Container gardening with Japanese beetles
March 24, 2024 7:41 PM Subscribe
I live in an area infested by Japanese beetles. Late this summer, I’m moving out of this area. I have 15 large containers in my garden. What do I do?
I have a balcony container garden on a large patio. These 15 planters have 3 conifers, 3 deciduous, some shrubs, some herbs, some empty for annuals, etc. It is time for my spring annual planting and I don’t know what to do.
In August I’m moving out of the Japanese beetle zone and I want to keep the planters, as they were expensive and I could use them at my new place. I know that I have to discard all of the plants and all of the soil before I move. Guys this is hurting my soul. I don’t even like some of these trees, they’re little misfits, but they are my misfits. I’m not tempted to cheat fate by moving them as I am moving to an island and introducing pests is a big no no.
I’m torn about bringing new plants into my current place for the summer. I could use some herbs and annual flowers to brighten the place up and give me something to eat. Struggling if it’s the right thing to do if I know I’ll have to dig them up early too. But I don’t want to spend all summer looking at an empty garden space.
I’m thinking of emptying a few containers, growing early seed crops, planting herbs, and doing scaled-down annuals for colour. It seems wrong to plant. However, I feel like the biggest pain in taking down this garden is when my saw hits the Cypress tree, taking a few more plants won’t make garden disassembly that much harder, and I’ll get to enjoy the plants this summer. Not sure if this is right.
Looking for words of wisdom, especially from those that had to eradicate their own gardens in this way. I’ll also accept treatises on the ethics of introducing plants into an environment where their lives will be terminated before their natural end. Any feedback on my garden plan is also welcome.
I have a balcony container garden on a large patio. These 15 planters have 3 conifers, 3 deciduous, some shrubs, some herbs, some empty for annuals, etc. It is time for my spring annual planting and I don’t know what to do.
In August I’m moving out of the Japanese beetle zone and I want to keep the planters, as they were expensive and I could use them at my new place. I know that I have to discard all of the plants and all of the soil before I move. Guys this is hurting my soul. I don’t even like some of these trees, they’re little misfits, but they are my misfits. I’m not tempted to cheat fate by moving them as I am moving to an island and introducing pests is a big no no.
I’m torn about bringing new plants into my current place for the summer. I could use some herbs and annual flowers to brighten the place up and give me something to eat. Struggling if it’s the right thing to do if I know I’ll have to dig them up early too. But I don’t want to spend all summer looking at an empty garden space.
I’m thinking of emptying a few containers, growing early seed crops, planting herbs, and doing scaled-down annuals for colour. It seems wrong to plant. However, I feel like the biggest pain in taking down this garden is when my saw hits the Cypress tree, taking a few more plants won’t make garden disassembly that much harder, and I’ll get to enjoy the plants this summer. Not sure if this is right.
Looking for words of wisdom, especially from those that had to eradicate their own gardens in this way. I’ll also accept treatises on the ethics of introducing plants into an environment where their lives will be terminated before their natural end. Any feedback on my garden plan is also welcome.
Could the containers be placed in clear bags for a few weeks, along with beetle traps? If you removed them for a generation, they should not come back. It is my understanding they like to lay eggs in sod.
posted by nickggully at 8:16 PM on March 24, 2024
posted by nickggully at 8:16 PM on March 24, 2024
Response by poster: Some of the containers are very large, the big rectangles are 3-4 feet long and the larger square planters 20-24 inches square. Bagging is not an option.
posted by shock muppet at 8:56 PM on March 24, 2024
posted by shock muppet at 8:56 PM on March 24, 2024
I suggest contacting your very local friends and neighbors now. Explain your situation. Tell them that you want to garden, but that you can't take your garden with you in August.
I'm probably in the minority on this, but I would also look hard at my gardening supplies, containers included. I don't know the answer to this question: what are the chances that moving any supplies with you will help the beetles migrate? Worth checking out, IMHO, if you aren't already certain of the answer.
I'd also urge you to imagine this scenario not as one where "cheating" is possible, but as one in which you could potentially be the vector for a pest that would impact millions of lives, human and otherwise. Good on you for asking here about it. (This comment brought to you by the anonymous persons who used Japanese stilt grass as packing material in the early 1900s for goods coming from Asia to the U.S., where it has wildly outcompeted many local flora.)
Good luck!
posted by cupcakeninja at 5:13 AM on March 25, 2024 [2 favorites]
I'm probably in the minority on this, but I would also look hard at my gardening supplies, containers included. I don't know the answer to this question: what are the chances that moving any supplies with you will help the beetles migrate? Worth checking out, IMHO, if you aren't already certain of the answer.
