Plant Gardens 101

This is a timeless struggle between the Gardener and Nature’s creatures.

Rabbits, Deer, Chipmunks, Squirrels, Gophers, Moles, Voles and Ground Hogs are probably our biggest challenge in the vegetable and flower garden world. Following are a few easy tips on how to get rid of these pests:

There are all natural repellents such as ShakeAway, Liquid Fence, Deer Away and Critter Ridder. These all-natural repellents all work well and all work in different ways.

Shake Away is a granular Predator Urine product. This is a fantastic product. It creates the scent of predators such as fox, coyote and bobcat. They will not wash away in the rain and do not evaporate. They are not messy or highly stinky, like their liquid counterparts. They even have one for cats. (more…)

The following insects have made it to the Rose Garden’s Ten Most Wanted list. Read carefully so you can identify them and eradicate them from your garden.

1. Aphids

Aphids top this list because they are the most frequent rose pest. They love to nestle into the buds and shoots of rose bushes. While low to moderate levels of aphids will not do much harm to your roses, you need to keep an eye on how they spread. High numbers of aphids will produce a lot of honeydew. This substance encourages mold growth and will eventually cause your rose leaves to blacken. You may notice that your flowers shrink in size and the buds may even be killed. Lady beetles and syrphid flies are the natural enemies to aphids and will keep the population under control. You can also spray the plant with water or insecticidal soap. Aphids are usually a problem during spring and early summer. Unless you have a really heavy infestation, it is uncommon to have to use insecticides against them.

2. Spider Mites

If you notice your rose leaves are stippled or dried up and dropping to the ground, you may be infested with spider mites. These little insects are so tiny you may need a magnifying glass to see them. They like dry, dusty conditions. You can control spider mites by providing a little more water to your roses to cut down on dust. (more…)

It is not only important to get rid of pests from your garden, but it is also important to prevent them from destroying your garden. You can use chemicals in the form of pesticides to do this, but it may be as harmful to you as it is to the pests. It is also not good for the plants that grow in your garden. Using these chemicals has also been shown to be related to the cause of a number of diseases like Lymphoma, cancer, birth defects etc. These chemicals are also expensive. Hence using organic garden pest control strategies are beneficial for you and the plants.

One of the first steps you can take is using organic soil. Organic soil aids in the proper growth of plants and thus makes it better equipped to ward off the threats by your pests. You must use compost bins and compost pails, which is an integral part in organic garden pest control, which can be used to produce compost at home. There are several repellents that are good organic recipes for pest control like orange guard and organic insect killer repellent that can be used to kill or repel insects and bugs. These are non toxic in nature and provide effective results in killing or repelling the pests. (more…)

If your garden is not attacked by the pests, the gardening is easy. In fact, the gardening is not easy. There are a lot of factors that will harmful your garden. The most important factor is the pests.

The pests may be prevented by the garden cleanliness. Like the human, they will protect the illness by the healthful conditions.

You should to plan about “How to keeping the pests down?”. The earthworms will stir up the soil. This makes the soil to contact the water and air for all times. The insect is the best feed of the bird. Some insects will harmful the other insects, too. The toads are the wonderful insect hunter. They will eat a lot of small insects all day. They are the best friend of your garden. (more…)

Are you frustrated with deer defoliating your prized plants overnight? Are you ready to learn about some products that others have used that really do work ?

This summer we have tested some products that our local garden center and some catalogs offered to see which deer resistant products worked and which ones didn’t. The following are the deer deterrents that we tried and the results.

The first product we used was Liquid Fence. This is a natural deer and rabbit repellent. It is true what the cover states… “It really works.” Clark Kaskie , the inventor of Liquid Fence, developed this product out of frustration of having his plants eaten by all types of critters. After trying many different kinds of homemade remedies and expensive over the counter products, he decided to make his own repellent. Being a chemical engineer for over 60 years gave him a good idea of where to start. He knew he wanted it to be both environmentally safe and safe for the animals. After a few years of experimenting, he came up with this solution. His friends and wife tried it and told him that it worked “just like a liquid fence,” so that’s what he named it. All you do is spray the liquid liberally onto plants and their perimeter during a dry period. Repeat the process 1 week later and then approximately once per month thereafter. If areas where feeding pressure from deer and rabbits is intense, he suggests spraying it once a week for 3 weeks and then about once per month after that. You are really “training” the deer and rabbits to stay away. We found that this product smells pretty bad when you first apply it, but it really does work. We had some coneflowers that the rabbits where nipping at the stems. After applying this as directed, the nibbling stopped. We also had success with using it on our hibiscus trees and other annuals, perennials, as well as our gourds. (more…)

Many diseases that roses get are caused by fungus that attacks your roses. However, I do have some good news for you, no matter what kind of fungi is damaging your roses the treatments are all pretty much the same.

