It’s time for garden questions and answers again! Remember, send
your questions to me via e-mail at: ga********@*ps.net
”
. Or you can send questions by mail in care of this newspaper.
Please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you want a
personal response. And now, on with this month’s garden questions
and answers.
It’s time for garden questions and answers again! Remember, send your questions to me via e-mail at: ga********@*ps.net” . Or you can send questions by mail in care of this newspaper. Please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you want a personal response. And now, on with this month’s garden questions and answers.
Q. Whiteflies are hanging out on my poppies. What do you suggest for getting rid of them? – H.L., Gilroy, via e-mail.
Whiteflies used to be an overwhelming problem for gardeners more than a decade ago. That’s when the Santa Clara County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office began releasing a predator wasp that eventually got the whitefly infestation under control. Maybe it’s time for the Ag Commissioner to start releasing this predator wasp again.
Whiteflies are an annoying nuisance because as soon as you spray, they fly away in a virtual white cloud. However, if you spray right at dusk, whiteflies are less active and you’ll have better luck when spraying. You can use insecticidal soap or a chemical insecticide, such as malathion, isotox or all-purpose garden insect spray. To mix your own insecticidal soap, simply mix a couple tablespoons of liquid soap into a quart of water. It will take numerous sprayings to get the whitefly problem under control. Good luck.
Q. I remember reading about a rose recipe utilizing Epsom salts in your column a while back. Can you please provide that recipe again? – G.J., Morgan Hill, via e-mail.
The rose fertilizer recipe comes courtesy of Dave Lowell, an accomplished rosarian from Livermore. Keys to this recipe are common Epsom salts and sulfur in the form of Ironite or soil sulfur. The Epsom salts spur new growth, while the Ironite or soil sulfur help to bring the alkalinity of our soil pH down so the fertilizer can work.
The recipe includes:
• 1 cup balanced fertilizer, such as 12-12-12
• 1 cup bone meal
• 1 cup sulfur (Ironite soil sulfur of iron sulphate)
• 2 tablespoons Epsom salts
• 1 shovelful of chicken manure, mushroom compost or other organic material
Sprinkle this solution around established roses, mixing it into the soil if possible. Try to use it at least twice a year, once in early spring and again for a boost in the middle of summer.
Q. I accidentally brushed against the leaves of my dwarf lemon tree the other day, and came away having to brush a dozen or so ants off my arm. What can I do to control these ants, and why are they attacking my lemon tree? – D.M., Gilroy, via e-mail.
Ants do not directly damage plants. Instead, those pesky ants are feeding on honeydew, which is the sticky, sweet substance excreted by many insects, including aphids, scales, mealybugs and whiteflies. To get the ants under control, you need to control the insects they are feeding on.
Spray with the same possible controls as mentioned in our first question this week – from insecticidal soaps to chemical insecticides. Diazonon, which was recently taken off the market, also can be used (many home gardeners probably still have some in their tool-shed shelves).
