November 20, 2002

Dear Editors:

Fallen leaves and frosty mornings leave no doubt that winter is on the way. The outdoor growing season may be over, but interest in gardening goes on year-round. The stories in this packet are most timely for use during December, January and February. Topics include houseplants and houseplant pests, pantry pests, stored garden seed and microclimates in the landscape. The Garden Corner is on hand, also, as usual, with a variety of gardening questions.

If this is the winter packet, the spring one can’t be far behind, so think spring and share those story ideas and gardening questions soon! About the time winter is getting serious, I’ll be looking ahead to the beginning of another growing season.

Other comments are welcome, too. It’s good to hear from you!

Sincerely,

Leslie K. Johnson
Extension Lawn and Garden Editor
ANR Communications
312 Agriculture Hall, MSU
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
517-432-1555

LKJ/bl
Attachments

November 20, 2002

11/20/02
Contact: Leslie Johnson

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Gardening questions aren’t as rare in winter as some folks might think! Gardeners are looking ahead to the next gardening season as well as back at the previous one, and time to ponder often generates questions for Michigan State University Extension specialists on various gardening topics.

17. How do I control black knot in my plum trees?

1. You can spray with fungicides in the spring, but the primary means of control is pruning in the winter, when trees are dormant. Remove all shoots or branches with visible swellings, making cuts 2 to 3 inches below each knot. Remove and dispose of infected wood, by burning, if possible. If it’s left near the trees, it will continue to be a source of infection. Nearby wild cherry or plum trees and abandoned orchards can be a source of infection, so it may take a cooperative effort by neighbors to control the disease.

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17. My new place has a coldframe attached to an outbuilding. I’ve never had one before. What can I do with it?

1. The general purpose of a coldframe is to provide a sheltered spot with good light for plants. You can use it to start seeds in spring, force bulbs, get greenhouse-grown plants used to being outdoors, grow salad crops early in spring and late into fall, store root vegetables over the winter or start cuttings of woody plants in the summer.

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17. Must fruit trees be pruned?

1. Pruning is a necessary part of fruit tree care. Young trees need pruning to develop a strong but open branch structure that will expose leaves and fruits to sunlight and pest control materials. Mature trees need pruning to stay healthy and productive.

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17. I am not one of those people who overwater houseplants and kill them with too much care. Just the opposite! I tend to forget to water my plants, sometimes for two to three weeks at a time. What can I grow besides cactus that will thrive -- or at least survive -- this degree of neglect?

1. You need plants that evolved in dry, hostile environments that are adapted to survive long periods without water. The term for this sort of plant is "succulent", and dozens are available as houseplants. They tend to grow slowly, but they also need little care and do well in the dry air and low light conditions in Michigan homes and offices in the winter. The one thing they can’t tolerate is too much water, but it sounds as if that won’t be a problem in your home. Examples include not only cacti but also living stones (Lithops spp.), which need no water at all in winter; jade plant (Crassula portulaca); hen and chicks (Sempervirens spp.); burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum); kalanchoe; wax plants (Hoya spp.); zebra plant (Haworthia spp.); ghost plant (Graptopetalum paraguayense); pony tail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) and Aloe spp., among others. Plant forms vary, but all tend to have thick, fleshy, water-conserving leaves. Indoors, they like bright light, dry air and cool temperatures, especially in the winter, and little or no water when they’re not growing. Forget them for weeks on end -- they’ll do fine.

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17. I need a gift for a gardening friend -- got any ideas?

1. One that’s sure to please is your friend’s favorite gardening catalog and a gift certificate. If you don’t know the friend’s favorite, give him yours! If your friend has a special interest that he wants to explore -- irises, for instance, or water gardening -- check the national horticulture magazines for specialty catalogs and order those for him. A gift certificate from a local greenhouse or garden center is another option. Then your friend can examine plants, tools and other items firsthand before taking them home.

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17. A couple of my plant catalogs offer named black walnut varieties. What’s the advantage of planting these rather than growing black walnuts from seed?

1. A grafted named variety will usually start producing nuts sooner than a seedling -- as early as two or three years after planting rather than 10 to 15. They may also be more productive and have nuts with thinner shells, which makes for easier cracking.

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17. Whenever we have a winter warm spell, I find large purple-black wasps bumbling around in my house. Where are they coming from?

1. Wasps that become active in winter are usually mated females (queens) roused from their winter dormant period by unusually warm temperatures. If you’re finding them in your house, they are probably overwintering there in an attic or wall void. If you can find out where they get in in the fall and seal it in the spring, after they leave, you may prevent a new batch from coming in next year. Don’t seal it now! This would prevent them from getting out the way they came in and probably result in most of them finding their way into your living area. A sturdy flyswatter should be all you need to cope with the occasional slow-moving winter wasp.

