Catocala briseis (briseis underwing moth)
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Catocala briseis Family: Erebidae Type: Pest |
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Life cycle: Generations per year: one
Larva is mostly smooth skinned, grey and tan in colour with small orange-red subdorsal spots, an orange-red and black patch in the middle of the back, and a ventral fringe of whisker-like hairs below the lateral line.
Special Notes: This moth species is very similar to Catocala californica (western underwing moth) so are difficult to differentiate, particularly as they can both be found in the Pacific Northwest. Some scientists believe they represent ecotypes of the same species.
Remedial Actions: None needed with this underwing species. Not generally considered to be too much of a pest as far as I can tell from my research. However, some species of the gardener’s nemesis, the cutworm, are underwing moths in their adult form.
Posted on January 10, 2018 |
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Lettuce ‘Royal Red’
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Lactuca sativa ‘Royal Red’ Family: Asteraceae (lak-TOO-kah saw-TEE-vah) Type: loose-leaf |
| Description: A loose-leaf-type with thick, wavy, crumpled leaves tipped generously in red.
Special Notes: Discovered in a field of ‘Prizehead’ lettuces in the 1980s. A cool season lettuce, best sown in early spring and/or late summer. Easy to grow. Leaves have excellent texture and a sweet taste.
How to grow: Start seeds indoors under grow lights in early March. Direct seed outdoors when soil temperature reaches a minimum of 1.7 °C (35 °F). Optimum soil temperature for lettuce seed germination is 10 – 21 °C (50 – 70 °F). Amend soil with compost and a complete organic fertilizer before planting. Sow seed at a depth of a quarter to half-inch (6 – 12 mm) in rows 18 – 24 in (45 – 60 cm) apart. Thin seedlings to a spacing of 8 – 10 inches (20 – 25 cm). For a continuous supply of lettuce throughout the season, sow a few seeds every 2 – 3 weeks. Cover early and late sowings with a poly tunnel or row cover to protect lettuces from frost. Ready to harvest in about 50 – 55 days from transplanting. Add an additional 7 – 10 days for harvesting when direct seeding in optimum soil temperatures.
In our Zone 7a garden: I grew this lettuce variety for the first time in 2017. We had a late jump on the growing season in spring due to unusual cold temperatures and lots of snow in February, followed by above average rainfall through March and April and a late frost date of April 3rd. Weather in May and June was atypical, as well. Consequently, my ‘Royal Red’ spring transplants into the garden struggled a bit, then languished when the summer heat ramped up. However, my August-sown seedlings which were transplanted into the garden in late September have done okay outside under row cover…even in minus degree Celsius temperatures and under snow. Lesson learned: Transplant fall seedlings outside earlier…absolutely no later than the second week in September…to better establish before fall weather of lower temperatures and long, dark rain days arrives.
Posted on January 3, 2018
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Kale ‘Scarlet Curled’
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Brassica oleracea var. acephala ‘Scarlet Curled’ (BRASS-ih-kah oh-ley-AY-see-ah variety ah-SEF-ah-lah) Family: Brassicaceae Common name: scarlet kale, curly scarlet kale |
| Description: An open pollinated, tall, ultra-hardy plant with large, frilly leaves. New leaves are blue-green in colour, maturing to a vibrant deep purple-red. Biennial.
Special Notes: This is a relatively new variety from the UK. As with other kales, ‘Scarlet Curled’ is full of healthy nutrients and anti-cancer properties. But do not limit this one to the vegetable garden! The gorgeous frilled leaves on this cultivar add a delightful splash of sensuous red tones to the ornamental garden. Just be sure to place it where you can still easily harvest a few leaves for the morning smoothie or dinner salad.
