1.As I learn more about pests, I have taken some action to
make scouting easier for me. For one, I moved some stressed plants to a place
where I can access them easier and keep an eye on them. This included 1
geranium that was terribly wilted last health check. I believe that it was
missed during watering last week due to its inaccessible location. Once it was
moved and watered, it perked right back up. I also removed empty pots that were
still filled with potting soil around my coleus plants. I noticed that there
were many more fungus gnats around these areas than anywhere else in the room. Since
removing those pots, and replacing the sticky cards, I hope I will have many
less fungus gnats.
I also found that labeling sticky cards with an ID number
along with the date makes collecting their data easier.
2.There is not much uptick in pests on my sticky cards.
However, at the beginning of the course, I did have an issue with aphids on my
fuchsia. I cut the one plant back hard and sprayed it with 1cup of water: 1TBS
dish soap. After this treatment, I haven’t seen the aphids since, and the plant
is recovering nicely.
One of my geraniums looked different this week. The color just
seemed off, especially compared to the others around it. Upon further inspection,
I noticed the entire underside of many of the leaves are a purple color. I
suspect phosphorus deficiency, as the roots look healthy. I am planning on
fertilizing this plant during the next watering cycle.
3. Since our greenhouse is currently still in the works of
being built, I decided to draw up the schematics of where I think benches will
be and which plants will be on them. Using this, I made a scouting plan.
For our first growing season, I am planning on overwintering
Mums and Geraniums. These will be checked at least once a week and watered as
needed, much like this winter. I will be sure to use sterile potting soil this
time, though.
In the spring, I will
sow seeds of marigolds, zinnias, and coleus to plant around high use areas of
Allegany State Park. The greenhouse being constructed is 48ft x 60ft, and I
realize there may be a high point of entry for pests, due to its location. It
Is in the middle of a woodlot and near a stream.
To scout, I would put sticky traps in each different type of
plant. I would like to check these biweekly (or more frequent). Near the sides
of the greenhouse, I suspect there will be a higher chance of pests and weeds
coming in through the ‘roll up’ sides. Given this information, I feel it would
be best to grow the marigolds and scented geraniums here, as they are hardier
and can act as indicators for pests. When scouting for pests, I would spend
much of my time here. However, this would be my last stop while scouting as
they may be the most infested.
The inside benches will house coleus and zinnias. They will
also be just as likely to harbor insects due to their location of a main
walkway between both the front and back entrance.
At least one whole day a week can be dedicated to scouting
for greenhouse pests, cleaning the greenhouse, pulling weeds, and checking up
on plant health during peak season.