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17. Some of my houseplants are looking sort of pale and spindly, with long stems and small leaves. Do they need fertilizing?

1. Probably not. These are more likely the signs that plants aren’t getting enough light, a common problem in Michigan in the winter. Supplementing natural light with light from fluorescent tubes will go a long way to prevent this legginess and poor growth. Fertilizing when plants aren’t growing well can damage plant roots and form a crust of soluble salts on plant pots and soil that can injure plant tissues that come into contact with it. Too much water can be a problem in winter, drowning roots and even killing plants.

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17. Why do people grow old-time vegetable varieties when today’s hybrids have so much going for them?

1. The so-called heirloom vegetables give gardeners a chance to have a literal taste of the past – part of their attraction is that they date from years ago. Preserving old-time varieties keeps their genetic traits available to plant breeders. An advantage to home gardeners is that they can save seed from some of these crops from year to year. This works best with crops that tend to self-pollinate, such as snap beans, lettuce, peas and tomatoes. Crops that cross-pollinate, such as squash and pumpkins, are not as reliable because insects carry pollen from one flower to another. If you plant the seeds, the results may be interesting but unlike either of the parent plants.

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17. Since we brought our freshly cut Christmas tree indoors, we’ve been finding lots of insects and spiders in the house. Did they come in with the tree?

1. Probably. Like other plants that grow outdoors, Christmas trees have their share of arthropod residents. Bringing the tree indoors and warming it up warms up the bugs, too, and they become active as if it were spring. Chances are good that they pose no threat of damage to structures, fabrics, houseplants, people or their pets, or human or pet food. Keep a flyswatter or vacuum handy to collect them, and enjoy your tree.

#lkj#

ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
11/20/02

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Dry air is murder on ferns.

A Boston fern that’s green and gorgeous when you bring it home won’t stay that way long unless you can meet its need for humidity.

"Dry air is the biggest obstacle to growing ferns as houseplants," says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. "Many ferns will do fine in typical indoor temperatures and bright light, and some will survive even in low-light situations, but they won’t compromise on humidity. In dry air, the tips of the fronds will become dry and brown."

Using humidifiers to increase the moisture levels in one room or the whole house benefits not only ferns but also parched nasal passages, glued joints in furniture, and cats and people who walk on wool carpeting, but this tends to be the most expensive alternative to dry air, McLellan notes. There’s an initial outlay for the equipment, the cost of the energy needed to operate it and, with room units, a certain amount of tending required to keep them functioning.

How successful attempts to humidify the air can be depends to some extent on the number and type of windows in a room or house and the presence of other cold surfaces that can take water out of the air as fast as a humidifier adds it.

A low-cost, low-tech approach is simply to put ferns in an area of the house where humidity levels are naturally higher, such as a bathroom or the kitchen.

Double-potting plants is another way to add moisture to the air around them, McLellan suggests. To do to this, set the plant pot inside another, larger container and fill the space between them with peat or vermiculite and add water as needed to keep it moist. Setting individual pots or groups of plants on a tray of wet gravel accomplishes the same thing -- creating a moist microclimate around plants.

Misting plants produces only a temporary increase in humidity, McLellan notes. Even misting several times a day has little benefit, and keeping the foliage wet this way can even promote disease development.

If you can provide the necessary humidity, a number of ferns will thrive under home conditions. Popular ones for indoor gardening include the Boston, maidenhair, sword, bird’s-nest, feather, button and staghorn ferns. The staghorn fern can be grown either in soil in a pot or on osmunda fern roots fastened to a slab of wood hung on the wall; the others prefer a soil containing at least 50 percent organic matter that’s kept moist but not soaking wet. They need protection against temperatures below 50 degrees and do best near a sunny window where they can receive direct light in winter and indirect or filtered light in summer.

The brown spots that develop on the undersides of fern fronds are no cause for alarm, McLellan notes -- these are sporangia, the structures that produce the spores by which ferns reproduce.

#lkj#

ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, M I 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or T. Ellis
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 355-8478
11/20/02

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Fruit flies are common around the house during late summer and early fall. All it takes is an overripe banana, tomatoes ripening on the counter or melon rinds in the wastebasket -- and like magic, fruit flies appear.

But in winter?

"Winter fruit flies often are not fruit flies at all," says Tom Ellis, Extension entomologist at Michigan State University, "but rather fungus gnats, which look enough like fruit flies to a casual observer to be confused with them. Sometimes it’s a combination of fruit flies and fungus gnats, maybe with a few other small flies that share similar habitats."

