March 28, 2007
Carpenter Bees Buzzing
You know it’s spring at my house. Everything is coated with yellow green pollen and the carpenter bees are buzzing around my redwood siding and brick house.
I’ve managed to convince my daughter that they generally won’t bother her, and the dog seems fixated on trying to catch them.
Dr. Xing Ping Hu, an entomologist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, says the males do not have stingers and the females usually only sting if they are handled.
The males are more obvious to people as they hover and dart. They have a white spot on their face and will confront people and animals who enter their territory.
Hu says these bees are becoming important pollinators as wild honeybee populations decline. She says that as the bees forage for nectar and pollen in our gardens they are pollinating the flowers and vegetables.
Most people including my husband don’t like carpenter bees because the females bore tunnels into wood. They seem to really like our redwood siding, but Hu tells me the bees find bare, unpainted or weathered softwood all very attractive. 
Common control methods are injecting an insecticide into the tunnels or puffing dust insecticides into holes. Using an applicator like a hand duster can help ensure the products gets deeper into the tunnel.
You can get more information on controlling carpenters in this Alabama Cooperative Extension System publication.
March 21, 2007
Spring Cleaning Continues
Spring cleaning is continuing at my house—more specifically in my garden. I’ve pruned my rose bushes and applied the first fertilizer of the season. I also took the time to rake out all of the old mulch around my roses.
Black spot is a common fungal disease that can affect roses across the state. Sanitation is the first step in controlling black spot. Leaves that appear to be infected should be removed and disposed of properly throughout the year. You should do this throughout the growing season. But since the fungus overwinters on diseased leaves and canes, you should intensify your efforts near the end of the growing season.
You may need to prune canes severely in the spring prior to new growth. In addition, remove and replace mulch beneath diseased plants.
The Extension System has an excellent rose publication. It recommends a dormant spray of liquid lime-sulfur at the time of leaf emergence. The best results will be obtained if the plants and ground are sprayed after the old mulch is removed and before fresh mulch is applied.
Good control of black spot can be achieved with a regular fungicide spray program. I have learned that I do not really have the time to devote to a spray regimen.
Dr. Raymond Kessler and I talked recently about roses. After visiting with him, I have decided that installing more disease resistant plants are a better choice for my garden.
You can hear Dr. Kessler on Backyard Wisdom in early April discussing both rose selections and how to care for them.
March 08, 2007
Park the Power Equipment
Like many fellow gardeners, I am busy planning new flower beds at my home in Auburn. My husband just expanded a parking area near our house, and it sticks out like a sore thumb. A new flower bed wrapping two sides of the parking pad will help it blend into our existing landscape.
But to establish a new flower bed, I will have to remove some turf grass. Because it is not enough to warrant renting a turf cutter, I’ll be doing it the old fashioned way with a straight-edged garden spade.
After the turf is removed, I will still have to break up the soil. In the past, I might have convinced my husband to pull out our tiller and go at it.
I talked recently with Dr. Charlie Mitchell, an Extension soil scientist, about tilling. He told me that tillers and tractors can actually increase soil compaction. He and some of the state’s Master Gardeners did research several years ago on how common garden tillage practices affected soil compaction.
Dr. Mitchell tells me the best option is a garden tillage technique called double digging. It involves digging a trench the depth of a garden shovel along the length of the row. Another shovel depth is dug into the subsoil, and this is then flipped. The topsoil is placed back over the trench, and the crop is planted over the double-dug row. Gardeners who use this method get good exercise because the process is labor intensive.
After my visit with Dr. Mitchell, I think I will give double digging a try in this new flower bed.
Be sure to tune in to Backyard Wisdom at 2 p.m. Saturday on Troy Public Radio to hear more about tillage.
Other Links:
Good Explanation of Double Digging with Photos and Illustrations