Gosh! I had so much fun preparing for, and giving a little talk on some options for organic weed and insect control for Lyn Shirley’s Environmental Horticulture class at Victor Valley College this afternoon. In order to be clear-headed, I did some review on materials in preparation for my talk so I could keep my thoughts organized. I got to reminisce about the olden days before Round-up and weedeaters. Yes folks, I really am that old. AND I (as I usually do in these things) learned something new. Actually it is quite old, just new to me. ROCK DUST as a soil amendment. Keep that thought. I plan on researching that and will offer up new info here on this blog real soon.
The Victor Valley Master Composters are meeting next Tuesday, September 10 from
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Victorville City Hall, Conference Room D. After the
short Master Composter meeting, Cindy Poore, owner of Perfection Landscape will
be giving a presentation on drought tolerant landscaping. The public is welcome
to attend, so feel free to invite your friends. Don Woo, project coordinator has also invited the Barstow
group in case they were interested in the presentation.
Have you ever walked by a bush and saw what looked like spit all over it? Ewww! Gross! Well, it probably is not spit but a bug called the Froghopper, or Spittle Bug. The Spittle Bug nymph ( or immature stage) feeds on the sap of the shrub and create the spittle which covers them while they feed.
Spittle Bug eggs usually hatch in May and you will see this distinctive foam all over the plant shortly after. You can usually find the adults in late summer, July and August, when the nymphs mature. Adults do not make the spittle and generally, unless weather conditions are favorable, they rarely have more than one generation per year. The adults lay eggs that overwinter and the cycle repeats the following year.
Spittle Bugs, while are not directly necessarily the cause of plant mortality, they do vector (or attract) fungal and bacterial disease that can cause stem or branch die-back (flagging).
The first level of defense is to wash off the plant foliage when you see the distinctive markings of the Spittle Bug with a hard blast of water. (This my favorite and lazy person’s way to initially treat lots of bug issues!) I suggest do the water blast for 2 to 3 days in a row and then watch the plant for a few days before going to the next level of control if needed. This is called IPM or integrated pest management. (Or you could call it smart and lazy and cheap!)
The next level of control would be to apply a systemic insecticide like imidacloprid. Systemic means when applied either on the foliage or through the root system the insecticide is moved thorough the plant’s vascular system, protecting the plant from the inside out. Depending on the method of application and a few other factors this control method could last a few weeks to a year.
Give us a call here at Perfection Landscape if you need help doing this and we can do it for you.
We like to feed our humming birds. I’ve always just put some sugar and water into our hummingbird feeder and shook it up until it dissolved and they seem to like it. HOWEVER, recently the boss ( who is kinda getting into cooking lately) decided to try a hummingbird food recipe. He cooked it up and the birds have been flocking to the feeders! I could only capture 1 or two in the frame of the picture, but there are now usually 4 or 5 hummingbirds at any given time.
Try this recipe. It’s easy!
Nectar for the Birds 1 part sugar to 4 parts water Place the water in a sauce pan. Stir the sugar into the water while bringing the mixture to a boil. Apparently the boiling removes any chlorine and kills mold or yeast spores that might be in the sugar.
Boil for two minutes, no more. More will change the dilution ratio and won’t be as attractive to the birds. No need to add the food coloring. It is not necessary to add the food coloring and it may even be harmful to the birds. Cool the solution to room temperature and fill your feeder only part way so it wont spoil before they finish it. Store extra nectar in your fridge. Try it your birds will LOVE it.
Perfection Landscape’s September 2012 Newsletter Get started on your fall garden tasks. Lots of tips to get you through. AND, did you ever have problem with Ants? Get our tips on controlling ants in and around your home.
- Staying Home May 31, 2020Staying home has new meaning since the tragic and crazy world of COVID-19. While most are keeping a low profile at home, Perfection Landscape knows that we are essential for helping our clients care for their home environments. We continue to do maintenance for our regular and new clients keeping with social distancing guidelines for […]
- Weeds are Back! March 10, 2018Is your yard Exploding with weeds ? You may think a few weeds here or there aren’t much to worry about, but did you know most weeds are capable of producing over a thousand seeds each? Rain and the warmer weather that will follow will make conditions just right for hose little land mines […]