Terrorists !!!!

We have all had problems with White Fly, Red Spider Mite and the dreaded Hawk Moth Caterpillar but I have had trouble lately with two new pests namely the Snout Beetle and the Earwig. Both these little "terrorists" chew the leaves at night, particularly of young plants and nothing seems to kill them. I think this beetle is also called the Vine Weevil. One of our members was telling me today that he has also had similar problems - your comments are welcome.

The Snout Beetle is tiny and has six legs and two feelers from a pointed snout This picture is from the following website the only difference to the one in my garden is that my one seems to have a light coloured line down the middle of the back. For more info go to :

http://www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/english/crops/facts/94-025.htm

PS   Since first writing about the Snout Beetle some members have queried whether this creature is the same as the Vine Weevil referred to in overseas books and even if it is found in South Africa. I took one of them to the South African Museum (insect dept.) for identification, they have told me the name is Ellimenistes.(see report below).

I have been through our collection and have I.D'd your beetle to the
following:
Family:      Curculionidae
Subfamily:  Entiminae
Tribe:         Oosomini
Genus:       Ellimenistes sp.

Most weevils are called "Snout beetles" and the "Vine beetle" is of the
following genera:
Bustomus, Cryptolarynx, Phlyctinus, Otiorhyncus, Eremnus, Tanrhyncus.  These
weevils seem to lay their eggs in the soil then the adults crawls up the
stems or vines leaving the larvae to feed off the roots in the soil.

Not too much is known on the biology of weevils but it seems most adults are
plant feeders and the larvae on the root system.

The weevil you have seems to lay its eggs in the stems of plants such as
coffee, garden flowers, etc.

I hope this helps you in some way.
Kind regards
Dawn Larsen

Dawn Larsen
Assist. Collections Manager
Iziko Museums of Cape Town
South African Museum
Entomology Dept.
P O Box 61
Cape Town.
8000

Phone: 021x481-3867
Fax:    021x481-3993
Email:  dlarsen@iziko.org.za

I really would like to know if other growers have had trouble with this pest and whether you agree with the above identification.

This  picture shows the extensive damage done to one of my plants by one of these creatures.  Note how it has shaved the stems and eaten all the leaves, I cannot however find evidence of eggs being laid in the stems. 17/04/05 This plant has now died.

The Earwig is also small and also chews leaves More info and pictures go to

http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/kkhp/1insects/earwig.html

2007 Another pest has reared its head in my garden this year called the Stink Bug or Tipwilter or Shield Bug, about the size of a man's thumb nail he nips the tips of the branches so that when you come to look at your plants all you see are sad looking end branches all wilted and dying. Spraying does not help so you cut them in half with your clippers only to be assailed by a foul smell and a young grandson shouting "look Gran the front half is running in a different direction to the back half" --- little sadist!!!

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Those were the days.

A conversation with our founder, Mrs Bunty Milton, always yields something of interest whether it is about her life in general or her favourite subject - Fuchsias. While visiting her recently she brought out two catalogues from a specialist Fuchsia nursery in the Transvaal (for our overseas visitors the Transvaal is north of where we are and is now known as Gauteng) one dated 1975/76, the other 1977/78. They make interesting reading for example they say "the nursery now has over 200 varieties in stock, many of which are still being tested for adaptability to South African conditions". We are now able to say that there is a CD out that shows 17000  named Fuchsias many of which are available in SA. Turn the page and you see the prices - individual plants at 35 cents each and packs at R4.50 for 12 plants.

For those reading this in other countries you will not be amazed that these plants could be mail ordered and railed anywhere in the country - this just does not happen in SA anymore.

Some names on the lists are old favourites such as Billy Green, Sleigh Bells, Voodoo and Winston Churchill.

Those were the days.

Good News: I hear that Beth Middleton is working on a mail order system.

For those in SA who don't know Beth she has a large nursery in Gauteng and imports regularly.

Watch this space.

