____________________________________________________
This is my quick reference for dealing with pests in the garden:
1. From Colin Campbell on ABC “Home made Garden Remedies“
“A contact spray for sap-sucking and chewing insects can be made from 4 large onions, 2 garlic cloves, 4 chillies and a handful of soap flakes. Chop the vegetables, sprinkle on the soap flakes, mix with water and leave to soak for 24 hours. When strained the resultant liquid can be stored in a well-sealed jar. For use, mix the concentrate with five litres of water.”
Another insecticide is “flour, a good dusting will poison chewing caterpillars“
“To control the nematodes in the vegie patch … Use 3 litres of molasses in 4 litres of water and disperse over 10sq metres of soil with a watering can.”
“Ants can be a major problem, carrying scale and other sap-suckers onto plants. A good remedy is: 2 tblsp powdered borax, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 cups water. Stir to dissolve, and bring slowly to the boil. When it boils take it off the heat and cool. It can be placed in shallow jar lids under plants where ants are a pest. Beware though, ingredients which state they are environmentally friendly can still be toxic, so take care. Boron must be kept out of reach of pets and children. Colin prefers to use borax powder, rather than the boracic acid, a scheduled poison, some recipes call for. However, there is still toxicity in borax powder.” (Note – only 5g-10g of borax can kill a child, not to mention wildlife)
2. Oil Spray Recipe from Josh Byrne
2 cups of vegetable oil
1 cup of pure liquid soap
Blend until it turns white. “Dilute one tablespoon of the emulsion to one litre of water and spray all affected areas thoroughly. Do this during mild weather, because if it’s hot it may burn the plant’s leaves.”
3. From Sophie Thompson on ABC “TOP 10 GARDEN WOES“
1. Aphids. Stress is an issue. “The healthier the plant the less likely it is to be affected. The best method of control for aphids.. is to encourage natural biological control. Aphid predators include ladybirds, lacewings, parasitic wasps, hoverflies and birds. With roses always make sure they are in full sun with no root competition from large trees and shrubs. ” Carried by ants? Prevent ants – e.g. barriers or bait and you can stop the aphids.
2. Caterpillars “Many different forms of caterpillars that are common in the home garden.
- Woolly bears are the larvae of a native tiger moth. They appear in winter and love to eat a wide variety of garden plant, but especially oyster plants, daisies, chrysanthemums, cinerarias and pelargoniums. Numbers can be reduced significantly on individual plants by picking them off regularly, before they inflict significant damage.
- Cabbage Moth and White Butterfly larvae emerge from eggs laid on the undersides of leaves and can make a quick mess of winter flowering vegetables, annual flowers and weeds.
- If intervention is necessary, the most effective and least toxic sprays are bio-insecticidal sprays, derived from naturally occurring bacteria, that are effective at controlling a wide range of caterpillars.”
3. Snails & Slugs
- “…collect them by hand and squash them.
- “provide a barrier around plants that they do not like to cross. e.g. wood ash from the fire, sawdust or sharp sand.
- “…set traps with hollowed out skins of oranges or grapefruit, or saucers of beer.” If snail pellets or baits become necessary, (beware toxicity to pets, birds or native animals) …”use iron based brown pellets or copper based sprays.”
4. Scale “..more likely to affect plants that are under stress. There are many different species of scale insects attacking different plants, but generally they are small rounded, sap sucking insects which look like an inanimate black, brown or white lump. They exude a sweet honey-dew secretion and it is in this secretion that an opportunistic fungus sooty mould grows. The mould gives the leaf and stem a dirty black appearance and eventually it can actually block the sunlight from reaching the leaf and thus affect the plants ability to photosynthesise. Scale is carried onto plants by ants which farm the scale to milk the honey dew secretion. The treatment for scale is to spray with garden oil, improve the growing conditions of the plant (which resulted in it getting the scale in the first place) and watch out for ants.” Prevent ants – e.g. barriers or bait and you can stop the aphids.
5. Whitefly These tiny little sap sucking insects can cause quite a bit of damage despite their size. Greenhouse whitefly is a common pest in the vegetable garden, loving to suck the sap from a wide variety of plants including tomatoes, beans and mint. Use whitefly sticky traps or simply spray the affected plants thoroughly with garden oil.
6. Mealybugs These troublesome pests attack plants that are under some form of stress. Their oval shaped bodies are covered with white powdery wax. They are found in protected places on the plant, often clustering where leaves sheath a plant stem or where leaf stalks join the plant, as well as in the soil. They are notoriously hard to control and prevention is always the safest option. Keep plants healthy by regular feeding and watering. If there is an infestation spray it several times with a low toxic systemic insecticide and follow this up with a soil drench of the same product, as well as improving its growing conditions. If the infestation on a pot plant is bad, it may be best to throw it away. Biological control, using a native ladybird, can be a very effective method of control in a shade house or indoor situation.
7. Mites There are a number of these tiny sap suckers that cause problems in the garden. Two spotted mite, also known as Red spider mite, affects a wide range of ornamental plants, especially roses, fuchsias and azaleas. These mites thrive in hot dusty areas, and especially where there is reflected heat from paths, pavers, fences and walls, and they primarily affect plants under stress. Ultimately, unless you take a holistic approach, treating the underlying cause behind the infestation, it will reoccur. If necessary use a low toxic miticide such as an insecticidal soap spray. Biological control, using predatory mites can be effective depending on timing. Tomato russet mite affects tomatoes and related plants such as capsicums, eggplants and petunias. The first sign of infection occurs on the lower leaves, which become dull grey or yellow and start to die off from the bottom up. This happens very rapidly once the weather gets very hot. Keep plants as healthy as possible and spray with an insecticidal soap spray or wettable sulphur.
8. Black spot on roses is a disease that causes concern for many home gardeners. Affected leaves will eventually become yellow and fall off. The roses will develop new leaves, however continuous defoliation of a rose may reduce its strength and vigour, however conversely if roses are healthy and well nourished they can fight off an attack without the need for intervention. The growing conditions of the rose play a big part in the plant’s susceptibility to this fungal disease. If spraying is necessary, use milk or an organic fungicide containing potassium bicarbonate.
9. Mildews affect a number of plants in the garden, ranging from roses to vegetables and fruiting plants and especially grapes. Prevention is the key for susceptible varieties such as grapes. Spray with a copper based spray or low toxic fungicide to guard your vines against downy mildew. Milk spray is very effective against powdery mildew.
10. Weeds. The best thing to do for weeds is to pull them out, and then, try to prevent them reoccurring. Remember that ‘One years seeding is seven years weeding!’ Mulch is essential here.”
