Noxious or innocuous?
sandy (z5b nys)
4 years ago
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Comments (16)
dbarron
4 years agomacranthos
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Biological pest control - thoughts?
Comments (13)Well hey, I am not espousing chemicals either, but I am profoundly uncomfortable with the continual movement of non-native bacteria and fungi into an ecosystem which has not been able to adapt at speed of global travel. And yes, we are paying the price for the untrammeled movements of organic materials across oceans. Regarding plant species, we have witnessed the dying of bluebell woods as the more vigorous Spanish bluebell out-competes and hybridises with our native bluebells. RRD from eriophyid mites have arrived from Asia (along with citris longhorn beetle and a host of other problematic life-forms) during my lifetime....and there is no cure on the immediate horizon. For some, who must have variety and novelty, I guess this is seemingly a price worth paying....and for sure, we cannot turn the clock back to a simpler time when we grew natives, wild flowers and local foodplants....and nor would I wish to do so. I do, however, wish for a wider research base, with a more rounded agenda and a bit more of an attempt to understand the dynamic interconnectedness of life. The theory that Japanese knotweed beetles will simply die when they have eaten all the host plant is rubbish - the beetles are being introduced because the current chemical treatment costs massive amounts of money (Japanese knotweed being, in turn, an introduced species with no natural predator). See how the cycle turns?- with no natural predators to act as a counterbalance, we really have no idea what effect this will have upon our finely nuanced eco-system. Moreover, others are not happy with having these things foisted upon them (such as our groundwater being poisoned) - I just hope that the greater awareness we now have regarding how we operate in a shared world will encompass a more rounded and holistic view where a short term profit is not developed at the long-term expense of balance. Hopefully, the brouhaha about chemicals will also spread so we question short-term fixes because we really do not fully understand the workings of the natural world.... Writing this from the fens where a tradition of intensive agriculture and monocropping is turning the most fertile alluvial soils in the UK into a dustbowl reminiscent of Oklahoma in the 1930s. Yep, I am gloomy and somewhat despairing....See MoreHelp! Chameleon plants gone wild!
Comments (118)O for heavens sake - I have removed loads of this (and Japanese Knotweed, goutweed, trumpet vine and other supposedly immortal plants). Round up definitely does work but I would suggest an awful lot of posters on this thread are not reading the instructions. Multiple sprayings over a few weeks, spraying roots, spraying tiny bits of foliage...and so on. Round up is completely effective when used correctly, at the right time, when foliage cover is at peak growth...which is late spring or autumn. The exceptions usually involve plants with a lot of silicone which will require the cell walls to be ruptured (by crushing) or a direct dosage into the plant capillary system (usually done with knotweed or giant hogweeds). Personally, I find the autumn spray to be more effective as the plant has the maximum amount of foliage and is at the pivot point where top growth/root growth balance is tipping back towards the roots, where we want the glyphosate to do it's nefarious work. It takes up to 6 weeks before the effects of Round Up can even be seen so multiple sprayings is overkill. Using Round Up at incorrect dosages is also a waste - using a stronger mix is no guarantee of eventual success. For a really bad infestation, 2 sprays, one in spring and a later one when there is sufficient regrowth (which is towards the end of summer) will kill 995 of houtynnia. Further vigilance the following season, with careful hand weeding, will finish the problem. Finally, in the annals of pesticides and chemical use, Round Up is comparatively innocuous, compared to the bad old days of sodium chlorate, DDT and so on. Whilst daily use is obviously undesirable, a timed and targeted spray is not tantamount to the ninth circle of hell...whereas untreated infestations of invasives is a whole lot worse....See MoreClematis in a Container?
Comments (30)Crystal ~ I thought to post this *OverWintering* album to show as well as ask in this Clems Forum, if my efforts w/ Hydrangeas (in my zone) would be sufficient for Clems in containers left outdoors. These pics demonstrates part of the step by step I do to protect old canes. Since Clems are pruned down it would not be as meticulous as protecting Hydras. My front faces NW & get blizzard/damaging winds wrapping around the back so I decided to wrap landscaping (black) fabric around the cages to help cut damages. Snow is a great insulator but we don't always get enough. The Nikko w/ a rose-cone-hat is a tall shrub & I needed to cover the bundled top. The black portion you see at the bottom in just the same landscape fab wrapped around the cage. As mnwsgal posted, she uses the dry leaves-filled bags & is sufficient in her z 4. It works very well for me as well. I've also used thick cardboard boxes filled w/ leaves turned upside-down held down w/ bricks on top (rose cone style). In your z 3 added bubble-wrap around the container might help. Let's wait for others' comments. I'm adding a few more Clems & Roses in Spring but have to keep them in containers over this Winter & am trying to learn as well, how to protect them. Thanks for viewing the album!...See MoreA possum here, a possum there, possums everywhere
Comments (153)Terryr, why are you saying it? Obviously, you don't know anything about opossums. I'm sure they were dead. There is no way an opossum will "play dead" for 24 hours. A 6" baby wouldn't even know how to play dead. They don't know who or what to be afraid of. I have seen many adult opossums playing dead after they had been confronted by my dog. They will come back to life within hour and even in the presence of a human (but not a dog!!!) . Chilled babies can look dead, but you can bring them back to life if you place them in warm water,with the head up (if it's not to late and they are still alive). After 24 hours the body will become "stiff" and a little hard if it's dead. If it's soft and floppy, it could be alive. Also, a dead animal will be cold to the touch. Less than a 7" baby should be with it's mother. Without the mother they will die quickly from dehydration and from exposure (even in warm weather - they can't control there body heat at this point.) Mother-opossum's will not return for lost babies, even if she is alive. So leaving 6" babies where they were would not be a good idea. Please, check the link bellow....See Moreperen.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
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4 years agolast modified: 4 years agosandy (z5b nys)
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4 years agosandy (z5b nys)
4 years ago
Jay 6a Chicago