Encouraging Pollinators in Your Garden and Community

So when people talk about pollinators, what do you think of?    Well, most people go to Honeybees.  Did you know that the common Honeybee is actually from Europe?  They are great for pollinating our Rosaceae (Rose Family) fruit crops, which includes peaches, cherries, apples, strawberries and raspberry among many more.  Honeybees will feed strictly on my flowering plant at a time, such as peaches, before they move onto other plants.

Honeybee, Lisa Mason CSUE Agent

 Our native pollinators including native solitary bees, syrphid flies (hover flies), bumblebees, beetles, butterflies, moths and animals like bats.  Most of these native pollinators need a variety of resources to get enough nutrients.  They are grazers or buffet eaters rather than eating just one item at a time.  I am sure you know people that fit into both those categories. 

Common blue butterfly-TRA

Of course, there are native pollinators that have specific relationships with one plant such as the yucca moth, Tegeticula yuccasella, which lives its entire life in some way on or within the Yucca and the Gaillardia moth, Schinia masoni.  So always exceptions to the rule.

Yucca moth- Malisa Science Source photo

In Colorado, we have 946 native bees, 250 species of butterflies, 1000 species of Moths, many wasps, beetles and flies.  This information can be found at https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/agplants/native-pollinators

Of the syrphid flies, aka hover flies aka flower flies there are 900 species in North America.  Many of these look like bees so birds and other creatures do not try to eat them.  I personally find them quite cute. And they are also beneficial insects!

syrphid fly-bugguide.net

So what can you do in your garden and your community?  You can plant a variety of plants, native plants, and do your homework on what each specific pollinator needs.  For example, solitary bees need bare soil to build their nests.  It may appear that there is a colony, but there it is actually more of an apartment or town-home situation where one bee lives in their own condominium. 

Solitary bee- MaLisa Spring Photo

Or take note of what pollinators you are attracting.  Some of our agents do citizen science projects, which help us to track what people are seeing.  Some pollinators will need a source of water other than just pollen and nectar.  So shallow water sources can be a benefit in the garden.  Planting a variety of types of plants will assist as well.  Some of the native bees like to nest at the base of native grasses such as Little Bluestem https://xerces.org/blog/plants-for-pollinators-little-bluestem

Standing Ovation little bluestem- Colostate

Do not only plant a variety of plants that bloom at once, but that grow and bloom throughout the year.  For example, we had a yarrow in our demonstration garden blooming last November and I observed syrphid flies hovering over and feeding on the yarrow.  Use natives from your area.  Some cultivars are so far from their origin that they are not good sources of pollen and nectar.  Typically, plants with double or triple the number of petals, tetraploids, are NOT good for a pollinator garden.

Pollinator on Columbine

 For more information on pollinator habitat see our factsheet: https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/creating-pollinator-habitat-5-616/

Take care of weeds!  Weeds compete with natives and garden plants and typically are not a good source of pollen and nectar for the pollinators.  Weeds also affect the environment and agriculture but out competing, stealing resources, attracting insects like aphids and overall just look messy.  Support conservation efforts of plants in your area.  If you need education on native plants, which ones are good pollinators, historic uses, plant id and landscape sustainability, check out the CSU Extension Native Plant Master’s Program.  We have 13 counties that offer this series of classes. http://conativeplantmaster.colostate.edu/

By Susan Carter, Horticulture and Natural Resource Agent in the Tri River Area

Cut Flower Challenges

Posted by: Sarah Schweig, Broomfield County Extension

Valentine’s Day is upon us. Love it, hate it, or indifferent, let’s at least appreciate the holiday as an excuse to enjoy fresh flowers! The beauty of cut flowers is ephemeral by nature, and maybe that’s part of the appeal. Still, folk remedies and DIY solutions for prolonging vase life abound. We can explore the science behind these solutions by taking a look at the most common reasons flowers don’t last at home.

