Weekly Garden newsletter July 2, 2013

July 2, 2013 - Kim’s Weekly Garden Newsletter

From Kim Willis

http://www.examiner.com/gardening-in-detroit/kimberley-willis

http://www.examiner.com/country-living-in-detroit/kimberley-willis

These weekly garden notes are written by Kim Willis, unless another author is noted, and the opinions expressed in these notes are her opinions and do not represent any other individual, group or organizations opinions.

Hello Gardeners

Hollyhocks and ladybells

A gloomy day has turned pretty and I am anxious to get out there and do some weeding.  This week’s newsletter will be a little lighter than last weeks as I want to tidy up the garden and house in preparation for visitors over the holidays.  There’s a chance of rain over the next few days so I need to take advantage of the sun when I can.  

I had 2 1/4 inches of rain in about an hour last Thursday.  That was the only substantial rain we had in the last week but it was enough.  I know some of you had several more days of rain showers.  The rain has been very spotty across the region.  

The wheat is starting to ripen, the fields are turning golden.  Second cutting of hay has been made in many areas.  The catalpa and elderberries are in bloom, showy and tuberose milkweed, heliopsis, hosta, daylilies, dayflowers, evening primrose, hollyhocks, ladybells, and  larkspur are blooming as are many other garden plants.

Cabbage moths, those pretty white “butterflies” are out and about laying eggs on your cabbage and broccoli, you may want to scout for and remove the eggs or cover plants with netting.  Squash vine borers are also out.  Some people are seeing potato bugs and rose chafers ( more info below)  are doing their damage a little later this year.  I haven’t seen any Japanese beetles yet but I suspect they may be out soon.

West Nile Virus

At the beginning of July cases of WNV usually begin showing up in Michigan. A wild turkey tested positive for West Nile Virus in Gratiot County and several tests of mosquitoes in Saginaw County this month have confirmed that West Nile Virus is again present in Michigan.  In 2012 there were 201 human cases of WNV.  Gardeners are at particular risk because we spend more time outdoors and we often work in the evenings and early mornings in “weedy” areas.   Just one bite from an infected mosquito can result in a disease that could result in death or life changing illness.  People over 50 are more likely to have a severe form of West Nile Virus.  People die every year in Michigan from the virus.

West Nile Virus is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito.  The mosquito has to have fed on an infected bird before feeding on you.  Normally people do not get WNV from other animals, although handling birds that died from WNV carries a slight risk.  Getting a blood donation can also give you the disease, 38 cases of WNV in Michigan were found by screening blood donations in 2012.   WNV is a neurological disease, causing paralysis, seizures, and brain damage in severe cases, but many people just have flu like symptoms of fever, headache, aches and pains.  Recovering from the disease gives you immunity for some time to the disease.

Horses can get very sick or die from WNV but there is a vaccine for horses to prevent the disease.  Other animals get the disease but seldom get very sick from it.  Crows and other birds in the Corvid family such as Blue Jays are more likely to die from WNV than other common birds.  Some counties test dead birds for the disease.

There is no vaccine for humans and no cure for WNV so preventing mosquito bites is the best way to stay WNV free.  Always wear mosquito repellant when working outside, even in the sun.  There is some concern that new mosquito varieties ( to Michigan)  that are active in the daytime could increase the risk of people getting WNV.  Wearing light colored clothing, long sleeves, pants and socks also helps.  Keep water dumped out of trash, tires, flower pot saucers, and other things because mosquitoes can breed in small amounts of water.  Empty pet dishes and wading pools frequently.  Clean clogged gutters.  Treat  ponds and other standing water with a BT product, which is a natural biological product that does little harm to the environment while killing mosquito larvae.  Make sure windows and doors have good screens.

Living in the city actually puts you at more risk of contracting WNV.  85% of the WNV cases last year occurred in the Detroit and Grand Rapids area.  Oakland and Macomb counties also had high rates of WNV.  There were 15 deaths last year from the virus.  There are at least 3 other viruses with serious consequences that can be transmitted by mosquito bites.   Take West Nile Virus seriously and protect yourself from mosquito bites.

Farm market scams

You may have gotten a tomato or two from your garden, I know I have, but if you go to the farmers market and see a big display of large ripe tomatoes be very cautious with your purchase.   Some local producers using hoop houses may be marketing cherry tomatoes or even small amounts of larger tomatoes that they grew but most of the people who display large amounts of big ripe tomatoes this time of the year are buying them at the Eastern Market for resale.  As long as you know that it may be fine, but if you don’t want to buy tomatoes from Florida or Mexico it’s not fair to be told they are locally grown.  They won’t taste as good either, and are probably full of pesticides.

