Pesky insects take aim at tomato plants
Q: What should I do to control leaf-footed bugs on my tomatoes? I have used powdered Sevin and mixed Sevin and water and sprayed the plants. The bugs seem to thrive on it.
A: Leaf-footed bugs are so named because of the flat flare near the bottom of the legs. The insects puncture your fruit, leave a darkened depression, then other problems, such as rot, arise.
You can hand pick the insects if you’re not squeamish. Keep nearby weeds clear, as these provide good hiding spots. Watch for the nymphs, which have small orange bodies and black legs. They travel in groups and may be easier to eliminate (than the adult insects) with insecticidal soap or neem.
There are pesticides such as permethrin, but this is toxic to bees.
Q: You likely know what is on monarch caterpillars’ menu. I noticed they like passion flower vines.
I also have been surprised to see butterfly caterpillars on blooming parsley and dill weed. However,
A: The photo you emailed is of a swallowtail caterpillar. The mother butterfly lays her eggs on dill/fennel. Monarchs only lay eggs on milkweed. Monarch do drink nectar from flowers on other plants such as passionflower vine blooms, but milkweed is the only plant on the monarch caterpillars’ menu.
It’s not unusual to confuse monarch and swallowtail caterpillars, as they wear similar stripes at certain stages. However, a monarch has “tentacles” at both ends of its body, while a swallowtail doesn’t always show its tentacles. Poke it, however, and its yellow tentacles will emerge and the caterpillar will emit an odor.
The Gulf fritillary is the bright orange butterfly that uses passion flower vine as a host plant. She lays her eggs on the plant, and her orange caterpillars eat the vine’s leaves.
Q: I have had an ‘Emerald’ zoysia lawn for more than 12 years. It is pretty easy to care for and grows well.
The two things I have had to deal with are controlling nut grass and Bermuda grass. With the use of agricultural molasses, both dry and liquid, my nut grass is pretty much under control. This was a tip I got out of the Chronicle.
Other than trying to pull out the Bermuda by hand, which is pretty impossible, I have no solutions on how to get rid of the pesty grass. I used Roundup on it one year but had to deal with dead spots for most of the summer.
Removing one perennial grass from another is difficult. And yes, doing so by hand is tedious. Bermuda is extremely tough.
Chemicals can be effective in varying degrees in knocking Bermuda out of zoysia. But as you’ve found, damaging the desired grass can be the result. Please consult a turf specialist, and read labels carefully to properly apply any chemical. Two products that have helped some gardeners are Fusilade II and Ornamec.
Q: I’d like to dig up a 2-foot camellia and put it in a pot. Is this a good time?
I bought a bougainvillea in a hanging basket and transplanted it in the ground. On the advice of an expert, I didn’t rough out the root ball, though the plant was potbound. It wilts every day, and I water it every other day. The leaves are green and not dropping, but the wilting continues. What’s wrong?
A: Overwatering and under watering can cause wilting. If watering revives the bougainvillea, apply more frequently until the plant is established in your garden. But if the plant remains wilted for an extended time after watering, check the soil to make sure it’s not remaining too wet.
I think it’s too hot to move the camellia from the garden to a pot. It seems the high heat would increase any transplant shock.
The ideal time to transplant a camellia in the garden is December. Late September or October is an ideal time to repot a container-grown camellia. So I would suggest moving the plant in the fall. Keep the roots moist. Increase the pot size every four to five years.
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