Buffalo hopping from tree to tree? The image made me laugh, so I decided to make this pest the Garden Word of the Day. Buffalo treehoppers (Stictocephala bisonia) get their name because they have a triangular head that looks like a buffalo in profile. Sort of. These native pests are only 1/4 inch long and bright green to brown. Because of the color and shape, they are difficult to see. Some individuals develop a horn-shape to the head that looks like a thorn. You can walk right up on one and not even know it’s there, until it leaps into the air and flies away. Buffalo treehopper lifecycle Every summer, male buffalo leafhoppers take to the trees and sing their tiny hearts out, but we can’t hear them. If we could, they would sound something like cicadas, or crickets. His song attracts females for the normal reproductive activities. Late summer through early autumn, females lay eggs using a blade-shaped ovipositor that cuts a series of slits in twigs and stems. Each cut may contain a dozen eggs. The next year, in late spring, nymphs emerge. They look like miniature adults, but with feathery spines. After several molts, they emerge as adults. Damage caused by buffalo treehoppers Well, they break off entire branches, right? Just kidding. These small pests begin their destructive behavior during the nymph stage when they drop to the ground and feed on grasses and herbaceous plants. As they mature, they begin feeding on many different fruit trees, particularly apple, pear, cherry, prune, and quince. They also feed on ash, hawthorn, elm, and locust, and a wide variety of herbaceous (non-woody) plants. All stages of buffalo leafhopper are sap-suckers. They use piercing mouthparts to tap into the phloem for a sugar feast. This feeding results in a sticky sweet discharge called honeydew. Buffalo leafhopper damage is minimal, but big populations can cause problems with sooty mold fungi feeding on the honeydew.
Buffalo treehopper controls Since they hop like crazy and can fly, control is difficult. A strong spray from a garden hose can dislodge insects from a specific host (for a while). While not nearly as interesting as trying to round-up a herd of forest-dwelling bovines, insecticidal soaps are effective. The best treatment you can give plants being sucked dry by buffalo leafhoppers is to hose them down to wash off the honeydew.
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Calcium is a critical plant nutrient commonly found in alkaline soil. But that doesn’t mean your plants can get to it. And it doesn’t look the way you might expect. Calcium inside plants We all know that calcium makes for strong bones and teeth. It also helps plants stay healthy. Calcium is critical to plant growth and development. Plants use calcium to build strong cell walls, move materials across cell membranes, grow primary root systems, and maintain the cation-anion balance. [Cations and anions are electrically charged atoms of minerals that plants use for food.] Researchers learned, in 2016, that the movement of calcium molecules in plant root cells triggers proteins that tell the plant that nitrogen-fixing bacteria are nearby. This causes the plant to start building nodules on the roots that will serve as homes to those helpful bacteria. Bottom line, as calcium walks in the door, the welcome mat for nitrogen-fixing bacteria gets unrolled, setting the stage for healthier and more productive plants. [This stuff amazes me.] Calcium deficiency Calcium deficiency is often caused by irregular irrigation. Unlike more mobile nutrients, such as nitrogen, calcium does not move around within a plant easily. Once it stops traveling through the xylem, it pretty much stays where it is. This is why calcium deficiency is rarely seen in older plant tissue. Normally, calcium is moved through a plant by evapotranspiration, which uses a lot of water. Calcium deficiency can also occur when there is too much nitrogen in the soil, causing plants to grow faster than they can move the available calcium. When plants do not have enough calcium, you may see stunted growth, leaf curling, dead terminal buds and root tips, and leaves with brown spots along the edges that spread toward the center. These damaged areas make it easier for pests and diseases to strike. Some crop-specific symptoms of calcium deficiency include:
Drought and minerals
Minerals, such as calcium, are affected by drought in ways that might surprise you. Reduced water supplies often mean we get our tap (irrigation) water from reservoirs that are scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel. That water already has high salt and mineral contents. The chemical reactions that occur between those salts and plant nutrients can make life difficult for everyone involved. California pistachio growers have found that, by adding more calcium to the soil, they can reduce the amount of salt absorbed by plants. This is not something you should attempt in your garden because what you just read is an oversimplification of a complex condition. I only use it to point out the amazing balancing act going on all the time to get you the foods you love. Another factor that involves drought and calcium is drip irrigation emitters. They tend to get clogged by calcium the same way your coffee maker and iron do. If your region has hard (high mineral content) water, you may want to invest in a filter. Sources of calcium Before adding calcium to your soil, it is important to find out what it already contains. Most soils west of the Rocky Mountains contain abundant calcium. The optimal range is 1000-1500 ppm. A soil test, conducted by a reputable lab, is the only way to know for sure. Over-the-counter soil tests are not reliable or accurate enough. If you are growing anywhere there used to be an ocean, there’s probably plenty of calcium already present. If you live east of the Rockies, it’s a different story. Agricultural lime and calcium chloride sprays can replenish depleted soils. Sorry, but egg shells do not add calcium to your soil. Calcium uptake problems Let’s assume that your soil has plenty of calcium in it and that you are watering regularly and properly. Other problems can interfere with a plant’s ability to absorb this important nutrient. Excessive potassium (K) is one. Too much magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), iron (Fe), or ammonium (NH4+) can also slow the uptake of calcium. Soil alkalinity or acidity (pH) also plays a role. The molecular balancing act that occurs between minerals within your soil and plants is mind-boggling, to say the least. Suffice to say, your average gardener (or gardening blogger) only groks the tip of this iceberg. This is not something to guess about. Get your soil tested. Your plants will thank you. |
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