There are many things you can do to keep the fungi away from your roses and to make sure that your roses do not attracted the fungi. One way is to actually water the soil instead of the plant it self. Fungi are attracted to any water that is one the plant itself, which means the leaves, stems and petals should stay dry if at all possible. You should check your roses on a regular basis to be sure that the canes are not exposed because fungi can make an easy home of an exposed cane.

You should keep the area around the base of the plant clean from any fallen dead leaves and petals. If you suspect that any blooms, leaves or canes have been infected with fungi they should be removed promptly. Once they are removed they should be disposed of properly so no other plants are exposed to it. You can throw them away or you can burn them and never throw them in your compost pile, this can make matters worse. (more…)

Between January and July 2007 the confirmed cases of human infection with the West Nile Virus have only been confined to the province however the past 60 days have seen cases of the virus reaching most areas of Canada. However, confirmed cases of the virus have been documented across the many parts of the United States including North Dakota, Michigan, New York and Florida.

Symptoms are usually mild and include fever, headache, body aches, sometimes skin rash and swollen lymph glands. Severe infection is marked by headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, with coma, tremors, convulsions, paralysis and occasionally death. If illness occurs, it usually happens within five to 15 days of being bitten by an infected mosquito. What are we doing as a society to stop this? The answer to that question is complex, the Canadian and US governments are monitoring birds and mosquitoes to prevent a major outbreak of the virus. Many states and provinces have implemented a mass spraying program in summer 2002 to control populations of the type of adult mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus. (more…)

Sunflowers have always been the target of disease. Even though some of them are most dominant in certain locations in the U.S., others manifest wherever the crop is grown. For example, head rot is prevalent throughout California, but downy mildew can be found on crops harvested across the entire country. Over the past few decades, more than 30 diseases have been found on crops (though most of them either won’t cause severe damage or can be controlled easily). Below, we’ll explore a few of the most important diseases and the type of damage they usually cause.

Rust

Rust is a constant thorn in the side of commercial growers because it evolves, making it difficult (though, not impossible) to cultivate resistant hybrids. It’s caused by a fungus called Puccinia helianthi and shows up on sunflower planted throughout the U.S. In mild cases, you’ll notice auburn-colored spots showing up on the leaves and stems. When an infestation has occurred, rust can show up on the backs of the heads. (more…)

Mildew is every gardener’s worst nightmare, especially those who have rose bushes. The most known and most common mildew that effects rose bushes is one known as sphaerotheca pannosa. This type of mildew is powdery. The mildew is usually a white or grey powder that is usually found on rose bush leaves, shoots, buds, and the petals. Once the mildew attacks the plant, it spreads very easily and a gardener will soon notice white patches on the rose bush. The fungus eventually sucks all of the nutrients and water from the leaves, which in turn kills the leaves. The leaves eventually shrivel up and fall off of the bush completely.

The common powdery mildew is not caused by free water on the rose bush’s leaves and other parts; instead the mildew lives and thrives on hot, arid weather. In fact, watering your rose bush in the afternoon will help rid of some of the powdery mildew because it will break up the spores that are released by the mildew during the daytime. If you can afford to purchase fungicides, they are also helpful in getting rid of mildew. However, the fungicide will only be effective if you apply it at the right time. (more…)

We call the Christmas rose, also known as the Lenten rose, one of the best deer-resistant plants for your garden. They are the best-known and best-loved of all the hellebores. These hellebores are the perfect plant for those areas in your garden where deer like to munch the night away. The deer steer clear of these plants because they are actually poisonous if eaten. They have a serrated leaf that would be very unpleasant to eat.We have thousands of them and I have never seen one eaten or munched on by a deer or a family pet. They are listed as being poisonous to animals.

