Spider Mites = BATH TIME!



I've been looking at my Africana ansellia's for a few weeks (months) thinking they were not looking very happy...
Today I took a closer look and some of the leaves are looking very bad!
Brownish patches on the under sides of the leaves and a silvering, greyish tinge on the tops...
I looked for any fine web - none.
So I did the tissue test.
Take a damp tissue and wipe the underside of the leaves, if you get a red, brownish or orange residue.. you most very probably have the dreaded Spider mite.
I do!

Red Spider Mites if you look closely

 

Underside showing brown/red patches

 

Top of the leaf

 

 

 

Spider Mite info thanks to Wikipedia;

 

Spider mites are members of the Acari (mite) family Tetranychidae, which includes about 1,200 species. They generally live on the undersides of leaves of plants, where they may spin protective silk webs, and they cause damage by puncturing the plant cells to feed.

 

Spider mites are less than 1 millimetre (0.04 in) in size and vary in colour. They lay small, spherical, initially transparent eggs and many species spin silk webbing to help protect the colony from predators; they get the "spider" part of their common name from this webbing.

 

Hot, dry conditions are often associated with population build-up of spider mites. Under optimal conditions (approximately 80 °F or 27 °C), the red also know as the two-spotted spider mite can hatch in as little as 3 days, and become sexually mature in as little as 5 days. One female can lay up to 20 eggs per day and can live for 2 to 4 weeks, laying hundreds of eggs. A single mature female can spawn a population of a million mites in a month or less. This accelerated reproductive rate allows spider mite populations to adapt quickly to resist pesticides, so chemical control methods can become somewhat ineffectual when the same pesticide is used over a prolonged period.

Spider mites, like hymenopterans and some homopterous insects, are arrhenotochous: females are diploid and males are haploid. When mated, females avoid the fecundation of some eggs to produce males. Fertilized eggs produce diploid females. Unmated, unfertilized females still lay eggs, that originate exclusively haploid males.



After my initial  panic I took action.
I went to the shed.
No spray.
Another panic..
So after a coffee during which I contemplated dashing to the nearest shops, but then decided that I would go down the 'cheaper' home made remedy route.

I filled the kitchen sink with tepid water and added a few drops of washing up liquid. I then dunked the affected plants and using a sponge gently wiped the lengths of the leaves and the pseudobulbs. Also making sure to pour the weak soapy solution through the pots, to get any little critters that may be hiding inside the pots among the bark.

Each plant that has been in the windowsill with the affected plants (only my Ansellia's so far I think) received this treatment in fresh solution.

The treatment was repeated again, and then rinsed thoroughly in fresh tepid water to get rid of the soap.



Soapy bath.

 

 

 





Rinse time.

 

 

Possible reason for the outbreak is that the plants are in a south facing windowsill which sits over a radiator. The atmosphere is very dry as I keep the plants a lot dryer over winter.

I have put hydoleca balls in the saucers under the plants, which I am keeping damp to hopefully raise the humidity to discourage the mites.

 



There are various treatments available for Spider Mites including a non chemical option by predatory mite that feeds on the eggs and active stages of Spider Mite.

 

Oil based sprays are an option as well as systemic. Again a home made spray using  a few drops of vegetable oil (not olive which is too heavy) in a soap solution, shaken vigorously to emulsify can be used. I have avoided this as plants sprayed with oil are susceptible  to sun burn.

My plants sit in a sunny windowsill so I prefer to avoid this method at this time.

 

I will need to retreat using the soap method every 4 - 7 days for a further 2 weeks. If after this I still have a problem I will be using a systemic chemical spray.

 

 

 

 



Mad As A March Hare

My most recent painting finished this morning. I've been inspired to paint hares recently, there are many in the countryside around our village. In the spring they lose their shyness and can be seen all day on the chalk hillsides, cavorting and leaping or standing on their hind legs and boxing. True mad March hares.

 

Gouache on canvas board.

Lepus europaeus

 



 

Until recently it was thought that the 'boxing' was between the males, either in territorial disputes or competeing for females. In truth the larger more robust animal proves to be the doe, and the sparring matches to be her fighting of unwanted attention. When she is receptive she instigates the bucks to chase her, in a test of fitness and endurance.
Painted in gouache, a medium I have not used much but I am pleased with the results. It is more robust than watercolour but still retains some opacity. I always try to use a limited palette and mix my colours. I think I will be painting more hares ...


Painting Ceologyne fimbriata

A quick painting of Ceologyne fimbriata this morning as a thank you card for the lovely orchids given to me.

