Whitefly Control for Organic Gardeners

 

I collected this information for a neighbor this morning and thought it might interest others.

 

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/how-to-kill-whiteflies-zw0z1304zkin.aspx

Organic Whitefly Control

• Aluminum reflective mulch repels whiteflies by making it difficult for them to find host plants. This is a good way to protect tomatoes and peppers from diseases spread by whiteflies.
• Use yellow sticky traps to monitor or collect whiteflies lurking among tomatoes, peppers, sweet potatoes or cabbage family crops. A half-and-half mixture of petroleum jelly and dishwashing detergent, spread over small boards painted bright yellow, is sticky enough to catch little whiteflies.
• Blast whiteflies from leaf undersides with a strong jet of water. Then apply a weak solution of insecticidal soap, preferably late in the afternoon. Repeat after one week.
• A small vacuum is the best way to remove whiteflies from plants because it will remove both nymphs and larvae. If you have chickens, allow them to peck through infested plant foliage before you compost it.
• Never use chemical insecticides in attempt to control whiteflies. Many strains are pesticide-resistant, but their predators are not. You may accidentally kill many beneficial insects, and the whiteflies will bounce right back.

More Advice on Organic Whitefly Control

Gardens that host an abundance of beneficial insects make poor homes for whiteflies. In areas where whiteflies are common and your neighbors use a lot of pesticides, monitor populations with sticky traps and use a vacuum to keep small outbreaks under control.  In seasons following whitefly problems, avoid planting attractive annuals such as lantana, salvia and hibiscus.

More information on organic whitefly control is available from the University of California, Mississippi State University and the University of Missouri.

 

https://www.greenharvest.com.au/PestControlOrganic/Information/WhiteflyControl.html

Least-Toxic Chemical Controls
Whiteflies began showing resistance to synthetic insecticides many years ago, and have since become a major problem in some crops and greenhouses. To control an infestation use a suitable organic spray as soon as adults are noticed, make sure you spray underneath the leaves.

• Insecticidal soap sprays such as Natrasoap are a good choice of control for the home gardener; spray every 2-3 days for 2 weeks.
• Spray Eco-Oil or try making your own oil spray by mixing 1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid detergent with 1 cup of cooking oil; add 1 to 2.5 teaspoons of this solution to 1 cup of water, spray onto plants every 10 days.

 

• Botanical insecticides such as Beat-A-Bug Insect Spray are useful. Research undertaken in NZ on neem's effectiveness for whitefly found that it had a major impact by preventing the 'nymph' stage from developing into an adult; the nymphs tend to disappear from the treated plants.

 

 

http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/houseplant-pests/whitefly-control/

Whitefly Control

Yellow sticky traps are helpful for monitoring and suppressing adult populations. If found, use the Bug Blaster to hose off plants with a strong stream of water and reduce pest numbers. Natural predators of this pest include ladybugs and lacewing larvae, which feed on their eggs and the whitefly parasite which destroys nymphs and pupae. For best results, make releases when pest levels are low to medium. If populations are high, use a least-toxic, short-lived organic pesticide to establish control, then release predatory insects to maintain control. Insecticidal soap, neem oil and botanical insecticides can be used to spot treat heavily infested areas if population become intolerable.

Tip: Horticultural oils, which work by smothering insects, are very effective on all stages of this pest.

Note: Ants feed on the honeydew that sucking insects produce and will protect these pests from their natural enemies. An application of Tanglefoot Pest Barrier to the stalks of roses and other woody plants will help get rid of ants.

 

http://www.ghorganics.com/whiteflies.html

Preventative Measures Use a seaweed spray to mist the leaves of your plants. Along with all the benefits plants derive from a seaweed spray it also seems to make the foliage undesirable for whiteflies to reproduce on. Spray garden plants in spring, houseplants at least a week before bringing inside and use in the greenhouse for seedlings and as needed. Try our Seaweed Powder. Insecticidal soap: White flies are soft-bodied insects and can be successfully controlled and prevented with insect soap sprays. Our customers and we highly recommend our Insect Soap for whiteflies. Repellant plants: African, French marigolds (Tagetes), Calendula, nasturtiums, and Peruvian cherry. Shoofly plant traps whiteflies on it leaves making it a perfect choice to control and monitor the little devils in the greenhouse or home.

