Invasive Plants
Garden Pests and Solutions
©, 2004, The Homemaker’s Journal
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DISCLAIMER: The tips and articles found in this e-book should be read with your own discretion and common sense. The Homemaker’s Journal assumes no responsibility for any problems that may arise from anything read in this e-book.
Bug Spray Recipes
Anti-aphid Elixir
1 orange or grapefruit1 pt water
Invasive Plants
Grate the rind of an orange or grapefruit. Mix with water. Let sit for 12
hours. Strain Spray. Linda
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Two Homemade Bug Sprays
REPLIES: *I received a miniature rosebush from some of my coworkers when my mom died. I repotted it and placed it on my terrace. Within about 2 weeks it was covered with green a white crawly things - I suppose they were aphids. I took an old spray bottle and put about two drops of dish soap and 1 or 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar; then filled the bottle. Fill slowly or the dish soap will just make a bottle full of bubbles! Each day I would spray my plants liberally with this solution. It took about 3 or 4 days of spraying before they were gone. If you mist your plants you’re going to have to keep reapplying. But rosebushes (I read) don't like there leaves wet so it’s been about a month and I haven't seen any bugs come back.
3 TBSP. baking soda, 2 TBSP. Murphy's Oil Soap, 2 TBSP. canola oil, 2 TBSP. vinegar,
2 gal. of warm water.
Mix all together and mist spray your plants to the point of runoff.
For aphids, blend together in a blender 1 small onion, 2 medium cloves of garlic, 1 TBSP. liquid dish soap and 2 cups of water. Strain out the pulp and put the liquid into a spray bottle and mist-spray your plants.
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Insecticide Soap
1 tsp. liquid soap 1 qt. water. few drops veggie oil.
Shake well and spray on plants until it drips. Wait 10 minutes. Rinse.
I also put ammonia in the water with the soap and not oil. But with the ammonia you must wash off before harsh sun hits the plant. Linda
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Ants do not like regular table salt. I don't suggest you mix it in with your garden soil, but if you were to pour a line of salt around your garden, they usually will not walk over it. I tried this at my doorways and no more ants inside the house.
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I get ants by mixing orange marmalade (any sugary fruit gel would work) and mixing boric acid with it. The ants take it home and die off. Put it where no other critters can get to it.
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This is an insect spray to use on houseplants. You could use it on other insects found in your house. 1 quart of warm water 5 drops of liquid soap 5 drops of ammonia 1 drop Listerine mouthwash Mix all ingredients and pour into spray bottle. For best results, use immediately.
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Two Solution for Ants Eating Plant Leaves
The Question: Does anyone have a solution for ants that are eating all the leaves on my outdoor flowers
etc.? I have powdered them with cayenne powder but that doesn't seem to be helping.
REPLY: Ants and Cockroach Spray 1 crushed clove of garlic 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper 1 quart of water. Steep for 1 hour and then add: 1 tablespoon of liquid soap. Then take the mixture and spray it around the house.
Spray Tansy inhibits feeding. Cover 1 cup chopped tansy with 2 cups hot water. Cool, strain, spray. Good fly and insect repellent.
Two Ways to Deter Cats from the Garden:
*You can buy a container of Critter Ridder from your garden supply store and sprinkle it around on the soil. Also red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. This only works until it rains or until you turn over the soil - then you have to sprinkle again. It worked for me.
You can also use newspaper and mulch: Spread 10-12 sheets thickness of newspaper around your plants (only with black ink, no coloured ink - I.e. cut out the coloured pictures and ads) and then spread a layer of bark mulch over top. This helps prevent weeds, reduces the amount of watering, and covers the soil that cats like to dig in. To be extra sure, sprinkle your mulch with Critter Ridder, red pepper flakes, or cayenne.
*I use a citrus mixture to keep cats and dogs out of my gardens. Works well for me, hopefully it will help you also. I use the 1 part citrus 4 parts water mixture but you may have to play with it to get the right mixture for you.
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Four Solutions for How to Safely Stop Cats from Chewing on Plants
The Question: Does anyone know how to safely (to my cats & plants) stop my cats from chewing on my plants? I know some plants are harmful to animals & none of my 4 cats have gotten sick, so I guess they are not that kind, but my plants now look horrible because of the chewed off leaves. Any help at all would be appreciated!!!
REPLIES: *How about growing them their own plant? Catnip, oatgrass, etc. Nancy in NJ
*Spray the plants with a product made from bitter apple. It won't harm the cats or the plants but animals absolutely hate it. It's available at most pet stores and online usually advertised as an obedience training tool.
