Organic Pest Control Tips from Schmeg.com

  

Floating Row Covers and Other Barriers-
Floating row covers (such as Reemay and Kimberly Farm) are industry's gift to organic gardeners. They let the sun, rain, and air through, but provide total protection from invading insects. Spread them loosely over seedbeds or young plants and anchor the edges all around with soil or by stapling them to boards or lengths of old hose. Leave enough extra material so the cover can "grow" with the plants.

Other barriers, such as cardboard tubes, copper strips, and diatomaceous earth, also keep certain pests away from your plants.

Traps-
Sticky yellow rectangles are useful for trapping a number of flying pests, including white flies. Staple a cotton ball soaked with clove or allspice oil onto a sticky yellow trap to catch cucumber beetles. Sticky white traps work for fleas beetles. Hang or stake traps a few inches above the top of the infested plants. Replace them when they are filled or no longer sticky to the touch.

Non-Toxic Sprays-
Water can drive certain pests away. Two other common household substances are also potent pesticides. Soap kills certain insects by dissolving their protective coatings. Commercial insecticidal soap is the most reliable, but you can experiment with liquid soap (not detergent). Oil kills insects by clogging their breathing pores and smothering them. Choose a highly refined summer oil or use cooking oil. For a double-whammy, mix 1 tablespoon of liquid soap with 1 cup of cooking oil. Use 1 to 3 teaspoons of the soap-oil mix per cup of water to make a spray. Test it on a few leaves and wait a day to be sure it doesn't burn the leaves before you spray the whole plant.

Natural Poisons-
Natural pesticides are used only as a last resort when you would otherwise lose an entire crop. Rotenone, sabadilla, pyrethrin, ryania, and neem are insect poisons produced by plants. They are reasonably harmless to humans and other creatures. Organic gardeners use them because they break down rapidly in the environment. This doesn't mean they are totally safe. Use rubber gloves, a dust mask, goggles, and long sleeves when mixing and spraying them-and always fol low the label instructions.

21 PESKY PESTS-
Here are 21 of the most common vegetable garden pests and how to control diem organically.

Caterpillars and "Worms"- Caterpillars grow up to be beautiful butterflies and mysterious moths, but a few types can devour your vegetable plants with astonishing speed. Here's how to deal with the most common pests:

-Cabbageworms and cabbage loopers eat ragged holes in cabbage, broccoli, and other cabbage-family plant leaves. They also munch into broccoli heads, where they are hard to see and harder to remove before harvest. Cover seedbeds or transplants with foating row covers to exclude the egg-laying moths. You can leave the row covers on until harvest. Spray uncovered plants with BT once or twice a week if you see damage or worms.

-Cabbage maggots chew through the roots of cabbage, broccoli, and other cabbage-family plants, causing the plants to wilt and die. Cover seedbeds or transplants with floating row covers to exclude the egg-laying moths. Covers can be removed after a month or so. Treat infested soil with beneficial nematodes.

-Carrot weevils tunnel through carrots, leaving a maze of tiny brown tunnels. Cover seedbeds with floating row covers to exclude the egg-laying flies. Leave covers on until harvest. Resistant varieties are available. Treat infested soil with beneficial nematodes.

-Corn earworms and European corn borers specialize in corn, but will eat peppers and tomatoes also. Choose varieties with tight husks to minimize damage. Once the worms are inside the ears, they are very hard to control, so start control measures early in the season. Check the topmost, upright leaves of young corn plants twice a week. Spray the entire plant once or twice a week with BT if you find holes or worms. Sprinkle or spray just the newly emerged silks with BT, then put a few drops of mineral oil on the browning silks a few days later.

-Cutworms clip off young plants near the soil line. Put 2-inch-long cardboard tube collars around transplants, pressing them about 1 inch into the soil. Treat infested soil with parasitic nematodes or sprinkle BT bait on the surface a week before planting.

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