Both fruit flies and fungus gnats speed the process of decay of plant matter, Ellis explains. Adult fruit flies home in on potential food sources such as overripe fruit or winter squash past its prime, and lay their eggs on it. Maggots hatch in a day or two and commence feeding. As the plant matter breaks down, various fungi start to grow in it. These fungi -- and others growing in houseplant pots, drains and other chronically damp places -- are attractive to fungus gnats, which are every bit as quick as fruit flies to zero in on potential breeding sites. Numbers can increase quickly.

"During warm months, both of these insects can enter homes from outdoors," Ellis says. "They can easily pass through ordinary window screen. In winter, management can be more successful because you don’t have a continuous supply of new recruits to deal with."

Ellis advises focusing control efforts on five areas: fruit and vegetable storage areas that are open to air (bowls, crocks, bags on floors or in pantries), open trash containers, potted indoor plants, drains, and damp rugs, carpets and paper products in the basement or garage.

Leave out on the counter only as much fruit as you will consume in a day or two. Wash containers frequently (every other day or so) in hot, soapy water to dislodge and kill any eggs they might contain.

Line trash containers with disposable plastic bags. Containers with no bag or a leaking bag should be washed frequently, especially if the bottom tends to remain damp or wet.

If you suspect houseplant pots of harboring fungus gnats or fruit flies, you can treat the soil with insecticidal soap or incorporate diatomaceous earth in the soil to kill the maggots. Another approach is to cut back on watering so the soil dries out between waterings. Any maggots present in the soil will dry out, and lack of water will reduce fungal growth and so reduce the food supply for adult fungus gnats. A third option is a combination of letting the soil dry between waterings and then watering with a solution of water and insecticidal soap.

Basements in Michigan can get extremely damp during the summer, Ellis observes. Fabric and paper will absorb moisture and can become home to populations of fungus gnats and a host of other creatures, many of which may carry over into the winter. He suggests using a dehumidifier in the summer to reduce the dampness, thus eliminating breeding sites for these flies and reducing the growth of mold.

Drains should be cleaned once a month year round. This will kill fungus gnats and minimize fungal growth.

Household insecticides for flying insects will control fruit flies and fungus gnats, Ellis notes, but this is like treating the symptom rather than the cause of an infestation. He recommends eliminating potential breeding habitat instead.

"Measures that dry or clean out breeding habitat for these insects will also reduce the fungal spore load inside your home and help freshen the air," he points out. "Both of these can enhance health and comfort while greatly reducing the flying nuisance numbers -- at least until warm weather comes back and activates outdoor populations."

#lkj#

ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
11/20/02

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- If looking through seed catalogs has given you the gardening bug, turn your back on the outdoors and plant an indoor garden.

Dish gardens and terrariums are like miniature gardens, says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. The main difference between them is that the dish garden is open -- the terrarium is enclosed.

"The key in putting together plants for either type of grouping in a single container is choosing plants that require basically the same environment and care," McLellan points out. "A dish garden of moisture-loving tropical plants will work; a dish garden of desert plants will work. Mixing them in a single garden, however, means that you can’t possibly provide care that will meet the needs of both sorts of plants."

If you have both types of plants, she suggests planting one container with the desert plants and another with the moisture-loving tropicals. Then you can provide each group with the appropriate environment and care.

Desert plants are more suited to a dish garden than to a terrarium, she adds, because the whole point of a terrarium is to create a humid environment for plants that aren’t well adapted to dry indoor air. Desert plants such as cacti and succulents not only don’t need that sort of environment but also won’t tolerate it.

Begin constructing a dish garden by selecting a shallow container. Pick a growing medium according to the plants you intend to plant. For desert plants, use a prepared peat-vermiculite mix with some coarse sand or perlite added, a mixture of equal parts sand and houseplant potting soil, or a mixture of 2 parts sand, 1 part soil and 1 part peat. If you want to make it even easier, simply buy a bag of prepared cacti and succulent potting mix.

For tropical plants, commercial potting soil, a prepared peat-lite mix, or a combination of equal parts sand, sterile soil and peat will do nicely.

For each garden, select several small plants that vary in size, color, form and texture. A grouping typically includes an upright plant, a trailing plant and a colorful focal point, McLellan observes. For a tropical dish garden, a small parlor palm or red-margined dracaena might provide the height, English ivy or philodendron the trailing plant, and aluminum plant, coleus, episcia or African violet the color. In a cacti and succulents garden, you might choose snake plant (Sansevieria) or jade plant for height, wax plant as the trailer, and grafted cacti or a small bromeliad, such as an earthstar (Cryptanthus), as a focal point.

Fill the container with the appropriate growing medium and experiment with various arrangements of plants. In a container to be viewed from all sides, the tallest plants are usually placed near the center; in one to be viewed from one side, tall plants typically form the backdrop for the shorter ones.

