Plant Gardens 101

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…)

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…)

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…)

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…)

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…)

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Keeping your landscape plantings, flower beds, and nursery crops free of weeds is a battle, but if you approach it with a strategic plan, you will prevail. In order to develop a plan, you first must understand how weeds work, and what kind of weeds you are dealing with.

Basically weeds grow either from seed, or they reproduce from their roots. As the roots grow outward from the parent plant, new plants sprout up from the lateral roots, creating more parent plants and the process continues and the weeds thrive. Weeds that tend to reproduce from the root are usually more difficult to control. (more…)

To buy pest control products you will have to identify the offending insect and then match your product to your needs. It is also important to keep in mind considerations like any known allergies to such products, ill health among residents and appropriate safety gear to go with your task.

If you have an infestation in your garden and lining space or just want to keep your home spic and span, pest control is a key step. You will have to choose wisely from the wide array of pest control products you might see in the market and online. The benefits of choosing the most appropriate product are saving time as well as money. There is no rule saying that you cannot do effective pest control yourself, you can do pest control as well as the professionals and at a third of the cost too. (more…)

In searching for information on getting rid of bugs from my vegetable garden, I came across some really valuable information from many online sources. I should start by saying that I have just started using some of these suggestions, and do not assure you 100% effectiveness, yet. That information will have to follow in a few weeks.

My search originally started by looking for chemical-free products to kill off any unwanted pests. I was quickly swayed by all of the information available about companion planting. Companion planting involves planting differing plants around the plant you wish to protect. Each pest has a plant it doesn’t like, this works in our favor when we know which pest we’re dealing with. It is imperative to keep the additional plants localized to the protected plant. Bugs are smart enough to go another route or even jump from plant to plant to get its fix. It’s best to surround the protected plant with the deterrent plants listed. For example, to get rid of ants with aphids, plant pennyroyal and spearmint around the stalk of the protected plant. A few feet to each side will not deter the ants from going right through the middle. (more…)

There are plenty of different ways of getting rid of the invasive weed. Cutting Japanese knotweed for example, will not eradicate its growth and it should be seen as short term Japanese knotweed control only. Japanese Knotweed Control and Japanese knotweed removal is most effective when used in conjunction with herbicide treatment. Cutting the weed could actually increase the risk of spreading it.

Pulled stems of Japanese knotweed often have the highly invasive Japanese knotweed crown material attached to them and must be disposed of in the same way as the Japanese knotweed rhizome. Cut Japanese knotweed stems are less of a risk, and are safe once the Japanese knotweed stems have dried out and turned brown. Japanese knotweed stems should be cut cleanly so that they don’t create pieces of Japanese knotweed stem that may spread and regenerate Japanese knotweed, in addition Japanese knotweed stems should be left where they can dry out fully. If you intend to treat Japanese knotweed re-growth with herbicide, you should remove cut Japanese knotweed material from the Japanese knotweed treatment area to allow the spray to effectively cover the new Japanese knotweed growth. (more…)

A common misconception of hydroponic gardening is that you never have to worry about dealing with pests and bugs. Many growers wish this was true because the fact of the matter is that even in a soil less garden you have to deal with some of the same kinds of critters that can damage traditional gardens. Fortunately, with a little knowledge and quick action, you can easily prevent or minimize the damage caused by bugs to your plants and hydroponics supplies.

Here are a few of the more common pests found on plants in hydroponics systems.

Aphids – They are numerous varieties of aphids and their coloration can vary from black, brown, very light colored, or yellow. They often leave a sticky residue on your plants which causes the plants to grow in a deformed or twisted manner. They also typically carry viruses that can affect the growth or even kill your plants. A typical sign of an aphid infestation is the presence of little white exoskeletons which the aphids have molted off. After identifying that you have an aphid problem, you should remove the damage leaves, wash the remaining leaves, and spray them with an insecticidal soap. (more…)

Eliminating unwanted pests, usually by introducing natural enemies, is categorized as biological pest control. Enemies like predators, parasites and pathogens are reared and released in the natural living environment of a pest, resulting in slow but sure destruction of them.

However, some factors determine the success or failure of bio control measures employed. Introduction of predators which kill and eat many kinds of pests may not help greatly in areas where other kinds of prey are also easily available. The introduced natural enemies should also be able to acclimatize themselves with the climate of their new habitat quickly. The life cycle of the enemy should also be in consonance with that of the prey. Another important characteristic an introduced creature must have is a very high level of reproduction potential. This holds true in the case of enemy parasites. A parasite completes many generations before the prey completes even one generation, making it highly necessary for the parasite to have excellent reproductive qualities in order to be effective against pests. (more…)

Silverfish is an insect that is found in home. It is regarded as a pest as it causes a lot of damage to your home and the various household items that you have at home. Silverfish loves feeding on starch and sugar. As starch is found in paper, glue and wallpaper you can be sure that there is Silverfish in your house when you find damaged wallpaper, glue and paper that are eaten. Silverfish also feeds on silk, yarn as starch is found in clothing too and other pests. They usually like to remain in damp places in your home. This gives you a starting point to begin your extermination process as part of Silverfish pest control.

