Gardening Tips
At Down 2 Earth we believe in solving gardening problems with pests and insects in a natural and environmentally friendly way which is helpful for your garden. We have listed some gardening tips which we use for your garden.
Aphids, Spider Mites and white flies
Mix 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon of liquid dish-washing soap (Palmolive), 1 diced clove of garlic, and 1 onion slice combined with 1 liter of water. Ensure that the entire plant I covered concentrating on the underside of the leaves. The aphids must come into contact with the soap solution in order to achieve full effectiveness. After a few hours, wash off the solution with a garden host. Repeat application every few days as necessary.
Another useful remedy is to soak a cotton ball, or spray ½ a cup of running alcohol in\to 2 cups of water to the entire affected plant area. En\sure that the top, bottom and stem surfaces are wet. Repeat every 3 days for 2 weeks. If soap or alcohol solution is left on the leaves, leaf burning may occur.
Slugs and Snail
Keep shaded area weed free which will reduce slug population. If you see holes in your Hosta leaves or other plants or glistening slime trails: Trap slug and snails by pouring beer in a shallow pan or flat container and bury the container so the lip is at ground level. Place several containers throughout the garden in open areas. Beer is effective for approximately three days before it loses its potency. Another effective option is to crush egg shells or spread copper pennies around the plants.
Moles, Gopher, Ground Squirrels, Raccoons
Place pieces of jalapeño peppers with 4 inches of where they are invading OR place human or animal hair around the area where they are prone to be.
Grubs
Check for grubs by cutting into the lawn near the edge of a brown area and lifting the sod. If it comes up easily, you’ve got grubs. You’ll see milky-white, worm like creatures with brown heads curled into a C shape. A remedy is to combine nematodes with water and apply to the soil in the spring or fall. Wait a couple of days and reseed or replant any damaged areas.
Fruit Flies
Fill up a saucer of some cheap white wine, add a little detergent to it and leave it around for the flies to drink and depart it's life.
Other Pests
Earwigs
Earwigs are attracted to fish oil. Therefore a useful method to trap the earwigs is to place fish oil in a shallow container and bury the shallow container up to the lip.