Direct Controls Use a vacuum to carefully suck up as many whiteflies as you can. Insect or dustbuster units are ideal. Here's a recipe for whiteflies to try: Mix 1 tablespoon of insecticidal soap, 1 cup of 70% isopropyl alcohol and 1 quart of water. Proceed to spray at least 2 times 7 days apart. Spray heavily to the point of runoff. Do not breath the mist of this as the isopropyl alcohol is poisonous. When used with care it can be effective. Do test for alcohol sensitivity on plants as isopropyl alcohol will dissolve the natural coating on plants that have waxy leaves. Do not use on seedlings. Though not as strong and more expensive, vodka may be substituted for the isopropyl alcohol.  Whiteflies cam be an indicator of phosphorous and magnesium  deficiencies. You can correct magnesium deficiencies by mixing 4 ounces of Epsom salts with 1 gallon of water. Use as a soil soak for infested plants. We won't say that this is a cure all but it can certainly benefit your plant especially tomatoes and peppers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All-Purpose Insect Pest Spray

 

A homemade spray for all-purpose garden pest control.

 

This all-purpose garden insect pest control spray combines the repellent effects of garlic, onion, and hot pepper with the insecticidal properties of soap.

For decades the editors of Organic Gardening magazine have collected pest-control remedies and recipes from readers. Several ideas were repeatedly offered as safe, effective insect controls. The editors combined several of these home remedies to make an all-purpose spray out of ingredients found in most kitchens. This spray combines the repellent effects of garlic, onion, and hot pepper with the insecticidal and surfactant properties of soap. Keep in mind that sprays that contain soap may harm natural enemies and pollinating insects. Apply it only to prevent or ease a specific pest problem.

Nowadays, there are also commercial organic sprays that list garlic oil and/or hot pepper as the active ingredient.

Protection Offered
Home gardeners can try homemade all-purpose spray against any leaf-eating pests in the garden, and make a note of what pests are successfully controlled. Certified organic producers should check regulations before using this type of homemade spray.

Precautions
The ingredients can cause painful skin and eye irritation. When preparing and applying, wear rubber gloves and keep the mixture well away from your eyes and nose.

How to Use

·          Chop, grind, or liquefy one garlic bulb and one small onion.

·          Add 1 teaspoon of powdered cayenne pepper and mix with 1 quart of water.

·          Steep 1 hour, strain through cheesecloth, then add 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap
            to the strained liquid; mix well.

·          Spray your plants thoroughly, including leaf undersides.

·          Store the mixture for up to 1 week in a labeled, covered container in the refrigerator.

 

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/all-purpose-insect-pest-spray

 

 

 

 

Still Doubting that Organics are the Future?

 

 

 

3p Contributor | Monday March 2nd, 2015

 

By Tim Sparke

The words ‘organic’ and ‘sustainability’ are bandied around quite a bit. While some won’t eat anything but organic, others deny that there’s any future in organic farming. After all, with a population that’s seven billion-strong and growing, how can we possibly expect organics to feed the world? Or so the critics ask. In their view, feeding the masses simply can’t be done without strong chemicals and genetic modification.

However, organic farming has far more capacity than many people imagine. It goes way, way beyond growing a few tomato plants on your back verandah. Besides, if we want to live on a clean, healthy planet, going organic is the only way forward – not only for gardeners and farmers, but also for all businesses related to agriculture, from your local café to your nearest supermarket, from your preferred beautician to your favorite clothing boutique. In fact, when you think about just how many industries depend on agriculture, it’s clear that a shift towards sustainable, chemical-free practices is essential.

Worker and consumer health

The first and most pressing argument for organics is human health. Current intensive agricultural practices expose people — especially farmworkers — to toxic pesticides.  In 2002, a Californian study revealed that, between 1997 and 2000, an average of 475 farmworkers suffered pesticide poisoning annually.  As the study suggests, the total figure was probably much higher, given that many cases go unreported each year. What’s more? Increasingly, studies are demonstrating links between pesticides and cancer, as well as disruption of the endocrine system.

