Natural Slug Control with Nematodes

When bugs and critters are ruining youral fresco dinners, backyard plants, or countertop fruit baskets, it's tempting to turn to DIY pest solutions that promise to banish them in an instant.

If you’d asked me a decade ago how I fare with houseplants, I would have told you, without question, the answer is horrible. Every plant I brought home seemed to die, no matter what.

Are you curious about how to get rid of slugs naturally? Slugs and snails might be lovable for their cute storybook-character looks and because they’re just cool creatures. But slugs and snails in the garden that are eating away at your plants are not so lovable: Along with those adorable optic tentacles comes a voracious mouth that files through leaves and fruit, ruining it for the rest of us.

I SUSPECT every gardener has for years now over and again heard the warnings about the most widely used pesticides in the United States, neonicotinoids—or neonics for short. In 2013, the American Bird Conservancy issued a report warning of their impact on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and especially the ripple effect their use was having on birds. The Conservancy has issued an updated report with a telling headline, “Neonicotinoid Insecticides failing to come to grips with a predictable environmental disaster.” So where are we now with limiting the use of these pesticides and what can we as citizens and gardeners do to help in the effort?

Kim Cornelison

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to get exclusive access to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show? Well, your dreams have come true because in this exclusive interview we got an all-access pass to THE horticultural event of the year thanks to Annie Guilfoyle, a 2024 judge. Annie is co-founder of Garden Masterclass in the UK and an award wining garden designer who earned a Silver Medal at Cheslea years ago for her innovative landscape design. Annie is just back from the show this year and shares details from her favorite gardens, interesting new plants that caught her attention, and even some celebrity gossip from those stars that were in attendance at the show. (Spoiler alert: she did not  see Lady Whistledown at the Bridgerton -themed garden). We discussed how native plants and sustainable practices played a role in this year’s event and talk about themes of water conservation and hardscape upcycling.   

How to Identify and Control Hollyhock Weevils Rhopalapion longirostre

Long before modern pharmaceutical companies did their best to persuade us to rely on a battery of synthetic chemicals to treat pests and diseases, gardeners used a wide variety of planet-friendly methods to keep our plants hale and hearty, utilising natural materials found close to hand. Great for plant and soil health and kind to the environment. They’re also cheap and easy to make.

Gnats are irritating little creatures that can crop up in your home looking for produce, flowers, houseplants, and any other exposed foodstuff to munch on. At worst, you can wind up with a pregnant gnat laying as many as 300 eggs in your house.So, if you have even the slightest gnat infestation, it's important to get rid of them fast.

Collaborative post

Summer temperatures are here. This also means more weeds, insects, and other pests in yards. It is tempting to spray pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc.) in the yard while wearing shorts and short-sleeve shirts. Is this safe, though?

DAVIDsTEA; Design: Better Homes & Gardens