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.
20.05.2024 - 15:33 / gardenadvice.co.uk / GardenAdvice
An Eco-Friendly Solution for slugsSlugs are a common garden pest, notorious for wreaking havoc on plants and crops. They leave unsightly trails of slime and damage leaves, stems, and roots, which can significantly reduce garden yields. Traditional chemical pesticides can be harmful to the environment, beneficial insects, and even pets. However, a natural and effective alternative exists in the form of nematodes, specifically Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita, which offer an eco-friendly solution to slug control.
Nematodes are microscopic, worm-like organisms found naturally in soil. They play a crucial role in the ecosystem, helping to decompose organic matter and controlling pest populations. Among the thousands of species of nematodes, Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita is particularly effective against slugs. These beneficial nematodes are parasitic to slugs and work by infecting and killing them, thereby reducing their numbers in your garden.
When applied to the soil, nematodes seek out slugs by following the slime trails they leave behind. Upon locating a slug, the nematodes enter the slug’s body through its respiratory opening and release bacteria that kill the host within a few days. The nematodes then reproduce inside the dead slug, releasing a new generation of nematodes into the soil to continue the cycle. This method provides a long-term solution as the nematodes persist in the soil, offering continuous protection against slug infestations.
While nematodes occur naturally in the soil, their numbers may not always be sufficient to control a large slug population effectively. Gardeners can enhance natural nematode populations by
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?
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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.
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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