Will this be a good year for fall color?
What to do about ladybugs in the house?
QUESTION #1: Dear Trusty Gardener, Will this be a good year for fall color? Why do trees and shrubs differ in their fall color display from year to year?
ANSWER: Certain plants, like Crimson King maple and Ginkgo, have a built-in genetic code that is responsible for their brilliant fall color display. But even with these genes in place, the plants need ideal fall conditions to show off their best color. Trees must be healthy, well watered all season and located in full sun. Sadly, because of our summer drought this year, our fall colors may be a bit on the drab side.
The color mechanism is relatively simple for the yellow and orange pigmented plants. During the growing season, chlorophyll, which gives all plants their green color, is produced. But as daylight decreases in late summer and fall, so does the manufacture of chlorophyll. With less green present, the two yellow to orange pigments - carotene and xanthophyll - begin to dominate leaf color.
For the magnificent reds and burgundies to appear, a plant must have the genetic predisposition for those colors, plus a fall weather pattern of sunny days followed by cool nights at 45 degrees or less. Sugars are manufactured in the leaves during the sunny days, but are unable to move out of the leaves during the cool nights. The trapped sugars trigger the production of the red pigment, anthocyanin.
If ideal fall weather is not present, red fall colors are not as brilliant. Let's hope for sunny days and cool nights - plus some more rain - to give us a better fall color show this year and next!
QUESTION #2: Dear Trusty Gardener, I would like to use a worm bin to recycle my kitchen waste this winter. Could you tell me how to get started?
ANSWER: Making worm compost, or vermicompost, is a great idea. Using worms to decompose food waste reduces household garbage disposal costs and produces free, high-quality compost that boosts the soils nutrition and enhances it's structure and drainage. It requires little space, labor, or maintenance, and even spawns free worms for fishing. Here's what you'll need:
The Worm Bin: It is easiest to purchase a plastic tub for the worm bin. A bin that's approximately two feet wide by two feet long, and at least 8 inches deep is adequate for the scraps generated by a two-person household. A 2 by 3 foot box is suitable for four to six people. For aeration and drainage, drill ten half-inch holes in the bottom of the bin. Also drill a few holes on the upper sides of the bin to help your worms get oxygen and prevent odors. Keep a lid on the bin, and set it on a tray to prevent wetting the floor. Store the worm bin at 55 to 77 degrees F.
The Bedding: Worms need material in which to burrow. This could be shredded black-and-white newspapers, paper bags, computer paper, cardboard or leaves. Add a handful of soil to supply roughage for the worms. Keep the bedding moist.
The Worms: It's important to get the type of worms that will thrive in a worm bin - redworms or "wigglers" (Eisenia foetida). Call the Civic Garden Center Hotline at (513) 221-TREE for local sources, or seek them out online. Add one pound of worms to the smaller bin or two pounds of worms to the larger bin. One pound of worms will eat about four pounds of food scraps a week.
The Food Scraps: Feed your worms any non-meat organic waste such as vegetables, fruits, eggshells, tea bags, coffee grounds, paper coffee filters, or shredded garden waste. Be sure to cover the food scraps completely with the bedding to discourage fruit flies and mold. Bury food scraps in a different area of the bin each time. The worms should be fed at least once a week.
After about six weeks, you will begin to see worm castings, a soil-like material that has moved through the worms' digestive tract. In three or four months, it will be time to harvest the castings. Mixed in with the castings will be partially decomposed bedding and food scraps, in addition to worms; this is called vermicompost.
QUESTION #3: Dear Trusty Gardener, How can I keep from getting ladybugs in my home in late fall and periodically throughout the winter?
ANSWER: These are Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles. Unlike our native ladybugs, the Asian lady beetles like to overwinter in and around buildings. They collect in large numbers on outside walls warmed by the sun. If there are gaps around the windows or doors, the beetles will come inside and make themselves at home. They do not feed or reproduce indoors, but they are a nuisance.
The best way to prevent the beetles from entering your home is to caulk all cracks to the outdoors. If they are already in the home, they can be scooped up and released outdoors, or they can be sucked up using the vacuum cleaner. If you place a piece of a nylon stocking in the vacuum cleaner attachment, it will catch the ladybugs before they end up smashed in the canister, and they can be released back into the outdoors, away from your house.
Household insecticides are not effective against this pest, and smashing the beetles is not recommended because the squished critters can leave a permanent stain.
