Okay, so it's starting to act like spring in the solarium. Fun, right? Well, I'm aghast at all of the aphid hatchlings! Maybe they go dormant during the winter. I don't know, but they are all over the new buds and leaves that are bursting out in their bright lime green colors. I slid my finger and thumb up the blade of a new iris shoot and I probably smashed 50 aphids. As I stroll around, I pluck any sign of spring and throw it out in the snow.
I knew there must be an easier way. So today is my first test of the Aphid and Whitefly Trap put out by BIO CARE. They are little glue sticks that smell good to aphids and when they are full, they go into my worm bin for the worms to eat. How great is that? And it adds that nice yellow fly paper color to the solarium! What can be better than that?
I'll let you know if it works! :-) Just in case you start sending me other solutions, I'm still sweeping up dead lady bugs. The leaves I sprayed with oil and soap are still alittle dead, banana peels did not work. So. . . . I will go and look for praying mantises when it gets a little warmer. That might work too. But I'm up for any other ideas.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Here comes the sun.
Sun!
The sun came over the Hurley Gurleys about the 2nd week in January and it keeps getting sunnier and warmer in the solarium all the time. This week has been characterized with temperatures of almost 60 every day and moving, hungry fish! What a difference from last year when they didn't come out until after the Equinox and only because I put tiny fish in there to annoy them. The tiny feeder fish didn't last long---they were picked off one by one. My koi don't play well with others.
Also, spikes of vines are shooting sunward and I'm wacking them as fast as possible. I have found the enemy aphids still alive. So since they love those new growth leaves on the vines, I'm throwing them out in the compost heap in the barrel to freeze them, I hope!
I've started lettuce and carrots downstairs in the basement. I guess it's moist enough down there to go without watering. (I forgot) Something still came up. Must be the humidity.
It looks like spring, it smells like spring. . . it must be spring!
The sun came over the Hurley Gurleys about the 2nd week in January and it keeps getting sunnier and warmer in the solarium all the time. This week has been characterized with temperatures of almost 60 every day and moving, hungry fish! What a difference from last year when they didn't come out until after the Equinox and only because I put tiny fish in there to annoy them. The tiny feeder fish didn't last long---they were picked off one by one. My koi don't play well with others.
Also, spikes of vines are shooting sunward and I'm wacking them as fast as possible. I have found the enemy aphids still alive. So since they love those new growth leaves on the vines, I'm throwing them out in the compost heap in the barrel to freeze them, I hope!
I've started lettuce and carrots downstairs in the basement. I guess it's moist enough down there to go without watering. (I forgot) Something still came up. Must be the humidity.
It looks like spring, it smells like spring. . . it must be spring!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)