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1. Garlic
Many cultures around the world
have used garlic as a natural antibiotic and antifungal remedy.
When garlic is combined with mineral oil and soap, it becomes
a very effective pest control product. However, when it is sprayed,
it is not a selective insecticide. It can be used to control
cabbageworm, leafhoppers, squash bugs, whitefly, but will also
affect beneficial insects so be careful where and when you apply
this product.
Recipe: Allow 3 ounces of finely
chopped garlic to soak in 2 teaspoons of mineral oil for 24 hours.
Add 1 pint of water and ¼ ounce of liquid dish soap. Stir
well and strain into a glass jar for storage. This is your concentrate.
To use: Combine 1-2 tablespoons
of concentrate in 1 pint of water to make the spray. Do be careful
not to make the solution too strong. While garlic is safe for
humans, when combined with oil & soap, the mixture can cause
leaf injury on sensitive plants. Always test the lower leaves
of plants first to make sure they aren't affected.
2. Milk
Fungal diseases can be a serious
problem for gardeners, especially in the heat of the summer.
Powdery mildew and black spot seem to be the most common diseases
that cause gardeners to reach for the spray bottle. Now, instead
of reaching for a chemical fungicide, gardeners can open the
fridge for an excellent fungal control - milk!
In 1999, a Brazilian scientist
found that milk helped control powdery mildew on cucumbers just
as effectively as a synthetic fungicide. Since the study was
published, the news has traveled around the world and encouraged
gardeners and farmers alike to try milk as a fungal control for
a variety of diseases. So far, there has been success reported
on the use of milk to control powdery mildew on a variety of
different plants. In addition, it has also been found to be an
affective control of black spot on roses.
Any type of milk can be used
from full milk to skim to powder. However, the low fat milks
have less of a chance of giving off any odour. The recipe calls
for milk to be mixed with water at a ratio of 1 part milk to
9 parts water and applied every 5-7 days for 3 applications.
3. Beer
Slugs are attracted to chemicals
given off by the fermentation process. The most popular bait
has been beer. However, not all beers are created equal. In 1987,
a study at Colorado State University Entomology Professor Whitney
found that Kingsbury Malt Beverage, Michelob, and Budweiser attracted
slugs far better than other brands.
Whatever the type of beer you
use, you can create your own slug trap. Use cottage cheese, margarine,
or similar size plastic containers. Put between 1/2 and 2 inches
of beer in each container and place the containers around your
garden, especially around plants prone to slug damage. Never,
sink the containers with their rims flush with the soil level
or you run the risk of drowning ground beetles, important slug
controllers. The rims should be 1" above the soil's surface.
You will probably need to empty the container of drowned slugs
every other night. The range of slug traps is only a few feet
so you need to supply a few traps throughout your garden.
4. Floating row cover
The easiest method of pest control
is to prevent damage in the first place. Using a physical barrier
like a floating row cover will prevent insect pests from reaching
your plants and chewing them or laying their eggs on them. I
find floating row covers a must when growing carrots to prevent
carrot rust fly damage and when draped over my broccoli, I prevent
imported cabbageworm from defoliating my plants.
Floating row cover is a fabric
made of spun polypropelene fibres. The fabric itself is very
lightweight and will sit on top of your plants without causing
any damage. The fabric allows both light and water to penetrate
it but prevents even the smallest insects like flea beetles from
getting to your plants.
The fabric is sold at most garden
centers under many names like Reemay, Agrofabric and Agribon
and comes in a variety of different weights. The lighter weight
fabrics are best for use during the summer. The heavier fabrics
do hold in some heat and are best used in the early spring or
late fall. The added bonus is that they can also help extend
the gardening season by a few weeks!
5. Newspaper/Cardboard
Weeds are some of the hardest
pests to control organically without resorting to physically
pulling each one out. If your weeds are coming up in small clusters,
it is easy to deal with them by pouring boiling water over them.
However, if you've got a large area, the best way to control
them is to smother them, also known as sheet mulching.
I prefer to use either newspaper
or cardboard to smother my weeds instead of plastic. Both newspaper
and cardboard degrade naturally and will, over time, add carbon
into my soil, helping provide organic material. In addition,
most newspapers are now printed with soy-based inks, which will
also degrade in the garden.
If you decide to use newspaper,
make sure you place it at least 4-6 sheets thick over your weeds.
One layer of cardboard is usually sufficient to get the same
effect. It takes at least a month to kill most weeds so I find
the best way to use this method is to place the newspaper or
cardboard over the weeds in the fall. Come springtime, the weeds
are dead, the mulch has degraded, and I've got wonderful soil
to work with.
For anyone who is concerned
about the aesthetics of newspaper or cardboard, you can also
cover the mulch with grass clippings, compost or bark mulch for
a nicer look. Make sure whatever you use is free of weed seeds. |
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