Golden Beetle on Sweet Potato Leaves

It's just about time to harvest the sweet potatoes, and in addition to the gold (sweet potatoes) underground, some gardeners may find flecks of gold on the leaves. Mottled tortoise beetles have been making holes in the leaves of the sweet potato plants for a while now, but they are mostly hidden, on the undersides of the leaves, making them difficult to see.

As the vines are pulled to clear the way for the harvest, the metallic gold of the beetles will become more apparent, glinting in the sun.

The BugGuide website has posted a closeup image of one of these beetles, and North Carolina State University reports, through its IPM section, that leaf damage from these beetles typically isn't severe enough to warrant spraying to control them.

Instead, gardeners can just enjoy the double-dose of gold offered up by the sweet potato bed.

Mottled tortoise beetle on back of a sweet potato leaf, late September.                                PHOTO/Amy Whitney

Plant Your Home Orchard Now

UGA Extension Specialist Bob Westerfield has written a couple of recent articles on planting a home orchard, pointing out in both that choosing the right trees for your area is an essential step toward a successful and productive orchard. Insect and disease resistance are important elements of that success, but so is timing.

In "Plant Fruit Trees Now to Create a Home Orchard," Westerfield points out that the best time is now.

The article explains much of what a homeowner needs to know to get a productive orchard started, including site selection -- emphasizing drainage and sunshine -- ground preparation, and planting. Usefully, it also explains how to select a healthy tree for planting. Westerfield recommends the purchase of one-year-old trees:

"A common mistake made by many homeowners is to select oversized or ready-to-bear nursery trees. Experience has shown that younger trees bear almost as soon, are easier to keep alive and develop into more healthy vigorous trees than do oversized stock. Older trees cost more to grow and are sold at higher prices, but are usually worth less."

In "Select Best Fruit Trees for Your Region of Georgia," Westerfield identifies fruit tree varieties that perform well in the different regions of the state.

Recommended apple trees for Cobb County include "Ginger Gold, Gala, Mollie’s Delicious, Ozark Gold, Golden Delicious, Mutzu, Yates and Granny Smith."

For pears, choose "Orient, Carrick Waite, Kieffer, Magness, Moonglow, Starking Delicious or Dawn."

For plums, he recommends the Japanese varieties  "Methley, Morris, AU Rubrum, AU Producer, Spring Satin, Byrongold and Rubysweet."

Apples hang from a tree at the University of Georgia - Mountain Research and Education Center in Blairsville, Ga. Image credit: University of Georgia.

In addition to the information in the two articles linked above, homeowners interested in starting a small orchard out in the yard can refer to the information in UGA Cooperative Extension's multiple fruit/orchard publications: "Minor Fruits and Nuts in Georgia"; "Home Garden Pears"; "Home Garden Apples"; "Home Garden Figs"; "Plums for Georgia Home Gardens"; and "Diagnostic Guide to Common Home Orchard Diseases", among others.

For additional information, or for UGA publications on fruits not listed here, contact the Cobb County Extension office at 770-528-4070.

Upcoming Events

Herbs

Friday, September 13, noon to 1:00 p.m. Free and open to the public. Learn how easy it is to grow herbs and ways to harvest and preserve them. Presented by Master Gardener Linda Hlozansky as part of the ongoing Lunch & Learn series of Cobb County Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, at the Training Room of the Cobb County Water lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.). 

Getting started with hypertufa

Friday, September 20, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Learn how to make your own unique, stone-like, hypertufa planters. Presented by Master Gardener Lee Culver, at the 2nd floor classroom of the Cobb Extension office, 678 South Cobb Drive, Marietta, 30060.  Free and open to the public, but spaces are limited; please preregister by sending an email to lculver123@aol.com.

 

Landscaping with plants and design for all seasons

Tuesday, September 24, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Presented by Master Gardener David Cree, as part of the ongoing Gardeners Night Out presentation series of Cobb County Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, at West Cobb Regional Library, 1750 Dennis Kemp Lane NW, Kennesaw, 30152. 

Moving toward organics in the vegetable garden

Friday, October 4, noon to 1:00 p.m. Free and open to the public. Learn what organic gardening and farming really means and steps you can take to have a more environmentally friendly garden. . Presented by Cobb Extension staff member and Master Gardener Amy Whitney as part of the ongoing Lunch & Learn series of Cobb County Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, at the Training Room of the Cobb County Water lab, 662 South Cobb Drive (at the intersection with Atlanta Rd.). 

Growing conifers in Georgia: Add another dimension to your landscape

Tuesday, October 22, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Presented by Master Gardener Michele Browne, as part of the ongoing Gardeners Night Out presentation series of Cobb County Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County, at South Cobb Regional Library, 805 Clay Road, Mableton, 30126.

ALSO, come meet Cooperative Extension staff and some of our Master Gardener Volunteers at the Marietta Square Farmer’s Market, the last Saturday of each month through October. We will be there on September 28 and October 26 to answer questions on canning, food preservation, and gardening. Bring sick plants (or large pieces of them) for help with diagnosis and treatment options, and bring bugs for identification.

Baldfaced Hornets: Nest Like a Paper Tornado

Baldfaced hornets are becoming more obvious in yards and parks as their nests and colonies have grown over the summer. Actually a form of yellow jacket wasp, these hornets build nests above ground, usually attached to branches in trees and shrubs.

Baldfaced hornet nest, empty of hornets and no longer attached to the tree.

If one of these colonies is in your yard, you are not alone! UGA's "Stinging and Biting Pests" tells that these colonial insects actually have a broad distribution, having been found in 46 states.

The hornets are fairly large, mostly black, and have, as described in the UGA publication, "white or light yellowish markings on the face, thorax and part of the abdomen."

In the section about controlling these insects, the publication explains, "Most social bees, wasps and hornets are beneficial and should not be controlled unless their nest and activities are close to humans and create a hazard."

Clemson's publication about Baldfaced Hornets points out that these insects act defensively to protect their nests: "Most social wasps vigorously defend their nests from perceived threats. Baldfaced hornets are known for their defensive behavior. People are often stung when they accidentally stumble upon a hidden nest or when the nest is located in areas adjacent to homes or places where there is human activity."

The hornets do have significant redeeming value. Clemson's publication opens with this positive note: "In nature, baldfaced hornets are extremely valuable because they kill many pests including flies, caterpillars, and spiders."

If removing a colony of baldfaced hornets is deemed necessary, it is recommended that a pest-control company be hired, since the task is fairly hazardous. However, all the hornets except new queens will die in winter, at which time a nest that has been left alone may be removed and disposed of safely.