Chewing Insect

/Chewing Insect/

Chewing Insect

The problem with chewing insects such as bug larvae or earwigs, grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars (too numerous to name) etc. is they move about and often are difficult to spot among the foliage, but if there are black dots on the foliage, it is the excrement of chewing insects. Chewing insects can be large enough to see with the naked eye, but they can be red, orange, green, brown, black, etc. so look closely and pluck off any you see and dispose in a bucket of soapy water as long as the infestation is not too extensive. Another chewing insect is the earwig, but it is nocturnal and seeks refuge in dark, moist areas during the day so spotting them is difficult. Earwigs favorite food is newly emerging plants with tender foliage as well as flower buds. A simple method to trap them is to roll up a moistened newspaper in the late afternoon by your plants (earwigs are attracted to warm, dark, moist areas for cover and for their habitat) and dispose of the newspaper and earwigs in the trash in the morning or shake the earwigs out into a pail of soapy water. If it is extensive, you can spray with an organic control for chewing insects recommended by your local garden center such as Bt (Bt is a contact spray only) or Spinosad (7-10 day residual), but follow application directions. Also show some of these leaves or this photo to a horticulturist at your local garden center for confirmation of the problem as well as recommendations for control but make sure it is formulated for your specific plants.

By | 2015-11-15T23:30:50-08:00 November 15th, 2015|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Chewing Insect

The problem with chewing insects such as bug larvae or earwigs, grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars (too numerous to name) etc. is they move about and often are difficult to spot among the foliage, but if there are black dots on the foliage, it is the excrement of chewing insects. Chewing insects can be large enough to see with the naked eye, but they can be red, orange, green, brown, black, etc. so look closely and pluck off any you see and dispose in a bucket of soapy water as long as the infestation is not too extensive. Another chewing insect is the earwig, but it is nocturnal and seeks refuge in dark, moist areas during the day so spotting them is difficult. Earwigs favorite food is newly emerging plants with tender foliage as well as flower buds. A simple method to trap them is to roll up a moistened newspaper in the late afternoon by your plants (earwigs are attracted to warm, dark, moist areas for cover and for their habitat) and dispose of the newspaper and earwigs in the trash in the morning or shake the earwigs out into a pail of soapy water. If it is extensive, you can spray with an organic control for chewing insects recommended by your local garden center such as Bt (Bt is a contact spray only) or Spinosad (7-10 day residual), but follow application directions. Also show some of these leaves or this photo to a horticulturist at your local garden center for confirmation of the problem as well as recommendations for control but make sure it is formulated for Epiphyllums.

By | 2015-11-15T12:54:19-08:00 November 15th, 2015|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Nutrient Deficiency

From the photo it appears that there may be a nutrient deficiency showing in the older leaves. If the plant is growing "in-ground" deficiencies are usually not due to lack of nutrients in the soil, but usually caused by over or under-watering for the plants needs. Over-watering can cause the plant to produce vegetative growth rather than flowers, and underwatering is stressful for the plant and it may respond by not producing flowers. In water stressed situations, plant roots either begin to rot or dry out and therefore can't function sufficiently to absorb nutrients along with water. We notice in your photo that some of the leaf tips are also brown. This could also indicate a lack of water sufficient for the plants needs, or not enough water is applied so that it travels down into the soil and past the root zone; consequently salts (from water and those in the soil) are building up around the roots. We recommend watering more deeply and less frequently rather than providing smaller amounts more frequently. If the water does not soak into the soil quickly and begins to runoff before you can provide a sufficient amount, you can apply water until it just begins to runoff, let that water soak in, apply more again until just before runoff, let that soak in, and repeat this several times during one irrigation (in the same day). We recommend keeping the soil evenly moist, and avoiding fluctuations between dry and flooded soils to keep the salts diluted in the moist soil.

