Eco Gardeners

Japanese beetle season is right around the corner and for those of us who love our roses, crepe myrtles, and ornamental fruit trees, we can only wait to see the detrimental effects made from these disgusting pests.

The key to controlling the quantity and continuous visitation from Japanese beetles is to stop the cycle early. Japanese beetles start out in small quantity- you may see just a bunch of 5-10 on a rose bush. Don’t ignore them! Japanese beetles emit a scent that will keep attracting more and more beetles. Ever wonder why your beetle bags fill up so quickly? The scent draws more and more in from all over your neighborhood.

Organic Japanese beetle control is not as hard as you may think. Here are a few suggestions to help you stop the Japanese beetle cycle so you can enjoy the summer blooming months:

• As soon as you see the first signs of Japanese beetles on your plants, get rid of them immediately so they cannot attract more.
• Work on your Japanese beetles early in the morning so they do not attract more throughout the day.

Ways to get rid of Japanese beetles organically:

• Pick the beetles off of the plants and drop them into a pail of soapy water;
• Choose a non-toxic, natural and safe beetle control. Spray beetles daily for a week until the cycle has been broken. We recommend The Happy Gardener’s Outdoor Foliar Feed- it is 100% vegetable based and will get rid of the beetles on contact, plus it is an effective foliar fertilizer.
• Use a Japanese beetle bag- if you choose this method, place the bag as far away from your gardens as possible since the bags do attract more beetles.
• Use Companion Planting- adding chives and/or lavender to your rose garden will repel the beetles;
• Don’t plant too many Japanese beetle tasty plants together- having 1 or 2 rose bushes or crepe myrtles amongst other plant varieties will help control infestation.
• You may choose to apply a grub control to your lawn such as Milky Spore to stop the grubs before they emerge as beetles.

Organic Gardening Tips – Companion Planting for Pest Control

Companion planting is an effective and chemical-free alternative to pest control.  There are specific plants that can be planted with your vegetables, roses, and shrubs/trees to decrease particular pests.
Here are some companion plants and the pests they repel:

•    Basil – asparagus beetles, tomato heartworms and thrips
•    Green Bean – Colorado potato beetles
•    Nasturtium – Colorado potato beetles and squash bugs
•    Tomato – asparagus beetles
•    Wormwood – slugs
•    Rue – aphids, cats, dogs, Japanese beetles, onion maggots, slugs and snails
•    Anise – aphids, snails and slugs
•    Borage – cabbage worms and tomato heart worms
•    Sage – cabbage loopers, carrot flies, flea beetles, imported cabbage worms and tomato heart worms
•    Thyme – cabbage loopers and white flies
•    Radish – cowpea curculio, cucumber beetles, harlequin bugs, Mexican bean leaf beetles, squash bugs and stink bugs
•    Garlic – aphids, cowpea curculio, flea beetles, Japanese beetles, Mexican been leaf beetles, root maggots, spider mites and squash vine borers
•    Onion – bean leaf beetle, cabbage loopers, carrot flies, flea beetles, harlequin bugs, Mexican bean leaf beetles, mice, rabbits, spider mites and squash vine borers
•    Potato – bean leaf beetles
•    Turnip – bean leaf beetles and harlequin bugs
•    Oleander – codling moths
•    Catnip – aphids, corn earworms, cucumber beetles, flea beetles, Japanese beetles, squash bugs and mice
•    Marigold – aphids, corn earworms, leaf hoppers, Mexican bean leaf beetles, rabbits, squash bugs, thrips and tomato heartworms
•    Hyssop – imported cabbage worms
•    Oregano – cabbage butterflies and cucumber beetles
•    Rosemary – imported cabbage worms and slugs
•    Dill – aphids, cabbage moths and spider mites
•    Lavender – mice, mosquitoes, moths, rabbits and ticks
•    Fennel – aphids, slugs, snails and spider mites
•    Pennyroyal – ants
•    Mint – ants, aphids, cucumber beetles, flea beetles, imported cabbage worms, rodents, squash bugs and white flies
•    Tansy – ants, cucumber beetles, Japanese beetles and squash bugs
•    Coriander/Cilantro – aphids, Colorado potato beetles and spider mites
•    Horseradish – potato beetles
•    Geranium – Japanese beetles, leaf hoppers
•    Butterfly (white) Sage – asparagus beetles
•    Larkspur – Japanese beetles
•    Chives – aphids, Japanese beetles and spider mites
•    Cloves – cowpea curculio, spider mites and squash vine borers
•    Lettuce – carrot flies
•    Petunia – leafhoppers, Mexican bean leaf beetles and squash bugs
•    Parsley – asparagus beetles and carrot flies

On the 8th day til Earth Day my children said to me,

“Our garden should be full of birdies.”

Now is the time to encourage birds to your garden. With the gardening weather finally here, they will appreciate the shelter, food and water you can provide. They will surely repay the favor throughout the summer by becoming your personal eco-garden pest control.
Along with bird houses, bird baths and feeders, the plants you select for your landscape can have a great effect on the number of insect-eating birds who call your garden “home.” I recommend contacting your local extension office for native plant varieties, but here are a few tips on choosing bird-friendly plants:

Plants for Habitat- A wide variety of plants provide nesting sites and protection from predators. Some of the most popular among birds are Wild Lilac, Wax Myrtle, Oaks, Elderberry, Sage, and Willow.

