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By Bethany Gibbons
news(3>bamstablepatriot.com
T
iny teeth munch while
you sleep. Beneath the
"¦
"¦ glossy skins of full,
¦
¦
inpe tomatoes , cut-
worms sink their teeth into
stalks , sapping life from prized
heirlooms and wreaking havoc
on your summer evening dinner
plans.
What is an organic gardener to do?
Throw caution and superior flavor to the
wind by rushing to the nearest hardware
store for anything that will eradicate
these pests from the garden? No, don 't
throw in the trowel yet.
Abundant options exist for vegetable ,
flower and fruit growers who want a
pest-fre e organic garden. Those options
are growing, as garden centers cater
to the increasing demands of organic
gardeners.
One ofthe most popular organic insec-
ticides is neem oil. This natural product ,
made from the oil of the neem tree,
works as a barrier. Sprayed on plants , it
creates a coating that prevents scab , rot ,
mildew , rusts , bli ght and leaf spot.
"It works well on a pretty good variety
of insects. And you can use it ri ght up
to the day of harvest ," Crai g Nelson of
Country Garden in Hyannis said.
Use of cayenne pepper as a deterrent
to hungry insects is a familiar homespun
remed y for many gardeners. However,
simp ly steep ing hot peppers in water
and app lying the spicy tea to foliage is
not ideal , as the solution will quickl y
wash away during watering.
"Hot pepper wax insect spray forms
a wax coating that will hel p keep the
pepper on ," Nelson said. Both pepper
and garlic sprays are available and are
best used as a preventative measure .
"Start up at the beg inning of the season
to keep them off ," he said. "It works
better than try ing to get them out of
the garden. "
Diatomaceous earth is a
comp letel y inert powder made I
from the skeletal remains of
marine and freshwater organ- \
isms. Althoug h it looks and '
feels like a powder to us, it
is a lethal bed of broken glass
to insects.
"Any insect that walks
throug h it will be killed ,"
said Nelson. Because water j
disperses it , Nelson advised
usin g it after a good waterin g,
knowing there will be a dry
day or two ahead.
Time-tested bug beaters are not to
be forgotten. Little collars around
tomato plants reall y do work to foil
cutworms.
Tip: Drip irrigation is not
only for the backyard
vegetable garden. You
can run 1/8 inch tubing
up the side of a house
for window boxes or
balconies so you don't
have to carry the water
upstairs.
"Cutworms will cut plants at the soil
level ," Nelson exp lained. "Sometimes
you can see seedlings knocked down
like someone took a tiny weed whacker
and mowed them down. They stay at
the surface and don 't burrow under the
soil , so even a tin can or cardboard will
stop them from getting to the plant. "
It 's true, slugs do have a taste for booze.
"I' ve had great luck with beer pans ,"
Nelson said. "Put it out at the end of
the day, because they come out at ni ght.
After a coup le of weeks you *II see less
slugs for the rest of the season ."
Slugs like to hide during the day in
dark areas, so placing your beer pans
near leaf y areas may yield the best
results.
Nelson also offered this advice on
beer traps for slugs; "Put them at the
edges ofthe garden. You don 't want the
slugs to smell the beer and have to go
throug h your whole garden , munching
all the way, to get to the trap. "
The onl y downside to a beer tra p is
that neighborhood cats and dogs have
been known to catch a buzz, on rare
occasions , when they trai pse throug h
the garden to drink from the trap , so
beware.
"If you think you have a slug problem
and aren 't sure . tr\ it. " said Nelson .
"If you end up with slugs in the pan.
you know what has been eating your
greens. "
Insects need water to surviv e. Over-
head watering practices , such as the use
of wands and sprinklers , can provide
an ideal environment in which insects
may flourish.
"Splash-up and watering foliage in-
creases insect life ." said Nelson. Dri p
irri gation or soaker hoses can reduce this
risk , and because w ater is f ed directl y
to the soil , where the plants need it.
less water is wasted.
Dri p irri gation is a bit like plumbing
the garden. Half inch tubing is laid out.
with dri ppers added where plants will
grow. Unlike soaker hoses or regular
hoses , this tubing can be left in the
garden throug hout the winter. ¦
Nelson said. "I know peop le ¦
¦
who have had it out for ¦
¦
¦
l-s years." EQ
Bugs be gone,
ciu natural !