There is a lot of old biological material in the garden right now. Some of it comes off everyday and goes to the compost. This old material harbors a lot of the garden’s enemies. There is some type of bug that is shaped and colored like a lady bug but bigger that is gobbling cucurbit leaves. It was sprayed with BT yesterday with little immediate effect. The little rascals have not been identified yet. If they are still there today they will get a dose of sulfur. I will also catch a few and take them to Renfrow’s.
The old squash plants and kale need to go. Likewise, the cornstalks will head for the compost bin. The three sisters experiment was a big failure. We got a few ears of corn, but when the corn got knocked down something ate the rest of the ears and all of the green beans. The only survivors are the butternut squash which is ready to pick. It and the spaghetti squash will come off today or tomorrow.
The greenhouse is coming along well. Some little cabbage and broccoli plants that were planted Sunday have already sprouted. They will be misted instead of bottom watered now that they have sprouted.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Showing posts with label organic pest control. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organic pest control. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Holey Can be Good
It is terrible to walk through the garden and see holey leaves. Since the home garden plants are sprayed with BT after every rain, it is especially scary. It isn’t all bad however. The holey leaves are very rare. They are probably leaves that were missed by the sprayer. Some of the undesirable insects are necessary to feed the beneficial insects.
The insects that prey on other insects are not attracted to healthy plants. They are attracted to the leaves with holes. This is a signal to them that there may be a meal under that leaf. Organic gardeners know that a healthy garden is a complete ecosystem. Excluding or poisoning the bad bugs also kills the good bugs. This could mean pollinators as well as predators.
If there are a lot of lacy leaves, more attention should be paid to the organic pest control. A few isolated leaves can be thought of as a break room for the beneficial predators.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
The insects that prey on other insects are not attracted to healthy plants. They are attracted to the leaves with holes. This is a signal to them that there may be a meal under that leaf. Organic gardeners know that a healthy garden is a complete ecosystem. Excluding or poisoning the bad bugs also kills the good bugs. This could mean pollinators as well as predators.
If there are a lot of lacy leaves, more attention should be paid to the organic pest control. A few isolated leaves can be thought of as a break room for the beneficial predators.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
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