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Tuesday, May 5, 2020

May 5, 2020 Cinco de Mayo hurrayo!


Hi Gardeners - Happy Cinco de Mayo

Fritillaria 
It’s a quiet day here, partly sunny and in the mid-50’s. The warm weather over the weekend has the garden bursting into bloom. Tulips the deer didn’t munch are beginning to bloom, there are lots of daffodils, grape hyacinths, windflowers, fritillaria, trilliums and bloodroot in bloom. The apricot tree is in bloom and the pink magnolia is just about to bloom. The Canadian ginger is in bloom, although you have to look closely to see the odd red flowers under the leaves. Violets, dandelions, hensbit and deadnettle are now blooming like crazy, just in time for the bumblebees.


The orioles are back. I heard their calls before I saw them. The rose breasted grosbeaks are also back.  I still haven’t seen a hummingbird though. They need to stay away a bit longer as we are going to have some cold nights this week.

Last year when I emptied the pots of crocosmia I found hundreds of tiny bulblets. I had a big net bag full of them. This weekend I planted about half of the bag, they are already sprouting. I planted and planted, and I still have hundreds to plant. I need to find new places for them. They are only marginally hardy here, but I think I can afford to lose some if they all produce new bulblets themselves this year. I do put some in pots every year so I can save bulbs. It will be interesting to see how they all turn out this year.

I actually made my first greenhouse trip; at a little greenhouse the grocery sets up every year. There were almost no vegetables left already, I picked up a couple tomatoes in 6-inch pots. They are actually going to stay in the car with the windows cracked until we get some warmer weather. It makes an easy greenhouse when it’s not too warm outside.

I was going inside the store for the first time in 6 weeks because I had to pick up prescriptions, so I decided to check out the seed rack. I wanted some more kale and lettuce.  It was empty on the vegetable side except for a few lonely packets of basil. Honestly, that’s the first time I have ever seen a seed rack wiped out like that and I have worked in and ran garden centers.

It’s mean of me but I can’t help thinking that most of those seeds are going to be wasted. People are hoarding them like everything else. They are tucking them away in drawers “just in case” and they are going to forget about them, or they are planting them in huge quantities they are never going to need, probably too soon and too close together. They are buying seeds for crops they don’t even like to eat, just because they might be scarce. Maybe they are black marketing them to people who think they can’t get seeds. 

If you picked up way too many seeds because you got carried away with the fantasy there wasn’t going to be enough and you needed them just in case, please donate them to a community garden or other gardeners when you realize you don’t need them all. There will be more seeds next year and many seeds don’t store that well.

I did get some more zinnia seeds. While I planted Iceland poppies this weekend, I am going to wait just a bit longer to plant marigolds, zinnias and cosmos. They like warmer soil and can’t take frost. Since they grow so quickly, I don’t bother to start them inside.