25th ANNIVERSARY

2007 saw us celebrate 25 years as a society growing Fuchsias. Our main function was a luncheon on the 11th August the exact date that the first meeting was held. We were lucky to have our founder Bunty Milton there who gave us a short summary of the "old" days   Also there from the early days was Margaret Hildick and Jan Meynell

zzzzzzz

SMALL POTS.

In a recent edition of BFS magazine Geoff Oke (our judge from UK) included an article on small pot growing which I found interesting. Hope you enjoy it.

John’s Jottings - The Small Pot Class.

I have written this article as a response to Martin Banthorpe from Hitchin who asked a question on the BFS website “In the categories for showing there are classes for small pots. I cannot see any information about small pot culture in any of my books or in Society leaflets. Is it possible for something to be published either in leaflet form or via Fuchsia News giving cultural information for these smaller plants? I do not show but would like to improve my growing skills”.

Within the BFS and affiliated society shows, the small pot classes essentially cater for growing fuchsias in 9cm (3½”) pots, though a few shows also include a class for 10cm (4”) pots. There are classes for a single 9cm pot, 3 x 9cm pots and 5 x 9 cm pots. Read the wording carefully for any multi-pot classes as they may specify distinctly different cultivars or a minimum of 2 different cultivars in a 3 pot class or 3 different cultivars in a 5 pot class or any cultivars. The last definition means you could grow exhibit 5 plants of the same cultivar in a five pot class, though I often think the contrast between light and darker coloured cultivars looks better. There are many growers who have demonstrated a lot of skill in this area and although I have had some success in these classes there are others who I consider to be better growers in this arena. However I will first tell you how I grow my small pots and perhaps that will prompt others to contribute their own techniques. (please?!!)

The first important item to discuss is choice of cultivars! For this type of growth you need to use small flowered, bushy, self-branching and compact cultivars. I would normally recommend sticking to small single or semi-double flowered cultivars. Double flowered cultivars are generally not free flowering enough and tend to have longer intermodal growth and you have more chance of getting one extra stop on a single flowered cultivar. There are a few small flowered doubles that can be used if you really want to try a double.

