180 Bats (They're Good). When to "Set Out" Plants?

Show Transcript

GB 180 TRANSCRIPT  Bats (They’re Good!). When to Set Out Plants

Farmer Fred  0:00  

Garden Basics with Farmer Fred is brought to you by Smart Pots, the original lightweight, long lasting fabric plant container. it's made in the USA. Visit SmartPots.com slash Fred for more information and a special discount, that's SmartPots.com/Fred. Welcome to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast. If you're just a beginning gardener or you want good gardening information, you've come to the right spot.  

Farmer Fred  0:32  

It's bat day here on the Garden Basics podcast. We're talking about the flying mammal, not the Louisville Slugger. Bats. They're a good friend of every gardener and farmer. Why's that? Because they're eating a lot of the flying pests that otherwise would be chowing down on your crops and flowers or even you. We talk with noted bat expert, the University of California's Rachael Long. Did you ever see that instruction on a seed packet or garden calendar that tells you when to set out plants? Well, what exactly is "setting out plants"? America's favorite retired college horticultural Professor, Debbie Flower, walks us through the process of acclimating those tender young greenhouse or indoor-raised seedlings to the harsh environment known as your garden. We're podcasting from Barking Dog Studios here in the beautiful abutilon jungle in suburban Purgatory. It's the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots, and we'll do it all in under 30 minutes. Let's go. 

Farmer Fred  1:39  

Farmers know their value. Gardeners with large parcels of land welcome their presence. And even small backyard gardeners need an appreciation for those frequent visitors who could be found, usually just after sundown on warm evenings, flitting about the skies in a zigzag pattern. Of course, we're talking about bats. Bats are good for your garden. According to the National Wildlife Federation, the majority of bats in the United States are insect herbivores. They hunt at night. They eat flying insects such as mosquitoes, beetles and moths, many of which are considered pests. Bats provide an important ecological service by eating tons of insects. There's more than 40 species of bats that live in the United States and they're found throughout the US, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Bats can be found in almost every type of habitat. They live in the deserts, the woodlands, suburban communities, caves and cities. Bats make their homes in a variety of different structures. They can use trees, caves, cracks in buildings, bridges, even the attic of a house. The largest urban colony of bats in the United States lives in Austin, Texas under the Congress Avenue Bridge during the summer. That Congress Avenue Bridge becomes a temporary home to something like 1.5 million Brazilian free-tailed bats. And not all bats eat insects. Some live on a diet of nectar and fruit. Bats that feed on nectar also serve as pollinators of nighttime blooming plants. And to attract these flying mammals, some flowering plants have evolved a musty or rotten perfume smell. And that smell is created by sulfur containing compounds, which are uncommon in most floral aromas. But they've been found in the flowers of many plant species that specialize in bat pollination. And you know, even their excrement is popular. Bat guano is an organic fertilizer. So, give a listen to this conversation we had a while back with  University of California Farm Advisor, Rachael Long, about the benefits of attracting bats to farms and rural homeowners. And you're going to hear some tips on how backyard gardeners can encourage this nighttime visitor to help control the bad bug population. 

Farmer Fred  3:54  

In an eight year study from 1997 to 2004, the University of California evaluated the use of 186 bat houses in rural areas of California Central Valley. Did you know that well placed bat houses can attract bats to Central Valley farms? That was the conclusion, the results of the study headed up by Rachael Long, UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor in Yolo County. And Rachael, when it comes to bats, you are probably bat fan number one.

Rachael Long  4:24  

I know I've been called bat woman many times before and I'm actually thrilled with the title, thank you for having me today.

Farmer Fred  4:31  

It's amazing, the insect population that can be controlled by bats and just the sheer numbers of insects that bats can control. Are they a benefit to a farmer?

Rachael Long  4:44  

Bats are definitely a benefit to  a farmer. Bats consume their body weight in insects every night. So if you have a colony of 500 bats on your farm, they'll eat the equivalent of a grocery bag full of insects every night. And many of these insects that they're feeding on are agricultural pests, so bats feeding on a farm are definitely a huge benefit to a farmer.

Farmer Fred  5:08  

Now, when it comes to bat houses, can you get bats to quit roosting inside a barn or a garage, and get them out to a bat house?