Transplant plants carefully and water them in. Then set the container where it will be exposed to light levels, temperatures and relative humidity appropriate for the plants.

Succulents and cacti generally grow fairly slowly, McLellan observes, and a grouping of such plants will be slower to outgrow its container than a grouping of tropical plants. Some plants can be pruned; others will need to be removed and replaced by smaller plants to keep the dish garden from looking overgrown.

Terrariums are similar in that they consist of several plants in a single container, but they are usually planted in aquariums or large bottles or other containers that can be closed to hold humid air around moisture-loving plants. Clear bottles are better than tinted ones, McLellan notes. Plants such as ferns, zebra plant, Norfolk Island pine, flame violet, spider plant and prayer plant, which often fail to thrive in the dry air inside a heated home, are among the plants that will do well in terrariums.

Once plants are in place and watered in, an enclosed terrarium may not need watering again for weeks. In fact, it may need to be opened if moisture builds up to the point where it is streaming down the sides, McLellan notes.

Because direct sun and a terrarium are a bad combination, she suggests choosing plants that do well in low light or supplementing natural light with light from fluorescent tubes.

To keep plant groupings from outgrowing their containers as long as possible, avoid fertilizing, McLellan suggests.

"Neither a dish garden nor a terrarium will last forever," she observes. "When you can no longer keep it looking attractive by pruning, removing and replacing plants, it’s probably time to start over with new soil and new plants. Use the plants you remove to propagate new ones and you’ll have the makings for gift gardens for friends and family members who have admired yours."

#lkj#

ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
11/20/02

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The exotic-looking flowers of holiday cacti can be a spectacular addition to holiday décor.

Plants that have been in your home tend to bloom around Thanksgiving or Christmas in response to winter’s short days, explains Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. Plants brought into the home ready to bloom may drop their buds rather than burst into flower, however.

"Flower buds may fall off without opening if temperatures are too high -- above 75 degrees," she cautions. "Sudden changes in temperature or light levels and overwatering can also cause buds to drop."

To guard against temperature fluctuations, wrap your holiday cactus carefully before you take it from the florist’s or the garden center to your car, she advises, and don’t leave it sit in the car while you run other errands -- take it straight home. Then place it where it will get plenty of bright light but won’t be exposed to hot or cold drafts, and water it when the soil surface feels dry.

In the greenhouse, holiday cacti are programmed to bloom at Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter by manipulating day length and/or temperature, McLellan explains. Plants exposed to 9 hours of daylight and 15 hours of darkness beginning in September will set flower buds. Temperatures between 50 and 59 degrees F will also stimulate flowering, regardless of day length. Temperatures below 50 degrees will inhibit flowering, however, as will temperatures above 85 degrees.

In their native Brazil, holiday cacti grow in pockets of plant debris in trees or in decaying humus on the ground, so they need a light, humusy growing medium and containers with holes for good drainage, McLellan points out. Potting in heavy mineral soil or a container without provision for drainage may result in overwatering, root rot and plant death.

Though most people lump all holiday cacti together under the term "Christmas cactus," Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti are two distinct species: Schlumbergera x buckleyi and S. truncata, respectively, and the Easter cactus is Hatiora gaertneri. To tell them apart, study the shape of the leaflike stem segments, McLellan says. In Thanksgiving cacti, the edges are sharply toothed or jagged; in Christmas cacti, the segments are smaller and have more rounded lobes. Also the Thanksgiving cactus tends to grow more upright, and the Christmas cactus is generally more pendulous, or drooping. The Easter cactus is more like the Christmas cactus, with flat, segmented shoots, but its joints are saw-toothed rather than rounded.

Flower colors in holiday cacti range from white through pink, rose and coral to red, as well as golden yellow. A plant thick with blossoms looks like a flight of some kind of exotic bird-of-paradise, McLellan observes. A large, established plant may bloom beginning in mid-November through most of the winter and even produce a few blossoms again in the spring or early summer. The rest of the year, it’s a sturdy, interesting houseplant that thrives with minimal care.

#lkj#

ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
11/20/02

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Here’s a quick quiz: what evergreen tree is commonly grown as a houseplant? If you answered "Norfolk Island pine", you’re right. On Norfolk Island, near New Zealand, these trees may reach 200 feet. They grow slowly indoors and may take years to outgrow their space.

The Norfolk Island pine isn’t really a pine, points out Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. But it is an evergreen, with short, stiff needles and branches arranged in tiers around a central stem. It may serve as a living Christmas tree if you select lightweight ornaments -- heavy ones will cause the branches to droop.

Though it adapts readily to growing indoors, the Norfolk Island pine can be challenging, McLellan observes. Ordinary home temperatures -- around 70 during the day and 50 to 55 at night -- are fine, but the plant is sensitive to moisture, both soil moisture and humidity. Dry soil or dry air, especially combined with high temperatures, will cause the fine needles to turn brown and drop off.