My preferred way of growing these plants is to take late summer or early autumn cuttings and grow them on as a single plant. By this I mean tip cuttings taken from late August to early October from suitable stock, often plants that have been used for July shows and been cut back and allowed to reshoot. Take care when selecting your cutting materials ensuring the shoot used is healthy, exhibits a balanced growth with all leaves opposite and of equal size and no flower buds present. Take 2 or 3 times as many cuttings you need and select the best to grow on. Cuttings taken at this time of year often root quickly without additional heat in a cold propagator. You can also use three leaved cuttings as long as they are symmetric and these will form a larger plant more quickly. I root my cuttings in cells strips (60 cells to a seed tray which split into 5 strips of 12) in a mixture of 2 parts sifted moss peat, 1 part vermiculite and I part Cornish grit. Take the cutting below a leaf node with a sharp scalpel or modelling knife to give 2 pairs of leaves and a growing tip. Remove the bottom set of leaves and if the next set is too large cut them in half taking care not to bruise the stem. Place the cutting in a prepared hole in the cutting media and lightly firm the compost around the stem. Add a label with the variety name and date the cutting was taken. When the strip is full, I water them in from above with a mist spray containing a weak high nitrogen feed (i.e. Chempak No 2) and diluted Maxicrop, then place them in the propagator either out of the sun, or shielded from the sun. During September these will root in 3 weeks with occasional further misting. When they are rooted increase the ventilation to the propagator in steps, and after another 1 to 2 weeks remove the strip from the propagator. When the cuttings have adapted to the greenhouse conditions, select the cuttings you think are best and carefully remove the root ball from the cell and pot up into a 6cm (2½”) pot in the compost mix you normally use. With the current varying quality of amateur composts, I will not make any recommendations except to say that you find one with high peat content and add grit or sharp sand with Vermiculite or Perlite to open the texture. I favour adding a small proportion (approx. 5-10%) of John Innes No 2 or 3 as well. When the plant has settled and grown to 3 sets of leaves and a growing tip remove the tip carefully without damaging any of the axial buds. Note that some growers prefer to make the first stop at two pairs of leaves to make the plant more compact.  Grow these plants on in the warmest and lightest place you can find in the greenhouse watering them as necessary. A wire mesh shelf in the apex of the roof is an excellent place! Many exhibitors, especially those living in the more northerly climes grow plants through the winter on heated benches. It is extremely important to inspect and turn the plants ¼ of a turn every other day as this helps to keep the balanced shape. Removing any dying leaves before they can cause problems is the best advice. When the side shoots have grown sufficiently then remove the growing tips again on these. I prefer to remove them at 2 sets of leaves on the bottom two sets of side shoots and one on the top set, though some exhibitors will stop every shoot at one pair of leaves. Most fuchsias will throw an additional set of shoots inside the top set and these can also be stopped at one pair of leaves and these growths are important to build the crown of the plant. At this stage take a close look down from the top at the plant and look to see that everything is growing symmetrically. If one side shoot has gone a little awry, then carefully move it to the correct place and hold it in place with a cane or wire and after a few weeks it will stay in this position. Take care not to use too much force! If the branch needs to be moved a long way, either ditch the plant or do it in steps! Continue the growth stopping at every pair of leaves and feed with quarter strength balanced fertiliser at every watering. When the roots have grown sufficiently to fill the pot and are curling around the bottom, pot the plant on into a 8cm (3”) pot. If possible do this by the pot mould technique using a 6cm (2½”) pot inside a 8cm (3”) pot to minimise disturbance. If necessary pot the plant down a little deeper in the 3” pot. Continue the growth shaping and stopping as necessary and it might be necessary to remove some of the bigger inside leaves to allow more light into the centre of the plant. When the plant is big enough pot it on into its final 9cm (3½”) pot. This final potting needs to be done ideally at least 4 months before the show you have in mind. This will allow the plant to become root bound in the pot before the penultimate stop is done.  Why is this? Well, for a single cultivar you need typically 60 days or a little less than 9 weeks from the final stop to full flowering. Then you need to allow another 3 to 4 weeks between the penultimate stop and the last stop. Hence you have 4 weeks minimum between the final potting and the penultimate stop for the plants roots to fill the space in the additional compost! Why am I going on so much about plants being root bound? Well it is this that drives the plant to flower profuse in an attempt to reproduce itself, and being very pot bound at the final stop also means less extension growth is made keeping the final plant more compact! Please note that all this timing is still very weather dependant and designed for shows from late July to the end of August but if you are growing the plants with a specific single date as the objective, then consider adding one extra week to the final stop as you can always remove some open flowers 10 days before the show but you cannot make buds open on the day!!

To keep the growth compact the plants need to be grown outside as much as possible. This in the south west means moving them outside on suitable days from late March through to mid-May and then growing them outside exclusively from then on. If you are further north or colder you may have to delay this by 1-3 weeks. They can be placed in suitable trays out on a lawn or placed in double pots[1]. Even when the stopping has finished it is still necessary to turn the plants regularly and continue to look at them, remove any dead leaves, spray if necessary and feed them. Through the summer months they will probably need watering most days but let them go as dry as you dare between watering. When the first flower buds start to form then either switch to a high potash feed or alternate between this and a balanced feed. About 10 days before the show remove any open flowers or any just about to open as these will be past their best by show day. If possible move the plants under netting to protect the flowers from honey bee damage. View the plants and decide what you will take and make your entries. The day before the show go through the plants and select the ones you intend to take and perhaps some spares if in doubt. Remember for multi-plant classes to check you adhere to the class wording; remember a contrast such as two white and a dark flowered cultivar work well. Try to ensure the plants used for multi-plant classes are of a similar size. Go through the plants and remove any debris or marked leaves or flowers, ensure the pot is clean and polished. It is allowed to change the pot for a clean one of the same size. Make sure you use the same make of pot as different manufacturers have different profiles so the plant may be loose with a different pot type. Dress the compost surface with fresh compost and ensure you have enough clean saucers of the right size. Place the label on the best side to make it easy to place the pots properly on the show bench.