Meanwhile, those at the other end of organic farming – consumers – also face health risks. Food grown using intensive techniques can contain pesticide residues, which consumers ingest when they eat. Plus, some studies show that organic products are  more nutritious than their conventionally farmed counterparts. For example, a study (PDF) conducted by the (admittedly biased) Organic Center showed that organic food performs much better when it comes to antioxidant power, polyphenol levels and flavonoid levels. And the same goes for animal products. Dairy products from animals raised on organic farms, which haven’t been fed antibiotics, tend to be higher in antioxidants and omega-3.

Environmental health

If we’re serious about keeping our planet healthy, and make it available for future generations, there’s no way that we can continue to support intensive agriculture. When pesticides and other strong chemicals are sprayed on our crops, they end up not only in our soil, but also in our waterways. Over time, this causes our soil to become severely depleted of nutrients, and eventually completely unable to support life. For our waterways, it can mean extreme pollution. Given that we rely on our rivers for our very survival, there’s no question that our future depends on us turning to organic farming.

But can organic farming produce enough food and materials?

Some people believe that organic strategies are only suitable for private or small-scale farming. But numerous studies have illustrated that organic strategies can produce just as much output – if not more – than regular methods. For example, back in 1989, the U.S. National Research Council studied eight organic farms across the United States – from an Ohio-based farm of 400 acres specializing in grain and livestock, to a California-based farm where 1,400 acres of grapes were growing. When compared with nearby farms, where intensive practices were being exercised, the organic farms yielded just as much, if not more, produce on average.

Economics

Finally, one argument often put forward in favor of conventional methods is economics. Supporters of the status quo believe that intensive farming is superior because it means we can produce plenty of food at much cheaper rates than organics can. But this is an exceptionally short-sighted view. For a start, the amount of disease being caused by the chemicals in the environment is already weighing on our health system – and this is only going to become a more and more expensive problem.

Secondly, the more organics are used, the cheaper they’ll become. Running an organic farm actually requires less expensive equipment and chemicals than a conventional one does – plus, once organics become more widespread, operating costs will decrease significantly.

The future

So, if we want to assure ourselves of a happy, healthy, safe future, the only way forward is organics. By reducing the number and intensity of toxic chemicals in our world, we can look forward to living in a planet where disease is reduced and our environment stays pristine for generations to come.

Tim Sparke is the CEO at 4pumps and for several years, he has been an active advocate of organic farming and sustainability. He also has a passion for writing and he writes the blog at 4pumps.
 

Image credit: Pixa Bay

http://www.triplepundit.com/2015/03/still-doubting-organics-future/

 

 

 

 

Less is More: Gardening on a Budget

A beginning gardener's ingenuity turns $75 into 6 months of fresh vegetables.

 

By Sharon Tregaskis

Photography by Matthew Benson

 

 

Last year, my partner and I became new homeowners, buying a house and a few acres of farmland in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. We had ambition and creativity, but since we were also transitioning from two paychecks to one, cash was tight. So in early February, we set a goal of spending no more than $75 to grow, buy, or barter an entire season of fresh, local, organic vegetables. Could it be done? Yes, and then some. Ultimately, our scheme yielded as much in new friendships, hardened muscles, and lessons learned as it did in the produce we harvested. In our season of (admittedly, self-imposed) limits, we discovered that abundance comes in many guises. 

 

(If you are gardening in South Florida, you will need to plant on different dates than described in this article. – Gene )

 

February 12 

It's rained all week, pooling atop a sheet of ice in the back yard. The snowdrops are budding. I've already arranged my first freebie, courtesy of Craigslist. A woman too pregnant to dig seeks help dividing her iris and strawberry beds. I will supply the labor and in turn help myself to unlimited rhizomes and runners. We'll arrange the details in April. Meanwhile, I'm inspired to inventory our perennials and post a barter offer of my own. 