Canadian ginger flower
May almanac

May is my second favorite month, almost as good as June. The full moon is May 7th, and appropriately enough it’s called the flower moon. Perigee is the 5th and apogee of the moon is on the 18th.  Other names for May’s full moon are mother’s moon and milk moon- because new mothers and their milk are everywhere. The month name of May is derived from the name of the Greek goddess Maia, associated with fertility.
There are two sets of notable days in May folklore. The first is Chilly Saints days, named for the Saints Mameritus, Pancras, and Gervais. The days are the 11th, 12th, and 13th and it is said that these days will be cold and frosty. Last year we had sleet on the 11th here, but the 12th and 13th weren’t bad. I hope the weather isn’t too cold this year because this is a big buying week, starting with Mother’s Day on the 10th.
The second set of folklore days is the Ember days.  May Ember days are the 22nd, 24th and 25th.  On the 22nd the weather predicts the weather for June, the 24th predicts July weather and the 25th predicts the August weather.  Example: if it’s cold and wet on the 22nd of May the month of June is supposed to be cold and wet. Let’s see how that worked out here.
In 2019 May 22nd was drizzly and average in temperature. June 2019 was a little above average in rainfall and average in temperature. May 24th, 2019 was rainy and mild. July 2019 was hot and drier than average.  May 25th, 2019 was stormy and warm. August 2019 was drier and cooler than average. It looks like folklore got one month’s weather right out of three last year. Why not see what happens in your area this year?
Mother’s Day, 10th, and Memorial Day, 25th, in May are some of the biggest sales days that greenhouses have, and May is almost synonymous with a trip to buy flowers. May is planting month around here.  Plant something every day! May’s full moon is said to be a great time to harvest any medicinal herbs that are growing for their maximum potency. Many people use Memorial Day as the day to start planting frost tender plants in zones 5 and 6.  But beware- frost can still happen, although it isn’t likely in zones 5 and above.
May Day was May 1, Cinco de Mayo is May 5th, May 6th is No Diet Day which is great.  It’s also National Teachers day. Too bad most kids won’t be seeing their teachers this year on the day.  May 8th is World Red Cross day and Iris day. The 16th is Love a Tree day. The 29th is Learn about Composting day and the 30th is Water Your Flowers Day.
May is National Barb-b-Que month, National Salad Month, National Egg month, National Hamburger month and National Date your Mate month. May is also Older Americans month, Bike Month, National Skin Cancer Awareness month and Blood Pressure Awareness month.
May’s birth flower is the Lily of the Valley. It signifies sweetness and humility. (But remember its poisonous). It also means a return to happiness and you are supposed to give them to people you find complete happiness with. This year I think we should all be passing out bouquets of lilies of the valley. The birthstone is the emerald which is a symbol of re-birth.



Late emerging perennials

Don’t worry too much if you are looking at your garden and some perennial plants don’t seem to be sprouting. There are some perennial plants that are always late in arriving to the party. These plants wait until there has been a certain number of hours at a certain temperature- called degree days, until they begin growing in the spring. This varies among species (kinds) of plants. The weather and your personal garden micro-climate are also part of the equation.

Here are some species that are slow to start growing in spring, Balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus), Black eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida), butterfly bush (Buddleia), butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), caryopteris, Clethra alnifolia, Culvers root, Gaura, hardy hibiscus, Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle,', Indian pink (Spigelia), Joe Pye Weed, maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis), Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia uvaria), Rose of Sharon, Russian sage, swamp milkweed, (Asclepias incarnata), trumpet vine, and wisteria.

In addition, some plants may be slow to emerge if it’s the first spring after you planted them, especially if you planted them in the fall. I’ve noticed this with clematis. If winter was harsher than normal or spring has been cooler and wetter than normal some other plants may be slow to emerge too.

Make sure to mark where slow emerging plants are in the garden, so you don’t dig into them when you are looking for a place to plant those new perennials you got from the greenhouse. Taking pictures of your garden every week, and making them good close ups, may help you remember when certain plants are and when they come up in your micro-climate. And remember patience is a gardener’s friend.

Hardening off plants

I wrote this last year, but I am seeing so many people posting what did I do wrong? shots of poor suffering plants that I am going to repeat some of the advice again this year. The process of “hardening off” plants or acclimating them to outside conditions needs to be understood by all gardeners.

There are several things that can harm plants when they are first taken outside. One is cold, but the sun and the wind on a beautiful warm day in spring can prove equally harmful. The shock of changing from sheltered conditions inside to the real world outside can damage or kill most plants. That’s why any move outside is done carefully and gradually. The process is called hardening off and it’s essential for healthy plants.

Is it too cold?

When people see greenhouses selling plants, they assume it’s time to put them outside.  Don’t assume, greenhouses don’t mind selling you new plants after a frost kills the first ones you bought. Some reputable ones will warn you, but some expect you know what you are doing or don’t care.  Know your average last frost date and keep an eye on the weather forecast when purchasing plants in early spring or deciding when to move seedlings or houseplants outside.

Most annuals and houseplants are killed by frost, a freeze is deadly even to some new perennials that haven’t been hardened off.  A frost can occur even above the freezing point when nights are clear and calm and temperatures dip below about 36 degrees. Even after frost normally doesn’t occur in your area an odd weather pattern can bring a surprise frost in late spring. Gardeners should pay attention to weather forecasts.

