KDKA.com Consumer Web Extras
Jul 15, 2009 5:45 pm US/Eastern
Getting Rid Of Garden Pests Organically
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
Garden pests are the enemy when it comes to your vegetable plants or flowers, but there are ways to stop them – even without using chemicals.
No. 1: The Cabbage Worm
It can devour cabbage or broccoli, but Doug Oster, co-author of "Grow Organic," has a simple solution – a floating row cover.
"It's a spun-bound translucent fabric. It lets air through, let's light through, but will not let the butterfly through and it will keep the plants from having that cabbage worm," he explained.
It works like a greenhouse and can extend the growing year for cabbage and broccoli.
No. 2: The Japanese Beetle
This bug loves rose bushes, but Oster has a way to battle them. It's called neem.
"It comes from a tropical tree called a neem tree. You can spray it on plants," he said.
But to really get them, Oster recommends treating them in the larval stage when they're grubs in the ground by using something called Milky Spore.
"This stuff is amazing. It attacks the grubs and the great thing about Milky Spore [is it] attacks the grubs so you just buy it once and every year it gets stronger and stronger," he said.
No. 3: The Cucumber Beetle
Oster says the neem spray is the best way to get them.
No. 4: Aephids
The green bugs are small-bodied insects that suck the sap out of plants. Oster says they are pretty easy to deal with. Just hose them off a plant.
But if there's a lot of them, use insecticidal soap.
No. 5: Tomato Horn Worms
They're about as big and thick as your thumb, but they can be hard to spot because they blend in on a tomato plant.
Oster says remove them and squash them, but not in every case.
"If we see little rice like eggs sacks on there - don't pick it - it's stopped feeding and a parasitic wasp is a good bug," he said.
Let the wasp eat the worm and Oster says the wasps will keep coming back each year to save your tomatoes.
No. 6: The Slug
These slimy bugs hide underneath the mulch and come out at night. They like to chomp on hostas, basil or marigolds.
And they always leave proof they were there.
"They leave a little slimy silvery trail behind them," Oster says. "Nice isn't it?"
To get rid of them, get a spool of thin copper wire and make a criss-cross pattern on the ground where you're having the problem.
Doug says the copper will give the slugs a little jolt and keep them away.
When using organic products, Oster warns gardeners to read the label.
Just because it's organic doesn't mean it's safe for you. He points out there are things in nature that can be poisonous and he wouldn't use in his garden.
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