 

The beds of the neglected vegetable garden are in rough shape: The rich soil has been overrun by weeds and saplings, some taller than I am, while the borders around the raised beds have decomposed. We have our work cut out for us.

 

I've alerted friends to our budget scheme; they're already sharing information. One who took the Cooperative Extension beginning-gardener class last year reports a free seed cabinet stocked with donations from the big companies and local seed savers. Any county resident may take up to 12 packets. And an ecoboutique downtown has posted flyers for monthly gardening classes; I've inquired whether they'll host a seed swap. I hope to expand our seed inventory and meet some like-minded gardeners.

 

March 14 

Today was beautiful: a clear, blue sky, bright sunshine, and temperatures warm enough to shed our winter layers here in Zone 5. A pair of hawks, hoping we might flush a rodent, wheeled overhead. We borrowed a truck and trailer this morning, and retrieved--free--15 cubic yards of mostly composted horse manure. This was the week for online offers from people cleaning out their barns, so I made a deal with the one right for us: herbicide-free feed, a farm both near our house and that of the friends lending us their truck and trailer, even help loading from the generous horsewoman sharing her wealth. 

 

This afternoon, we placed the trunks of quaking aspens thinned from an overgrown corner of the yard as borders for the raised beds. The result fits our rustic-chic aesthetic and spares the hassle and costs of store-bought lumber. To suppress weeds, we've sheet-mulched the footpaths with cardboard salvaged from the grocery store, topped with several inches of wood mulch from the town pile. Mounds of emerging daffodils, daylilies, poppies, and tulips abound, including in spots we plan to double-dig for vegetables. I'll offer those to the people who responded to my online perennial barter offer. It's starting to look like a garden! Next weekend, we'll repay the trailer loan by helping our friends plant trees at their place.

 

Penny Pinching Tips

• Go online. Visit OrganicGardening. com's seed-swap forum. Craigslist has free, barter, and farm-garden categories where anything from mulch to seedlings, even lawn tools, finds a new home fast. On Freecycle.org, everything is free. 
• Or check the local Cooperative Extension for free seed. Host an exchange. 
• Barter and trade with friends and coworkers. Get creative: bake a cake or babysit in exchange for help planting a tree or for the loan of a truck. 
• Scavenge your land or neighborhood. Tree trunks can become the sides of a raised bed; branches and brush can be turned into trellises and plant supports. 
• The supermarket usually has boxes and containers available for the asking. 
• Split the cost of expensive tools or large seed orders with friends and neighbors. 
• Offer your labor or skills to a local CSA or market farmer for seedlings or produce. Many CSAs off er free or discounted subscriptions in exchange for a certain number of hours of work. 
• Keep the giving cycle going. Donate leftover seeds and materials to local schools, community gardens, or the Cooperative Extension, and your excess harvest to a food bank.
   

April 3 

The seed swap was a grand success. Two dozen participants traded seeds and garden talk for about 2 hours. Also fun: crafting my seed packets, and delivering leftovers from the event to the Cooperative Extension seed cabinet. Next year, I'll schedule the exchange for late winter, before everyone orders by mail. The local native-plant society holds its exchange on the winter solstice--great idea. Some of the catalogs offer bulk discounts; next year, we'll save cash with a group order. 

 

 

April 19 

Friends starting an organic farm invited us to a work party to plant 20,000 crowns of asparagus. We helped out for a few hours and came home with a dozen crowns to plant in our own garden. They're interspersed with the strawberries, and now we have a beautiful bed of perennial vegetables that we'll begin harvesting next year. Later this week, I'll help another farmer transplant her tomato seedlings from trays to pots; she's promised me gooseberries and my choice of mature seedlings, instead of cash. 

