Plant Gardens 101

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…)

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…)

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…)

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…)

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…)

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…)

Enjoying the outdoors is one of the biggest benefits of living in a beautiful state like Texas, but along with the beauty comes some danger. Non-native insects have invaded the area and can present serious and potentially deadly problems to residents and visitors. Africanized honeybees, also known as killer bees, and imported fire ants are among the most dangerous insects found in the Southern states. Both of these insects tend to attack in swarms, making them much more dangerous than their native counterparts.

Killer Bees
The Africanized honeybee was originally brought from Africa to Brazil in 1956, as part of an attempt to create a hybrid bee species that would produce more honey in the region. Queens from the test hives were inadvertently released into the wild, where they began to mingle with local honeybees, which were introduced to the area from Europe. The resulting strain of bees was quite aggressive and prone to swarming, making them extremely dangerous to people and animals. A single Africanized bee is no more dangerous than any other bee. It is their propensity to swarm that creates a deadly situation.

The best defense against killer bees is to avoid areas that are known to have hives. However, in the case of most attacks, unwary people stumble upon a hive and find themselves amidst a swarm. If this happens, simply run as fast as you can, in a straight line, until they stop following you. Generally, they will not chase you further than a quarter-mile from their hive. Do not attempt to hide in water, as the bees will just wait until you surface for air and attack again. Protect your face as well as possible, as facial stings are more painful and more likely to provoke an allergic reaction. If you cannot escape and are attacked, try to find a hose or shower, as the bees seem to have an aversion to running water. Seek shelter wherever you can. If you see someone being attacked, call for emergency services immediately.

If you are stung, seek medical attention if you have had previous reactions to bee stings or if you were stung by more than fifteen bees. Remove stingers by scraping them out, rather than plucking them out, to help reduce the amount of venom injected into the body. Call 911 immediately if there is severe swelling or if the victim has difficulty breathing.

Fire Ants
Imported fire ants have become a serious pest over the past several years. They are believed to have originally made their way into the southern states in cargo ships from South America. These ants are very aggressive and will bite and sting any person or animal that disturbs their nest. They do not die after a single sting, like a bee and will attack a victim repeatedly.

As with any outdoor pest, avoidance is the only real way to prevent an attack. Keep an eye open for ant mounds and wear boots with long pants tucked in when going into fire ant prone areas. If you are bitten or swarmed, get away from the nest and sweep off the ants as quickly as possible. Stings are painful and often irritated for hours. In the case of minor stings, use Benadryl and topical anti-itch medications to control the symptoms. If you have a severe reaction to the venom from a fire ant or anaphylaxis sets in, seek medical attention immediately.

While stings from pests like killer bees and fire ants can be painful and frightening occurrences, there are relatively few deaths within the population each year. With proper reactions and quick treatment, an attack from either of these insects can be dealt with effectively in many cases.

About the Author:
Joe Cline writes articles for Remax Realtor. Other articles written by the author related to Austin real estate and Lakeway Texas Real Estate can be found on the net.

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If you’re afraid of spraying chemicals in your house or harming the environment by using pesticides, there’s yet another alternative: electronic pest control devices. These devices have been around for more than two decades but have become more widely known only recently. This could be because they claim to be environment-friendly, as they work using ultrasonic and electromagnetic methods.

Whether or not they are effective has been a matter of debate as there isn’t adequate data available about whether they affect health and how effective they actually are. Those who deal in them have made a list of attractive claims to counter the well-known ill effects of regular pest control. Electronic pest control, they claim, is non toxic and non-invasive, leaves no residue, and is safe for family and pets. (more…)

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A beautiful and healthy garden is attractive not only to green thumbs but also to little creatures with a taste for the greens – pests. The most popular of pest control devices have been chemical in nature. However, modern research has found that chemical control of pests, unless strictly monitored, may pose health hazards to human beings and also to the environment. This has led many to look at the option of controlling garden pests using methods that are non-toxic.

