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Archive for the ‘Pest Control’

Organic Garden Pesticides

February 08, 2012 By: Ann Krupp Category: Pest Control

Using Organic Garden Pesticides makes our vegetables safer and also protects our environment. By using only Organic Garden Pesticides you are not putting dangerous toxic chemicals into your plants and are not putting these toxic chemical into your garden.

You can easily make natural garden pesticides in your home without adding any of the injurious chemical in it. They are inexpensive and simple to prepare and are eco friendly as well.I hope I can give you some tips and tricks to make your garden, insect free and healthy.

When I first started my garden, my neighbor’s cat loved it too, as a litter box. Not a great thing! I used a mixture of cayenne pepper, pepper, garlic anything smelly in my home with water and sprayed my garden. The cat didn’t like it. My first experience with home made organic garden pesticides worked.

Here are a few more tips for getting rid of pests in your garden.

1. Eggshells and salt natural garden pesticide, I learned this one from my mom. Crush the eggshells and add to the soil. It prevents the plants from snails and slugs. The eggshells act like the broken pieces of glass for these insects. You can add a little salt and that will work if the eggshells don’t.

2. Alliums natural garden pesticide – the alliums is a bulbous plant, bulbous plants are onion, garlic, the smelly ones. Mix equal parts of crushed garlic cloves as gallons of water. You can also use vegetable oil or tea for better results. Spray on the plants, this would help in killing the soft body insects and can even paralyze the flying insects.

3. Dishwashing soaps natural garden pesticides – mix a few drops of dishwashing liquid soap into the water and mix it well by shaking well and then you need to apply on the effected plants. By applying this solution on the plants it will paralyze the insects attacking them.

4. Natural garden pesticides made of Neem – Neem is the one of the main ingredient that is used for making several natural pesticides. The extract of azadirachtin from the neem tree is very low toxic insecticide. They are used for destroying the soft body insects and in addition they help in increasing the capability of reproduction of the plants. By using organic and natural garden pesticides you are not only saving your children and pets from diseases but also helping our environment by not putting toxic chemicals in our soil.

Yes, Ladybugs. Every time I see a ladybug, I have to make a wish and count the dots on their backs! Ladybugs are most common of all beneficial insects, these voracious predators feed on aphids, chinch bugs, asparagus beetle larvae, thrips, alfalfa weevils, bean thrips, grape root worms, Colorado potato beetle larvae, whitefly, and mites, as well as many other soft-bodied insects and eggs. Extremely cost effective, too!
Don’t miss more tips and techniques on organic gardening…go Here!

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Electronic Pest Control and Ultrasonic Pest Control vs Traditional Chemical Pesticides

January 28, 2012 By: Alex Tatarinov-Levin Category: Pest Control

These days, as environmental awareness spreads like wildfire, so too does a push for organic products and a general concern over chemicals and their possible dangers. If you’re one of the many concerned about the safety of chemical pesticides, you should know that the Environmental Protection Agency reports that almost all cases of poisoning related to pest control chemicals has come as a result of not following the instruction label that came with the product.

That being said, many believe the use of any chemical poisons in the treatment of pest problems represents some amount of risk. Indeed, these modern times have brought not only a rise to cloth grocery bags and a demand for organic lotions, but also a general concern for the safety of all things manufactured. And, if you are one of the concerned, you may have spent hours scouring the internet for a pest control alternative that is not only natural, but also truly effective. (more…)

Holey Leaves and missing veg

January 22, 2012 By: Bried Oisin Category: Pest Control

All greenhouse owners have experienced it at one time or another, munched on plants, missing leaves, and more.

There are more than just bugs in my greenhouse.

Over the years I’ve seen a whole menagerie of creatures setting up home in my greenhouse. For years I had a huge warty toad that helped despatch slugs and snails fro the nooks and crannies inside my greenhouse. Sadly he died this summer, but I’ve seen lots of tiny toads crawling about the garden and I’m hoping one or more may take over where he left off.

