Gerbera Daisies Difficult To Keep Over The Winter

Q: Can I keep gerbera daisies over the winter?

A: Gerbera daisies are somewhat tropical - their big, bright-colored flowers originated in South Africa, accounting for their nickname "Transvaal Daisies." They are grown outdoors for plants in Florida and California and in greenhouses for cut flowers almost year-round.

This plant is not perennial in maritime Puget Sound winter temperatures. In order to survive, the plants require shelter from temperatures below about 45 degrees F. And at 45 degrees, they will cease to set blooms. With a heated greenhouse it would be possible to keep the plants through winter, or they can be brought into the house. But gerberas do not make particularly good house plants because they need a lot of light and sufficient light is rare in winter households here. If the plants are kept over as houseplants, they won't bloom and will probably develop pale, struggling leaves.

Q: Just wondering if there is a way to tackle mealybugs on houseplants - is it a never-ending battle of Q tips and alcohol?

A: Perhaps. A bad infestation of mealybugs has bothered clivias in my indoor garden for nearly a year. The sucking insects, who exude cottony coatings that cover the adults, are difficult to control. Wiping them off with rubbing alcohol does help to reduce the infestation, especially if pesticides aren't desired.

However, they multiply rapidly and it's hard to get complete control because the smaller, emerging stages are easy to miss when you are prowling through the plant looking for the insects. A combination of efforts is best. Continue wiping the insects off with alcohol when they are visible. Use a houseplant insecticide registered for use on the affected plants. Insecticidal soap helps but it doesn't seem to get thorough coverage for infestations and they do come back.

A natural product derived from the neem tree, a native plant of India, is now available. The active ingredient is azadirachtin, and it's available to houseplant growers as "Bioneem" and in other formulations. It seems to help, but like the insecticidal soap, does not completely obliterate the infestation. Keep using a combination of approaches and isolate affected plants from other, unaffected plants.

Q: How do I renovate a lawn this time of year?

A: September is the perfect time to overseed an established lawn or put in a new one.

First, to re-do an established old lawn, be sure that the grass is as free as possible of big, perennial weeds such as dandelions. Dig them out or spot-treat them with an herbicide such as glyphosate (sold under a number of trade names including "Round-up). If you do use glyphosate, be aware that it's also toxic to grass - wipe it individually on weeds and don't get it on the desirable lawn areas. Glyphosate kills weeds thoroughly, but takes about three weeks to fully remove them.

Rake out old weeds and moss, and thatch or aerate if needed. Overseed with a recommended seed variety - a good one is any combination of perennial rye grass and turf-type fine fescues. Beware of bluegrasses - a little bit (less than about 9 percent) in the mix is fine, but Kentucky bluegrass does not thrive in western Washington.

Sprinkle soil or a fine compost over the seeds and pat them firmly into the ground to be sure they are making good ground contact. Keep new seeds watered well until they are up about three inches; don't count on fall rains, and don't allow the seedbed to dry out.

If seeding a new lawn, or sodding, be sure the ground is prepared deeply, giving the grass at least six to eight inches of well-prepared root room with organic amendments such as commercial compost (Steerco, Groco, Tagro or Cedar Grove) mixed in. The biggest single cause of lawn failure is poor soil preparation, often combined with soil compaction and poor drainage.

Fertilize in September with a 3-1-2 lawn nutrient mix. Fall efforts can yield a sturdy, attractive year-round lawn.

Gardening runs Friday in Scene and Sunday in Home/Real Estate. It is prepared by Mary Robson, area horticulture agent; Holly Kennell, Washington State University/King County Cooperative Extension agent, Susan Miller, integrated-pest-management specialist, and volunteer Master Gardeners.