Women Homeowners Network of Santa Cruz

There are many non-toxic easy ways to keep your garden happy and healthy. 

First thing is to understand that a few pests are okay and even the strongest of chemical sprays, liquids, and powders will not kill off every single pest in your yard.  In fact, most sprays in the end work against your idea by killing off all of the insect predators, leaving your yard wide open to all the critters from the houses around you.  As a mom, I want to feel safe that what I’m doing to keep my vegetables happy is not hurting my children or my pets.  Here are a couple of my favorite mixes: 

Aphids and other crawling insects:
First method – spray plant with water, yes just water.  With any infestation there will be some beneficial insects, the water will knock everyone off and they will have to crawl back up to do any more damage.  Also if ants are present they are the ones putting aphids all over you plants in the first place.  Keep ants off of the plant by putting something sticky, like Vaseline, on the plant where there are climbing on.

Second method – add 2 spoonfuls of plain dish soap to a large spray bottle of water. Wait for evening or foggy conditions and soak the plant top and bottom.  Rinse off with fresh water in 20 minutes.  This will also kill beneficial insects so use for heavy infestations to get things in control.  Also washing the soap off is important since any left on the plant will clog the pores on the leaves and cause leaf drop.

Powdery mildew, rust, and black spot:
These common fungi love the foggy conditions of Santa Cruz and are common in every garden I tend to.  Keeping them at bay first involves cleaning up any leaf drop that could contain the spores.  Next is to spray with this basic household solution:  1 tablespoon of each baking soda, white vinegar, and canola oil, mixed in 1 gal of water.  Add to spray bottle and coat leaves top and bottom in the evening or foggy conditions.  In direct sun the oil will cause leaf burn.  This also does a number on aphids and other pests.

Tune in next time to how to attract beneficial insects.

Contact Diane Flowers, Sol Inspirations, 877-377-9347