Hits & Misses: Fungal frontiers & something not cricket
Question of the Week: I brought my hanging basket inside, but now the petunias aren’t doing so well. Why?
Science & Technology: Breathe easier

Despite some eye rolling and grimacing on my wife’s part, I went to see Zombieland. I should explain that I honestly intended to watch This Is It with her. But we arrived late, and I thought the logical choice was to see the one movie that hadn’t already started— Zombieland. She didn’t agree with my argument (nor understand my desire to see a zombie movie). So, my wife stuck with Michael Jackson, while I went to watch Woody Harrelson dispose of partially decomposed zombies. Besides compost, there was another horticultural angle to Zombieland. Part of Woody’s zombie-fighting arsenal included hedge trimmers and the darling of infomercials, the Garden-Weasel. And although neither was used, I’m sure the zombies were really metaphors for weeds, and Zombieland symbolized every gardener’s fear of being overwhelmed by them! Or not…

Hits & Misses
Hit: Fungal Frontiers
As part of our biological control program for poinsettias, we’re trialing a naturally occurring soil fungus that kills insect pests. The fungal species is called Beauvaria bassiana and, while it’s harmless to people, it’s deadly to insects such as whiteflies and aphids. The fungus penetrates the insects’ skin and multiplies in their bodies. Within days, the insects turn ghostly white and fuzzy because of the masses of fungal strands emerging from their bodies. Yes, it is a rather macabre sight. But it’s proven to be a very effective, organic way to control pests that can otherwise destroy a crop in a remarkably short time. Unfortunately, the fungus is really only effective in greenhouse environments and is not registered for home use. But who knows? Perhaps one day a cousin of Beauvaria bassiana will be available for our gardens.

On the underside of this poinsettia leaf are
whitefly pupae, which can quickly infest a crop.

Miss: Something Not Cricket
There’s an impending cricket crisis in North America, according to an e-mail I received from Dr. Mark Goettel, a research scientist at the Lethbridge Research Centre. Apparently, rearing crickets (to be used as food for amphibian and reptilian pets) is a multi-million dollar industry. However, a new variant of a cricket-killing virus is plaguing the industry. So, the call is out for a colony of indigenous crickets that might be virus free or, at least, virus resistant. Let’s hope they find some because I doubt there’ll be any mass vaccination programs for crickets on the horizon.

Science & Technology
Breathe Easier
Indoor plants are proven to effectively remove a variety of indoor air pollutants. But some species of indoor plants are better at scrubbing out certain types of pollutants than others. For example, Ficus benjamina (weeping fig) is excellent at removing octane and pinene from the air, whereas Tradescantia pallida (purple heart or wandering jew) is great for absorbing benzene and toluene. Still, others such as Hemigraphis alternata (red ivy) are superior for ridding the air of trichloroethylene. So what is the take-home message here? Fill your home with a variety of beautiful plants and breathe a whole lot easier.

Add a purple heart plant to your indoor collection. As an air
purifier, it will absorb benzene and toluene.

Question of the Week
I brought my hanging basket inside, but now the petunias aren’t doing so well. Why?
Unfortunately, most annuals quickly fade once brought inside because light levels aren’t sufficient. Compared to being outside, the amount of light available—even close to a window in a south-facing room—is severely reduced. Of course, the number of daylight hours per day has also decreased, which just exacerbates the problem.

Did You Know?
Wine fermentation is usually stimulated by the addition of yeast, but some winemakers rely only upon yeasts that are naturally present on the grape skins.

“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.”
–Oscar Wilde