I mentioned that Wesley Greene, the gardener in Williamsburg, told me =
that
he noticed that when volunteer Love-Lies-Bleeding appeared in the garden =
one
year the cucumber beetles spent their life on the flowers and left the
cucumbers alone. I experimented this year, and here's what I can say --
In mid-spring I planted various greens, among them Amaranth tricolor
(vegetable amaranth), grown for its nutty-flavored leaves. The cucumber
beetles were on it from the beginning, but the plants continued to grow, =
to
this day, where they are now going to seed. How the plants managed to
survive, given that every single leaf shows CB damage, I don't know but
there we are. The leaves, by the way, were unfit for human consumption.
After a short time, volunteer cucumber or melon seedlings began =
appearing in
a bed about 10 feet away. Since we didn't need that bed just then, we =
left
the seedlings alone to see if the CBs would transfer their affection to =
the
cukes and melons. No, they didn't, but admittedly this part of the
experiment didn't go on much longer, as we needed the bed.
Meanwhile, in beds about 30' away, I planted melons and cucumbers, and
Love-Lies-Bleeding . The LLBs were barely up when the CBs attacked. =
This
variety of amaranth didn't fare as well as A. tricolor, the plants
eventually succumbing to CB damage, but the CBs never did move over to =
the
cukes and melons.
My tentative conclusion is that CBs do prefer amaranth to cucumber and =
melon
plants, and that the better variety of amaranth to use for this is A.
tricolor. I plan to use A. tricolor next year to defend the cukes and
melons.
My usual late summer planting of A. tricolor has never been bothered by =
CBs,
probably the wrong time of year for them. The plants don't get very =
big, as
they are killed by the first light frost; but, until then, the lightly
cooked leaves are delicious, esp. when combined with tatsoi.
Pat
In a message dated 9/8/04 10:24:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
ruggierop@EARTHLINK.NET writes:
<< My usual late summer planting of A. tricolor has never been bothered by
CBs,
probably the wrong time of year for them. The plants don't get very big, as
they are killed by the first light frost; but, until then, the lightly
cooked leaves are delicious, esp. when combined with tatsoi. >>
What is tatsoi?
Mary Ann
Patricia Ruggiero wrote:
Pat
Many thanks for all this useful information. I have not grown A.tricolor
for a couple of seasons now as I doubted we were getting hot enough
weather to suit it. However, even a scruffy planting would act as a trap
crop I guess..
I would not bother with Love Lies Bleeding, as Amaranths are a bit
marginal in this climate anyway, but I do know I can grow reasonable
plants of A tricolor and these will certainly look appropriate in my veg
garden while the dear little bugs are sucking out their lifeblood!
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan,
Wainuiomata, North Island, NZ. Pictures of our garden at:-
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cherie1/Garden/TonyandMoira/index.htm
NEW PICTURES ADDED 4/Feb/2004
Moira wrote:
> Many thanks for all this useful information.
You're welcome. You had asked me, earlier, to report on the outcome and I
was glad to have some reasonably positive information about the CBs
preference for amaranth.
Pat
Pat, I wonder if its too late to start a wee bit for this season?
Laura
2005 update. It's working again. The beetles seem to prefer amaranth to
everything else in the garden, including the cucumber vines, which are
flourishing.
FYI, the amaranth is 40-50' away from the bed where the cukes are planted.
Pat
No, in fact it comes up better in warm weather. I planted late limas =
last
week, with cold compost from the kitchen scraps pile, into which last =
year's
amaranth plants had been thrown, and I had a trillion, gazillion =
amaranth
seedlings coming up even before the limas germinated!
The beetles seem to attack as soon as the first true leaves appear, but
amaranth is so strong is just keeps on growing, right up to flowering =
and
setting seeds. Amazing plant. By the way, I'm growing "vegetable"
amaranth, the type grown for its leaves, but I expect "grain" amaranth =
would
do as well (because the former produces grain and the latter can also be
used for its leaves).
Pat
Hello Pat,
Do you think it would be possible for you capture some of the "cucumber
beetles" on your amaranth and send them to me ?
I am wondering if they are really cucumber beetles... there are a few other
beetles in the Mid Atlantic region that look very much like cucumber beetles
... one of them is called a pigweed fleabeetle...
Here is a photo of a beetle in the same genus as the pigweed fleabeetle:
http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/ndsu/prairieinsects/Coleoptera/A-Disonycha%20alternata2_small.jpg
I will send a message to friends in the NCSU entomology department inquiring
about small striped beetles that feed on amaranthus species...
Joel
No, in fact it comes up better in warm weather. I planted late limas last
week, with cold compost from the kitchen scraps pile, into which last year's
amaranth plants had been thrown, and I had a trillion, gazillion amaranth
seedlings coming up even before the limas germinated!
The beetles seem to attack as soon as the first true leaves appear, but
amaranth is so strong is just keeps on growing, right up to flowering and
setting seeds. Amazing plant. By the way, I'm growing "vegetable"
amaranth, the type grown for its leaves, but I expect "grain" amaranth would
do as well (because the former produces grain and the latter can also be
used for its leaves).
Pat
Ugly looking sucker.
Joel, this is very intriguing! So pigweed is an amaranth. And the flea
beetle that feeds on it is the pigweed fleabeetle. Hmmmm. I'm going to
Google a bit more, but I can tell you right now that the critters that =
fly
off the amaranth look an awfully lot like the critters that *used* to be =
all
over the cuke vines in years past, and that last year and this there is =
not
a single one of these critters to be found in the cucumber bed.
Will try to capture a few to send you.
Pat
i sure would like to compare those beetles with a pic of the cuke
beetles right next to it. It sure does look like the striped cucumber
beetles I have had, too, all over the cuke plants squash plants and
corn silk in past years.
I'm also in the Mid Atlantic region
susan
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
------=_NextPart_000_00B9_01C57C7E.122DEB90
Got three of 'em, two of which, being occupied with furthering their =
species
in my garden, were too sluggish to escape the Jar of Death.
Pat
Ain't that always the way? Margaret L
------=_NextPart_000_00B9_01C57C7E.122DEB90
Joel wrote:
> Do you think it would be possible for you capture some of the
> "cucumber beetles" on your amaranth and send them to me ?
Got three of 'em, two of which, being occupied with furthering their =
species
in my garden, were too sluggish to escape the Jar of Death.
What's your address, and any special way I should send them -- maybe =
folded
in a piece of aluminum foil?
Pat
