In the Garden – Aphids

Riker — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:28:39 +0000

: Image by imarsman via Flickr

Aphids are the little white bugs that seem to have a fondness for my budding roses. Basically, the suck the sap out of your plants. Also, their saliva is toxic to your plants.

It’s never to early to get rid of these pests. I spray my roses with a mixture of 1/10 Pine Sol and Water. Pay particular attention to the buds, which is where they seem to congregate. Many plant extracts and plant products that are eco-friendly offer an effective control of aphids, though I have found they require greater and more frequent applications.

Also, lady bugs are the aphids natural predator. Lady bugs should be released into the garden in the cool of the morning making them slower and less likely to fly away. Once their food supply is consumed, the lady bugs will move on to a new food source.

Caring for roses (telegraph.co.uk)
Breaking the aphid’s code (scienceblog.com)
Pest Control Tips For Safer Pest Control (hbb2obm.com)
Organic pest control (telegraph.co.uk)

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Steppin’ into the Garden

Riker — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:27:04 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Basic Garden Tips

When life gets crazy – an unending list of chores – work projects, volunteering, stuff around the house – I head off into nature.

My escape has always been go hug a tree. But sometimes getting away isn’t so easy. Load up the truck, corral the dogs, prod Husband off the couch – you get the point. So, I brought nature to me. I started gardening. It started off easy enough – a houseplant here, a few herbs over the sink – and soon I’m rototilling the back forty. Well, we live in SF, so it’s more like the back 15×12 – but I digress.

Gardening is simple, if you remember –

Basic Garden Tips

· “I’m thirsty!” – Well, I heard you can over water, but I’ve yet to see it. The trick is to insure that your plants aren’t in standing water. When you are potting a plant, line the bottom with pebbles to insure there is plenty of drainage.

· “No critters!!” – Even the most diligent green thumb battles bugs. Fight nature with nature – Marigolds give off a smell that aphids don’t like, so plant them around your rose bushes. Garlic does, too!

· “One woman’s garbage” – is another woman’s compost. There are many good resources on how to compost, check them out. After a few months, your trash transforms to nutrient rich supplement for your garden.

· “Worms poop, and that’s a good thing” – Worm poop (castings) provide wonderful nutrition for your plants; drop a few in your compost heap. In their travels, they also help aerate the soil.

· Be Nice to the Little Ole Ladies - There IS a garden club in your area. In it there are little old ladies and lanky old men–and an occasional gardening stud–who, if you are nice and bring a covered dish to their meeting–will clue you into EVERYTHING you will ever need to know about growing things in your microclimate. And if your dish is tasty, they just might supply you with bulbs and cuttings from their imposing yards and all the tips you need to eventually out-green them.