Something eating your Aquilegia (Columbine)? It Might be the Columbine Sawfly

I had another post in mind for today until I was out in the garden the other day and found that some of my Aquilegia (Columbine) looked like this:

Defoliated Aquilegia (Columbine)

Defoliated Aquilegia (Columbine)

Some of my Aquilegia (Columbine) have been defoliated by a culprit and they were stripping the leaves clean.  At first thought you might be thinking rabbit or deer-but this is not the case.  Upon closer inspection I found the hungry little devils.  Here they are:

Columbine Sawfly

Columbine Sawfly

Columbine Sawfly

Columbine Sawfly

These little guys are active in May when the Aquilegia (Columbine) are growing and blooming so keep an eye out for them.  If you find them what is a gardener to do?  You can leave them-but they will completely defoliate your plants and then multiply probably causing even more next year.  You can spray them with an insecticide and kill them which might also cause death of beneficial insects.  An organic pesticide solution is Spinosad, but my solution is hand-picking and squishing or hand-pick and throw in a bucket of soapy water.

Pail of soapy water

Another way to eliminate them that I will use is to spray them down with a spray bottle filled with a squirt of Dawn, a pinch of Epsom salts and water.

Homemade insecticidal soap

When they fall off the plant step on them and squish them (just to make sure they are goners).  If you have only a few plants this task will be an easy one but if you have quite a few this will take you a while.  It took me a few hours to check and remove the sawflies off of my plants.  I will also be checking them almost daily to make sure I didn't leave any behind.

Now don't let the Sawfly infestation freak you out-just remember that there isn't a plant out there that is totally pest and disease free.  I believe even with these bumps in the road Aquilegia (Columbine) is worth having in the garden.  It is a beautiful easy plant that will grow practically anywhere. 

Aquilegia (Columbine)

Aquilegia (Columbine) in the garden

Until next time-Happy Gardening!

Rhonda

DIY Hypertufa and Wood Mushrooms

Shame on me-it has been way too long since I posted.  I think it is the typing part, I am not the best typist so it seems like it takes me forever to type up one of my posts.  I need a secretary:-))  Anyways, I am finally just now typing up one of my projects that I have had finished for a while now.  They are garden mushrooms I made using a combination of wood and hypertufa.  I think they are cute as can be-but I may be biased.  Here is a picture of the finished project:

Hypertufa and wood garden mushrooms

They are super easy and fun to make and they don't require a ton of money or DIY skills to complete just like my hypertufa garden orbs post: http://sproutsandstuff.blogspot.com/2014/09/recycle-flat-basketball-to-create.html.  Just find yourself some branches or small logs and a few plastic bowls or containers.  You might have to go buy the portland cement and perlite-but think of the other cool projects you can make with the rest of the bags!  So let's get started!

For this project you will need the following:

1.  Some branches or logs that are cut-the size depends on what size mushrooms you want.  I used a few different ones.

cut logs and branches for stem

2.  Find some plastic bowls and containers to match your stump (stem) size wise (if that makes any sense).  You need an outer (top) and an inner mold for this.  I chose these:

Molds for mushrooms

Make sure the interior mold (container) fits over the stump like this:

Now match the top (bowl) and middle.

Molds for hypertufa mushroom tops

3.  Portland cement

Hypertufa ingredients

4.  Perlite

5.  Peat moss-I use Pro-Mix All Purpose Growing Mix

6.  Fiberglass fibers if you can get them.  I purchase them from my local concrete manufacturer.

7.  Water

8.  Some rubber gloves, dust mask and a good hypertufa recipe-mine is below

9.  Cooking spray or mold release spray

 Now that we have our supplies we can start creating!

1.  Spray your molds with cooking spray and then wipe off.  (Do not leave too much on but be sure to cover well).

Spray molds before filling with hypertufa

2.  Mix up your hypertufa in a tub or container.

My recipe using Pro-Mix is as follows (I use a cottage cheese container as a measure):

2 parts Pro-Mix
1 part perlite
1 part portland cement
a pinch or two of fiberglass fibers
 water as needed

Another recipe for hypertufa:
1 1/2 peat moss
1 1/2 perlite
1 part portland cement
water as needed

I mix the perlite, peat moss (or Pro-Mix) and fibers first before I add the portland.

