| Helpful Insects |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-513 |
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Q: Something is eating my rosebushes. Is there anything I can do to stop it? A: (Jessie Mack Burns, Ask DIY Gardening expert) I know for a fact that aphids love roses, so my guess is, they're the culprits! The best way to get rid of harmful insects is to introduce helpful ones that will eat the bad guys. This method reduces the amount of pesticides that you must introduce into the environment while at the same time cutting down on the pest population.
You may want to plant a garden filled with flowers that attract ladybugs, which are voracious predators of garden pests. Try plating yellow alyssum (figure A), candytuft (figure B) or phlox (figure C). Or if you don't have room for plantings, just sit pots of these flowers near your infested plants and let them attract the ladybugs. Don't worry -- they'll sniff out the aphids and get busy on them.
Make sure your ladybugs have plenty of shelter by providing a small house to protect them (figure D). You can put paper in the bottom of the house for extra warmth.
Another insect that's great at ridding the garden of pests is the praying mantis. A mantis nest looks like a small bee's nest (figure E). If you find one, put it in a jar until the mantises hatch, then release them into the garden. (When they're in the jar, be sure to put netting or wire over the top so they can breathe!)
If you see dragonflies skimming around your water garden or birdbath, don't shoo them away -- they're devouring mosquito eggs and larvae!
To make a good, environmentally safe insecticidal soap, in a spray bottle combine one part mild dishwashing liquid with three parts water. Spray this mixture on plants, including on the undersides of leaves: it will wash off when it rains, it won't clog the plants, but it will suffocate the pests. Q: Do I have to get rid of sod before I get out the rototiller, or can I mix it up together? A: It's fine just to till it all in together -- in fact, it will add nutrients to the soil. Q: I read that it's possible to grow your own shiitake mushrooms. How would I do this? A: You can buy a kit that has the mushroom spores already attached to a log. Keep them in the right growing conditions, and you should be able to harvest your own mushrooms. Q: I started some seeds indoors. At what point can I bring them outside and plant them? A: Make sure the seedlings have a good root system and about four to six leaves each, about they should be about 4" to 6" tall.
RESOURCES :
Bugs, Slugs & Other Thugs: Controlling Garden Pests Organically
Model: 0882666649
Author: Rhonda Massingham Hart
224 pages
(July 1991)
Storey Books / Storey Communications Inc.
Website: www.storey.com
The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control
Model: 0875967531
Author: Barbara W. Ellis
Revised edition (June 1996)
Rodale Press
Red Oak, IA 51591
Phone: 515-242-0282
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