Organic Farms
Elizabeth and
Crow's Awsome Organic Garden
Supplies/Materials
SEB's Exotic, Tropical Plant
Seed Catalog
Information on Species
Carl Hayden Bee Reasearch
Center
OSU-Beneficial
Insects
The Butterfly Website
The Raptor Center
Internet
Bonsai Club
The American Bamboo
Society
The
International Camellia Society
Rhododendrons
Succulent
Plants
Irises
Orchid Web /
The Orchid
House
American Rose Society / The
Rose Gallery
Wild Flowers
Daylillies
Scott's Favorite Pest Control Tips;
Pest Tea - In a small booklet published by Rodale (The Best Gardening Ideas I know - 1980), I read about 'pest tea'. This tea is created by collecting a specific species (pest) and blending them (in a non-food use blender) in a blender with water. Rodale suggests collecting bugs which may already carry species specific diseases. Often these can be identified by behavior and occasionally by abnormal physiology. Blend and strain the resulting 'tea'. Then spray the mix (complete with species specific pathogens) on the infestested areas of your garden.
Pest Soups - Soups are literally edible soups which insects dont like. Often soups contain such ingredients as Onion, Garlic, Hot Pepper or Tabasco, Repellent flowers (dont eat these yourself, without doing some independent research on specific toxicity), Be creative about what offensive foods you can use to make a soup. Soups are applied as needed on infested areas.
Mechanical Controls - Mechanical controls involve no chemical toxin, but may contain a mineral ingredient such as Diatomacious Earth (Silicate).
•Mechanical Compounds -
Diatomacious Earth - This material is fine silicate which destorys the joints of species with an exoskeleton. Fuzzy species such as butterflies and Bees are generally not affected.
•Seedling collars and cutworms
-
•Reflective
Materials -
•Barriers - raised beds control
some pests -
•Interplanting
Companions -
Squash bugs and Sunflowers - I realized just this year that sunflowers and squash are an excellent interplant. About June 15 in ABQ, NM, I found my first squash bug eggs. I assume that the eggs were laid within the last week. I found several (5) groups in my backyard garden. 3 of 5 groups were laid on the underside of sunflower leaves. While the young (if allowed to hatch) would quickly migrate to the squash, the egg groups were easy to see on the underside of the sunflowers. Some were laid as high as 4' from the base of the plant, making the search much easier than on the low growing squash - end result - fewer groups of eggs are laid in difficult to see areas. This is useful if you are a 'hand-picker'. Later in the season when populations of pests increase then I will turn to "Pest Tea".
Beneficial Predators -
Lady Bugs
Praying Mantids
Spiders
Wasps
Chemical Agents -
I have tested the following 'teas', soups, and mechanical controls for the following species and listed the response.
Roaches - Suckers for sweets 1997 I had excellent success at another property with a Boric acid and Powdered sugar mix 1:1. The Roaches could'nt resist the sugar and the Boric knocked them out in 2-3 days. I believe that mixing the Boric and Sugar well was essential.Carpenter ants - 5/15/98 I had resonable success (with alot of night vigilance when carpenter ants are easy to observe in numbers) with a mix of Diatomacious Earth and Boric Acid in a 3:1 mix. The ants moved around the property and I followed night after night with the powder. I feel I'm harrassing them off the property rather than exterminating them.
Squash Bugs - besides hand-picking...
Aphids -Let some weeds grow! I have found that aphids would rather be on weedy mustards which grow profusely here in ABQ. While I still hose them off the veggies I don't want them on, I leave some weeds to distract many aphids away. While spraying them off with the hose works well, I have also tried a mild soap (Dr. Bronners or similar) with marginal success.
Snails & Slugs Micro-brew - Youi may or may not have heard of betting your slugs drunk on a cheap ale. If you have a problem try this first. Fill a shallow bowl with beer about half way. Dig a small hole to place the bowl in (so the slugs can crawl in), and leave it overnight. If you place the bowl near a know hidout (under bushes, near ivy, etc.) you may be amazed at the slugs that drown in the beer in the morning. I have seen this method work very well, but have also had others tell me that it did not work on snails - I'll have to try it on my snail population.
Mosquitos - Let no water stand unmoved!
Scott's Favorite Gardening Tips;