Posts Tagged ‘pests’

 

Now is the time to buy nematodes…

The warm weather is almost here. Time to care and show off your lawn. We are reposting one of our most read blog post, giving you great advice to achieve the best looking lawn of the season!

Following our blog last week, we received several  emails asking what nematodes  actually look like.  Here are a few pictures.  Keep those inquiries coming!

 

 

Nematodes- Steinernema carpocapsae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nematodes Heterorhabditis bacteriophora

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nematodes Steinernema feltiae

 

Hope all our Canadian readers had a lovely Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving most definitely means fall and fall means winter is next. Alas, it’s time to clean up the garden and tuck it in for the winter, for those of you living in colder climate zones like me.

Did you know that it’s better to prepare roses for the winter after a bit of frost? Read the list below carefully.

8 Important things to remember when putting the garden to bed for winter:

1. A clean garden is a garden with fewer pests & diseases
2. Compost as much as possible; it’s an environmentally friendly practice
3. Cut down those perennials. Cut back stems of herbaceous plants to about 3 inches. Remove annuals
4. Top dress the garden with some compost or manure; this will protect root systems and provide a boost of energy to newly emerging plants when the spring rains come (Top dressing simply means adding a layer of  2 to 3 inches of fresh compost or composted manure on top of your garden bed)
5. Don’t cut back your ornamental grasses until spring; enjoy them throughout the winter (they provide food for wildlife and visual design interest)
6. It’s too early to put the roses to bed right now-wait until the ground has a little frost! Just trim them a bit and continue to enjoy any blooms
7. Mew the lawn one more time before storing the lawn mower
8. It is better to cover your plants with winter protection a tad later than sooner! Overheating causes humidity and thus mould. Better wait until cold weather is here to stay

Once the work is all done, why not take advantage of this time of year to read books about gardening and perhaps even take a course in horticulture to perfect your skills? It is also a good time to pay more attention to your indoor plants.

Here are some pictures I like to share at this time of year:

Empty any decorative containers, clean thoroughly with soap and warm water (only plastics – do not use soap on clay containers) and store over the winter.

It’s still a little early to put your roses to bed – they’ll bloom right up until the end of October!  Enjoy…

Ornamental Grasses will provide much needed interest in the winter…don’t cut them back until spring!

Foliage on the ground.  Good for composting.

Leaves of a Japanese Lilac in the fall. Such a nice scent in the spring! 

Hydrangea (in the wind).  Wait to cut, simply because they are so beautiful. On the other hand, you can cut a few to make for a beautiful indoor bouquet.

Hydrangea in a vase

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The praying mantis is a Kung Fu King – really!  Many martial arts have based defensive strike positions on the stance of the praying mantis.

Although there are many different species worldwide, one of the most familiar to gardeners is Mantis religiosa – or the European Praying Mantis. 

Gardeners purchase this predatory insect in the egg state, or ‘ootheca’ and attach the egg casings to branches and twigs in the spring.  It takes a few weeks of warm weather before the tiny mantis nymphs emerge – then watch out – they’ll be on the prowl.

Mantises are ‘ambush predators’ – they lie in wait for prey and strike with lightening speed.   With the ability to camouflage themselves by appearing as part of a branch, twig or leaf, most unsuspecting prey does not have a chance of survival if they land near a mantis. The mantis holds their prey securely with their two front legs, which are equipped with razor sharp spines.  Next, the mantis will bite the neck of their prey, paralyzing them.  And yes, they usually start to eat them when they are still alive. 

Mantises are true predatory insects – so they will control numerous pests – and the odd non- pest as well.  Predators cannot distinguish between pest and beneficial insect.  Why would you use them in the garden then?  If your garden is experiencing problems with many different pest species, this generalist predator will keep pest populations at a manageable level.

Mantis religiosa - European Praying Mantis adult stage

Mantis religiosa – European Praying Mantis adult stage. The Praying Mantis predator uses its powerful front legs to strike with lightening speed. Image courtesy of: Joseph Berger, www.bugwood.org

Here is an interesting link from Animal Planet in which you can see predatory insects in action:

http://animal.discovery.com/videos/natures-perfect-predators-praying-mantis.html

“Plant Health Care” is a pro-active or best practices approach to developing and maintaining a healthy and productive garden.

The basic concepts of Plant Health Care are: 

1)                 Selecting the right plant for the right location. Choose plant material that is a ‘good fit’ for your garden. All plants have specific light, soil and water requirements.  Getting your plants off to a good start will prevent future headaches.   

2)                 Water deeply once a week. One to two inches of water per week is recommended if there is no rainfall.  Frequent and shallow watering is detrimental to the root system. Roots have ‘memory’ and will remain shallow unless you force them to search for water in the deeper layers of the soil.

3)                 Garden sanitation. Weed and remove spent flower heads regularly. Decaying plant tissue is a perfect medium for fungal spores, and weeds will compete for available water and nutrients.

4)                 Provide good air circulation.  Pests and diseases can spread like wildfire if plants are crowded together – allow your plants the space they deserve.

5)                 Correct Pruning. The removal of diseased, damaged or dead wood does not just improve the architectural form of the plant. Fungal diseases can establish themselves very easily in damaged wood, while wounds in bark and ragged branch cuts are prime real estate for insects to lay eggs.

6)                 Amend your soil. Add organic matter every season to your soil.  This will prevent compaction, regulate soil temperature and retain moisture in the root zone.

Biofloris is pleased to announce its entirely revamped website just in time for spring! Here are a few of its many new features:

• Faster page loading
• Easy to find products organized by category
• History of your orders in the Customers’ section
• Order follow-up by emails including shipment tracking number
• A pest encyclopedia which allows you to readily identify, for example, what aphids look like and what harm they can do to your plants, along with tips as to how to get rid of them
• Customer surveys to give us your feedback

Now that winter is almost behind us and spring is in the air, make sure that you make the most of this time to make a ‘to-do’ list:

• Take stock of your garden tools and vow to replace or sharpen old or damaged tools
• Determine which trees and shrubs will require spring pruning
• Look through garden catalogues for new plant introductions
• Finally – take a deep breath and put a smile on your face – winter will soon be a distant memory!

Did you know that in addition to keeping an organic gardening blog, we are also on Facebook and Twitter?… not only to keep you informed of timely and valuable organic gardening information but also to allow us to hear back from you, our customer.  We also use Facebook and Twitter to tell you about our special promotional offers. 

Speaking of which, the first ten people who join us on Facebook or Twitter starting today will receive a 10% discount on their next biofloris.com purchase. We will notify you by email (Facebook) or direct tweet (Twitter) with your discount code if you are one of the lucky winners.

Check out our new website now by clicking here!  You can meet up with us on Facebook and Twitter by going directly from our home page.

 The Biofloris Team

By 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.