Controlling garden pests

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Frank Kourt Register Correspondent

June 20, 2011

By Frank Kourt Register Correspondent The Richmond Register Mon Jun 20, 2011, 01:00 PM EDT

RICHMOND — Be they insect, animal or disease, there never is a dearth of pests to bedevil the home vegetable gardener.

What to do about these depends partially on your personal philosophy of gardening.

If you want to go natural or organic, there are a number of effective home remedies that you can try. If you are not averse to the use of chemical pesticides, there are plenty of remedies available at home centers and garden stores.

While I like to try to be as gentle as I can and go the organic route, I am not averse to the limited use of commercially available pesticides, should it become necessary.

First, let’s explore the gentler side of pest control.

To combat those nasty green worms that infect your cabbages, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, there is a nifty product called Dipel, one of the commercial names for organic insecticides that contain bacillus thuringiensis, a bacteria that targets such worms.

This stuff, which comes in either powered or liquid form, is harmless to humans, but death to a variety of worms that infest our “cabbagey” crops.

I have used Dipel according to package directions to protect my broccoli from cabbage worms and have never had a problem.

Another natural approach to insect control involves “companion planting.” Many gardeners say that marigolds naturally repel insects, and plant them near crops they want to protect. I’ve had mixed results. In one extreme case, I came out one morning to find the heads or my marigolds eaten off! Whether four-legged varmints had swooped down or the bugs were trying to show me up, I never did find out!

As for four-legged varmints, the bad news is that our rainy spring produced lush wild vegetation which is supportive of rabbits. The good news is that our rainy spring produced lush wide vegetation that is supportive of rabbits.

Let me explain: So long as there continues to be enough rain to support such plants as wild clover, our gardens will be in less danger from an assault by bunnies. In drought conditions, everything except our gardens, which we faithfully water, dies back. As long as there’s plenty of natural foodstuff in abundance, the rabbits are generally quite content to stay outside our gardens.

In any case, a natural deterrent to both insects and furry critters can be made of hot sauce, which is very inexpensive and can be bought by the gallon. Just get one of those hose sprayer bottles and use one tablespoon of hot sauce to a gallon of water. Add two or three drops of dishwashing liquid to help the stuff adhere to the plants and spray once a week.

A similar concoction to deter powdery mildew can be made with baking soda. Powdery mildew is that nasty white film you’ll find on things such as squash and pumpkin vines and rose bushes. It eventually will kill squash plants, usually before you’re ready to see them go.

In that same hose sprayer, mentioned above, mix one tablespoon baking soda to the gallon, plus a few drops of dishwashing liquid and spray the plants you want to protect weekly.

If you want to protect crops like lettuce, cabbage and other tender vulnerable plants from rabbits, deer and the like without harming the critters, your might want to invest in an “electronic scarecrow,” a device that attaches to your garden hose and uses a motion sensor.

When the sensor detects movement, the device makes noise and sprays a burst of water. It scares the offending animals without harming them. They run about $70 to $90 apiece and can be found by simply typing “electronic scarecrow” into you Internet search engine. They really work!

Finally, if you choose to use commercial insecticides, do so sparingly and be sure to read the directions on the package to ensure it’s suitable for veggies and just how to apply. If I’m pressed to use this kind of stuff, I use it early on new plants that are the most vulnerable and avoid using it on mature plants that will soon be harvested.

Be especially careful in your use of carbayl (marked as Sevin) because it is toxic to honeybees. Not only are bees beneficial, they already have enough of their own problems!

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