Pine Siskins

Photos by Fred Dietrich

Have you been wondering what that other bird on your thistle feeder is? If you look up Pine Siskin in your bird book, you’ll find it there. Pine Siskins (Carduelis pinus) are small, dark, heavily streaked finches with deeply notched tails and sharply pointed bills. You may also see a touch of yellow on their wings and at the base of their tails. We do not often see them this far south, however seed crop failures in their usual winter range to the north sometimes push them into our area.

They breed from portions of Alaska and Canada, south to northern Baja California, central highlands of Mexico, Kansas, Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. They are found in forests and woodlands and in the parks, gardens and yards of suburban areas. Their diet consists of seed and insects. As you’ve probably noticed, in the fall and winter they travel in flocks (often 50 to 200 birds).

More than one customer has commented that Pine Siskins are not shy. They’re surprised by how close they can get to the feeder before the feisty little birds fly off. They’re not shy about eating either. Between them and the goldfinch, it is not easy to keep those thistle feeders full.

Enjoy their presence at your feeders now. Unfortunately we probably will not see them next year.

Some information for this blog post came from the following sources –

Peterson Field Guides – Eastern Birds

http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/bio/birds/sngbrd/frngld/pisi/pisi_mai.htm

Tasty Tomatoes from Seed

Want to have the first fresh, home-grown tomatoes in Tallahassee this season?  Do what the local farmers and growers do and start you tomato plants indoors in early January.  In four to six weeks you will have little tomato plants ready to be tucked into your yard.  If you protect them from late frosts, you may have tasty tomatoes to feast upon as early as April!  Starting from seed also allows you to try new and interesting varieties that might not be available at your local nursery yet.

Turns out you don’t need to have a greenhouse as long as you can supply your precious seedlings with warmth, moisture and a sunny window.  A sunny, preferably South-facing window is critical because without it you will end up with spindly, weak seedlings that will decline and eventually die.  Even if you are lacking said window you can still be successful with the addition of a plant grow light, or fluorescent bulbs.

After selecting your seed, look for a seed starting tray at your local nursery.  I like the reusable Styrofoam plug trays that come with a black plastic water-holding tray beneath and clear plastic tray above to hold in moisture and warmth.  You can also use those clear plastic boxes that store-bought lettuce comes in to create the same greenhouse effect, with small black plastic six pack pots placed inside.  It is important to use a sterile, soil-less seed starting mix instead of regular potting soil.  This light, airy medium must be mixed with water before filling into flats or pots.

After each pot is filled with moist starting mix, drop one to two seeds in each cell on top of the soil. Press them gently against the soil and cover them with a thin layer of moist starting mix.  The most common mistake people make when starting from seed is planting their seeds too deep.  The general rule for planting seeds is to plant at a depth that is three times the width of the seed.  So very small seeds like tomatoes should only be planted around one-fourth of an inch below the soil.

Once you’ve planted your flats, you will be watering them from beneath to avoid disrupting the soil, seeds and eventually the delicate seedlings.  Simply pour a shallow amount of water into the non-draining plastic tray beneath so the cells soak up the water.  Cover your tray to trap in moisture and place in a consistently warm place until the seedlings pop up.  Sunlight is not necessary for germination, but consistent warmth and moisture are.  In one to two weeks once your seedlings have emerged, they will need light and must be transferred to that sunny window or beneath a grow light.  Remove the covering and begin paying close attention to their water needs. Seedlings must be kept moist, but not soggy.  If they completely dry out just once, they will die.  However, if they are kept too wet they are susceptible to fungal problems.  Thin them out to one plant per cell and rotate the position of the tray in the window so the plants aren’t leaning too much.  If your seedlings become long and weak-looking, they are not getting enough sunlight and may need an artificial source.

In two to three weeks you plants should be putting on some size and ready to be transplanted into larger, four-inch pots. I pinch off the lower leaves and plant them an inch or two deep into the soil.  Once transplanted, I begin fertilizing with fish and seaweed emulsion every two weeks.  Now your little guys are ready to begin acclimating to the outdoors, in preparation to be planted outside.  This process is called “hardening-off”.  I begin by putting my young plants out on my porch where they get indirect sunlight for the day while I go to work, and bring them in when I get home.  After a few days they move to a partially sunny spot in my yard, where they’ll get a few hours of direct sun, but they still come in at night if the temperatures are below 45 degrees.

One week of hardening-off and your plants are ready for the great outdoors!  I plant my tomatoes deep in the ground, plucking the lower leaves and leaving just three or four sets of leaves exposed above the soil.  If the nighttime temperatures are still in the low 40s or we get a late frost, I will cover the small plants with an upside-down gallon plastic pot overnight.  Continue fertilizing and paying careful attention to their watering needs.  With good weather and care you will be enjoying home-grown tomatoes earlier than you ever thought possible!

Your Garden Needs Whiteflies!

Our gardens and landscapes need whiteflies—and aphids, scale, grasshoppers, mealybugs and the rest. They really do.

I know what you’re thinking—’okay . . . I’ll send you mine’. But you see, whiteflies are not pests—neither are aphids, scale, grasshoppers, mealybugs, etc., unless they occur in overwhelming numbers in your landscape (or more likely on certain plants in your landscape). Whiteflies and the rest are not pests—they are food for beneficial insects in a healthy, well-balanced landscape.

Ninety-eight percent of the world’s insects are beneficial, and many of them are in your landscape munching away on pests (oops—I mean food). That is, they are until you get out the pesticide and start blasting away. Even if you do not hit a single beneficial, guess what happens when you kill off all their food. That’s right—if you want to invite ladybugs to brunch in your garden, you need to have a few whiteflies or aphids on hand. So when you see a little black sooty mold on the foliage of your favorite plant, just say, ‘Oh good, there’s some food over there for my beneficials.’

Yes, there are times when a plant will become so overwhelmed with pests that you have to take some action. Usually my first choice is to replace it with a more trouble-free plant; but if it’s one you especially love, there are treatment options that will not harm your beneficial population or the environment. Bring a sample of the problem (more than just one leaf if possible, please) to your local nursery and ask, ‘What is the safest product I can use?’ There’s no need to go straight for the hard stuff if insecticidal soap will do the trick.

We all benefit when homeowners opt for environmentally responsible solutions; and fortunately, more people are doing so every day. But if going organic doesn’t float your boat . . . if making the environmentally sound choice doesn’t give you a warm, fuzzy feeling, then do it just because it’s cheaper and easier. Consider these two homeowners:

Joe sees a hole in the foliage of his favorite plant. He cuts off a piece; jumps in his car; drives to the local nursery; finds a horticulturist; asks, ‘How can I kill these bugs?!’; buys a product; drives back home and sprays, sprays, sprays. He spent time, money and gas and his yard probably doesn’t smell very good after all that spraying.

Across the street his neighbor, Gus, sees a hole in the foliage of his favorite plant. ‘Oh good, there’s some food over there for my beneficials.’ He settles into a lawn chair with a glass of his favorite beverage and a good book. He closes his eyes, inhales deeply and smiles. ‘Mmmmm, the flowers sure smell great this evening!’

Pests are being dealt with in both landscapes. So sit down and relax, and let your beneficials do the job for you. Cheers.