Last week we took the opportunity to reintroduce ourselves, for the benefit of first time readers.  As promised in that blog, today we are posting a brief overview of the five most popular beneficial insects for your garden. The text was actually published last July on our blog site and we are reproducing parts of it here today:

“Introducing beneficial insects to the garden to keep insect pests in check is the best way to becoming more environmentally friendly.  Biofloris is committed to providing the highest quality beneficials for the garden as well as educational support for release and establishment in your garden.

Quick reminder:

• A predator in this context is an insect that catches and consumes other insects (prey). Please click here for more information on pest insects.
• A parasitizer in this context is an insect that inserts it’s own eggs into the larva or egg of another host and consumes the host internally

Convergent Lady Beetles, Lady Birds, Lady Bugs (Hippodamia convergens)

Convergent Lady Beetles, Lady Birds, Lady Bugs

Of all the beneficial insects around, the convergent Lady Bug is probably the most familiar to homeowners and children alike as a friend to your garden.  Both the larva and adult have a voracious appetite for many different species of aphids; so encouraging these pretty little beetles in the garden makes good sense. The only drawback is that it is often difficult to find them in local stores or garden centers…

Beneficial Nematodes (Steinernema carpocapsae & Heterohabditis bacteriophora)

Beneficial nematodes

…to control various lawn grubs such as Japanese Beetle, June Beetle and European Chafer.  These microscopic worms are a powerful tool to grub control if released under the right conditions. …

Brown Lacewings (Hemerobius spp.)

Brown Lacewings

Unlike the more familiar green lacewings, brown lacewings are active at night.  They control numerous garden pests such as mites, leafhoppers, mealybugs, thrips and whitefly.

Parasitic Wasps (Trichogramma spp.)

Parasitic Wasps

This is one of the smallest parasitic wasps around, and the best thing about this wasp is that it parasitizes over 200 different spp. of moth and butterfly eggs before the larva emerge and damage plant foliage.

Praying Mantis (Mantis spp.)

Praying Mantis

A fascinating appearance and front legs that strike with lightening speed, these highly predacious insects feed on flies, moths, crickets and grasshoppers, to name just a few.  They generally are more easily established in gardens using organic practices…”

http://www.biofloris.com/blog_en/2010/07/beneficial-insects-for-the-garden/

Next week, we’ll provide a brief reminder as to how to ensure proper application of beneficial insects in your garden.

In my blog last week, I closed off by saying that the best types of fertilizers for indoor plants are those which come in liquid or powder form.

Of course, to choose a fertilizer, you must take into account your plant’s needs. For example, if your plant is about to flower, then a fertilizer with a stronger concentration of potash will encourage plant vigor. On the other hand, if you find that the leaves of a given plant are beginning to look anemic, a fertilizer with a stronger concentration of nitrogen would be better.

Also, of course, organic fertilizers are what I recommend.

Fertilizers which come in pellet form, used for outdoor gardening, are not recommended for indoor plants because they take too long to dissolve.

There are no strict rules when it comes to the frequency at which you should fertilize indoor plants, except in those cases when artificial lighting is widely used. Because plants exposed to artificial light are constantly exposed to light, they cannot really differentiate between seasons and/or day and night. Therefore, they can be fertilized once a week; however, be sure to water them with clear water at least every four to six weeks in order to get rid of excess fertilizing matter present in the soil.

Plants exposed to natural (sun) light do not need to be fertilized as often. A good time to fertilize is when you start noticing that your plant star to form new leaves. It is not always necessary to follow product instructions. Many times, you will be the best judge of when it is opportune to apply fertilizer. It is a good idea to fertilize a flowering plant repeatedly when buds start to show, right until the actual appearance of the flower. Plants with large leaves tend to grow more slowly and require fertilization only about every three months or so. However, the sudden yellowing of these plants’ leaves may be a signal that fertilization is called for.

For more information on fertilizers, simply click here.

The contents of this blog were inspired by a section in a book written by Joan Lee Faust given to me as a birthday present some years ago.