Bald Patches on the Leylandii Hedge? It could be Mites and Aphids

The spidery web of the Conifer Mite

As a neighbour there are hundreds of things we can do to irritate the people next door.  It could be as simple as having a dog bark late at night, blocking their driveway, argue over boundaries or have late night parties and treat their garden as a bottle depository.

One of the main reasons for falling out in estates or houses with small gardens is planting leylandii hedging on boundaries or so close to the neighbours house you eventually block out all of their light in the kitchen and sap the nutrients and moisture from their garden. 

Planting leylandii as a boundary has been a popular method of irritation since the 1970’s and since leylandii can grow up to three feet in one growing season it’s only a handful of years before you have your day in court with the neighbours or at least being aware of their disapproving looks through the ever growing boundary hedge as you take the shopping into the front door.

There is help at hand though for anyone who have these massive out of control boundaries. They are tiny and can be extremely destructive.  The conifer mite and cypress aphids have taken full advantage of the growing number of hedges and have spread unhindered since the 1980’s.

Up until recently you would have thought that the brown patches on the hedges were down to over zealous cutting back – Once you cut off the green growth of leylandii the green doesn’t grow back. This type of over trimming will account for a number of brown patches but it’s these small insects that are causing the main bulk of the problem. Most of them are so small the only tell-tale sighs are the small spider web looking fibres on the brown leaves. There are over 500 species of sap sucking aphids and a couple of them are having their moment in the limelight.

The two most attracted to leylandii are the conifer mite and cypress aphid.

Conifer Mites Oligonychus ununguis -

These spider mites also love spruce, fir, juniper, pine, hemlock and others. The infested trees display mottled foliage which may appear brownish-grey, and needle loss may occur. 

To confirm a mite infection, lightly tap the damaged branches over a white paper and examining the paper for reddish-brown mites which are about the size of pepper grains. In heavy infestations like in the image, spider webbing may also be conspicuous. The actual mites are so small they can harly be seen

2. Cypress aphids -Cinara cupressivora

Damage caused by cypress or conifer aphid develops in late spring and summer. It is found most often at the base of the hedge, but can develop at any height. Large greyish greenfly are sometimes found, but the hedge browning often develops long after the aphids have left the foliage. Clues are left behind, including cast aphid skins and a black fungal growth (sooty mould) that grows on the sugary honeydew excreted by the pest.

There are ways to minimize the infestations and plant damage but generally the damage has been done by the time you see the brown patches and the insects have moved on to pastures new. Chemical spraying would be extremely costly, difficult to cover the entire area and pretty dangerous on a large hedge. Some people put a hosepipe into the tee and flush out the insects as they don’t like too much moisture. 

Maybe the best way to control the spread of mites and aphids would be to start taking the hedges out and replacing them with alternatives. In Inishowen the best hedging we have is escallonia although this wouldn’t suit colder inland areas and it also has a few problems of its own namely fungal leaf spot. 

There’s also the lovely slow growing box hedge which will give a fine boundary but wouldn’t be too invasive or antisocial. These again have a problem called the Box Tree Moth. It’s the caterpillars that do the damage and they are spreading quickly with no predators at present. They were first noticed in 2007 and since 2014 they have become more established with sightings throughout the country.

It seems there are no complete solutions to neighbours boundaries, even fencing needs looking after every year. For some the best solution for happy neighbour relations is to avoid erecting boundaries all together and have an open dialogue with the people across the way, not blocking them out, just giving them the nod when you see them. 

I’m all for that, as long as they don’t keep popping in for cups of tea .

Let's Make it Easy - Low Maintenance Plants

I bought some Poached Egg plant seeds after talking about them a short while ago. 

Limnanthes douglasii or poached egg plants are really easy to grow and within four days of planting them out they germinated. Another three days saw their first true leaves. I think I should get a colourful show of flowers before the summer is out and hopefully they will self-seed to give us earlier plants next year.

The ease and simplicity of sowing and germinating these seeds make them an ideal choice for youngsters to build up their confidence in the garden. I remember myself when, as a child I started growing cacti and was devastated when one of them died. I got that same feeling for years as any house plant that shrivelled up I took as a failure on my part, instead of looking at it as a continual learning process. 

Plants

There are a lot of great plants children can grow other than sunflowers 

Crane's-bill, Geranium; grown for its white, pink, blue or purple saucer-shaped flowers and its dense foliage, which is great for keeping down the weeds.

Lamb's ears, grown more for its foliage than its flowers. As its name suggests, its downy leaves resemble the ears of a lamb. It can be a bit of a pest if left unattended.

Houseleek, (Sempervivum) a rosette-forming succulent that produces flowers on long stems. It is a great plant for dry areas of the garden. They grow from offsets so if a friend has one, nip a few off and replant.

