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  • From: Nancy Szerlag <szerlag@earthlink.net>
  • To: gardenwriters-on-gardening <GWl-g@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Cc: Nancy Szerlag <szerlag@earthlink.net>
  • Subject: [gwl-g] More on JB
  • Date: Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:53:10 -0400

Lorraine, I agree there is much to be learned in this challenging gardening environment. Due to cold wet weather, tomatoes are under siege. Downy mildew and powdery mildew are moving in at an alarming rate. I'm soil drenching with fish and kelp emulsion and foliar spraying with skim milk at a rate of 1 part mile to 3 parts water.

I've been agressive about hand picking Japanese Beetles - 3 times a day, to see if it helps. Last year my pole beans were under attack for about two weeks late in the JB season. Prior to that I would see less then a dozen in a season. This year the numbers are way up. I'm harvesting a hundred or more a day. Interesting though is the fact the damage is pretty limited on my 30 plus rose bushes. It's the Persicaria 'Firetail' that is attracting them. The good news is 'dropping' them into water is easy from this plant so I am able to harvest about 80 percent at a pass. My patch in the middle of the woods is isolated - surrounded by woods, and one quarter of a mile from the nearest neighbor. So it seems like the old adage "if you plant them they will come" may be true. Or I may have imported them in large shipment of shrubs. Anyway, I'm hoping my agressive harvesting with cut down on the numbers. Parting note - these guys fornicate like crazy - it's not unusual to find them piled five and six deep. Those are easy to 'drop' cause their not watching what's going on around them.

The good news, my bee population is way up this year. I a lot of flowering shrubs and they are loving them. Last year they seemed to be few and far between. Almost no bumble bees. But this year I'm seeing a wide variety of species..

Nancy Szerlag
Columnist for Detroit News
szerlag@earthlink.net
Check blog at www.gardeneryardener.blogspot.com





  • [gwl-g] More on JB, Nancy Szerlag, 07/20/2009

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