Japanese Beetle 2021 Fall Wrap Up - Contribute to Their Plant Feeding Survey List

Photo by Peggy Williams

As we've experienced each summer, pest Japanese beetles die out in the fall but aren't forgotten. We know the females have laid scores of eggs in lawns, which in a short time become larvae (white grubs) that feed on turf roots until the ground gets cold sometime in late fall. They remain tucked into the soil below turf roots until next spring to early summer. After pupating in spring these new progeny will emerge from lawns as adult Japanese beetles only to frustrate gardeners for another summer. 

For a visual of the Japanese beetle one year life cycle, see the illustration below.

While they are fresh in your mind, why not take some time now and contribute to a much needed plant survey about Japanese beetle feeding preferences in our region. Up to now, no major organized list exists for those of us who are looking for a quick plant reference guide. Many thanks go to John Murgel, Extension Agent Horticulture and Natural Resources in Douglas County for putting the reporting survey together with other supported input from area gardeners and professionals. 

Below is the link to the survey, it's one plant per survey. This might take you a little time when thinking about all your landscape plants that Japanese beetles like and ones they don't bother. 

No worries if you don't have the exact cultivar or botanical name of the plant, such as blue spruce, just enter blue spruce. If you know it has a botanical and cultivar name - Picea pungens 'Baby Blue Eyes," then please include this on the form. BTW, Japanese beetles do not favor blue spruce or conifers in general.

Many thanks, please pass this information on to other gardeners who may wish to help in the survey.  

Japanese Beetle Plant Survey 

 

Japanese Beetle ONE YEAR Life Cycle, Illustration by APHIS Joel Floyd

 

 

It's Official, Fall 2021

It only took until the final day of September for temperatures to cool, leaves to begin changing colors and a reach for the sweater.  Fall in Denver has arrived ... and oh what a relief it is to be out of the 90s. I love the fall gardening season!

What happenings are up next in the garden?  

For me it's pulling out the tomato and cucumber plants and getting the beds ready for planting garlic.

It's taken me three days (over a period of a couple of weeks) to take out the eight tomato plants. I don't work as fast as I used to and I ran out of room in the compost bin. I harvested a few more almost ripe tomatoes which will still taste grand in a couple of weeks after sitting pretty in a box in the basement. You can also wrap them individually in newspaper to ripen.

As I've written earlier, it was a banner tomato year. Instead of sharing a couple of fruits with neighbors and friends, they took home small boxes. Glen and I blanched and froze a dozen or more of bags of tomatoes for later use. Life in the garden is good.

Hands down my favorite warm season crops this past summer were Tomato Mountain Rouge, Martini Cucumbers and Genovese Basil which I grow every summer without fail.

The Mountain Rouge plants were extremely disease resistant yet didn't disappoint in the taste department. The untraditional blush pink color set it apart from the pack of go - to regular winners like 'Early Girl' and 'Celebrity.'

It's been years since I planted cucumbers, mainly because with just the two of us, they can't be eaten quickly enough. Not so with the martini cukes. No need to peel, just harvest when small, slice and drizzle with olive oil and a little salt and you're set for life. I wish I could grow these inside all winter - they're that good and so care free. The plants didn't get a speck of powdery mildew all summer - dumb me, I didn't take a photo before I pulled them. 

Sure, many of the martini cukes got large if not harvested often enough. This turned out to be a win for a friend with chickens. She told me that her chickens knew they were a very special treat and got super excited when she pulled them from the bag.

The basil is still going, I cover it every night with a folded heavy floating row cover. The next day I remove the cover when it's above fifty degrees.

Edibles that are growing now include some recently seeded mixed lettuces and, as mentioned the basil - all in Smart Pots® for convenience and super healthy growth.

Seed garlic will go in this weekend.  

I hope you had a wonderful summer growing season! 😀🍅🥒🌿🍆🍉🍑🍒🍓🍎

Summer Planted Basil Growing in Smart Pots®

Fall Planted Mixed Lettuce in Smart Pot®