Moth Orchid Care Notes

/Moth Orchid Care Notes/

Moth Orchid Care Notes

Here are a few care tips for your moth orchid, (Phalaenopsis species): This is a very drought tolerant orchid. Because it's leaves are succulent, it can also tolerate normal household humidity. Moth orchids bloom once or twice a year. In between they'll produce a few new leaves. Don't expect them to bloom continuously. How often are you feeding them? In winter (slow growth time) they don't really need food. If your orchids are potted in bark, once a week thorough watering is good. If they are potted in long grain sphagnum moss, then push your finger into the moss and if it feels dry an inch down, it's time to water. Feed with a slow release or organic fertilizer formulated for blooming container plants and provide bright, indirect light indoors (as you noticed, it is best not to place close to a window during frosty temperatures). Do not allow the plant to sit in water as this may lead to root rot. It is best to water in the sink, flush out any excess salt build-up, allow to drain out completely before setting it back on a saucer.

By | 2016-02-13T17:46:16-08:00 February 13th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
Read More

Bulbophyllum Or Cirrhopetalum

Unfortunately both closely resemble each other and suggest you contact the following sources to see if they can identify for you as well as recommend tips to encourage it to bloom. Also, the SF Flower and Garden Show begins this Wednesday, March 19-Sunday and there are many, many orchid growers located in the marketplace section. Show your photo to one of them to see if they can confirm its identity for you. We apologize for not being able to identify it, but without the flowers, it is a challenge and hope the following contacts will be more helpful.
Orchid Society of California - Home - Bearly Visible Design
bearlyvisible.net/orchidsocietyca/‎
The Orchid Society of California is dedicated to the culture, protection,and ... Center, 666 Bellevue Drive (by Lake Merritt), Oakland, California at 7:30 PM.
Bay Area Orchid Societies - San Francisco Orchid Society
orchidsanfrancisco.org/societies.html‎
BAY AREA ORCHID SOCIETIES. CARMEL ORCHID ... Email: carmelorchidsociety@msn.com. CENTRAL ... 666 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland 4th Wednesday

By | 2016-02-13T15:43:53-08:00 February 13th, 2016|Perennials|0 Comments
Read More

Citrus Issues

It appears that there are a few things going on here: 1 - Your tree is competing with the weedy grass at its base for water and nutrients. We suggest you remove all weeds. 2 - The lack of foliage could be attributed to a number of things. It could be under watering, lack of nutrients or a chewing insect. You might want to review your watering practices. Here is a link that might be helpful: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FRUIT/citrus.html You also might want to invest in a fertilizer formulated especially for Citrus and follow the directions on the label. Here is another link that might be helpful: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FRUIT/ENVIRON/mineraldef.html If you do find any type of insect, remove and destroy them. 2 - You seem to have some leafminer damage on the leaves that are there. Here is a link that might be helpful on that: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74137.htm
Give the tree some time to recover.

By | 2016-02-13T15:08:24-08:00 February 13th, 2016|Fruit Plants & Trees|0 Comments
Read More

Dracaena Problem

We are so sorry your plant is not recovering and we may be the bearer of sad news. The root rot may have been too advanced for any remedy, but was the potting soil a commercial potting soil or cactus potting soil (sterile and well-draining)? It appears quite dense - we hesitate to suggest you re-pot it and add about 20% perlite or vermiiculite to lighten it up because the plant has been so stressed, it might be at a point of no return. Perhaps at this stage, it is best to make sure when watering (about once every 7 days) when the soil feels dry down to the first knuckle that the water drains out without allowing the plant to sit in water (are there saucers under the plants - if so this may have been the problem). Also only feed with a slow-release or organic fertilizer (we mentioned this before) formulated for container plants. Again, the damage may be too extensive, but we are hopeful for you. One final note about transplanting, it needs to be at the same soil level as when it was in its original container.

By | 2016-02-13T14:54:19-08:00 February 13th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
Read More

Slugs Snails Or Chewing Insects

Looks like snails or slugs but could also be caterpillars. Look under the leaves for caterpillars and remove them by hand if you find them (some of them are small and some of them can get quite large). If there are a great many, use a spray or dust labeled to control them. Look for snails and slugs at dawn or dusk and remove them and dispose of them. Also look for slime trails around the plants early in the day to indicate their presence. If you have an area of your garden or landscape that may be harboring snails, we recommend trapping them and/or collecting them from the area every morning until you've eliminated them (or as much as possible). There are also organic snail baits formulated with iron phosphate that are safe around small pets and children. Since snails/slugs lay eggs in soil, we also recommend regular cultivation of the soil with a hoe or claw-type tool around the yard/garden, but avoid damaging plant roots. This link provides great info about managing snail/slugs.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/QT/snailsslugscard.html

