Good Gardening Practices to Protect Your Environment (Contd.)

Gypsy moths
Sticky tape around tree trunk
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

Cutworms (different treatments for different stages)
Cutworm collars around seedlings
Beneficial nematodes
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

Trichogramma wasps
Grasshoppers, Colorado Potato Beetles, Harlequin Bugs, Japanese Beetles, Striped and Spotted Cucumber Beetles, etc.
Handpick
Beneficial nematodes

Pyrethrum
Neem oil—do not use if near ponds, streams or wetlands
RotenoneS

PLANT DISEASES

Plant diseases can be bacterial, fungal, or viral.

Bacteria cause wilting, galls, rots, blights, or spots. Ways to minimize infection include washing of leaves with soapy water or spraying with a copper formulated product.

Another spray is a mixture of:

1 gallon water +
2 Tbsp. dish detergent +
2 Tbsp. baking soda +
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil.

Fungi cause rot in seeds, roots, and fruits as well as in new growth. Controls include a sulphur dusting powder or spray, copper fungicide, or the above mix.

Clean up garden by removing diseased plant material to reduce fungi.

Prune to increase air circulation.

Viruses cause yellowing, stunting, and malformations of a plant and its leaves. No cure; dispose of plant carefully.

Rotate crops of plants to interrupt life cycles of pests and plant diseases.

WEEDING

A weed is a plant growing in the wrong place. Weeding eliminates competition for space, nutrients and water. Air circulation is improved with weeding which

reduces risk of diseases.

Hand picking before going to seed is the best control environmentally, but most labor intensive.

Mulching is very effective.

Spray weeds with white vinegar. Use weed removal products with low toxicity and rapid decomposition. Always read labels and follow instructions.

Spot spray rather than broadcast. Spray at dusk after bees have returned to their hives.

PRUNING

Prune out dead, diseased or crossing branches.

Pruning correctly may limit insect and disease damage.

Use sharp tools to reduce damage to plants.

Bypass pruners are preferred as they do not mash the stem.

Keep tools clean by dipping in isopropyl alcohol to prevent diseases from spreading from plant to plant.

Prune flowering shrubs right after flowering. Waiting several weeks may eliminate next year’s blooms.

COMPOSTING & RECYCLING

Composting is an essential practice; it reduces waste and creates healthy soil.

The rule of thumb is 2 parts carbon waste such as oak leaves to 1 part green such as plant prunings or non-animal kitchen scraps.

Compost takes anywhere from 1 month to 1 year to make, depending on conditions such as the mixture, temperature of the pile and outdoor temperature, sun/shade, and moisture. Compost is available at garden centers and some city recycling centers.

Garden waste that cannot be recycled in a compost pile due to lack of space should be discarded in biodegradable bags or, if picked up curbside, put into reusable containers such as trash cans.

When possible, purchase plants growing in fiber pots that can decompose in your compost pile or in a pot that can be reused or recycled.

SOURCES

Natural Disease Control by Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) www.bbg.org  718.622.4433

Natural Insect Control: The Ecological Gardener’s Guide to Foiling Pests by BBG

The Natural Lawn and Alternatives by BBG

Going Native Biodiversity in Our Own Backyards by BBG

Butterflies Through Binoculars for East Coast or Florida by Jeffrey Glassberg

Caterpillars by Peterson First Guides/Amy Bartlett Wright

Garden Insect ID and Control Guide by Clemson University/Cooperative Extension Service

Gardens Alive catalogue has environmentally friendly products, 812.537.8650 (Indiana) www.gardensalive.com

American Pie (Public Information on the Environment) 800.320.apie, info@americanpie.org for questions. www.americanpie.org

Invasive Plants; Weeds of the Global Garden by BBG
Invasive Plant List available from GCA or your State’s Native Plant Society or www.aphis.usda.gov/npb/statenw.html

The New American Lawn brochure - GCA’s websites

Courtesy of:

The Garden Club of America
14 East 60th Street
New York, NY 10022
212.753.8287
http://www.gcamerica.org/

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