Many customers walk into The Natural Gardener with their baggy or mason jar filled with damaged plants or bugs. There are many options to deal with these pest and disease that do not damage you or the environment. We can help identify your problem and fix it. We also can offer suggestions to make your garden healthy and prevent problems from starting.

Pests

Repeated applications of Nolo Bait, starting at the first sign of small grasshoppers, can significantly control grasshoppers without the use of broad spectrum pesticides. Nolo Bait is a disease for grasshoppers in a wheat flake bait, which grasshoppers readily consume. The disease then spreads throughout the population as new, healthy grasshoppers cannibalize the sick ones. It is safe for use around humans, pets, birds, wildlife and won't contaminate waterways. It won't harm beneficial insects and is widely approved for organic use. Available in one pound, five pound, and larger quantities. During epidemic years, the additional sprays of Kaolin clay can repel grasshoppers and other insects, and the use of lightweight row cover provides a physical barrier.

Not all caterpillars eating the plants in your garden are bad! Some critters will grow up later to be butterflies. This colorful caterpillar munching on dillweed will become a tiger swallowtail butterfly. See our butterfly section for more information on caterpillars that grow up to be beautiful butterflies.

Squash borers can wipe out a good crop of squash in no time flat. The secret is to look out for the early warning signs: wilting leaves and a hole in the stem near the base of the plant with sawdust-looking material coming out. Once detected, the stem can be sliced open lengthwise with a sharp knife, and the little grub can be removed. Soil is then mounded up over the wounded area. An alternative is to inject, using a hypodermic needle, a solution of B.t. (Bacillus thuringensis) weekly into the stem near the base. Some folks recommend completely and snugly wrapping the bottom twelve inches of the stem with strips of aluminum foil.

Diseases

Powdery mildew--this name describes the disease. It is a fungus that affects many plants, most commonly squash family plants and crape myrtle. Plant resistant varieties, and at the first sign spray regular cow’s milk twice weekly as a first step. For stubborn cases, try Potassium Bicarbonate or Organocide as natural fungicides. Good fertility, good air circulation, and regular foliar feeding with Maxicrop Seaweed are all preventative measures.