The first and the foremost task in regard to Silverfish extermination is insect identification. If you look in any insect encyclopaedia, you will find that Silverfish is less than an inch long and their upper bodies have silver colour. Their body is flattened and tapers towards the end. The upper body is also broad when compared to the lower body. You also have to note their lifecycle to plan your various moves to exterminate them using Silverfish pest control. Once the eggs are hatched, you may have to deal with a lot many more Silverfish than earlier. One of the main reasons they stick around in homes is the abundant presence of food. They usually tend to stay close to sources of food. They can be found in various places at your home where there is humidity and where the area is cool and damp. (more…)

There are many birds, animals and insects which are a joy to the gardener both in their beauty and in the help they give us in the garden. But there are also many which are pests and which can ruin a beautiful garden. Life would be a a great deal simpler if we could just wave a magic wand and get rid of the ones we don’t want, but it’s not that simple. To begin with – we have to identify them. One of the best methods of keeping pests down is good garden hygiene. Keeping your garden clear of rubbish will reduce the trouble spots where pests can breed and take hold. It’s a very simple remedy, but one of the most effective, particularly against slugs.

There are some creatures that really help keep pests down, the common earthworm is a powerful ally in his constant wanderings through the soil which keeps it open to air and water. A lot of our common garden birds feed on garden pests. Many insects feed on their harmful relatives. Toads and Frogs can demolish a huge number of insects in one meal and are a joy to have in the garden. Making your garden attractive to birds and toads is one of the best pest control methods. A good bird table or nest box, food spread about in spring, and some water are invitations for birds to stick around in your garden. If you want Toads and Frogs, make sure there is some damp shade. A few reasonably sized stones in the shade of a shrub with maybe some damp leaves would be a luxury residence for a toad. At night they will venture out to catch their food – which they prefer live.

Slugs are a particular bane of my life – they come out and munch on all your tender plants if given half a chance. Again the birds will help, and you can use safe slug pellets which do not harm birds or hedgehogs. There are all kinds of mulches and even slug fences that you can get, the worst damage is often done by the ones you can’t see which lurk under the ground. If you want to use a biological control you can get Nematodes from specialist suppliers which inhabit the soil and prey on the slugs. It is a more lengthy process than using some of the chemicals but much kinder to your garden.

Munching Insects with heavy jaws are particularly destructive and can rip through a vegetable patch in no time at all – I lost no end of cabbages and sprouts last year to caterpillars. This year I am working hard at encouraging the birds to counteract this. You can use sprays but do make sure that they are bird and fish friendly if you have a pond. This type of insect is killed by taking the spray into its body as it nibbles on your plants. Vegetables are particularly susceptible to pests – they like to eat them just as much as we do, and many of our crops have their own particular pests which only feed on one plant. Tomato Worms for example which burrow into the young fruit and eat it from the inside out. You can often harvest a particularly luscious looking crop of potatoes only to find the tubers inhabited by yellow and black striped potato bugs. My particular hate is the small green caterpillar which ravages cabbages, broccoli and cauliflower. Liberal applications of soapy water from a spray gun are quite effective in getting rid of that particular nuisance.

There are some pests where the only defence is to get rid of badly infested plant before it spreads. The plant needs to be destroyed or removed completely from the garden. A couple of years ago it caused me great distress to have to take all the Lilies out of my garden. I had a large pot which was full of the most beautiful white lilies – until I spotted the dreaded Scarlet Lily Beetle. They are a beautiful shade of red but utterly destructive and will destroy every lily in their path. I will replant after another year or so and hope that no larvae have survived.

Sucking insects such as greenfly and lice almost glue themselves onto the host plant as they need to be able to feed by constant sucking. They are unbelievably destructive for their size and as they breed rapidly even a large plant can soon be infested. Again soapy water sprayed liberally can help, and I have had some success with a vinegar and water mix (about half and half) but not on young plants! Be careful if you use the soapy water not to spray over any water in your garden or you will potentially damage the pond life – frogs and toads in particular. If you encourage Ladybirds in your garden they can control the greenfly fairly effectively as well.

My personal preference is for natural controls without the use of chemicals but in order for this to work you do have to accept that for a couple of years or so, until the natural balance asserts itself, you will lose some crops and precious plants. The best weapon you have during that time is constant vigilance, removal of infected plants and determination. If you give in and start to use chemical sprays you will have to start the whole process again as many chemicals are indiscriminate in doing their work. There are some sprays which comply with organic principles and of course, you can buy biological controls in the form of beneficial insects and bacteria. Which ever method you choose, you will never completely remove pests from your garden – but you should be able to keep their damage to a minimum.

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About Lizzie Westerley
Lizzie Westerley has spent many pleasurable years developing her garden and her gardening skills. You can find more of her insights and information on how to make your garden equally magnificent at The Garden Magazine

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. (more…)