Somehow it seems like
overkill to use powerful chemicals to protect our plants
against insects and diseases. Granted they work quickly and
efficiently against the attackers, but what other benificial
organisms have they also eliminated. When does the cycle
stop, how many toxic chemicals will we expose ourselves and
the landscape to as we risk disrupting the natural
ecosystem?
All things being equal an
organic approach is safer and more effective, we can work
with nature to enjoy a healthier garden and body.
Not all insects are
enemies. Some are pollinators, some break down organic
matter, and some are beneficial predators that feed on the
real enemies. Effective methods such as physical barriers,
traps, and specific biological agents, are available to
assist in your efforts to protect your garden and at the
same time maintain a safe, harmonious natural environment.
Lacewings lay eggs attached to leaves or stems, the larvae
eat 200 - 300 aphids in their lifetime, lady bug larvae eat
30 aphids per day. By planting fennel, dill, allyssum, ammi
majus, and cumin you will encourage helpful insects to your
garden.
Unhealthy plants are
usually the ones attacked, so the key to preventive control
is taking good care of your plants. This means paying
attention to them and providing them with the conditions
they need for healthy, vigorous growth.
Wait until all foliage is
completely dry, working among wet leaves easily spreads
disease from the ground to plants and from one plant to
another.
Grow your plants in
healthy soil with organic matter added to your garden every
year to improve nutrient levels, soil structure, and
water-holding capacity.
Make sure your plants are
getting all the water and nutrients they need, supplemented
with organic fertilizers.
Keep weeds under control,
use mulches, such as landscape fabric or plastic, and pull
weeds every time you visit the garden.
Follow thinning
instructions on seed packets so the plants are not
overcrowded and there is air circulation around
them.
Walk on paths or stepping
stones in the garden so you are not compacting the soil
making it difficult for air and water to reach the plant
roots.
Clean up your garden in
the fall, get rid of old vines, tomato plants and other
debris as insects will winter in them and get an early start
in the spring.
Remove any diseased or
infected plants, till other debris into the soil or put it
in the compost pile.
Many insect and
disease-causing organisms winter in the soil near their host
plants so practice crop rotation, wait two years before
planting related crops in the same spot. Potatoes, tomatoes
and onions are especially vulnerable to problems when grown
in the same place year after year.
Crop rotation also helps
keep soil nutrients in balance over time. Heavy feeders,
such as tomatoes and lettuce, can be followed the next year
by legumes, such as peas and beans, which actually return
nitrogen to the soil through microorganisms on their roots.
The third year, you can let the soil "rest" by planting
light feeders in that spot, such as carrots or beets.
Placing smaller groups of
plants throughout the garden, rather than planting all of
your potatoes, say, in one place, it will make it difficult
for pests to converge on the whole lot. Mixing marigolds and
strong-smelling herbs in among your plants can deter insect
pests by masking the smell of the plants they want to eat.
Interplanting herbs and
flowers that attract beneficial insects, such as dill or
fennel, is another effective method.
Try companion planting
such as:
- Basil with
tomatoes
- Carrots with leaf
lettuce
- Onions and garlic
deter pests that attack roses
- Swiss chard and
beans
- Corn and
cucumbers
- Marigolds planted as
a border will discourage both insects and animal
pests.
-
- Check seed catalogues
for varieties that have a strong natural resistance to
insects or disease.
If slugs are a problem in
your area, try this trick in your cabbages. Remove the
older, yellowing leaves closest to the soil. Not only will
the garden look better, slugs will have a harder time
crawling into your cabbages and doing any damage.
Slugs can be kept out of
containers by rubbing vaseline around the rim of the
container.
Toilet roll cores cut in
half and placed around seedlings will keep cutworms
away.
Crushed egg shells spread
around seedlings will deter slugs and add calcium to the
soil.
Click
here for the Gardens Alive Comprehensive Pest and Disease
Guide
Controlling
Four-legged Intruders
For larger animals a
perimiter fence around the garden or your yard is the
easiest solution, unfortunately certain creatures will
simply crawl under or climb or jump over it. If deer are
leaping over your fence consider a second fence inside the
first made with surveyors tape three feet of the ground on
stakes, four or five feet away from the outside fence. Other
people have made a secure second fence and used it for a dog
run, killing two birds with one stone. For large areas a
fence is
not always an
economical or quick solution therefore other measures have
to be taken, what we want to do is discourage their
intrusion without physically harming them.
Deer Repellents
If you have mature plants
that are being devoured by deer -- it’s time to take action!
Deer Repellents can be very effective and easy to
use.
Deer will
almost always stay away from plants that offend two or more
senses. Therefore, if a plant tastes and smells offensive
deer will avoid the general area it’s planted in. Deer
resistant gardener use’s this knowledge to their
advantage.
Yardiac.com
recommends using two deer deterrents together (one that
offends the sense of smell and one that offends the sense of
taste) they will render your tasty plant repulsive to
deer.
The best
combination we have found is:
Tree
Guard or
Hot
Pepper Wax
used in conjunction with Coyote
Urine.
Using two
products will activate the sense of smell and taste and
encourage the deer to move on to more attractive foliage
(hopefully not your neighbors) You can learn more about or
purchase these products at Yardiac.com’s animal
repellent
department.
Deer hate hot and spicy
foods
After one little nibble
of a plant coated with hot pepper wax they will definitely
say, “No thank you!” when it comes time for
seconds. Hot pepper wax combines hot cayenne pepper extract
in a food-grade wax. Unlike some solutions, the wax will not
wash off of your plants for several weeks.
Applying hot pepper wax
to the surfaces of your plants & hanging dispensers
filled with Coyote Urine is possibly the most effective
method of protecting your plants from deer browsing. Why do
predator urine and hot pepper wax work best when used
together? Most deer deterrents work on the premise of “offending”
one of the deer’s five senses: sight, taste, smell,
hearing or touch. Predator urine works on the sense of
smell, while hot pepper wax works on the sense of taste.
Using these two products together you are not just offending
one sense but two.
Say Goodbye to Moles
and Voles Forever!
Getting rid of moles
and voles can be a difficult task! However by following a
few simple steps it can be done.
If you are looking for
a quick removal of the pesky vagrants use the Yardiac.com
Whole
control. This
concentrate is sprayed directly into the areas where
armadillos, moles, voles, gophers, and other burrowing
animals are digging.
It is not a poison and will not hurt any animals. Whole
Control will leave a residual in the ground which
tastes awful. As invaders dig, they will come in contact
with the bad tasting soil and quickly decide the bad taste
is too strong and prompt them to find food
elsewhere.
For a more permanent
control we recommend using the Yardiac.com Mole
and Vole Eradication
Program. It
requires using all three of the following products in
combination.
1) Whole Control Spray --
Effective immediately
2) Vole Block -- Provides a long term underground
barrier
3) Milky Spore--Gets rid of the grubs that moles love to eat
for up to 15 years!
To learn more or to
purchase the Yardiac.com
Mole & Vole Control program click here