When you can’t resist buying that gorgeous hanging basket of begonias or those nice tomato plants early in your growing season, make sure you have a place to move them into when frost threatens.  You can use a garage or shed or even your car but if frost is predicted move tender plants to a protected spot. If you are moving seedlings outside in flats or pots, they too, should be moved inside if frost threatens.  I leave mine on a cart so that I can simply pull it into the barn. Don’t leave plants in the car after the sun comes up, they may get too hot, but on a cloudy day or at night the car is a good shelter.

If you have planted in the ground or large containers and frost threatens you can cover the plants with paper or cloth, not plastic as it can harm plants. If the leaves are touching the plastic during the frost the cold comes right through or if the morning sun warms things up too much before you can get out there and uncover them the plants will cook. Covering plants when a hard freeze is coming will not be enough protection.

If a perennial is winter hardy in your area, it’s ok to plant it as soon as the soil can be worked when its dormant.  But if the plant is in a pot and well leafed out when you get it, and similar plants in the ground outside haven’t leafed out yet, then wait before planting it outside until conditions are warmer. Putting the leafed-out plant outside too soon may kill the young growth that hasn’t hardened off.  This will stunt the plants growth or may even kill it.

You can put the plant outside in a sheltered place- sun is ok after a day or two of acclimation if that plant likes sun- and move it inside if a frost or freeze is expected. When similar plants in the ground already have leafed out then your potted perennial can be planted.  If all danger of frost has passed it can also be planted.
Tomatoes covered with paper 


The sun and wind

Even if the temperature isn’t going to be a problem, moving plants outside into full sunlight and the wind from an indoor location can harm them. The sun outside heats the plants leaf surfaces quickly, unlike most indoor lights. Heat and the stronger light both affect the plants.

Plants change the type of leaves they have to suit the light conditions. Some drop leaves and replace them, others make the leaves thicker, add more chloroplasts, or change the angle at which leaves are presented to the sun. This change takes a few days to a few weeks depending on the plant.

It doesn’t matter if the plants were in very bright conditions inside, like under grow lights or in a southern window.  Even plants known to like full sun, like cacti and some succulents, and those tomatoes and peppers may burn if moved directly into sunlight from inside. Seedlings are very vulnerable. 

Plants that sunburn may get reddened areas, or yellow or white areas especially at the top of the plant. They may look bleached out or like they are blistered. These areas may then turn brown and crisp or they may remain soft and rot.  Leaves may wilt. The wind, even if it’s a light breeze, contributes to problems by quickly drying out plants. Sunburn and wind drying can happen in just a few hours.

Plants may not die from sunburn, but they will be delayed in growth and production as they work to repair the damage.  It can take most of the season just to repair that early damage. They may never look as nice.  And some plants will die, some after just a few hours in the direct sun.

So how do you harden off plants?  Put the plants outside in a shaded location protected from the wind for a few days before gradually moving them into full sun or their preferred lighting, and the wind. Start with an hour or so of full sun and mild breezes, then move them back into shade.  Lengthen the time by a couple hours each day. When they are in sun for 6-8 hours a day they can be planted in the sun. (This is for plants that like full sun. Shade loving plants should never be put into full sun.)

If you don’t have a shady area make one with a beach umbrella, a tarp, or putting them under a table. Choosing to move plants outside during rainy or cloudy weather is also a good idea. A cloudy, rainy, mild spell of several days is the perfect time to buy plants and move plants outside.

Make sure to keep plants moist while hardening them off. Pots and flats will dry out much more quickly outside than inside.  Having them near a water source is a good idea.

What about plants that came from a greenhouse?  Some of those plants may also suffer, especially from drying out. When I buy annuals and vegetable plants from the greenhouse, I don’t plant them the first day. I put them in light shade (if they are sun lovers) or shade (if they are shade plants) and keep them well watered for a day or two. That’s usually enough adaptation time for greenhouse plants. 

If you are going to store the plants for any longer time before planting, put them in a shady protected spot first for a day or two, then move them into partial or filtered sun if they are sun loving plants. Plants in small pots and cell packs dry out quickly. Don’t forget to water them frequently.  This could be several times a day if it’s warm.