 

The rest of the article is at http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/less-more-gardening-budget?page=0,1

 

What We Bought

 

Seeds  $35.45

Row cover  $12.00

Cover-crop seed  $10.00 

Rooting medium  $7.55

Seed inoculant  $5.49

Plastic pickle barrel  $3.00

Hollyhock seedlings  $1.25

Total  $74.74

 

What We Grew

 

Here's what we harvested on our property:

 

Beans  4 pounds and remainder to seed for 2010

Beets  25 pounds

Cabbages  64 pounds

Carrots  10 pounds

Cherry tomatoes  5 pounds

Corn  10 pounds dry seed, 12 ears fresh

Cucumbers  25 pounds

Daikon  5 pounds

Eggplants  10 pounds

Flowers  1 or 2 bouquets cut every week

Green tomatoes  9 pounds

Horseradish  A few leaves for sushi; harvest in 2010

Hot peppers  3 pounds

Kohlrabi  30 pounds

Leeks  20 pounds

Lettuce  10 pounds

Podding radish  1 pound, plus seed

Potatoes  350 pounds

Purple-top turnips  30 pounds

Rhubarb  2 pies

Scallions  1 pound

Soybeans  1 pound as edamame

Spinach  3 pounds

Sunflowers  100 pounds to feed chickens, wild birds

Tomatillos  10 pounds

Winter squash  40 pounds

Total  About 796 pounds, plus our CSA share

 

For the article from the beginning - http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/less-more-gardening-budget?page=0,0

 

 

 

 

An Introduction to Permaculture

How to put the practices of permaculture to use in your own back yard.

 

 

Combining the best of natural landscaping and edible landscaping, permaculture aims for a site that sustains itself and the gardener. The ultimate purpose of permaculture is to develop a site until it meets all the needs of its inhabitants, including food, shelter, fuel, and entertainment. (The word permaculture was coined in the mid-1970s by two Australians, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren.) While it’s the rare home gardener who can follow permaculture principles to the ultimate degree, most can borrow ideas from permaculture to create a new way of landscaping based on production and usefulness.

Gardening and Permaculture
Permaculture emphasizes the use of native plants or those that are well adapted to your local area. Plant things you like, but make sure they have a purpose and somehow benefit the landscape. Plants such as fruit trees provide food as well as shade; a patch of bamboo could provide stakes for supporting pole beans and other vining plants. Along with a standard vegetable garden, permaculture gardeners would grow many types of perennial food plants too, such as arrowhead, sorrel, chicory, and asparagus.

Like all gardeners, permaculture enthusiasts love plants for their beauty and fragrance, but they seek out plants that offer practical benefits along with aesthetic satisfaction. Instead of a border of flowering shrubs, for instance, a permaculture site would have a raspberry or blackberry border.

Disease-prone plants such as hybrid tea roses and plants that need lots of watering or other pampering are not good permaculture candidates. Choose a native persimmon tree that doesn’t need spraying and pruning, for example, instead of a high-upkeep peach tree. Consider the natural inclinations of your site along with the needs of its inhabitants, and put as much of your site as possible to use. Work with the materials already on your site, rather than trucking in topsoil or stone. Remember that a permaculture design is never finished, because the plants within a site are always changing.

There is no set formula for developing a permaculture design, but there are practical guidelines. Here are some of them:

·          Copy nature’s blueprint and enhance it with useful plants and animals. Think of the structure of a forest and try to mimic it with your plantings. A canopy of tall trees will give way to smaller ones, flanked by large and small shrubs and, finally, by the smallest plants. Edge habitats, where trees border open areas, are perfect for fruiting shrubs, such as currants, and for a variety of useful native plants, such as beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax), which is used for weaving baskets. Mimicking these natural patterns provides for the greatest diversity of plants.
 

·          Stack plants into guilds. A guild includes plants with compatible roots and canopies that might be stacked in layers to form an edge. As you learn more about your site, you’ll discover groups of plants that work well together. For example, pines, dogwoods, and wild blueberries form a guild for acid soil.
 

·          Make use of native plants and others adapted to the site. Plan for diversity.
 

·          Divide your yard into zones based on use. Place heavily used features, such as an herb garden, in the most accessible zones.
 

·          Identify microclimates in your yard and use them appropriately. Cold, shady corners, windswept places in full sun, and other microclimates present unique opportunities. For instance, try sun-loving herbs like creeping thyme on rocky outcroppings; plant elderberries in poorly drained spots.