"The usual recommendation is to water whenever the top inch of soil begins to feel dry to keep the soil evenly moist without overwatering," McLellan explains. "Setting the plant’s pot on a tray of moist gravel or double-potting it and filling the gap between the pots with peat or vermiculite and keeping that wet will increase humidity around the tree."

Placing the plant in a part of the house where humidity is naturally high, such as a bathroom, is another option. Room or home humidifiers will benefit the human occupants of the home, also.

Norfolk Island pines have few pest problems. The most common pest is spider mites. Hot, dry air contributes to spider mite attack, McLellan notes.

Though the Norfolk Island pine can survive in low light, it does better in bright, indirect light. If light always comes from the same direction, it’s a good idea to turn the plant frequently so all sides grow evenly. In low light, branches will droop.

Slow growth means this plant rarely needs repotting. When it does, a soil mix high in organic matter is recommended.

#lkj#

ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
11/20/02

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- You’re trying to put your seed and plant order together, and you’re wondering if the seeds leftover from last year’s garden are still good. You don’t want to buy more if these are OK, but you don’t want to be disappointed if you rely on them and they’re not.

How the seeds were stored may be the clue you’re looking for, says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University.

"If seeds have been stored in moisture- and vapor-proof containers in a cool area, most seeds that were new last year will probably germinate just fine," she says. "Seeds such as tomato, carrot, pumpkin, kale, cucumber, Brussels sprout and cabbage will still be viable for two or even three years if they’re stored properly."

On the other hand, if seed packets were merely stuck in a box and set on a shelf in the garage or the mud room, where they were exposed to last summer’s tropical heat and humidity, even long-lived seeds might not germinate well.

So what should you do? Gamble on the old seeds or buy new? How about conducting a home germination test on the leftover seed, McLellan suggests.

Start by dampening as many paper towels as you have seed packets you want to test. Take 10 seeds from each packet and roll them in a moist paper towel, wrap rubber bands or twist ties around the towels to keep the seeds from falling out, and place each towel in a labeled plastic bag in a warm spot (75 to 90 degrees F). The top of the refrigerator is usually a good place, especially if there are cupboards above it to hold in the heat it generates.

Under warm, moist conditions, most seeds that are going to germinate will do it in a week, McLellan observes. So, after a week, count the number of seeds in each paper towel that have sprouted and multiply by 10 to get a germination percentage for each lot.

Any seed with a germination rate of 50 percent or below should probably be replaced, she says. Higher rates suggest that the seed will probably be OK for this year, though you may want to plant it a little thicker than usual, just in case the germination rate outdoors is lower.

For a good harvest from your major crops, it would probably be wise to plant a mixture of new and old seed, she suggests.

"If you know you need a certain quantity of snap beans or sweet corn or butternut squash or pickling cucumbers, buying a little extra fresh seed is pretty cheap insurance that the produce will be there when you’re ready to preserve it," she says.

#lkj#

ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
11/20/02

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Unless you’re looking at lists of heirloom vegetables and flowers, most of the varieties in your seed catalog are probably hybrids, so the choice between hybrids and open-pollinated varieties might not be an issue.

If you do see standard varieties such as Waltham 29 broccoli or Marglobe, Rutgers or Heinz 1350 tomatoes, however, you may be struck by the price difference between these older varieties and today’s hybrids.

"It takes a lot of time and exacting work to produce new hybrids," says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University. "Finding the right combination of parent lines to cross to produce plants with the desired special characteristics can take years. Cross-pollination is done by hand to ensure that only the designated partners are crossed. Then the seed that results has to be grown out and the plants evaluated."

Many crosses may be tried before a variety with clearly superior traits emerges, she notes, so a plant breeder has a lot of time and resources invested in developing a new variety. If testing under a range of growing conditions is favorable, it will be introduced when the developer has produced enough seed to meet potential demand.

In contrast, the process with an open-pollinated variety is to plant it in a field, let wind or insects move pollen around, and harvest the resulting seed.

Hybrids quite often offer superior disease resistance, uniformity in size or color or shape, seedlessness, early ripening, high yields or suitability for special uses, such as container gardening, and other desirable characteristics.

Standard varieties are still around and in use because they have desirable traits, also, McLellan points out, such as flower fragrance and storability, as in dark green hubbard squash. Flowers such as viola and hollyhocks self-sow, so that once you plant them, you can enjoy them for years without buying new seed and replanting.

Gardeners who want to harvest seed one year to plant the next get much more dependable results when they grow open-pollinated varieties, McLellan notes.