By | 2016-02-13T14:17:00-08:00 February 13th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
Read More

Curling Leaves On Hydrangea

There are a few reasons that hydrangea leaves can curl like this - you can think about which one is more likely for your plant, but fungus isn't one of them so you can stop using any fungicide. 1. Most common cause is a sucking insect such as aphids or lacebug feeding under the leaves when the foliage is young. This damages the cells early in the life of the leaf so that as the leaves open they are distorted. Spray underneath of foliage with insecticidal soap if you see tiny insects on the underside of leaves. 2. Herbicide damage. If an herbicide such as weed killer has been applied around the plant or on a lawn surrounding the plant this can cause what you're seeing. Stop using weed killers on gardens and lawns. This includes pre-emergent products as well as broad-leaf weed killers. Water deeply to flush these out of the soil around hydrangeas. 3. Virus - least likely but possible. Usually with a virus you'll also see yellowing of foliage not just the curling. There is no cure for a virus, but as we say, this is the least likely cause.

By | 2016-02-13T12:52:07-08:00 February 13th, 2016|Plant Pests|11 Comments
Read More

Mandevilla Vine

This is a tropical vine that can be used as an annual, but in your area will be a perennial where winters are mild. It grows best in full sun and will produce lots of flowers all summer long. It will die when temperatures go below freezing, but you could bring it indoors and keep it as a houseplant, although it probably won't flower either indoors or until late in the summer next season. These plants need specific hours of daylight in order to come into bloom - they are given this at commercial growers but home owners don't tend to supply the artificial lit "long days" turning into shorter days that bring the plant info flower. So many people who overwinter this are disappointed that although the plant lives and grows well once it's outside again, they don't start to flower until sometime in August. If you want one that's going to bloom all summer, leave it outdoors as long as the weather remains frost-free or treat as an annual and purchase a new plant after danger of frost has passed.

By | 2016-02-13T12:30:43-08:00 February 13th, 2016|Annuals|1 Comment
Read More

Powdery Mildew On Zucchini

It is probably powdery mildew. This fungus is common to squashes especially if the foliage is wet at night. Drier weather will help.Trim off the damaged leaves. There are several organic fungicides that are labeled for powdery mildew including Actinovate, Serenade, sulfur, and Green Cure, or ask at your local garden center. Be sure to spray under the leaves and the stems as well.

The warm days and cool nights of late summer create an ideal climate for spore growth and dispersal.

Powdery mildew can be prevented, and it can be controlled once it appears, but it can't be cured. The key to preventing it is planting mildew-resistant or mildew- tolerant varieties. Resistant varieties get less mildew than susceptible varieties; tolerant varieties may get some mildew, but it shouldn't affect the performance of the plant. Prevention also includes siting plants where they will have good air circulation, and exposing as much leaf surface as possible to direct sunlight, which inhibits spore germination.


By | 2016-02-13T12:26:08-08:00 February 13th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
Read More

Spider Mites

This is possibly being caused by a large population of Spider Mites. They can only be seen with a magnifying lens and suck plant sap and chlorophyll from the leaves, causing the speckled appearance we see on these leaves. You'll want to verify this ID by looking at the link we've included and examining the upper & lower sides of the leaves with a magnifying lens. You may also see some very fine, disorganized, webbing with mites in the web. If you confirm, you can use insecticidal soaps or horticulture oils to control them, but don't over-use these products because you'll probably be killing other beneficial mites that are natural enemies of these mite pests. When many of the predatory/natural enemies are killed, the spider mite pest population can sky rocket and get worse. You can also help keep the population of pest mites down by occasionally washing off the leaves of the affected plants early in the morning (and allowing them to dry throughout the day). Here's a web-link with more info:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/QT/spidermitescard.html

By | 2016-02-13T11:38:01-08:00 February 13th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
Read More

Strawberry Fruit Nubbins

There are several possibilities for the cause of the deformation of your strawberry fruit. In most cases these types of fruit deformations are called "nubbins". We've included several links with pertinent info. We can't be more specific because we don't have all the information we need to ID the cause definitively, but you can compare what you know about growing conditions (including temperatures, fertilizers, insect presence, chemical applications, and etc) to the info in these links. You may be able to correct the growth of future fruits if its an issue that is caused by lack of fertilizer/nutrients, or if it was insect damage and the pests are now gone, maybe temps are evening out, and so on.
http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/berrytool/strawberry/flowersandfruit/strnubbiness.htm
http://strawberryplants.org/2010/05/growing-strawberries/
http://strawberryplants.org/2010/12/deformed-strawberries/

By | 2016-02-13T09:41:54-08:00 February 13th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
Read More