Maintaining the health of the plants in your garden means that they can get their own defense systems to work when attacked by pests. Resistance, though, may not always work and so other devices such as introducing variety, physical traps, and natural predators have been necessary. Another interesting area is that of organic pest control. This includes soft soap in a solution that is natural in its content and can be used to counter small insects. Organic pest control needs to be applied with care as well, and one needs to read the labels and other documentation carefully. (more…)

safe insecticides such as insecticidal soap and insecticide neem visit the links.”>If you have a fruit tree or two, or indeed a whole orchard you will know how devastating over-wintering insects can be. So why not make your own Fruit Tree Spray?

Of course, you could just buy a Fruit Tree Spray. There are many to choose from, and a fair number of them are even environmentally sound too. But, sometimes a little home-made creativity is just what the doctor ordered, and if you are stuck inside you can still be doing something positive for the garden. (more…)

Birds, ladybugs and praying mantises are the gardener’s best friends when it comes to insect control. Birds can be encouraged into the garden by feeding, hanging a birdhouse providing a bird bath or by planting plants that provide berries for them to eat. Ladybugs are now for sale by the pint, quart or gallon. The average-sized garden can get by on a quart or less, as there will be about 25 to 30 thousand bugs per quart. The cost is generally less than five dollars a quart. The average adult ladybug consumes between 40 and 50 aphids a day.

Praying mantis cases are also available and each one hatches up to 400 young. The cost is rather nominal for a case. A few gardeners have reported that this insect disappears rather rapidly from the garden, so you might want to experiment with just a few to begin with. They will eat any insect they can catch. Frogs and lizards can also control pests by eating them. You can make your garden hospitable for your natural allies by keeping a water source – just a dish full – nearby for them and by not wiping out the entire pest population with a pesticide, sending the beneficial elsewhere in search of food. Also, grow plants with small blossoms like sweet alyssum and dill, which attract predatory insects who feed on flowers’ nectar between attacks on pests. Organic pest control is a comprehensive approach instead of a chemical approach. Create a healthy biodiversity so that the insects and microbes will control themselves. Using natural products and building healthy soil is the best long-term treatment for pests. What are the pests you should be looking for? (more…)

One of the most hazardous things that can happen to your plants is weather. Many a garden has been demolished overnight because of this phenomenon. And seemingly, there is nothing we can do to prevent it. Of course, if weather didn’t exist at all then we wouldn’t have those nice sunny days that are beneficial to the growth of our plants. But then again, we wouldn’t have the tragic hailstorms that tear down everything we’ve worked for so many hours to grow.

When rain starts to fall, usually the first reaction in a gardener is pure joy. After all, this means you don’t have to worry about going out and watering it manually. The natural rain fall can’t be anything but good for all your thirsty plants, can it? Well once that same gardener starts to see the gorgeous rain drops turn into small globules of ice, usually a complete emotional breakdown is in order. I know this from experience, because when I was a blooming gardener I had my garden completely demolished by about 10 minutes of severe hail. (more…)

The first recorded incidence of the use of insecticides goes back to 2500 BC, when the Sumerians supposedly used sulfur compounds to restrict the spread of insects and mites. China, too, had developed botanical insecticides for seeds, and mercury and arsenic compounds had been formulated to counter body lice by 1200 BC. From then on, the field of pest management has taken great strides.

It was with agriculture and its growth that pest control also developed. To maximize food production, pest control became necessary, and the use of conventional as well as chemical or biological methods was devised to fight against pests. Breeding pest-resistant crops, mixed cropping, and crop rotation are all conventional methods of getting pests under control. (more…)

So often new gardeners are put off the idea of gardening by thinking about the time it might take, and the hard work involved. The popular idea of a low-maintenance garden is one of covering the space with decking and gravel, planted with a few grasses and pots of evergreens.

However, I have discovered an ideal way to help thwart one of the most time-consuming chores in the garden – that of weeding.

This came about almost by accident, as I have a cat who thinks that any uncovered ground is a glorious litter tray! I quickly had to find a way to cover up as much of the soil as possible, but soon realised that ground cover plants gave me the even greater benefit of vastly reducing the number of weeds.