"The plants that grow from seeds taken from hybrids can be quite variable," she points out. "The desirable traits that led you to plant the hybrid in the first place may be lost in the shuffling of genetic material that occurs when hybrids cross-pollinate," she explains. "As a result, the plants that grow from seeds produced by hybrid plants may bear little resemblance to the plants that produced the seed."

Seed harvested from open-pollinated varieties can usually be depended on to produce offspring that vary little from the parent plants.

Often the size, color or shape of an open-pollinated annual fills a particular gardening need as well as a hybrid would, and at a lower cost, she adds.

For some gardeners, the feeling that growing a particular old-time variety connects them to gardeners of past times is enough to persuade them to try these old but new-to-them varieties. Other motivations might be recreating a period garden or wanting to enjoy the flowers one remembers from the family farm.

How can you tell whether a variety is a hybrid? Seed catalogs and seed packets will include the word "hybrid" in the name or place "F1" after the variety name -- e.g., Ruffles F1 zinnia. Which should you choose?

"Maybe both," McLellan suggests. "Try them out, hybrids and open-pollinated types, preferably side by side. Comparing how they perform in your garden under your care over time will reveal which work best for you."

#lkj#

ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
11/20/02

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Topiary, the art of creating fantastic shapes by clipping and trimming and directing the growth of woody plants outdoors, can become an indoor hobby as well. All you need are a few simple materials and a vining houseplant.

Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University, says the process is basically one of making and providing a wire form for the plant to grow on.

For stability, start with a heavy pot, she suggests, or maybe two pots -- a 6-inch clay pot and a decorative container to set it in. Use heavy coathanger wire to make the frame for the plant to grow on.

Start with the base of the frame. Bend a 36-inch piece of wire into the shape of a small letter "e", beginning with the open part at the bottom and ending with the horizontal line that makes it an "e" rather than a "c". The circular part of the "e" should be almost as large as the bottom of the pot; the straight section should bend at a 90-degree angle to form the vertical upright of the form. If you need to extend the upright section, you can use wire twist ties or waterproof tape to attach more wire or a bamboo stake to it.

"It’s a good idea to keep the shape on which the plant will grow simple," McLellan points out. "A circle or other geometric shape, the outline of a fish or other creature, or a large spiral -- like a spring -- will work better than a more complex design that would be obscured by the growing vine."

Bend more wire into the desired shape and use light wire or tape to fasten it to the stem. Set the frame in the pot and consider the size relationship between the pot and the frame. The proportions should be pleasing. When plants cover the frame, it shouldn’t be too small or overlarge -- two parts top to one part pot is about right, McLellan suggests.

Make adjustments to the frame as needed, making sure that all parts are fastened securely, then set the frame in the pot and fill the container with potting soil. Then plant a vining plant such as English ivy or creeping fig, rosemary, baby’s tears or holly next to the stem. As the plant grows, use twist ties to attach it to the wire form.

"If the form is heart-shaped, for instance, and you need two branches to cover it, you can plant two plants next to the stem and take one up one side and the other up the second side," McLellan explains, "or you can plant one plant and let it grow until it reaches the point where you need two branches, then prune it to encourage it to branch."

For a more challenging project, you might want to try a three-dimensional form. Be sure to pick a distinctive shape so it will still be recognizable when it’s covered with foliage.

#lkj#

ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
11/20/02

EAST LANSING, Mich.-- Some years ago, humorist Erma Bombeck wrote a book titled "The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank," which proved that ecological lessons can turn up anywhere when you least expect them.

The lesson is that of microclimates, says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University.

"A microclimate is a variation in temperature, humidity or wind velocity due to differences in elevation, direction of slope, soil, vegetation or some other factor," she explains. "An area might be prone to late spring or early fall frosts, warm up sooner or dry out faster in the spring, or be the last place in your yard where the soil freezes in winter. Or, in the case of the septic tank drainfield, the last preserve of green grass in a dry summer."

When you avoid planting frost-susceptible plants in a low spot in your yard, you are recognizing the importance of microclimates in gardening and using that knowledge to increase your chances of gardening success. Likewise, when you put a bird feeder up where it will be sheltered from winter winds, you make it more attractive to backyard birds and so more enjoyable.

Examples of planting advice based on knowledge of microclimates abound, McLellan observes. Planting fruit crops on high ground and locating mildew-plagued plants such as lilacs and zinnias where good air circulation will help dry their foliage are two. Another is the recommendation to plant evergreens such as taxus and rhododendron where they won’t be exposed to drying winter sun and wind.

Microclimates sometimes allow gardeners to succeed with plants that are technically out of their natural range, she notes. A plant that should not survive a typical Michigan winter may grow for many years in a sheltered spot before an unusually harsh winter kills it.