Talk to the person who you buy your produce from, ask questions like what variety is this and if they use a hoop house or green house to produce the tomatoes.  Ask when the crop was picked. You don’t want to penalize legitimate growers who were lucky enough to have an early crop, but be very skeptical of the seller who has the only large quantity of that type of common produce on sale.  If that seller also has other items that aren’t in season yet such as sweet corn, peaches, melons etc.  there’s a good chance he or she is reselling items purchased from the Eastern Market or other out of state produce wholesalers.  There is one vendor at the Lapeer Farmers market who is known for this and its very common at larger farmers markets.

Bee and beebalm

If you take the time to go to a farmers market, you probably want locally grown seasonal produce.  It helps to know what is ripe and available in your area at the time you are shopping.  Right now in Southeast Michigan through the thumb area these items should be at the farmers market from local growers; salad greens, radishes, beets, green onions, peas, cherries,( beginning) strawberries(almost done).  You may see a few locally grown cherry or early slicing tomatoes and small cucumbers.  In the far southern regions of Michigan raspberries are just beginning to ripen and some apricots are available.

What isn’t being grown locally and ripening now is sweet corn and melons.  These are popular 4^th of July picnic items but you may as well buy them at the supermarket as at the farmers market because they probably came from the same places.

As far as organic produce goes, you have to trust the person selling the produce.  It probably won’t look as perfect as non- organic produce but that’s a hard distinction to make in some cases.  Getting to know the seller is your best bet. 

Best trees to attract birds

An article in Audubon Magazine this month says the best trees to plant for attracting birds are willows, oaks, plums and cherries.   Birds enjoy caterpillars, worms and bugs, especially when feeding youngsters and oaks and willows attract lots of those pests.  The fruit trees provide those items as well as a juicy dessert.  Any trees or shrubs that provide berries are also great for birds.  Of course you won’t be treating those trees for their pests or their value as bird feeders will be lost.

Canary seed flour

Speaking of feeding birds, researchers in Canada are developing a strain of canary seed that is turned into flour much like wheat. The new canary seed lacks the tiny hairs that keep conventional canary seed from being used as food for humans.  Canary seed is higher in protein than most other grains and best of all its gluten free.  The new canary seed can be grown and harvested with conventional farm machinery and used in place of wheat flour in most recipes.  Canary seed can be grown wherever wheat can be grown.

Rose chafer beetle

Rose Chafer beetles generally begin emerging about the time grapes flower.  This year they are a little later than usual, with populations just coming to peak about now.  If you live on sandy soil your garden may be particularly hard hit.  The name rose chafer is misleading.  While they are very attracted to rose flowers, they’ll eat the leaves and flowers on many kinds of plants.

Rose chafer beetles are tan, sometimes with a greenish cast, with reddish orange legs and short antennae.  They are about a 1/2 inch long when mature and are strong fliers.    In June they emerge from the soil where they have been pupating and begin feeding on everything in sight.  Plants are sometimes covered with the beetles.

Damage to plants is mainly cosmetic; the plants do recover when the beetles stop feeding and die, near the end of June.  But the loss of flowers and the sight of leaves with only the veins remaining make many gardeners ready to fight.  In June lots of chewed up leaves and flowers may mean a rose chafer invasion is taking place.

For those who grow grapes, rose chafers mean more than cosmetic damage.  Grapes are generally blooming at the time the rose chafer emerges and the hungry beetles love to eat grape flowers and buds, which means the loss of the grape crop.

The life cycle of the rose chafer begins when adult beetles lay eggs in sandy soil in June.  Tiny grubs soon hatch and burrow deeper into the soil.  Unlike the European chafer beetle grub the rose chafer grub does not damage turf grass roots.  It grows all summer, and then goes deep into the soil to rest for winter.  In the spring grubs move toward the surface, eat for a short time then turn into pupae for a couple of weeks, before emerging from the soil in June to start the cycle over.

Since female rose chafer beetles prefer to lay eggs in sandy soil, higher numbers of the beetles are found in gardens planted on sandy soil.  But the beetles can fly quite a distance to feed.

To control rose chafers gardeners can hand pick the beetles, dropping them into a container of soapy water.  Shaking a plant lightly will often dislodge dozens of the beetles.  On sturdy plants a hand vacuum can be used with the dirt cup full of beetles emptied into soapy water.  

Common garden insecticides such as Sevin and malathion will kill the beetles.  But insecticides will need to be re-applied after each heavy rain and every 10-14 days.  Systemic insecticides, like those found in rose care products, will work but the beetle has to take a bite of the plant before it is poisoned, so some damage continues to occur. 

