ARGH!

They are back. Again. The Rose Chafers.

Here they are, devouring the buds on my ninebark. I mixed up a batch of pyrethrin-based insecticide and attacked. They were skeletonizing all the leaves on the hawthorns, and were rampant on the dogwoods, chokecherries, and other ninebarks. There were some on the grapes and hops. They were on the alpine current. The viburnums are both dead this year, so they are leaving them alone.

I sprayed. Went out a couple hours later, and sprayed again. The next day, I sprayed again, and filled a jar with soapy water and flicked the breeding SOBs into it to meet a watery death.

But they just kept coming.

I finally bit the bullet and bought a bottle of Sevin, a toxic insecticide. Swore I'd never use the stuff, but I've reached the end of my rope with these guys.

Too late.

I went out after the rain and sprayed everything. And then it rained again. I haven't been out since. The sun is out this afternoon - perhaps I'll check again when I get home.

Meanwhile, there's not a flower or bud left on any of the ninebarks. :(

Potato Musings

Hm...after writing a detailed blog for the Adirondack Almanack about Colorado Potato Beetles, and having sprayed mine prior to the article, I was convinced that the spraying I did (using an "organic" insecticide) had been futile. Still, I haven't seen any CPB on my potatoes since. Hm.

Now, I will admit that I haven't scoured them for evidence. We've had rainy weather or hot and humid weather, or I've been rushing off to other engagements and haven't had time to really spend in the garden. Still, casual glances at the plants have not yielded any adults, or eggs (although the latter will be hiding under the leafs if they are there). And now the potatoes I planted have sent up leaves, so I really need to survey the crop and see what sort of infestation I can find.

Meanwhile, the rose cafers are back. >sigh< Encouraged by the potential benefit to my potatoes, I filled up the sprayer and hit the hops, viburnum, grapes, and current with the insecticide...and it rained within the hour. The buggers are back and breeding everywhere! The horticulture folks will say that these insects eat the white flowers, and while that is true (I lose the flowers every year on the viburnum), they also wreak havoc on the leaves of everything else!!! Picking them off is an endless task.

But not all news from the garden is bad. My peas are doing great - over a foot tall now and growing. And greens are coming up. Oh, and my beets have put in an appearance - a first for them. Carrots are up but Spartan. I need to transplant them, spreading the clumps out to fill up "holes."

Pumpkins and squash are also doing well so far, and the sunflowers, marigolds, cosmos, and herbs have started to sprout as well.

Waiting to go from seed to produce can be difficult. While we wait, we weed. Some weeds just don't get the hint.

Now, if only I could figure out the sour soil! I mentioned it a year or so ago, but still have no answer.