Forget-me-not, pretty clusters of small flowers in either blue, white or pink. They love well-drained soil and polytunnels. They are the third biggest weed in there just behind chickweed and rogue tomatoes.

Primrose, a spring wildflower that comes in a variety of colours. Great for planting in pots and containers and divide easily.

Bellflower, 'Canterbury Bells'; a blue, white or lavender, summer-flowering plant can easily be sown from seed.

Pansy, Viola; the cheery face of the pansy is a popular choice for an abundance of both summer and winter colour.

Seeds

Flower seeds could include:

Sweet pea, Marigold,Nasturtium, Cosmos,Cornflower for examo[ple. Next time you are out and about at a friends house or on a walk, collect some seeds and plant them in pots.

   

Herbs

Herb seeds prove to be easy to germinate. And can be sown anytime in a pot on the windowsill if it’s too wet outside.

Spearmint, mint will thrive in most soils, to the extent that it can easily become a nuisance. To avoid this, try growing it in a container on the patio.

Rosemary, this pretty herb produces blue flowers and has highly-scented, needle-like leaves.

Thyme, grow thyme in a well-drained, sunny area of your garden.

Chives, For a regular supply of delicious leaves for your salads cut off the flowers before they open.

Sage, this strong-flavoured herb has grey-green leaves and spikes of blue flowers.

Oregano, planted in a sunny area of the garden, marjoram will grow as vigorously as mint. Children may recognise its taste as it's often used in pizza and pasta.

Coriander, this popular herb, frequently used in Indian cookery and salads.

Fruit and vegetables

Even if it’s too late for some vegetables to give a serious amount of produce – or any, just watching them grow can be so much fun. A runner bean will grow a foot a week.

Radish, a great starter vegetable for kids because as well as being problem-free to grow, the colourful roots are ready for eating within a month of sowing.

Lettuce, lettuces can be grown all-year-round. Simply choose from the many varieties to ensure you have a crop for every season. Once sown, seeds should begin to sprout within 12 days.

Courgette, courgettes are simply marrows harvested before they have been allowed to grow to full size. Plants get quite big so be sure to give them room.

Carrot, sow carrot seeds thinly in a sunny area of the garden and they should germinate within 17 days.

Spinach, start picking the young, tender outside leaves of the spinach as soon as they reach a reasonable size, this also encourages new growth.

Swiss chard, one of the hardier vegetables, chard to survive winter.

Beetroot, a slow starter but once seedlings start to push through it picks up speed. You could speed up germination time by soaking seeds for a few hours before planting.

There you have it. A selection of random seeds and plants we could play with in the summer. It’s not about getting a large crop or a competition winning flower display. It’s more about just getting children interested in the wonder of nature and watching things grow. We can teach them about taking cuttings next year.

Ragwort- Tansy

The fields are glowing yellow this week. Not just because the sun is shining, it’s also the time for ragwort to flower.

Tansy ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) is seen as one of the most harmful plants that grow wild and if left to self-seed in its second year can take over a field in next to no time. 

Biennial Ragwort                    

Tansy ragwort is a biennial plant which means that it takes two years for it to complete its lifecycle. It grows as a ground-hugging rosette in its first year. In its second year of growth, it transitions into its mature, tall, flowering form.  Ragwort plants produce a lot of seeds which can remain viable in the soil for a few seasons.  If left to spread, it can form dense patches, either from seed or by vegetative reproduction when its roots or crown are injured and new shoots develop making it extremely hard to control.

Controlling ragwort

Tansy ragwort can be controlled manually by digging or pulling in spring and summer before they flower. Rosettes should be dug up, removing as much as the root as possible. All pulled plants could be bagged and placed in the municipal waste for recycling into compost or burned. Once plants bloom you will have about three weeks until the seeds form to take action.

Mowing is not a good control for ragwort. While it may prevent the plant from immediately producing seeds, it also stimulates additional vegetative growth. This leads to more plants and more stems per plant in the same season. Mowing is especially problematic in pastures, where it can spread the leaves, making it harder for grazing animals to avoid. Chemical control is favoured by some folk.

In the agricultural depression of the 1930s and during the Second World War, there was far more Ragwort around than there is today. There were no selective weedkillers available, so it had to be controlled either by hand-pulling or by allowing sheep to graze off the young plants, which are less poisonous. There were also many more horses in the country, working on farms or pulling delivery vans. Ragwort poisoning was a recognised disease, but not a major problem.

Ragwort types

Ragwort (Senecio Jacobea) is also known as ragweed, buachalán and buachalán buidhe. It is a common weed of Irish pastures and thrives on a wide range of soils, but competes best on lighter free draining soils where fertility is reasonably high and grazing not intensive.

There are four main types of ragwort to be found in Ireland according to An Irish Flora (1996) namely:

Common Ragwort -Senecio jacobaea - found everywhere.

Marsh Ragwort Senecio aquaticus - wet fields, marshes

Ragwort - Senecio squalidius - mainly in larger cities, rare elsewhere.

