Identifying Spider Mite Infestation February 25, 2007

Today I’d like to talk a bit about spider mites.  Spider mites are very tiny mites that live on the underside of leaves and eat them, causing damage and necrosis to the leaves.  In the photos I have posted here you can see the damage that these little guys can do.  First off, some gardeners mistake the damage to the leaves as a sort of fungus or mildew as it can look a bit like leaf spot or powdery mildew.  If you have a spider mite infestation you will notice that the top side of the leaf appears browinsh to silverish in color with slight mottling or “little dots”.  The easiest way to check if this is truly a spider mite infestation opposed to fungus is to take a piece of white paper and place it under the leaf, shake the leaf a bit, and then check the piece of paper.  Spider mites are compelled to be on the underside of a leaf so they will immediately set off running toward the edge of the paper to get underneath it.  Another thing to check is whether or not you notice tiny spider webs on the plant.  Keep in mind that they are very small, not quite microscopic but you may need a magnifying lens to verify this.  The two most common spider mites that do damage are the red mite and two spotted mite.  The red will appear reddish in color and the spotted have two distinct dots on their backs.  Spider mites do tend to stay in place, they do not move or migrate much from where they are born unless they are “vectored”.  Vectoring means that the mites have come in contact with something that moves (you, your clothes, your pets, birds, etc. that they can hitch a ride on to get to another area) to infect another plant or area.  This means that if you have handled a plant or tree that has been infected it is best to wash your hands, change clothes, etc. before handling an uninfected plant.  Most infestations begin in late spring and continue on until the end of summer as they prefer warm to hot conditions.  In winter thay will usually “overwinter” in grassy areas where they can stay warm.  They also like indoor plants and plants in greenhouses during winter because those conditions are usually warmer.  That seems to be the case with the few plants in and around the greenhouse that have been infected (see photos above).  If the infestation is slight, a good blast of water on the underside of the leaves may work.  Heavier infestations can be controlled with Safer Soap, a non-toxic soap treatment.  If you are going to use Safer Soap to control your infestation I would suggest that you try it on a few leaves of one plant to make sure it is not “phytotoxic” (i.e. won’t burn or kill the plant that you are treating).  Application of Safer Soap must be done to the underside of the leaves as it kills on contact.  Treatment also must be applied more than once, preferably 3 treatments 5 days apart as the soap kills the mites but not their eggs (their life cycle is only about 10 days).  If this does not work and you absolutely have exhausted all other methods, applications of pesticides such as Orthene or Avid can be used.  Keep in mind that pesticides are only a short-term solution because if you continually use them the spider mites will become tolerant, and further applications will no longer kill the spider mites.  Another solution is to use predatory mites, which can be purchased at a garden supply shop or farm supply shop.  The predatory mites will eat the spider mites without infesting your plants and is a much better alternative to pesticide use.  Also, if you are going to use predatory mites it is best to use them at the first onset of spider mites before they have done much damage.  A final method to limit the spread of the spider mites is to “quarantine” infected plants while you are treating them, which is what I’ve done.  I noticed a few oaks and redwoods with a minimal infestation in my greenhouse and immediately moved them outside and away from the greenhouse while I’m treating them; now they are much less likely to infect the rest of my plants and trees.  After I’m sure the infestation is gone I will move the previously infected plants back into the greenhouse.  Questions are more than welcome.  Happy Gardening!

Plantman

Get In Touch With Your Plants February 20, 2007

Today I was back in the greenhouse planting more redwoods and installing drip irrigation to them.  I went just outside La Honda CA to do a little hike and see if I could find some good specimens to take cuttings from.  I found just what I was looking for.  I took about 20 cuttings from the base of a fairly young redwood.  This growth at the base of the redwood trees is called “burlwood.”  I filled 20 / 5 gallon cans with recycled soil that was dumped a year or so ago with plants that didn’t sell from my dad’s nursery.  This soil is perfect because it has been sitting long enough to have composted fairly well.  This is perfect because the soil has had a chance to blend a bit with the native soil in the area (which is very sandy and drains well), and the little critters in the soil have had time to do their thing.  The essential elements that plants need are nitrogen, phosporous, and potassium as well as 13 other elements which are required in trace amounts.  Well composted soil is great because the microbes in the soil have had a chance to process these elements into forms available for uptake by the roots of the trees.  For example, plants will not take up pure phosporous, it has to be in the form P2O5 to be available.  The same goes for potassium.  Pure K (potassium) will not do the trick, the plant or tree needs it in the form K2O.  Nitrogen is similar as it needs to be “fixed”  for uptake through the “nitrogen cycle.”   The plant itself can also do a bit of its own alchemy in that it can take elements and turn them into other elements by taking electrons and moving them around to create the nutrients it needs.  This is a very basic explanation as the processes are much more complicated than that, but it gives you an idea of how important the microbes in the soil are. 

