After a few bad weather days, I trekked out to my greenhouse this
morning, thinking about the virus page and discussions about mealy bugs in
recent mails. Well, was I ever surprised when I looked at some things with
an eagle eye!
First, I hadn't even opened the door when I looked at a pot of tulips
that I had placed outside last week. The leaves definitely had those
virus streaks that some of you have been talking about.
Then, as I walked around inside, I noticed some pots on a high, back
shelf in the warm, moist area. I don't know how I missed them, but I had
left a few pots of hippeastrum under drippers when I stored the rest of
them away. They were not only full of mealy bugs, but one was rotting and
nasty. I stripped away the top inch of soil and removed the tunic from
those I thought might be ok, then chopped off the top until I got to clean
looking flesh. As I was watching a tiny wiry worm stuck his head out of
one to see what the disaster was about! That one got tossed along with
the rotting one. I put the remainder outside on the porch which will drop
to probably 35 F. tonight, just above freezing. Tomorrow I'll take some
alcohol out with me and douse them. If any pests live after all this,
I'll toss them too.
Amazing what one can find when she looks!
Marguerite - Gardening with bulbs and perennials at 3500 feet in the
mountains of southern California. Extreme temperatures in our
Mediterranean climate from 0 to 110 degrees F. Average temperatures 15 to
90 degrees F. A few days of snow in winter and a few days of extreme heat
in Aug-Sept. Drought conditions seem to be changing to an 'El Nino'
year. (I think that's long-hand for USDA zone 7B.)