How to Control Garden Pests
4:25 PM Posted In GARDEN PESTS Edit This 0 Comments »
No Groundhog Day in Your Yard
A groundhog (woodchuck) has taken up residence and the pest control company wants a couple hundred dollars to remove him. What the pest control company won’t tell you is that it’s easy to stink a groundhog out of his home—for zero cost. Each day when you scoop out the cat boxes in your house, dump that foul-smelling debris down Mr. Groundhog’s hole instead of throwing it into the trash can. After a few days of this treatment, the groundhog will pack up and move. Once he’s gone, pour rocks into all of the entrances to the burrow so no other animals will decide to move in.
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Keep Bambi Out
Yes, they are cute but a family of deer can wreck havoc on your yard. What to do? Put the shotguns away. Save your money by saying no to high-tech gadgets like strobe lights and noisemakers, expensive repellents, and tall, ugly fences. Instead, arm yourself with eggs. Deer hate the taste and smell of raw eggs, which is why many popular commercial repellents feature stinky egg solids as the main ingredient.
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Deer Repellent Recipe:
Crack half a dozen eggs into 2 quarts (2 litres) water.
Mix well, until all the yolks are broken and blended with the water.
Sprinkle the raw-egg mixture on the leaves of the plants you want to protect.
The mixture should remain effective until the next rain. Reapply after that.
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Other odours that deer don’t like:
Try hanging cheesecloth bags of stinky socks, deodorant soap, or human hair in the garden.
Choose plants to keep deer away. Deer also don’t like to brush against certain aromatic plants. So try planting artemisia, lavender, and Russian sage as a natural fence line.
Plants deer dislike: begonias, cosmos, daffodils, foxgloves, irises, marigolds, peonies, snapdragons, and zinnias, along with shrubs and trees such as boxwood, holly, juniper, lilac, pine, and spruce.
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Tell Thumper to Hit the Road
Numerous sprays and powders are sold to deter rabbits from the garden, but many of these are not safe for use on garden vegetables. A rabbit-proof fence is the best protection for your vegetable garden. Use chicken wire, and make sure the fence’s bottom is buried by at least 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm), otherwise the rabbits will tunnel underneath it. The fence needs to extend at least 30 inches (76 cm) above the ground.Try These Other Rabbit Deterrents:
Remove brush piles and other hiding places for rabbits. Clean up spilled birdseed from feeders.
Post realistic-looking rubber models of snakes or owls in the garden, or cut an old hose into snakelike lengths and coil them among your plants.
Hang dog hair in cheesecloth bags or distribute it among the plants to frighten away rabbits. Strong-smelling soaps are also said to deter rabbits.
You can buy coyote or fox urine to spread among plants, fooling rabbits into thinking a predator is nearby.
Remember, rabbits aren’t dumb. Eventually they will figure out they’re safe from each of these deterrents, so you’ll have to mix up.
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Avoid Weak Plants - Find a local planting calendar by doing an internet search on the county in questions name and the words “planting calendar”. Make sure to only plant annuals during their proper planting season. This will help to assure healthy plants that can better combat minor infestation. Remove plants that clearly are doing poorly; they may already be infected. If not, they will attract pests. Pull the weak plants and dispose of them away from the garden area, and do not attempt to compost them.
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Build Healthy, Organic Soil - Natural composting methods, mulching and top-dressing your soil with compost or natural fertilizer is the best way to develop strong, vigorous plants. Get an inexpensive soil testing kit and follow the instructions to amend soil pH and other problems as necessary.
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Build Healthy, Organic Soil - Natural composting methods, mulching and top-dressing your soil with compost or natural fertilizer is the best way to develop strong, vigorous plants. Get an inexpensive soil testing kit and follow the instructions to amend soil pH and other problems as necessary.
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Use Seaweed and Fish Fertilizer - Seaweed contains trace elements such as iron, zinc, barium, calcium, sulfur and magnesium, and fish emulsion contains primary nutrients which promote healthy development in plants. Seaweed and Fish fertilizer are a great organic alternative and will enhance growth and give plants the strength to better withstand disease.
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Use Clean Gardening Practices - Clean the garden area of debris and weeds which are breeding places for insects. Buy quality mulch and keep a thin layer on top of the soil. The mulch will discourage weeds, keep plant leaves out of the soil and hold in moisture.
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Interplant and Rotate Crops - Insect pests are often plant specific. When plantings are mixed, pests are less likely to spread throughout a crop. It also helps to plant aromatic flowers like marigolds between vegetables to discourage insects and inhibit their spread. Rotating crops each year is a common method to avoid re-infestation of pests which have over-wintered in the ground. In some cases where soil bound pests are abundant it may be necessary to undertake off-season soil sterilization procedures.
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Keep Foliage Dry - Water early so foliage will be dry for most of the day. Wet foliage encourages insect and fungal damage. Trim lower leaves so they are not on the ground and keep mulch around the base of all plants.
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Keep Tools Clean - It is a good idea to clean tools before moving from one garden area to another. This will reduce the speed of invading insects. Clean tools with warm soapy water every couple weeks during the growing season.
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Keep Foliage Dry - Water early so foliage will be dry for most of the day. Wet foliage encourages insect and fungal damage. Trim lower leaves so they are not on the ground and keep mulch around the base of all plants.
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Keep Tools Clean - It is a good idea to clean tools before moving from one garden area to another. This will reduce the speed of invading insects. Clean tools with warm soapy water every couple weeks during the growing season.
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Attract Beneficial Insects - Diligent application of these clean gardening practices is the first line of defense. Another beneficial practice for natural pest control is the planting of host plants to attract beneficial insects. Beneficial insects are insects which can be attracted to the garden, or bought from catalogues, which prey on harmful insects or their larvae. These are the most common: Nematodes; Ladybugs; Lacewings; Hover-Flies; Praying Mantis; Brachonids; Chalcids; and Ichneumon Wasps. The following are plants that can be helpful in attracting beneficial insects: Carrots; Celery; Parsley; Caraway; Queen Anne's lace; Daisies; Tansy; Yarrow; Goldenrod; Black-Eyed Susans; and Asters.
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Investigate Homemade Sprays - When beneficial insects are being used to combat pests in the garden, even natural pesticides should be used sparingly and only on infected plants because they will have an adverse impact on the beneficial insects as well as the unwanted ones. Many natural sprays for a variety of pest problems can be made at home and complete lists of various recipes for different problems can be found online.
Investigate Homemade Sprays - When beneficial insects are being used to combat pests in the garden, even natural pesticides should be used sparingly and only on infected plants because they will have an adverse impact on the beneficial insects as well as the unwanted ones. Many natural sprays for a variety of pest problems can be made at home and complete lists of various recipes for different problems can be found online.
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