Q. I've quit growing petunias and geraniums because they stop blooming by the end of July. Someone told me there was a bug that was eating buds and flowers. If this is true, what can I do?
A. Blame a little green worm: the tobacco budworm. This tiny worm has ballooned from complete obscurity to top-rank garden pest in California. It is related to another familiar garden troublemaker, the corn earworm. Both eventually turn into dull-colored, night-flying moths. It seems that geraniums and petunias do great for the first part of the season, but then the budworms take hold and start eating buds and flowers. The result? Plants stop blooming. The best control for budworms is Bt, also known as Bacillus thuringiensis. This is a biological control that prevents the worms from eating. They starve to death in three to four days. Bt is available under a number of different brand names. You can also use insecticidal soaps and chemical sprays like sevin, diazinon or malathion. It comes down to this: don't let this little bugger stop you from enjoying geraniums and petunias! Geraniums and petunias, along with impatiens, are the most popular summer bedding plants.
Q. I'm seeing a lot of ants on my roses. The leaves are sticky on the roses. What can I do?
A. There's a viscious cycle going on in your garden. Ants often maintain aphids, fighting off parasites and predators in order to eat the honeydew the aphids exude. The sticky substance on the leaves of your roses is the honeydew from the aphids. Eliminate the aphids and you should eliminate most of your ant problem. The good news is that aphids are fairly easy to deal with. You can even wash them off with strong blasts of plain water, so long as the infestation isn't too severe. You can also use insecticidal soaps,such as Safer's, or mix a batch using one or two tablespoons of liquid soap to a gallon of water. You've probably heard of utilizing ladybugs as natural predators against aphids. Ladybugs, available is bags of 1,000 at some nurseries, will work. However, they "fly away home" after their job is done, so they're a temporary solution. If the aphids are really bad, you may have to resort to chemical insecticides.
Q. I have a simple question. How can I tell when to water my lawn?
A. You can tell by your lawn's appearance. If you walk across it and your footprints show and the grass doesn't spring back, it's time to water. Also, grass will take on a dull, blue-green color when in need of water. In extreme cases, the grass will turn brown and die. To save water, try to time your watering just before the loss of resilience.
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