GARDEN + GARDENING + GARDENING TIPS & ADVICE

Growing grapes can be a fun and rewarding hobby or a profitable business. But there is a learning curve – you need to learn all about the various aspects of growing grapes; from the types of grapes to grow to how to care for them and everything in between. One of the most important thing to learn is how to defend against grape pests, especially insects, that can totally destroy your crop in very short time.

The following are just a few pests that attack the vineyards of the world. Some of these pests may not be found in your area, however, as a grape farmer, it’s a good idea to know about them as well.

Grape Phylloxera

This insects is very tiny like an aphid and can attack either the roots or the leaves. The main sign of its appearance are the tiny abnormal growths known as galls that form either on the leaves or of the roots, which may not affect the health of the fruit, but adversely impact the affected area.

These grape pests set off a chain of events that can ruin the crop. Since the grape plant can lose all or most of it’s leaves as a result of these bugs, it can delay or severely reduce the amount of fruit you get, thus reducing your harvest.

To avoid these problems, a regular inspection of your plants for any galls is required. If you common experience phylloxera infestations, you might want to treat your plants with insecticide. Carbaryl is the most popular insecticide for grapes. .

Japanese Beetles

Japanese beetles are versatile pests in that it is not only grapes that are attacked by these insects but also nearly 300 other species of fruits, vegetables and crops. A Japanese beetle is very easy to spot since it looks so distinct. It is metallic green in color with copper brown wings.

Grape plants are usually fairly resistant to these insects as long as they remain in limited numbers. However, in large numbers they can cause severe loss of leaves and lots of damage as a result. Be sure to inspect your grape crop at least two times a week looking for these pests. If you see them, pick them off by hand. You might also use insecticide such as Permethrin sparingly in spots with heavy infestation.

Grape Berry Moth

This is one of the grape pests that attack the berries. The larvae of the grape berry moth appear creamy white in color, while the adult is a mottled brown with a bluish-gray band found in the interior of the fore wings.

It is not the adult grape berry moth that concerns farmers the most but the larva since it feeds directly on the berry. Add in the fact that larva also serve as contaminants and there is even more reason to worry.

Injured berries are usually removed by hand while prevention measures include destroying the dead leaves. Insecticidal applications may be necessary to control the two generations of moths that live in a year.

As you learn more about how to grow grapes, you will come across many other grape pests like the multicolored Asian lady beetle and the yellow jackets. Become educated with regards to the different pests that exist in your area and the best means to prevent them.

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Raising a garden, eating organic, and being techy are are all the rage. What better way to combine all three than to get gardening resource Apps on my techy iPad. The App Store offers more gardening apps than this novice gardener could ever use. Searching out the best apps, for the best price, that offered all the hand-holding I would need was my goal. Here are my top 5 choices of Gardening Apps that will be hanging out on my iPad for the summer:

1. Landscapers Companion for iPad – $4.99

Landscaper’s Companion is the Big Daddy of Gardening Apps. Certainly it must be popular for a reason, so I tried it out. First impression: Overwhelming in a good way. This App has plants growing everywhere. The main Plant drop down menu offered 16 different plant types ranging from annuals, herbs, trees, to water plants.

As I was digesting what was offered I noticed the small Search and Favorites options on the Plant drop down menu. The Search option offered searching by type, zone, sun, water, growth and more. This search option sold me. I was able to input whatever requirements I was wanting all at the same time. Need fruits that grow in full sun and need low water? Search it and Landscapers will provide your list.

This App earned it’s premium pricing and status for a reason. This App is receiving my highest grading of A+.

2. The Essential Garden Guide for iPad – $0.99

The Essential Garden Guide was very interesting to me as it is very different than any other garden Apps. Although unable to search for a precise plant (by common or scientific name) you are able to find plants in their general listing, like beans, tomatoes, or beets. A total of 30 plant families are given.

Each plant family has their information, planting, care, harvest, and problems laid out on easily readable tabs. The information tab is by far the most interesting. It covers the plants historical information that is surprisingly fascinating. Did you know that in the 5th century dye was extracted from Eggplants and used by high-fashion women as a tooth stain? Or that Asparagus either sprouts male or female flowers?

This App is lacking in catchy icons and can be a bit of a long read, but it makes up for it by offering other information that isn’t found elsewhere, like pollination habits, historical information, and how to properly store and preserve each plant.

This App earned a B.

3. Pocket Garden iPad – $0.99

Something about the clever, and delicious looking, tomato icon lead me to this Pocket Garden App. For $.99 I bought it right away. The description made a lot of promises of having a “quick and easy way to research, select, and plant” the perfect garden, and I intended to push its buttons and make it do some work.>

The start screen has a great header picture which leads down to some stats and a link to the newest addition plant. That filled up about 50% of the screen, and the other half was blank white. I thought perhaps the graphics hadn’t loaded correctly, as surely a search button or two would pop up in the white void, so I reloaded it. Nothing. At the bottom of that half decorated home screen there are three tiny buttons: Home, Seed Types, and My Garden. I opted for the Seed Types, and BINGO! found what I had been promised. A listing of 75 types of vegetable plants were listed with each offering anywhere from 1 variety to 69 varieties (peppers).

After playing around a bit I found this app to be useful if you have an idea what you are looking for, don’t mind reading a lot (instead of easily read icons), and don’t need any search options (water usage or shade requirements).

Overall, this app receives a B grade.

4. Garden Guide HD – $1.99

This App has a fantastic looking layout. It is a book style App that is easily readable and navigable. Each flower and plant offered one large close-up picture which was high quality, but unfortunately left me guessing as to what the rest of the plant looked like.

The main search option offered 13 searchable plant types including ferns, bulbs, and vines to name a few. When searching through the fruit and vegetable section I was a bit disappointed that I could not get more specific with the plants offered. A general “Pepper,” or “Potato,” was as intimate with the vegetable plants as I could get. Other sections offered more specific plant names, like perennials and trees.

This App has such beautiful pictures, a fun layout, and such a high possibility for future growth that it has made my Top 5 list for Gardening Apps.

Grade for this App, B-.

5. Vegetable Garden Guides – $1.99

My relationship with this App is a rocky one. Some of it’s positive attributes are: 1) A clear, straightforward Stat summary on each plant. Each plant has separated sections with clear answers and insight given. 2) A Notes section that is prominent in the information page for each plant, instead of being hidden or hard to find in a drop-down. 3) Lastly, each plant has a good, clear picture with a blank background. Although the pictures do not give any indication to the size of plants, I do appreciate the clean look surrounding the them.

One major drawback of this App is the start screen which doesn’t emphasize any of it’s tools or lists, but rather draws your eyes to the “Other Apps” that are available for purchase section. Another drawback is that only one image is offered per plant family. Lastly, the plants are very generic, offering melon, tomato, or corn to cover all the various kinds of melon, tomatoes, and corn.

This App has earned a D+.