By | 2015-11-15T11:08:18-08:00 November 15th, 2015|Vine Plants|0 Comments
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Septoria Leaf Spot

It's either early blight or one of the leaf diseases - there are two for tomatoes, Septoria (tends to be smaller spots) and bacterial spot. If the leaves start yellowing from the bottom of the plant up, that argues for early blight. Without culturing in a lab it's hard to say which it is but the treatment for the home gardener is the same:
1. Pull off the leaves that are spotted and yellow so the plant can be better monitored and some of the spores are removed.
2. Never get the foliage wet when watering. (It's amazing how many people routinely spray the leaves of plants every evening because they think that they are somehow "refreshing" the plant. This is a prescription for every leaf disease in the book.) Water deeply less often.
3. Start spraying immediately with a copper fungicide - this is an organic treatment that is a bit stronger than other organic fungicides. If the garden is right next to a pond, lake or stream, however, do not use copper as it is toxic to aquatic life. (In such cases I would use Actinovate, a natural bacteria.) Spray under the leaves and the stems too. Although the fungicide won't "cure" the problem it can protect the newer growth long enough so that tomatoes can be harvested. Next season start spraying early first using something like Actinovate or Seranade, and switching to the copper once the plant has a problem. (Do not alternate these - the copper will kill the bacteria in the other two products.)

By | 2015-11-15T04:55:31-08:00 November 15th, 2015|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Browning On Houseplant Leaves

Browning in the interior of leaves on houseplants can be caused by several situations including sunburn, fertilizer burn, salt or fluoride build-up, contact from cleaning products, or diseases such as powdery mildew. Sometimes without culturing in a lab it's hard to pin it down. For leaves such as yours that show browning in between the veins on the leaves it can be narrowed down a bit since sunburn would present over the entire leaf surface, fertilizer burn would be likely to show along all edges, and contact from cleaning products would cover the entire surface of the leaf. So that narrows it down for your plant to sunburn (unlikely at this point on Cape Cod!), salt/fluoride build-up, or disease.

Of these three, we're wondering about powdery mildew first because of the faint, grey appearance we see on the bottom and bottom right of the leaf. If you see this continuing to develop on the leaf, that may be the clue to the cause. Look under the leaf for signs of grey powder as well.

No matter what is the cause, remove all the leaves that look like this and throw them away. This will make the situation easier to monitor as well. Next, be sure that the health of the plant is supported by watering deeply less often (don't just give a "lick and a promise - water the plant deeply when you water, soaking the entire root ball and letting the water drain into a saucer below. After a couple of hours empty that saucer so that the plant isn't kept too wet.) Be sure the plant has good air circulation and the room that it's in doesn't go much below 60 degrees.

If it seems like powdery mildew isn't the issue, perhaps this plant has been in the same pot for some time and there has been a build up of something that is causing the leaf issue. If this is the case, repot the plant and remove as much of the old soil as possible without harming the roots, and replace that with clean, new potting soil. Don't start to fertilize for a month until the plant gets resettled. Consider using an organic fertilizer in the future.

If you see that powdery mildew could be the problem, get a fungicide that's labeled for powdery mildew at your garden center and use it according to directions.

If we haven't hit on the answer yet, take some more shots including underneath of the leaves and give us some more information about the history of the plant and we'll take it from there!

By | 2015-11-15T02:39:25-08:00 November 15th, 2015|House Plants|0 Comments
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Tomato Troubles

Before we talk about diseases, let's review general care for tomatoes. Leaves can turn yellow or if tomatoes aren't getting enough nutrients from the soil. If you are growing your tomatoes in pots, you need to fertilize regularly with a fertilizer suitable for tomatoes according to package directions. Yellow or shriveled leaves can also be a sign of over- or under-watering. Make sure the containers aren't sitting in a pool of water and don't get so dry that they wilt. If your plants are growing in the soil, be sure you're deeply watering every four days - don't hand water as this is never deep enough; use a sprinkler or soaker-hose and water in the AM whenever possible. Tomato plants want to be in Full Sun. Low light levels will also contribute to problems.