If you do decide to plant on a sunny day in full sun, you should protect the plants (shelter in place?).  When my grandfather planted tomatoes outside, he made little hats out of newspaper for them.  These were left on for three days. It worked for him.  You can also use paper lunch bags, row cover, shade cloth, old thin sheets, or other things to cover newly planted plants. You don’t want things that hold too much heat, tear the corners off bags and lift row/bed covers up off plants so air can circulate, or you will cook the plants.

It may seem like a lot of time and work to harden off plants.  Some people don’t do it and for some plants in some instances that may work. But taking just a little time and effort to let the plants adjust to new conditions makes them healthier and happier.

Murderous hornets- Vespa mandarinia,

Oh, the press is having a field day with the “Murder hornets”. (They must have had a Melania grammar moment when they named them.)  Another scary new thing for people to worry about. Yes, in case you haven’t heard, some of these insects, (a better name for them is Asian Giant hornets), have been found in the US, in the state of Washington. The insects are said to kill 50 people a year in Japan, hence the scary name. But don’t worry too much, you are very unlikely to see one, much less get stung by it.

I decided to do a little research on the hornets, and they do have a fascinating life history. I’d actually love to see one. A lot is known about them as they have been studied extensively in China and Japan. They are native to both tropical and temperate Asia and Eastern Russia. There are at least three subspecies. Vespa mandarinia is the world’s largest hornet.

Asian giant hornets are also one of the most eusocial animals in the world.  A eusocial animal lives in a highly cooperative society, where individuals have specific roles that contribute to the well being of the community and where individuals sacrifice themselves readily for the benefit of the society. These hornets are all about the survival of the “family”.

Appearance

The Asian giant hornet is a striking looking insect, almost comically villainous in appearance. First, they are large- queens can be over 2 inches long and most workers are about 1.5 inches long. The wingspan makes them about 3 inches wide when wings are extended. Their stinger is thick and about a ¼ inch long.

The Asian giant hornet has a light orange head with brown antenna. There are dark spots around the dark brown or black eyes, giving the wasp a masked look. The hornet has a large distinctive clypeus, or face area. Asian giant hornets have large orange mandibles, (jaws) with a single black tooth that is used for digging. The chest (thorax) area is dark brown and the wings are gray. The abdomen has alternating orange/yellow and black stripes. Of course, the end of the abdomen contains that large stinger, which can inject a very potent venom, more about that later.

The larvae (babies) of Asian giant hornets are white with a hardened orange plate on the head. They hatch from eggs the queen lays, one to a cell. Some will develop into workers which takes about 40 days, some will develop into new queens and males later in the season, and they take a little longer to mature.

Life cycle

A fertilized young queen overwinters underground. In spring she emerges and has to hunt for herself for a while as she builds a nest underground somewhere and starts laying eggs. Several young queens may gather around a food source such as oak sap, but one queen will dominate and feed in the center, with the others waiting their turn in a circle around her. The queen has to feed her own larvae for a while, until about July. As workers emerge from the eggs/larvae stage and begin to hunt, she settles in the nest and concentrates on laying eggs. She won’t come out again.

In late summer, some larvae begin to turn into fertile queens and males (drones). They do this by gathering around the queen in what is called a “royal court.” They lick and bite the queen, ingesting hormones from her. In early fall these sexualized young queens and males emerge and mate. They will never go back into the old hive. After mating the males die, the females eventually find a place to hibernate for the winter. These females are full of fertilized eggs that will overwinter with them. When winter comes the remaining worker hornets, any larvae and the old queen will all die.

Homes and territory

Asian giant hornets live in tunnels, which they may dig themselves or they may take over tunnels dug by rodents or other animals. These tunnels are often found near the rotted roots of old pine trees. In the tunnels they construct the typical papery “combs”, plate shaped collections of individual cells, of other wasps. The wasp larvae live in the cells and food is stored there.

Asian giant hornets are strong flyers and can cover miles in their daily quest for food. When a colony is in an area, they are the dominate species of wasps, hornets, or bees and often drive away or consume the smaller species.

