Friday 15th April, 2022
Hi
Guava moth Feedback and update
Thanks to all the wrote back regarding last weeks email. I guess that at the end of the day if there is a guava moth population there are things that can be done to hopefully lessen the population and thus not have all your produce spoilt. Many have written to say that specific Guava moth traps are available from Bunnings, Horti centres and ecotraps online.
Katrina writes. "I have a lot of fruit trees on my property in Northland and guava moth damage is barely noticeable, I think in part to having a lot of chickens in the orchard, so no rotting fruit, and lots of scratching around eating bugs".
"A friend has made solar light traps with vegetable oil and these are good at catching the moths".
Malcolm from West Auckland suggests. "I have used small camping type mozzie zappers to decrease the guava moth. The light is available at Jaycar. I have the guava moth affecting my lemons and quinces. Very heavy load of moths. I use 4 lights in various trees".
"For the last two years I have run a network of traps between Whatawhata, Morrinsville and Ohiniwai to see if they have made it to the Waikato. Last year we got some suspicious/query moths caught in Ohiniwai and Puketaha. We are trapping at the moment, but nothing has turned up this year which is a relief".
"Plant & Food have not found any effective chemical treatment, unfortunately. They have worked on developing a female trap that would rely on compounds that mimic the trees attractive to females for laying their eggs. As this involves creating a novel chemical compound it has run into regulatory issues with EPA".
Rhododendrons meaning Pink and tree like
I asked Virginia for some facts about Rhododendrons that I perhaps didn't know and sadly for me she says I know it all. Well off course in this game you can never know it all. In her home country province, its way to hot and also the wrong Ph. The soil is way too alkali and rich in calcium which doesn't suit Rhododendrons. Apparently when she was visiting Paris in France she spied Rhododendrons in full flower for the first time down The Champs de Elysee and fell in love with these beautiful plants.
However with Virginia's ability in language, it transpires that Rhodo when used as a prefix actually means rose or rose coloured ie. pink or red and dendron can mean tree like. I imagine that when I think about the Rhodo Hybrids that have just arrived in stock that the predominant flower colour in the genus would be pink or red. I only know of a couple of yellows for example.
So typically, Rhododendrons like to grow in dappled light or in the passing shadow at some point during the day, but not dark shade, they do like a well-lit position. The Rhodo genus as a group like to haver rich moist peat like soil with a good humus layer and are not fond of heavy clay or damp soils that stay overly wet as they may potentially damp off.
Lets check out a few classic pink ones that demonstrate the prefix Rhodo
Anna Rose Whitney. Very large, rounded trusses of brilliant bright pink flowers decorate this Rhododendron in spring. Vigorous bushy growth habit with attractive foliage. Happiest with dappled light.
Christmas Cheer. Large rose pink buds open out to funnel shaped, frilly blooms of pale pink that gradually fade to almost white. The blooms start to appear in winter, nice compact growth habit.
Elegans. A vigorous, hardy and tolerant Rhododendron that has deep rose-pink trumpet blooms that form dense large trusses. Very free flowering, puts on a spectacular display mid spring.
Furnivals Daughter. Bright pink blooms with a bright cherry pink flare appear in large trusses in mid spring. A vigorous upright grower with large green leaves.
Other Pink delights
Indigofera decora. An interesting little shrub that hails from China and will remind you of Wisteria when in full flower. The foliage is made up of glossy green leaflets, spikes of pretty pink flowers appear in summer.
Centradenia Cascade. A tropical, bright pink flowering ground cover that will hug the surface and can be used in a pot or container to cascade down the sides. It can also be used an under planting or to cascade over retaining walls. Will be a talking point when it is smothered in flowers.
Rhaphiolepis Enchantress. This is an excellent little shrub that will reward you for very little effort. The leathery bronze-green foliage always looks good and the rich pink flowers appear in generous clusters from autumn right through to spring. Nice compact habit and easy to grow in a sunny spot.
Escallonia Pink Elle. A compact dwarf Escallonia with vibrant glossy leaves and a massed display of brilliant pink bell-shaped flowers from late Spring to late Summer. Fast growing, it will develop into a showy hedge. Good as a potted specimen. Prefers full sun to part shade.
Easter weekend hours.. only closed Good Friday
We will be closed Good Friday but will be open for the remainder of the Easter weekend with our normal trading hours 8:30am to 5pm.
Two more short weeks looming and so there will be early cut off for courier deliveries until we are in the full week after Anzac day. So if you are after mail order then be in early or it could be the week following depending on where in the country the plants have to go to.
Its a great time to garden with not so overly hot days although you may need to think about the odd watering as that last front or cyclone only delivered around 8mls here. Time to stop dead heading roses and clean up of perennials. perhaps a final trim of the hedges to keep them looking sharp for the winter.
What ever you have in mind for the weekend take care and enjoy your time with family and friends. Though hot-cross buns and chocolate could be predominately on the menu.
Have a great Easter and enjoy the long weekend!
Cheers Lloyd, Tony and the Wairere team
