1. I received the photos of Falls Valley from Charlene Moltan; I have pictures of large brown spots on the leaves of a bacon avocado tree. At first I thought the problem was sunburn because the avocado leaves were as hot as they were last September, the hottest month in 128 years. However, I received some pictures of the lower leaves which showed a colony of small bugs under each brown spot and realized that the tree had been attacked by avocado bugs. The bugs themselves are about half an inch in size and black in color with numerous black dots that look like peppercorns. These spots are lacy eggs covered with feces deposited by the adults. Treatment for this insect infestation, like many others, does not prevent beneficial insect infestation, so involves the use of insecticidal soap (M-Pede, Safer) or certain carrier oils (SunSpray, Volck, Green Light). They. Pests: Additionally, to ensure the health of avocados, it is recommended to pay attention to general practices such as adequate watering when temperatures rise and allowing fallen leaves to roll on the ground. It's also a good idea to use an avocado tree fertilizer this year, available at any nursery.
2. Virginia Finkbeiner of Glendora writes about the ginkgo trees the city planted in her neighborhood in the 1950s and 1960s. "We love our ginger, but when the trees fall they produce too much smelly fruit," she said. he lamented. "The whole area smells like sour milk, everywhere they come after everyone's shoes. Is there anything I can spray to reduce the amount of fruit?" There are also products that can be sprayed on trees, such as flowering fruit remover, to prevent them from blooming. Bad fruit, pod, or nut, from olive, carob, oak, licorice, lucat, ginger, or many other trees. However, the cost of spraying a large ginkgo will be very large, the window of time to do so in April is short, and it may not be possible to spray all the flowers that will eventually bear fruit. Alternatively, the trees can be pruned so that they don't have many fruiting branches, but this is expensive. In a dilemma where nobody wants to remove a 70 year old tree but maybe a tree years later, I imagine replacing every tree with a maleless ginger would be a good solution.
3. Joe Ortega, a gardener from Wilmington, offers a step-by-step chart on how to care for poinsettias planted in a south-facing garden . It is ten feet high and ten feet wide and about 20 years old; "The right pruning at the right time will create a beautiful, full bush. Prune in February and feed with 5-10-10 fertilizer in April/May. Prune in September and use a little 15-30 vigor Apply 15-in-1 fertilizer. September and October Good results in December It should be noted that Poinsettia Ortega shares a bed with Plumeria, as these popular plants share the same habitat on the southwest coast of Mexico.
4. Winter is a time of rest in the garden, so it's time to oil paint and use tools to prepare for spring. There are two ways to extend the life of your tools that you can use when you are done with your gardening work. The first is to take a bucket and fill it with garden sand and a quart of motor oil. Before putting down any equipment, soak your spade, shovel or shovel in the sand for a few minutes. Sanding will give the wood some sharpness and a little oil will remove the rust. The second practice is to keep a box of disinfectant wipes handy. Using these cleaners prior to equipment disposal will remove dirt and fungal spores or bacteria-laden plant sap that can transmit disease.
5. Take strawberry beds from old plants to rejuvenate or start a new strawberry bed. Plants over three years old should be discarded. Apply plenty of compost or aged compost before planting. When planting, make sure only the roots are buried below the soil surface, not the base of the leaves. When planting strawberries, night vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants or peppers have been grown in recent years because strawberries are susceptible to diseases carried by these crops.
Send your questions, comments and photos to joshua@perfectplants.com.