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Two Solutions for Keeping Cats Out of Raised Beds
The Question: Does anyone know of a way to keep cats out of raised beds that have not been planted yet?
REPLIES: *Place river rock in your beds.
*To keep out the cats, place screen, chicken wire or something similar over the bed. Sure keeps them from digging!
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Ways to Deter Deer (7 replies)
The Question: I have recently moved into my home and have discovered that deer are frequently in my back yard at night, I usually find their droppings and hoof prints as I walk across the yard to feed the birds. I read somewhere that there is a plant I can place along the back fence to ward them off.
Apparently, they don’t like the smell of this plant, but I can’t remember what it is. Is there anyone that knows the name of this plant? Can anyone possibly help me with this?
The Replies:
*Deer are simple to keep off of certain plants, or out of a garden. I know of 2 ways to keep them away.
First, you can plant garlic in between the plants that you do not want touched. Or, there are garlic clips for sale that attach to plant’s leaves. (My mother has had great luck with these on her tomato and pole bean plants.)
Second, My grandmother used to take old stockings and fill them with human hair from her hair dresser's salon. She would hang them off of her rhododendrons and the deer never touched the plants that had the hair bags on them. But, they would eat any that did not.
* My father-in-law always has huge beds of marigolds around his garden and the deer and the raccoons have a field day in the ripe corn anyway. We've never found anything that keeps them away. If you plant it they will come. Have a good day. Noelle
* Foxglove is a plant that deters deer. The plant contains digitalis. The dried leaves contain substances that are used as heart stimulants. Deer do not like it. HJ Zatkoff
* Hi, I have a friend here in Montana that has gardened for years. She doesn't fence her garden and never has deer problems. She takes Irish Spring bar soap and cuts it in small squares and puts a hole in each.
Then she puts a string or wire in the hole and tries it to a stake. She puts the stakes around the garden but not close like a fence. Just a few stakes, and she says the deer won't go past the stake. I mentioned this to another friend and she says it really does work. It's worth a try. CR
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Advice for Ridding Centipedes (1 reply)
The Question: We are having a problem with small centipedes. I don't know if it is due to the many large pine trees on our lot. There are thousands and they seem to be especially active at night. Thank you for all your help.
REPLY:
*I share your frustration! Had them by the millions! I took one to the local health department and they told me what they were and gave me a sheet with names of ingredients found in bug killers that were effective in killing them. This service was free! Do you have wood chips, mulch, or plastic down to kill weeds? If so, you need to get rid of it. When you take it up, you will find a million more! I spray 1x month with these products and it seems to be working.
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Gnat Riddance from Potted Plants (4 replies)
The Question: I have several small potted plants around my house and each time I water them, I find that I have a ton of gnats that start flying around. They have never been placed outside so I don’t know how they got started in the pots and would love to know if anyone else has this problem. What is a good way to get rid of them? I have a very curious cat, so I don’t want to use any pesticides in my house. Thank you to anyone who is able to help!
REPLIES:
*I read a tip somewhere to put gravel (like for fish tanks) on top of the soil. Completely cover the soil and she will not have anymore gnats!!! I had the same problem and since I did this, I have not had even one gnat!!! Kathy
*They could be gnats, a.k.a. fungus gnats, or whiteflies. Each requires a different control mechanism.
However, each could be brought under control if not eradicated by repotting BUT using clean pots, fresh potting soil and any drainage needs to be fresh as well. Then be sure to rinse off all traces of dirt and bugs
from the plants before repotting. This will be a shock to the plants and they might not do so well. If fungus gnats they are eating dead organic material AND the roots and crown of the plant and they tend to be in plants like African violet where the moisture is held in by the over hang of leaf and there are lots of dead parts underneath the living ones. The best cure here is to a QT of WARM water (think 110-130) add TWO drops dish detergent OR 2 TBS Safer's insecticidal Soap, or 1 TBS household bleach and mix well. Drench the soil with the solution and discard the runoff and drench again until the mix is gone. Do this for EACH plant.
If they are whiteflies, the cure isn't so simple. They like to feast on the underside of leaves and at the crown, flying up at the approach of anyone or anything, making them hard to kill. Two things work fairly well with this, one is to make the plants cold -- refrigerate them for hours at a time -- like maybe overnight. The other is to get an oily scale spray and hit your plants with this recognizing it can cause some cosmetic damage. Scale is another pesty thing that is hard to get rid of. And this seems the only cure.
