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July 2020
Issue 135
Hello Great Gardeners,

I hope you are enjoying your summer so far. During this heatwave, I can not stress enough how important it is to keep up a regular watering schedule. I know I say this almost every issue, but it is very important.

This article is all about pests in the garden. These are some of the top pests we get asked about every year.

In other news, we have had a fresh new shipment of perennials come in this past week—some very beautiful coneflowers. So stop on out and check them out.
As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, hit reply. I would love to hear from you. Have a great-gardening day.

Sincerely,
Holly
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Green Twister
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Butterfly Rainbow Marcella
Pests In The Garden
Always apply chemicals in the early morning or late evening. (We suggest not to apply in temperatures above 85 Degrees.) Only use chemicals as needed.
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Slug
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Snail
Slugs & Snails:
Slugs & Snails love moist areas and usually are found hidden under pots, among plant leaves and in the mulch. During the day they hide away from the sun's hot rays, coming out at night and on cloudy days, where they seek out a variety of different plants, fruits, and vegetables to dine on.

To tell if you have them look for the silvery mucous trail that they leave behind on the plants. Another way you can tell is by taking a lid full of beer and placing it in your garden at night (sinking it level with the mulch). They are attracted to the beer. In the morning, check the lids.

There are many organic ways to help with  management:
  • Keep your garden weeded.
  • Eliminate areas where they can hide, such as woodpiles.
  • Water in the morning and not at night.
  • Use bait such as Garden Safe Slug & Snail Bait or Diatomaceous Earth.
  • Attract beneficial predators such as toads, turtles, birds, snakes, ground beetles, and firefly larvae.
  • Small strips of copper can be placed around flower pots or raised beds as obstructions.
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Japanese Beetles:
Usually seen starting the end of June into July, these beetles, unfortunately, do not discriminate on what types of plants they feed on—leaving behind skeletonized leaves and completely defoliated plants in their wake. One beetle may not cause much damage, but they like to feed in groups.

There is hope for your garden. Although it is impossible to get rid of Japanese beetles entirely, these controls can help keep them in check.

What We Recommend:
  • Hand Pick: Each morning, pick them off plants and toss them into a bucket of soapy water. If you get the “scouts” that are the first to arrive, it will significantly reduce the overall population.
  • Diatomaceous Earth: Also, organic. Kills insects that come into contact with it or ingest it within 48 hours. Use by applying a light dusting on plants.
  • Bonide Neem Oil: Is an excellent all-purpose insecticide, miticide, fungicide for organic gardening. It is also safe to use around pets and children. Just follow directions on the bottle. Will burn plants if applied during the heat of the day.
  • St. Gabriel Milky Spore: Prevention is the best medicine. Place down Milky Spore to kill future grubs that turn into Japanese Beetles, following the directions on the back of the bag.
We Do Not Recommend:
  • Japanese Beetle Traps: Many people ask about Japanese Beetle traps, which are out on the market. We do not carry them here at the store; the reason is they attract more beetles to your garden than you may have had previously, and they are not a very good means of eradication.
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Bagworms:
Bagworms look like small pine cones that hang from the branches of trees and shrubs. Many people do not realize they have them until the damage has already begun.
The best way to get rid of bagworm cocoons is to handpick them off the infected tree and dispose of them in the garbage.

Insecticides can only be used in the larval stage, which usually occurs at the end of June or around the time Japanese Lilac Tree's are in bloom. Any other time and the insecticide may not work. We recommend using Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew.

Bagworms prefer juniper, arborvitae, spruce, pine, and cedar but can also live on other trees and shrubs, including deciduous. Heavy infestations over several years, especially when coupled with other stresses, can lead to plant death.

For more information, click on the link below:
visit http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/pdf/2149.pdf
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Aphids:
There are over 5,000 different species of aphids.

Aphids are small (1/8 inch long), soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects that may be green, yellow, brown, red, or black depending on species and food source. They have needle-like mouthparts that they use to suck juices out of the plants.

Low to moderate numbers of aphids aren't usually damaging in gardens or on trees. However, large populations of aphids can decrease growth rate, cause mottled leaves, leaf yellowing, stunted growth, browning, wilting, low yields, and death.

Aphids can also produce large quantities of a sticky secretion known as honeydew, which often turns black with the growth of a sooty mold fungus. Some species of ants are attracted to and feed on the honeydew. These ants will protect the aphids from natural enemies and carry them to new plants when their food source is depleted.

Aphids may transmit viruses from plant to plant, particularly vegetables and ornamental plants. Squash, cucumber, pumpkin, melon, bean, potato, lettuce, beet, chard, and bok choy are crops that often have aphid-transmitted viruses associated with them.

There are several ways to get rid of aphids.

* Water: Spraying cold water on the leaves; sometimes all aphids need is a cool blast to dislodge them. Typically they are unable to find their way back to the same plant.