There’s a comfy chair in my greenhouse, the idea was to occasionally sit and read and escape the phone, but the reality was that one of my cats found it and claimed it as her own. Now I very occasionally get me chair back but to be honest I rarely have time to simply sit in the greenhouse, more’s the pity. (more…)

Dealing With Mosquitoes In Your Garden

January 07, 2012 By: James Sawyers Category: Pest Control

Our summer gardens are full with all kinds of mice at one time or another. One bothered that has potentially vicious wellbeing consequences to many species that may be pleasant additions to your summer plot home is the very unwelcome parasite. Keep analysis to notice steps you can take to keep mosquitoes from invading your private hole and keep links, families, and animals reliable and sheltered in your summer patch.

One way to underrate your exposure to mosquitoes is by minimizing their ability to procreate. They must lay eggs in still water to breed and you can subtract as many sources of ability breeding ground as promising by charge your lawn and summer patch topic released of any wreckage that will tolerate even a least total of repute water to collect after rainwater. This means you must keep your gutters neat and open of fragments, make solid all cans and bottles are picked up and located inside a trash can that is lidded. Keep lids on garbage cans at all period, and change animal crockery daily.

Burn citronella oiled. This is very effectual at sunset when the mosquitoes look to be at their nastiest as it not only provides a physical repellant for mosquitoes so that you can enjoy your summer backyard a little better but also because it provides its own mood backdrop light that is well apposite for enjoying in a summer plot environment. Besides the oil you can also select to burn citronella candles and use repellants that are shaped to spray or rub against the skin with physical ingredients for added protection for you and your children from these risky pests. (more…)

Pests And Your Beautiful Garden

December 26, 2011 By: Josiah Smart Category: Pest Control

While tending to my own garden, I have found that one of the most frustrating things that can happen to a gardener is to walk outside to check on your plants. It’s just a routine walk to make sure that your garden is thriving, but you end up finding holes in all of your plants that looked fine only hours before. The explanations for some of these plant-destroying holes are garden pests. Some of the main garden pests are slugs, worms, caterpillars, birds, snails, and the occasional gopher. Although you can never wipe out these pests entirely, after all your hard work in the garden you have to do something.

Insects are one of the worst things to have in your garden; they can live under the soil, in old weeds or piles of leaves, or in a number of other places. In order to help keep insects away, always try and eliminate places in your garden and near your garden that these insects and other plant diseases could be living. Remove old leaves, weeds, or any other decaying matter that insects and diseases could be living in from your yard. Also, regularly turn over your garden soil and break apart any clumps of dirt so that you can eliminate the living spaces any insects that might be hiding underground.

Another way to rid your garden of the pests is to use dormant spray, which is used to keep destructive insects and diseases under control. It is best that you use dormant spray when your plants are dormant, usually around February or early March. I have used dormant spray many times on my garden and it has worked wonders on keeping insects out. But as I learned from experience, dormant spray is only effective if you follow the correct instructions. When I first decided to use some on my garden, I just dumped it everywhere in hopes of killing everything harmful. Unfortunately I ended up killing my entire garden along with my neighbors. Some insects can be beneficial to your garden though, so be sure to find out which insects help your garden. (more…)

How to get rid of insects in the garden

December 23, 2011 By: Michal Costaminnego Category: Pest Control, Uncategorized

Nothing spoils a garden faster than a few pests. Sprays and gasses that do the trick to kill insects can also harm your garden and the environment in general – to say nothing of how unpleasant it can be for you, your children, or your pets to breathe in!

Store bought chemicals can get pretty pricey, too, and in most cases, there are methods to solve most insect related problems that plague you.

Trouble with Aphids? Ladybugs control the aphid population – you can usually buy a load of Ladybugs at your local nursery to take care of your aphids gone wild, for significantly less than a fumigation spray would go for. (more…)

A Professional Guide to Pest Control

December 21, 2011 By: Lynn Jaffee Category: Pest Control

No one likes uninvited guests. But, when the unwanted visitors are goose-bump inducing creepy critters, drastic action may be required.

