Sunglo Greenhouses will be attending the 2015 Northwest Flower & Garden Show! If you came to visit us last year you’re in for a pleasant surprise this year! We are re-designing our booth and bringing some hands on displays to really show how strong and wonderful our product is! Not only will you be able to touch and see a Sunglo assembled but we are offering some killer NWFGS promotions! The 1000C – 8×10 greenhouse will be displayed so you can actually see how the greenhouses are made and experience one first-hand!
Check out our NWFGS greenhouse special! Only for the month of February! Click here.
Here’s a look at our builders working hard on the 1000C demo model!
We all know what a gnat is. Most likely you have had a few gnats flying around your home, more commonly known as “fruit flies”. But fungus gnats are your gardens worst nightmare! They are small flies that infest soil and potting mix and lay their eggs in your container gardens as well. Their eggs can lay dormant in soil for weeks and then release these nasty little larvae that wreak havoc on your plants. Their larvae primarily feed on fungi and organic matter in soil, but also chew into roots and can be a problem in greenhouses, nurseries, potted plants and interior plants. Adult fungus gnats may emerge from houseplants and become a nuisance indoors too.
There are a bunch of organic and chemical treatments for fungus gnats. The organic solutions include:
Hydrogen peroxide w/ no additives, Boiled grapefruit rind, Neem oil and a plethora of IPM.
We discovered we had gnats in our indoor Sunglo greenhouse after purchasing a bag of store bought miracle soil. It has been a HUGE problem. At least 100 plants have been ruined. So we researched online and came to the conclusion that we would try nematodes.
What are nematodes?
The nematodes or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. They are a diverse animal phylum inhabiting a very broad range of environments. Nematode species can be difficult to distinguish, and although over 25,000 have been described, of which more than half are parasitic, the total number of nematode species has been estimated to be about 1 million. Unlike cnidarians and flatworms, nematodes have tubular digestive systems with openings at both ends. Nematodes have successfully adapted to nearly every ecosystem from marine to fresh water, to soils, and from the polar regions to the tropics, as well as the highest to the lowest of elevations. They are ubiquitous in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial environments, where they often outnumber other animals in both individual and species counts, and are found in locations as diverse as mountains, deserts and oceanic trenches. The earth benefits from these microscopic worms. They are pretty much everywhere!
There are lots of brand of nematodes to buy but we settled on this baby. Above. The nematodes come wrapped in a soft wet sponge ready to swim their way into your soil and eat the fungus gnat larvae!
By dunking the sponge in water and swooshing it around a bit, it will release the microscopic nematodes into the water and allow them to be transferred into your infested soil. One they have broken the soil barrier the nematodes are free to wreak
havoc on the fungus gnat larvae! Too bad they are microscopic. It would be pretty neat to see 🙂
The nematode treatment worked, along with sticky tape but only for a week or so. It was difficult keeping our greenhouse contained. The gnats had too many places to hide in our building and were able to fly freely in and out of the greenhouse. In a different situation the nematodes, I’m sure, would have wiped out the larvae and our problem would have disappeared. We eventually cleaned out the entire greenhouse, cleaned all pots and containers, threw away all the dirt that was sitting around and moved most of the plants outside for a weekend to try to abolish the pesky gnats! And so far we’ve gotten rid of ALMOST all of them. The orchids we have in the greenhouse now are doing pretty well – See picture below. There are still a few gnats buzzing around but they have not harmed our orchid collection. We definitely learned a lesson from this… no more store bought generic soil! And to keep the greenhouse as clean as possible when planting seeds. The next time we see the first signs of gnats we’ll reach into our Google arsenal and find the next best treatment.
Other pest problems? Click here for thrip information. Click here for aphid & white fly treatment. And for more information about greenhouses and greenhouse gardening visit our Facebook page!
Here in Kent Washington our gardening or hardiness zone is 7. Zone 7 spreads from California to Georgia. If you have heard of gardening zones you know exactly what I’m talking about. But just in case…. Gardening zones, also known as hardiness zones, were set by the USDA so gardeners could compare their local climate with the recommended climate of different plants. Now isn’t that awesome? To find your gardening zone click here.
Here are some beautiful, over looked plants that us “7’s” should bring back out into the world! Planting these gems in your garden will have your friends oohing and awing with jealousy!
This gorgeous uncommon perennial is grown for its unusual black berries that form in clusters when its seedpods split open in fall. They are breath taking when you see them in a garden and are a beautiful addition to any flower arrangement. These fiery beauties will make your garden the best on the block!
Milkweed – Antelope Horns
This strange, light, beautiful perennial got its name from its tiny horn like petals. It is a strain of trailing milkweed. The bright clusters of odd shapes will keep your garden interesting and give it a unique advantage. Antelope horns attract butterflies and are good flowers for drying.
Astible – Glow
Another perennial that is rarely seen. Gorgeous dark red buds open to reveal lush red flowers with glowing features. This flower will really stand out in your garden. Astilbe Glow attracts hummingbirds and butterflies but it is also deer resistant. It does enjoy shade so pile them under your awning and wait for the inspired response of onlookers.
Spiked Ginger Lily
This exotic plant does wonderfully in zone 7. It is rare to actually see it planted in our zone but it does great in our climate and what an addition it would make to any garden. The flowers range from white to orange with a fragrance of sweet tropical bliss. The ginger lily blooms in late summer just in time to add some color to your fall garden.
There are so many more flowers and plants that are over looked. But what an adventure it would be to bring back some of the great ones! I hope this post inspires you to do some hunting of your own and add to your garden.