New Orchid Friends & Celogyne fimbriata

 

A few weeks ago as my husband was snoozing on the sofa, he was awakened by two people talking outside the window. Our house is right on the road through the village.

He could tell they were having a discussion about the orchids in the window and there was much debate on which they were.

Following this there was a knock on the door and the two gentlemen  apologised for the intrusion and proceded to question my half asleep husband  as to who grew the orchids, what they were ...

Anyway to cut a long story short I recived a delightful note through the door from one of the gentlemen, introducing himself and explaining his interest as he himself grows orchids.

Over 600 no less!!!

He invited me to visit and talk orchids with him and the best bit is he only lives at the end of our road!

I took him up on his offer and I spent three hours in orchid heaven yesterday. Greenhouses, grow houses, conservatories, shade houses, windowsills...

A very knowledgeable and lovely man, I will be picking his brains a lot.

I was very lucky to be given some surplus plants, This is  Cylogyne fimbriata. It is currently in flower and is reputed to go through the growth and flowering cycle up to two times a year so I will see how it grows for me.

Supposedly one of the easiest to grow it is a bit of a rambler and can get quite big. It is also easy to take cuttings from. Just cut of a lead with several pseudobulbs on and tie it down over some bark. Keep it evenly moist and voila! You can see in the photo at the bottom, the wire used to tie this one down when it was first started.

A brilliant website for information on Ceologyne is here Ceologynes.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I will post about the other orchids I got in due course. I will also post some more close up photos of the flowers.

Chysis laevis















 



This plant flowered at the beginning of the summer 2013. A surprise as I didn't expect it to flower for at least another year. Only two buds, but large beautiful flowers with a very thick waxy texture. Also a lovely scent.

The colour is true in the photographs. I expected the flowers to last longer but it self pollinated I presume when I moved the pot. The large flowers nod and bounce on their stems at any disturbance and as it was indoors I did not see any insects which could have pollinated it?

It set two seed pods one of which died but the other is still ripening. I am shortly going to remove it as I wish the plant to put all its energy into the new growth and hopefully more flowers.

In the winter I keep it in my kitchen near a bright east window. As close to intermediate as I can, dryer in Winter. Can take a lot of light. Next summer it will go in the green house under shading. From spring to autumn I fertilise every other week with very weak tomorite or seaweed.

White Doves on the Greenhouse

 Now that it is mid-winter I have been looking through my photos to remind myself what the garden was like in summer. I found these of my doves exploring the roof of the greenhouse.

 

 

 

 

Here is Charles, he is my favourite.

 

 

Mademoiselle nest building.

Charles showing off.

 

Charles sunbathing after a bath in the food dish.

 

Cup and Saucer Vine

 

Cobaea scandens is a tropical perennial vine in its native Mexico. The bell-shaped flowers are 2in or more in diameter, the green calyxes remain at the base of the flower and become the saucer - hence its common names, cup and saucer plant or cathedral bells.
It is grown in cooler climates as an annual which due to its vigorous growth, produces vertical cover and large exotic looking blooms at the end of the summer and into the autumn.

Last night we had the most severe frost of the winter so far, and up till now both my varieties of Cobaea have survived and continued growing. There was even a few flowers up until two weeks ago. The date today is 29 December!

Planted as seed in early February 2013, indoors on heat they germinated well. The 'Alba' variety shown on the above left was slower and slightly less vigorous all the way through growth. The plants are easy to tell apart with the Alba having green stems on new growth and the purple variety has reddish purple stems. I planted approx. 6 vines in a clump. They are very badly behaved vines from a young age and will grab anything within reach with their slightly sticky, multifingered tendrils. Next time I will germinate them in their own pots with their own stakes.

My plants are on a trellis along a north, south axis so get the benefit of sun all day from either side as the sun moves over the garden. They have reached well over 20 feet and have started to explore the shrubs and trees planted along the fence.
The flowers are on longish stalks that hold them out in front of the leaves. The blooms on both strains darken to an inky purple with age, the 'Alba' is soon indistinguishable from the purple as the greenish cream colour is lost quickly. I couldn't detect a strong scent from the blooms, just a very faint sweetness. In their native Mexico they are pollinated by bats. Seed will set if they are pollinated by a large insect such as a Bumblebee.
The leaves are 4in long, composed of four leaflets and a tendril with many little hooks on it, which it uses to climb.
Charles Darwin was so impressed he studied Cobaea for his book The Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants (1875).

If my Cobaea does not survive the winter (I have mulched it heavily at the base... ) I will certainly be growing it again.
It ticks all the boxes for an impressive tropical climber that makes good cover, has the most gorgeous big flowers and lasts well into the winter in a sheltered garden.