Home insect control and rotating chemicals to avoid "immunity"...
shedrach
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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AC LB
4 years agocat_ky
4 years agoRelated Discussions
How do you rotate crops in a home garden?
Comments (23)Starting last year, I tried doing crop rotation. But after thinking about things this year, I've decided I'll make an effort, but not freak out about it too much, unless there is a special circumstance. My garden is only 200 sq. feet, not counting paths. (I wish it could be bigger, but I'm not willing to cut down forest.) I inter-crop, and with decent soil, roots go pretty far. I figure that roots of plants of various families could probably be found in most places in my garden. I would imagine that this makes the soil depletion issue not so much of an issue. To boot, I add lots of compost, turn in tons of compostables in the fall, use fish emulsion as a spot treatment, and use organic fertilizers. I live in southern New Hampshire, and here in New England late blight was pretty impossible to avoid last year. I held it off with compost tea, but eventually my toms got it like all my neighbors'. Since late blight overwinters, I did my best to move the toms for this year. The Extension told me a few feet away was probably enough because I didn't grow potatoes last year. Gardeningscomplicated, sounds like I should look at the Jeavons book. Sounds like it would make me feel better about my method....See MoreWhy specifically do organic gardeners avoid chemical fertilizers
Comments (63)A lot of interesting info here, and obviously plenty of room for debate. I don't have near the knowledge many of you do but I can share my personnel experience as a hobbyist gardner. For several decades I have refused to use pesticides, just basically not liking the idea of using poisons. Knowing that a healthy plant is more successful in fighting disease and pests I would use chemical fertilizers to help keep my plants healthy. Well unfortunately, or maybe fortunately I was forced into early retirement and the last couple of years I have had a lot more time for hobby stuff. I started composting, having readily available lots of leaf and green matter in the yard. Then I started learning more about soil biology by poking around the web (that's how I found this place). So I decided to up the game and go 100% organic, relying only on my compost, and compost teas. My plants were easily just as if not more healthy than previous years, but the thing I noticed most was it seemed I had more beneficial insects in the garden. A couple of years I tried to introduce lady bugs for the occasional aphid problem. They would just fly away never to be seen again. This year no aphids but I kept seeing the random ladybug. Additionally I have found it hugely satisfying and feel a more complete cycle between my garden and my table. I am increasing my knowledge and experience of composting, and feel my compost is becoming better with every batch by adding simple things such as alfalfa and seaweed (always take my pack when I visit the ocean). Having a microscope I have also been able to see for myself the change and increase of microbial life in my soil and assume that will lead to a more healthy relationship between plant and soil. Now I have to find someone to give my leftover chemical ferts to.....See MoreInsect and bug control in your GHs
Comments (30)Brendan Had damage from Wilma so last year I "loosened "it up rather than tightened.lol Took everything off the roof except 4 inch vinyl lattice. Going to use vines for shade come summer. The first time I used Zebra finches ,second time orange cheek waxbills.. These didn't work at all for several reasons besides being killed by rats lol The runaway best has been Honeycreepers. No mess of seed eaters and since I water every third day liquid droppings are no problem. They are voracious insect eaters main problem with keeping them in cages.. One small problem they ate EVERY insect so had to supply pinhead crickets. Again no problem as I keep Anoles ,geckoes and two skinks. They ate all the lady bugs as well as the mantis which is why if I try it again thought I'd go up to those tropical GIANTS lol. It's kind of fun to try to get it balanced out but I fear impossible in susch a small area. Warning for those thinking of using Anoles.lol Given good conditions your pair will turn into hundreds lol. Besides what happens when you run out of bugs?? They will starve. I let them come and go as they choose as they are quite common here in florida so if they run out of food they just go outside. Now that the roof is open again I'm attracting wild birds. Which solves some problems creates others. lol Of couse this means I can't keep domestic birds I'm going to try the honeycreepers again not so much for the bug eating but because two clutches would pay for the entire remake of the shadehouse And also they are my favorite bird. Nothing more beautiful than a male in full color. Wilma almost wiped out my bird collection and was thinking of giving them up. except in the dedicated aviary. There are soooooo many problems with keeping birds and I'm getting old lol I added some California and button quail to the aviary as a method of weed control. Too soon for results but they are delightful to watch and they do clean up the floor. Rats and snakes are just minor problems in aviculture unfortuneately . If your thinking of using finches for bug control I could make some suggestions or at leat tell you which ones to avoid lol gary...See MoreJapanese Beetles in my yard apparently immune to Bayer & Sevin
Comments (16)Thank you everyone for your replies. I appreciate them so much. I didn't realize that Sevin came in a concentrated liquid form. I will definitely check it out. I've also never heard of nematodes. So I'm going to look up to see what that exactly is. Here's an update on the situation: I just came in from mowing the lawn, and as I drove by I could see that there are no Japanese Beetles to speak of in my yard; or at least not on any of my plantings. Having said that, my shrubs look like they were involved in a nuclear fallout or perhaps like a volcano erupted nearby. They are are completely covered in the white powder! As for treating the yard for slugs, I know we have TONS of them. When we planted the shrubs this year they were everywhere in the holes we were digging. I wonder though if it would be a futile attempt because I live way out in the country, and I am surrounded, in all directions, by hundreds and hundred of acres of prairie. To illustrate, we have bunnies that live in our yard, and just a moment ago the most adorable groundhog was hanging out by our back porch. This may be a dumb question (if it is, please forgive my ignorance) but do the beetles also attack in cities and in the suburbs or is this more of a rural issue? I am interested in the traps. I forgot about them. I know some people say they attract the beetles so much that it can, in the long run, make the problem worse, but I think I'm already in the midst of "much worse". It's just amazing to me that 3 years ago I never saw one, then last year I saw a good amount, and this year they have evidently taken over my yard. :Thanks again, everyone for your replies. It's nice to find people who know so much about so many things that I care about....See Moreshedrach
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4 years agojmm1837
4 years agoJenn TheCaLLisComingFromInsideTheHouse
4 years agojmm1837
4 years agotoxcrusadr
4 years agoUser
4 years agovinmarks
4 years agoshedrach
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoJenn TheCaLLisComingFromInsideTheHouse
4 years agokudzu9
4 years agoJenn TheCaLLisComingFromInsideTheHouse
4 years agoJenn TheCaLLisComingFromInsideTheHouse
4 years ago
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