How to Grow: Kale prefer humus-rich soil, although they are decently tolerant of almost any soil conditions. Soil acidity is another matter…preferring a pH of 6.5 – 6.8. Targeting this range will greatly benefit the plant’s abilities to draw up necessary nutrients from the soil. Here in the Pacific Northwest, timing for direct seeding kale in the garden is early March…so as soon as you can work in the garden, work lime into the designated spot in the vegetable garden where kale will be sowed or transplanted. This should be done 2 – 3 weeks prior to seeding. Soil temperature range for kale seed germination is 10 – 30 °C (50 – 85 °F), but they have been known to germinate at low soil temperatures of 5 °C (41 °F). At the other end of the scale, being a cool season crop, seed germination is very poor at temperatures nearing 35 °C (95 °F). If you are itching to get growing before March, you can start kale seed indoors under grow lights. I typically start a few kale varieties around mid-February to transplant out in mid- to late March. Direct sow seeds about a half inch (1.25 cm) deep and space 8 inches (20 cm). Rows should be 24 inches (60 cm) apart. Thin seedlings to a spacing of 18 inches (45 cm). It is possible to transplant the thinned seedlings, if you want lots of kale. This is best done when the plants are at least 8 inches (20 cm) tall and have three or four leaves. Bury the seedlings a little deeper than what they were initially. It won’t hurt the plants. To harvest, pick 2 – 3 lower leaves from each plant. Do not cut the developing bud in the centre of the plant or you will stop its growth. For a fall and winter crop of kale, sow seeds in pots or starter trays in mid-July to early August. Sowing in pots or trays allows you to keep the seeds out of the hot sun of high summer. Transplant seedlings into the garden or cool frames when they are tall enough. Be sure to water young seedlings regularly in dry weather. Cover or mulch heavily when fall temperatures threaten to dip to freezing range. This will ensure a harvest of leaves through the winter months.
The cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae, can also be a real pest. Keep a close watch for these as you do not want them to get a foothold on your plants. Because of their incredible reproduction capabilities, one cabbage aphid can produce up to 41 generations in a single season…depending on how long your growing season is. If you see any, hit them with a strong jet of water from the hose to knock them off. Or you can use a soap spray of 1 – 2 teaspoons (5 – 10 ml) dish soap diluted in 4 cups (1 litre) of water. Whichever method you use, be sure to repeat the treatment every 7 days to catch the ones you missed and any new ones which have been born in the meantime.
In our Zone 7a garden: We grew ‘Scarlet Curled’ for the first time this year and were very pleased with its performance, overall health, and taste. However, the jury is still out on its winter-hardy capabilities. Early indications are favourable, though. Two nights of -8.0 °C and -8.5 °C temperatures only caused the leaves to droop very slightly…and lasted only until the temps climbed back to -5 °C and above. In the kitchen, we really enjoyed the addition of deep-red ‘Scarlet Curled’ leaves to our kale salad. Combined with the dark grey-green leaves of ‘Lacinato’, the blue-green of ‘Dwarf Blue Scotch Curled’, the bright green of ‘Scotch Curled’, and blue-red of ‘Red Russian’ definitely brought the salad to life.
Posted on November 19, 2017
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Pieris rapae (small white cabbage butterfly)
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Pieris rapae Family: Pieridae (PEE-err-iss RAY-pee) Common name(s): small cabbage white butterfly; small white; imported cabbageworm; cabbage white; small cabbage white Adult size: wingspan: 1.5 – 2.5 in (3.8-6.5 cm) |
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Life cycle:
Early adults emerging from diapaused pupae in early spring in the Pacific Northwest region are typically a little smaller in size with fewer black markings on the upper wings but with an additional edging of black on the underside at the base of the hindwing. Each female produces 300-400 eggs in their life span. The egg is 0.04 inches (1.0 mm) long and 0.02 inches (0.5 mm) wide. Laid on end, singly, on the underside of leaves of host plants, the bullet-shaped egg is pale white in colour initially, turning yellowish. Ridges running the length of the egg are visible.