Slowly add the water and mix.  Do not add too much water-just enough to make it almost like cookie dough.  Squeeze some in your hand and if only a few drops of water come out it is done. 

I like to ball it up and make sure it stays together when I bounce it on my hand:

When you have reached the needed consistency let the mixture rest (hydrate) for 10 minutes.

3.  After the 10 minutes is up you can begin filling your molds.  Weigh down the middle with some rocks or sand.

 4.  Cover with a plastic sheet and let set for at least 24 hours.

Cover hypertufa with plastic

5.  After 24 hours check to see if it has set-press on it and see if it is hard.  If it is then you can unmold.  If not leave set for another 12-24 hours.

Unmold hypertufa

6.  If you want a rustic look use a wire brush and scrub the hypertufa so it will have an aged look.

Brush hypertufa to age

Hypertufa mushroom top

7.  Now check the "fit" and look.

Hypertufa mushroom

8.  If everything looks good then it is time for the cure.  The cure is how the hypertufa gets it's strength and is going to take at least 7 days.  The hypertufa needs to be wet during the cure so either wrap the item in plastic, place in shade and mist a couple times a day to keep it wet or do what I do and that is a water bath.  You do this by soaking the hypertufa in water for the cure.  Just find a big plastic tote and fill it with water and set the hypertufa in it.  Change the water every couple days.

Concrete or hypertufa water bath

9.  While you wait for your hypertufa you need to seal your wood so it won't rot on you.  Read the directions on the package. I just use Thompson's Water Seal for mine:

Seal mushroom stem

10.  After 7 days you can pull your hypertufa out of the water or the plastic and wash it off.  Let it dry and then assemble you new hypertufa mushrooms.

Hypertufa and wood mushrooms in the garden

Hypertufa and wood mushroom

Aren't they just so cute!  A wonderful addition to any garden.  Just a note-if you have squirrels and other crazy animals you can glue the top to the bottom so they aren't always knocking them off.  I learned that the hard way:-))  I hope you give this project or one of my other projects a try.  They are all fun and easy to do-just the way I like them. So, until net time-Happy Gardening!

Rhonda

Tips for Planting and Growing a Garden in Dry Shade

When my husband and I first purchased our home in 2004 I was super excited.  Not only because it was our first home but because it had some mature trees and shrubs to provide me the shade I needed for my very own woodland gardens.  What little did I know.  Those mature trees are moisture and nutrient robbing thugs that rule my backyard.  The first few years I was beaten into submission by them and put my backyard on the back burner and concentrated most of my efforts on the front yard.  But eventually I had to tackle the backyard and boy it turned out to be quite a feat.  My entire backyard was a mass of tree roots and hard packed dirt.  Weeds wouldn't even grow. 

I tried to do some research to find out what would grow there.  I read and asked other gardeners for ideas what to plant and how to approach the area.  I got varied responses on everything I asked from "roots aren't the problem" to "shade gardens are the easiest gardens to take care of".  They were so wrong.  My first issue is that all the tree canopies prevent most of the rain from coming down and watering the plants and what does make it through is sucked up by the tree roots.  My second issue is that my problems don't come from a couple of trees it comes from 2 Silver Maple, 7 White Pine trees 2 Native Black Cherries, 1 Spruce  and 1 Green Ash.  That makes 13 big trees in a small area (maybe 60 ft x50 ft) fighting for every drop of water and every bit of nutrients available.  Tree roots are the worst abomination any gardener can deal with.  There-I said it. Here are pics of my backyard and the trees:

My backyard

My backyard

Silver Maple surround by Hostas

Row of White pines in my backyard

The first year or two I would plant something and watch it slowly shrink or struggle to survive.  I would water and fertilize the poor things without any positive results.  Then I would go to dig the poor thing up and move it only to find the roots of the plant being strangled by tree roots.  This would happen even though I had cleared the roots to plant.  Those darn roots had come back full force to replace those I had removed.  What is a gardener to do? 

I ended up taking my own approach to this battle.  These things listed below I have done and they have made a world of difference in the survival of my plants. 

1.  Do not fertilize individual plants.  This causes the tree roots to grow heavily in the area that is fertilized to absorb the nutrients for itself.  You might think you are fertilizing the plant but you are actually fertilizing the tree.  The tree will win.  If you must fertilize I suggest you fertilize the entire area so that the tree doesn't concentrate root growth in one particular area.

