Forgot to address the squash. Mine like lots of water. Then there is the ubiquitous squash vine borer. They have a detrimental effect...they kill the plant slowly. Check the base of your plants for frass (bug poop). If the plants are infected there isn't much you can do.
I water everyday. We don't seem to have those beasties here in CO. I've heard of them, but I've never had plants die. The plants themselves look quite healthy. They're growing quite well.
All of this from a non gardener. This is all just based on my logic and maybe it's not so logical after all. Here goes.... It would seem to me that a flower garden (preferably native plants), which provides blooms all season long, would provide pollinators with sufficient food sources to keep them in a crop gardener's yard all season long allowing them to also work your crop garden. I'm not sure many pollinators will work a crop garden on a continual basis if there isn't a sufficient, reliable food source during the entire growing season. The flower garden would probably also welcome insect predators, such as dragonflies, bats and birds so they would help control any pest insects that would cause harm to your crop garden. Don't discount the solitary bee specie's role in pollination. If you can get a mason bee population going, they can be responsible for a large portion of crop pollination. I purchased bee boxes from BeeDiverse. I asked her for trays containing two different sized holes so that large and small solitary nesters have a place in which they can lay eggs. Here's info on solitaries: The Orchard Mason bee can be an effective pollinator Since they're not communal nesters, they don't sting unless you mishandle or hurt them. They've been inhabitants of my yard for about three years and I've never been stung. One of the boxes is in the front walkway near my front door. And if you're going to install a water feature, why not make it large enough to be a habitat for frogs, salamanders, toads, dragonflies and bats? These types of critters should certainly cut down on a lot of your pests that cause crop damage and also help to control mosquitoes. From all I've researched when constructing my dragonfly pond, there is no worry of excessive populations of mosquitoes with a balanced dragonfly pond since the environment welcomes a significant amount of predators. Since mosquito larvae can survive in a tablespoon of water, there is far greater risk for these pests to over populate in areas with poor draining gutters or wet spots in yards that do nothing to support predator species.
Wow... great information! I'm especially curious about the Orchard Mason bees since I've been wondering if I could 'host' a little bee society in my garden or if my garden is too small. We have about 1/4 acre, situated amid other houses that are more typical development lot sizes (1/8 acre). I guess my prime concern is complaints from neighbors if there were too many bees. Also, about the water feature.... how big is 'big enough to be a habitat for frogs, salamanders, toads, dragonflies and bats'?
I have a very small lot too and my garden sits up against my neighbors. All your neighbor has to know is that if they don't bother your pollinators, your pollinators won't bother them. If they have kids, this may prove a little more difficult. The other thing to remember is that mosquito spraying by your village won't discriminate. It'll kill all insects. I called the mosquito service and they actually shut down the truck within half a block from my house. I have enough predators where I don't require chemical sprays. I'm not sure if mason bees reside in the whole of the states so just check to be sure they are in your area. If they are, and you set up nest boxes, you should have no trouble attracting them so long as you have a reliable food source for them. Once they find you, your colony will continue to grow. I now have four boxes out. These should be placed to receive early morning, early afternoon sun and they should be protected from wind and elements. The dragonfly pond I built is about 5 feet in wide and about 2 1/2 feet deep. One side is gradually sloped to allow birds and mammals to escape or they'll drown. I put rocks and pebbles all along the slope to allow for bacterial growth and a more sound footing if the critters accidentally fall in and have to make their way out. The other side of the pond has two ledges that have native plants throughout. I planted a type of sedge and some forbs. Technically you should have submerged species of plants that grow entirely under water (I couldn't plant these since the submerged natives get about 20 feet wide), emergent species that have their base under water but send up their foliage above the water and some floating plants the float on the surface. I planted some white water lillies for the latter. For the soil, I just set some of the soil aside as I dug the pond. I used rain water from my barrels to fill the pond and have yet to have any problem with algae. You'll want lots of oxygen in your pond. I have a fountain pump to circulate the water for oxygenation though the right kinds of plants ought to do a good job of this for you. The plants will actually use the oxygen in the pond during the night so make sure to leave the pump on at least during the night (I leave mine on all day). To make sure the dragonfly larvae don't enter the pump suction, I tied a nylon hose over the fountain pump. Once in a while I just have to clear the debris from the nylon around the pump. I put a bunch of large rocks and flagstone around the entire pond to deter ducks from using it and fowling it. So far, so good. Try to be sure to remove any fallen leaves as if they accrue, they can acidify the water and make it inhabitable. If you construct a pond like this, make sure it receives direct sun for about 5 hours consisting primarily of mid afternoon sun. And it's important to know that the bigger the pond, the better. If you can make yours 20 feet in diameter, that's the recommended size. I finished the pond a few weeks ago and it's been fairly maintenance free. Once in a while I clean the leaves and the filter and that's it. In the Fall, I'll put a netting over the pond to capture all the leaves for easy maintenance. So far as a source of mud for solitary nesters, you can dig a hole and stick a bucket full of mud in the hole. Keep it moist and you're good to go.
SSimon, sounds real nice. Nice to hear about your results with mosquitos. I am experiencing the same....none to be found. I also see lots of mud daubers collecting mud from the pond banks. As for pond size even though 20' is recommended a professor who discussed dragonfly ponds said some of his graduate students had ponds only as large as a half barrel. Those small ponds attracted damsel flys. As a damselfly is the smaller than a dragonfly, the smaller pond might be called a damselfly pond. Here is a link discussing damselflies which also eat mosquitos. Beneficial insects in the garden: #12 Damselflies
Pond of Damsels... SSimon, thank you for the detailed info. Sounds like I might have room, except I would probably have to change some things around in my garden to get the right amount of sun/shade (I don't think full sun all day in California summers would be good). Also, the thought that a halfbarrel might be enough is enticing. I actually have a little water feature in my garden: The lava rock stands in a little half barrel liner. It's hard to see that the water is running in this picture, but you can see a bubble of water coming out of the top of the rock, and the puppy is intrigued by the falling droplets of water. The half-barrel liner is surrounded by stones, and then I have it also covered by a grate, which has more stones on it, so for all intents and purposes, there is no open water. I can remove one rock to see if the liner needs to have a little more water added. Maybe I can just modify this feature to make it larger and more attractive to dragonflies. Hummingbirds LOVE this fountain rock... in the early morning hours they fight over their turn to bathe in the bubble of water.
That's Otto, and not only is he blessed with being handsome, he is also probably one of the brightest puppies ever. We foster dogs with our local SPCA, and Otto had been found wandering the streets out in the country, probably only about 5 weeks old at the time.... lost, scared, timid. We usually don't foster puppies, but he was sick at the time and no one else could give him the care he needed, so he came home with us. On his 2nd day at the house, he figured out how to use the doggy door. Then he only had to be shown once how to use the stairs to get up onto the bed. We had him overall about 5 weeks before he got adopted, and then I was very very:Cry: sad. But he got a good home with a family, and then we got another dog to help... Here's another few pics of the handsome fellow: Otto at about 6 weeks Otto at about 10 weeks Sorry for the detour... Back on topic now.
