Posts Tagged ‘environment’

 
Photography via deadbetty

Then, welcome!  The biofloris blog has been in existence for some two years now.  In case this is the first time you are reading it, today’s post is to tell you what it’s about, to “introduce ourselves”.

Biofloris Blog

In a nutshell

Environmentally friendly gardening is what this blog is mainly about. It is punctuated with a few recipes here and there, with garden pictures sent in by readers and with links to terrific articles. While most of our articles tend to be of the “how-to” variety, we like to think that our posts provide a nice blend of “personal experience” and useful information – in three languages: English, Spanish and French.

The Biofloris Blog seems to be the perfect medium for the kind of messages we are seeking to convey. “How can I get rid of those nasty bugs that are bothering me so much?” “What should I do so that my basil leaves don’t have all those holes?” A blog specializing in organic solutions to gardening problems helps spread the word: how to care for your garden without using chemical pesticides.

Pests Insects

After all, it hasn’t yet been that long since regulations prohibiting or limiting chemical pesticides were imposed (2007 for the province of Quebec in Canada for example). Our blog offers readers details to the advice provided by our web site, http://www.biofloris.com/ and by our pest encyclopedia. What’s more, and this is of undeniable value, the blog allows biofloris to gather and share comments and suggestions from our readers.

The kind of advice we provide

• Beneficial insects are an extremely efficient way of controlling and even getting rid of pest insects
• When used properly, non chemical, natural pesticides, such as neem oil or insecticidal soap, tend to be very effective
• It is important to properly assess the damages to plants in order to correctly identify which pest insect or which disease is causing the problem. This, in turn, allows to choose the most efficient solution more easily, i.e. pesticide product or beneficial insect, to remedy the problem.
• Different gardening problems occur at different times of year. Keeping a vigilant eye is key.

Stay tuned for next week’s blog in which we will provide an overview of beneficial insects to use in your garden.

Photos: http://www.biofloris.com/

Earwig/Perce-oreille/Tijereta

Biofloris is pleased to use today’s blog to announce that its Pest Insect section has been translated into Spanish and is now a permanent part of our Spanish blog page. 

Photo: Wikipedia

 http://www.biofloris.com/blog_es/insectos-daninos/ 

White Grub/Ver blanc/Gusano Blanco

The page presents a series of pest insects and diseases (with pictures), the damage they can do along with suggestions on how to control and even eliminate them.

http://www.biofloris.com/pests/?___store=default&SID=e31a9fc3dcfb610780db2bb3ce77f624 

Our many readers know our blog is in three languages, English, French and Spanish.  Our store is in English and French.  Our Facebook friends are from all over the world (check us out http://www.facebook.com/pages/biofloris-organic-gardening-jardinage-biologique-jardineria-ecologica/233231454061) and a great number of them are Spanish-speaking.

Mildew/Mildiou/Mildiu

Biofloris’ passion is organic gardening and we thought it important to communicate efficiently with our Spanish-speaking followers. With the Spanish Pest Insect section, many more people around the world will be able to fully understand the different pest-insect problems we address in our blogs and the solutions we recommend.

Many thanks to our Spanish translator for doing such a terrific job!

By the way, do you know of a pest insect, and a solution to get rid of it organically, that is not in our Pest Insect section? Please write to us (in the “Leave a reply” section below) and we will add it in!

Rust/Rouille/Moho

By Terrie Greco, B.A.; HLT Dip.

Terrie Greco, B.A.; HLT Dip.

Great garden soil is more critical to overall plant health than anything else.  Soil is a living complex teeming with micro-organisms just ready to do their jobs.  A healthy soil can contain millions of beneficial bacteria, funguses, protozoa and nematodes – you get the picture. This complex food web is responsible for making nutrients more available to plants – and we all want healthy plants! How do we get and maintain a strong soil food web?  Adding organic amendments such as compost or manure is the key. Soil is composed of sand, silt and clay in various amounts – in other words – mineral components.  The addition of organic amendments pushes mineral soil particles apart to create pore spaces; increases moisture retention, encourages the growth of beneficial micro-organisms and helps transfer critical nutrients to root systems. If your soil is compacted, the roots have a tough time moving through the soil to access water. Adding soil amendments to your garden beds in the spring and fall creates an environment for your plants that encourages strong root systems, increased plant vigor, and reduces the incidence of pests and diseases.  Top dress flower beds with 1” to 2” of organic matter, or aim to have a ratio of 1/3 organic matter to 2/3 soil in shrub beds.

Remember – your plants can’t pick themselves up and walk away if they don’t like where they live – it’s up to you to provide a healthy environment – and it starts with your soil.

Just a quick reminder to those who are planning their seed purchase…don’t forget to include on your list seeds of plants and flowers which are popular amongst lady bugs. For those gardeners who plan to buy ladybugs as a natural, organic insecticide against a bunch of common pest insects (including aphids, mites, scales, thrips and small insect larvae) that can literally ruin plants, it is important to “welcome” your gardening ally appropriately. Plan now to ensure that the ladybugs you will purchase will feel at home. Remember: if they feel at home, they will stay in your garden rather than fly off to the neighbor’s and they will be of more use to you. The following plants are some which supply ladybugs with pollen:

 Sweet alyssum
 Golden rod
 Daisies
 Yarrow
 Dill
 Mint

Certainly there are other plants ladybugs like. Feel free to add to this list and….thanks in advance!

In certain parts of the northern hemisphere, the early signs of spring are here. Crocuses and snowdrops have been spotted blooming on the Canadian West Coast. One of our readers in BC noticed slugs eating his iris rhizomes, which means now’s probably a good time for him to start laying down Snail Bait. Of course, if you live in the northeastern parts of the continent, you still have a few months before you need to start worrying about slugs….

In the fall, one of my blogs covered the beautiful song about the environment and the importance of protecting and loving it, by Michael Jackson, the Earth Song. Did you happen to catch the beautiful rendition of the Earth Song on Sunday night’s Grammy Awards? Usher, Carried Underwood, Céline Dion, Jennifer Hudson and Smokie Robinson performed Earth Song as a tribute to the late Michael Jackson. The performance was without a doubt one of the best parts of the show, and yet another universal reminder of the importance of treating our physical surroundings well.