'Tis a Gift to be Simple

I can't begin to imagine the number of times I've encountered a complicated problem and then search for a complicated solution, while a simple solution would have been just as good. Today at the University of Minnesota Conservatory, where I volunteer, the greenhouse staff are continuing their push to treat and restore plants which have become threatened by pests. I was assigned the task of using a sharp spray of water from a hose to knock pests off from the leaves of plants. It is a simple physical means of control. No chemical poisons, repellents, or expensive predators are involved.

While I walked around the greenhouse looking for infested plants to douse, I spotted this blooming gem. It has the genus name Hippeastrum, and is in the same family as the common amaryllis plant.

Hippeastrum, in the same family, Amaryllidaceae, as the common amaryllis plant

A sharp spray of water was used to knock of scale and mealybug insects from the leaves of two dozen plants.

While on the topic of plant pests, today the greenhouse staff identified a pest that I'd only heard about, but never seen in person: the ground mealybug. This dastardly creature exists under ground where it feeds on plant roots, slowly robbing them of their ability to support the plant. The first indication the problem exists is when the plant is essentially dead. The staff were surprised to discover a heavy infestation of parasite insects on and below the surface of the soil.

Discussions are underway about the best way to manage the plant, but it probably will not survive. All of the plants around the infestation must be carefully inspected for further spread of the ground mealybugs (Rhizoecus). This problem will not be solved by a simple spray of water from a hose. Rather, the roots will have to be cleaned and treated with either a biologic control (predator like nematodes), or using a systemic insecticide. Chemical treatments are the method of last resort.

Dying Fuchsia plant

Tiny white spots on the green moss are mealybug parasites which have been feeding on the plant roots.

Comments

Thrip control: peppermint and clove

Here's a question: how many natural plant scents do you find repellent? The one that comes to the top of my mind is the scent of the newly blossomed corpse flower, Amorphophallus titanum . It smells very much like the name implies. If I could produce a scratch-and-sniff blog post, I would be tempted. The odor is horrible to humans, but sweet to some flying insects which are also attracted to rotting flesh. But perhaps you cannot tolerate the scent of clove, or eucalyptus? Insect pests are like us in this respect. Pests in the garden and greenhouse Insects, arachnids, fungi, and viruses. Their numbers are legion. The battle is constant. The most effective weapon is vigilance. In addition to vigilance, there are biological controls made from natural compounds which are generally non-toxic to humans. Included in this category are essential oils. For example cinnamon, rosemary, sage, neem, clove, peppermint and many others. These oils are repellent, and even toxic, to many of the pests...

Nerding out in Japan, autumn of 2025

We celebrated a bit of good news in our household with a spontaneously planned trip to Japan in November. Completely unintended, the trip coincided with the full regalia of fall colors. Particularly notable were the popular Japanese maples of every size and variety with their brilliant reds, yellow, oranges, greens, and rusts. But happy accident, we learned a few things about the art of sculpting full-grown trees - niwaki - and how to protect plants from ice and snow over the winter - yukizuri . Winter is coming The fall colors were still in full swing with crowds of adoring leaf-peepers - like me - filling the famous gardens and parks. Despite the crowds, there was already serious preparations for the coming winter. Fancifully pruned trees - the tree-sculpting art of niwaki similar to bonsai - were being trussed with ropes and propped up on long poles . As newcomers, the preparations seemed extremely odd, as if some hurricane was about to shred the life out of every branch an...

Honolulu International Airport Gardens

Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Honolulu, HI Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Honolulu HI This photograph says so much about this special garden in a single image: - Senator Daniel Inouye represented Hawaii in the US Senate for decades. He was of Japanese descent and a senior in a Honolulu high school when he witnessed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Later, he volunteered for an all-Japanese army unit which served first in Mississippi, then in Italy and France during the war. The airport has rightfully been named in his honor. - The building itself was designed - by the great Honolulu architect Vladimir Ossipoff - in the open native Hawaiian concept of the lanai. To native Hawaiians the lanai was a free-standing building with a thatched roof and open-sided walls to allow a fresh breeze to wash through. The main concourses of the airport terminal are all open to the outside air, recreating the concept of the lanai. Upon landing in Honolulu, the freshness of the ...

City Gardener

Search This Blog