The chrysalis varies in colour…yellow, green, grey, speckled brown…and is roughly 0.7 – 0.8 inches (1.8-2.0 cm) long. Angled, keel-like ridges are prominently visible. In summer generations, pupation lasts about 11 days. As the chrysalis is the overwintering stage of this insect, the numbers of pupae entering diapause increases as autumn progresses. In the Pacific Northwest, small white cabbage butterflies are active from early spring through until temperatures dip below 0 °C (32 °F), typically sometime in October or early November.
Special Notes: Originally native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, this insect has now become well-established throughout much of the temperate regions in the world. It was accidentally introduced in the Montreal area of Canada in the 1860s. From there, it gradually spread throughout North America…although it is scarce or non-existent in semi-desert and desert regions. Nowadays it is classified as an important pest species. Its life cycle and duration of all stages is governed by temperature. Whereas there are only two or three generations per year in Canada, there are three in the New England area of eastern United States, three to five in California, six to eight generations in the southern states with the exception of Florida where this pest is active year-round.
Remedial Actions: The small cabbage white has several natural predators including ambush bugs, shield bugs, predatory wasps and flies, as well as insect-eating birds. There are also various naturally occurring fungal and virus diseases which are detrimental to this pest, including glanulosis disease (GV)…a disease which acts quickly, inducing diarrhea in insect larvae and typically leading to a mortality rate of over 90%.
Female small white cabbage butterflies appear to avoid laying their eggs on all red cabbage varieties…although it is has been proven larval survival is indeed favoured by red cabbage. Covering vegetable varieties which suffer cabbageworm damage with row covers is effective in preventing egg-laying.
List of host plants: In the Cruciferae family:
In the Capparidaceae family:
In the Tropaeolaceae family:
In the Resedaceae family:
Posted on November 8, 2017
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Aphis sambuci (elder aphid)
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Aphis sambuci Family: Aphididae
Common name: elder aphid Type: Pest |
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Life cycle: Generations per year: multiple; generation length 20-40 days
In northern climates, towards the end of the season, the stem mothers produce both male and female offspring. This is timed to dropping temperatures and lowering light levels as the season winds down. After mating, the females lay their eggs on the root collars and roots of the alternate host plants, Rumex and Silene, where the eggs will overwinter. (In warmer climates, there is typically no egg in the aphid life cycle. The stem females reproduce continuously throughout the year.)
Special Notes: Aphids can be found worldwide with the heaviest concentrations found in the temperate climate zones. It is generally thought aphids have been on the planet for roughly 280 million years, placing them in the early Permian period. The oldest aphid fossil was several ten years ago in China…an almost complete insect, minus part of the antennae and part of its legs. It has been determined to be a completely new species of aphid and named Dracaphis angustata. The aphid fossil was dated and found to have actually lived during the Middle Triassic Age…following the Permian period. To explain some of the body parts on the aphid…the cornicles, or siphunculi, those slightly elevated, slender protrusions on the back of an aphid, are defensive apparatuses which will exude a fluid that hardens when it comes in contact with air as a deterrent to predators. The substance is also thought to contain alarm pheromones. The shorter cauda tube, located above the anal opening, serves to collect the honeydew excreted from the anus and hold it raised so it does not foul the body.
Remedial action: There are several predator insects which hunt aphids…lady beetles, ant-lions (green lacewing larvae), yellow jackets, European paper wasps, and others. Organically…usually a strong jet of water from the hose, repeated every few days, will dislodge these pests. If possible, and if there are no beneficial insects feasting on the aphids, grasping the affected area of branch between two fingers and sliding them up the branch will squish many of the offenders. Same goes for rubbing fingers over infested leaves. Another plan of attack is to hit the aphids with a soapy water solution…2 teaspoons (10 ml) of dish soap into 4 cups (1 L) of water, but first check to see if there are any beneficial insects present before you start spraying. Concentrated, repeat forays against this pest are required in order to eradicate them. With the fast turnaround in their reproduction cycle, their numbers can get out of hand very quickly.
Posted on October 16, 2017 |
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