Hot, Loud & Proud - I think???

Not having ever done a meme before, I wasn't sure what exactly to do... Sooooooooo, Noel of A Plant Fanatic in Hawaii let me know if I got it!

This "little" beauty was brought to my landscape by mother nature herself ! I have since propagated it to many areas of the landscape!  This purslane was hanging on our lava in a small soilless puka (hole).  So, I think PROUD it is! 

After a little research on the internet, I have found some HOT facts about purslane!

• There are about 200 species of purslane: Portulaca
• All parts of this plant are edible! - even Henry Thoreau boiled what he gathered around Walden Pond 
• They are very high in omega-3 fatty acids
• It is beneficial for urinary and digestive problems
• Finally, to many it is just a weed!

And we all know that weeds are LOUD!  Their sheer numbers prove that!  I on the other hand will give this proud, hot and loud beauty a try in my favorite salad with just the right amount of oil and vinegar!!!

Below - The birthplace of my purslane

Below - In flower - great contrast to the black pahoehoe lava

Below - Purlane "pinched-back" to give dense foliage

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Home Grown Pest Control Recipes

 Information from Tip Nut

Rhubarb Leaf Pesticide Spray

1 cup rhubarb leaves
6.5 cups water
1 tsp liquid dish detergent or soap flakes

Cover rhubarb leaves with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes then remove from heat and cool. Strain then add 1/4 cup liquid dish detergent. Spray on plants. Good for aphids, june beetles, spider mites, thrips.

Rhubarb leaves are poisonous, take care when preparing and handling. Do not use on food bearing plants.

Garlic Tea Spray

Make your own garlic spray by boiling a pint of water, throw in roughly chopped garlic cloves and steep until the water cools. Remove garlic bits then spray on plants (fromQuick Tips For Plants & Garden).

Garlic, Peppers & Onion Insecticide

2 hot peppers
1 large onion
1 whole bulb of garlic
1/4 cup water

Toss in the food processor and add water, blend until a mash is made. Cover mash with 1 gallon hot (not boiling) water and let stand 24 hours. Strain. Spray on roses, azaleas, vegetables to kill bug infestations. Bury mash in ground where bugs are heaviest. Good for thrips, aphids, grasshoppers, chewing and sucking insects.

Tomato Leaves Spray

Crush leaves from a tomato plant and soak in water for a couple days. Strain then spray. Good for grasshopper and white fly control.

Tomato leaves are poisonous, take care when preparing and handling. Do not use on food bearing plants.

Basil Tea Spray

4 cups water
1 cup fresh basil (or 2 TBS dried)
1 tsp liquid dish detergent

Bring water to a boil then add basil. Remove from heat, cover and steep until cool. Strain. Mix in the liquid detergent then spray on plants. Good for aphids.

Salt Spray

2 TBS salt
1.5 gallons warm water

Mix salt and water to dissolve, allow to cool to room temperature. Use for spider mites, caterpillars, cabbage worms and chewing insects.

Slug Bait Trap

Set out beer in shallow containers to attract slugs, they’ll drown in the beer.

Diatomaceous Earth

An all natural solution for insects of all kinds (ants, snails, slugs, etc.). Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on top of soil around plants with pest infestations.

Horticultural Oil Spray

1 TBS vegetable oil
1 tsp liquid dish detergent
2 cups water

Fill a spray bottle with the ingredients then shake to mix.

Hot Pepper Spray

1/2 cup hot peppers (or 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper)
1 quart water
1 tsp liquid dish detergent

Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and add peppers. Cover and steep until cool. Strain then mix in soap. If using cayenne pepper, no need to bring water to a boil first. Spray on plants.

Citrus Spray

2 cups orange peels (or lemons)
4 cups water

Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and add peels. Cover and steep until cool. Strain and spray. Use the lemon mixture to repel white flies.

Dish Detergent & Baking Soda

2 TBS liquid dish detergent
2 TBS baking soda
1 gallon water

Mix all ingredients together then spray on plants.

Peppermint Tea

1 TBS peppermint essential oil (can also use an infusion made with mint leaves, increase amount to 1 cup infusion)
1 quart water

Mix together and use as an insect spray (good for ants).

Japanese Beetle Bait Trap

2 cups water
1 mashed banana
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup wine
1/2 tsp yeast

Mix ingredients together and put in an old margarine container, cover with lid and set container out in the hot sun for a day. The next day, remove lid and set in garden where the beetles have been spotted (use a shallow container).

Potato Leaves Tea

1 cup potato plant leaves
2 cups water

Chop leaves then cover with hot water. Seal container and leave 24 hours in a sunny window. Strain then spray.

Potato leaves are poisonous, take care when preparing and handling. Do not use on food bearing plants.

Neem Spray

1 TBS Neem soap (shavings)
1 liter water

Add soap to water then let sit for an hour. Shake bottle then spray.

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Artistic Tuesday - Phytopathological and Art????

Searching the internet for a topic this week I ran across this interesting art contest sponsored by the American Phytopathological Society (APS).  These are the people who study plant disease!  Who knew they were into art!!!  Unfortunately I can not enter, you have to be a member of APS and I am only a Wanna Be Mater Gardener and a backyard artist!

Here are the categories. I especially like #4!

• Microscopy—SEM and other microscopy images.
• Whole plant/nature—from the field to greenhouses and pathogens in nature.
• Digitally altered—changes to the original image, e.g., changing the natural color, orientation, kaleidoscope effects, cloning images, etc.
• Wacky/humor—plant pathogens represented in slightly less scientific ways.
• Crafts—hand made objects out of various materials representing phytopathology subjects.
• Art—paintings, drawings, sculptures, and other forms of physical art.

Seriously - what a great idea to infuse the creative with the scientific!  Check out the website for more detailed information.  2010 Art in Phytopathology Contest  .

One of the winning entries from 2009

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Comments Function Fixed

Apparently the comments function for my blog was not working! I have fixed it.
I wanted to have embedded comments but that does not seem to work on this template. As a result, you will get a pop-up window for comments. I have to do more research on how to code for the embedded comments function.

So comment away....

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Did You Know???

I am studying for my MG test today!

DID YOU KNOW THAT...

• 90% of the Hawaiian native plants are endemic (a plant that arrived before humans circa 400AD but has evolved and is only found in Hawaii)
• taro, coconut and sugar cane are not native, but Polynesian Introduced
• sanitation (removal of infested fruits)  is one of the best control methods for fruit flies
• the Oriental fruit fly attacks fruit and the Melon fruit fly vegetables, hmmmmmm
• the wedge graft is the most effective method of grafting
• there is such a thing as a disease triangle
• less is more when it comes to fertilizers
• a "prill" is the little polymer coated ball in your favorite fertilizer

Well, I must hit the books again...ugh!

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I Need to Study!

We have our second test on Tuesday 3/30!  I have been working on my landscape and posting to my blog instead of studying my MG material!  But, there is always tomorrow, at least until Tuesday!!!! LOL

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Ugh! - Slugs!

Hawaii sure does have it's share of slugs! I found this great post on the control of slugs, on one of my favorite blogs - Tip Nut You must check it out!

Hawaii has some special issues with slugs and human disease, particularity rat lung which is a tropical disease.


Angiostrongylus cantonensis, is a parasitic worm and is carried by rats (the parasites live in the pulmonary arteries of rats, hence the name "rat lungworm") Then the local slugs eat the excrement of the rats and then deposit the parisites on the garden vegetibles they so like to eat. As a result, we must throughly wash our produce take from our gardens! Unfortunately a few people on the island have contracted the parasite from their gardens and have suffered life threatening symptoms. WASH, WASH, WASH those veggies! If you are interested in learning more about rat lung disease, check out this article - rat lung.

The information below is from the Tip Nut post on slugs.  But check it out for more slug tips!

Sprays:

• Coffee Spray: Save leftover coffee to spray plants that have a slug problem, make sure to spray underneath the leaves as well as the stems and surrounding soil. You can also sprinkle a layer of used coffee grounds around the plant to ward off these pests. Slugs won’t like it and will likely move on to greener pastures in a few short days.
• Vinegar & Water: Pour 1 cup household vinegar and 1/2 cup water into a spray bottle. Spray slugs on the ground as you see them, but be careful not to spray the leaves of plants since the vinegar & water will damage them.

Barriers:
The idea for using barriers is to prevent the slugs or repel them from reaching the plants.

• Copper Barriers: Copper rings, mesh and tapes can be placed around individual plants to deter slugs, when the slug comes in contact with it, it receives a bit of a shock. Look for these in your local garden center.
• Egg Shell Barrier: Sprinkle a generous layer of crushed egg shells around the plant, slugs will give up trying to reach the plant since it’s so uncomfortable for them to get across the jagged shells.
• Diatomaceous Earth Barrier: An all natural solution for insects of all kinds (ants, snails, slugs, etc.). Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on top of soil around plants with pest infestations. Reapply if it gets wet. Also mentioned in Natural Pesticides: Recipes & Tips.

Slug Traps:

Set out bait or traps to lure slugs. Some of the traps will kill them (by drowning) while others will just collect them for you to dispose of, some methods of disposal:

• Submerse them in boiling water
• Douse them heavily with salt or plop them in very salty water
• Drop them in a pail of very soapy water

What not to do: toss them over the fence into the neighbor’s garden–that’s bad garden mojo!

• Beer Traps: Bury a small dish or plastic container up to its rim so it’s level with the top of the ground. Fill with beer in the early evening and check in the morning–the dish should be full of slugs. Empty the bowl and replenish each night. Change beer every 24 hours to be effective. Some find it more successful to add a bit of molasses to the beer. Also mentioned in 10 Organic Aids & Natural Planting Tips For Gardening.
• Yeast Traps: Bury a small dish as above then pour in one of these recipes: 1 tablespoon of baker’s yeast, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1 cup of lukewarm water; another recipe is 1 tablespoon flour, 1/2 teaspoon baker’s yeast and 1/2 teaspoon sugar mixed with 1 cup of warm water. In the morning you’ll find a bowl full of drowned slugs (slugs are drawn to the fermenting yeast).
• Wet Newspaper Stacks: Slugs will be attracted to the dampness and the shelter the newspaper provides. Lay the papers down in the early evening then check under them in the morning, you should find a happy slugfest enjoying their environment. Get rid of them in the garbage or kill them buy dunking in boiling water.
• Grapefruit, orange, melon rinds, banana or potato peels attract slugs so leave a few piles of them around the yard (you’ll have a bunch of happy slugs to deal with in the morning).

The abovve Illustrations Of Land Slugs From Wikimedia Commons

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