* Insecticidal Soap: An Organic multipurpose insecticide that kills bugs on contact. Follow directions on the bottle when applying.

* Neem Oil: Works by suffocation and contact. Avoid applying during the hottest part of the day.

* Diatomaceous Earth: This product is an organic insecticide that causes insects to dry out and die by absorbing the oils and fats from their bodies.

* Natural Predators: Ladybugs, Ladybug larvae, Soldier Beetles, Hover Flies, Lacewings, Spiders, Parasitic Wasps, Assassin Bugs and Big-Eyed Bugs all feed on aphids. They keep aphid populations in check and reduce the need for chemical controls.

Note: If you have Aphids on your Butterfly Weed or Milkweed, do not use chemicals, as this will kill the monarch caterpillars if you have them.
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Flea Beetle:
Flea beetles are small jumping insects that are found feeding on many home gardens early in the growing season. They are particularly fond of hot, dry weather and usually launch their most severe attacks on warm, sunny days. Once flea beetles start eating the leaves of a plant, you'll notice tiny pinpricks covering the leaves.

There are many ways to control or kill flea beetles.

* In springtime, plant trap crops before planting crops that are susceptible to them.

* Planting Dill, Parsley, and Lemon Balm will attract Braconid wasps that feed on adult Flea Beetles and sterilize the female from having more children.

* Using yellow sticky traps between rows is another way to reduce their numbers.

* If numbers become too great use Diatomaceous Earth or Neem Oil.

In fall, remove garden trash and plow under weeds to reduce overwintering sites.
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Original uploader was Pollinator at en.wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia; transferred to Commons by User:Richard001 using CommonsHelper.
Cucumber Beetle:
Be on the lookout for Cucumber beetles in your garden.

Cucumber beetles damage cucurbit crops, such as cucumber, squash, pumpkin and melon.

There are two different varieties, striped and spotted. The spotted cucumber beetle is greenish-yellow and has twelve black spots on its back. The striped cucumber beetle is yellowish-orange and has three black stripes on its back.

Both pests are about 1/4 of an inch long and are winged, making it easy to fly from plant to plant.

Cucumber beetles eat the leaves, flowers, and fruit of the plants, causing significant damage. Their larvae feed on the roots.
They are also the carriers of cucumber bacterial wilt and cucumber mosaic. Which there is no cure for once the plant is infected.

There are multiple ways of controlling them in the garden:

Attract beneficial insects:
Natural predators include soldier beetles, tachinid flies, parasitic nematodes, and braconid wasps. These beneficial insects prey on cucumber beetles and can reduce their numbers.

Planting Repellent Plants:
Broccoli, calendula, nasturtiums, radish, rue, and tansy are among a few repelling plants to grow.

Floating Row Covers:
It can provide a bug-and beetle-free period, which allows the plants to thrive and develop. Row covers are removed at the onset of flowering to allow for bee pollination.

Use Organic Pesticides:
Insecticidal soap is the most common organic remedy for spraying cucumber beetles.
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Tomato Hornworm:

Tomato Hornworm is the caterpillar of the brown or gray hawk moth. Common throughout North America, the tomato hornworm is one of the most destructive pests of tomato, potato, pepper, and eggplant plants. They consume entire leaves, small stems, and sometimes chew pieces from fruit. The caterpillars blend in with the plant canopy and go unnoticed until most of the damage is done. As they feed, they create dark green or black droppings that can be very noticeable.

Handpick hornworms from infested plants (this is the most effective means of managing them). They are relatively easy to find because of their large size. Just throw them into soapy water to kill them.
Their natural enemies are parasitic wasps which lay their eggs on the hornworms back if found; such worms should be left in the garden so the emerging wasps can parasitize other hornworms.

Insecticides are not usually necessary. However, if the above options are not sufficient, you may consider applying a product. We recommend Bonide Insecticidal Soap or Bonide BT Thuricide Spray RTU.

At the end of the gardening season till the soil to destroy overwintering larvae. Repeat in spring.
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Pieris Rapae
Photo By James Lindsey at Ecology of Commanster
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Tricoplusia
Photo By Alton N. Sparks, Jr., University of Georgia, United States
Cabbage Worm:
There are several types of cabbage worms, but the two species that are the most common and damaging to the garden here in Ohio are the Cabbage White butterfly (Pieris rapae) and the Cabbage Looper (Trichoplusia ni).

Host plants include broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, collards, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, radishes, turnips, rutabagas and kohlrabi.

Larvae will feed on the leaves of plants, leaving behind irregular holes. As they grow, they can bore into the center of the plant, contaminating them with fecal pellets.

Natural predators include parasitic wasps, spiders, green lacewing, and insect-eating birds.

We recommend using Bonide BT Thuricide Spray RTU if you have an infestation.
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Newark, Ohio. 43055

740-763-2873
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office@great-gardeners.com
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* Monday - Thursday:
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We are a family owned and operated garden center specializing in plants that thrive in Central Ohio

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