Tackle those aphids with a blast of water and some dormant oil

Q: This past weekend, just near sunset, I was out admiring my piñon tree with the sunlight streaming through it. It was weird, as the trunk was sort of sparkly and looked quite pretty. My next thought was, “That can’t be right.” I got closer and saw lots of busy, smallish-winged black bugs scooting about. Some were flying but didn’t seem to be going very far. I noticed some sort of stripes running down the trunk. This can’t be good, right? What should I do? — O.P., Albuquerque

A: To me it sounds like you have a rather successful aphid hatch.

Not all aphids are green, like the ones you’d usually find on roses, so with your description, I think they just might be aphids.

As to what you should do to eliminate them, here’s what I’ll suggest.

As soon as you can, I want you to spray the trunk, limbs and branches with the hardest stream of water the tree can stand. Just blast the heck out of it. Especially in the places where you see those bugs congregating. What that will do is knock a lot of the aphids off the tree.

By being blasted, they’ll get pretty beat up and probably die on the ground. You can even blast the ground surrounding the tree after you’ve finished spraying it. The more blasting, the better.

Next, I would wait a couple of days and then inspect the tree again. If there is still quite an infestation, or even if there isn’t one, consider spraying the tree with a pesticide called dormant oil. Spray the whole tree, from needle tip to base of the trunk, not missing any of it.

The dormant oil will clog the way the aphids breathe and gum up the wings so they can’t fly away to find a new mate or a new home. Dormant oil can be made of paraffinic oil or mineral oil, so that’s why I think it is pretty darn safe. Once it’s dry, it shouldn’t pose much, if any, threat to birds that might light in the tree, so that’s a good thing.

I’d check the tree again two weeks, after the blasting spray and the dormant oil spray, to see how under control the aphids are and retreat if necessary. Just be sure to never spray a dormant oil when the temperature is above 85 degrees.

These bugs might not be aphids, but the hunting process I suggest will work. Happy hunting those early pesky aphids.

Q: Last year I wrote to ask how to dig up a volunteer fruiting mulberry tree without hurting it because a coworker said she’d love to plant it. With procrastination it hasn’t happened, and I’m asking for reminders about getting it out of the ground safely without hurting a nearby piñon. Help! — L.B., Albuquerque

A: You’ve checked with the coworker that she still will take this treasure? If so, then now will be an OK time to do this project, just no more procrastination.

You’ll need a sharp shovel, and maybe have a hand trowel at the ready. You will also need a fairly deep pot to set the dug-up young tree into.

First, give the area where the mulberry is growing a good, deep soak. That will make the soil heavier but also easier for the volunteer to come away from its spot. As soon as you can, go ahead and using the shovel, impale the ground pretty darn close to the mulberry to start to dislodge it. You’ll want to be extremely careful that you don’t stab or maim the piñon. Be ridiculously careful.

Since the mulberry had all last year and some time before that to grow, you’ll probably need to dig down a good foot in depth, all the while watching for the roots of both the mulberry and the piñon. Your aim is to not cut into any root at all.

Once you’ve gotten the majority of the mulberry root exposed, start to ease it away from the piñon. Some of the dislodged soil needs to go into the pot, but you don’t want to leave a gaping hole at the piñon’s root area. The piñon’s health comes first.

Once you can safely get the mulberry out of the ground, sort of encircle the roots into the pot and cover with just enough soil to keep them from drying out. Then hustle the tree to your coworker and get this treasure planted. Coordinate so it’s out of the ground for no more than a day or two.

The caution here is to plant the tree in its new home no deeper than it was originally and aim to spread the roots out like she’s looking at a splayed hand. Fill in the planting hole and create a moat surrounding the hole. Slowly water to settle the ground, and definitely consider applying a dose of root stimulator to offset the stress.

It shouldn’t be a difficult chore, just one where you need to be very thoughtful for both your piñon tree and the mulberry. Have fun and no more hesitation while you’re out there Diggin’ In!

Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send garden-related questions to Diggin’ In, Albuquerque Journal, 7777 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, N.M. 87109, or to features@abqjournal.com.