PEST AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT

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Matilda Perry
5 years ago
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METHODS AND PRODUCTS Green City Growers only uses pesticide products that are OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) certified for organic use.

1 METHODS AND PRODUCTS Green City Growers only uses pesticide products that are OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) certified for organic use. However, just because a product is organic doesn t mean it is benign. Pesticides and commercial products typically have a rating system: Caution (Category III), Warning (Category II), or danger (Category I). Any pesticide with a warning label of any kind should be used with care. GCG only uses products that have a Caution label or are labeled as Category III. Anything with a Category I or II label we choose not to use for the complete safety of people of all ages, as we prefer not to use anything that we wouldn t want garden education participants to use safely. In addition to some pesticides, GCG also uses a variety of home remedies and prevention techniques. The following is our own internal rating system of all our pest management strategies. On the commercial level, the category warning system measures negative effects on humans, but we want gardeners to be aware of any negative affects on beneficial insects, too. Hence our own rating system. BENINGN (GREEN) Great to use as often as needed. Minimal if any negative affects. USE ONLY AS NEEDED (YELLOW) Shouldn t use all the time. Use on specific plants or at certain times. Sometimes harms beneficial insects under certain circumstances. CAUTION ADVISED (RED) Kills beneficial insects. Not good for humans, but not toxic. Use caution when handling. GREEN CITY GROWERS REMEDIES Since 2008, farmers on the Green City Growers horticultural team have been testing new methods of organic pest and disease management. Methods starred with an asterisk have been researched and developed at GCG Headquarters.

2 WATER SPRAY - GREEN Spray a strong jet of water on areas where pests are located. This works particularly well for aphids. They attach their mouthparts into the leaves and then are ripped free when the water is sprayed. Other bugs like spider mites and thrips do not like wet environments. Spraying water is a very simply way to knock down pest populations. Sometimes this simple management is enough to prevent the pest from taking the upper hand. REMOVE N SQUISH - GREEN Remove and squish bugs and eggs as you see them. True for caterpillars, beetles, aphids, slugs, and other large bugs and their eggs that can be removed easily. Either squish directly or put in a bucket of soapy water to let them expire on their own. Caution: Make sure the bug is a pest! There are many look-alikes in the bug world. LADYBUGS - GREEN Ladybugs or ladybeetles can be ordered in the mail for the garden. The larvae and adults eat aphids, mites, thrips, whiteflies and insect eggs. The larvae are the most voracious of the two, crawling over every surface of the leaf and eating pests as they find them. Commercial Names: Order ladybugs from Peaceful Valley Supply, Hired Bugs, or other garden supply centers. ALCOHOL/SOAP SPRAY* - GREEN 1 cup rubbing alcohol 2-3 cups water 1/2 tsp. soap (not detergent) The soap makes the spray stick to the bug, and as the alcohol evaporates it dries the bug out eventually killing it. Too high a concentration of alcohol can harm the surface of some sensitive plants so always test a small amount first, then spray. Alcohol/soap spray works for well for aphids, spider mites, thrips and other small soft-bodied insects.

3 MILK AND BAKING SODA SPRAY* - GREEN Great preventative for fungal diseases. The milk appears to disinfect the leaf as it dries and the baking soda changes the ph of the leaves to make it less habitable for certain fungal diseases. Best used as a preventative for powdery mildew, bacterial leaf spot, and other fungal diseases common on plants in the nightshade family (such as tomatoes) and the cucurbits family (such as zucchini). COYOTE, FOX, AND BOBCAT SCENTS - GREEN Use scents from various animal predators to scare off various garden animal pests such as rabbit, chipmunk, squirrel, gopher, groundhog, mole, shrew, deer, and voles, among others. Typically the scent is the urine smell of a predator. These products can come as a spray or powder to apply around the edge of the garden area and encourage animal pests to stay away because they think a predator is nearby. Commercial Names: Shake Away ANIMAL REPELLENTS - GREEN Animal repellents use ingredients that are distasteful, pungent or sharp-smelling or uncomfortable to touch. Some ingredients include garlic oil, hot pepper, castor oil, herb extracts or rotten egg solids to name a few. These types of sprays are applied around the edge of the garden (not directly on the plants themselves). Small animals approach the garden and either are detracted by the scent itself or when sniffing close to the bed, get the sharp taste or scent on their sensitive noses. These products do not harm the animals, but act as a strong deterrent to the garden. Commercial Names: Mole Max, Repells All FOLIAR CALCIUM SPRAY - GREEN Foliar calcium sprays are applied to the leaves and fruit of fruiting crops such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants to help increase fruit production. A common problem we see in tomatoes is blossom end rot, and calcium spray can be used directly on the leaves to prevent the problem. Commercial Names: Rot Stop, Calcium 25

4 COMPOST TEA - GREEN Compost tea acts as both fertilizer and disease prevention. Compost tea inoculates leaves and soil with microbial communities that provide a line of defense against bacterial and fungal invaders. KAOLIN CLAY - YELLOW Kaolin clay spray is the tiny kaolin clay particles mixed with water. Kaolin clay is also used as a preservative in food products and also in other home products like toothpaste. (1) Spraying kaolin clay diluted with water on vegetables creates a barrier and prevents insects from laying their eggs and/or eating the plants and its fruit and leaves. Kaolin clay prevents insects from laying eggs or eating the leaves, as the tiny particle irritate them. Spray to coat leaves on all sides. Kaolin clay is great for protecting young cucumber plants from cucumber beetle (and the diseases they can transmit). It also protects against caterpillars, mites, and leafminers. Caution: If mixing in large amounts, take care not to breathe in the dust which can cause irritation in the lungs. Try not to spray open flowers with kaolin clay so as not to discourage bees and other pollinators from pollinating your crops! Commercial Names: Surround BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS BT - YELLOW Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) is a type of bacteria that specifically affects the digestive system of caterpillars. It is used for all sorts of caterpillars, including cabbageworms, armyworms, and hornworms. The benefit of this product is that it kills caterpillars by interfering with their digestive system, but does not affect other beneficial garden predators. Caution: BT can also kill caterpillars that are not serious pests in the garden such as caterpillars of the monarchs and swallowtail butterflies. Spray selectively and try to avoid spraying BT outside the garden area. Commercial Names: Thuricide