But, if you’re thinking of racing to the store and purchasing a tub of over the counter pesticide, you should be aware that in it’s Citizen’s Guide to Pest Control and Pesticide Safety, the Environmental Protection Agency advises that “one of the greatest causes of dangerous pesticide exposure to humans is the use of pesticides in and around the home.”

In addition, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reports that,

“The pesticides we use to control weeds and insects in and around our homes can be significant health hazards. Exposure to certain pesticides is associated with health problems ranging from skin rashes to nervous system disorders and cancer.” (more…)

Organic Gardening Pest Control

November 19, 2011 By: Ann Krupp Category: Pest Control

You’ve taken the time and put in the right additives to create your organic garden, now it’s time for some organic gardening pest control.

We want to keep our organic garden free from harmful pests that can damage our plants such as cutworms and beetles and more. There are many natural ingredients that we can use to keep our plants free from pests without using harmful toxic ingredients that not only seep into our vegetables and plants but harm the environment as well.

Organic Gardening Pest Control can be utilized by bringing good bugs to your garden. Good bugs are beneficial to your garden and can help control infestation of bad bugs, which can destroy your garden and hard work. (more…)

How to Keep Fungus Out of Your Summer Garden

October 18, 2011 By: Organic Gardener Category: Advice General, Pest Control

Summertime and watering

Too much of a good thing can lead to fungus.

During the summer months, we notice that the number of gardeners who call us concerned that their plants have fungus increases significantly. One of the first things we ask is, “What time are you watering your plants and how frequently are you watering?” We also ask if it has been unusually rainy or humid.

Fungi need water to grow. It is a big problem during the summer months because people tend to overcompensate for the heat by over watering their plants. The longer your plants stay wet, the more inviting they become to fungus.

Here are our watering tips to help you keep fungus out of your summer garden: (more…)

Organic Garden Insecticides

September 25, 2011 By: Ann Krupp Category: Pest Control

I am an avid organic vegetable gardener. I take pride in my garden and all the vegetables that it produces for my family. Organic Gardening has saved me money and my family is eating healthier. My one problem is the bugs that eat my veggies. Finding natural, organic gardening insecticides to rid your garden of these pesky buggers is simple and easy.

Growing your own organic garden is rewarding, money saving and healthier for our families and our environment. Protecting your garden from plant eating pests with organic gardening insecticides is just as important.There are many ways that we can eliminate these pests with household items without causing damage to your family, pets and your environment.

There are many items that you have on hand that will deter pests in your garden and you can use as organic insecticides…. (more…)

Homemade Weed Killer

August 08, 2011 By: Andrew Bicknell Category: Pest Control

Many people struggle to kill the weeds in their lawns and gardens for the reason that they do not want to use a commercially made chemical herbicide. The safety of using these commercially available weed killers is not entirely known. While the manufacturers and even government agencies say they are safe the long term affects of the continued use of these toxic chemicals and their affects on people and other living creatures is not entirely known.

For those of us who do not want our children and pets exposed to these toxic chemicals trying to find a way to kill the weeds overgrowing our yards and gardens can be tough. What many people do not realize is that there are many non-toxic ways to kill weeds right around their home. (more…)

Learn to Identify and Manage Three Basic Types of Garden Pests

July 30, 2011 By: Organic Gardener Category: Pest Control

Garden Insects: Know Your Friends & Foes

Why is it when 97% of the world’s insects are considered to be either beneficial or harmless, your garden attracts only the remaining 3% that are considered PESTS? Although it may seem this way, there are both “good” and “bad” insects in your yard.

