Garden chores can be real time-robbers such as plowing, planting, mulching and cultivating. Then there's watering, harvesting and pest patrol. All these chores - the caring for, nuturing and fussing over a plot of ground - are actually a direct intuitive relationship between people and the environment. Without them, the lore of gardening, enriched by the efforts of countless individuals over the years, would be lost.
This six part series will provide some inventive gardening tips that hopefully you will find time-saving.
Bug Detector
If bending over doesn't come easily, use this great homemade tool to detect bugs under plant leaves! Attach an automotive rear-view mirror to a cane handle, or to a hoe blade, or any pole with a bent end. Then as you walk up and down the rows, position the mirrow under the leaves so the mirror faces you and it will be easy to see any bug or egg infestation.Your inspection time is greatly reduced and your back will thank you.
Bug Removal Sucks
If you have a large population of bean beetles or squash bugs, or any bug that you might be hand-removing, here's another great use for your household or portable vacuum cleaner. Using the round attachment, with the soft bristles that don't bruise the tender plants, simply suck the bugs up and when you're done, add a little pesticide in the vacuum bag and dispose of it. A shop vac is not recommended as it's suction is a little too powerful.
Frostproofing
Frost is always a threat to tender young plants. With a made shift cold frame of wood, canvas sheets and broom handles, you can extend your growing season. The wooden frame acts a rack to hold up the canvas which has a about a 3inch hem to hold the broom handles. The broom handles make it easy to roll the canvas up or down over the plants depending on the weather. The canvas tent creates a frostproof environment, but you could also use burlap or bubble wrap instead.
The Great Slug Barrier
Tender young plants make for a slug's smorgasbord. Small individual barriers can be made simply from large plastic pop bottles with the bases cut off. When the temperature is warm, remove the cap for ventilation, and close again when the temperature is cool.
The Buzz about Beeswax
Deer and goats seem to like to eat tree bark and branches. An alternate to pitch and tar remedies, try boiling some beeswax and paint it on the damaged areas. Make sure the wax seals in the surrounding bark as well. If you remove the wax a year later, you will find the tree has repaired itself - yeah for Mother Nature!
Homemade Dormant Oil
Dormant oil is a non-toxic material that can be sprayed on trees and shrubs ideally in the fall after the leaves have fallen, or in the spring before leaves or blossoms appear. A light film will cover aphids, thrips, mealybugs, whitefly, pear psylla, scale, spider mites and the eggs of codling moths, Oriental fruit moths and assorted leaf rollers and cankerworms. This film suffocates them. If you have plants under trees or shrubs you plan to spray, then covering them is a good idea as it can hinder growth of perennials. You can buy this at home improvement stores, discount superstores and nurseries. Apply this before temperatures drop below 40 degrees F.
You can also make your own dormant oil:
1/2 cup fish oil
1/2 cup No. 10 mineral oil
1 cup liquid detergent
2 gallons water
Mix fish oil, mineral oil and detergent thoroughly. Put the water into a bucket and disperse the oil mixture in tiny droplets into the bucket. Pour the liquid into a sprayer. Spray on a calm, sunny day, shaking the sprayer frequently to keep well mixed.
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