Challenge: Insufficient food supply

DIY Fix: Table sugar

This idea here is simple. Plants need sugars to maintain cellular processes. Cut flowers have carbohydrates stored in leaves and stems, and these reserves will be depleted to maintain basic metabolic activity. For flowers that are harvested when fully open, like gaillardia or yarrow, insufficient food supply may lead to early senescence. For flowers that are harvested at earlier budding stages, like gladiolus or peony, insufficient food supply means those flowers may never fulfill their destiny.

Flower food is formulated to provide the ideal amount of sugar (typically glucose), as well as acidifiers (see next problem). However, because sugar is so essential to prolonged vase life and continued development, adding table sugar (sucrose) will do in a pinch.

Challenge: Microbial activity

DIY Fix: Softened water, lemon juice, aspirin, pennies

Unfortunately, plants aren’t the only sugar-lovers living in your vase water. Fresh cut flowers will lose some of those stored carbohydrates where the stems are cut, resulting in a sugary solution that encourages the growth of microbes. While supplemental sugar will support plants, it only exacerbates the microbe problem. Bacteria and fungi block flow of water and nutrients through xylem tissue, and some produce ethylene, which encourages senescence.

The vase life claims of our first DIY fixes are based on the fact that lowering the pH of your vase water will discourage microbial activity. Although hard water tends to be alkaline, chemically softened water contains sodium and should not be used in flower vases. The citric acid found in lemon juice, however, is quite effective and is a common component of commercial floral solutions. While dissolving aspirin in water does lower pH, studies are mixed on whether it has any effect on vase life. Even those studies that report a positive effect on vase life agree that floral solutions are much more effective.

Adding pennies to vase water is based on the fungicidal properties of copper. Pennies have been made from around 98% zinc since 1983, and the copper in pennies is not - and never was - water soluble. We can fully myth-bust this one (satisfying, huh?).

Challenge: Ethylene-induced senescence

DIY Fix: Vodka, gin, whiskey, etc.

Ethylene is a plant hormone involved in ripening and senescence, and thus there is generally an inverse relationship between ethylene and shelf-life. The principle here is that the ethanol, which is contained in distilled spirits, can affect the production of and response to ethylene. Ethanol has been shown to delay maturation in plants in a number of contexts. A study published in HortTechnology investigated adding distilled spirits to water to reduce tipping of paper white narcissus by reducing plant height. At certain concentrations of ethanol, plant height was successfully reduced without apparent toxicity to roots and with no effect on flower size or timing. Ethanol has also been shown to delay the ripening of tomatoes, among other fruits. While there is evidence to support this solution, at-home success would require a high level of precision. Depending on your vase size, the difference between an effective ethanol concentration and a toxic ethanol concentration could be a matter of a few drops!

What You Can Do

There are many practical and effective ways to reduce the effect of ethylene on your cut flowers without the need for laboratory precision. Place them in a spot with good air circulation, away from heat sources. Do not place flowers near your fruits and vegetables, which produce ethylene as they ripen.

Though I generally support the DIY spirit, commercial floral solutions are by far the safest bet for meeting your flowers’ basic needs. One size is not fits all for maintaining cut flowers. Roses and snapdragons, for example, need extra sugar to push blooms open. Sunflowers are highly susceptible to bacterial plugging of xylem tissue and may require a stronger biocide. While it’s tough to get a perfect solution for a mixed bouquet, you can get as close as possible by going with the pros on this one. Floral solutions are readily available and contain, at a minimum, necessary plant food and an acidifying agent to help keep xylem tissue freely conducting water and nutrients.

Another cause of reduced xylem function in cut flowers is embolism. Cut stems under warm water to help prevent these air bubbles from forming. Use clean, sharp tools to prevent crushing the stem tissue. Ensure that leaves growing below the water line, and any fallen leaves or flowers are removed, as this decaying matter will encourage microbial growth.

Eventually, even though you’ve done everything right, you’ll see signs of the battle with the microbes. When water turns cloudy or you notice fuzzy-looking growth on stems, change your vase water and re-cut stems.

How long will your Valentine’s Day flowers last? Try it out, maybe add a penny for good luck just in case, and let us know!