Wait for the right temperature before spraying pine tree with pesticides
Q: Most mornings, my pine tree is a gathering spot for a flock of twittering small finches. They poke and prod in the green needles and then, poof, they all leave in a rush. I have a watering dish set on a bench under the tree and noticed there were a lot of small, soft bugs floating on the surface. So I looked closer at the tree. I think it has aphids and want to spray with a dormant oil to suffocate the bugs, right? Should I do this as soon as possible? — A.H., Albuquerque
A: First thing I’ll recommend is you snip off a small branch, put it in a clear zip-close bag and take it to a nursery for proper identification of the critter you’ve discovered. I can see a bevy of those wee birds being attracted to the tree and are trying their darnedest to eliminate them all, but the tree might, in fact, need an intervention.
More than likely, applying a dormant oil will give the tree much relief. A big infestation of aphids can cause a lot of damage, and in turn, open windows for other insects to think the pine is a great place to set up.
I’m going to suggest that you do wait a while before you spray. If memory serves, it’s too cold now to spray with most pesticides. You will need to read the label completely to become best informed as to when you could spray.
I also remember reading a label that said applying a dormant oil on a Colorado blue spruce is not recommended. It changes the “blue” color of the spruce and that’s not a good thing. So by reading the label completely, you will know when it’s best to apply and how to mix the pesticide properly.
Also, be sure to remove the water dish that sits beneath the tree and spray during a time of day when most of the feathered friends are away visiting other diners. Don’t set the water back until the tree has dried. Keep your tree and the birds in mind when you’re tending to business.
Meanwhile, until the temperatures are acceptable, if you really want to be of some aid to your tree you could get out there and spray it off with the hardest stream of water you can create, knocking a lot of the pests to the ground. Being pummeled by the water, the wee bugs usually get so torn up that they can’t survive. When the time is right, spray the trunk of the tree and the ground surrounding it.
So please, read the product label completely to be sure it’s the right time, actually temperature, to spray before you do.
Q: I was given a lovely potted houseplant for Christmas. Actually, there are three plants in the pot. A peace lily, an ivy and an African violet. I want to separate the collection, repotting each plant into separate pots and need to know if I can do that now, or should I wait? — S.B., Los Lunas
A: I’m thinking you should go ahead and rearrange the collection now if you’re of a mind and have the appropriate sized pots ready to do the chore.
Certainly, you won’t want to place plants that were originally grown in, let’s say, a 4-inch pot into a grand 10-inch pot. That’s just too much room for a transplant to have to deal with. I’d make sure the soil was dampened too as you do the transplant, and then water just enough to settle them.
Do keep them out of cold drafty spots and offer bright light to them. They’ll settle into their new homes, and voila! What was one handsome gift will become three. How lovely is that?
Happy Diggin’ In!