The Asian giant hornet prefers forest land in temperate climates. It could possibly establish itself in Washington state and maybe even in colder areas.  It does not like high altitudes so the Rocky Mountains might be a barrier, but we know insects can hitchhike to other places. If it got here from Asia, it might very well get to the rest of the states, but APHIS is working hard to stop it. If anyone in Washington state or nearby Canada sees one they should immediately contact the WSDA here;


Feeding habits

Asian giant hornets are primarily predators, but they also feed on tree sap, particularly oak sap, honey from other bees, and soft fruits. As predators they hunt down other bees, wasps, hornets, beetles, mantises, other large insects and hornworms. Worker hornets often wait outside a beehive for bees to emerge, and then pounce on them, consuming dozens a day.

Workers hunt prey alone for a good deal of the summer. They can only consume liquids; they do feed on some fluids from the prey or soft fruits and sap. But they also chew up the “meat” portion of their prey and take it home to the larvae in the cells at home in the form of a paste. The larvae digest the paste and turn it into a liquid, which workers and the queen are then fed. It’s a cycle that keeps everyone fed, but also dependent on the cooperation between colony members.

In late summer and fall a different type of hunting evolves. More food is needed to provide energy for developing queens and fertile males. So workers scout out and mark bee hives with a special scent gland that attracts other workers. A worker doesn’t usually enter a hive alone, it would be overwhelmed and killed. But once several Asian giant hornet workers converge on a hive it is doomed.

When Asian giant hornets attack in a squad they bully their way into the hive and slaughter every bee in it. Fights can last hours, with 50 or so hornet workers killing thousands of bees. They will occupy and guard the hive for days as they gorge on bodies and honey. The hornets make a clicking noise with their mandibles to warn off other invaders while guarding the hive. Eventually they desert it and move on to the next hive. 

The Japanese honeybee Apis cerana japonica which evolved in the same habitat with Asian giant hornets, has developed a unique strategy to defeat some of the giant hornet attacks. When the smaller bees notice the scent of a giant hornet, they form a ring around the inside of the entrance of the hive. When the first hornet sneaks into the hive entrance the ring of bees covers his body beating their wings, making a ball that blocks the entrance. This raises the temperature to about 115 degrees F and also raises the CO2 level, killing the hornet. Some bees will die too, but the hive is often saved.

European honeybees and other native bee colonies have never learned this strategy and so they are often wiped out by the Asian giant hornet. That’s one reason APHIS is working to eradicate the hornet here in North America. European honeybees are like chickens, a domesticated animal. They are not native to this country, but we feel obligated to protect them. In Asia, European honeybee keepers have various strategies, like covering hives with netting only smaller bees can get through, to protect hives.



So, can the “Murder Hornet” kill you?

The fifty deaths a year figure the media is reporting in Japan or China from the Asian giant hornet is a little misleading because that figure is for all types of bee/hornet deaths including allergic reactions. But there is no doubt that the Asian giant hornet causes several deaths a year in these countries and many are severely injured.

One sting from the Asian giant hornet, while extremely painful, won’t kill you unless you have a severe allergy to bee/hornet stings and don’t get treatment. But numerous stings can kill, (as can numerous stings from any type of hornet). In China and Japan, it is recommended that people get medical treatment if they received 10 stings or more. People who die usually have received more than 28 stings. The Asian giant hornet will attack in mass if the home colony or a hive they took over is disturbed. When a hornet is agitated it releases a scent that attracts other hornets.

Until late summer Asian giant hornets are slow to anger and generally mind their own business when out hunting. But in late summer like many hornet species they become more aggressive and their population is higher too. Certainly, people should avoid disturbing the hornets at any time of the year, but great caution is urged in late summer and fall.

The venom the large stinger injects you with contains a neurotoxin called mandaratoxin. One Asian giant hornet doesn’t have enough venom to kill an adult but the sting of many can lead to anaphylactic shock, cardiac arrest, kidney failure or multiple organ failure. The sting is described by many as feeling like being stabbed with a hot nail or poker. The site of the sting may develop necrosis.

Humans always admire tough and aggressive animals. There are now “natural” nutritional supplements that synthesize the liquid that Asian giant hornet larvae feed to the adult hornets. They are supposed to increase human endurance and performance. UGH.

So while you may want to watch out for unusually large hornets on the west coast most gardeners do not have to fear they will be murdered by a hornet, at least not this year.

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The world's favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May.     
Edwin Way Teale


Kim Willis
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