Living in Michigan, I've always loved wildlife and I appreciate living in a state
that has so much of it. However, I'd like to watch them outside my garden, not in it!
Many of you seem to have the same problem. Traps that injure, guns and bows
are just not an option so we try all of the other methods that come along. I wanted
to share some tips on how to deter certain garden visitors using safe methods.
Remember though, depending on location and amount of wild food available to them,
some deterrants simply don't work.
VARIOUS PEST TIPS:
-Birds will sometimes pull up sweet corn as it germinates
(plus I've had starlings nip off new plant growth on some
flowers too). If you have this problem sprinkle lime lightly
on the rows and on each side just as the corn is popping
through the ground. This will keep the birds away.
A subscriber asked about treating tomato plants for mites:
You can use soap sprays but they must be sprayed on ALL parts of the
tomato plants--especially the underside of the leaves and then again
2-3 days later. They also are very low on the tomato near the ground--
may be attached to stem with a webbing of sorts. Watch for this and
spray there too.
-a reader had read that flax would keep beetles away
from potatoes and decided to try it. She planted 3 seeds
in each hill, just covering them with a big of dirt. All the
hills with flax had no insect damage at all! Plus the flax
is a pretty blue flower that will add a cheerful look to your
potato hills!
-Wormwood makes a foul smell tea that repels pests!
Add a couple of handfuls of chopped wormwood to a
bucket and cover it with boiling water. Stir it occasionally
until it starts to ferment. At this point you can sprinkle it
on the plants to repel insects on potatoes, eggplant and
okra. It has a sticky residue so it "sticks" to the plants!
-The plastic lids on coffee cans or other products
can be painted with honey or a commercial sticky
solution, and they can be hung in greenhouses to
catch aphids. If the lids are washed regularly they
will last a long time and can be reused over and over.
SLUGS:
-Spreading diatomaceous earth or finely crushed eggshells
to deter slugs is a lot easier if you save your Parmesan
Cheese containers. The holes are large enough to just
"sprinkle" the shells or powder and you can close it up
and store it in the shed until you need to reapply.
I've always loved collecting sweet gum balls (they are small
perfectly round spiky balls that come from the sweet gum
tree) for crafts. The kids love them too! But you can also
use them around your plants to deter the slugs. Ask around,
and if you don't have them on your property, someone who
does would probably be glad to have you pick them up!
-I've always crushed up my egg shells after rinsing and
allowing them to dry to keep slugs away from my hostas
and other plants, but here is another option. Poultry graded
oyster shell is available from most feed stores very cheaply,
and if you use it to cover the soil around the stem of plants,
it will keep away the slugs. They hate it! It's also good for
your soil...unless you have a very alkaline soil already then
you may want to opt for another method.
RABBITS
-A gardener from Wisconsin had trouble with rabbits
eating their vegetable crops and had tried every
solution they read about but none worked until they
tried plain ground black pepper. They sprinkled it
around all the plants and on the plant itself and it
did the trick! Buy the cheapest variety of pepper (
dollar stores are a good place to look) and reapply
when it's washed away by rains. (If you have cats
this isn't a good option if they are in the garden
because it may injure them.)
DEER
Deter Deer: One couple from Louisiana couldn't even
keep the deer out with an electric fence, but baby
powder did the trick! They sprinkled it on the ground
outside the rows of vegetables. They applied again
after rains. The deer stayed away! This tip was from
1984, so I'm sure the baby powder contained talc. You
can find this in dollar stores and pharmacies fairly
cheaply.
RACOONS
Raccoons are another problem for many people, both in the
county and the city. First rule of thumb is to not ever leave food
or garbage out in the open. They are scavengers and will be
looking for food! That is especially important in the city. Motion
sensor lights are something that may work, or may not---but
it's worth a try if you are having problems. Also put in reflectors
that will reflect the light when it comes on to give them a little
added scare. Some people have had success using timed
sprinklers that go off in the evening. For several pests you can
try soaking rags in ammonia and placing in the areas they are
bothering. You'll have to resoak, plus watch that the kids don't
get into these.
ANTS
Ant wars? A very interesting tip on taking ants and soil from
one ant hill and placing it in a second hill, and then doing
the same to a third hill with ants/dirt from the second hill.
Those ants move to the first hill and they all start fighting.
Within a week all three hills were empty (or dead) and the
tip writer didn't see them again!
More ant tips: another person who tried it all to get rid of
fire ants finds a method that worked for them! He stirred
the nests with a stick, then put about an inch of Epsom
salts in and around the hill. He hasn't seen them since.
Do we all wish we had a nickel for every ant tip out there?
It's amazing that with all the technology we have today it's
the home gardener who is coming up with things that work!