Ragwort  - Senecio erucifolius – found especially in Dublin and Meath.

All four can interbreed where both parents are found.

Ragwort – Virtues

It’s not all doom and gloom for the plant, it does have its virtues –although it’s a very divisive subject and some will disagree, especially horse owners. 

At least 30 species of insects and other invertebrates are totally dependent on ragwort as their food. Many other species of insects either eat ragwort, or require the nectar and pollen from the flowers. Ragwort is a major nectar source for many insects, including bees, hoverflies, butterflies and moths. 

Make a bit of Money

Entrepreneurial youngsters can make quite a bit of money hiring their weed pulling services out to farms and large private home owners. You could make a few euro clearing areas of the plant before they go to seed. There would be a payoff for the farmer too as they would get a better price for their hay after harvesting.

Whatever the myths and scare stories about this widely disliked plant are, it’s here to stay.  It is very easy to create hysteria about ragwort, those not familiar with scientific methods can often be misled into believing that it poses a much greater threat than it does. Don’t believe everything you read – even in this article, I could be talking a load of nonsense as usual.

Lawn Alternatives

My flowerless lawn chamomile plants keep on multiplying. So much so that I have decided to turn part of my front garden into a rich, apple scented mat of greenery.

Chamomile is a great alternative to normal grass but I am finding it does have one drawback, it’s pretty submissive when other plants challenge it. Unlike regular grass which will be more or less trouble free to establish, this chamomile needs a bit of care and attention until it forms a mat on the soil. I added some well rotted horse much when I planted and am regretting the decision. It was mixed into sterilized soil and compost but the horses must have been eating a lot of weeds as the seeds are all germinating in and around the plants. It used to take five minutes to mow the grass every fortnight but so far I have spent a full day on my hands and knees weeding the tiny seedlings out of the soil. Time and labour saving the chamomile isn’t but it’s very relaxing and meditative and hopefully it’s a one off getting rid of the seedlings.  

There are other benefits to not having a lawn other than the need to cut it weekly in summer.  Grass free means reducing the need for fertilizers, not having to put up with brown patches in dry periods, no aerating, scarifying or watering is needed either. Here are some other suggestions but if my chamomile is anything to go by all we really do is substitute the job of mowing for a job of weeding, sowing and tidying. Like most things in life it’s probably best in moderation. Start with a small patch first and expand if it works. That’s what I have done with the chamomile and that’ why there are three distinct sizes of plants form the mature ones to small offsets. They should all merge together soon though I hope.

Chamomile isn’t the only plant that will cover the ground as an alternative to grass. Take the council offices in Letterkenny, their rooftop has been growing succulent sedums for years and it looks great. We can buy these sedum plants in metre rolls now so they are so easy to lay and work with. This type of plant is ideal for any dry sunny spot but you wouldn’t want the children playing football on it.

Clover

Not just a weed!  It’s surprisingly beneficial as a lawn plant. It creates nitrogen; enriching the soil and helping other plants grow stronger. The added nitrogen also means that the lawn remains green, even in dry weather. White flowering clover makes good lawn alternatives and attracts plenty of pollinators. You can also use micro clover, which is a variety with tiny leaves. It doesn’t flower but it is hardier for walking on and really low-maintenance. 

Wildflower meadow

There are hundreds of wildflower meadow seed mixes available. They make a great lawn alternative in areas like front gardens. You’ll need to spend a bit of time keeping tap rooted weeds off the site for a while. You could colour co-ordinate the display and even intersperse the seeds in an axisting lawn if it’s poor quality gound (the wilflowers will prefer this as there’s less competition)

Creeping thyme

Creeping thyme is a great choice for sunny spots and releases a rich scent when you walk on it. The purple flowers also look stunning in summer and you can get other colours too. Sow creeping thyme from seed or buy plug plants and let it spread. It is really low-maintenance and can also be used to fill gaps and cracks in the patio.

Eco lawn

These seed mixes are ideal if you don’t want to get rid of grass entirely. They use hardy, slow-growing ryegrass and fescue that will only need mowing once a month or less.

They are widely available in America and slowly making an appearance here. Eco lawns are perfect if you still want to have grass, especially if you want a hardy lawn that children can play on.

Moss

Moss is a cool alternative if you have a shady, wet spot. Moss plugs can be bought but I doubt there’s any shortage around Inishowen.

Mind your own business

This is a creeping perennial It’s a great lawn alternative because it has rich green colour and needs little maintenance. But it is invasive and only suitable for enclosed spaces where it can’t get out of hand. It tolerates shade and sun and should be sown from seed.

Corsican mint

This is a low-growing and heavily fragrant alternative. It grows happily in full sun or partial shade, but can rot in wet conditions. Like all mints, Mentha requienii is invasive and spreads quickly, so only plant it in enclosed spaces.