 

http://www.theinnovationdiaries.com/1211/permaculture-gardening/
 

Permaculture designers are now working to conceptualize and create whole communities that embody permaculture concepts. If permaculture intrigues you, there’s a wealth of opportunities to learn more about it online. Here are few to get you started:

·        Permaculture.org

·        Edibleforestgardens.com

·        Urban Permaculture Institute

·        Crazy Rooster Farm
 

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/introduction-permaculture

 

 

 

 

 

The Most Natural Organic Pool You Can Build Yourself

JUNE 26, 2014 by APRIL McCARTHY

 

There are many reasons to avoid chlorinated pools, most of all due to your health and the environment. Natural Pools allow nature to provide hygienic water for swimming. The vibrant ecology of plants and animals condition the water so there is no need for any chemical disinfectants. These pools are healthy for people and wildlife. In fact the water quality in a natural pool is so good, many are well within drinking water standards.

 

 

Scientists have known for decades that along with the good that comes with disinfecting water with chlorine, chemicals called disinfection byproducts can also be formed when chlorine reacts with organic substances like human skin and residues from body care products.

Why is absorbing chlorine through the skin thought to be so dangerous? When you swallow water, you can count on the liver to filter out many toxins- but when something gets absorbed through your skin, it goes straight into the circulatory system.

Studies have shown that drinking, bathing or swimming in chlorinated water may increase the risk of bladder cancer. Chemicals, most commonly chlorine, used to disinfect water can produce by-products that have been tied to increased cancer risk.

Organic Pools

The nutrient level in an organic pool is carefully restricted so competition for the limiting nutrient (usually phosphorous) is fierce. In these circumstances, pond plants outperform algae, keeping it supressed and barely hanging in at the margins. A pond, low in nutrients, is a healthy environment for wildlife. An organic pool is teeming with life. If an alien micro-organism, a human pathogen for instance, enters the water, it faces battalions of hungry pond dwelling micro-organisms to either starve it out of existence, or devour it. A water analysis of this pond water showed that it contained zero organisms of e coli. per litre of water.

Swimming in a Natural pool among flowering plants of lilies, iris and marsh marigolds is a celebration of life. Soothing your limbs and mind and skin and eyes, it seems every cell in your body is telling you - this is the way swimming should be. Natural Pools work entirely with nature to provide hygienic water for swimming.

 

 

Natural pools use a fraction of the electrical energy used to maintain conventional pools. All of this is achieved without compromising healthy water. These pools have been designed to benefit wildlife - they are a nature reserve you can swim in!

The plunge pool is a proper organic pool (natural swimming pool), only smaller. And this one is small enough to fit in a modest garden to bring the delights of plunging into organic water to more of us.

 

 

Kids love this pool. They feel comfortable learning to swim in deep water knowing they can reach the shallows with a single kick of doggy paddle and an outstretched arm. It somehow manages to achieve being simultaneously cottage garden cozy and yet a sparkling wilderness.

 

Will the pool be full of Mosquitoes?

No. The water hosts a diverse ecology, which includes fauna that predates on mosquitoes. Mosquito larvae have nowhere to hide. Dragonfly larvae, Water Boatmen, Diving Beetle larvae eat the submerged mosquito larvae, while Pond Skaters and Whirligig beetles scoot over the water surface to devour emerging mosquito larvae from above. (Interestingly, a study of a bio-diverse, naturally occurring pond on a Caribbean island showed it contained no mosquito larvae.) Also, mosquito larvae prefer still water. Water in a Natural Pool is gently circulated.

 

What about human pathogens in the water?

The water holds a diverse ecosystem teeming with freshwater microorganisms constantly filtering the water for other microorganisms, including human pathogens, which have the misfortune to plop into the pool. Over the last 20 years, many thousands of these pools have been constructed in Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, UK, Australia, USA. There have been no reported health issues with these pools.

 

What About The Pool Freezing In The Winter?
The pool design is fairly immune to freezing. There is no shallow pipework or wall to be vulnerable to ice. There is no problem with the pool freezing over. The local aquatic flora and fauna will be adapted to cope with the conditions.

