SAN DIEGO, Calif. – It’s not enough to have a landscape full of plants, they have to be healthy and well placed. Pests, diseases, poor planting techniques, and lack of care can add up to a garden that’s not achieving its potential. This month’s questions address common issues regarding plant care.
Q. How do I get rid of Giant Whitefly?
A. Despite its name, the Giant White Fly is only about 1/16th of an inch long. This tiny, white-winged insect lays eggs on the underside of the leaf. Both adult and larvae suck sap from the leaf. Adults excrete a sticky fluid known as “Honeydew” which drops down to the lower leaves and can develop a sooty mold fungus giving the leaves a black appearance. Another more noticeable symptom is a white spider-web substance like associated with the larvae. If you notice this, cut off the infested part of the plant to encourage fresh new growth. The plant should be treated with diazinon, malathion or orthene, depending on the type of plant.
Q. Help! My plants look terrible – from die-out to root rot to powdery mildew, sooty canker, and rust disease – they’re suffering. What can I do to stop this from happening?
A. Three simple steps will help prevent these diseases from killing your plants.
1. If you haven’t already, modify the common overhead irrigation system to a drip system, especially on disease susceptible varieties.
2. Be careful to plant compatible varieties near each other, and incompatible varieties away from each other.
3. Above all, encourage cleanliness – sterilize those shears after trimming away diseased sections. Clean maintenance techniques will help prevent the conditions that cause diseases to proliferate.
If you are too late to save a plant by changing it’s environment, then help stop the spread of the disease to healthy plants by eliminating those infected. Also, look for resistant plant varieties.
Q. How can I keep my plants as healthy looking as those in the nursery?
A. The backbone of plant care is a consistent maintenance schedule. You eat, drink and rest regularly to maintain your health – plants need the same consideration. Treat them like babies and put them on a regular schedule for water and fertilizer, and make sure they get the appropriate amount of sunlight. The quickest resource for this information is the tag that accompanies the plant. Keep the tag as a reference until you’ve established a pattern.
Two more considerations: compost and pruning. Compost will help the soil structure around the roots, ensuring adequate water. And pruning both eliminates undesired growth and promotes new growth. But make sure you do it correctly – plants sensitive to cold should not be pruned late in the fall as a frost can severely damage the new growth.
Q. What’s the difference between a topiary and an espalier?
A. Not much, just the shape and use. A topiary is a plant that’s pruned and trained into a specific shape such as an animal or a ball or a car or a person, etc. They often stand alone as center or accent pieces in a garden to be viewed from any side. An espalier is a plant (usually a tree or shrub) trained to grow in a flat pattern. They are often placed against a wall or fence to be viewed from the front. Both require diligent pruning to ensure a shape that pleases the eye and promotes growth.
Q. What does it mean if my plants are ‘rootbound’?
A. It means their roots have run out of room to spread and they’ll either stop growing or just grow poorly. Typically this happens in a container plant; and it’s not enough to just yank the plant out of the container and place it in a bigger pot or in the ground. Loosen the roots (which will be wrapped and knotted when removed from the container) and untangle the knots before replanting.
This feature is provided by Miramar Wholesale Nurseries, Southern California’s leading supplier of landscape plant material and supplies. MWN grows a wide variety of perennials, shrubs, and distinctive trees at each of its three locations to supply landscape professionals and nurseries in the region and around the country with high-quality plant materials. MWN is a member of TruGreen LandCare, a ServiceMaster company.