Q. What causes lettuce to flower, and why does it taste bitter after flowering?
When an annual (or biennial) reaches the end of its life, it wants to reproduce. This involves producing flowers and, subsequently, seeds. Reproduction is an energy-intensive process (as any pregnant woman can tell you), so all the sugars and nutrients are diverted away from the leaves and into the flowers. This is the cause of bitter lettuce.
Bolting in cool-season vegetables (lettuce, cabbage, kale) usually occurs after a few days of warmer daytime temperatures that signal to the plant that its time is up. The first sign that a head of lettuce is about to bolt is a subtle (or sometimes not so subtle) elongation from the middle of the head. Sometimes at this point, the leaves have not become bitter yet and you can harvest and use. Taste the leaves before making that salad, though. Once the flower stalk has emerged, it’s too late. If you don’t pull out the plant, the seeds will mature and you can collect them for next season. Alternatively, you can forget to pull out the plant until after the seeds go “poof” and you’ll end up with hundreds of baby lettuce, kale, escarole, or mustard plants scattered around the garden. These seeds can travel to surprising places – we even had a head of iceberg lettuce growing out of our driveway!
Q. My hydrangea is covered with this disgusting, sticky white stuff. When I touch the plant a bunch of white flying bugs fly up. What are they and how can I get rid of them?
Giant whiteflies are native to Mexico and first appeared in San Diego around 1992. They liked California so much that they can now be found almost everywhere in the Golden State. They can be found on begonia, hibiscus, bird of paradise, hydrangea, and many vegetables. I’ve also seen them on my scented geraniums.
Giant whiteflies, true to their name, are relatively large at just under a quarter-inch long. Adult whiteflies leave waxy squiggles on the underside of leaves. This is where the female deposits her eggs. In especially bad infestations, the entire leaf, top and bottom, can be covered in these waxy filaments as to give it a hairy appearance. Because of this, sometimes a whitefly infestation can be mistaken for a fungal infection.
The whitefly nymphs and adults cause damage by inserting their mouthparts into the plant’s vascular system and sucking the juice out. Their sticky waste is called “honeydew” and is much beloved by ants.
Management consists of removing any infested material (clip off affected leaves or branches). Using a hose set to jet, blast as many remaining critters off as possible. Prune or relocate plants so they are exposed to more sunlight, since whiteflies thrive in the shade. Avoid spraying pesticides since many beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, lacewings, and hoverflies will devour these soft-bodied pests. Place ant baits to control the ants since they will protect whiteflies from predation.
Los Angeles County
mglosangeleshelpline@ucdavis.edu; 626-586-1988; celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/
Orange County
ucceocmghotline@ucanr.edu; mgorange.ucanr.edu/
Riverside County
anrmgriverside@ucanr.edu; 951-955-0170; ucanr.edu/sites/RiversideMG/
San Bernardino County
mgsanbern@ucanr.edu; 909-387-2182; mgsb.ucanr.edu
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