Suddenly you stop dead in your tracks. “What the…!” You notice bits of broken glass on the ground near where the side window used to be. And there, sitting in the driver seat with a bunch of loose wires in his hand and a smirk on his face is that teenager from down the street. You’ve seen him hanging around the street corner. You’ve heard from neighbors of the trouble he’s caused them. But you never thought you’d catch him red handed trying to take something of yours.

That’s pretty much how you feel when you go out to your garden and see a bunch of pill bugs eating your strawberries, a stinkbug sucking on one of your peaches, or a grasshopper gnawing on your lettuce. To paraphrase that infamous Sith Lord, “Take your pesticide, Strike down the cabbage looper with all of your hatred, and your journey to the dark side will be complete.”

Integrated Pest Management
Fortunately, by utilizing a technique called Integrated Pest Management, we can control pests in our garden without making our backyard a nuclear waste dump. According to the Department of Horticultural Sciences, and the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for the home vegetable garden consists of four key strategies:
1) Plant genetic resistance to pests and disease
2) Biological control (the use of one organism to control another)
3) Environmental and cultural (favorable for the plant, unfavorable for the pest)
4) Chemical

Plan Ahead
IPM starts before you even plant your garden. Choose vegetable varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases or that will continue to grow and produce vegetables in spite of pest damage. Your state Cooperative Extension system is an excellent source of information on vegetable varieties that do best in your area. Check my post from March 2011 for a listing of, and links to, the Cooperative Extension agencies in each state.

Healthy Plants
A healthy plant can better survive pest damage and ward off disease. Place your garden in an area that receives at least 6-8 hours of full sunlight each day. Ensure that the soil in your garden is high in organic matter and drains well. Consider using raised beds. Water your plants deeply and regularly, but don’t over water. To help prevent plant diseases, always water early in the morning so the foliage will have a chance to dry during the day. Consider drip irrigation. Many pests live, and eat, on the underside of foliage. Sometimes just spraying the affected area with a garden hose will at least temporarily wash them off.

Keep the Bugs Out
Keep your garden clean and weed free. Always remove any dead or diseased foliage from your plants, and remove weeds and plant debris from your garden as they can harbor pests. Consider covering your plants with floating row covers. A floating row cover is a lightweight fabric that can be purchased from your local garden supply store. The fabric allows rain, and 85 to 90% of sunlight to penetrate. It can protect your plants from wind damage and offers some moderate frost protection as well. Be sure to uncover your plants when they are flowering so that bees and other pollinators have access.

According to the AgriLIFE EXTENSION, Texas A&M System, an estimated 70% of all plant problems are caused by cultural practices rather than insects and diseases.

Biological Control
Biological control is the use of one organism to help control another. Most pests have natural predators or parasites that can help to keep a pest population in check. Introducing companion plants into your garden can provide a desirable environment for these beneficial predators and parasites. Some companion plants may exude natural chemicals that repel pests. Other companion plants can even be used as a trap crop, a plant that the pest is more attracted to than your vegetables.

Identify the Problem
There are more than 30,000 species of insects found in Texas alone; fewer than 100 of these cause problems in vegetable gardens. These insects come in a vast assortment of sizes, shapes, and colors, and can fly, walk, crawl, or dig their way into your garden. For any given insect species, its appearance and often its mode of transportation will change dramatically as it progresses through its life cycle.

The key to proper identification, and successful control, of pests is early detection. Pests can migrate to, or reproduce in your garden very quickly and in large numbers. If possible, make it part of your daily routine to spend time in your garden each morning. It’s a good time to see how your plants are growing, water your plants, inspect your plants for any signs of pests, and if you’re lucky harvest a few fresh vegetables.

Vegetable IPM website
Here is a link to the Integrated Pest Management for the Home Vegetable Garden website, http://vegetableipm.tamu.edu/. This site will help you identify an insect, both pests and beneficial insects, by its name, a picture, the type of damage it’s doing, or by the vegetable it’s damaging. It also offers different methods of controlling the pests.

Chemical Control
The mention of chemicals to control pests often conjures up images of someone in a HAZMAT suit pumping barrels of highly toxic substances all over your vegetables. But many pesticides are derived from natural substances and are approved for organic gardening usage. The toxicity level of a pesticide is rated by its Lethal Dosage (LD50) Value. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, An LD50 is a standard measurement of acute toxicity that is stated in milligrams (mg) of pesticide per kilogram (kg) of body weight. An LD50 represents the individual dose required to kill 50 percent of a test population. Because LD50 values are standard measurements, it is possible to compare relative toxicities among pesticides.

The lower the LD50 dose, the more toxic the pesticide. A pesticide with an LD50 value of 10 mg/kg is 10 times more toxic than a pesticide with an LD50 of 100 mg/kg. The table below shows the LD50 levels of several chemicals.

Pesticide Acute Toxicity by LD50
Source: Montgomery County Texas Extension

Summary
Do your best to prevent pests before they can do a lot of damage. Attract beneficials to your garden. Have patience. All gardens have at least a few pests. Monitor outbreak areas before you spray. Know your pest. By properly identifying the pest and its current stage of development, the appropriate pesticide can be chosen. Choose a pesticide that kills only the pest and not beneficials.

Trying to use “the force” or a “light saber” to keep pests out of your garden probably won’t work. But a little hard work and a well-planed Integrated Pest Management program will go a long towards ensuring a bountiful garden harvest.

The post Pests: The Dark Side of Gardening first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Having an organized closet makes life easier – both in the morning rush to get out the door and also when trying to find something fabulous for a special occasion.

Digging through shoes or clothes that are not appropriate for cooler weather hinders efficiency and can be frustrating. Use a second closet or plan to store summer clothing in the garage or attic. Follow a few simple tips to ensure clothing comes out of storage next spring in ready-to-wear shape.

