Contributed by Marilyn Bennett
The seeds I planted in March have produced plants that are ready to go in the ground as soon as I am sure they will be safe. Tulips are thrusting up out of the ground and our old faithful rhubarb is showing it will return bigger and better than ever. I have learned that there are 67 species of rhubarb but have no idea the name of the four in my yard. Apparently, the rhubarb plant originated in Tibet and China and came to Alaska when the Russian trader, Gregorii Shelikhov, brought it with him to Kodiak Island in 1784, I believe they used it to prevent scurvy.
That reminds me that I had better hurry and remove and do something with all the frozen rhubarb in our freezer before I feel obligated to harvest the new crop, (Norwegian guilt).
But getting back to my seedlings. My daughter stopped by and noticed that I had an aphid infestation on almost all my new plants, “The Horror”. This started a day long project to find a remedy for the problem before it got totally out of hand. Luckily, I have a special man in my life who loves a challenge. Doug initially went to Palmer to get some sort of pesticide or treatment for the aphids. it was soon apparent that, except for extreme chemical bug killers, nothing suitable could be found in town. Thus, he had to go into Wasilla. He first stopped at MidValley Greenhouse to see what they might have.
It turns out aphid infestations are a problem around Alaska and especially in an area like ours with heavy birch tree populations. Of course, the woods surrounding our house is full of birches. The owner recommended a store in Wasilla that had natural treatments that weren’t regulated by the government since they didn’t contain man-made chemicals. The “Garden Supply” store he recommended on the Park Highway was not easy to find. It turned out to be an organic gardening supply outfit that caterers to the large cannabis growing business here in Alaska.
After discussing our “aphid problem” with a personable young employee there, he recommended the concentrate called “Plant Therapy”. It is expensive! A small 12oz. bottle of the concentrate cost $48 with tax. It contains soy oil that suffocates the aphids, peppermint Oil that repels bugs, citric acid that is an anti-fungal, natural soap that helps keep all the ingredients in suspension and ensures surface coverage, isopropyl alcohol that dehydrates insects rapidly, sodium citrate food grade that stabilizes the mixture and eliminates powdery mildew.
This mixture when spayed on the plant leaves, suffocates the aphids. Supposedly they haven't developed any immunities to the mixture’s ingredients. For aphids, they recommend doing this several times for a week or more!
Doug came home and we took all the plants outside and placed them on the lawn! After spraying all the plants thoroughly and leaving them out in the sun to dry out, we brought them into the garage for the night and repeated the application the next day. Thankfully, it seems to have totally taken care of the aphid problem.
I was especially concerned, as besides all the pansy, petunia and impatiens seedlings, I had several hanging baskets that had survived in my garage over the winter and I didn't want to lose them. But the most important plants were the four phlox plants that I had ordered from a greenhouse in Ohio and have been nursing along since March. These tall garden phlox were one of the mainstays of my garden in Minnesota, and so I was amazed that I could not find any garden center here in Alaska that carried them.
When I contacted Hirt's Gardens in Ohio on the first of March, I thought they would take my order and send the plants at a later date for me to plant. Imagine my surprise when they immediately mailed out four live plants, which I received on March 6th. The plants were only 4" high, but since I knew they would grow to 36", they needed some special attention as my shelves of grow lights were just not high enough. Doug went out and bought a couple of large sun lamps and set up a nice sunny area in the garage, just for my phlox. I am hoping they will be happy in my garden, although they are rated for zone 4. It seems that although we don't have the hot summers, the winters seem to be mild enough for them to thrive.
We shall see.
Other gardening items... I repainted the iron table and chairs that I had originally purchased when my granddaughters were little. They make a colorful addition to my garden, especially this early in the year when nothing has come up yet.
Hope the information on the aphids has been helpful. I am looking forward to another wonderful year of gardening.
Marilyn Bennett was a Master Gardener in Minnesota and is experimenting and learning about gardening in Alaska.