Compost `Bolting' Lettuce, Plant For Fall

Q My lettuce seemed to be doing well but suddenly it's growing taller and looks weird. What happened and can I still eat it? A Your lettuce is going to flower or, in gardener's lingo, it is "bolting." Many spring crops like spinach, radishes and lettuce will bolt as the weather gets warm and the plants mature. Although the lettuce may taste fine initially, it usually gets bitter as the flower stalk grows. At this point, it's best to compost the heads remaining in your garden and start your fall lettuce. Harvest your next crop while it is still young and succulent. If you occasionally overplant and can't use the whole crop, share some with friends, neighbors or your local food bank.

Q My deck and everything on it is coated with shiny, sticky stuff. Even the dog has been slowed down! What's happening? A The sticky material is the sugary sap, called honeydew, which has undoubtedly been sucked out of plants over or near your deck by insects - probably aphids. The fluid literally goes in one end and out the other.

This spring and summer has seen an explosion of many aphid species on a wide variety of plants all over Western Washington. The ladybird beetles, syrphid fly and lacewing larvae, and the parasitic miniwasps that normally prey on aphids, apparently couldn't keep up with the available food supply earlier in the season, although they finally did catch up and are out there helping to clean up the plague of plant lice.

Any action to control these sap-sucking little beasts should take into consideration the good guys out there doing their jobs. Aphids can easily be wiped off leaves and stems of plants that can be reached; a forceful spray of water from your hose will knock off and destroy many of the soft bodied little swine. Many insecticides are, of course, labeled for use against aphids, but certainly the safest and least harmful to beneficial insects would be insecticidal soap.

Cherries and plums, both the fruit-bearing and flowering types, have been especially hard hit by several species of curl aphids. Their feeding causes the new foliage to curl and effectively protect the aphids from attempts to control them. Once the leaves are curled, insecticides can't reach the aphids. A heavy infestation can devitalize a tree.

To control curl aphids, you have to take measures before the foliage is curled. Washington State University recommendations include applying a dormant oil spray in March to kill the eggs. Insecticidal soap applied just before bloom and right afterwards will kill any aphids that were not eliminated with the dormant spray.

Other sucking arthropods like scales, leafhoppers and spider mites also can produce honeydew, but so far this season the major culprits seem to have been aphids. Honeydew can easily be cleaned off your deck, outdoor furniture, automobile and even your dog's paws with water.

Q What am I seeing in white bloom this month along roadsides? A Midsummer blooming, the Northwest native known as oceanspray, creambush or meadowsweet (Holodiscus discolor), lights up woods edges and sunny areas within forests. Related to the rose and resembling ornamental spirea, it's covered with creamy white flowers; though small, they hang in heavy clusters over the entire bush and often tug branches down by their weight. You'll see it along road cuts and in disturbed areas, including over logging cuts. The bloom fades to tan followed by persistent seed capsules. Ocean- spray's at its best when blooming and becomes a rather dowdy deciduous bush the rest of the year. It is drought-tolerant and entirely suitable for natural landscapes. This native is seldom available in nurseries, but you may find seedlings under an established bush.

For more information on native plants, see Art Kruckeberg's book "Gardening with Native Plants in the Northwest," University of Washington Press.

Q What's the best way to add ladybugs to my garden? A Ladybugs, or ladybird beetles (a common one is Hippodamia convergens) are the media stars of the aphid wars this year. Even non-gardeners recognize the familiar shiny, red, black-spotted, VW-shaped insect. Encouraging the natural cycle of ladybird beetle reproduction in your own garden may best ensure their continued presence, because when bought and released in bunches they tend to fly off - as in the childhood nursery rhyme "Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home."

Become familiar with the larvae: They are alligator-shaped, black and fuzzy in texture, with a distinct taper toward the rear (the rear is the end not eating) and about 3/8 inch long. They'll often be spotted with orange (a distinct Halloween color scheme), but the larva vary as do the adults and may show red spots, or few spots. From egg to adult takes about 28 useful days during warm weather - one larva may munch ravenously through nearly 450 aphids (but who's counting?). Eliminating unnecessary pesticide use will help maintain the balance of predators such as ladybird beetles. Remember this saying: "If you kill a beneficial insect, you inherit its work."

Gardening runs Friday in the Scene section and Sunday in Home/Real Estate of The Seattle Times. It is prepared by George Pinyuh and Holly Kennel, Washington State University/King County Cooperative Extension agents, Mary Robson, Master Gardener program assistant, and volunteer Master Gardeners. Send questions to: Gardening, The Seattle Times, PO Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111. ------------------------------------------------------------ HAVE A GARDEN QUESTION?

Here are three ways to get answers to your gardening questions:

-- Submit them in writing to "Gardening," Newsroom, Seattle Times, PO Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111.

-- Call the Master Gardener 24-hour tape bank, 296-DIAL, and listen to one of the more than 200 tapes on garden topics. (If you need a free listing of tapes available, call 296-DIAL for details.)

-- If the tape doesn't answer your question, call the Master Gardener information line, 296-3440, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Volunteer gardeners are available during those hours.

-- You can also visit a Master Gardener clinic. They are scheduled throughout the region from April to October. For details, call 296-DIAL and ask for Tape 112.