There is a constant battle going on to maintain a balance between these two groups. Toleration of some pests should be allowed as they provide a food source for the beneficial insects, allowing them to thrive in your yard and keep the pests in check. However, even in the best of gardens, uncontrolled outbreaks do occur. Preventing an infestation of bugs is an important part of gardening. By taking several precautions and putting forth a little bit of effort in the beginning, you will hopefully be rewarded with (almost) pest-free veggies and flowers. (more…)

Spraying Pesticide The Safe Way

July 06, 2011 By: Jess Shaw Category: Pest Control

If you want to protect your fruit tree from pests during the summer, this is almost impossible to accomplish without the use of pesticides or chemicals. This might scare some people into thinking that the actual fruits will contain traces of the chemicals. If you do things correctly, you can get rid of all the pests and not infect the actual tree. If you’re going to be spraying chemicals, you most likely will be using either a handheld pump or a hose-end sprayer.

If you’re using the pump sprayers, you will be able to more accurately determine the mixing of the chemicals. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to spray it very far. Usually it won’t reach the tops of trees. This can be achieved with the hose end sprayers, but getting the correct mix of chemicals is quite a challenge. It all depends on your water pressure to get the correct mixture of chemicals, but water pressure is not constant. One day it might be lower, in which case your chemical content would be higher. The types of materials you buy for hose application are generally in an extremely strong form. They need to be severely diluted before they are weak enough to apply. (more…)

Insecticide Soap – Safe Garden Insecticide?

June 30, 2011 By: Lec Watkins Category: Pest Control

If you would like to be a little ‘greener’ with your annihilation of insect pests in your garden, try an insecticide soap. You can follow a homemade insecticide recipe or buy a commercial preparation. But, beware, though soap insecticide is relatively safe it should still be used with care.

With a growth in gardening as a popular pass-time, alongside a growing desire to be a little more environmentally friendly, their has been a boom in safe, Eco friendly and organic garden insecticide products. Insecticide soap is a particularly popular choice as it so non-polluting and non-toxic to people and pets. The nostalgia value of knowing our ancestors have used soap insecticides for generations probably helps. It is a really simple garden insecticide to make yourself too, which definitely appeals to the growing frugal nerve in us all too. (more…)

Which Weed Killer Should You Use

June 20, 2011 By: Andrew Bicknell Category: Pest Control

Nearly everyone who owns a house and has a yard wants a lush green lawn that’s the envy of the neighborhood. There are of course those few out there who don’t care much about their yard but for those of us who want that nice yard finding a weed killer that works is a definite must. Weeds are unsightly, attract pests and some of them can be downright harmful to our families and pets. A weed killer will solve most weed problems if you choose the right product for the application you need.

When it comes to selecting a weed killer for you lawn there are some general guidelines you should follow. There are several different types of weed killers on the market today and the type you by will depend on the type of weeds you have. If you have a general population of weeds then a broad spectrum weed killer will do the job. These weed killers have the ability to kill a wide range of weeds. (more…)

Homemade Insecticides – Make Your Own Soap DeBug Spray.

June 01, 2011 By: Lec Watkins Category: Pest Control

Rather than have a cupboard full of dangerous, toxic and expensive chemical insecticides why not make your own? These recipes are quick easy and much safer than the commercial alternatives. Do your bit for your wallet and the environment by making your own.

Basic Soap DeBug Spray
Mix one part soft or liquid soap with 100 parts water. Put into a plant sprayer and use liberally. This is the key ingredient in the gardener’s fight against aphids and other insect pests. The spray action will dislodge insects while the soap smothers them preventing them from breathing or eating. The soapy residue left on plants will further discourage other pests from moving onto the plant. Even slugs and snails will avoid eating soapy vegetation.

If your garden is suffering from a severe infestation you may wish to ‘up the ante’ by really putting off those leaf destroyers with a Garlic or Chilli DeBug Spray.

