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Issue 002's "So I tried it…" continued.
page 4 Somehow I left the store with $18.23 worth of cork bark which I was to put in the backyard in a shaded, out of the way place and not move for two to three months. After that time I could peek under it and see if any Sharp-tails had taken up residence. I don't know what made me think this was something I wanted to do or something I wanted inhabiting the backyard but at the time it seemed perfectly rational. The bark is, though, in the backyard. I will report back. (2), (3), (4), (5), (6) In the meantime it appeared that I was going to have to be content with stocking the backyard with ladybugs. (7) I also tested out the following pest abatement remedies.
As my Sunset Western Garden Book so sagely advises "always use the weakest control first." By this they mean hand picking the pests. Next is the water blast. "An adjustable hose nozzle, or pistol type that delivers sudden, sharp blasts of water works best against aphids, spider-mites, and other free-moving pests…Aphids rarely return to plants after being knocked off." Spider mites hide on the underside of leaves so be sure to spray both sides of the leaves. I found a combination of the hand picking and water blasting worked very effectively. For Snails, Slugs and Earwigs: Following the "Use The Weakest Control First" doctrine, for these pests the SWGB recommended setting traps. "Rolled newspapers, placed around your garden, will draw earwigs to their dark folds. Throw away or burn the papers…Small boards or upside down flower pots, placed on damp ground, will attract snails and slugs who wish to hide…Night hunts with a flashlight are successful." Then you dispose of your prey accordingly. Worked well but may not be good for the faint of heart. The indirect method of placing deep dishes of beer around the garden to lure the snails into a drunken demise may be a more acceptable strategy for some. Others may feel comfortable only with the non-kill strategy of forming a protective barrier made of copper stripping or broken eggshells around plantings. In my experience some snails and slugs were able to circumvent these prophylactic measures and not as many snails end up in the beer as in the overturned flowerpot. But this is not meant to discourage such methods. For pests in general: And the old axiom of the ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure applies in the garden, too. As Sesbania Tripeti of the GardenWeb suggests "picking the right plants for the right places, planting them properly and giving them adequate care are key to minimizing the use of pesticides." When picking those plants consider plants native to your area. They evolved there and will thrive with less extras than non-native exotics. Finally, good garden maintenance is key to your prevention plan. Clean up any fallen leaves or fruit from around the base of plants as such debris can harbor pests. For this same reason remove any infested, compromised plants from your garden. I also made the following homemade spray to eradicate aphids. It worked.
So it seems using your head and your hands in the garden may be the best alternative to pesticides. Or cooking. Next time you're making a batch of pesto chop up some extra garlic and whip up a batch of 'aphid away'. It really can make a difference.
Wait! There's more! Click on 'Read More' to see the Endnotes!
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