GardenFoundation LLC: Garden Log, July 2001

Bird Call
Are hungry birds beating you to your food crops? It sure can seem unfair when the birds sample or take all the yummy fruits of your labor. You can't really blame the birds, they like tasty goodies just as we do! However, it makes no sense to do your best to grow a nice crop for you & your family, only to have it stolen or destroyed before you have a chance to benefit from it. It's one thing to share, it's another to get ripped off! Below you will find some illustrations of "scare devices" that may work to protect your garden from hungry birds. Be advised that if you use these items, you will scare all the birds everywhere, so if you have bird feeders or bird baths, they'll probably go unused. Also, if you rely on birds as a method of pest control (as I do), using these devices will increase your population of pest insects. And finally, many of the highly intelligent birds, such as starlings, jays, magpies, and crows, will quickly learn that the scare devices are harmless. Don't be surprised if these birds eventually lose their fear and return to the feast. If that's the case in your garden, or if you don't want to use any scare tactics at all, you may want to rely on bird netting. Bird netting is quite effective, although you may lose some of the crop located right next to the netting. The only significant drawback is that some birds might get their legs entangled, therefore, please be sure you do a net patrol every day, just to make sure no little birdies are caught.

The following items are available from Gardener's Supply Company Go to their website & click on "Pest Control", or type in the name of the item in their search box.

Powdery mildew is a common garden disease that frequently starts to cause problems in early to mid-summer, continuing through fall. It is most active during periods of warm days and cool, damp or humid nights. There are many different types of powdery mildew. And amazingly, one infected leaf can give off 100 million spores. WOW! Powdery mildew is sometimes a sign that a garden or plant is not receiving enough air circulation (or maybe not enough sunlight). If the infection is mild, powdery mildew can and should be tolerated, since a mild infection doesn't really harm a plant, it just looks a little unattractive. No need to start spraying chemicals and polluting the environment for a few unsightly leaves. However, if the infection becomes disfiguring or severe, then steps need to be taken to control it.

First of all, correct the environmental conditions which may be causing the disease. If you're watering the leaves of the infected plant(s), stop this practice immediately, as this may be spreading the spores. If your plants are overcrowded and suffering from poor air circulation, buckle down and do some thinning; transplant some to a different area of your garden, find a friend who needs a few plants, or even consider getting rid of the plants altogether. If there are trees or shrubs that have grown to the point they are blocking the light to your garden, get out the pruners & loppers and see if you can open them up. But sometimes the right choice is the hardest - getting rid of the plant(s) that are prone to infection & reinfection. Maybe you'll want to replace them with a similar plant that resists powdery mildew. Also, when Fall comes around, don't let the infected plant's fallen leaves overwinter on the ground. Pick them up & put them in the trash, not the compost pile.

Your next step in controlling powdery mildew is to apply lime-sulfur or regular garden sulfur (wettable or powder). Be extremely cautious about using these products during hot weather! Also be cautious if the product contains copper, since many plants have a sensitivity to copper. The most effective would be to apply lime-sulfur as a dormant spray during the winter & spring months, before the disease has a chance to get a good foothold. But if it's too late for that, then using sulfur now will help to curb the fungus. You'll probably want to use it every two weeks, give or take, until the fungus is controlled (either stopped or slowed). At that point you may want to stop with the sulfur, or perhaps just go to using it monthly or "as needed".

This is the time of year when catepillars really start to help themselves to your garden, eating their way from one side to the other. If you have a butterfly garden, this isn't a problem for you, because you know what caterpillars turn in to. Also, if you only have a couple of caterpillars here & there, again, you don't have a problem. But sometimes caterpillars (of any kind) can really cause major damage to a garden. They can defoliate & kill your plants (especially in the case of Gypsy Moth caterpillars). They can crawl inside your flowers or crops and destroy them. BLECH!

If you don't have enough birds & wasps in your garden to help you keep caterpillars damage to a minimum, you may need to resort to spraying. WAIT! Did I just say that? Yes, I did, because I'm talking about spraying with Bacillus thurengiensis. Bacillus thurengiensis, Bt, is a naturally occurring bacterial toxin that is harmless to humans and other forms of life, but will kill caterpillars who eat a leaf coated with the stuff. It is harmless to all creatures except the targeted pest. You can find products containing Bt for sale at garden centers or from mail order suppliers (click images at left). Bt will not kill caterpillars right away, but they do stop feeding shortly after they ingest it, and will die within a few days.

Right now Bt is in the news, receiving both high praises and strong condemnations. Organic farmers & gardeners love Bt, because it is effective and safe for humans. However, there is a great deal of concern these days about food plants that have been genetically modified to contain a "Bt gene". It is important to note that there is a difference between using Bt selectively in your garden, versus thousands upon thousands of acres of farmland planted with genetically engineered crops. Because I am not a scientist, I don't feel qualified to offer a valid opinion on this subject. However, despite my enthusiasm for using Bt sprays in my garden, I do feel a great sense of apprehension about genetically engineered foods in general, and the Bt gene food concept, in particular, makes me very uncomfortable.

(PS - A quick tip for keeping corn earworms out of the corn is to put a few drops of mineral oil into the base of the silks.)

Soap Spray For Bug Control
Do you have a mild to moderate pest insect problem? Or, are you looking for an alternative to the nuke-'em all toxic stuff sold at your local garden center? Or, are you just not feeling like spending any money for pesticides? If any of these situations are yours, I have a tip that's really going to help! Soapy water! Yes, that's right - soapy water. Just plain old soapy water. Sometimes this is the only thing you'll need to use in your garden!

First, you'll need some kind of spray applicator, either a hand-held mister or a 1 gallon, pressurized, hand-pump sprayer (best option). Then, simply add 1 - 3 tablespoons of liquid dishwashing soap to a gallon of water, mix thoroughly, and then spray away. (Do not use dishwashing machine liquid or anti-bacterial dishwashing soap!) Make sure you cover the top AND bottom of the leaves & stems, soaking the plant & the pests thoroughly. The first time you do this it's better to go for the lower amount of soap, rather than the higher, as some plants don't like soap at all. If, after one week, you observe no damage to your plants, and if you still have a pest problem, you can spray again. If you are expecting very hot weather, do not use soapy water, because it might interfere with the plant's ability to cope with the temperature.

It is vitally important that you make absolutely sure no soap spray or residue has contact with frogs, toads, or other amphibians, nor should any soap or soap residue be used where it might drip or wash into amphibian habitat, like a pond. Soap can seriously harm amphibians.

© Copyright 2000 - Judy J. Crawford - GardenFoundation LLC Last revised: September 03, 2001.

© Copyright 2000 - Judy J. Crawford - GardenFoundation LLC
Last revised: September 03, 2001.