I made an interesting discovery.

I am growing devil's claw plant from seed. My seedlings are about a foot tall and really need to be in the ground! Well, I was out in the greenhouse, sorting through plants and rearranging. I noticed some sort of little bugs all over devil's claw plants. When I looked closer, I was elated to see that they got caught on the leaves, either because the leaves are sticky and/or they have little hairs on them. The little bugs are all dead and the plants look perfectly healthy! I like the idea of offering up certain plants that attract certain bugs to keep other plants healthy. This is even better though because the host plant kills the critters and the plant lives. LOL

Could this plant be planted in the ground in your greenhouse to help ward off bugs for all your plants that you have in there in the winter. I know nothing about this plant or any of its requirements. Just asking.

Sounds like it works better than my yellow sticky papers!

Barb

Can it tell the good bug from the bad bug???
If It can,tell me more about this plant!

Hmmm, would you like that I go out with tweezers and pull off all the little bugs and sort them according whether they are pests or beneficial? LOL I can tell you for sure all the bugs were tiny, none are lady bugs. I think only the tiny bugs can get between the little hairs to stick to the leaves. Here is the plant I am talking about. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/333/index.html

Nice to see you Tman!

Sure I remember these plants,growing up in the southwestern corner of Oklahoma,they were all over the place,weedy in the country.Haven't seen one in over 40 years,what we call devil claws here,are those ferny shrubs with little claws that look like comas,that stick to your socks,and are heck to pull out!!!
Getting hot in the greenhouse yet????

looks almost like squash,,,, do you think the dear/yellow flies will land on it.. if you do could you make me about 30,000 seedlings so I can plant them all in my yard....

ely

Tropicman didn't I send you some ears last year? some x. stags?if so I would love to know how they are doing...

ely

There doing just great!
The hailstorms have been hard on them,but they put on new leaves about every other week,hope to get more than just one leaf that's not full of holes,because they don't seem to last to long once there full of holes,the leaf starts turning bad,and I remove it.
Hope to get a pic of them soon!

I always found cutting the leaves off helps it grow more leaves but I only do when it the new leaf opens.... down here there is more humidity and if they get a hole in them that spot truns yellow, and it runs through the leaf, and it looks ugly. but I always think that the plant sends out energy to fix the leaf so I might as well cut it off and let that energy grow another one. but it really depends on how you like the leafs of your plant. I don't like them looking bushy so monthly I take the two bottom leaves off. I also pulck off the babies casue xanthosoms will feed off of there mothers "even though that have there own roots" as long as you let them and that slows down there growth too. same with alocasias colocasias. suckers and nice too look at but the need to be removed from there mothers often....

ely

Here are a couple pics,second pic shows what I believe to be the up coming of a flower.

Looking down you can see the flower just begining to form.

now what do you want to try this year? I love my stuff growing in other peoples gardens...LOL yours is bigger than mine. all my tops rotted but that just made more babies.... =) They look goood...

ely

What ever you have extra of that you think I can't kill!!! LOL!

ohhhhh... well then I have a bunch of stuff...

ely..

No he doesn't! It's all in my back yard! LOL Hey Ely, I found the tag to the X stag. LOL

Why do I believe that!!!LOL

what about some alocasias you can grow year round..... I have one you would just love its on the small side.. but then I have some you would like, might have some colocasia and xanthosmas somewhere too...

ely

Sounds great to me,what can I trade for these,what you looking for that I might have that would interest you?

I'll do postage.. just send me your mailing address I am doing prineralgirl and dees monday so yours can go with it. and you just send me postage back when you get it...

ely

He means, he needs an airline ticket to fly me to Alabama so we can go plant shopping. LOL

Have transplant shovel will travel should be your bumper sticker

LOL Ernie! I think I need one that says "Hubby has the kids today". LOL I have not resorted to carrying pruners and a shovel and baggies and a marker YET but I feel that day may be coming. :) I hate to say it, but I am running out of yard.

My husband calls the pocked in teh back of my wheelchair my "magic Pocket" as I have scissors, pruners, tape measure, baggies, plant markers, sharpie, etc. in there all the time!

Barb

LOL Barb! That sounds like the way to travel.

Chele Alabama is just south of you as a crow flys!!!!
I'm always laying my pruners down and forgetting where I laid them,even had a belt case,can't find it either!!!