Phil The Gardener’s Blog
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What is your most pressing question that you have about your garden or landscape?
May 16th, 2007
This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 16th, 2007 at and is filed under General Garden Questions, General Yard Questions, Lawn, Pests, Trees, Water. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 18th, 2007 at
Phil,
I recently noticed aphids on my honeysuckle vine. Are there any natural methods of control for this pest.
May 18th, 2007 at
Aphids look so harmless, and yet they can do amazing damage to plants.
They can be controlled in a number of ways that are natural or organic:
Use a strong jet of water from a hose, spraying both upper and lower leaf
surfaces and stem joints.
Insecticidal soap or liquid hand soap mixed with water can be sprayed on
aphids. If you use insecticidal soap make sure you apply it according to
the directions on the container.
You can dust the effected plants with Rotenone or silicon dioxide
(diatomaceous earth) for effective control.
Predatory insects such as ladybugs and lacewings can be purchased at
some garden centers, usually in late spring. These predatory insects can
be released in the garden to feed on aphids.
May 21st, 2007 at
Joyce from Walnut Creek, CA, asks how to keep her weeds from
growing in between the bricks and in her driveway.
You can apply Corn Gluten Meal as a preemergent before the
weeds begin to sprout around daffodil bloom time. By this time of
year the weeds are already working their way thru the cracks. You
can use glyphosate better known as Roundup. As with any
chemical, Read the label, follow the label, including the protective
clothing and eyewear. Keep your kids and dog away from the
treated area for a couple of hours until the product dries. This will
prevent tracking the spray and possibly leaving tracks of dead
grass in your lawn. The results will be dead weeds and another
happy gardener.