FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF AUGUST 5, 2001:
I have a 6-year-old gooseberry bush that looks healthy and produces lots of flowers, which attract many bees. The problem is, the berries get about the size of BBs and then they ALL fall off. What can I do? Susan Hamilton, Nampa
Poor fruit set in gooseberries can be caused by several things, says Dan Barney, University of Idaho Extension horticulturist. These include too much or too little fertilization, spring frosts, and cold, wet weather during blooming.
"In this case, the culprit may be a lack of cross-pollination or inadequate fertilization," he suspects.
Most gooseberry varieties are self-fertile, but some set fruit better if they are pollinated by other varieties. Barney suggests planting one or two gooseberries of different varieties nearby. He considers Captivator and Oregon Champion "good choices" for the Intermountain West and Inland Northwest.
Every year on about the first of May and again on the first of June, fertilize the bushes. Each time, apply 2-5 ounces of fertilizer containing about 10 percent each of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (10-10-10) or 4-8 ounces of fertilizer containing about 16 percent each of N, P and K (16-16-16). Liquid houseplant fertilizers also work well, Barney says: just be careful to follow the label directions.
"Don't use weed-and-feed products," he says. "These contain herbicides that can kill your gooseberries."
For information on fertilizing, pruning and otherwise caring for gooseberries and currants, check out http://www.uidaho.edu/~sandpnt/ribes.htm.
What is the large, lime-green caterpillar with eyespots on its back just behind its head?
It's the larva of the Western tiger swallowtail butterfly, says Bob Stoltz, University of Idaho Extension entomologist. If those eyespots surprised you, they should have: they're intended to startle any predator that happens across this caterpillar.
The tiger swallowtail larva faces a lot of challenges before it can turn into a big and beautiful yellow-and-black butterfly, Stoltz says. "That's probably because the caterpillar is so big and easy to see and makes a real nice morsel to eat."
To meet those challenges, the larva uses a variety of defenses. Before it develops its "gotcha" eyespots, it looks like an olive green-and-white bird dropping ("to keep it from being eaten by birds"). Later, it supplements the evil-eye defense with an orange, forked "osmeterium" that can shoot out of its upper back and emit a repugnant odor.
Western tiger swallowtails can go through two generations in an Idaho summer. You can find the larvae feeding on poplars, birches, willows, elms, wild cherries and several other trees in your landscape. Look for chewed leaves and groups of leaves webbed together, with larvae inside.
"You probably won't see more than one or two caterpillars," Stoltz says. "We generally don't get enough of them to cause damage in our landscapes."
My 9- and 11-year-old children, who live with their mother most of the year, are spending the month of August with me. I have to work two weeks of that time and have arranged to have a colleague's 17-year-old daughter to babysit. The children are "latchkey kids" at their mother's house and insist they don't need a babysitter. Should I let them stay home alone?
For a few hours, perhaps, but not for a long working day, says Harriet Shaklee, University of Idaho Extension family development specialist. There's a difference between being a "latchkey kid" in an established setting with familiar neighbors and predictable after-school routines and being on your own in a new neighborhood with no organized activities and no other adults to rely on.
"Under the best of circumstances, children of this age can find a lot of trouble to get into when they're on their own," says Shaklee, "so you're on the right track to ensure proper supervision."
She suggests "spinning" that babysitter into a hostess or chauffeur. Rather than asking her to spend all day watching your kids at home, encourage her to take them to fun activities. "They'll want to spend time with similar-aged children, so plan days at public or church recreation centers that draw other kids."
"Do take as much time off from work as you can," Shaklee adds. "This is a great time to build strong connections with your children. They really do need you."
[READERS: Do you have a question about your home, yard or garden? Send it to HomeWise, University of Idaho Ag Communications, Moscow, ID 83844-2332 or e-mail it to homewise@uidaho.edu. Mention of proprietary products or firms does not constitute endorsement by University of Idaho Extension or imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.]