Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Saturday - March 12, 2011
From: Lake Worth, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Fruit fly maggots attacking non-native Grumichama in Lake Worth FL
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Dear Mr. Smarty Plants How do I prevent fruit fly maggots from attacking my Grumichama fruit?ANSWER:
As often happens, we had never heard of Grumichama, so we went to the Internet and found this article from Purdue University Horticulture Eugenia brasiliensis, Grumichama. We learned that it is native, as the name indicates, to Brasil and therefore does not appear in our Native Plant Database. It has been planted in Florida and Hawaii with some success. The article went on to say that in Hawaii, the plant has been heavily attacked by the Meditteranean Fruit Fly.
We had heard of that pest, but had no personal experience of it, so we went to this Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service article Pest Alert. We are not saying that is what you have chewing on the fruit on your plant, because we are not entomologists and really have no idea. However, we would suggest you read the Pest Alert article and perhaps contact the Extension Office for Palm Beach County.
More Non-Natives Questions
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Bugs on non-native Pachystachys lutea in Hawaii
August 20, 2009 - My golden shrimp/lollipop plant has aphid like bugs. They are darker and firmer than aphids but clump like them. They are consuming it. What are they and how do I get rid of them?
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July 09, 2009 - St. Augustine. It's July 6th, 3 weeks ago my grass was green and healthy, today I've got large patches (20' x 3') that are dying. I water my yard 10 mins / day in the morning (5:00 am). It's been...
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