* Before storing an item, make sure you will wear it again next year. If it does not fit, is worn out or has lost its fashion appeal, place the shirt, shorts or other clothing item into a “donate” or “throw-away” pile.

* Look over the pieces that will go into storage. Fix buttons or hem lengths now. Then, wash or dry clean everything – make sure the pockets are empty.

* Inventory all clothing and shoes. This will help determine how many storage bags or containers will be needed. Clear plastic containers make it easy to see what is inside, while space-saving plastic bags that allow excess air to be removed can hold bulkier items. Take advantage of seasonal sales to ensure the best price. More money saved now means more money available to spend on the wardrobe later.
* When storing in containers, place a dryer sheet between clothing items to help keep them smelling fresh when brought out of storage in the spring.

* Be mindful of the garment bags and paper products used to store or wrap up fabrics. Plastic dry cleaner bags do not allow fabric to breathe and some papers are acidic, which can cause your clothing to yellow over time.

* To help clothes retain their shape until next spring, carefully fold each item and stack with the heaviest items on bottom. To prevent unnecessary wrinkling, avoid stuffing the pile into the container.

* Keep bugs from snuggling in for the winter and damaging clothing. When the temperatures are low, we are not the only ones spending more time indoors. Insects make there way into your home through cracks and crevices to ride out the cold. Protect any items placed in storage from these home invaders with Ortho Home Defense MAX Perimeter & Indoor Insect Killer. Apply per directions for use by simply spraying a barrier around the exterior perimeter of the home to help keep pests out. Also apply indoors to the perimeter of any storage areas. Doing so will provide up to 12 months of control indoors for listed insects.

* Mice can also harm stored clothing by shredding and staining fabrics. Place Ortho Home Defense Max No Touch Bait Stations along the walls of the basement, attic or garage to protect belongings from possible mouse infestations. These stations are pre-filled so there’s no need to touch the bait.

Proper storage of clothing during the winter months will lead to fewer headaches when it is time to unpack. Following these simple steps can help avoid the frustration of a wardrobe overhaul due to damaged clothing next spring.

The post Tips for Storing Summer Clothes During the Winter Months first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Stink bugs, which get their “smelly” name from the pungent odor they emit when disturbed or squashed, begin looking for warm places to hibernate in preparation for the winter, such as attics, crawl spaces or inside walls. After the fall move-in, homeowners typically don’t notice these brown-colored pests again until they become active in the spring, gathering on walls and near windows looking for an escape route.  

Originally from Asia, brown marmorated stink bugs were first introduced to the U.S. in the late 1990s. Currently, these nuisance pests are in 17 states – mainly east of the Mississippi River. Because they reproduce quickly, stink bugs have the potential to spread to more states, infesting homes along the way.
“Female stink bugs can lay up to 240 eggs in a lifetime, making them nearly impossible to control without a professional’s help once they’ve invaded a home,” says Orkin Mid-Atlantic Region Technical Director Kim Kelley-Tunis. “One of the most important things homeowners can do is pest proof in the fall to prevent stink bugs from entering.”

Kelley-Tunis recommends the following tips to help prevent stink bugs from getting inside your home:

* Use caulking materials to seal any cracks around doors and windows.

* Protect vents in attics and crawl spaces with screens.

* Repair torn or damaged window screens.

* Install weather stripping on doors to seal gaps.

* Eliminate food sources in and around your home, including weeds, overgrown foliage and excess leaves.

* Remove overgrown or dead vegetation around the exterior of your home.

* Contact a licensed pest control professional with experience treating for these pests.  

Don’t let stink bugs ruin your fall season. To receive a free home inspection or for more information on stink bugs, visit www.orkin.com.

The post Don't Let Stink Bugs Hibernate in your Home first appeared on The How Do Gardener.

Deer, in particular, are creatures of habit. Their noses will lead them to return to areas where food is tasty, abundant and safe to forage. Once animals are attracted to an area and begin feeding, it is more difficult to discourage them from returning. Deer have good memories and they learn from each other. When one deer is continually turned away from an area, other deer will be reluctant to enter that area as well.

Deer and other pesky garden visitors use their noses to alert them to nearby danger. Disrupt their sense of security and you’ve achieved the primary factor for turning them away. Research, conducted by the USDA Animal Wildlife Research Center in Olympia, Wash., has proven that odor-based repellents are more effective than other repellent systems, where the animal needs to taste treated plants before being repelled. Studies investigating trends in efficacy of deer repellents indicate that, of the 20 products tested, repellents with active ingredients that emitted sulfurous odors, i.e., bloodmeal or egg solids, generally provided the best results.

Gardeners eager to get those results in their garden have some good options, even if they are concerned about keeping their plots and beds organic. Tree World Plant Care Products, for instance, offers Plantskydd (pronounced “plant-skid”), an Organic Material Review Institute (OMRI)-certified organic repellent that deters deer, rabbits, voles and other small pests. Originally developed in Sweden and now made in the United States, it was the first animal repellent to be listed by OMRI as “safe for organic food production.” “It repels by emitting an odor that browsing animals associate with predator activity – stimulating a fear-based response that will have garden feeders looking for somewhere else to dine,” says Claude Boisvert, president of Tree World.

Remember – foraging animals are creatures of habit. That’s why it’s important to act now to prevent browsing damage. Break their pattern by applying a repellent to your garden and landscape, and you will deter them from your backyard all season long.

Tree World Plant Care Products makes a full line of repellents that are available nationwide at lawn and garden and hardware stores. For more information, visit www.plantskydd.com.

The post Prevent Garden Pests Throughout the Growing Season first appeared on The How Do Gardener.