Garden pests and how to work with Mother Nature. Plants on the Dark Side: Goutweed.
Greetings fellow gardener,
Water and water and water again. I am seeing a trend here. While the temperatures are going down the wind is quite strong. The wind can dry out the soil. If you can, water your garden deeply (at least an inch) every second day but water your pots every day.
Now that you have your garden growing you are going to notice that Mother Nature seems to have it out for you. You may be finding earwigs, slugs, hungry green worms, cucumber beetles, chipmunks, squirrels, groundhogs, and raccoons. In the words of the eminent philosopher Douglas Adams (he wrote The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), Don’t Panic!!
Take a deep breath and take stock of your problem. Instead of trying to control Ms. Nature try going along with her. For example, if the rain forms a path near your garden, make a garden along the path and proudly show your friends and family your rain garden! (I will be discussing rain gardens in detail next week). Research your pests and find out all you can about them. You can use this knowledge against them. If you are using the computer for research, please remember that the first entries of a response to your question are the most popular not necessarily the most correct. Be sure your source of information is a university site or reputable site that will give you credible scientific information. You will also receive amazing home remedy advice that you should research before accepting. Use your powers of observation to decide what works for you.
It is midmorning and you are puttering about in your garden and you lift a pot only to see all sorts of earwigs scatter in all directions. You might have an earwig problem. Doing your research, you will find that earwigs do have a place in our garden. They are garbage eaters and are important in the way that they keep your garden clean. Too many earwigs mean that they move onto your plants and cause a lot of damage. Earwigs like to crawl into cool dark places after a night of partying in your garden. Find where they are eating and put down a section of garden hose or rolled damp newspaper. The earwigs will crawl into the hose or newspaper after feeding and you come out in the morning with your bucket of soapy water and tap the hose or newspaper into it. I find that within a week the earwigs are no longer an issue. They will always be there but not in significant numbers.
As yucky as it sounds the best way to remove larger pests like Japanese beetles is to handpick them and drop them into soapy water. In the case of those nasty red lily beetles as well as slugs they should be dropped into salt to guarantee an end to them.
Remember that you are not alone in this ongoing battle. Everyone is dealing with something. Keep up the research and observation and learn to live with your environment.
Have a great week!
Judith (email: lapisdragonarts@gmail.com
Plants from the Dark Side
Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegopodium_podagraria
Many years ago, I started working as a gardener. My workload increased overtime and I had less time for my own garden. I would pick up plants here and there and take extras home. I didn’t realize that I brought home green goutweed and by the time I did it was too late. I have been battling this invasive plant ever since. The variegated variety is a little easier to deal with as it is more visible and does not spread as vigorously. The green one that I have slinks around under perennials and spreads its roots everywhere.
Goutweed was originally introduced to North America as an easy-care groundcover, thriving in shade, partial shade, and full sun. It will also grow in a range of soils but spreads quickest in cultivated garden soil. In terms of survival skills, goutweed is the cockroach of the botanical world. It produces a web of underground rhizomes from which each leafstalk emerges. The leaves are comprised of three groups of three leaflets and can be green or variegated. https://savvygardening.com/goutweed/
Unfortunately, you can still buy goutweed as a groundcover but in several states in the United States it is prohibited. Once these aggressive plants are introduced, they are close to impossible to remove. To totally remove goutweed, you need to dig down at least a foot to get all the roots and carefully sift the soil before returning it. Do not compost goutweed as it can grow easily in and around your composting area. I put it in the green bin or in black garbage bags that will sit in the sun for a long time. On Wednesday, a friend of mine came by to help me weed out the goutweed. We took out a lot of it and tossed it onto the driveway. It was quite satisfying to drive over it with the car.
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