Personally, unless they are prized or valued plants, I'd toss them into compost and buy new ones and new pots in a couple of months when you are sure the flying things are all gone, because the cure for each is quite different. Gib, Ft.Hood, CenTex
*A solution that I have found to gnats that hang around fruit or potted houseplants is apple cider vinegar.
Just set a cup or bowl nearby with apple cider vinegar about halfway up and many will be attracted to it and die there. I heard that they like the rotting fruit scent that is in the apple cider vinegar. We had a bigger than usual problem with them this year perhaps because of the drought. The traps do work but may take a few weeks to get them all. Hope this helps. Your cyber friend, Patty.
*A small dish of apple cider vinegar with a drop of dish soap in it will get rid of gnats. I use it every summer when I start bringing in fresh veggies and fruit from the garden. kim
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Homemade Remedies to Rid Squash Bugs (3 replies)
The Question: I have a real problem. Every year I plant pumpkins, cucumbers, melons, squash, etc. and every year the squash bugs (not beetles) come through and kill everything. A pumpkin will come on the vine and they will suck on it until it dies. It is really depressing. If I use Sevin dust or spray, Malathion or one of the commercial bug killers I end up killing the bees, flies and ants which pollinate the plants. Can anyone offer any "homemade" or "homegrown" ideas that can help me? I am at my wits end. Thank you for taking the time to help me. Deb Moore
I used to have the same problem with squash bugs. Putting an old board near the plants does seem to help.
They will get under the board and in the morning go into the garden and shake them off. I used to do this over our burn barrel.
Try laying pumpkins, or any squash, on a bed of sand when they start to grow. At least it helps with slugs.
I have the same problem, only with Cucumber Beetles (yellow and black). I use a commercial powdered poison, "Bug B Gone" on the vines, not the flowers. The following year, I try to plant the pumpkins, squash, etc., in a different part of the garden.
Also, if the weather cooperates and we have a hard winter with very low temperatures, it kills most of the bugs for the following year.
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How to Deter Grasshoppers (3 replies)
We have sandy soil, which attracts grasshoppers in the summer. Last summer they got in the garden and ate the blooms off of everything. What can I put on the lawn to get rid of or not have them come in my yard anymore? I am not sure why they are attracted to our area. I would like any help. Thank You,…
I had that problem last year. WE found a spray at Wal-Mart called SEVIN. It's a pesticide that is about the only one proven to deter grasshoppers, and as I remember it was completely safe for humans… whatever that means. It worked really well, we went from like 200 on the back of our house, to like 50 in a matter of hours.
I did some research about the grasshoppers we had, and they feed on Fescue Grass, that's why they were so bad at our house. Good luck!
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Make sure to keep the weeds out of your garden and mow (keep the grass short) around the garden. Also put up bird houses to attract birds to come and help you get rid of the pests. Grasshoppers seem to come in cycles, more in dry years.
Running an organic farm, we encounter many pests and we have to be careful as to what we use. If you are not afraid to use a pre-made product, the only REAL safe product that can be used on you, furniture and all plants is SEVIN dust or liquid. It is wonderful stuff and as we have to come up to codes, it is the only pesticide that we can use. It works well.
You can even dilute it to make a topical spray for your pets to keep off ticks and fleas! It can also help to get rid of head lice during the school year. Simply spray or fling the dust on the plants. Everything skeedaddles quickly. It can even kill larva.
If you don’t like the thought of using that, try IVORY DISHWASHING LIQUID or IVORY SNOW (powder or liquid). Mix up twice strength in a bucket and spray on the bloom areas. If you are lucky enough, spray at least 1-2 tablespoons of fertilizer in remaining liquid and spray around the bases and the ground around the plant. The fertilizer will be time released and keep bugs away. The soap makes it sticky and stays in place. julie
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How to Rid Ants from Pots (4 replies)
The Question: I have 2 potted indoor plants (a Ficus and an Umbrella Tree). I had put them outdoors during the nice weather and their growth took off :) But the only problem is that for some strange reason they are infested with ants! What can I use in the pots that won't kill the plants but will kill the ants?
The Replies:
*As a last ditch effort to rid our dog kennel of fleas I sprinkled the garden pest killer "Sevin-5" in all the cracks. The packaging says it is safe to comb into dogs coats and the other people I have talked to at the garden center told me it was about the safest thing to use in my garden considering I have 2 puppies and 3 young boys in my backyard all the time!! Pick some up at the store and read the packaging regarding use for both the fleas riddance and the ants in your houseplants. It says it will kill both -- and is safe for houseplants and ornamentals. I would think as long as children are not eating leaves off your Ficus tree, it