Fungus gnats – the little buggers that find your houseplants. They love to visit seedlings and can even infest your larger houseplants. They fly all over the house and drive gardeners crazy. The first step in getting rid of them is to understand their life cycle. Knowing how they live will help you avoid common mistakes that make them worse.
I watched an interesting video describing the fact that pests don’t feed on healthy plants. How do you measure plant health? Simple. Just take a Brix reading.
Around the same time I became aware of the fact that spraying molasses on plants not only increases Brix values but also creates healthier plants with fewer pests. This has become a very popular technique among dahlia growers and seems to have some support from gardeners.
Let’s dig into the connection between Brix, molasses and pests.
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Ladybugs, also called lady beetles, ladybirds and ladybird beetles, are one of the gardeners best friends because they eat aphids and other pests. What attracts these beneficial insects to your garden? Is it the plants or the aphids? Are there plants you can grow which will bring more into your garden?
Now that sounds crazy! You are trying to get rid of slugs and snails and now some people are suggesting you feed them with bread dough? This sounds like another DIY garden myth, but it’s not. In this case it is a simple solution that has been scientifically tested and proven to work.
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Some gardeners must hate ants because they are constantly talking about natural ways to get rid of them in the garden. If you thought home remedies are popular for things like slugs or weeds, it doesn’t compare to the number of solutions available for getting rid of ants naturally.
A lot of research has been done on fire ants, and for good reason. They bite and sting and their sting is painful.
What does the science tell us about controlling ants outside? Let’s have a closer look at natural home remedies for getting rid of ants.
Garlic crops are now at risk from the destructive leek moth, a pest known for causing significant damage and reducing yields. If you’re noticing holes in your garlic leaves or frass (insect excrement), you might be dealing with this moth. It’s crucial to identify and prevent these pests early on to ensure a healthy and bountiful garlic harvest.
The leek moth also attacks onions and leeks and the information in this post also applies to these crops.
Voles or moles – which one is damaging your lawn and garden? They can be tricky to get rid of but before you do anything, figure out which you have and understand these interesting animals better.
Once you understand the problem you can look for the right solution. I’ll discuss some options in this post.
Mosquitoes are a pain for every gardener, and over the years a number of plants have been recommended to repel mosquitoes. Almost all of these plants are fragrant and include such things as catnip, citronella grass, beebalm, marigolds, lemon balm, lavender, geraniums, thyme, wormwood, rosemary and various mints. If you plant these in your garden you will have less mosquitoes – or so the proponents claim.
Will plants growing in your garden or on your deck keep mosquitoes away?
Do you hate strange cats using your yard as a personal litter box? You’re not alone. Keeping cats out of your garden is a big problem that comes up all the time on social media.
In this post I’ll examine the many proposals for controlling cats to see which ones actually work. Spoiler alert – most suggests are just myths and don’t work or are not practical, but some are worth trying.
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Wasps can be dangerous during the day, but what about at night? Do they sleep? Do they come out of the nest after dark? Are you less likely to get stung at this time of day? A better understanding of wasp activity at night will help you deal with nests.
I was cruising the internet and found a few myths about ticks so I decided to do a blog post about them. Then I did more search and found a lot more misinformation about ticks. Funny how quickly people make up stuff and how easily it is spread by the powerful internet.
Ticks can be a concern. Lyme disease is real. But a lot of what you’ve heard is bunk!
Mosquitoes are a big problem in many places and ticks are becoming an even bigger concern. Fire ants are more localized but they can be a real problem in the garden. Both folklore and modern day experiences suggest a remedy for these pests based on callicarpa, the beautyberry. Some people plant it in the garden to reduce insect numbers. Others prepare various concoctions to spread on clothing or skin to keep pests off and some just rub the leaves on their skin for a similar effect. One person even reported that she eats the berries and never gets bit!
What does the science say?
