|
For any gardener who still hasn't
been convinced about the need to garden organically, here are
some statistics that may help change your mind. In March of 2001,
the American Cancer Society published a report linking the use
of the herbicide glyphosate (commonly sold as Round-up) with
a 27% increased likelihood of contracting Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
John Hopkins University also revealed that home gardeners use
almost 10 times more pesticide per acre than the average farmer
and that diseases caused by environmental illness, exposure to
chemicals etc., is now the number one cause of death in the U.S.
With the EPA's recent phasing
out of common pesticides such as Dursban and Diazinon, we are
now realizing that many of the chemicals that we thought were
"safe" were never actually tested to see what their
affect on children, women, and the elderly could be. The time
has come to reassess our dependence on pesticides. For anyone
contemplating the switch to organic gardening, here are a few
ingredients that should be in every gardener's toolkit:
|
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.
|
