General Gardening - Garden Plants and Gardening Forum

Abinaya · 04-28-2009, 10:59 PM

Protect the bees in your garden or allotment.

As summer approaches and we reach for our sprays all insects, pests and benefactors alike, are at risk. However, a few simple precautions should help to minimise the damage to bees and other beneficial insects.

Companion Planting to manage your garden

Companion Planting is a way of managing your garden by using plants in a complementary way that is based on the principle that by planting certain plants close together you can use their natural properties to help with pest control and boost growth.
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dougsko · 06-06-2009, 01:31 AM

What plant pairings to you find most effective in increasing pest control? And do you have any information on how the proximity of certain plants actually affects pests? Are there any general rules when it comes to choosing which plants to grow near which other plants?

ConsiderThis · 06-07-2009, 11:17 AM

I thought you were giving a thumbs down to the forum... and I was very surprised.

I think you should have said in your title what you were talking about... so that the thumbs down would clearly be related to bug sprays...

I fully agree with you on that.

In terms of this forum, it's been Very helpful to me, and I LOVE it.

regina · 06-29-2009, 12:59 AM

I’ve swapped my commercial cleaning products for homemade solutions . I’ve found that simple household items like vinegar, baking soda, and ammonia are very effective in place of their more-expensive commercial counterparts. For example, cleaning my windows with ammonia and newspaper gets them cleaner and less streaky than Windex ever has! With homemade concoctions, it is incredibly important to follow the directions carefully. After all, chemistry is not for wimps. The “chemical” smells that come with cleaning products — homemade or otherwise — are unpleasant, and occasionally dangerous, so I open all the windows to maximize ventilation.

In our house we start the spring-cleaning process by dividing up the chores based on preference. While I may not love scrubbing floors, I loathe dusting; the chores get divided up on that basis. I put this to-do list someplace where it will be visible, along with a red pen for crossing off completed tasks. Is there anything more satisfying than proof of a task completed? Pardon my wistful sighs; I love lists. And pens.

ConsiderThis · 06-30-2009, 12:04 PM

I hate these artificially generated messages. They abound these days, and it's a shame. Who is Regina, and what's her post got to do with gardening?

ConsiderThis · 06-30-2009, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by regina

I’ve swapped my commercial cleaning products for homemade solutions . I’ve found that simple household items like vinegar, baking soda, and ammonia are very effective in place of their more-expensive commercial counterparts. For example, cleaning my windows with ammonia and newspaper gets them cleaner and less streaky than Windex ever has! With homemade concoctions, it is incredibly important to follow the directions carefully. After all, chemistry is not for wimps. The “chemical” smells that come with cleaning products — homemade or otherwise — are unpleasant, and occasionally dangerous, so I open all the windows to maximize ventilation.

In our house we start the spring-cleaning process by dividing up the chores based on preference. While I may not love scrubbing floors, I loathe dusting; the chores get divided up on that basis. I put this to-do list someplace where it will be visible, along with a red pen for crossing off completed tasks. Is there anything more satisfying than proof of a task completed? Pardon my wistful sighs; I love lists. And pens.

I want to apologize for thinking your message was artificially generated just because it doesn't concentrate on gardening..

Thanks for your contribution.

I too use baking soda and vinegar.

greenreaper · 06-30-2009, 11:03 PM

Avoid spraying plants in flower - these are most likely to be visited by bees and other beneficial insects such as hoverflies.
Spray late in the day when many insects, including bees, are less active and many flowers are closed.
Some modern sprays are selective in their effect - choose a pesticide that is less harmful to bees, hoverflies, lacewings, ladybirds and other beneficial insects.
Do not apply sprays except to those parts of the crop where pests or diseases are actually present

04-28-2009, 10:59 PM	#1
Abinaya Green Gardener Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 2	General Gardening Protect the bees in your garden or allotment. As summer approaches and we reach for our sprays all insects, pests and benefactors alike, are at risk. However, a few simple precautions should help to minimise the damage to bees and other beneficial insects. Companion Planting to manage your garden Companion Planting is a way of managing your garden by using plants in a complementary way that is based on the principle that by planting certain plants close together you can use their natural properties to help with pest control and boost growth. ________________________________ Last edited by smgardener; 05-07-2009 at 06:21 PM.

06-07-2009, 11:17 AM	#3
ConsiderThis Green Thumb Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico Posts: 58	I thought you were giving a thumbs down to the forum... and I was very surprised. I think you should have said in your title what you were talking about... so that the thumbs down would clearly be related to bug sprays... I fully agree with you on that. In terms of this forum, it's been Very helpful to me, and I LOVE it. __________________ http://www.health-boundaries-bite.com Your fingernails reflect your health -- Learn some warning signs -- Karen Kline

06-29-2009, 12:59 AM	#4
regina Green Gardener Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 3	I’ve swapped my commercial cleaning products for homemade solutions . I’ve found that simple household items like vinegar, baking soda, and ammonia are very effective in place of their more-expensive commercial counterparts. For example, cleaning my windows with ammonia and newspaper gets them cleaner and less streaky than Windex ever has! With homemade concoctions, it is incredibly important to follow the directions carefully. After all, chemistry is not for wimps. The “chemical” smells that come with cleaning products — homemade or otherwise — are unpleasant, and occasionally dangerous, so I open all the windows to maximize ventilation. In our house we start the spring-cleaning process by dividing up the chores based on preference. While I may not love scrubbing floors, I loathe dusting; the chores get divided up on that basis. I put this to-do list someplace where it will be visible, along with a red pen for crossing off completed tasks. Is there anything more satisfying than proof of a task completed? Pardon my wistful sighs; I love lists. And pens. Last edited by smgardener; 06-29-2009 at 07:10 AM.

06-30-2009, 12:04 PM	#5
ConsiderThis Green Thumb Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico Posts: 58	I hate these artificially generated messages. They abound these days, and it's a shame. Who is Regina, and what's her post got to do with gardening? __________________ http://www.health-boundaries-bite.com Your fingernails reflect your health -- Learn some warning signs -- Karen Kline

06-30-2009, 11:03 PM	#7
greenreaper Green Gardener Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 6	Genral Gardening Avoid spraying plants in flower - these are most likely to be visited by bees and other beneficial insects such as hoverflies. Spray late in the day when many insects, including bees, are less active and many flowers are closed. Some modern sprays are selective in their effect - choose a pesticide that is less harmful to bees, hoverflies, lacewings, ladybirds and other beneficial insects. Do not apply sprays except to those parts of the crop where pests or diseases are actually present __________________ wicker furniture

06-06-2009, 01:31 AM	#2
dougsko Green Gardener Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 14 Images: 3	What plant pairings to you find most effective in increasing pest control? And do you have any information on how the proximity of certain plants actually affects pests? Are there any general rules when it comes to choosing which plants to grow near which other plants?

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