Plants for Nectar- Planted mostly for their value to hummingbirds, nectar-rich plants also attract a variety of insects, which are a food source for hummers as well as other bird species. Examples include Honeysuckle, Salvia, and Fuschia.

Plants for Fruit- Many species of birds depend on the fruit produced by plants for the bulk of their diet. Shrubs such as Wild Grape, Elderberry, Wax Myrtle, Currants and Gooseberries attract an amazing number of birds in their fruiting season.

Plants for Seeds- Plants such as Oaks, Sages and Bunchgrasses produce an abundance of seeds loved by your feathered friends.

THG offers eco-friendly birding products made from 100% recycled milk jugs, water and soda bottles. Click here to view or go to www.thehappygardener.info

Roses are my most favorite flower to grow. They provide the most colorful, perfect blooms that enhance any outdoor or indoor living space. Whether they are growing among your perennials or are the focal point of a formal accent garden or are enjoyed in vases in your home, roses bring a fragrance and beauty like no other horticultural specimen.

Many people are disheartened by the common threat that roses are difficult to maintain. Disease and pests can turn many away from even attempting to grow them.  The thought of using so many harmful chemicals can also discourage the inclusion of rose bushes in the garden.

I have been growing roses for as long as I have been gardening. And I have not used anything other than organic, non-toxic products on them for summertime maintenance and care. Following are some of my tried and true tips for continued beautiful, low-maintenance and ORGANIC roses:

• Condition the Soil: Healthy, organic soil will provide roses with a safe garden home and will encourage healthy, strong stem and leaf growth. Provide a summertime feeding by adding some compost or an organic soil conditioner (I recommend Happy Naturals Soil Conditioner for Roses) around the perimeter of the plant and cultivating it into the top 2-3 inches of soil will give roses a well-deserved boost.
• Water: Roses like to be watered at the roots. Limit water getting on the leaves and stems as humidity and water can lead to fungus and disease.
• Deadhead: Removing dead blooms will encourage reblooming. I recommend pinching spent blooms right off from the base of the bloom leaving as much foliage as possible. After deadheading, water your rose plants with an organic nutrient supplement such as SeaResults Micronutrient Solution.
• Pests and Disease: If you see signs of aphids or Japanese beetles you can either pick them off by hand or use an organic pest control. I recommend Outdoor Foliar Feed as it is made from 100% vegetable oils and takes care of pests and provides nutrients that will enhance leaf color. If you see signs of black spot remove the affected leaves, discard and treat your plant with a fungus preventative to eliminate risk of spreading.

These are some easy ways to keep your roses looking beautiful all summer long. If you have any other questions, feel free to email me at annette@thehappygardener.info or post a comment/question below.

Pest Control for Organic Gardens – Pest Management Rotation System

Have you ever found a great product that controls pests and then one day…poof! It’s like it never worked and the pests are right back again? This pest control immunity is common and is the reason why we recommend a Pest Management Rotation System (PMRS).

A PMRS is simply using an organic pest control product for a two week period, then changing to another product for two weeks and then changing to a third product for two weeks. Rotating over a two-week period through (3) products will keep the pests from getting used to a particular odor/taste and will give you much more effective results.
Here is an example of an effective Pest Management Rotation System for controlling rabbits or deer:

• Foliar Feed Plus Garlic:  For two weeks, apply The Happy Gardener’s Foliar Feed Plus Garlic to your veggies/herbs/shrubs. Apply every three days and immediately after rain.  This product is also excellent for repelling grasshoppers, leaf hoppers, and moles.

• Cayenne Pepper Mix:  For two weeks, apply a mix of water, egg whites and cayenne pepper to the same plants. This mix is especially effective for deterring squirrels and deer.

• Irish Spring Soap Flakes:  For two weeks, scatter Irish Spring Soap flakes/shavings around and amongst the same plants.

Repeat this rotation throughout the growing season.
- The Happy Gardener

Moles can be such a problem for homeowners. They create mounds and tunnels throughout the lawn and devour plant and flower roots and bulbs.

The first step to getting rid of your moles is to understand why they are choosing your garden as their home. Moles feed on the grubs, insects and earthworms living in your garden. The good news is that your soil is inviting to these beneficial micro organisms. However, the bad news is that the moles are crashing the party.

There are several non-toxic, effective ways to get rid of moles.

• Your first consideration should be to control the grub population in your lawn. You can purchase beneficial nematodes to control the grubs. These are microscopic organisms that you spread on the lawn. They infect and kill grubs but are safe for animals and people.
• Another tactic is to flush the mole tunnels with water (best done in the spring).
• You can protect your garden by burying a fencing of tightly woven hardware cloth.
• There are several non-toxic mole repellents available at your local garden center. We recommend The Happy Gardener’s Mole Repellent which is made from 100% vegetable-based, organic certified ingredients and is safe to use around children and pets. It comes in a ready-to-use hose end sprayer and will treat 2500 square feet. The technique is to start applying on 1/3 of the area farthest from the point you are trying to get the moles to exit at. The next day, you do the middle 1/3. The next day you do the last 1/3 and drive them off your property.