On the show day water the plants well and allow them to drain. Pack them into suitable 3½” pot trays (the expanded polystyrene type are best if you can get them) so they can’t move around and put them in the car. When you arrive at the show go to see the show secretary and pick up your cards. Find where the classes you are entering are in the show and pick your place. You will find the “German Towel on the sun chair” technique common where an exhibitor will place saucer(s) where they want to stage their exhibit. If there is not enough room, find a steward to make room for you, never move another exhibitor’s plants!! Dress the plants to ensure all the flowers are out of the foliage and flower buds which are about to open may be tickled to get them open. However do not pop any buds as the judge will spot it!! Fill in the cultivar names and place your exhibitor card the correct way up in front of your exhibit. Stand back and make sure everything looks OK. Go away, cross fingers and wait!

There is always a discussion on what size the plants should be. A well-known former exhibitor and judge whose plants I was always trying to match or surpass said a good plant should be between 2½ & 3 times the pot diameter. Hence according to his guidance a 9cm (3½”) pot should be between just under 22.5cm (9”) and not more than 27cm (10½”) in diameter. You will see plants that are larger than this and they might win, but these dimensions are about right.

So the method I have described will take approximately 11 months from start to finish. A quicker alternative is to use a multi-plant technique. This entails taking cuttings as early as possible in the current year and then putting three cuttings of the same size stopped at two pairs of leaves into a 3” pot. They are then grown on in a similar way I have described, stopping at every pair of leaves but taking extra care to remove overlapping leaves and crossing branches. I have not been very successful with this method but I know a number of people are!

It is also possible to regrow a 9cm (3½”) pot for a second year, when the cultivar is rather slow growing. Some examples are ‘Nellie Nuttall’ and ‘Daniel Reynolds’. In this case the plant is cut back hard at the end of August, all of the old leaves are removed and then when it has started to shoot again pot back into a 8cm (3”) pot. Grow on as before keeping in green leaf over the winter. Other 9cm (3½”) pots can be grown on as 13cm (5”) pots the next year.

Below are some suitable cultivars to try growing in 9cm (3½”) pots. Many of these have won at various national shows in the last ten years and the ones in italics I have tried.

Alison Patricia, Andrew Hadfield, Baby Bright, Ben Jamin, Border Raider, Brenda White, Chris Bright, Daniel Reynolds, Diane Marie, Dusky Beauty, Geoff Oke, Hastings, Jenifer Ann Porter, Jenny Sorensen, Jessica Reynolds, June Marie Shaw, Just Pilk, Kath van Hanegem, Katrina Thompsen, Kobold, Lambada, Little Margaret, Loves Reward, Louise Nicholls, Margaret Lowis, Maria Landy, Marilyn Olsen, Midwinter, Mr A Huggett, My Little Cracker, My Little Gem, Nellie Nuttall, Norman Welton, Rachel Ann, Sharonelle (Actually I am not sure if this should be Sharon Elle?), Sophie Louise, Twinny, Waveney Waltz.

Others which have been grown include the Fantasia series and their sports (Pink Fantasia etc), Katy James, Sister Ann Haley and Grumpy Gord but I have not had so much success with these hence have not recommended them. Some of the older cultivars will also make fair small pots though it is difficult to compete with some of the modern cultvars. Suggestions would be any of the thumb series (Tom Thumb, Lady Thumb etc.), Countess of Aberdeen, Westminster Chimes and perhaps even Alice Hoffman would work well.

If you really must grow a double perhaps try a small floriferous double such as Wigan Peer or Tausendschön.

Throughout this article I have designated pot sizes in metric with the imperial size in brackets. That is because most pots are sold in metric sizes and usually with an “F” after the number (e.g. 9F) designating a full pot. Also all the BFS schedules this year will have metric pot sizes.

Thanks John! As John comments – if you use a different method etc – please let us know!