Maryeileen shared this with me after reading last week's tip
about using black pepper to deter rabbits: "My concern is that
if there are any cats around, black pepper can be fatal, or make
them very sick". So, if you have kitties please don't use this
method. I wonder if having cats would deter the rabbits?
GRASSHOPPERS
Leonie asked if I could find some tips for deterring grasshoppers.
I had to do some research because we don't really have a problem
with them here. I saw two during the entire summer last year!
Neem Oil-mixing the Neem oil with a fish emulsion/seaweed blend.
Just use the recommended amount per neem and the fish/seaweed
mix, per gallon of water. You may have to reapply after three to four
weeks. I found a few sources mentioning this as controversial, but
nothing conclusive and it is organic. Gardens Alive has neem products:
Chickens and Guinea Fowl love to eat grasshoppers-
if you are set up to have a few this is a great alternative! Also insects
such as paper and parasitic wasps prey on grasshoppers. Try planting
clover, coriander, dill, anise and caraway to attract these. (plus they are
great herbs!). Birds, snakes, toads, and preying mantis love eating them
too so anything you can do to attract this wildlife will help. Set up a bird
feeding area and plant shrubs and plants that are bird friendly.
I'm afraid grasshoppers are hard pests to deter. A
strong pepper and garlic spray was mentioned a few times, but it can
also be damaging to some plants. On very young plants use row covers
to protect. One interesting tip I read is that the eggs die when exposed
to cold. So, in the fall it's important to till the soil. rake your lawns and turn
over the flower beds. Horebound and Calendula are mentioned as herbal
deterrents. Planting a border of both around a garden plot might help
also. Gardener's Supply also carries a powder that is earth friendly.
MOSQUITOES
Do you by any chance have a safe homemade spray for a shrub
that seems to attract mosquitoes? We have grandchildren that
visit and do not want to use anything toxic if we can keep from it.
~Katherine
First, empty ALL standing water in your yard every day. Let the kids
help if they are there, make it a game, but don't allow any water sit.
For the bush try making a garlic pepper spray. Using gloves and
protection for your eyes blend 2 garlic bulbs of garlic and 2 hot
peppers (hotter the better) in a blender 1/2 full of water. Strain the
solids and add enough water to the garlic/pepper juice to make 1
gallon of concentrate. Use 1/4 cup of concentrate per gallon of
spray or you can cut it in half as well. But the first batch is the
CONCENTRATE, not the spray. It's powerful stuff. Keep it up and
label it as you would any garden spray. Try spraying this on the
bush and see if it helps. Clear the kids away first of course:)
GROUNDHOGS
Interesting that you should ask (about cats deterring animal pests)
A friend and I were just commenting on this last Saturday. We have
two indoor/occasional outdoor cats who have eliminated mole, vole
and field mice from our territory so they are good hunters. Also a
neighbor has two tomcats who also hunt. We haven't had any rabbits
for a long time, so maybe its true that cats do deter rabbits. Now what
about groundhogs? We have one fellow in our yard who eats off the
dandelion blossoms which we all thought was cute. Then this morning
he came right up to back porch and feasted on my parsley planter; not
cute! Any tips on deterring these fellows? Traps and shotguns are not
an option........... jmc
Unfortunately groundhogs are a lot harder to deter than rabbits. The
most mentioned deterrent for a garden area is a fence. At least 4
foot tall, and it must be dug 6-12 inches under too to prevent them
from digging underneath it. It should be a mesh type wire such as
chicken wire. A state source out of Ohio even suggested adding a
row of electric wire to the fence row! They are aggressive like you
found out with your parsley! Live traps are another option-sometimes
you can rent them and receive help with removal from animal control
or the state wildlife department. If you have a nature center near by
call them to see if they have suggestions also. Now, in your case, you
mentioned seeing them eating--what could have happened is they
started feeling comfortable munching the dandelions and then eyed
the parsley. Any time you see them go out and scare them away. Try
anything that makes a very loud noise--pennies in a soda can--that
type of thing. If you've only seen one, this may work for you, and nothing
else will be necessary. Yardiac garden center has some products
that may help too.
DISCUSSIONS ON GARDEN PESTS:
Currently we have some discussions going on cats and squirrels
in the garden, and some great advice on non-toxic methods to get
rid of some common critters like earwigs, aphids and beetles.
Click Here!
About the author:
Brenda Hyde is a wife and mom to three living in the Midwest
United States. She is also editor of OldFashionedLiving.com.
Perennial & Landscaping Resources
Spring Hill Nursery
Michigan Bulb
Henry Field's
Gurney's Seed&Nursery
Jacksona
ndPerkins.com
White
Flower Farm
Nature Hills Nursery
