Silverspot on iris

On Saturday, 30 March, 13 nature lovers from all over the Greater Houston Area converged in The Woodlands to run the twelfth annual Conroe Butterfly Count. Over seven hours later, we again rendezvoused at Alfonso's Mexican Restaurant in Conroe to compare notes - altogether, we saw 48 species, including a late male Falcate Orangetip, six species of Swallowtails, a major outbreak of Silvery Checkerspots, and the highest numbers of Carolina and Little Wood-Satyrs since the record drought of two years ago. 

Palamedes on thistle

Count Coordinator David Henderson wishes to thank all that participated in this event, as well as the people who opened their lands to us: The Texas Forest Service, Nature's Way Resources, the Proudfits, the Magdalenes, YMCA Camp Owen, Bayou Land Conservancy, and The Montgomery County Extension

Service.  We truly could not have done this without your assistance!

 

Silvery Checkerspots on scat

 

 

 Species seen on this count include:

Dainty Sulphur, Gray Hairstreak, Red-banded Hairstreak, Dusky-blue Groundstreak,

Henry's Elfin, American Snout, Gulf Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Silvery Checkerspot, Phaon Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Question Mark, American Lady, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Common Buckeye, Goatweed Leafwing, Gemmed Satyr, Carolina Satyr, Little Wood-Satyr, Monarch, Silver-spotted Skipper, White-striped Longtail, Northern Cloudywing, Juvenal's Duskywing, Horace's Duskywing, Funereal Duskywing, Common/White Checkered-Skipper, Tropical Checkered-Skipper, Clouded Skipper, Southern Skipperling, Fiery Skipper, Whirlabout, Little Glassywing, Sachem, Dun Skipper, Eufala Skipper

                             MULCH CORNER 

In the last issue we started exploring the reasons Brenda's plants died when using cheap mulch.  This week we are going to look at a few more issues.

Tip 1: If mulch is piled too deep or if its texture is too fine (i.e. ground pine bark, ground hardwood bark or sawdust) it will easily become compacted preventing the soil from breathing. When this occurs the soil becomes oxygen depleted causing roots and beneficial microorganisms to die. This leads to increased plant stress which we sometimes see as insect and disease problems. Studies at Cornell University have found that soil oxygen depletion under coarse ground wood chips (not bark) is minimal, even when piled as deep as 10-18 inches. Note: Aeration is a function of particle size; coarse ground mulches will breathe better than fine ground mulches and will also allow water to soak into the soil more easily.

Tip 2: Fungal activity is the sign that nature is hard at work releasing the nutrients and energy stored in the mulch, which is required for good plant health. If the appearance of the fungus bothers you, the visible appearance can often be eliminated by raking the mulch layer, blasting it with the water from the garden hose, or both.

However, if there is a lot of raw or fresh wood (high C:N ratio) in the mulch, the fungus can form a hard barrier that is difficult for water and air to penetrate. This is common in cheap mulches like those produced after Hurricane Ike.

Tip 3: Odors are warning signs of low quality and potentially dangerous mulches and composts.

1) Anaerobic organic acids that have a strong odor from putrefying organic matter. The odor varies depending on feedstock or material and what is going on, however they are all very bad.  These type organic acids form under conditions without oxygen (fermentation) which also produce alcohols.  Plant roots are very sensitive to alcohols as little as 1 ppm will kill most plant roots.

Acetic acid    - vinegar smell, loss of N2 and P, alcohols present

Butyric acid - sour milk smell, alcohols present

Valeric acid  - vomit smell, alcohols present

Putrescine    - rotting meat smell, alcohols present

2) Ammonia - implies an immature mulch or compost (phytotoxic) and a loss of nitrogen

3) Rotten egg (H2S) - implies an immature mulch or compost (phytotoxic) and a loss of sulfur

4) Color: Is often an indicator of potential problems with mulch or compost and other organic materials. A black color does not occur naturally in mulches or compost under good conditions, only a deep chocolate brown. However, many people believe black is good and some unscrupulous vendors like to take advantage of this idea.

Black organic materials in nature occur when materials decompose under anaerobic conditions (without oxygen). These conditions favor disease and other pathogens and use a different set of microbes to decompose the material. As a result pure "black" compost or mulch does not have good fertility, indicates anaerobic decomposition, pathogens and other problems. The sulfur is gone (out gassed as H2S), nitrogen is gone (NH3) or in wrong form, and alcohols are usually present. Good composted mulch is a deep chocolate brown when dry.

