problem in hand. For more information about borers here are a couple of sites for you:
Bark Beetles Management Guidelines--UC IPM
www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7421.htmläó_
A long-time (naturalized) invasive bark beetle called the shothole borer attacks damaged branches and trunks of many broadleaved tree species, including fruit ...
UC IPM: UC Management Guidelines for Peach Twig Borer on Peach
www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r602300611.htmläó_
Jul 7, 2014 ... The bluntly oval eggs are yellowish to orange and are laid on twigs, leaves, ... Peach twig borer overwinters on the tree as a first- or second-instar larva ... Peach twig borer can damage stone fruits by feeding in shoots and ...

By | 2016-01-19T12:19:36-08:00 January 19th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
Read More

Brown Tips On Houseplant

There are a couple of reasons that house plants can get brown tips on their leaves and stems. We'll list all of them here and you can decide which might apply to your plant. Note that sometimes it's a combination of the situations listed, not just one of the conditions.
1. The plant is root-bound. When a houseplant has been in the pot for a long time the roots fill the pot and leave no space for water and soil. So the plant will dry out more quickly, even when you've watered it as you have for years. Tip the plant out of the pot and if you see lots of roots circling around the outside, time to repot! Or if the roots are growing out the drainage hole, time to repot. Put the plant in a pot that's at least 2-3" wider on all sides and bottom.
2. Drying. If the plant has dried out in between waterings, the leaves can brown. Sometimes a plant that's in more sun suddenly will dry out more quickly. Other times a plant is drying more quickly because it's root bound.
3. Fertilizer burn. If you fertilized with too-strong a concentration of a synthetic fertilizer, or if you fertilized a thirsty plant, this will cause such browning on the leaves.

By | 2016-01-19T12:19:26-08:00 January 19th, 2016|House Plants|3 Comments
Read More