Re: Re: HYB: Aging Seed Pods

In a message dated 7/5/2006 11:25:43 AM Eastern Standard Time,  
jgcrump@cox.net writes:

<<Anner  --  This method that you and Ellen use seems  to be about the most 
practical --  especially for those of us who may  have some lavender around, 
but not much old  lace. >>
 
What about length of cheesecloth wraped around and secured  with a small 
rubber band, Griff?  
 
<<Weather is still a mystery.  You and I are only about 90  miles apart in 
similar climatic conditions, but I have seen virtually no  aphids this year. 


They were all in my yard.
 
I try to be mellow about the little things, but this was beyond that. You  
can only blast away with the recommended "strong stream of water"  for so long. 
If you hit the clematis with a stick they fell off like rain  and they were 
sucking the life out of it. I put a glug of Murphy's in the  pump sprayer, 
filled it at the tap, agitated, and drenched the whole shebang.  You see, the fluid 
flows down into the crevices and floats things out. It  appears to have a 
washing- off action, a soap-contact-killing action, and  a 
residual-oil-film-smothering action. At any rate, I've not had more trouble  with the aphids and I 
don't see any clear evidence of borer at this point.  Which is not to say there 
would have been any inevitably,  you understand.
 
<<application of granualr Merit in mid-February, as usual.  My  guess is 
that the prolonged warm spell in January got the critters hatched  and gave 
them a head start.
 
You see, we still don't know enough about those foul cooties. How much  cold 
can the infants take? Do we know? I have been told that around here there  
definitely can be more than one generation a year, or else there is one  very 
erratic hatch. Infants have been found along with fully mature  
borers--caterpillers, I mean.
 
Do you think the rain might have impacted the Merit? Washed away the  
effectiveness? 
 
I found the most stunningl tomato hornworm this morning. He was noshing  on 
my Garden Peach, a funny little tomato I like to use for salsa.  It is about 
the size of a clementine, the color of a banana, but with a rosy  cheek, and it 
is fuzzy! Amazing little fruit. Too good for  hornworms.
 
Anner 

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index