Industrial wastes are often used to blacken products for marketing purposes. For example, some companies ground up old railroad ties to help darken material

(Illegal in some states).

Smelter wastes are sometimes used as feedstock to blacken products. Copper sulfate (CuSO4) or other sulfur compounds may be present. As they breakdown elemental sulfur (S) may be produced which is a natural fungicide that kills the beneficial fungus that helps plants grow and prevents disease.

Boiler ash (bottom ash) is another industrial waste product used to color or blacken products. Boiler ash tends to be high in salts and extremely alkaline. The alkalinity is so strong that it will chemically burn raw wood black in a couple days. The black mulches produced tend to be very alkaline with high salt, with very high carbon to nitrogen ratios. Some ashes may contain large amounts of heavy metals that contaminate the mulch exceeding federal regulatory levels for safety. These mulch products will often turn a bleached grayish color in a few weeks after exposure to sunlight. These type products are very common in many areas.

Gardeners need to be careful as there are often more bad products than good, as most vendors just want your money and do not care if you get hurt or have bad results. As the old gardening proverb states:

I have no quarrel with a man whom has a lower price, whom better knows what his product is really worth.

Or in other words, one gets what they pay for.

APRIL

This month, you really should . . .

* Move orchids outside in shady spots. Use in baskets, or hang from fences, limbs or walls.

* If necessary, prune spring-blooming shrubs, such as azaleas, quince, wisteria, forsythia

and climbing roses after flowers fade. Don't plant wisteria near trees!

* Keep grafted roses well watered, but make sure none of your water runs off into the sewers.

(Fertilizers & other lawn chemicals are damaging our bayous & Galveston Bay).

* Feed all container plants. Feed hibiscus with hibiscus food or a low phosphorus fertilizer.

* Plant caladiums in slightly acidic soil with good drainage.

* Plant new shrubs before it gets any hotter and keep newly set-out plants well watered.

* Cut flowers to extend blooming season.

* Pinch tips from coleus, copper plants to make them bushier.

If the spirit moves . . .

* Fertilize azaleas, magnolias, hydrangeas, irises with azalea food.

* Plant Easter lily bulbs in the garden after they finish blooming inside.

* Consider ornamental grasses in among your flowers. These add eye-interest by providing

varied leaf textures and shapes. Nurseries carry many new varieties now.

* Water, mow often to make St. Augustine fill in dead areas more quickly.

* Plant bush beans, cantaloupe, cucumbers, eggplants (plants), peas, peppers, pumpkins,

squash, watermelon. Put in large, well-established tomatoes so they bear fruit quickly.

* Seed bare sunny areas with fast growers such as cosmos, tithonia and other sunflowers.

* In the water garden, fertilize hardy lilies after they start to grow. If they aren't blooming

as well as they used to, they may need dividing and repotting.

If you're really feeling energetic . . .

* Start an herb garden with basil, chamomile, mints, thyme, sage. Plant basil and chives

around plants susceptible to whitefly. Plant squash on small hills to discourage problems.

* For larger caladium leaves, remove the largest "eye" or bud.

* Give tomatoes a light feeding of nitrogen when fruits are golf-ball size.

* Mulch tomatoes, peppers, eggplants. Newspaper under mulch slows weeds.

* Try shredded sandpaper, crushed egg shells and/or seaweed at base of plants

to discourage snails/slugs. (Better yet, get rid of plants eaten by snails/slugs.)

* Check with County Extension Agents about pecan grafting workshops this month.

Great Don't-Do tips for really Lazy Gardeners

* Don't panic over silky white webs on tree trunks. Bark lice - good bugs at work!

* Don't treat for problems before you see actual damage. (See Insect Removal, Page 29).

* Don't seed bluebonnets or most other wildflowers now. Put in plants. Plant seeds in fall.

* Don't remove spent foliage from amaryllis, daffodils, irises, lilies. Let it die naturally.

* Don't overfertilize. Leaf spots, dark areas on older plants may result.

* Don't overwater. Leaf drop can result. (Also is a sign of underwatering!)

* Don't plant larkspur, hollyhocks, stocks, delphiniums or snapdragons now. It's too hot.

The monthly gardening activities information above was excerpted from "The LAZY GARDENER'S GUIDE." See below to find out how to get the complete guide: