Organic Pest Control: Milky Spore
Late summer is a perfect time to treat Japanese Beetle Grubs, if you have a grub problem. During the late summer, the adults have stopped feeding, laid eggs, and the eggs have hatched into vulnerable larvae susceptible to treatment. In order to treat Japanese beetles, you need to understand their life cycles.
Japanese …
Garden Bed Rotation – Time for a Change of Scenery
Garden bed rotation is a wonderful way to trick the damaging insects and diseases that may winter over in the ground and wait for the same plant to be placed there again in the spring. By moving plants around, the organic gardener can avoid this common garden problem.
Why Garden Bed Rotation?
There are a few reasons that this is a good idea. Large scale farmers, if they are savvy, use this method as well. When the …
Lessons Learned in Organic Gardening
The past couple of weeks have been both discouraging and humbling for a gardener, who cockily at times, find myself to be well versed in all of the quirks and difficulties in organic gardening. This led me to want to share this article for pre-organic and beginning organic gardeners as well as those who have been gardening this way for years.
Admittedly, there are no two years alike in the world of gardening. Sometimes the weather …
Using Natural Insecticides in Your Organic Garden
Unless you began your life as an organic gardener, this time of year can get frustrating as you try as hard as you can to keep bugs, insects, worms, and caterpillars from chewing through your precious crop.
You really want to do the right thing, but the pull toward the ”just this once”, application of mass-destruction full spectrum insecticides and toxic chemicals are calling out to you. Perhaps you still have some lurking in the corner of garage, …
10 Easy Ideas for Organic Pest Control
Why is it important to make any effort at organic pest control when there are so many insecticides and traps that work just as well? The basic reason is that insecticides do not degrade naturally in the environment, and it means that you are spraying poison on the food products that your family is going to be eating at harvest time.
Additionally, conventional insecticides are not selective in the pests that they control. This means that …
Should I Turn to Organic Gardening? Pros and Cons
You are likely reading this because you wish to know more about becoming an organic gardener, and have this burning question: How much time will this take? Or, how the heck can I keep my flowers alive in a pesticide-free yard without insects and disease destroying them? These are excellent questions, and many of the answers aren’t clear-cut. So, let’s start with the #1 basic difference …
Your Beneficial Insect Army – We Salute You!
You might have heard a lot about beneficial insects in your garden, and how they fight on your side to keep your flowers, shrubs and vegetables safe. Well, it’s time to meet these tireless, hungry soldiers, how to attract and keep them in your garden, and the pros and cons of using them as your organic insecticide. And how effective are they, really?
Introducing Your Garden Soldiers
If you are an organic gardener, chances are you will …
Organic Ant Control
Photo by Il conte di LunaAnts are part of the garden. They help decompose organic material. They can also bite, sting and devour a wood frame house. If you have a couple ant colonies and they are doing no harm, leave them be. Think of them as nature’s cleaning maids. However, if ants take …
Buying Healthy Plants To Avoid Problems
Every minute of every day, the plants in your yard are defending themselves from their natural enemies. When a gust of wind breaks a tree branch, chemicals concentrated at the base of the plant mobilize into a protective wall to prevent pests from invading the healthy parts of the tree.
A shrub that is being attacked by insects nibbling on its leaves will respond by changing its leaf chemistry, …
Garden Insects In Winter.
Many people ask me how do most insects manage to live through the winter in cold or freezing sections of the country?
A few garden bugs are able to migrate to warmer climates, but most of these cold-bloodied creatures must adjust to freezing temperatures -or die. Specially endowed insects like the cinch bug produce an anti-freeze chemical that keeps their insides from turning to ice. Others calmly freeze without injury and await …
