Pumpkin Eaters

They have started their invasion.  Squash bugs.  Creeps.  Pyrethrum can help control the buggers; but I simply ripped out the pumpkin vines and did the Garden Croc Stomp on as many of them as I could.  Pyrethrum may need to be applied because you know that I had to have missed one or two – million!  The garden continues to be overrun with pill bugs too.  Diatomaceous Earth is supposed to be a great, natural way to control these cousins to shrimp.  I’ve never used it and will learn more about it with a visit to my local nursery.  I blame heavy seedling loss to pill bugs.  They simply need to get under control to allow my lettuce to flourish this winter.These creeps have got to go.

Imagine my delight tomorrow when I say, “It’s October!”.

Scale Wranglers

On a scale of 1 to 10, having an infestation of scale on my grapefruit tree rates about a 9.  I noticed that ants had been skeletonizing the leaves of the Rio Red Grapefruit and Robertson Naval Orange.  Thankfully, Farmer MacGregor will not stand for interlopers in the garden and went into attack mode.  He loaded his weapon of choice (garden sprayer) with a few rounds of ammunition (Take Down Garden Spray).  His initial mission was to spray the trunks of these two trees to prevent the ants from getting to the leaves.  That mission increased dramatically when he discovered the scale he thought he had licked was back.The citrus had been sprayed with Take Down over the winter but it must not have been enough.  Take Down Garden Spray is a mixture of pyrethrums and canola oil which can be used to control a wide range of insects during the dormant and growing seasons. The unique combination of pyrethrins and canola oil has a dual effect which helps to control both adult and juvenile insects.  The oil is supposed to smother the stinkers IF they are covered.  If not, scale is moved around by the ants to suck the life out of a tree and leave honeydew for the ants.  Ants are kinda like cowboys of the bug world.  Black sooty mold is resulting from this infestation.  Old MacGregor will need to follow up with another application in about 10 days to beat these suckers down.  Scale has only been recognized on the grapefruit tree but the orange tree is close enough that the ants may have started their shenanigans over there.  To be safe, both trees will be treated. Once the scale is eradicated, any damaged limbs will be pruned out.  There isn’t any litter under the trees and I’ll keep it that way.  So far, the emerging fruits look untouched.  These strange bugs look more like a fungal growth than insects.  I hope to be able to post of a successful take down.

War Is Hell

On Saturday morning, I noticed that the apple (Granny Smith) had busted into blossoms.  Like all the other fruit trees in the garden, the blooms are one week ahead of the 2009 schedule. Wait.  The blossoms don’t look perfect.  Random holes in the leaves of the petals of the apple tree are getting me steamed.  There is a garden pest about.  I inspected the rest of the trees for damage.  WHAT?  There is a hole gnawed into one of the peaches?!  The nectarine has been hit as well.  This calls for war.  The offenders seem to be ants. Although the insects outnumber humans by a quadzillion or more, I would like to think that I have the upper hand in my garden.  It’s a delusion I’m comfortable with. Farmer MacGregor brought out his artillery and blasted the trees with pyrethrum.  He was in full G.I. Joe mode annihilating the enemy.  Pyrethrum is a natural insecticide made from the dried flower heads of chrysanthemum (C. cinerariifolium and C. coccineum). Pyrethrum was used for centuries as an insecticide.

I’m certain the army of ants will send in another wave to attack again (They are probably already out there as I’m typing this.).  We’ll continue the fight for the right to (garden) party.

Next:  I believe the citrus have blight.  This may be fatal.