Rachael Long  5:18  

So the bats are really true to their roost. And they they do like to go back to where they were born every year. And,  they're just amazing. The whole migration where they use actually, the stars and the landscapes because they have good eyesight, in addition to echolocating. They do use visual cues, and they also use the Earth's magnetic field. And they do come back to the same place where they were born every year, just like salmon. It's really very, very difficult to actually get them to move into a house, a bat house. But if you do have a colony of bats where you don't want them, you can exclude them from that area. And then oftentimes, they will move over into the new roost. And when I'm talking about excluding that if you have a colony of bats, it's  mothers and their young. And the mothers, they have their young, usually about early June, and it takes a good six weeks for the young to fly. And so you don't want to do any exclusion during that time. Because otherwise, if you keep the mothers out, the babies would die. So the best thing for bat exclusion is like a little one way gate,  like a doggie door or something like that, where you put a flap over the area where the bats are coming in and out. And then they can push their way out. But they  can't come back, land, and pick something up and get back into that area. Because they have wings, they don't have hands. And so they can't lift things. So if you do an exclusion, it's really important to use something sheer. Bats can see  light, so they know they know how to get out. So you want to use something like wedding veil material, something you just drape it over that opening where the bats are, where you don't want them, and then they'll push their way out. And then they can't get back in and then oftentimes you can force them into using the bat house. Again, you don't want to do that exclusion when they have their pups because the pups can't fly. And then of course, the mothers are frantically trying to get back to their young.

Farmer Fred  7:32  

So when is a safe season, then, to do a permanent exclusionary construction?

Rachael Long  7:39  

In the wintertime is the best time to permanently exclude them because they're pretty much gone. In the winter time. Again, most of them are migratory and they leave during the wintertime. But it's always good still to try the exclusion. And what I really recommend is when people are doing an exclusion is to just basically again, just put a cloth over that hole and use duct tape to tape on maybe two sides, the top and then one side so the bats can push out but can't get back in. And you want to leave that there for about a week. And because bats can go into a dormant state, particularly if it's nice and cool. So I would recommend in a week, 10 days, just to make sure that all bats are not in there. And then once you know that they're all gone, then then you can just seal up that that particular area, whether it's with caulking or wood or something to keep them keep them out of that area.

Farmer Fred  8:30  

If a farmer sees bats on their property, and he doesn't have bat houses, where are they most likely coming from?

Rachael Long  8:36  

Bats can actually fly a long ways. They've been recorded to fly up to 30 miles away from their roosts to forage for insects. And so if a farmer in our area sees bats on their farm, they could be coming from a local barn, they could be coming from a tree hole or you might have a roost you know, in a big tree hole in a tree, or they could be coming from like under the causeway between Davis and Sacramento where they're roosting in the expansion joints. They're very strong fliers and  they're always going to where they think they can get a good meal. And if you don't have a bat house, you can still benefit from bats that are moving into the area from around the region.

Farmer Fred  9:24  

Are they attracted to water features?

Rachael Long  9:26  

Water is very important for bats. Bats do have to drink and they drink on the wing just like swallows. So they swoop down and they scoop water into their mouth. And we find that if you do want to attract bats to a farm using a bat house, then having water nearby is actually clearly a benefit because they do need water and they do need to drink several times.

Farmer Fred  9:47  

What is considered nearby?

Rachael Long  9:49  

Nearby is within a quarter mile of water. So you want to make sure that you have some sort of water source within a quarter mile and that's going to increase the likelihood that you will have bats on your farm.

Farmer Fred  9:58  

And how big should that water feature be? Is there a minimum size that they're attracted to?

Rachael Long  10:03  

They need an open pool that's probably at least 10 feet long, because what happens is they are just like swallows. If you've watched swallows dip in for a drink of water in the pond, they just need some room to swoop down  and drink water and come back up. So they don't have feet like a bird, they have little  teeny  legs that are used for clinging on to a surface upside down so they can't land very easily and take off from the ground. So so that's why you need to have a big enough  area where they can swoop down. It's like an airplane doing a touch and go. And so they need a little bit of room for that. So I would say something that's at least 10 feet.

Farmer Fred  10:45  

Are there plans online for constructing bat houses or these exclusionary tactics?

Rachael Long  10:51  

There are. I do have a publication out there online, through UCANR, which is about bird, bat and owl boxes. So there's information there, which contains the plans for building bat houses. One of my favorite bat houses that I've seen on a farm is the farmer just took a large piece of plywood, and he put a three quarter inch spacing all around the plywood. And then he just nailed it up to his barn. And and he's got a lot of bats that are using that. I've seen other bat houses that are much more elaborate with multiple chambers, you know, maybe five or six different chambers. And it definitely takes a lot of work to build something like that. So you can do something either simple or more complex. And you can actually buy bat houses online as well.

Farmer Fred  11:37  

One thing we didn't touch on and we should, is the fact that since bats can carry rabies, these bat houses should probably be out of the traffic zone of people and pets.

Rachael Long  11:47  

That's right. And so rabies is a very it's a fatal disease. So definitely one that you don't want to get. Bats carry rabies. And so you'll have maybe one in 1000 bats that could have rabies. But rabies is completely preventable. Basically, you need to make sure to vaccinate your pets,  your cats and your dogs have to be vaccinated. And then you want to make sure never to handle bats with your hands. Because if they bite you, then you then can get infected with rabies. And then also not placing the bat houses in an area where you have lots of kids. Little kids or something that might pick up the bat, or if you have a cat or a dog in the area, because sometimes they do fall out of the roost. So you don't want to put it in the place where there is a lot of people traffic That's something to definitely think about.

Farmer Fred  12:41  

So it's very important than to have your pets vaccinated for rabies.

Rachael Long  12:45  

Rabies is definitely preventable. And the main way that rabies is getting into the human population is through unvaccinated animals. So dogs or cats that come down with rabies and they'll transfer it to a person. The key is to  vaccinate your pets and never pick up a rabid bat, and then rabies is preventable and you don't have to worry about it.

Farmer Fred  13:09  

And again, if people want more information about this conversation, the article that you have online, "Well-placed bat houses can attract bats to Central Valley Farms". It's available, you can just Google the phrase "well placed bat houses" and I'm sure if you put Rachael Long's name on there, it would pop right up and you can read more about that. And also, you can read more about bats at the pest notes from the University of California Integrated Pest Management System website. Rachael Long, always a pleasure talking with you. Rachel Long, UC Cooperative Extension Yolo County Farm Advisor. Thanks for spending a few minutes with us, telling us more about bats.

Rachael Long  13:43  

Well, thank you. It's just my pleasure. I always appreciate talking about one of my favorite subjects. Bats are so beneficial and feed on tons of insect pests. So thank you very much for having me.

Farmer Fred  13:59  

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Farmer Fred  15:48  

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Farmer Fred  16:01  

We like to answer your questions here on the Garden Basics podcast. Debbie Flower is here, our favorite retired college horticultural professor. Debbie, we have email, a question from a person who downloaded the Farmer Fred interactive calendar for planting vegetables in Sacramento, Bay Area, lower foothills area of Northern California. And he loves the calendar. That's great. And he says, "I hate to waste your time. But could you tell me what 'set out plants only' means? Do you set out during the day only? What do you do?"  On many calendars that you'll see that are garden calendars, they'll have the phrase "set out plants only". And I complicated the answer for them. And you simplified the answer in our discussion beforehand about this. I was talking about well, yeah, usually "set out" means you have to acclimate the plant to the outdoor environment. And what you just said is, you go ahead and plant them.

Debbie Flower  16:55  

Right. So we can start plants in the garden from seed. It's done with peas, beans, corn. Those are plants that we direct seed, including  squash, yes. You take the seed, and when the conditions are correct, the soil's warm enough, there's light, the soil has been worked, watered, whatever you're going to do, you put the seed right in the ground. And you watch the plants come up from right there in the garden location where they're going to stay for the season and do their production. Other plants, we can start ahead of time, which we do from seed but in a container and in a protected situation, maybe on a windowsill in the house, maybe in a greenhouse, something like that, and then we take them, when conditions are right for planting, we take that already grown plant and put it in the garden, and that would be setting the plant out. It means that we don't start them directly from seed in the garden. Could we start them directly from seed in the garden? Absolutely. But the reason we don't, the reason we "set out plants only" is they take a long time to grow from seed to tomato production, for instance. When we grew plants for sale at school when I did it with students, we estimated nine weeks from seed starting till we sold a seedling plant, which then someone could take home and set out in the garden. So if you just put the tomato seeds in the ground, when the temperatures are warm enough, the soil is warm enough, you have to wait nine weeks just to get about a six inch tall plant. And then you have to wait another 70 days maybe to get any kind of flowering and fruiting on that plant. So it saves us time. That's why we set the plants out in the garden.

Farmer Fred  18:39  

When the weather is warm, when nights maybe are over 50 degrees regularly, and the soil temperature has warmed up into the 60s and 70s as opposed to the 50s.  And those seeds you talked about planting directly into the soil, that's usually done around Mother's Day, usually when the soil has warmed up and the days are long.

Debbie Flower  18:58  

But they grow faster. In some cases, they don't transplant well. There are some plants to just about never transplant. But take a beet or a radish, for instance, something where we eat the swollen root. If you start that in a container and then you transplant it into the garden, you're going to get a deformed radish or beet. So those are things that we would plant directly into the garden from seed. We would not start them and then set out a plant. So there are instances where we do not want to set out the plant, we do want to start them directly from seed. And then there are instances where we want to speed up the process and get the plant started. We want to get the plant started in a container and then plant it out.

Farmer Fred  19:41  

So let's say you started your plants indoors. And they've grown throughout February, March and April and you decide it's time to stick them out. You wouldn't take that plant from your dining room window and then go stick it out in the ground in one fell swoop. Wouldn't you slowly acclimate it to the outdoor environment?

Debbie Flower  20:03  

Yes, if I'm starting indoors, I'm in one type of environment, which is a very even temperature-controlled environment. There's no or low wind, and lower light than outdoors. So, for that plant to acclimate to the conditions outside, which are going to have much greater fluctuation in day versus night temperature, much stronger light, and much more wind. That leads to that plant drying out very quickly.

Farmer Fred  20:29  

So when I was growing tons and tons of tomato plants way back when, and I had them in a greenhouse, before I would stick them in the ground, I would actually place them on the east side of the house, and there they would be protected from the usual afternoon winds, as well as the hot afternoon sun. And this is in April, and it can get pretty hot. And I'd usually only leave them out there on the first day for probably just the middle of the day, I'd put them out at about nine or 10 am and bring them back in about four o'clock or so. The  next day,I would expand that timeframe a little bit more, a little bit more. And then by the end of the week, I would be putting them in the place where they would be growing permanently, for at least one or two days, just pots sitting on that garden bed, to get used to that environment. And then after another couple of days, I would plant them in the ground. So that's a long process. That's like 10-12 days.

Debbie Flower  21:25  

Exactly. It's called hardening off. And it is about a 10 to 12 day process. And it's necessary if you want your plants to survive. So in this process, the plants are giving you information. If you bring them in and there are spots on them, you may be sunburning them, and maybe they weren't quite ready for that level of light. So then you have to repeat that location or take them back a step to a shadier location. The other thing that happens I find when I start to harden off plants is they dry out incredibly quickly. You have to check them. You don't want to be doing this on a day where you're going off on your long bicycle rides. You want to do it on a day where you can go out and check them and see if they need to drink.

Farmer Fred  22:06  

I miss my long bike rides now. This is a tough time of the year for me. I want to take long bicycle rides, but I got to take care of the plants in the greenhouse.

Debbie Flower  22:15  

Plants take a lot of care. I travel too much for my own pleasure to take care of plants. I haven't started any seeds yet. And I wish I had.

Farmer Fred  22:28  

Because the person next to you grows so many plants, you'll just get some from him.

Debbie Flower  22:31  

No, that's not why. That's reassuring, though.  I love to grow things and I haven't been able to start them from seed because I'm not there to check them. You have to. We've said this over and over again. You have to check your plants, preferably every day.

Farmer Fred  22:47  

Yeah, exactly. And especially if you're starting them from seed and they haven't germinated. Yet, as you've often mentioned, you have to keep that seed bed moist. Yes. But  you can automate it. Yes, there are things that would allow a greenhouse to warm and cool. There are watering systems, misting systems, that can work as well. And so it can be done. I've done that before in the past, because I'm not going to say no to an April bike tour of Hawaii.

Debbie Flower  23:17  

And I have done that as well when I've needed to travel for long periods of time frequently. And you always lose something. I always knew when I was going away for a couple of weeks or more that I would lose something. But I didn't lose everything. And so it was still a pleasure.

Farmer Fred  23:31  

Exactly. So set out plants. Do it slowly. Do it quickly. It depends how you got your plants to be plants. Yeah, yeah. All right. Hope that helps. Debbie Flower, thanks for your help.

Debbie Flower  23:41  

Oh, it's a pleasure Fred.

Farmer Fred  23:52  

Coming up in Friday’s Garden Basics with Farmer Fred Newsletter, Beyond the Basics, we pay a visit to the Luther Burbank home and gardens in Santa Rosa, California, That’s where the famed horticulturist made his home for more than 50 years. It was here that he conducted plant-breeding experiments that brought him world fame. During his career, Burbank introduced more than 800 new varieties of plants — including over 200 varieties of fruits, many vegetables, nuts and grains, and hundreds of ornamental flowers.  All about the Luther Burbank gardens. It’s in the edition of the newsletter that comes out Friday, April 1. We conducted the interview more than a decade ago, but it has stood the test of time. And the docent who we interviewed there was a very knowledgeable, well-spoken and modest individual. At the time, he never told us about his achievements in the world of horticulture. In fact many people there knew little about this gentleman, until his obituary was published over eight years ago. In Friday’s Beyond Basics newsletter, you’ll find out not only a lot about Luther Burbank, but also about the person we chatted with - a docent, Jack Hadley. Chances are, you have one of his inventions in your garden shed or garage. And, of course, you probably have one of Luther Burbank’s horticultural inventions in your kitchen right now, perhaps his Russet potato.  Take a stroll through the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred newsletter, Beyond the Basics. Find a link in the podcast show notes; or, at garden basics dot net. Click on the tab at the top of that page.  Think of it as your garden resource that goes beyond the basics. It’s the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred newsletter. And it’s free. Please subscribe and share it with your gardening friends and family. The Garden Basics with Farmer Fred newsletter, Beyond the Basics. And thank you for listening. 

Farmer Fred  25:51  

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