It is quite possible to make your own soft soap too. This is much cheaper than buying liquid soap and you can more easily control how natural the end product is. Simply grate a bar of Castille soap (or some other vegetable based soap) into warm water (four litres should be about right for a 150g bar). Simmer this, stirring for about ten minutes and decant. The soft soap can be used around the home in the laundry or for washing the dishes (adding some lemon juice to cut through grease). In fact making your own soft soap means you need never buy liquid soap again. Simply refill your old liquid soap dispensers with your homemade soft soap. (more…)

Getting Rid Of Ants The Safest Way

May 28, 2011 By: Joey Singer Category: Pest Control

Ant season is on the horizon.
As the ground warms up in the spring, ants who have been dormant in the earth during the colder weather warm up and come to the surface. Queen ants fly off to find new nesting areas…and before you know it, ants are back in our world.
While ants play an important roll in the ecosystem, it is no picnic when they become pests in our world.

But all too often, when people have a pest problem they run to the store and buy a can of toxic pesticide, come home and spray the pest.

Whoa! Let’s step back and take a look at handling ant problems using a least toxic approach.

Perhaps I should first define “least toxic approach.” This term means you try to solve the insect problem with the least toxic material. If that doesn’t work, then you try something a little toxic but not as toxic as poison. You keep trying to solve the insect problem using progressively more toxic substances until you find something that works. Using this approach, the solution to your insect problem can range from doing nothing to spraying toxic insect killer, if that is the only thing that works. (more…)

How To Control Those Pests In Organic Garden

April 07, 2011 By: Jaden Santon Category: Pest Control

For the natural gardener, pest control might seem like a daunting task. After all, you’re committed to not using harmful chemicals in your garden, yet these chemicals can get rid of pests quickly and easily.

There are still many ways you can take control of your garden without resorting to chemical treatments. Natural pest control is actually quite easy. We certainly understand that many gardeners become anxious when they see pests on their plants and want to react decisively when they see their plants damaged. But we must remind you of the central principle of organic gardening: growing plants in harmony with Nature. And insects, even those that eat your plants, are a crucial part of that system.

When you see insects in your garden, take some time to really watch what they’re doing. Are they actually destroying the plant or just nibbling it a bit? Many plants can outgrow minor damage.

Also, in many cases, insects attack stressed out plants. Do you have enough healthy plants to spare the sickly ones? Can you restore sickly plants to robust health so they can resist insect attack? (more…)

Gardening Tips – Interplanting Can Foil Pests

March 22, 2011 By: Anne Jackson Category: Gardens - All Season, Pest Control

An invasion of aphids or an encampment of slugs in your garden patch doesn’t need to send you running to the nearest garden center for one of the many broad spectrum insecticides.

Our grandparents raised bountiful gardens without the use of chemical pesticides, and there are many lessons we can learn from them about taking care of our gardens.

Here are some suggestions about inter-planting and home-made insecticides. Hopefully, more and more people will concern themselves with living environmentally sound lives and still have bumper crops of more healthful, better tasting, fruits and vegetables. (more…)

How To Control Those Organic Weeds

March 15, 2011 By: Jaden Santon Category: Pest Control

Weeds can be an organic gardener’s curse. Actually, for all gardeners, weeds are the bane of their existence in some cases. This author absolutely detests weeding her garden, but it must be done to promote healthy growth of plants and insure a good crop.

Even if you’re not an organic gardener, weed control is a problem. There really is no easy answer to this problem. It just takes time and effort to control the unwanted overgrowth in your garden. This is where mulching and composting come into play. First of all, twice a week, run the edge of a sharp hoe just under the surface of the soil to behead tiny weeds before they grow large enough to compete with your seedlings.

Once the seedlings are larger, the soil is warm and drenching rains have ended, put down a layer of mulch to hold in moisture and smother weeds. Mulch is material that can be laid down around the plants to control weeds.
Choose ingredients that allow the soil to breathe, let water in and keep light out. These can include dried–not fresh–grass clippings, chopped straw, lawn-mower-chopped leaves mixed with dried grass clippings or well-rotted sawdust (avoid fresh sawdust, as it leaches nitrogen from the soil), and pine needles are all good choices. Apply the mulch several inches thick. (more…)