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By Buddy Gough
The Nature Conservancy of Texas

The neighbor’s small backyard at first glance appeared to be an impressive example of elaborate landscaping with flagstone and gravel paths winding through raised beds of lush greenery.

A closer inspection, however, revealed the beds of various shapes and sizes to be growing food-producing plants of different types.

One attention grabber was a small tree growing against a brick wall with its primary limbs flush to the wall and pruned in the shape of candelabra. Amazingly, pears of some kind were hanging from the long, skinny limbs.

In a bed no more than six-foot square were melons of a kind normally associated with much larger garden spots. There weren’t many, but they were beauties.

“I’ve gotten into Japanese gardening,” the neighbor stated proudly in reference of a style of gardening developed in a crowded country where people are accustomed to dealing with small spaces.

“It’s all organically grown, too,” the neighbor added, showing off a compost bin created with the grass clippings and leaves, kitchen leftovers and prunings from plants mixed in with pulverized cow chips obtained from the local garden store.

As a prime example of his earth-friendly food production, he pointed out a small circular bed where several loaded tomato plants surrounded a wire-mesh container filled with compost.

“All I do is water the compost and the nutrients drain right down to my tomato plants,” he explained. Clearly, the gent was way ahead of the current trend of small, home-grown gardens, which are popping up everywhere from the White House lawn to big-city patios.

An offshoot of the trend is so-called “square-foot gardening” where a surprising amount of produce can be grown in any small space receiving a few hours of sunlight each day.

The ideal situation is an enclosed section of yard containing raised beds of several squares filled with organic soil atop a cloth barrier to keep weeds and grass from growing through. However, a large flower pot or planter will do if only a porch or patio is available.

In conjunction with the trend, horticulturists have responded by developing and supplying nurseries with strains of vegetable plants especially suited for small spaces, such as “patio tomatoes” designed to be grown in flower pots.

Some nurseries are now offering complete “herb gardens” that can be grown in a space no larger than a window box.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s work in Texas or to read other gardening tips, visit nature.org/texas.

By Paul Schattenberg
Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Insects with strange names like red katydids, false chinch bugs and cicada killers are among the pesky critters popping up in surprising numbers throughout South and Central Texas this summer, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service experts.

From late spring to the present, AgriLife Extension entomologists and integrated pest management specialists have been receiving reports of red Central Texas leaf-katydids in Medina, Comal, Bexar and Real counties, said Noel Troxclair, AgriLife Extension entomologist at the AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Uvalde.

While masses of red katydids can damage trees, especially the canopies of oaks, as well as cause consternation and aural irritation to many Central Texas residents, they do not tend to inflict much long-term damage on the areas they choose for their summer home, he said.

Central Texas leaf-katydids look similar to grasshoppers and are from 1.3-1.7 inches in length with forewings that are broad near the tips and slightly convex, forming a cup around the abdomen. They are sometimes called "longhorn grasshoppers" because of their long, sturdy antennae. Katydids produce a sound by rubbing their forewings together, and during population outbreaks, masses of them generate a loud, raspy, pulsating whine that continues night and day.

"The Central Texas leaf-katydid is an arboreal or tree-dwelling species found mostly in oaks," Troxclair said. "Large populations of them can decimate oak tree canopies and swarm over property, though they’re mostly considered a nuisance or annoyance."

Troxclair said he witnessed the previous explosion of Central Texas leaf-katydids in 2007 and remembered a large bottomland area near Pearsall where the rapacious insects had completely defoliated hundreds of live oaks. During that year, outbreaks were reported in Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Frio, Hays, Kendall, and Medina counties.

One of this year’s most serious reports came from the Kane family of Hondo.

"A few weeks ago, red katydids started swarming all over my house and property," said Janelle Kane. "At first there were hundreds on the side of my house, then they finally moved into the trees and now they’ve spread all over a 50- to 60-acre area around us."

Kane said the katydids have gotten into her shed, crawled under her patio and “found their way into almost every nook and cranny” of her home’s exterior.

"When their noise finally stops for a brief time, we can actually hear them eating the leaves on our oak trees," she said. "They’ve jumped on both me and my kids, and now my kids are scared to go near them. Besides that, with so many of them dying around us, they smell just awful."

Troxclair said katydids are sturdy insects and insecticides for their control would depend on their location — home landscape, pasture, forested area, etc. — and the recommendations and directions noted on the pesticide’s label. Insecticides containing acetamiprid, carabryl, indoxacarb, malathion, phosmet and spinosad would be labeled in most situations and provide some level of control.

"We’ve also gotten reports of false chinch bugs in Guadalupe and Medina counties," said Troxclair. "These are a sucking bug related to the chinch bug, but are of a different genus. They tend to do the most damage to row crops, as well as rangeland and brushland with a lot of winter annuals, which is where they prefer to breed."

He said the insect prefers wild mustards, breeding on numerous species in the mustard family including Virginia pepperweed and shepherd’s purse, but also feeds on other winter annuals.

Troxclair said adults are a gray-brown with translucent wings and approximately the size of an uncooked grain of rice, but that the late instar immatures are responsible for the majority of the crop damage done in Texas.

"As the winter annuals dry down in the summer forcing these large new populations of false chinch bugs to migrate, they can move into small row crop stands and destroy them, basically sucking them dry," he said.

Troxclair said reports of false chinch bugs usually come from rural and semi-rural areas, but that sometimes they can migrate onto residential property where they can damage landscape plants and lawns.

"Malathion is an effective pesticide for row-crop farmers to use against the insect, he said, and pyrethroids also typically do a good job of controlling them," he said. "But again it is important to read the pesticide labels carefully for proper application rates and information."

