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June 6, 2001 Went To
Bed And Bumped His Head.....
It's A
Wrap!
This nifty trick will prevent insects from getting to your prized buds. Controlling
Critters On Your Cukes... Although there are several insecticides that control the cucumber beetle only a few chemicals can be used on cucurbit plants because of their sensitivity to chemical injury. Application of an insecticide is usually recommended as soon as the plants begin to emerge through the soil. For prevention of bacterial wilt it is often advisable to spray at five day intervals beginning when seedlings emerge or after transplanting and continuing until the vines run. Hand-picking is an organic approach and should be done in the early morning when most feeding occurs. These beetles are easy to kill but reinforcements arriving on the plants make this a very time consuming job. Insecticides labeled for vegetables containing pyrethrum, rotenone, methoxychlor, or carbaryl (Sevin) should control the beetles. As always, follow directions and warnings carefully when using chemicals. If You
See Red You Might Have Mites... First of all, clover mites are harmless. They cannot bite or sting; they do not carry diseases; they do not infest stored foods; they cannot attack the house structure and furnishings. They reproduce outdoors and every mite seen indoors has wandered in from outside. Clover mites are plant feeders only. They feed on sap from grasses and clover, and are especially numerous in lawns with a heavy growth of succulent, well-fertilized grass. They do not cause any apparent harm to turfgrass. Preventing their entry into your dwelling requires a 18-36 inch band of gravel, sand, wood chips, or other non-grassy material around the house foundation. Another approach is growing plants around the foundation that clover mites don't like. These include chrysanthemums, geraniums, petunias, roses, salvias, yews and zinnias. Chemical controls (following labeling directions) include Diazinon, Dursban, Orthene, pyrethrins, and insecticidal soaps. Clover mites already indoors should be removed from fabric surfaces with a vacuum cleaner. Avoid wiping the clover mites as crushing them often creates an undesirable and durable red-brown stain. No
Smoking Please, We're Growing Tomatoes... Any tobacco product including cigars, cigarettes, pipe, and chewing tobacco can be infected with tobacco mosaic virus. Handling these items can contaminate the hands, and subsequent handling of plants results in a transmission of the virus. Thorough hand washing after handling tobacco products is a good preventive measure. Dipping hands in milk prior to handling plants has been reported to reduce the spread of the virus as well. If you find this more convenient than washing please feel free to try it. Erupting
Soon In A Garden Near You...
What's
Hot On The Hotline... Never
Too Wet To Mow... Admittedly wet grass clippings can be a chore to deal with. Make sure your mower's discharge chute doesn't get clogged (clearing it carefully only when the mower is not running). If you don't usually bag your clippings you'll probably want to when it's wet. Otherwise the clippings will get clumpy, look like heck, and may damage the turf they cover. Finally... ~ Aldo Leopold, Writer, 1887-1948 |
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