Of course, there are many gardeners who enjoy the time spent weeding, and I admire them tremendously – there are great physical and mental benefits to spending time outdoors among your plants. (more…)

Although it might be the quickest choice to just spray a deer repellent on your plants and shrubs then walk away and forget about it for a while, this is not the only choice obviously. It’s one of the quickest and in many cases the most effective. I wanted to let you know what others are trying. I constantly search the internet for what people are doing to deal with this problem. Here is what I found. Let’s start with the most effective:

Building a fence:

Obviously nothing beats a sturdy fence around your garden or home to keep the deer from getting to your flowers and plants. It provides the best results but it has some very significant draw backs. It is costly; although there are many different ones out there, it will cost you money and time to put them up. It’s labor intensive, you have to build it, but once you build it you are basically done. (more…)

I don’t know anyone on this planet that enjoys the company of mosquitoes. They are definitely one of the most revolting vermin this world has to offer; existing only to suck blood from healthy bodied people and animals and spreading vile diseases such as Malaria and the West Nile Virus. As summer heat warms dirty, standing water patches in bogs, swamps, and yes, backyards, mosquitoes grow and take hold in new ecosystems, driven by nature’s instilled desire to breed, bite, and “bug” other inhabitants. New ways of controlling burgeoning mosquito populations are continuously researched, and new chemical mixtures and sprays rush to supermarket shelves, hoping to do the deed. A study has shown that mosquitoes are repelled naturally by a plant that is easily grown and cared for, and that will please your neighborhoods feline population as well: catnip. (more…)

There is immense satisfaction in creating your own garden plan — the satisfaction derived from relaxing or entertaining in the garden as well as the satisfaction that comes from a job well done. The effort that you expend in planning and executing a design unique to you will add to the enjoyment your garden provides for years to come.

How do you begin to create a garden space that is unique to you? Here are ten simple steps that will help you move effortlessly through the process.

1. Identify WHY you want a garden.
How will you use it? Who else will enjoy the garden? Remember that you may not be the sole inhabitant, so get input from all family members on how your outdoor space will be used.

2. Do a little dreaming.
Now that you know why you want a garden and how you intend to use it, let your imagination play with all the possible features in your special space. A little dreaming will uncover those attributes that will put your personal imprint on the garden.

Also decide whether you want a formal or an informal garden. Formal gardens are highly structured, divided by a strong central axis and cross axes. Informal gardens have a more natural look with strong, flowing curves. (more…)

Neem oil insecticide is a completely natural method of pest control in the garden. Find out how to use neem oil insecticide below:

Neem Oil Insecticides may be purchased already formulated. But, when you see how little Neem Oil is included in the formulation you may decide to make your own. After all pure oil extracted from the neem tree and fruit is readily available. You might pay around $40 for a quart but that amount will literally last years, as only a tiny amount is needed to make a gallon of organic insecticide. (more…)

Mosquitoes are responsible for nearly three million deaths each year; the diseases spread by a mosquito include malaria, dengue, encephalitis and Filaria. In fact no other insect is responsible for as many diseases as the mosquito. Today there are a number of mosquito repellents available in the market that can protect a person from mosquito bites, and ultimately from one of the many diseases that a mosquito is responsible for.

There are two types of mosquito repellents available in the market, the first type of mosquito repellents are based on synthetic chemicals, the second type are based on natural ingredients. Additionally mosquito repellents are also divided on the basis of their method of distribution; the major methods of dispersion of mosquito repellents include sprays, burning mosquito repellent sticks, skin creams, mosquito traps and the latest mosquito repellent bags that require no skin contact whatsoever.

Synthetic mosquito repellents contain chemicals like DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide), PMD (p-menthane-3,8-diol), Icaridin and Permethrin. Although the list of the chemicals used in mosquito repellents is long, the truth is the chemicals like PMD are extracted from the lemon eucalyptus tree. In addition to the chemicals mentioned, another powerful substance used in natural mosquito repellents is Citronella Oil. The problem with synthetic mosquito repellents is that many users have reported skin allergies and rashes while using these mosquito repellents. In fact the reason why more and more users have started using natural insect repellents is because of the almost negligible reports of side effects. (more…)