|
Post by brownrexx on Mar 22, 2015 16:02:49 GMT -5
This is the first year I have not had fungus gnats in my seed starting mix. I had placed it outside for a couple of nights during that brutal cold we had in February. I am thrilled not to have those pesky gnats.
|
|
|
Post by OregonRed on Mar 22, 2015 16:14:15 GMT -5
I had at least one squirrel in the san diego house, it was the ground burrow type, it lived UNDER the hot tub (empty) I had to bird net the garden to keep it out. it was too smart for a live trap. I relocated to Oregon before I ever caught it.
|
|
|
Post by claude on Mar 22, 2015 20:12:47 GMT -5
Squirrels have a very strong homing instinct ...they can return miles..many miles back to where they were born. A friend had them in the attic vent area of her log cabin. They removed metal mesh again and again, tore holes in the roof..to get back in..it took her years and $$$ to finally get rid of them. She used wildlife experts, consulted with all kinds of builders. They are tenacious buggers.
|
|
|
Post by mrsk on Mar 22, 2015 20:57:38 GMT -5
Mine has been grasshoppers, there have been times that in 3 days they have mowed my garden down. I have tried lots of remedies, but they do not work with a serious infestation.
Last year they were not bad, finger crossed.
|
|
|
Post by claude on Mar 22, 2015 22:20:38 GMT -5
Oh mrs K those beasts have been eating everything until the meadow starts blooming and then it's just hunt and peck. I tried the organic treat wheat that infects them but by the time they shipped the stuff on back order, we had a frost. From what customer service said, it works on the young grasshoppers best and you have to do it when they first emerge and are ravenous. I couldn't figure out what was leveling my green beans...planted them 5x last year. The nasty things ate my carrots, ate the cabbages, chewed thru the FRC..land they haven't reached adult size yet..then I noticed that when the grass became tall on the garden fence all around the garden,, it seemed to cloak the garden and that coincided with the bloom in the meadow. I think that a combination of everything slowed them down long enough for the beans and carrots to rebound. From what I read, they come in 10 year cycles but these water shortages, hotter temperatures and dry conditions are ideal conditions for them. Ugh. i remember how in the pictures of your garden they covered your plants.
|
|
|
Post by James on Mar 23, 2015 0:48:30 GMT -5
Where I grew up if critters (rock chucks, squirrels, skunks etc.) were getting in the garden it was time to get out the shotgun. Get rid of them. Catch and release? Unheard of.
That has pretty much stuck with me. The deer are the only exclusions. They get a marble shot at them with a wrist rocket. That gets them moving.
A dog tethered near the garden may help. When out on the lot by the river, I staked a cable along the side of the garden with a pulley and a short chain attached to tie the dog to. Now he had the run up the one side of the garden. He kept most of the larger critters out.
|
|
|
Post by kimmsr🕊 on Mar 23, 2015 6:22:34 GMT -5
Many people think that a dog, tethered, is a deterrent but there are enough videos out there that show the wild life standing just out of reach of the dogs and teasing them until the dogs give up and slink away.
Farmerkevin, what do you know about whiteflies? What do you know about Aphids? What affect does plant nutrition have on these pests being attracted to the plants? What has soil tests told you about the soil these plants are growing in?
|
|
|
Post by brownrexx on Mar 23, 2015 7:26:55 GMT -5
At my Dad's house we began to notice holes in the vinyl screens on his windows. I asked the builder about it and he said that grasshoppers do it. They really are destructive.
|
|