Not actually in the rose family at all, but in the Ranunculus order, this perennial is a gift from nature that shows its glory in the dead of winter. They are a native of Southern Europe and grow well throughout the south

We like to call it the “plant it and forget it” plant because it is an evergreen plant that is virtually pest free, drought tolerant, and deer resistant. You absolutely need this plant in your garden as it can solve many of your problems and it reseeds readily which enables you to have knew plants to transplant once they get an inch or two tall and the ground is not frozen. Plant these gems in an area where you can see them easily in the winter because they will bloom for you from December through March (or Lent) and will cheer up the most dreary of days. They are also excellent for early color in shady herbaceous borders and areas between deciduous shrubs and under trees. None of the hellebores mind competition from tree roots. It grows into a wonderful clump about three feet wide and one foot tall and it makes a great ground cover. We love its pure white flowers (which turn to pink later in the season) and the fact that it is an evergreen. Each plant will have lots of flowers in a variety of colors from pure whites, primrose yellows, pure green, and dark midnight purples depending on which type you have. (more…)

Instead of automatically reaching for chemical pesticides when you see evidence of pests in your garden and on your plants think organic! Chemical pesticides will kill all the insects in your garden, even the beneficial ones and will contaminate the ground water. Find other ways to prevent pests from getting out of hand and reducing their number if they do.

Why should you use organic methods to combat pests rather than easily available pesticides? These chemical pesticides have been linked to many health problems and diseases including birth defects, cancer, infertility and many more. One of the problems is that pesticides sold for use at home are not tested as thoroughly as those used by commercial food growers as this is not a requirement of the law. As well as harming humans they also contaminate the soil in your garden and can be harmful to the beneficial visitors to your garden including honey bees, ladybugs, and butterflies which all eat pests. (more…)

Pests pose serious health risks to humans, animals and plants alike. While some feed on plants and stunt their growth or destroy them outright, others feast on animal and human blood and also destroy household and other articles. Some even act as disease carriers. Peaceful life can be a distant dream if pests go about unchecked. The importance of pesticides in our survival cannot be overemphasized.

Using natural remedies for pest infestation is in vogue these days. However, their effectiveness depends on the insect or animal or any other creature that is to be removed. Some natural repellents like citric oil can deter ants, cockroaches and mites cannot be exterminated by them. However, the situation is different if chemical compounds are used. They can wipe out all pests from a house if used extensively. However, larger scale usage of these poisons have resulted in lose of ecological balance and extensive injury to the environment. (more…)

Are you bothered by cats coming into your garden and doing their business, scaring your birds away, or getting up to other mischief?

Here is a list of 30 deterrents you could try:

1. If a Tom starts to mark his new territory you could mark over it yourself although it may surprise the neighbours!

2. You can buy repellent pellets from garden centres that smell like citrus fruits, which apparently cats don’t like.

3. Or you could use the real thing lemon or citrus peels work for a bit but you have to keep replacing them every three or four days. Not good for a big space unless you really really like lemonade.

4. You could try planting Coleus Canina which emits a foul odour when a cat rubs itself against it, but I’d imagine you’d have to cover quite a large area (depending on the size of your garden) for it to be effective.

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Many of us can only dream about the perfect garden that can compliment our home and create a safe haven for us to relax in. Our idea of a great garden might consist of a few flower beds around the house, potted plants spread along the patio, or a fountain surrounded by many beautiful flower and exotic plants. Whatever our vision is the one thing that does not exist in our perfect gardens are weeds and plants that can choke them out and ruin the whole scene.

The poison ivy plant has a way of doing this. It can creep into our yard and our perfect gardens and cause mayhem. It is easy enough to spot when it is trying to grow next to our beautiful and colorful flowers - but it is not so easy to get rid of. In fact many people are not sure what to do when it comes to this creepy plant. So how do you dispose of it from your garden? (more…)

The devices and implements used for fighting plant enemies are of two sorts:
(1) those used to afford mechanical protection to the plants;
(2) those used to apply insecticides and fungicides.

Of the first the most useful is the covered frame. It consists usually of a wooden box, some eighteen inches to two feet square and about eight high, covered with glass, protecting cloth, mosquito netting or mosquito wire. The first two coverings have, of course, the additional advantage of retaining heat and protecting from cold, making it possible by their use to plant earlier than is otherwise safe. They are used extensively in getting an extra early and safe start with cucumbers, melons and the other vine vegetables.

Simpler devices for protecting newly-set plants, such as tomatoes or cabbage, from the cut-worm, are stiff, tin, cardboard or tar paper collars, which are made several inches high and large enough to be put around the stem and penetrate an inch or so into the soil.

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