Large Scale Central

Pacific Northwesterners: take a look at your Dwarf Alberta Spruc

Gardening
#1

Due to the mild winter, I guess, some of mine are hosting huge populations of Green Spruce Aphid (Elatobium abietinum). The trees can proably be saved; I have to find a good aphid spray or something. Anyway, if you live in the Puget Sound region, you might want to take a close look at your Spruces.

Anybody have experiencing eradicating these critters? I have small kids who play in the yard, and I would prefer to use some chemical that degrades rapidly. Or I could encase the plants in clear plastic and spray them, maybe, hoping to get high aphid mortality without spraying poison all over the place. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Tim

#2

I’ve found that hitting the tree with a high pressure garden hose…well, high pressure for a garden hose… will knock those pesky critters off the tree. You can also try spraying them with soapy water, too. Both work well, and neither will cause you any concern about spreading poison around.

Seen any Lady Bugs? They likes aphids.

SteveF

#3

If you have the misfortune to live with someone who smokes , put the habit to some use by putting the dog ends (butts?) in water , leave them to turn the water a rich brown colour and spray your plants with it . It’s not known to harm any plants , my Dad used the stuff a lot , and it worked .Proving once and for all ,Smokin’ kills ya . Problem was , all the apples tasted like Golden Virginia instead of Golden Pippin. And the roses smelled like a bar the morning after .
Mike M
ps putting plastic bags over will kill the tree. It causes scorching .

#4

I just trimmed and shaped 50 alberta spruce on my Bearspaw Southern, and live in Portland, so I am very familiar with several pests and the growth of these trees. I give my trees a severe prunning (bonsai style) every other year, which keeps them open to the trunks. Fewer pests like them with less places to hide, but I also hit them with a good grade of Ortho brand systemic bug spray using a hose sprayer and following their directions. That really keeps the spider mites and aphids, even yellow jackets avoid them more, etc, to a minimum. It is back breaking work to do the trimming however. It is not good for bees to use these sprays, but I have enough other areas in my large yard, that I leave for them.

#5

I don’t have any spruce on my layout (it’s indoors :D) but I have had aphids and fruit flies infest my walnut trees. Once the yellowjackets found out my aphid/fruit fly problem disappeared. And once the pests were devoured by the jackets they went on elsewhere.

#6

Just a spray of soapy water (a couple of drops of dish soap in a quart of water) will take care of most soft bodied like aphids. I have never heard of using ciggy butts but I have heard of using chewing tobacco “soup” as an insecticidal spray. Its the nicotine that is deadly!

-Brian