Sometimes, however, a microclimate that provides milder conditions is not appropriate. The best example is probably spring-flowering bulbs planted too near a building, where heat radiating from the basement prevents the soil from cooling down enough to provide the chilling treatment the bulbs require.

Gardeners aren’t the only ones to take advantage of microclimates -- they are often surprised to find that moles were active in their gardens all winter.

"But it makes sense, if you think about it," McLellan says. "If the soil is high in organic matter or heavily mulched, it will be slow to freeze, and insects and earthworms will be active there long after the lawn is frozen. Add an insulating layer of snow that persists all winter, and you have a microclimate that makes the garden much more hospitable than other parts of the landscape."

For a quick lesson in microclimates, go outdoors on a brisk, breezy winter day and compare your comfort level on the leeward side of a thick evergreen hedge and a windswept hilltop, she suggests. Watch where the snow melts first and where the frost lingers in the spring, and then you can use your awareness of microclimates to your garden’s advantage, she suggests.

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ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or T. Ellis
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 355-8478
11/20/02

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Though it may seem unlikely, especially if you never put any of your houseplants outdoors, houseplants can be attacked by pests.

Maybe they hitchhiked in on a recent acquisition; maybe they flew in through an open door or found their way in through a torn window screen. If you did put some plants outdoors during the warm months, the chances that you brought pests indoors with them are very good, says Tom Ellis, Extension entomologist at Michigan State University.

"Once inside, with no natural enemies or freezing temperatures to keep numbers in check, pest populations can really take off," he observes.

The most common pests of houseplants include spider mites, whiteflies, aphids, scale and mealybugs. These pests suck plant juices and cause stunting or twisted growth. Fungus gnat larvae and springtails may infest plant pots and injure roots. Thrips and even slugs may come indoors with plants and rasp tissue from flower petals and leaves.

"If you find pests on one of your plants, the first thing to do is inspect the others," Ellis advises. "Then isolate infested plants to keep the infestation from spreading."

A thorough washing with a stream of water or an insecticidal soap solution is often enough to stop an infestation, Ellis points out. With small plants, you can use foil or paper or a rag to hold the soil in the pot while you turn the container upside-down and swish the plant in a pail of lukewarm water for several minutes. Larger plants can be sprayed with a strong stream of water from a flexible hose hooked to the sink or laundry tub or, weather permitting, subjected to a gentle spray from a garden hose outdoors.

Scale insects may require more vigorous treatment with a soapy cloth or soft toothbrush to dislodge them.

Chemical insecticides and miticides are another option. Some houseplants -- including African violets, gloxinia, orchids, begonias and some ferns -- are sensitive to some common products, however.

"Treating these sensitive plants is simply trading chemical injury for insect damage," he observes.

Check labels for warnings about sensitive plants. For these plants, a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol is recommended. Try to keep the alcohol off the plant as much as possible, Ellis advises, especially if you’re treating plants that don’t tolerate water on their leaves, such as African violets.

If you decide to try chemical insecticides, read labels carefully before you buy, make sure the plant you intend to treat and the pest are both listed on the label, and follow directions precisely when you treat your plants. Test the product on a small part of each plant before spraying or dipping the whole plant. If burned leaf tips or leaf edges appear within 48 hours, that plant and that product are not a good combination.

A severely infested plant may not be worth the investment of time and effort that it would require to control the outbreak, Ellis notes. A severely damaged plant may take a long time to recover, also. In these instances, you might be doing yourself a favor to discard the plant and replace it.

Isolate treated plants and observe them closely for pest comebacks, Ellis advises.

"Inspecting all houseplants regularly is a good habit to get into," he suggests. "Any pest problem is likely to be easier to contain and control if you catch it early."

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ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or M. McLellan
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 353-3774
11/20/02

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- It’s called "butterfly gardening." You can find whole books about it, collections of plants in seed catalogs and wildflower seed mixtures put together to help you attract butterflies to your garden.

"The idea is to provide flowers that butterflies find attractive," says Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University.

Seed catalogs make it simple to select annuals and perennials by grouping butterfly plants together. Look for butterfly-attracting seed mixtures under "wildflowers". Such mixtures often include butterfly weed, cosmos, blanket flower, daisies, coneflowers, monarda (beebalm) and asters.

Obviously, you don’t have to turn your yard into a meadow to incorporate nectar-producing flowers that butterflies like, McLellan points out. Monarda, coneflowers, black-eyes Susans, buddleia, cosmos, snapdragons and other butterfly-attracting plants are available as seeds and plants. Read catalog and seed packet descriptions carefully and you’ll often find "attracts butterflies" in the descriptions.

