Garden slugs and snails love tender-leaved plants — any plants: vegetables, herbs, or even flowers . . . and to salvage your plants, you might want to use one (or more) of these 15 non-toxic slug-control methods to immediately control or kill these slugs (or snails).

If your plants have no more leaves or your tender stems have disappeared and, in addition, you see tiny shiny slimy trails on the ground or on the foliage, you have been visited by either slugs or snails– and the sooner you use slug control or slug killer the better. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 12%

Karen is wondering what can be done to stop the problem of Deformed Rotting Bartlett Pears growing on  her daughter’s beautiful tree.

Here’s what she wrote:

“Daughter has a bartlet pear tree that reaped abundant HUGE fruit this year which was, unfortunately, deformed with indentations and balck ‘holes’  . . .don’t know what the problem is and don’t know if spraying for a ‘fungus’ is appropriate. ????  Please enlighten us. Hate to see all this beautiful fruit going to the hornets.”

So here’s the steps I would take to deal with this situation: Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 7%

What are unsurvivable surroundings for Bugs?

“Unsurvivable Surroundings” used to mean using insecticides or pesticides to spray plants the minute bugs began making their appearance. However, we have come to realize that spraying plants with insecticides or pesticides was creating other problems, not the least being that we were poisoning ourselves and our environment plus killing the soil’s microorganisms so necessary to plant growth. Finally other methods have been revived or created, methods which will [tag-tec]create unsurvivable surroundings for those unwanted bugs[/tag-tec] without putting people or other insect species at risk.

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Popularity: 96%

In the previous post, we’ve covered 4 methods that can be used for creating unfavorable surroundings for bugs. Let’s recap — Method 1: Timing Your Plantings, Method 2: Weeding Your Garden Regularly, Method 3: Interplanting Your Crops, and Method 4: Using Crop Rotation. (Full explanation can be found at “Creating Unfavorable Surroundings For Bugs (Part 1)). Let’s continue with [tag-tec]Creating Unfavorable Surroundings for Bugs (part2)[/tag-tec], methods 5, 6, and 7.

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Popularity: 79%

How can Creating Unfavorable Surroundings help the gardener avoid insect infestation?

Different garden insects have their favorite plants and favorite times to appear on the scene. Creating unfavorable surroundings for bugs requires careful observation, planning, and a good deal of trial and error. In this post I will cover 4 of 7 methods which are good for [tag-tec]creating unfavorable surroundings for bugs. [/tag-tec]. The other three will be covered in “Creating Unfavorable Surroundings For Bugs Part 2).

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Popularity: 72%

Creating Unacceptable Habitats To Repel Garden Insects

is one way to keep insects and diseases under control. But before I explain [tag-tec]how to create unacceptable habitat to repel garden insects[/tag-tec], it would be wise to understand . . . Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 48%

Are You Looking To Get Rid Of Blackspots On Your Roses?

Blackspot can certainly ruin the looks of a beautiful rose shrub in very little time. To help you get rid of blackspot on your roses, here are a few recipes which are easy to make.

Eliminating Blackspot With Baking Soda (potassium bicarbonate)

Dorothy Reid, editor of The Garden Sampler magazine which is based in Peru, Vermont, suggests keeping a simple solution of 1 teaspoon baking soda to a quart of water mixed and ready for action in your garden. She further adds that the spray stops fungal diseases on everything from roses to pumpkins. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 100%