Gardeners Tips

Summer is over and we had the first Autumn frost last night 26th September. It was only a light frost and we have some cloud cover for the next few nights so it won’t be as cold tonight. Still I set-too to protect some plants.

Winter Plant Protection

• Tender plants can be protected in a frost free environment. Conservatory plants left out for some summer sunshine should be brought back inside. This is true of Citrus fruit trees and Pelagoniums.
• Insulate your greenhouse with bubblewrap and install a heater for really cold nights. Aim for a minimum temperature of 37°
• Lift tender rhizomes of Cannas and Gladioli corms.
• Prepare hessian or sacking to wrap the centre of tender plants like Tree Ferns and Palms.
• Reduce watering and keep pot plants a bit on the dryer side.
• Mulch or cover the growing crowns of perennials with bracken, dry leaves or compost.

Winter Maintenance Tips

• Put terracotta pots on feet or raise onto bricks so they do not freeze to the earth or paths. Bring in none frost proof pots.
• Clean up paths, greenhouse glass, garden furniture, bird feeders etc.
• Retie or stake trees that may suffer from wind rock.

Causes of Winter Damage

• Prolonged excess damp can be fatal to pot plants. In winter there is little or no drying effect.
• Snow can break the branches of trees and the weight can damage conifers and evergreens.
• Frost will damage soft fleshy growth easier than it will kill ripe twiggy growth. Camillia growers will know what frost can do to blossom.
• Climate changes, prolonged cold snaps, unseasonal spring or summer weather and other changes can create ‘plant stress’ that shortens the plants life.

Other tips – Leave on holiday for hotter climates and return in spring.

 Habits of Red Spider Mites

• Red Spider mites do not spin good webs. Proper spiders make symmetrical and neat webs.
• You can recognise infections if the web is feeble and scraggy with tiny white flecks on some of the strands (this is dead mite skins).
• You can also detect mites by placing white paper under a leaf and tapping several times. If infested some of the mites will fall from their hiding under leaves and away from direct light on to the paper.  If you see red dots scampering around and you have your work cut out although they start green in spring turning red later in the summer.
• Mites pierce the skin of leaves and suck sap causing paling then red or yellow spots. This then leaves a fine white powder and leaves begin to fall off.

Problem Control and Prevention

• Few plants are immune and indoor Cistus, Dracaena, Citrus, Podocarpus and even Aspidistra are susceptible.
• Tomato and greenhouse plants also suffer.
• Crocosomia, dahlia, fuchsia, runner beans and soft fruit are also susceptible.
• Mite move easily from plant to plant and are so small that drafts can blow them from one plant to another. Isolation is the first option.
• Mites find a hot dry environment a delight, whilst mites abhor humid conditions so try frequent misting to discourage mites.
• Submerging plants in a stream of warm water or hosing off out doors may help.
• Spray with soapy water or plant oils paying attention to the undersides of leaves and leave to dry.
• Biological control with Phytoseiulus persimilis is effective in warm areas.
• Malathion pesticide can be used, mix with water and a drop of soft soap but keep the spray away from cacti and ferns.
• Systemic granular pesticide is a last alternative.

Sources
Tetranychus urticae Female of the red form of the spider mite
Scale : mite body length ~0.5 mm
Creative commons by Gilles San Martin, on Flickr
Chuck Crandall ‘Whats wrong with my plant?’

RHS the Tetranychus urticae is also known as Two Spotted Spider Mite

I have no photographs of fungus Gnats because they are very small, little critters like miniature flies.
Houseplants with wet compost attract and breed gnats and the more organic matter the greater the brood of little flies. Fungus gnats are the most common flying insects found in and around compost bins.

Problems with Fungus Gnats

• On their own they do no damage to your plants but their offspring will.
• The Gnats or flies lay eggs on the surface of damp houseplant compost.
• The eggs hatch into minute white maggots that burrow into the soil. Here they can bore there way into roots leaving them open to infection and bacterial diseases.
• Gnat maggots can eat feeder roots and weaken plants or generate chlorsis.
• I also find they are the sort of fly that ends up in your eye.
• Susceptible plants include Chrysanthemum, Cyclamen, Freesia and Pelagoniums.

Control of Fungus Gnats

• Allow soil to dry out completely before watering to kill the flies.
• Drown the maggots by leaving plants in a bucket of water over night but then drain throughly.
• For heavy infestations Malathion kills maggots and eggs.
• I rely on a fly paper with a sticky glue to catch the flies before they breed.
• Half fill a shallow container with ‘Sweet Almond Oil’ and place near an infested plant. Leave it and the flies find it irresistible and meet a sticky end. Another recipe is apple cider vinegar, a little water and a tiny dab of dish soap. the gnats love it and
  drown
• Venus fly traps would be fun but may not eat enough
• In the garden, wormwood is supposed to be an excellent deterrent
• Cover your indoor composting bin

See also Which Gardening pdf on fungus gnats

Yes you can rest happily with this organic treatment for your Aphids. It is called ‘spiders’ and they can be found in every garden and often in your own home.

Spiders

• There are over 100 families and nearly 50,000 known species of Spider.
• Spiders eat insects and not your plants although there is one vegetarian species of spider.
• Spiders typically catch their prey in a Spiders Web as depicted on the plant above

Spiders Webs in the Garden

• Orb webs are geometric in shape and often have gaps that any self respecting greenfly can get through.
• Tangle webs or cob webs are finer in structure and designed for smaller prey.
• Most spiders webs are more conspicuous when they hold dew drops or moisture.
• About half the potential prey that hit orb webs escape, so it isn’t a cure for Aphids after all.
• A web intercepts the prey, absorbs its momentum without breaking and traps the prey by entangling it or sticking to it.

Spiders are Good for Gardens

• Read more from Cornell University Dr Linda Rayor
• How to Increase the Number of Spiders in Your Garden

* Use mulch. It provides protection and humidity.
* Provide places for web attachment or homes eg. Crates, tall plants, bundles of hay.
* Leave areas uncultivated and leave plant stalks for overwintering habitats.
* Grow flowers that bring in prey.
* If spraying pesticides, spray when the spiders are less active or use a pesticide that has fewer effects on the spiders.

A spiders ‘evo devo’ and the silk they produce (that is Evolutionary Sevelopment to you and me) is hard science mixed with good writing. from amazon

Root Rot is a common fungus orientated disease caused by prolonged wet soil conditions. If you catch the problem early enough you may be able to treat the root rot and save the plant.

Root Rot Treatment

• Surgery may be required. Knock the plant out of its pot and gently remove the soil.
• Support the root ball so it doesn’t break off at the crown. If necessary wash off excess soil in wark running water.
• Examine the roots, any blackened or mushy brown root need removing.
• Cut off with a sharp, sterile knife well above the area of rot.
• Discard the rotten roots and pat remaining roots dry with a paper towel.
• Dust with a fungicide like flowers of sulphur.
• Dip into hormone rooting powder and repot in fresh soil.
• Put the plant in medium light, not full sun and be stingy with watering.
• If the plant is going to survive you will see good signs within  a week or two.

For mild problems of over watering take the plant out of the pot and leave it to drain and dry out.

Hormone rooting powder can also be used for cuttings and is available from Amazon

Root Rot Indoor Targets

• African Violets
• Aloe
• Begonia
• Cactus
• Gloxinia
• Palme
• Kalanchoe

Credits
Qargha Res Station – Pepper plants infected with Phytophthora Root and Crown Rot by IFDC Photography CC BY-NC-SA 2.0