What About Leaves Falling?

The pool can cope with some leaves in the pool, but if excessive they will rot down and add too many nutrients to the pool. A net can be strung over the pool in the autumn to catch the leaves.

Do-it-yourself Kits, Courses and Films available at www.organicpools.co.uk

April McCarthy is a community journalist playing an active role reporting and analyzing world events to advance our health and eco-friendly initiatives.

 

http://preventdisease.com/news/14/062614_The-Most-Natural-Organic-Pool-You-Can-Build-Yourself.shtml

 

 

 

 

For a truly ‘green’ garden, forget sprays and try natural predators

This article goes along with the Ladybug article I posted yesterday. 

By far the largest bug in the garden, praying mantis is a serious predator that keeps your food garden pest free. Maureen Gilmer / MCT

Forget pesticides – try natural predators

 

By Maureen Gilmer - McClatchy-Tribune News Service

 

Every month during the growing season I receive a package of Fly Predators in the mail. Inside are hundreds of tiny bugs the size of gnats that prey on fly larvae. I scatter them in my horse corrals and where the dogs do their business to reduce the summer fly population naturally.

This is an example of biological control that is ideal for chicken coops, compost piles and a dozen other problem areas without using chemicals and time-consuming sprays.

You might not have heard of Fly Predators, but you probably know about ladybugs. These popular little red beetles were the first successful bio-control for combating aphids in residential gardens. The predator-prey relationship keeps insect populations in balance naturally.

In the past, the cure for all bug problems was to douse the plant with pesticide. This not only kills the problem bugs, it kills the predator bugs, too. When bug populations are destroyed by pesticides, the predator-prey balance goes out the window. New bugs that either escaped the pesticide or just flew in are free to reproduce prodigiously in the absence of predators. This is the reason we see huge insect infestations in some gardens while they rarely occur in organic ones.

To understand how this relates to your summer garden, consider the predator-prey relationship of ladybugs and aphids. Known as "plant lice," aphids are sucking pests that gather on the soft tips of new growth to feed and breed. Their most dangerous predator: the ladybug. Yes, these little red beetles are ferocious consumers of aphids. With a big ladybug presence in your yard, the aphids never gain a foothold.

Another important predator is the praying mantis. These large, green bugs are voracious feeders that consume all sorts of insects that prey on your plants. They hatch from curious hard egg cases laid on tree bark, walls, shrubs and other less-conventional surfaces. This insect does not have a larval stage, but instead hatches out dozens of nymphs, which are tiny versions of the adult. These nymphs will inhabit your summer garden as they mature by feeding on anything they can catch.

There are other bugs you can buy to add more diversity to your predator population:

 

• Green lacewing is a heavy feeder that loves the eggs of a wide range of pests, including thrips, mealy bugs and whiteflies.

• The Trichogramma wasp loves to lay her eggs into those of tomato hornworms and other insects just like fly predators do. When the wasp larvae hatch, they immediately begin feeding on the developing grub. Soon, a new crop of predator wasps emerges from the remains of what would have been a damaging caterpillar.

 

For anyone who needs help keeping bugs at bay in an organic garden, there's a way to boost your predator bug population while having fun with the kids. Purchase live ladybugs, which are carried at some nurseries and home stores, and are also available online. Introduce the ladybugs to your yard, where they'll go directly to the bad bugs and start feeding.

Bringing live predator bugs into your garden is a great way to wow the kids. Just pour ladybugs into their small hands and let them spread the love down your rows and borders.

This is the essence of a truly "green" garden where we can work with Nature herself to harness the age-old dance of predator and prey to keep your plants pest-free.

 

Maureen Gilmer is an author, horticulturist and landscape designer. Learn more at www.MoPlants.com . Contact her at mogilmer@yahoo.com  or P.O. Box 891, Morongo Valley, CA 92256.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/06/14/4172459/for-a-truly-green-garden-forget.html#storylink=cpy

 

 

Gene Dempsey, City Forester

Public Works Sustainability Division

Office - (954) 828-5785  Fax - (954) 828-4745

GDempsey@fortlauderdale.gov