8 Ways to Keep Your Garden Healthy the Healthy Way

Believe it or not, spring is right around the corner! (This seems like a very long, curving, painful corner… but it’s around the corner nonetheless.) And in springtime, we start thinking about our lawn and garden. When the weather does get warmer, the bugs will be out to enjoy that warm weather too.

But how can we safely get rid of the pests that destroy our gardens?

More and more, people are becoming concerned with herbicides and pesticides and their toxins as more and more, we’re coming to realize how dangerous they really are.

We found some natural remedies on msn.com.  Check them out!

• To get rid of caterpillars, leaf hoppers, spiter mites and white flies: HOT PEPPER / GARLIC SPRAY

This recipe repels, and sometimes kills, bugs with its strong natural compounds. In fact, some companies are making it due to it’s effectiveness!

Recipe:

1.) In a blender, blend together several cloves of garlic, one or two hot peppers (or a few teaspoons of ground cayenne pepper) and a quart of water.

2.) Strain the mixture through cheesecloth and let sit overnight.  A few drops of liquid soap added to the mixture may help it to stick to the plants – but be careful because this could also harm the plants.

3.) Wear plastic goggles and some rubber gloves. Put the mixture into a spray bottle and spray it everywhere – even on the underside of the leaves. This remedy could be effective for up to 2 weeks if the conditions are not rainy.

• To get rid of Aphids and soft bugs: LISTERINE

Mix a cup of listerine with a gallon of water.  Add a little big of liquid soap to help it stick to the plants.  Spray it on the plants, leaves stems and fruit.

• To ger rid of general insects and fungus on leaves: TEA TREE OIL

Mix 2 tablespoons of tea tree oil with 2 cups of water and place in a spray bottle. Srapy in targeted areas.  Chris Field, author of “How to Master Organic Gardening” says that this concoction also works great as an antiseptic and air freshener.

• To get rid of weeds: VINEGAR

Make a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water.  This is a great method for getting rid of plants with long taproots, such as dandelions, dock and plantain.  The weeds will be dead within days.

• To get rid of soft-bodied insects – aphids, caterpillars and spider mites: VEGETABLE OIL

1.) Mix 1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

2.) Take 2 1/2 teaspons of the mix and add it to a spray bottle with 1 cup of water. If you’re covering a large area with the mix, put 3/4 cup of the mix in a gallon of water in a backpack sprayer.

This concoction will smother soft-bodied insects, however they can be damaging to some plants.  If you haven’t used this before, test it out on a few leaves and wait a day.  If the leaves look wilted or burned, your plant is too sensitive for this remedy!

• To get rid of those annoying walkway weeks: SALT

Sprinkle rock salt on garden paths to keep weeds at bay.  You can also use it to create a barrier in areas you cant get to with your mower.  Table sald or pool salt also work – they are just more expensive.  But be careful, because salt can erode concrete and ground you sprinkle with it will remain barren.

• To get rid of ants: SOAP AND CORNMEAL

1.) Remove temptations drawing the ants in.

2.) Seal off entryways.

3.) Use soapy water, either in a spray bottle or on a sponge, to erase the chemical trail that the line of ants follow.  You can also use this to drench outside nests, killing some ants and making others relocate.

4.) Blow a desiccating dust like garden or food grade diatomoceous earth into cracks and crevices that the ants are using.  These dusts cause the ants to lose moisture, thereby killing them.

5.) Sprinkle cornmeal around the outside of your home. Make sure you do this when it’s not raining out. Raw cream of wheat could be used in substitution.  Ants will eat this and it will cause them to be thirsty.  They will swell and die as they’re going for water.

• To make your lawn healthy: COMPOST TEA

1.) Add a bucket of compost (old leaves, stalks, etc.) to a large container and add an equal amount of water.  Let it soak for a few days.  Drain the mixture through burlap or a screen. 

2.) Use a backpack sprayer or a hose-end sprayer to dilute the tea over the lawn.  You’ll be giving your lawn lots of nutrients, bacteria and fungi from the compost.  This is a great way to help your lawn transition from the unhealthy fertilizer/herbicide it’s addicted to to a healthy, organic lawn!

Avoid using insecticides and herbicides by keeping insects and plant diseases to a minimum.  Regularly pluck unhealthy leaves from your plants to keep disease from spreading.  Use your hose to give a quick spray to plants, deterring or killing soft-bodied insects. Planting anis or catnip nearby will also deter some bugs.

Gardening season is upon us, and we all want our pretty flowers on display outside. Try things the natural way!

Information can be found at http://realestate.msn.com/8-homemade-lawn-and-pest-remedies#2

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