There are several leaf diseases that tomatoes are prone to and without culturing in a lab it's hard to say which one is affecting your plants. This could be bacterial leaf spot, early blight, late blight or another fungal leaf disease.
That said, the treatment for the home gardener is the same:
1. Pull off the leaves that are spotted and/or yellow so the plant can be better monitored and some of the spores are removed.
2. Never get the foliage wet when watering. It's amazing how many people routinely spray the leaves of plants every evening because they think that they are somehow "refreshing" the plant. This is a prescription for every leaf disease in the book. Instead, water deeply less often, trying to do so in the morning so that the foliage has plenty of time to dry.
3. Start spraying immediately with a copper fungicide - this is an organic treatment that is a bit stronger than other organic fungicides. If the garden is right next to a pond, lake or stream, however, do not use copper as it is toxic to aquatic life. (In such cases I would use Actinovate, a natural bacteria.) Spray under the leaves and the stems too. Although the fungicide won't "cure" the problem it can protect the newer growth long enough so that tomatoes can be harvested. Next season start spraying early first using something like Actinovate or Seranade, and switching to the copper once the plant has a problem. (Do not alternate these - the copper will kill the bacteria in the other two products.) Always start with the mildest of treatments for plants.
4. Next season mulch your plants as soon as you plant them so that no fungal spores will splash up on the foliage when it rains.
5. Many people ask if they can "treat the soil" to get rid of such diseases, but most are not only soil-borne but also wind-borne so usually it's not helpful to apply a fungicide to the ground.

By | 2017-09-24T13:52:50-07:00 November 14th, 2015|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Grass Cultural Problem

The quick answer is that this looks generally like nitrogen burn (spilled fertilizer), with a halo of dark green grass surrounding dead grass and moss; it also might be a fungal disease. The lawn is in such bad shape that it's hard to tell. A better answer addresses the underlying problem. The soils around Puget Sound are mostly a mixture of rock, sand, and clay called glacial till, which is usually acidic and relatively infertile. Combined with limited direct sunlight and lots of moisture, this sets up conditions that weaken grass and favor a variety of diseases, weeds, and mosses. Your photograph shows that well. Nothing short of major renovation and consistent care will fix that—and it's only worth doing on parts of the lawn that get at least 6 hours of direct sun (when the sun is out!) per day from March through October. Parts of the lawn that get less than that should be converted to a ground cover such as Japanese spurge (Pachysandra terminalis) that will tolerate the shade. To renovate the part of the lawn that gets enough light, do the following in March: till the soil, amend it with a couple of inches of compost, rake out the rocks and roots, level it, and either sow lawn grass or roll out turf. A good blend for your area is a blend of perennial ryegrass, fine fescue, and bent grass, and no more than a small percentage of Kentucky bluegrass (the latter will die out within a couple of years). Give the new lawn an inch of water per week if the rain doesn't do that for you, and feed it with lawn fertilizer in March, May, and September. Remove weeds as they appear by hand or with a spot sprayer. Then you'll have a terrific looking lawn, and the problem pictured here will be gone.

By | 2015-11-14T20:51:47-08:00 November 14th, 2015|Grasses|1 Comment
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Hydrangea Plant Care

