Garden

[JustJazzmom]

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@CelticCrafter wrote:

We had an idiot neighbor decide that since she didn't have any insecticide to kill the tent caterpillars in a tree that hung over into our yard, she would use weed killer and killed all my plants on that side of the garden.  

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Of course, why not!! It's a multipurpose product!! (being sarcastic here). Seriously, you don't need to kill the tent caterpillars with an insecticide, -- you can remove the egg masses in the early spring if you see them (scrape them off the bark) or remove the tent with gloves and put into a plastic bag.and toss it. Wait till the warmest part of the day, they congregate inside at that point. Some people suggest using Bt -- Bacillus thurbiensis but if the caterpillars are really large, it's not as effective against them. And applying more of it is a waste of the product.

[mousiegirl]

@jannabelle1  To show how strong clematis are, I have had many for many years, but until this year, I hadn't seen many of them for at least a decade, and all of a sudden, big blooms this spring, shocked me, lol.  I thought they were long gone.

[DiAnne]

@JustJazzmom

I had clematis wilt on two new ones I purchased this year.  Both vines turned completely black.  I cut  them down to the soil and they are now green and growing like crazy but no flowers this year.  

[JustJazzmom]

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@DiAnne wrote:

@JustJazzmom

I had clematis wilt on two new ones I purchased this year.  Both vines turned completely black.  I cut  them down to the soil and they are now green and growing like crazy but no flowers this year.  

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That’s a shame! Make sure the ground is mulched below them to prevent the fungal spores from splashing up on them when it rains.

If it happens next year, look into the Clematis viticella varieties for purchase to replace the ones you have.

[jannabelle1]

Thanks to all of you for your comments. I've been reading up on preventive measures, and here's what I learned on several sites I visited  (in my case our property management company contracted with a landscaper to spread the salt in our shared driveway):

• As soon as you notice ice melt has been spread on grass or planting areas, rake (?) or shovel as much of it off as you can
• If possible, set up some type of low barrier in front of grass or planting areas to prevent salt from being spread on these areas again
• In early spring or warm winter days, set up a garden sprinkler to soak the contaminated area to at least 2" of water. Repeat after 3 days
• After soaking the area, spread Lawn Gypsum over the contaminated area similar to if you are spreading grass seed.

The articles made a point of saying that salt is very damaging to a plant's ability to absorb the nutrients they need to flourish, and that it's critical to "flush" the salt as soon as is possible.

I'm going to try the lawn gypsum and will probably decide to just replace my once-beautiful clematis next year.

[JustJazzmom]

Gypsum ( the main ingredient in sheetrock) might act as a sponge and soak up the residual salt.

[Lilysmom]

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@CelticCrafter wrote:

We had an idiot neighbor decide that since she didn't have any insecticide to kill the tent caterpillars in a tree that hung over into our yard, she would use weed killer and killed all my plants on that side of the garden.  

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What a drag!  LM