I'd also urge you to imagine this scenario not as one where "cheating" is possible, but as one in which you could potentially be the vector for a pest that would impact millions of lives, human and otherwise. Good on you for asking here about it. (This comment brought to you by the anonymous persons who used Japanese stilt grass as packing material in the early 1900s for goods coming from Asia to the U.S., where it has wildly outcompeted many local flora.)
Good luck!
posted by cupcakeninja at 5:13 AM on March 25, 2024 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I think your middle option is fine; enjoy the summer with a few new plantings. How could that possibly be wrong?
I get the sadness; my situation was moving from a home with a garden to an apartment with a shaded and small balcony, so I wasn't going to reproduce what I had. It was a disappointment to part with a generous veg plot, a rose bush, etc. knowing I wouldn't be able to rebuild it in the new place. But it sounds like you will have a new container garden in your next location, so that could help cheer you up.
As you know, plants are not people or animals. So, your attachment to your little misfits has nothing to do with them--they are part of the greater ecosystem and belong to the soil. So, gift what you can, and compost the rest.
It sounds like a big job, so I'd do the breakdown in phases; getting a head start will allow you to free up time closer to the move for other tasks. I think if you start with one or two, you'll get a sense of it all and work through some of the emotional stuff.
Good luck.
posted by rhonzo at 5:38 AM on March 25, 2024
I get the sadness; my situation was moving from a home with a garden to an apartment with a shaded and small balcony, so I wasn't going to reproduce what I had. It was a disappointment to part with a generous veg plot, a rose bush, etc. knowing I wouldn't be able to rebuild it in the new place. But it sounds like you will have a new container garden in your next location, so that could help cheer you up.
As you know, plants are not people or animals. So, your attachment to your little misfits has nothing to do with them--they are part of the greater ecosystem and belong to the soil. So, gift what you can, and compost the rest.
It sounds like a big job, so I'd do the breakdown in phases; getting a head start will allow you to free up time closer to the move for other tasks. I think if you start with one or two, you'll get a sense of it all and work through some of the emotional stuff.
Good luck.
posted by rhonzo at 5:38 AM on March 25, 2024
Best answer: Regarding the containers themselves, BC's guidance on Japanese Beetle control as of June 2023 would seem to indicate that it's dirt that's the conduit, not empty containers or even plants — as long as one is certain they're not hiding any clumps of soil in nooks and crannies.
Having to take down established plantings that you love is just difficult, no two ways. As a way of lessening the hurt, and if the practicalities can be managed, I do love the idea of putting out a call for takers for the perennials, including the trees — emphasizing that takers must be within your infestation zone. Maybe e.g., your cypress might suffer transplanting trauma but plants are often sturdier than would be believed. I have a neighbour whose entire extensive garden consists of rehomed shrubs and trees, often ones that had been neglected to near death in constrictive pots.
posted by to wound the autumnal city at 7:00 AM on March 25, 2024
Exemptions: Many things will be exempt from movement restrictions. These include things that are unlikely to be a pathway for the movement of P. japonica larvae, pupae or adults, such as:Re starting plants whose lives you will cut short, this seems a matter of personal ethics or perhaps feeling, and as such may vary. Over-sowing vegetable seed and then thinning depending on success of germination is an extremely common practice, for instance, as is growing cover crops that will be turned into the soil before flowering. I would not hesitate with annuals.
Plants and plant parts, including plant root systems (e.g. roots, rhizomes, tubers, corms, bulbs) that are substantially free from soil. This means the roots have been cleaned off by shaking, washing, or brushing, and there are no clumps of soil or media larger than 1 cm wide.
Having to take down established plantings that you love is just difficult, no two ways. As a way of lessening the hurt, and if the practicalities can be managed, I do love the idea of putting out a call for takers for the perennials, including the trees — emphasizing that takers must be within your infestation zone. Maybe e.g., your cypress might suffer transplanting trauma but plants are often sturdier than would be believed. I have a neighbour whose entire extensive garden consists of rehomed shrubs and trees, often ones that had been neglected to near death in constrictive pots.
posted by to wound the autumnal city at 7:00 AM on March 25, 2024
Hi, shock muppet, I'm also in the process of moving so I know what a stressful time that is and how sad it is when you can't move your plants!
The above commenter is correct that Japanese Beetles are transported in dirt--but you're correct that you shouldn't risk bringing them to an area that doesn't already have them. Containers can be sterilized in a manner that plants cannot. Even if you cleaned the dirt from the roots really well, August is a really bad time to risk it; the beetles will have begun to lay their eggs for the season and it will be basically impossible to be certain that the roots are beetle-free.
It's very likely that your trees and shrubs can be found new homes in your current area. If you can let some of your trees (maybe that dear Cypress?) go early, this spring, it will lessen the transplant risk. But I understand if you're not quite ready for that yet! I think your plan to focus on annuals is a good one. I'm in Zone 4, most of our flowering annuals are basically spent by August anyway, so I wouldn't worry too much about pulling them a little early. There's 129 days until August 1st, so seeds/starts that are in the 60-70 day range (alyssum, calendula, poppies, nasturtiums etc) should leave you plenty of time for enjoyment. Also a lot of salad plants (lettuces, spinach, radishes, snap peas, etc) prefer the early season cool weather, so those may be a good choice for you as well.
