Wise Use of Natural Insecticides

This time of year, organic gardeners are enjoying their vibrantly growing gardens, and maybe not so much enjoying seeing their beautiful plants being eaten by pests! Many natural insecticides are now available on the market, but there are a few things to consider before using them.

Image by Jason A. Samfield via FlickrThe word natural sounds safe and welcoming.  It indicates that something is safe because it comes from nature - it sounds like something you can trust.  But anything used in excess can become a negative thing.  Anything used in the wrong way or in the wrong combination can become harmful.  So it is with natural insecticides.

Wise use means using responsibly.  Wise use means you know how the product can be harmful so that you make no mistakes with it.  Natural insecticides have become more popular as the concern about the earth's safety and preservation has become more and more prevalent.  But natural insecticides can still be damaging to pets, to plants, and even to people if used improperly.

You have to know the proper application, how much to use at a time (more is not always best), and what precautions to take while you are using the insecticide.  If you plan your garden wisely, you may not even need insecticides at all. There are certain plants that repel insects, and many good insects that can safely dispose of the not-so-good ones.

Image via WikipediaFor example, many people think wasps are bad.  And they can be if someone is allergic to them and gets stung.  They can be if a mischievous child irritates them just to see how angry they can get.  But wasps are also good for our environment.  They are not just insects that can harm; they are a positive force as biological control for our agricultural crops.  They help keep caterpillars under control.  If you wonder why this is helpful, ask the farmer or gardener whose crops are ruined by the caterpillars.  If the crops suffer, we suffer as prices rise because of the damage that is done to reduce availability.  Developing a pest management program is wiser than over-use of pesticides, whether they are natural or not.   If you must use a pesticide because of the location of the wasps or because they have become out-of-control around your home or property, at least wise up about the best way to do so.

There are natural insecticides that are so toxic that we must cover our faces to avoid ingestion while using them.  One such product is the dust of diatomaceous earth.  Even though it is a form of calcium, and calcium is a useful mineral, we must take care when applying it for insect control.  The minute particles are not good for our lungs.  Any dust that is inhaled excessively can be harmful. (I use this one a lot - it's not so hard to keep from inhaling it - just be sure not to apply when it is windy!)

Rotenone is a botanical insecticide extracted from the roots of certain plants in Asia and South America.  If you use this substance unwisely, you can damage your fish and beneficial insects.  It causes stomach poison in insects, acts slowly, and loses effectiveness a week after being used on the plants.  But if you inhale unsafe amounts of this insecticide, you could be sick longer than a week.  Wise use of it can control aphids, some beetles, fleas, lice, and some caterpillars.  So, if you don't want to hurt your butterfly population, you may want to choose another type of insect control.

Of course, some natural insecticides are more harmful than others. Some can be very helpful for your garden when other methods have failed. Just remember to always wash your hands, cover your nose and mouth, avoid using them on windy days, and be careful with them around small children and animals.

Organic and Natural Garden Guide for Managing Garden Pests: Part 3

Welcome back!

Today we will wrap up this short series on organic pest control by discussing a few pests that are specific to certain plant types, and what you can do about them. (We’ll also provide a few specific product recommendations.)

Beside those most common pests which attack many kinds of plants, there are special pests for specific plants. Beans have pests of their own; so have potatoes and cabbages. In fact, the vegetable garden has many inhabitants. In the flower garden lice are very bothersome, the cutworm and the slug have a good time there, too, and ants often get very numerous as the season advances. But for real discouraging insect troubles the vegetable garden takes the prize. (Although, if we were going into fruit to any extent, perhaps the vegetable garden would have to take second place to the fruit garden.)

Holes in leaves caused by cabbage worms.

Cabbage Worms
Neem oil is the cabbage worms’ worst enemy, so if you spray them with it, they will be out of your garden in a jiffy. You can usually determine whether cabbage worms are in the garden if you find small green caterpillars and holes on the leaves of your plants. You can also pick them by hand if you are more courageous or if you don’t have neem oil handy at the time of infestation. (Try Green Light Organic Neem Concentrate.)

A common pest in the vegetable garden is the tomato hornworm. This is a Image via Wikipedialarge yellowish or greenish striped worm with a spiked horn on its tail. Tomato hornworms strip the leaves from the plants, and also eat the young fruit. They are usually the same color as the plant, but are generally easy to spot as they are large, so if you see a lot of damage, look for these (they can completely destroy a tomato plant in just a few days, so if you do see a lot of damage, be sure you find the culprit quickly!). Since they are large and usually there are only a couple of them (at first), you can usually pick these by hand and dispose of them quickly.

A great, light green caterpillar is found on celery. This caterpillar may be told by the black bands, one on each ring or segment of its body.

The squash bug may be told by its brown body, which is somewhat flat and diamond-shaped, and by the disagreeable odor it makes when disturbed or killed. The potato bug is another fellow to look out for. It is a beetle with yellow and black stripes down its crusty back. The little green cabbage worm is a perfect nuisance. It is a small caterpillar and smaller than the tomato worm. These are perhaps the most common of garden pests.

Diatomaceous earth (a fine powder made of ground fossils) is an organic substance which may work well for controlling some of these.  This non-toxic powder may be sprinkled on and around plants, and is safe around pets. It works via mechanical means — it gets between the grooves of an insect’s body (or skin), and dessicates it rather quickly. However, it washes off easily, so will need to be re-applied after every rain, or until the problem is gone. (Be sure when using this that you wear gloves and avoid breathing it or getting it in your eyes; although it is non-toxic, it is highly abrasive, and may cause irritation or drying of the skin.) (Look for Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth. You may also want to check out GOING GREEN USING DIATOMACEOUS EARTH HOW-TO TIPS: An Easy Guide Book Using A Safer Alternative, Natural Silica Mineral, Food Grade Insecticide for practical consumer tips, recipes, and methods.)

There are many other kinds of pests that you can control in your garden given the right handy tools and knowledge on how to best eliminate them from your organic garden. For some great tips and recommendations, check out www.newholisticliving.com/sustainablegardening.html 

And be sure to check back next week for our next post  — we will cover some of the benefits of eating organically raised vegetables. Yummy!
Rose.