How does your garden grow (without water)?
With all the strict restrictions on watering, how do you keep your garden alive? Do you have creative ways to come by water for your plants? What are they? We’re thirsting to know, and so are our readers!!
AJC.com > Gardening > Blog > Archives > 2006 > December
December 2006
More on ambrosia beetles
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thanks for the comments.
TC, what is the name of your natural solution? The problem with something that has to be applied externally is that the fungus and the larvae that feed on it are inside the tree. Even the chemicals they’re using at Piedmont Park are externally applied with the hope of catching the female beetles as they begin to bore in. Onyx is the name of the insecticide they’re using there.
Wendy’s experience with the county extension seems to be the most common. The drastic recommendation of cutting down the tree and burning it is what is recommended. On a larger tree, sometimes it’s possible to cut off affected limbs and dispose of them without cutting down the whole tree.
The traps Texas is using are just for monitoring the numbers of beetles present. They don’t cut down the population, apparently.
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Asian Ambrosia Beetles
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Asian ambrosia beetle is apparently killing trees all over metro Atlanta. Piedmont Park Conservancy folks are particularly concerned about the big old trees in the park. The beetle has killed a number of trees already at Piedmont and Grant parks, as well as the Olmstead parks on Ponce de Leon. Have any of you seen this critter in your yards or lost trees to it?
It seems to be extremely diffcult to control and we’re hoping some of y’all have had some success you can share with others. Or share your horror stories too. Early detection seems to be key, as once the beetles lay their eggs inside the tree, insecticides can’t get too them.
The beetles larvae live off eating a fungus “ambrosia” which is what actually kills the tree. The fungus shuts down the living part of the tree just under the bark where water and nutrients flow up from the roots to the leaves.
These beetles are tiny, no bigger than the point of a pin, so it’s difficult to see them. But you can see a tiny trail of sawdust sticking out from the tree trunk like a toothpick that’s left when the female bores a hole to lay eggs.
Please let us know if you are seeing these pests in your neighborhoods. We’re planning a major story for the paper in the next couple of days.
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WHAT’S ON YOUR GARDEN WISH LIST THIS HOLIDAY?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Garden gadgets are a dime a dozen. Some work, some don’t. Some are just plain ripoffs. For spring-starved gardeners, there are a host of Christmas-gift ideas, and some are pretty simple. What gardener you know wouldn’t like a delivery of a nice pile of nutrient-rich compost? Who wouldn’t like a gift certificate for a consulation with a landscape designer? What about a membership in the Atlanta Botanical Garden or a subscription to mouth-watering Garden Design magazine? On Dec. 14 in our Home & Garden section, we’ll share some gift ideas for gardeners of every level, from the amateur to the seasoned. And we’d like to hear your ideas, too. What tops your gardening-gift list?
