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Garden pests
Ruger4me
Member, Moderator Posts: 3,863 ******
What do you guys use to discourage bugs from eating your vegetable plants when they firsts sprout? It has been a long time since I tried gardening and the seeds I planted in the two new raised beds I put in a week ago are starting to emerge, I seem to remember having issues the last time I tried with the plants getting ate up before they could really get going...
Comments
I use BT and neem oil mostly. I also use Malathion for the more aggressive bugs. Don
Rabbits will eat a row of bean sprouts over night. When I was a kid we sprinkled 7 dust on the bean sprouts but once they were up good we stopped.
Edit: Now that I think more about it we did use 7 dust for beetles but IIRC it was sulfur powder we sprinkled in the bean sprouts to keep the rabbits from eating them.
Plant marigolds close to your plants. Get the ones that are starting to bloom. You won’t need any bug spray.
Seven, or they will be nothing left in this area of my country.
Don; where in the world are you getting Malathion?? my method of crop pest control is to share. i have fought pests in my gardens for many years. i really dont like using pesticides so i try to plant enough for the pests and me to both get enough to eat. that method is actually working for me. its funny to see the reaction i get when i give corn away to some people, mostly women and i tell them to not worry when they shuck the corn if they find a worm or two. just cut around them and the rest of the ear is still good. also the worm is good bream bait, and whats better than fried fish and roasted corn.
You can still buy Malathion. I use it in a fruit tree spray.
...Seven Dust has always done the job for me...
Cayenne Pepper. Wife uses it in her 12 or so planters and it even keeps the squires away!
Thanks guys, I ordered some stuff called EcoGarden to be delivered tomorrow and will see about getting some seven and/or neem oil products.
Diametecous earth works very well and doesn't involve any form of pesticide. It's like a thousand tiny knives cutting the exoskeleton of bugs. It is safe for pets and humans.
Lady bugs. Lots of lady bugs. We get 'em at a farm supply store and turn 'em loose in the gardens. They're voracious little predators.
susie I have used that in the past for fleas in the dog run and had forgot about it, ordered some, will be here tomorrow thanks!
NeoBlackdog I have seen a few the last few days around the property, never thought of adding more, but I'll check it out next time I'm at the farm store.
Again thanks to all of you for the ideas!
Folks if you use Sevin dust or spray for you plants you are giving any honey bees a death sentance.
I am not sure how it works but orchards would use Sevin to cut the blossoms so there would be fewer but larger fruit.
Maybe it caused the flower to drop or the killed the pollinators.
Just a little bit of spectcide granules, (lawn insect and tick killer) pellets around the base of a garden plant will get any insects that crawl on the ground and not bother the bees.
Works wonders on them Squash bugs.
We grow a small garden of hops...(PITA)...Most insect problems are aphids, spider mites and hoppers...Lady bugs are great but they are only helpful when the temperatures are just right...Lace Wings are great also...For the grasshoppers (sorry bud)...and leaf hoppers nothing is better than praying mantids... We get our bugs and advise from ...Beneficial Insects for Biological Pest Control | ARBICO Organics (arbico-organics.com)... Great site...
Combat Vet VN
D.A.V Life Member
we use it found out about several years ago put it out the chickens kick it around and we put a little on the out side cats
suppose to safe to eat by people and animals to kill off worms and parasites' inside also
as you say it like tiny shards of glass as the more it just grinds them up .
added bonus if interested we get ants in the spring especially when it rains we place a small container like a canning jar lid or paper plate what ever is handy. with sugar and mix in borax the aunts haul it back to the nest the sugar attracts them the borax kills them . seems to work great .
Gardening sure has its ups and downs! My oldest son brought me a load of alpaca manure last week and I spent a couple days getting it spread around and worked into the soil of my garden spots.
Now I have to figure a way to keep my little hound doggie from snacking between meals!! 😫
let him eat, he may grow his own sweater for winter.................