2.  Do not water individual plants.  This has the same effect as fertilizing individually.  The tree roots will grow heavily in that concentrated area.  Water the overall area not just the plant.

3.  Try to bareroot the plants you are planting.  By this I mean remove all the soil from around it's roots before you plant.  I have found that the planting medium that the plants are sold in are tree root magnets.  This might be due to the fertilizer or the ability of the medium to hold water. 

4.  Mulch to retain moisture.  Enough said:-))

5.  Plant in containers.  You can do this either above the ground or even in the ground.  Some Hosta enthusiasts do this to keep the tree roots from overtaking the Hosta.  There is also a product sold called Spin Out Bags that help prevent root intrusion.  I have never used them but have heard other gardeners swear by them.

6.  Don't be impatient.  If you plant your garden it make take a little longer for the plants to take hold than in other garden areas.  Don't give up too easily.  They just need more time to get established.

7.  Choose appropriate plants.  Native plants are a wonderful choice and some are suited to just this situation.  There are also some great non-native plants that will work too.  I had some great suggestions from some wonderful gardeners and other sources.  Some were good, others not so good.  Some that were suggested to me and I planted but failed to thrive because they had a difficult time dealing with the extreme dryness are:  Alchemilla mollis, Pulmonaria, Brunnera, Bergenia, Tiarella and certain Astilbe.  Here are some pics of a few that have done well for me:

Campanulastrum americanum

Most varieties of Aquilegia will grow in dry shade
well in dry shade

Geranium maculatum handles dry shade well

Digitalis grandiflora can handle dry shade

8.  Avoid invasives!  I know the temptation to fill in the area is overwhelming but DO NOT go out and buy plants deemed invasive.  You will be sorry.  I know many a gardener who thought that they could control these evil plants but in the long run you can not.  Just say no to Ivy, Vinca, Lily of the Valley, Wintercreeper, Lamium Yellow Archangel, Pachysandra (non native) and the rest of those nasty invasives.  There are not worth the damage to the environment or the work it will take you to remove them. Oh-and they really aren't that attractive anyways.  I have seen lovelier plants in my time. Here are some pics of some of those plants taken in my neighbor's yard:

Invasives Ivy and Variegated Euonymous

Invasive Ivy Vinca and Lily of the Valley

Invasives spreading into the lawn

There is still a lot of work and growing to be done but I think in time I will eventually have the lush shade garden I have always wanted in my backyard.  If you have any questions or comments fell free to leave them below and as always-Happy Gardening!

Rhonda

10 Common Mistakes Made When Starting Seeds Indoors

Right now it is February and indoor seed starting has begun for some of us.  I am a huge fan of seeds and seed starting and find great satisfaction in growing my own plants from seed.  I originally started my seed starting journey many years ago trying to start seeds inside with absolutely no luck so I focused my attention on wintersowing.  But then a couple of years ago I decided I didn't want to buy my annuals or herbs from the store any longer so I started indoor seed starting again.  With some trial and error and a lot of research I finally had success.  I now actually use my seed starting set up year round because it works so well for me.  Here is a post I did last year on Tips for Successful Seed Starting: http://sproutsandstuff.blogspot.com/2014/04/tips-for-successful-indooor-seed.html  With that success has also come mistakes and I am sharing them in this post and hope you can benefit from what I have learned along the way.

Herbs I started from seed indoors

Herbs I started from seed indoors

So here is the list of the mistakes I made when I first started growing seeds inside:

1.  Wrong soil-this is probably the TOP issue there is.  Not any old soil will do for indoor seed starting.  Some are too heavy, some are too light, and most aren't sterile.  You need to use a sterile soil-less mix to be successful.  Look at the seed starting mixes used by the growers-they are usually a peat or coir based mix without any added compost or soil.  Read the "ingredients" when purchasing and avoid compost, soil, humus etc. in the mix.  I prefer (and have had wonderful results) using  Pro-Mix growing mix.  Seed starting soils that are not sterile can harbor insects and disease which will be hard to control once they start.

