It’s garden question and answer time again! You may e-mail me questions at: ga*******@*ps.net. Or you can mail me questions in care of this newspaper. For a faster, personal response, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Q: How do I organically kill earwigs in my garden? You mentioned how to kill snails and slugs in a recent column with oyster shells. Thank you. – D.R., Gilroy, via e-mail.
A: Earwigs, more commonly known as pincher bugs, are one of those semi-good guys in the garden. That’s because earwigs generally feed on organic debris and other insects, such as aphids and certain pest larvae. However, sometimes they do have a habit of chomping on flowers. There are poisonous baits that will kill earwigs, including a granular formulation marketed by Cooke’s.
I’m glad, though, that you asked about organic controls because it’s pretty easy to trap earwigs since they seek dark, cool hiding places in the garden. Put about a half-inch of water in an empty cat food or tuna can, and float a teaspoon of vegetable oil on top. Place the can in the garden where earwigs have been known to populate. Earwigs will be attracted to the residue in the can, crawl in, get coated with oil, and drown. You can also roll a few newspaper tubes, moisten them, and place them in the garden. Earwigs will crawl into the tubes during the heat of the day. Collect and dispose of the newspaper tubes in the early morning and eventually you’ll lower the earwig population in your garden.
Q: We have a problem with our zucchini. They begin to rot at the flower end before they get very big. Is there something we are doing wrong? It seems we lose about half the zucchinis. – J.H., Gilroy, via e-mail.
A: You can blame our strange weather. Our unusually cool – and yes, sometimes still rainy weather – is the cause of your zucchini problems. When the weather is too cool or wet, insect activity is low and, therefore, pollination is not happening as it should. When flowers are not pollinated, the developing fruit will fail to enlarge and often shrivel up at the blossom end. The good news is that all you really have to do is wait for our unusual weather to get warmer.
If you’re the impatient type, though, you can aid the pollination yourself. Go ahead and hand pollinate your plants by breaking off a male flower and making contact with female flowers. Yes, I know it sounds more risqué than it really is. How do you tell the difference between a male plant versus a female one? Female flowers will have an enlarged area directly behind the blossom, while male flowers have a narrow, smooth stem directly behind the petals of the blossoms. Good luck.