Whenever using a pesticide, read and follow the label directions for mixing and applying the product exactly.  Make sure the plants you want to protect and the insects you want to kill are listed on the label.  Different insects or different plants can have different application and mixing instructions.

Plants could be covered with row cover material while the beetles are heavy.  It must be securely anchored to the ground so beetles don’t crawl under it.  Grapes though, need to have visits from pollinators to make fruit so a row cover won’t work.  Pesticides may also kill some pollinators but are the best option for grapes if beetle numbers are high.

Some early studies by the USDA have found that spraying the kaolin clay based product called Surround® on grape vines helped repel rose chafer beetles.   That product could also be sprayed on trees and shrubs being eaten by rose chafers but be aware that it gives sprayed plants a whitewashed appearance.

There is a lure scent that has been developed for rose chafers that can be used in Japanese beetle traps.  If you use a product like this put it far away from the plants you want to protect.  Otherwise it will draw more rose chafers to the area which may feed on plants before entering the trap.

One thing you do not want to do is to encourage your chickens or other birds to eat the beetles.  Rose chafer beetles contain a toxin that can sicken or kill birds and small animals. That’s why they are so abundant and damaging; they are not eaten by other wild things.

I hope everyone has a great 4^th of July holiday.

Kim

Garden as though you will live forever. William Kent

More Information

This article by Kimberley Willis was originally published at Examiner.com

Evening Primrose

There are several species of evening primroses, (Oenothera), that are native to North America and they are often listed in wildflower books.  But in southeast Michigan the evening primrose tribe is most likely to be found in gardens  and so it will be listed here as a garden plant.  Most Michigan gardeners can grow the evening primroses; they are hardy to at least zone 4.  Domesticated evening primroses bloom over a long period and are very easy to grow.  They are often used as filler in perennial beds.

The name evening primrose is confusing, as common names can be, because Oenothera are not related to the true primrose family and many species stay open in the daytime as well.  Oenothera missouriensis is commonly called Sundrops or Missouri primrose.  It is a compact plant with 5 inch yellow flowers that stay open during the day.  The other evening primrose commonly found in Michigan gardens is the Showy evening primrose or Oenothera speciosa, which gets about 30 inches tall with pretty light pink flowers.

Two other varieties of evening primrose may turn up in gardens. The common evening primrose, Oenothera biennis, which is a rangy plant that can get up to 5 feet high in good conditions, has small yellow flowers that do open in the evening.   The prairie evening primrose, Oenothera albicaulis, has white flowers.

The cutleaf evening primrose, ( Oenothera laciniata), is a weed of nursery pots and sometimes in fields.  It forms a rosette of lobed, deeply cut leaves with a prominent white vein.  It blooms close to the ground with yellow or reddish small flowers and is not a suitable garden subject.

The leaves of most evening primrose are narrow and blade-like with a toothed edge.  Stems are reddish, with small hairs. Plants may branch near the top. Plants grow higher through the summer, putting out new clusters of flowers.

Evening primrose flowers open in clusters at the top of the plant.  Each flower has 4 petals and a slightly glossy look.  The showy evening primrose has darker pink veins on the light pink flowers. Flowers are lightly fragrant. The flower size ranges from 1-5 inches wide.

Care of evening primroses

Primroses thrive in dry sunny, places but will also grow in partial shade. They will grow even in poor soil, but it must be well drained.  Gardeners will generally buy plants but evening primroses can be started from seed. Seed actually germinates quite well outside, sow it in midsummer and it will bloom the second year. They are bi-annual or short lived perennials but will spread generously for you by seed.  Many gardeners get their evening primrose plants from other gardeners who need to thin them out after a few years.

Evening primrose

Evening primroses are easy garden plants; they don’t require fertilization in all but the poorest soils and have few pests and diseases.  Taken alone they don’t make much of a statement in the border; they should be planted in generous groups.  Showy evening primrose in particular makes quite a show when planted in large drifts. If they are in a spot they like evening primroses will bloom for much of the summer. 

Occasionally the prolific evening primroses will be found where they have escaped the garden, usually in dry, sunny meadows.  In Michigan wild primroses are generally the yellow common evening primrose.  They are sometimes included in wildflower seed mixes.

Herbal use

Native American women chewed the seeds of common evening primrose for menstrual pain, PMS symptoms and other “woman” problems. The seeds are sometimes ground for herbal remedies.  In recent years the extracted oil of evening primrose seeds is being studied for a whole slew of reasons, pain relief and heart health are a few, and it is used in cosmetics for its supposed anti-aging properties.