Homemade Insecticidal Soap

Speaking of treating whiteflies, I saved this "recipe" several years ago. It was provided by a Duval County, FL Master Gardener and published in my local paper. Not only does it save you money, it is an environmentally friendly option to harsh chemicals.

Homemade Insecticidal Soap

• 2 tablespoons concentrated dish detergent
• 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 gallon of water

Combine all ingredients and pour into spray bottle. Spray all parts of the plant, including the underside of leaves. Repeat in 5 to 7 days, then as necessary.

Do not use soap sprays on gardenias or shrubs with sensitive leaves. If in doubt, spray a small area and check back in three to four days for damage to the leaves.

What is that white stuff growing on my___________?

Just fill in the blank. This past weekend was my weekend for "white stuff" (of the plant kind).

Did it just appear overnight - or I have I been paying so little attention? I was working in my yard on Saturday. First I noticed it on my Firebush, then my firecracker plant, and then on my boxwood; then there was that stuff growing on my hibiscus and something else on my crepe myrtle. I have encountered these friends before but I thought I had discouraged them from visiting again. I suppose they were just hibernating all winter and waiting for the opportunity to come out of hiding as the days get warmer.

I always try my best to make an educated guess in identifying plant problems, although there are many with similar characteristics and symptoms

I am quite sure that the stuff' on my fire bush, firecracker and boxwood is all from the same family. It looks like someone took a cotton ball, pulled away some of the cotton, wet it and glued it onto the woody part of the plants. At first, it looks like a fungus of some kind. If you poke at it with a twig, you will see a little white alien looking creature start crawling away. My best educated guess tells me this is a planthopper. Technically, they are suppose to hop away, but mine just crawled. Surprisingly, they are not too harmful to your plants. You can blast them away with a water hose. I usually try to cut away the parts that are heavily infected. I think it makes me feel better, just in case I misdiagnosed.

The creatures that invaded my hibiscus are a different story. My plant has something on the backside of the leaves that looks like thin wispy sections of that white polyester fiber used to stuff pillow cushions. A closer inspection reveals a white spiral pattern which are eggs. When I shake the plant, "white flies" fly away. This is (appropriately name) the giant white fly. They damage plants by sucking the sap and leaving behind a sticky liquid that can promote black sooty mold. Again, I cut away the infected branches. I plan to watch it and if necessary treat it with an all purpose insecticide. A more gentle treatment is to wash it away with a heavy stream of water and/or treat it with an insecticidal soap.

The white stuff growing on my crape myrtle is not from an insect, but from a fungus. It is powdery mildew and is quite common on some varieties of crape myrtle. Patches of white to grayish powdery growth occur on the surfaces of leaves, flowers and new shoots. Infected parts of the plant are usually distorted and stunted. This fungus thrives in high humidity and mild daytime conditions. It seems I aways see this late spring or early summer. My standard treatment is the same as with other fungi and insects. I cut away the infected branches and try to avoid using chemicals unless absolutely necessary.

Chinch Bugs

It's funny. It's the same questions and same advise year after year. I read countless articles where people are looking for help to care for their lawns and to spot potential problems. Year after year, I take notes so I too can be prepared.

A few years ago, I obviously had a problem with my lawn in my front yard (the part that the Home Owner's Association, aka HOA, inspects). Was it a fungus? Was it chinch bugs? How was I to know for sure?

I tried the old coffee-can and soapy water trick (if you don' know what I am talking about, see http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/lh036). I didn't see anything float to the top of the suds, except for a few roaches and beetles. I concluded, my problem must be fungus related - so I treated it appropriately. A few weeks later, I noticed no improvement. Therefore, I concluded that my first conclusion was incorrect and the problem must really indeed be chinch bugs - and again, treated it appropriately. Time went on and there still were no improvements. By now I had two pretty big sections of brown grass. I knew it was a matter of time before I received the dreaded letter from the HOA.

I got a glass of wine to properly access the situation and think through my options. It is just against my religion to buy sod. I like grass and I think it is attractive. However, with the maintenance it requires, to me it just doesn't provide as much return on my investment as other planting materials. I refilled my glass of wine and got my sketch book and drew out two garden beds that somewhat harmonized with each other and the layout of my front yard. Of course, they also completely covered the chinch bug infested areas of my lawn.

I spent the weekend drawing out my beds with my edger, and then removing what was left of the grass. I bought a few plants and divided some others to get something going to authenticate these 'beds' as areas that were not intended to have grass. As with any gardening project, unless you spend big bucks and buy mature plants, it take some time to become established. It's been several years now. It's coming along quite nicely, although it still on my "five year plan" and has a ways to go before I am completely satisfied.

My letter from the HOA came the following Monday. I was thankful that I had beat them to it!

For anyone looking for a more conventional approach to treating chinch bugs, the link I referenced above has good information.