Hydrangeas do best in partial shade and may burn if receiving high heat or light intensity, so you were right to move it. There are, however, many more adjustments you'll have to make to keep your hydrangea healthy. 1) It needs a bigger container. This is probably not the source of your problem, but if you want the plant to live more than on year it will need a larger container with a greater soil volume. I grow hydrangeas for clients in containers as large as 24" x 24". Your plant doesn't need that yet, but it will need a bigger container next year. 2) Hydrangeas need consistent soil moisture but their roots don't want to be always wet. You used the word topsoil. If your plant is really planted in topsoil, this is a problem. Professionals don't generally use topsoil in containers. it stays too wet too long and can lead to root rot. Promix is a lighter weight potting medium that may contain a little soil but is primarily composed of perlite, vermiculite, sphagnum moss, and humus. If your plant is truly planted in topsoil (not promix) you should repot it before winter. 3) How much water are you giving it each time you water? To encourage healthy root growth throughout the pot you need to water thoroughly each time. That means water until water runs out the bottom of your pot. You will want to water when the top half inch of potting mix is dry. Depending on the temperature and rainfall this might be every day, every other day, or twice a week. There is no set schedule...you need to feel it. 4) If you don't already know, you should try to find out what kind of hydrangea you have. We can't tell you this from the photo, but it looks like you may have the kind of hdrangea that is sold as a short-term gift plant around mother's day. The original seller may not know the species or variety but it's worth asking. If this is what we call a florist's hydrangea it may not be winter hardy in this area and won't come back next year.

By | 2017-09-24T13:52:51-07:00 November 14th, 2015|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Tomato Plant Diseases

There are several leaf diseases that tomatoes are prone to and without culturing in a lab it's hard to say which one is affecting your plants. This could be bacterial leaf spot, early blight, late blight or another fungal leaf disease.
That said, the treatment for the home gardener is the same:
1. Pull off the leaves that are spotted and/or yellow so the plant can be better monitored and some of the spores are removed.
2. Never get the foliage wet when watering. It's amazing how many people routinely spray the leaves of plants every evening because they think that they are somehow "refreshing" the plant. This is a prescription for every leaf disease in the book. Instead, water deeply less often, trying to do so in the morning so that the foliage has plenty of time to dry.
3. Start spraying immediately with a copper fungicide - this is an organic treatment that is a bit stronger than other organic fungicides. If the garden is right next to a pond, lake or stream, however, do not use copper as it is toxic to aquatic life. (In such cases I would use Actinovate, a natural bacteria.) Spray under the leaves and the stems too. Although the fungicide won't "cure" the problem it can protect the newer growth long enough so that tomatoes can be harvested. Next season start spraying early first using something like Actinovate or Seranade, and switching to the copper once the plant has a problem. (Do not alternate these - the copper will kill the bacteria in the other two products.) Always start with the mildest of treatments for plants.
4. Next season mulch your plants as soon as you plant them so that no fungal spores will splash up on the foliage when it rains.
5. Many people ask if they can "treat the soil" to get rid of such diseases, but most are not only soil-borne but also wind-borne so usually it's not helpful to apply a fungicide to the ground.

By | 2015-11-14T11:20:45-08:00 November 14th, 2015|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Pothos Plant Problems

Houseplant leaves turn yellow and brown and dry for a variety of reasons: when grown in too little light, an irregular watering pattern, or the plant is sitting in water and may be the beginning of root rot. Usually if the problem is over-watering the entire plant will turn yellowish - if the problem is uneven watering, that is drying between waterings, then the older leaves turn yellow and brown first but the new foliage looks OK. So evaluate your plant by looking to see if all the new growth is fine but the older leaves are the ones that are going - if that's the case you need to water the entire plant really well and then check it in a few days to see if it is dry.

Often our houseplants dry more quickly at this time of year when the heating is coming on more frequently. Be sure to water really well when you do water - never give a plant "just a little" because you don't want to over-water, don't want the water to leak out of the drainage holes, or don't have time to fill up a container with enough water. In other words, soak the entire root ball well when you water and let it drain into a sink or saucer for a couple of hours - then remove from any standing water and test the soil in a few days to see if it's dry ready for watering again.

Plants also dry up more quickly when they've been in the same pot for awhile. When you see brown leaves on a plant, tip it out of the pot and see if it looks root bound. If so, putting it in a new, larger pot with fresh soil will help.

This does not look like a nutrient deficiency but most houseplants should be fed a slow-release or organic fertilizer formulated for indoor container plants.

By | 2015-11-14T11:16:31-08:00 November 14th, 2015|House Plants|13 Comments
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