5 PARASITIC NEMATODES - YELLOW Nematodes come in a dehydrated powder and can be ordered directly in the mail. Add to watering can and water the garden with them in the early spring. Parasitic nematodes attack over-wintering insect pupae in the soil, preventing them from emerging. These larvae includes that of cucumber beetles, squash vine borers, hornworms, and other soil dwelling caterpillars. Caution: The nematodes can also parasitize beneficial bugs (especially types of beetles) that are overwintering in the soil. Commercial Names: Order nematodes from Peaceful Valley Supply, Hired Bugs, or other garden supply centers. BEER TRAPS* - YELLOW Beer (4-8 ounces) Cup (4-8 ounces) Place cups at the edge of the garden. Bury cup so that the rim is at ground level. Slugs and sometimes ground caterpillars (cutworms and armyworms) will find their way into the sweet, yeasty liquid and drown themselves. Simple way to get rid of lots of slugs. Caution: Beer traps can attract slugs from elsewhere to the garden. Only use when slugs are a problem. Beer traps can sometimes attract and kill other bugs that are beneficial to the garden ecosystem such as centipedes, millipedes, predatory beetles, spiders, and every now and then, a salamander. CANOLA OIL SPRAY* - YELLOW 1 tbsp canola oil few drops of soap (not detergent) quart of water Spray canola oil spray over the plant to smother small bugs and their eggs. This spray is useful for leafminers, aphids, thrips, spider mites, and whiteflies. Caution: Can also smother eggs of beneficial insects such as the ladybug.

6 NEEM OIL - RED Neem oil is extracted from the fruit of the neem tree which is grown in Southern Asia. Unlike neem extracts that contain strong active ingredients like azadirachtin, neem oil acts more like a soap by suffocating insects on contact and suppressing spores of fungal diseases. Neem oil can be used to control aphids, slugs, spider mites, thrips, whiteflies, powdery mildew, molds, flea beetles, caterpillars, leafminers, and beetles. Caution: Neem oil can kill bees on contact that are active around the area. Do not spray when bees are foraging. Best to spray in the morning or evening when bees are not active. Can cause mild skin irritation. Avoid contact with skin, especially if working with a concentrate. DIATOMACEOUS EARTH - RED Diatomaceous Earth is made up of fossilized remains of single-celled algae. These tiny particles which feel soft to us, are very sharp to bugs, cutting through their exoskeletons as they walk across it. They die soon afterwards due to water loss. Caution: Will kill any bug that walks across it, beneficials and pests alike. Use only if problem is serious and other methods have not worked. SPINOSAD BACTERIA - RED (SACCHAROPOLYSPORA SPINOSA) Spinosad is a strain of bacteria widely in pest control. Bugs must ingest it, in order to be affected, meaning that beneficial bugs are typically not affected. It works against pests that feed off of leaves including caterpillars (including hornworms), aphids, and cucumber beetles, among others. Caution: Spinosad is toxic to bees and should not be sprayed on flowers or when bees are active (midday). It should be used only as needed, targeted to specific plants that are being affected by a pest. Commercial Names: Jack s Dead Bug Brew

7 BACILLUS SUBTILIS - RED Bacillus subtilis is a type of bacteria that out-competes other microorganisms including fungal diseases on the surface of a leaf. It is a good preventative for powdery mildew, blights, and leaf spots on many summer crops, most notably tomatoes, squash, potatoes, cucumbers, and cucumbers. Caution: Do not apply to flowers or when bees are foraging, usually midday. Avoid contact with skin as it can sometimes cause mild irritation. Avoid contact with skin, especially if working with a concentrate. Commercial Names: Serenade COPPER - RED Copper fungicides work as a result of the absorption of the copper ions by invading bacterium or fungus. Copper is very effective as a preventative against fungal and bacterial diseases such as leaf spot, bacterial canker, early and late blight. However, once a disease is established in a plant, copper is much less effective. Caution: Avoid breathing, ingesting, or contact with skin. Read and follow instructions on product labels. Can be harmful to soil micro-organisms. May cause plant injury if used incorrectly. Dispose properly of leftover product as copper is harmful to marine life if it enters the water supply. SULFUR - RED Sulfur probably is the oldest known pesticide in use. The Greek poet, Homer, described the benefits of "pest-averting sulfur" 3,000 years ago. Sulfur can be used as a dust, wettable powder, paste or liquid. Its primary use is to control powdery mildews, certain rusts, leaf blights and fruit rots. Spider mites, psyllids and thrips also are susceptible to sulfur. Caution: Avoid breathing, ingesting, or contact with skin. Read and follow instructions on product labels. May cause plant injury if used incorrectly.

Pest Management in Vegetable Gardens. Pam Brown Extension Agent Emeritus, Gardening Coach Pampered Gardeners, LLC

Pest Management in Vegetable Gardens Pam Brown Extension Agent Emeritus, Gardening Coach Pampered Gardeners, LLC pamperedgardeners@gmail.com Pest Management Involves: Providing proper cultural practices