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With spring green comes aphids

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED MAR 29, 2019

Aphids are just starting to collect on the top of this bud on

a McCartney rose. A blast of water will knock them off.

(Photos: Kathy Morrison)

How to cope with these pests without chemicals

With the first warm days of spring (after so much rain), expect rapid growth in your garden – and aphids.

These pests flock to tender green shoots and buds. Roses in particular are vulnerable, but aphids also attack cabbage, tulips and a wide range of other plants.

Usually, aphids start being problematic earlier in March. But recent storms and colder than normal temperature have kept their populations down.

That will end very soon, probably this weekend.

Aphids feed by sucking the juices out of plants. They like new growth and flower buds best because the outer cell walls are thinner and therefore easier to eat. The faster the growth, the thinner the walls.

Applications of high-nitrogen liquid fertilizers speed that growth even more. As plants respond to these nutrients, they often attract more aphids.

How can aphids become such a problem so quickly? One mature female can produce 12 offspring a day – without mating.

Lady beetles can help keep the aphids under control, but they can't
do it alone once the population gets growing.

Beneficial insects such as lady beetles or praying mantis like to feast on aphids, but they can’t contain a rapidly growing onslaught. Encourage the good bugs, while also giving them a hand without harmful chemicals.

Knock down spring aphid infestations with water. A strong blast from the hose can knock them right off; soft-bodied aphids can’t survive the fall.

Other aphid-fighting solutions are more effective at the first sign of outbreaks. Puree 2 cloves of garlic and mix into 2 cups of water; put in a spray bottle and blast the bugs.

Or add 1 teaspoon of mild dish soap (such as liquid Ivory or Dr. Bronner’s pure-castile or peppermint liquid soap) to 2 cups of water in a spray bottle, then spray away.

Or just squish them. Wear gloves and lightly stroke them off buds. (This works well on roses.)

If aphids persist, look for ants. They may be introducing aphids to plants (particularly shrubs or trees), then “milking” them for honeydew. That honeydew often forms a black sooty mold.

To deter the ants, put sticky Tanglefoot or other barrier around the stem or trunk of the shrub or tree to dissuade ants from herding aphids onto that plant.

For more on aphids, check out this advice from the University of California pest management program:

http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7404.html

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GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

gardening Sacramento integrated pest management pests roses ants spring growth beneficials aphids fertilizer insects

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Garden Checklist for week of May 19

Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.

* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.

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