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;
- Or Email PestProgram@agr.wa.gov
- Call
1-800-443-6684
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.
More reading
The world's favorite season is the spring. All things
seem possible in May.
Edwin Way Teale
Kim Willis
All parts of this blog are copyrighted and may not be used without
permission.
And So On….
Find
Michigan garden events/classes here:
(This
is the Lapeer County Gardeners facebook page)
Newsletter/blog information
If you have a comment or opinion you’d like to share, send it to
me or you can comment directly on the blog. Please state that you want to have
the item published in my weekly blog if you email me. You must give your full
name and what you say must be polite and not attack any individual. I am very
open to ideas and opinions that don’t match mine, but I do reserve the right to
publish what I want. Contact me at KimWillis151@gmail.com
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete