Pests: Whiteflies

Adult whiteflies (photo from Wikipedia)

Today's lesson: Cause and effect. A few weeks ago we noticed some very small, white flies on one of our verbena plants. When the leaves are moved around all the little flies started flying everywhere. It looked as if you had shaken one of those toy snowglobes. It was just a curiosity and we paid no additional attention to it. In retrospect this was a mistake.

We have two verbena plants. One is in a pot with a tomato and oregano while the other is in a pot by itself. We noticed something was amiss when the plant in the mixed pot was flowering while the one by itself started to languish. We also noticed that the bottom of some leaves were covered in black spots. Curiosity turned into dread. These little flies were no good.

These flies, called whiteflies, are a common pest in most types of gardens. Sadly for container gardeners in Puerto Rico these flies thrive in hot weather. There are two common types of whiteflies: the greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum) and the silverleaf whitefly (Bernisia sp.). Whiteflies lay small, oblong eggs on the underside of leaves. They go through four nymphal stages with the final stage being the flying adult. Through all stages they feed on plant juices which weakens the plant. They excrete a substance called honeydew which as its name suggests is sweet and sticky. Ants love this stuff. If you see many ants in your plant you may have an infestation of whiteflies or aphids (Editors note:Always follow the ants. They'll lead you straight to the problem.).  Besides weakening your plants whiteflies are capable of transmitting viruses such as tomato yellow leaf curl. They also cause leaves to develop a black sooty fungus.

Controlling whitefly populations is difficult. They are usually resistant to most insecticides. The best approach is prevention. Carefully observe your plants every day for signs of weakness, yellowing or emergence of eggs. Removing affected leaves or plants will ensure control of whitefly populations. If you are past prevention (as we are) there are several things you may try.

• Vacuuming adults early in the morning when it is still cold. Use a small hand vacuum to avoid damaging your plants. Place vacuumed flies in the freezer to kill them off.
• Application of an organic insecticide soap will kill some flies.
• Yellow sticky traps will attract flies. These traps can be used to monitor and control populations.
• Natural predators. Ladybug larvae, Green Lacewing, predatory mites and some birds are known to kill whiteflies.

So which methods will we try? We don't know yet but stay tuned to find out.

Retaining water isn't always a bad thing

Micropuntia - top, Gymnocalycium - bottom left, ?? - bottom right

It's been a few days since we've posted anything. Ok, 6 days to be exact. But we're back! In our last post we promised some pictures of the cacti that we bought at our local nursery and here they are.

I find cacti fascinating. They come in many shapes and sizes but what amazes me most is the flowers. They are bright, large, and complex. Seeing a cactus in full bloom is a spectacular sight.

In order to provide the proper care to our cacti I started to do some research (Editor's note: Be a conscientious gardener and always research your plants). Cacti are succulent plants native to the Americas. Succulents have adapted to dry, arid conditions by storing water in their leaves, stems or roots which gives them a "bloated" or succulent look. Cacti usually have spines while other succulents don't. Identifying cacti is hard (at least for me). Flowers make identification easier but ours aren't blooming. An excellent resource for identification and all things cacti is the highly recommended CactiGuide.com. Based on the information available in this webpage I believe that we have a Micropuntia, a Gymnocalycium, and an unknown succulent (not a cactus). You may ask yourself why is this important. Why do you need to identify your cacti? Aren't all cacti the same? That would be no.

Each cactus has different soil, light, and water requirements. Knowing these requirements will allow you grow each cactus under its ideal conditions. As a good rule of thumb most cacti require 6+ hours of daylight, a fast draining soil and little watering. It is recommended that you water your cacti only when the soil feels dry. Overwatering leads to root rot so it's advised that you err on the side of underwatering. The proper soil is also important to avoid root rot. Soil recipes can be found all over the internet. Most recommend using a combination of potting mix, gravel or sand, and peat. We haven't made any soil for our cactus yet but we'll let you know what combination we use when we do. Placing your cactus on a south facing area (in the northern hemisphere) will maximize the sunlight it receives each day (Editors note: Unnecessarily geeky explanation will follow. You have been warned). This is because the sun doesn't move exactly from east to west in the sky. It actually "tilts" towards the south when it makes its travel across the sky. Only during the equinoxes does the sun move exactly from east to west. (End of geeky explanation)

That's all for the basics. Stay tuned for more info on cacti and all other plants in our garden.

Lightning Round 1

Harvest Time:Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Parsley

Lightning Round - desperate resource used by a lazy blogger (read:me). In my defense I have so much stuff I want to share I don't want to wait until I have a full topic. So without further ado here's the Container Gardening in Puerto Rico first official lightning round (the first unofficial lightning round, called speed round then, can be be found in After the Storm).

• We've been harvesting fruits and herbs for quite some time but we haven't shared any pictures yet. Here's one for your viewing pleasure.
• A few days ago we went to our favorite nursery and learned a few things about the Payasito. The plant is indeed an annual so it wasn't our fault that it died. We also learned that inside the flower pods there are small seeds that mature when the pod dries out. Usually the seeds fall to the ground and new plants emerge without doing anything. Funny (or maybe sad) thing is I've been pulling little plants where the Payasito died thinking it was just weed (no, not that kind of weed, the bad kind). I've probably been killing little Payasito seedlings! But I've learned my lesson. There are 3 little plants emerging in the area which I'll let them be. Hopefully one of them is a Payasito.
• We have a few additions to our garden. Two flowering plants and three cacti. Pictures coming soon.
• Miniature roses have been blooming for quite some time. We currently have two in full bloom with more on the way.
• We had to transplant our mint because it was drying and re-blooming every few weeks because its pot was too shallow (about 2 inches in depth). We recommend between 4-6 inches of soil depth for good growth.
• Our lettuce is beginning to bloom. Hopefully we'll have some seeds in a few days.
• Last bullet. Redemption. We have a new seedling of lupine, the only plant we've managed to kill. Hopefully, second time is the charm.

Finally, we have a secret weapon against the birds that steal our tomatoes. We cannot reveal what it is at the moment since it hasn't been deployed yet. We're waiting for just the right time. The birds will never know what hit them (*insert maniacal evil laughter*).

Does it come in purple?

Purple Ruffles Basil

By now you must have figured out that our favorite plant is basil (evidence:In the beginning there was basil, Tricks and Treats - Basil and Tricks and Treats - Basil Part 2).  Jessica uses basil in everything from meat seasoning to salads. Everyone should have at least one plant in their garden. We have two.

A few days ago we were at Home Depot's when I stumbled upon an odd looking plant that I had never seen before. It was about six inches tall with ruffled purple leaves. Imagine my surprise when I read the tag: "Albahaca Mora" ("Purple Basil"). WTF! Purple Basil! It couldn't be. Its leaves didn't have the shape of basil, it was purple, and it didn't smell quite like basil. So what this plant incorrectly labeled? Was I being duped? I didn't care. I had to buy it. (Editor's note: Impulse buys are not recommended or endorsed by Container Garden PR, Inc or its affiliates. Always research plants before you buy. Now back to our regular programming.)

When we got home I noticed that its leaves weren't solid purple instead it had green edges. Now I was sure I was duped. So we got on the internet to see if purple basil existed. Thankfully it did. What we had bought was a sweet basil variant called "Purple Ruffles". It's commonly used to create purple pesto and basil vinegar (which Jessica plans on doing and documenting). Supposedly it also has a slightly different flavor than common sweet basil. We still haven't tasted it yet so we can't comment on its flavor yet. We also read that the leaves can lose their purple color for various reasons including too much sun or too much humidity so we'll have to experiment with various locations to maintain the striking purple color. Keep tuned for updates on how this purple basil and all our other plants are doing.

Lettuce, why are you bolting away?

Our lettuce bolting

Lettuce is one of the most common plants in a container garden. In Puerto Rico the common lettuce is called "Lechuga del Pais" (translation: The Country's Lettuce) which contrary to its name is not actually from Puerto Rico. For those in other countries who want to grow "Lechuga del Pais" it's sold as "Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce". "Lechuga del Pais" is a loose leaf lettuce. This type of lettuce is preferred in containers over the "head" kind because it requires less space. Also lose leaf varieties offer the advantage of allowing you to harvest only what you need instead of harvesting the whole head.

Being a cool season plant lettuce presents challenges in Puerto Rico since it's always hot (except in winter in the central mountain region). The main challenge is delaying or preventing a process which occurs in hot weather called bolting. When lettuce (and other greens such as spinach, arugula, etc) receives more sunlight than darkness the plant goes through a rapid vertical growth which results in the production of flowers, and ultimately seeds, at the end of a long stem. In other words, the plant, being under stress (read:hot temperatures), determines that it will not survive and moves rapidly to achieve every plant's ultimate goal: providing seeds for the next generation. 

Bolting is inevitable in hot weather which is why it's recommended to plant lettuce in Puerto Rico between September and March. Also, you should consider buying seeds or plants that are "slow to bolt" or "heat tolerant". This information is usually prominently displayed in the seed packs. If/when your plant bolts you have two choices: pull the plant immediately and harvest since the leaves will turn bitter or let the plant produce seeds which you can use for the next crop. We took the latter route and we're letting our lettuce go to seed. Have you had a lettuce bolt? What have you done with it?

A death in the family

Today's title is a little homage to one of the most iconic moment in a famous superhero's history. One of the first stories in which readers could influence the outcome. If you know what this story is, consider yourself a geek. Now back to our regular programming.

Payasito, you'll be remembered

Even though most things are going great in our little container garden there are always setbacks. These setbacks happen to everyone and I wanted to share ours with you, our faithful reader, so you don't feel alone when things go wrong. Last week we went for a long weekend to Punta Guilarte (not recommended btw) to spend some quality time with Jessica's family. We decided to move our plants inside (except for the cucumbers) since we wouldn't be able to water them. In retrospect this was the correct move since the plants would've dried out if left outside. However, there were consequences. Our lupin(e) seedling (which we first mentioned in our After the storm post) did not survive the lack of sunlight and water. Also, our cucumbers suffered a bit from the lack of water and about half of the leaves died. The plants did survive though and produced two beautiful cucumbers during this time. Also, our payasito died during this time. Although to be quite honest it may be pure coincidence since the plant had been in decline for the past few weeks. Lesson: Always research plants before you buy them. For all we know the payasito could be an annual that dies right after flowering, who knows?

Not all is bad news though. We continue harvesting cherry tomatoes on an almost daily basis and we're getting cucumbers every week. We also planted some lupine seeds to replace our lost seedling. So have you had any setbacks which frustrated you? Please share them with us in the comments section.

Pests: Leaf Miners

Leaf miner damage on our tomato

Sometime ago we noticed some strange markings on some of our tomato and cucumber leaves.  They were silvery and looked like trails made by a drunk animal. We looked around for signs of additional damage but we didn't find any. Since the plants did not seem to be suffering any ill effects from it we let them be. However, our curiosity remained. In search for answers we went to the bible, The Bountiful Container by McGee & Stuckey's (highly recommended). It mentioned that silver trails are usually a sign of slugs. We searched and searched but we never found a single slug.

Yesterday, I went to one of my favorite garden blogs (and quite possibly the inspiration for this blog), Life on the Balcony,  and right there on the main page was the answer to our question: Leaf Miners. The larvae of some insects burrow themselves in leaves and eat the soft layers inside. The white or silvery trail left is the mine or path being made by the growing larvae. Be warned that the mine is filled with frass (insect poop). So eat greens, such as lettuce or spinach, that show any signs of leaf miners at your own risk.

Killing leaf miners is not easy since they are protected by the leaf itself. Therefore, any spray pesticide (which I don't recommend anyways) will be ineffective. In this case control through other means is necessary. Removing affected leaves is recommended, however, not necessary unless you are eating the leaves (think spinach or lettuce). Nature, in its awesome wisdom, has provided a means of controlling leaf miners; parasitic wasps that preys on this larvae. If you are lucky to have some of these in your garden you may not even have to do anything.

Have you had leaf miners in your garden? If so, let us know what you've used to control them.

If it smells like oregano and tastes like oregano...

Oregano Brujo

...it's not oregano? A week or so ago a couple of our friends came over and brought us a gift (thanks guys!). Plectranthus amboinicus, commonly known as 'Oregano brujo' in Puerto Rico. This plant smells and tastes like oregano and is used as an oregano substitute in mass produced food. However, it isn't in the Origanum family (common oregano's scientific name is Origanum vulgare). 

Oregano brujo is widely available in Puerto Rico and is ideal for growing in containers. Why? It grows fast, needs little water, loves heat, and can be grown in the shade. Oregano brujo can be planted in poor soil but it grows best on a good quality potting mix. It is able to tolerate periods of drought or stagnant water but we recommend that you maintain a constant moisture level. Supplement once a month (or more frequently if you are continuously harvesting) with a high nitrogen or balanced fertilizer (20/20/20 is the most common in PR). If you are feeding it (and harvesting) constantly we recommend to give the plant more than 6 hours of direct sunlight. However, you can also grow it in the shade with just 2-3 hours of direct sunlight. Just remember that your plant's growth rate will be proportional to the amount of sunlight it receives and the nutrient levels of the soil.

As you can see oregano brujo really is the easiest plant to grow and it gets even better. To top it off oregano brujo can be propagated by a technique called cutting. Just cut 4-6 inches of the top of the main stem and plant in a moist medium (potting soil would do). In a few days roots will start to grow and you will have a brand new plant! This new plant makes an excellent and original gift for a friend or neighbor. Don't worry about the original plant; it will regrow quickly.

Oregano brujo is a versatile plant with many uses. Nowadays the leafs are primarily used to season meat but traditionally they've been used to treat illnesses such as coughs, sore throats, indigestion and even infections. Because of its strong smell, the plant can also be used as an insect and pest repellant in your garden. In Indonesia it's used in a soup to promote lactation. With so many uses and the relative ease of growing it Oregano brujo should be on every container garden in Puerto Rico. Do you have some Oregano brujo in your garden?  What are you waiting for?

Update (3/13/12): Decided to update this post with more information since a lot of people are being directed to this page through search engines. ~Joel