DIY part3

DIY part 3 – The bio pest control – companion planting, crop rotation , Good bugs and attracting birds. Knowing your plant diseases – garlic, neem sprays etc.

Tender greens appreciate a little shelter from the scorching summer sun. Constructing this sturdy shade tent is a quick and easy way to extend your harvest of crops that prefer cooler weather. As fall moves in, you can swap out the shade cloth for row-cover fabric to keep your crops out of the cold.

you will need:
• 1/2- or 3/4-inch-diameter durable plastic tubing
• 18-inch bamboo or rebar stakes (2 for each tubing arch)
• 72-inch-wide, 30 to 50 percent shade cloth, cut to the length of the bed
• Garden clips (3 for each tubing arch: medium size for 1/2-inch tubing; large for 3/4-inch tubing)

1. Cut the tubing into 5- to 6-foot lengths, or lengths that will allow the tubing to arch about a foot above your plants.

2. Pound the stakes into the ground along the sides of the bed so that about 10 inches of each stake is exposed. Position them across from each other, every 3 to 4 feet.

3. Arch the tubing over the bed and secure it by sliding the ends over the stakes.

4. Drape your shade cloth over the arches, allowing the fabric to cover the entire bed. Cut to fit.

5. Attach the shade cloth to the tubing with the clips--instant shade in your sunny garden!


Now that plants are up and about, try taking some care of them.
Apart from the mulching and the regular poking around in the garden, you’ll be able to prevent any other problems by knowing what they could be.

Keep these in mind as well –

- feed the plant with fertilizer and water – but do not over feed. Check the soil and plant before you put in either. Water the plants in the sun more frequently.
- Rule of thumb - flowering plants need more light while foliage and ferns do well in shade.
- Repot plants once a year and watch out for them getting too cramped up in the pots. Give the bigger plants bigger pots.

Common bugs and Treatments
Aphids
They are the small white, green, black, brown or organge pest which form clusters on tips of leaves and flower buds.

- a strong spray of water/ a good shower for the plant.

Mealy bugs –
Tiny tufts of white cotton in sheltered are of stems or underside of leaves.

- apply alcohol to individual mealybugs with a cotton swabs.

Scales – Sticky specks on leaves and stems.

- Rub these off or sun the plant out.

Whiteflies – White specks hanging around your plant.

- Spray with neem/ Garlic spray

Mites – Too small to see, but a fine rubbing over damages and mottled, stippled leaves indicates their presence.

- Strong spray of water is enough.

Or prevent these completely by mixing these up with your crops.

To Repel Ants
• Catnip
• Mint

To Repel Aphids
• Catnip
• Chives keep aphids away from tomatoes , grapes
• Dill
• Garlic keeps aphids off roses.
• Coriander
• Mint
• Nasturtiums deter wooly aphids
• Peppermint
• Petunia, not all aphids

To Repel Asparagus Beetle
• Petunia

To Repel Bean Beetles
• Rosemary

To Repel Beetles
• Hemp
• Sage

To Repel Black Fly
• Rhubarb keeps black fly off beans

To Repel Cabbage Moth
• Mint deters white cabbage moth
• Oregano repels cabbage butterfly from broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.
• Peppermint deters white cabbage moth
• Rosemary
• Sage

To Repel Cabbage Worm
• Geranium
• Thyme

To Repel Carrot Fly
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Rosemary
• Beetles

To Repel Chinch Bug
• Soybean

To Repel Cucumber Beetle
• Nasturtiums
• Oregano to repel cucumber beetle from cucumber
• Radish

To Repel Fish Moth
• Rue

To Repel Fleas
• Lavender
• Mint

To Repel Flea Beetles
• Peppermint
• Mint
• Rue
• Sage repels black flea beetles

To Repel Flies
• Basil
To Repel Hornworm
•
• Opal Basil

To Repel Japanese Beetle
• Chives
• Garlic
• Geranium
• Soybean

To Repel Japanese Rust Fly
• Chives

To Repel Leafhoppers
• Petunias

To Repel Mexican Bean Beetle
• Petunia

To Repel Mice
• Catnip
• Mint deters rodents

To Repel Mosquitoes
• Basil

To Repel Moths
• Lavendar

To Repel Nematodes
• Marigolds
• Chrysanthemums
• Dahlias

To Repel Onion Maggot
• Rue

To Repel Potato Beetle
• Coriander
• Horseradish

To Repel Root Maggots
• Garlic

To Repel Rust Fly
• Radish

To Repel Slugs
• Rue

To Repel Snails
• Garlic
• Rue

To Repel Spider Mites
• Coriander
• Dill

To Repel Squash Bug
• Nasturtiums
• Radish
To Repel Thrips
• Basil
To Repel Tomato Worms
• Petunia
To Repel Weevils
• Catnip
To Repel Whiteflies
• Nasturtiums
Spiders are beneficial inhabitants of any garden, ecosystem, or home because of their important contributions to biological control of pest insects. Spiders are considered to be the most important terrestrial predators, eating tons of pest insects or other small arthropods every year. Spiders are generalist predators that are willing to eat almost any insect they can catch. They are abundant and found in most habitats. They only need to be left alone!

Get them bugs and them birds.

Some good insects and birds eat up and chase away the rest. And the rest help in pollination, so welcome them into your garden. Here are some things to do –

- Don' t use chemicals around the garden.
- Keep the armies of ants in check with vinegar.
- Add a few shallow bowls of water with pebbles sand and seeds, rice, dry corn and broken wheat around the garden – within the beds and tree branches.

The good bugs – lace wings to kill aphids, praying mantises, bees, lady bugs, wasps and beetles.
Butterflies are nice but the caterpillars aren’t.
Look out for yellow globules on or under the leaves – clean them out or pluck out the leaves.
Bio medicines-

Most bugs can be kept away with few strong sprays of water on the plants. But these make for nice medicinal sprays –
Sulfur, lime, neem, onion, marigolds and garlic.
Spray only the plants that show signs of diseases or infections

To make garlic spray –
Combine 3 part minced garlic cloves with of 1 part mineral oil and soak for 24 hours. Strain and dilute it with water and its ready to use.

A saucer filled with beer in the beds keeps the snails away.

Woodash which makes for a great fertilizer, get it from the dhobis.

Mulching keeps the weeds away and keep the plants from getting too wet.

Rotation of crops can be good to keep diseases in control as well, pretty much in this order –

Legumes (peas and beans) – brassicas (lettuce, broccoli, leafy vegetable) - Heavy crops (tomato, egg plant, capsicum, pumpkin, sweet corn) – root crops (potatoes, carrots etc)