Now to get off the beaten path for a minute.  There is much more to growing plants and trees than just water and fertilizer.  I firmly believe that plants can actually feel the energy and presence of the person working with them, and this explains why some people have a “green thumb” and others do not.  There are energies and vibrations that a person gives off and plants are very sensitive to this.  Some people may think I’m a bit weird or crazy, but I can actually feel this energy and vibration exchange when working with plants.  Some people may think I’m a bit off also because I play certain music when I’m working in the greenhouse. We all know that plants don’t have ears, but I will argue that they do sense the vibrations of the music and the energy and vibrations you unintentionally give off.  To get optimum results with your plants you must be in harmony with them because they are much more alive and sentient than you think!  The next time you are gardening try and tap into this energy.  Clear your mind of other thoughts and focus only on your plants as if you were practicing yoga.  Imagine how you would want them to look and flower and grow, send postive thoughts to them, and let them feel your love as you tap in to their energy and the vibration exchange.  I feel the exchange as I do this and I am able to get results with plants that many other people cannot.  I guarantee you that if you are able to tap into this energy you will get better results with your plants as well.  I can actually see the redwoods perking up when I am around them.   I can feel the energy after only a short while working in the greenhouse each time I visit.  This is one occasion where the power of positive thinking will show results almost immediately.  Try it the next time you are working in your garden and not only will your plants do better but you will feel better and more connected to nature!  I know that there is something to this although it is hard to explain; you will have to try it and feel it to know what I mean and you may be quite suprised at the results!

Plantman

More Drip Irrigation/Planting February 4, 2007

Yesterday I was back in the greenhouse installing more drip irrigation to the redwoods and other plants.  In the photos you can see that I have some Aesculus or “Buckeye” coming up from the seeds that I planted earlier this winter (This looks a bit like marijuana but it’s not!)  Aesculus Californica is a California native that drops seed capsules or “balls” at the end of each growing season that can be collected and planted as I have done.  The “balls” are planted into the lower third of a gallon can with soil 1/3 soil below and 2/3 soil to cover.  With a little bit of patience they sprout in a few months.  The other plant with a small leaf is a “Ligularia” that my uncle divided from a larger plant and planted into gallon cans.  Some plants that have a clumping root mass such as this can be propagated by division; this simply means the plant is divided up and replanted to get more plants.  This is a good way to propagate for homeowners as it is free and is very easy to do.  I installed drip emitters to these plants as well yesterday.  The emitters I used are a different type this time.  In the photo you can see this; the emitters that are green and black are 2 GPH.  Different colors indicate different rates of irrigation, and the green 2GPH means that the emitter will let 2 gallons of water flow through it per hour of operation.  These types of emitters are good because you can calculate exactly how much water you are using to irrigate your plants.  The downside of this type of emitter is that they can be prone to clogging if you have sediment in your water supply (which I do.)  This means that I will have to periodically check to see that they are working properly and are not clogged.  In the other photos you can see how I ran the drip tubing from table to table underneath the black plastic in the aisle.  I dug a small trench and ran the tubing through a “sleeve”, which is just a piece of pvc pipe that protects it when its stepped on.  After running the tubing through the sleeve I filled the trench with a little bit of soil to level it and then tacked the black plastic back in place.  This is also a good idea because it keeps the tubing out of sight under the table so that there is not a huge mess of tubing to contend with when working among the plants in the greenhouse.  You can see that I have also moved a few of the trees outdoors to see how well they do (sort of a test to see how much faster the trees in the greenhouse will grow as opposed to those  growing outdoors.)  I will be back in the middle of next week to check up on everything and make sure the system is operating properly.  Questions are welcome.  Happy gardening!

Plantman