Silver Leaf Whitefly

Q. I keep finding tiny white fly-like insects around my plants. How can I get rid of them?

A. These are whiteflies. They come into the home on newly purchased plants or on plants moved inside from outdoors. Both the adult and larval stages of these insects suck plant juices. Their feeding turns a plant's leaves mottled and yellowed. Whiteflies secrete a clear, sticky substance called honeydew.

Plants usually tolerate this pest, making control necessary only for cosmetic reasons.

Yellow sticky traps will control small whitefly populations. You can buy these traps at garden centers or make your own by covering a yellow boardwith tanglefoot or motor oil.

Resmethrin is the most effective insecticide. Make three applications five days apart. If one application is missed, start over. Apply in a well-ventilated room. As always, follow label directions carefully.

Q. I kept my geraniums in the, basement for the winter. They are starting to grow. What should I do?

A. This is a common problem with wintering geraniums. Basements often are to warm and light to keep geraniums dormant. If you have the space, plant the geraniums in pots, and prune the tops back to 4 to 6 inches. Move them to a warm, sunny spot and start watering. If you don't have the space, move plants to a cooler, darker location. Keep them away from the furnace, heat ducts, ceiling,and other warm spots in the basement, and keep your fingers crossed.

Q. The top of my houseplant soil is white and crusty. Why?

A. The white stuff is salt buildup. Chemicals in ater and fertilizer often collect near the soil surface. The powdery material can injure some plants. Scrape off the crust and leach the soil by watering the plants thoroughly, waiting 10 to 15 minutes and waterinj again Then repeat. Leaching ushes away excess salts. You can reduce later problems with salt buildup by not giving too much fertilizer, and watering properly by flooding plants until water runs out the bottom of the pot, then pouring off the excess water.

Q. I just found some spring flowering bulbs that didn't let planted this fall. Can I force them to bloom indoor? What do I need to do?

A. Bulbs need 8 to 12 weeks of cold to initiate the flowering process. The bulbs can be potted, watered and placed in a cold place. Or you can merely paek the bulbs in a bag or plastic container filled with peat moss and chill them in the refrigerator for 12 weeks. Then remove the chilled bulbs, pot them up if necessary and move them into an area of diffuse light and 50 to 55 degree temperatures for a week or two. Finally, for smaller bulbs and freesias, you would move the plants to a brightly lit location where temperatures stay at 65 to 70 degrees.

Send questions or comments for this column to: Garden Questions, Home Section, The Milwaukee Journal, Box 661, Milwaukee, Wis. 53201. Personal replies are not possible, but matters of general interest will be answered in the column.

Melinda Myers also can be heard at 9 a.m. Saturdays on WTMJ radio (620 AM).