As to the ethics of it, my feeling is that our job is to be good caretakers and the job of the plant is just to grow. We take benefit from plants, in food and enjoyment, but plants fulfill their purpose just by growing, living, dying, and returning their nutrients back into the soil. This is as true of a domesticated annual as a great redwood. Keep being a good caretaker, enjoy your annuals, and good luck with the move.
posted by radiogreentea at 9:59 AM on March 25, 2024
The above commenter is correct that Japanese Beetles are transported in dirt--but you're correct that you shouldn't risk bringing them to an area that doesn't already have them. Containers can be sterilized in a manner that plants cannot. Even if you cleaned the dirt from the roots really well, August is a really bad time to risk it; the beetles will have begun to lay their eggs for the season and it will be basically impossible to be certain that the roots are beetle-free.
It's very likely that your trees and shrubs can be found new homes in your current area. If you can let some of your trees (maybe that dear Cypress?) go early, this spring, it will lessen the transplant risk. But I understand if you're not quite ready for that yet! I think your plan to focus on annuals is a good one. I'm in Zone 4, most of our flowering annuals are basically spent by August anyway, so I wouldn't worry too much about pulling them a little early. There's 129 days until August 1st, so seeds/starts that are in the 60-70 day range (alyssum, calendula, poppies, nasturtiums etc) should leave you plenty of time for enjoyment. Also a lot of salad plants (lettuces, spinach, radishes, snap peas, etc) prefer the early season cool weather, so those may be a good choice for you as well.
As to the ethics of it, my feeling is that our job is to be good caretakers and the job of the plant is just to grow. We take benefit from plants, in food and enjoyment, but plants fulfill their purpose just by growing, living, dying, and returning their nutrients back into the soil. This is as true of a domesticated annual as a great redwood. Keep being a good caretaker, enjoy your annuals, and good luck with the move.
posted by radiogreentea at 9:59 AM on March 25, 2024
Best answer: I can't quite visualize how large your plants and containers are, but I do think it would be good to start the process now of getting rid of the plants that are alive, likely by giving them to neighbors and friends. You (or they) can get a large plastic nursery container and move the plants into the containers. Then you have time to clean the containers. Alternatively, you could move the plants into the nursery planters now and keep them around for the summer and giving them away in July or August.
In August, when you're moving, dealing with living plants will be yet another hassle you'll hate. But I know you want some color now and this spring. So, how about buying a few planters of seasonal color at the hardware store or nursery? You could set them in (on top of?) your current containers, but only once those containers are cleaned out. Then, this summer, you can give away any living flowers and do a final clean of your larger containers.
I think this stress is perhaps partly related to some sadness about your move. I think you should skip spring planting. If you start the process now of deconstructing and giving away your plants, and buying some prepared baskets of colorful flowers for this season only, you are going to save yourself a lot of work in August.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:48 AM on March 25, 2024
In August, when you're moving, dealing with living plants will be yet another hassle you'll hate. But I know you want some color now and this spring. So, how about buying a few planters of seasonal color at the hardware store or nursery? You could set them in (on top of?) your current containers, but only once those containers are cleaned out. Then, this summer, you can give away any living flowers and do a final clean of your larger containers.
I think this stress is perhaps partly related to some sadness about your move. I think you should skip spring planting. If you start the process now of deconstructing and giving away your plants, and buying some prepared baskets of colorful flowers for this season only, you are going to save yourself a lot of work in August.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:48 AM on March 25, 2024
Response by poster: Thank you for all the suggestions and feedback.
I like the idea of using disposable planters for summer colour. I started to empty some pots to accommodate them. It’s heavy work!
Although I marked as best answer some suggestions to let the trees go early, I decided to leave them till the end. The cypress was severely frost damaged and the bottom branches are all but gone. It’s now a nine foot tall stick and will not survive transplant. I cut down the Sky Pencil for practice and I think I will be able to handle it.
posted by shock muppet at 9:10 PM on April 13, 2024
I like the idea of using disposable planters for summer colour. I started to empty some pots to accommodate them. It’s heavy work!
Although I marked as best answer some suggestions to let the trees go early, I decided to leave them till the end. The cypress was severely frost damaged and the bottom branches are all but gone. It’s now a nine foot tall stick and will not survive transplant. I cut down the Sky Pencil for practice and I think I will be able to handle it.
posted by shock muppet at 9:10 PM on April 13, 2024
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posted by kate4914 at 8:11 PM on March 24, 2024 [3 favorites]