My preferred seeds starting mix by Pro-Mix

2.  An important issue that is easily overlooked is the issue of watering.  ALWAYS bottom water-by this I mean place water in a shallow container and then set your pots or trays in the water and allow the water to be absorbed into the soil.  When the soil becomes damp remove the pots or trays from the water and let drain so they do not sit in water.  Bottom watering helps in controlling fungus/disease related issues like damping off and mold.   Bottom watering also helps to control over-watering which also leads to disease issues.

3.  Using the wrong pots/containers or unsterilized pots/containers can cause serious issues for gardeners.  These issues are disease related.  Molds and fungus just love decaying material and when you use items like eggshells and paper that decompose you are inviting disease issues.  If you want to recycle use plastic containers from yogurt etc. for seed starting just make sure to clean them well with a bleach solution.  I personally just keep recycling my pots from previous years-washing them thoroughly before each use.   Also-I have never had any luck with peat pots or peat pellets.  They dry out too quickly and also can act as a "wick" pulling moisture from seedlings because of too much surface exposed to the air.

Dirty seed starter cell from last year that needs cleaned

Cleaning and sterilizing plastic pots from last year

Clean and sanitizing seed starting cell packs from last year

4.  Seedlings need light-not a little but a LOT.  Not enough light causes weak, lanky and leaning seedlings.  Make sure you give your seedlings plenty of light whether it is artificial or natural.  I prefer to use artificial light in the form of fluorescent shop lights-no need to spend money for fancy grow lights unless that is what you want to do.  I also reflect as much of the light back on to the plants as possible.  This also helps to prevent legginess and keeps the plants healthy and bushy.  My lighting system works well enough and provides enough light and warmth to keep my Agave and Sempervivums looking good all winter long.  I leave my lights on my plants between 12-15 hours a day to make sure they receive enough light to grow big and strong.

One of the fluorescent light fixtures I use

For plants use 1 warm and 1 cool fluorescent lights

For plants use 1 warm and 1 cool fluorescent lights

Reflecting the light helps keep plants bushy and prevents leaning

5.  Fertilizing.  Yes that can be an issue.  You do not need a seed starting mix with fertilizer-seedlings do not need fertilizer until they have their second set of true leaves-not before.  You don't feed your children if they aren't hungry so don't feed your seedlings until they need it.  Over fertilizing can build up in the soil, burn the seedlings or even cause too much growth.  More is not better!  Too little fertilizer can cause a host of problems such as discoloring of leaves, leaf curl, spotting etc. depending on the deficiency.  My recommendation is to apply a balanced, water soluble fertilizer at half the recommended strength every third watering.

6.  Planting depth.  Planting your seeds too deep or not planting them deep enough can cause issues.  Some very small seeds need light to germinate while others might need dark.  Issues related to planting depth can be: lack of germination, root development issues, and seed coat not falling off when seedling emerges.  When in doubt plant your seeds no deeper than their diameter.

7.  Not providing air circulation.  Another big issue.  Lack of air circulation can lead to disease issues, fungus gnats, and weak seedlings.  Run a fan on your seedlings for at least a few hours a day to help prevent these issues.

8.  Starting your seeds too early can also be an issue.  Sometimes we get so excited at the thought of Spring that we start our seeds too early.  If you have the space to take care of them as they get large then by all means start them whenever but if you have limited space and resources then don't start them too early.  The general rule is to start most seeds 4-6 weeks before the last frost date for your area. 

Basil started too early-had to harvest because it got too big

9.  Sowing too much (more than you need).  Boy does this happen.  Sure that entire package of Tomato seeds doesn't look like a lot but when they start growing look out!  If 50 seeds are in the pack and you plant them all and you have 50 percent germination you will have 25 tomato plants.  Unless you are a farmer you don't need that many.  Plus, they will take up a lot of room in your house.  All I am saying is take it easy and only plant as many as you need and save or trade the rest of the seeds.

10.  Not paying attention.  You can't plant seeds and walk away.  They are like children and need constant supervision in order to thrive.  Preventing pest and disease issues requires constant monitoring.  Once you see one plant keel over or one fungus gnat flying around you need to act quickly and the only way to do that is if you monitor.  Keep an eye on things so you know when they need watered, fed or isolated. 

Seedlings under lights

If you want to be successful at indoor seed starting remember to avoid making these mistakes that I have learned along the way.  If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below.

Happy Planting!
Rhonda