Re: CULT: culture

>Another subject that we have discussed before but which might have some new
>methods of control is the black aphids that arrive near the end of the 
>rebloom
>season and take up residence in the bud sheath.  How can these be controlled
>without damage to the bloom, plant, earth worms or the little honey bees

This is the only part of your post to which I can reply (hopefully) 
helpfully.  I have had large populations of green aphids hatch out and 
cover my irises in mid-summer for the last few years.  I also have had a 
smaller problem with borers.  This spring, I decided to try Bayer 
Advanced Control for white grubs in lawns (active ingredient Merit) - the 
granular form at a rate of 1 tsp per iris (clump) applied when foliage 
had only an inch or two of growth showing in early spring.  Not only did 
I *not* see a single borer-affected rz all season (and I dug and divided 
almost all my irises this year), but there was also a conspicuous absence 
of aphids! Merit is a systemic pesticide so shouldn't adversely affect 
anything that doesn't feed directly on the treated plant.  I'm not sure 
how it would (or wouldn't) affect honey bees, but I do know it had no 
effect whatsoever on the small black beetles that consumed my later 
blooming iris flowers.  Perhaps Merit concentrates in foliage and stems 
rather than in the blooms themselves (?).

Laurie


-----------------
laurief@paulbunyan.net
http://www.geocities.com/lfandjg/
http://www.angelfire.com/mn3/shadowood/irisintro.html
USDA zone 3b, AHS zone 4 - northern MN
acidic clay soil

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