[Food] Production - Pests and Disease

Don35 · Heavy Crude Joined: Feb 07, 2006 Posts: 113

Where is everyone finding Diatomaceous earth? I can find none!
Thanks
Don

Ludi

Don't forget that diatomaceous earth will kill beneficial insects as well as pests, so you will end up always having a pest problem. This is the main problem with using any kind of pesticide. Beneficial insects (predators) are always fewer in number than pests and so are much more vulnerable to being wiped out by pesticides. You need to tolerate pests for awhile until the beneficial insect population gets established in your garden enough to keep the pests in check. This is hard to do, but in the long run it's important as we might not have access to exotic materials such as diatomaceous earth in the future. A balanced garden ecosystem costs nothing to support, and requires no exotic ingredients.

I never use pesticides.
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"...powerdown so soft and fluffy you'll think you're living in a pillow..." - jboogy

Laurasia · Intermediate Crude Joined: Jul 10, 2004 Posts: 533

Thanks, Ludi, for the advice about pesticides. Gardening indeed is a pastime that teaches you patience. Last year my tomatoes were demolished by cutworms, which seemed to have no enemies. I was disheartened to say the least. This year I was looking at the bed where the slaughter had taken place and noticed quite a lot of ladybugs in the vicinity. Maybe they will take care of some of the bad guys this year.

Also we have grapes growing in abundance on our grapevine this year, for the first time. I hope the tide is beginning to turn for me as a gardener.

Regards,

L.

Ludi

One way to thwart cutworms is to put a little paper or cardboard collar around each transplant to protect the stem. Some people use sections of toilet tissue rolls or paper towel rolls for this.
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"...powerdown so soft and fluffy you'll think you're living in a pillow..." - jboogy

killJOY · Fission Joined: Feb 21, 2005 Posts: 2346 Location: ^NNE^

Laurasia · Intermediate Crude Joined: Jul 10, 2004 Posts: 533

Thanks Ludi & KillJoy for the great advice! I will persevere!

Regards,

L.

strider3700

I just found my first tent caterpillar nest on my apple tree.

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/trees/ef423.htm

I've always just used a propain torch and burned them out. Does anyone know of anything that I can spray on that will help with them that isn't some form of poison? With the new tree's and the others getting bigger burning them out is getting to be a huge pain.
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shame on us, doomed from the start
god have mercy on our dirty little hearts

Grifter

[quote="killJOY"]

Grimnir

I've been having lots of trouble with chipmunks. I planted a bunch of garlic in the hopes of keeping them away, but they dug up the cloves and ate them!

strider3700

Grifter

Ludi

Found this nice link about attracting beneficial predator insects to the garden:

http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/04-26/beneficial-insect-natural-pest-control-article.htm
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"...powerdown so soft and fluffy you'll think you're living in a pillow..." - jboogy

shakespear1 · Light Sweet Crude Joined: May 13, 2005 Posts: 1541

Grifter

That is a great link Ludi

but it says that ladybugs are a pest!!!! Man, I thought they ate aphids. Confused

I've been trying to attract them, well thinking about how I can attract them, there's loads and I was happy about it, until now. Sad

I take it ladybugs are the same a ladybirds?

Ludi

Check in the column "Predator insect" it shows ladybugs (ladybirds) as the predator of the pests aphids and mites. Ladybugs are beneficial, NOT pests!
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"...powerdown so soft and fluffy you'll think you're living in a pillow..." - jboogy