If you do have a wild area on your property, you’ve probably noticed that Canada thistles, Queen Anne’s lace and milkweed are great butterfly plants. Milkweed and thistles can be difficult to control, so most gardeners probably don’t want to invite them into their flower beds, but if you have a wild area where you can tolerate them, they will definitely appeal to butterflies.

Nectar from flowers provides food for the adults, but serious butterfly gardeners also plant to provide food for the larval stage. These may or may not be flowering plants, and they may not necessarily be ornamental. But planting them, even in an out-of-the-way corner somewhere, will bring butterflies to your yard to lay their eggs.

A good butterfly gardening book will list these plants. Another source of information is Michigan Butterflies and Skippers (Extension bulletin E-2675), by Moe Nielsen. It’s available from the MSU Bulletin Office, 10-B Agriculture Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824 (517-355-0240), and from your county MSU Extension office. It’s handy for identifying the adults that visit your garden as well as plants to grow to attract them.

#lkj#

ANR Communications
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
East Lansing, MI 48824-1039
Contact: L. Johnson or T. Ellis
Telephone: 517-432-1555 or 355-8478
11/20/02

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Your home or apartment may be "bugged," but chances are the bugs are the six-legged kind, not the electronic snooping sort.

These insects are collectively called "pantry pests", and the list includes several beetle species and the Indian meal moth.

Pantry pests often come into homes with food, says Tom Ellis, Extension entomologist at Michigan State University. Stopping them from infesting stored food products ranging from dried milk to pet food, grain products and dried fruit is mostly a matter of sanitation and prevention.

One of the most common pantry pests is the Indian meal moth, Ellis says. This small (wingspan of ½ inch), grayish moth has coppery wing tips and rests with its wings folded tightly back along its body. It doesn’t do any direct damage to stored foods, but it lays eggs that hatch into dirty-white caterpillars that feed on flour, cereals, dry pet food, spices, dried milk, dried fruit, crackers, corn starch, wild bird seed and numerous other foods that people store. Any stored product that’s dry and of plant origin is susceptible to contamination by pantry pests, Ellis sums up. They have even been found in spices and dried flowers.

"Indian meal moth is most troublesome when items are stored in paper containers," Ellis observes. "Items that get pushed back and forgotten can become the home for generations of pests."

Each female Indian meal moth lays between 100 and 300 eggs, so it doesn’t take long for an infestation to develop. The worms contaminate the foods they feed on with their excrement, webbing, cocoons, cast skins and bacteria. If you open a bag of cornmeal or a cake mix, for instance, and find fine webbing near the top of the container, you can be sure that Indian meal moth larvae have been at work, even if you never see the worms themselves.

The first step in dealing with Indian meal moth is to eliminate all infested products, Ellis advises, and clean up any spills, especially those in out-of-the-way places such as behind the stove and refrigerator, under the microwave, and in hard-to-see corners of cupboards. Pet food that’s rolled under a piece of furniture that isn’t moved often, wild bird seed sitting in a corner of the utility room or garage, and food particles on the family room floor can all contribute to an infestation.

Once infested products have been removed from the home and all areas where food is stored, prepared or eaten are clean, the next step is to repackage foods in tightly sealed glass, metal or plastic containers. Plastic and paper bags and cardboard boxes will not keep pests out, Ellis points out. If you don’t want to discard the instructions or nutritional information on the package, it’s easy to save that part of the label and tape it onto the jar or can holding the product.

"If you repackage products as soon as you bring them home from the store, any insects coming in on those products will either be discarded with the original packages or contained so they can’t spread," he adds.

The final step is to remove the fluttering moths from the house. This can be done cheaply and efficiently by purchasing "pantry traps". They are small, open-ended rectangular boxes about 4 inches long. A strong odor attractive to the moths lures them into the box, where they get stuck in the sticky coating on the inner surface.

How can unopened containers be infested? The Indian meal moth is a pest of stored grain products and other foods worldwide, Ellis explains. Attempts to control it in grain elevators, food processing plants and warehouses have resulted in the moth’s developing resistance to many chemicals used to protect such foods against pests. Infestations in homes often begin with eggs laid in these products in such places.

Even if the moths weren’t pesticide resistant, Ellis wouldn’t recommend a chemical approach to control.

"After all, we’re talking about areas where you store and prepare your food and you and your family spend time and eat meals and snacks," he says. "It makes sense to avoid introducing pesticides into those areas when they aren’t necessary."

The entire Indian meal moth life cycle, from egg to larva to pupa (cocoon) to moth, may take only 6 to 8 weeks in warm weather or in winter, when your home is heated. If you see moths fluttering, it’s only a matter of time before a new generation of larvae is at work.

"Sooner or later, everyone has a problem with pantry pests," Ellis notes. "If you haven’t, you’ve either been practicing good preventive maintenance or you just haven’t found them yet."

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