I checked on my daylilies today. Unfortunately, I was so busy,I had to leave town, and did not get to check my daylilies and remove the covers until three thirty this afternoon. The temperature climbed up to around sixty degs. and it was a bright sunny day most of the day, with clouds moving in later in the afternoon. So, the daylilies got pretty hot under all those covers.
I did not notice any cold damage, on the covered ones or the not covered ones, but I was so busy removing covers I did not look all that close at the uncovered ones. Every time I removed a bucket or pot I could feel the heat rush out in my face.
The one thing I did notice however was that several of the covered plants had large numbers of whitish aphids all down in the centers of the plants.
So did my covering the plants cause an aphid invasion? Were they already there and the heat drew them out, did they just move in seeking shelter under the pots. Did I do harm to the plants by putting coverers over the plants and drawing in hundreds of aphids, or did I do good by exposing the aphids. I used the hose and my hand and washed off all the leaves on all the infested daylilies, so by exposing them and catching them early did I avoid a future plague of them? I guess only time will tell.
Anyhow, it appears that this time for sure, I would have been far better off to not have fooled with all that work. Now if it proves later on that forcing the aphids to make an early appearance and getting rid of them helped, I am wondering if this might actually be a method of early aphid control...wishful thinking I guess. Any opinions?