"We’ve been getting a number of calls about cicada killers, especially about the holes the cicada killers make in the ground," said Wizzie Brown, integrated pest management specialist at the AgriLife Extension office in Travis County.

Many people panic when they see large wasps flying low over their yard at this time of year and spot holes in the yard or flower beds surrounded by small piles of dirt, she said.

"But these wasps are cicada killers and aren’t anything to panic over," Brown said. "The males can be aggressive and buzz near people, but males are unable to sting. And while the females are capable of stinging, they are rarely aggressive towards humans or animals."

Cicada killers are about 1.5 inches long with a reddish-brown head and thorax and a black abdomen with yellow markings, and their wings have a rusty tinge. Females dig burrows in the ground and use them as nesting areas.

Females sting and paralyze cicadas, then take them back to their burrow to lay eggs on them. When the eggs hatch, the larvae feed upon the cicada carcass.

Cicada killers usually do not warrant any control methods, Brown said.

"They are actually beneficial insects that help to reduce populations of cicadas," she said. "But if you feel that you must do something to manage them, you can sprinkle insecticidal dust around the opening of the burrow."

Troxclair and Brown also noted an increase in reports in Central Texas of caterpillars they have identified as salt marsh caterpillars. They agreed while the caterpillars are not yet a significant issue, the moths they will produce in weeks to come could create problems for home gardens and area cotton producers as cotton is a preferred host.

"I have a pear tree that has been very healthy for the last 5 years," writes Shannon Christo. " It was planted some time in 2005. For the last week or so, the leaves have turned a sallow yellow/orange/brown color. The leaves are also droopy. In the past few days, the leaves are getting much more brown. I don't know what to do! I used Bayer tree and shrub feed and protector on Monday. There are no bugs are fungus on the leaves. The only critter I see are small ants on the trunk."

Without seeing a photo of the leaves it is hard to make a definitive diagnosis. However, pears in Texas sometimes suffer from fungal leaf spot disease, particularly in a wet year like this one, that can defoliate a tree by mid summer. This may cause them to set a new batch of leaves and bloom again in the fall. To alleviate this problem you would need to apply an approved fungicide several times in the spring. — Chris S. Corby, publisher

"'Did You Know...' (Seeds, June 9, 1010) says humus is awesome," writes Kay H. Wilson. "What is it, why is it so good, will it really kill fungi and where do you get it?"

Humus is a complex mixture of dark-colored, amorphous, colloidal substances. When organic matter decomposes, some of it becomes humus. Most compost will contain 3 to 8 percent humus. By way of comparison, peat moss has no humus content at all. Organic gardeners feel that by adding humus to the garden they are feeding the soil, not the plants growing there, and that microorganisms in the actively decomposing humus can prevent the development of plant-destroying fungi. You can increase the amount of humus in your garden by adding compost to it on a regular basis. You can also buy humate at any garden center or nursery that specializes in organic products. Humate contains a more concentrated form of humus, usually around 70 percent. — Chris S. Corby, publisher

"Bambusa textilis (Weaver's Bamboo) makes wonderful stakes to grow pole beans and other climbers on," suggests Bill Barr. "The bamboo is thin (less than 1"), relatively easy to cut, clean, and use for staking. One clump of bamboo will provide enough stakes for quite a few gardens. I use a soil auger to make the holes for the base of the stake to go into the ground."

Have a favorite gardening tip you’d like to share? Texas Gardener’s Seeds is seeking brief gardening tips from Texas gardeners to use in future issues. If we publish your tip in Seeds, we will send you a free copy of Texas Gardener's 2010 Planning Guide & Calendar. Please send your tips of 50 words or less to the editor at: Gardening Tips.

If you suspect that you have spider mites on your tomatoes, beans or okra, a common problem this time of year, remove a leaf and thump it over a piece of white paper. If you notice tiny red dots on the paper then you have spider mites and should blast them with a hard spray of soapy water or an approved miticide, depending on your philosophy and preference. Be sure to spray the underside of the leaves because that is where most of the spider mites will be located.

Order by calling 1-800-727-9020 or order on-line.

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By Kelly Conrad Bender

NEW EDITION of the popular Texas Parks & Wildlife book, now with fully searchable DVD containing all the plant and animal information you need to customizTexas Wildscapes program provides the tools you need to make ahome for all the animals that will thrive in the native habitat you create.

In Texas Wildscapes, Kelly Conrad Bender identifies the kinds of animals you can expect when you give them their three basic needs: food, water, and shelter. She then provides guidelines for designing and planting your yard or garden to best provide these requirements for the many birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates the environment will attract.

$31.88 includes tax and shipping

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Visa, MasterCard and Discover accepted.

Doug Welsh’s Texas Garden Almanac is a giant monthly calendar for the entire state — a practical, information-packed, month-by-month guide for gardeners and "yardeners." This book provides everything you need to know about flowers and garden design; trees, shrubs, and vines; lawns; vegetable, herb, and fruit gardening; and soil, mulch, water, pests, and plant care. It will help you to create beautiful, productive, healthy gardens and have fun doing it.

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Grow-Web encourages plant growth and development, and also provides protection from insects, birds, diseases and frosts. It is also air and water permeable and allows for ventilation. Grow-Web provides excellent protection to seedlings when applied directly to the seedbed.

$30.64 per 12.3’ x 32.8’ roll (includes shipping!)

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Texas Gardener’s Seeds is published weekly. © Suntex Communications, Inc. 2010. All rights reserved. You may forward this publication to your friends and colleagues if it is sent in its entirety. No individual part of this newsletter may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher.

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Publisher: Chris S. Corby ● Editor: Michael Bracken

Texas Gardener’s Seeds, P.O. Box 9005, Waco, Texas 76714 ● www.TexasGardener.com