In your last column you commented on 4" of compost over the new seedlings. Where do you get and what is the 4" of compost that you use in So Cal.? We have lots of Camphor tree leaves we could gather up in March. But I think they are too aromatic for good compost. If we hold for a year and then use them, would that work? Anyway, looking around our landscape I have a hard time imagining where that volume could be derived. So, tell me your secret! Kim
In My Garden Blog:
Southern California Coastal & Inland Valleys
June 18, 2009
By
Yvonne Savio,
Pasadena, CA
Earlier this spring, aphids loved the nitrogen-rich foliage, but ladybird beetles (especially the alligator-look-alike larvae) loved eating aphids even more!
Nasties In The Garden: The Little Guys
"Oh, yuck! Those crummy bugs are all over my beautiful veggies, and do those poor plants look sick!"
Has this wail and lament come to your garden yet? As long as there have been nasty critters and diseases that seem to appear spontaneously with a penchant for destroying vegetables that we've loved and labored over in our gardens, there have been solutions to be had.
The first consideration is to determine the acceptable level of infestation. Just how much damage to your plants can you stand before you feel that you must take action? Just how many chewed-on or dried-up leaves can the plants stand, and how much yield can you sacrifice, before you are driven to counterattack?
This level of tolerance is as personal as a taste preference. Some gardeners can't stand the sight of a single creepy-crawly or marred leaf or fruit, while other gardeners routinely plant extra to accommodate the anticipated loss.
Generally, concerns for the health and safety of our food, the soil, and ground water supplies require that we use the "small guns first." Start with the least disruptive action, such as blasting pests with jets of water. For many pests, this is all it takes, since once they're dislodged they'll infrequently return.
If the problem persists, apply increasingly destructive methods, such as narrow-spectrum pesticides for specific problems. Take these intermediate steps, rather than turning immediately to the "one spray kills all" approach -- because the latter does kill all, beneficial insects and soil organisms as well as the baddies.
All plants are determined to grow successfully to maturity -- to produce foliage, flowers, fruits, and seeds. This is their natural process, and they will strive to proceed, no matter what. They will be more successful, and you will benefit more, when growing conditions -- weather, fertilization, irrigation -- are ideal. To what degree plants achieve this goal depends on the quantity and timing of these elements -- whether provided by nature or by the gardener. How the conditions in your garden are altered for better or worse will affect whether your plants thrive, barely exist, or die. This, in turn, will determine their vulnerability to diseases and pests and the quality of the produce you harvest. In a word, healthy gardens make healthy plants, and healthy plants ward off diseases and pests more successfully than unhealthy ones.
The most important means of combating pests and diseases is by good cultural practices. Thorough preparation of the soil before planting or sowing is necessary. Incorporating well-rotted manure, a balanced fertilizer, and compost will ensure that plants are given a good start in nutrition and proper drainage that will last through harvest. Additional compost or other organic mulches applied to the soil surface will help to retain soil moisture, provide further nutrients, moderate soil temperature, and suppress weeds.
Growing the same or closely related plants in the same place year after year should be avoided, as this encourages a build-up of soil-borne pests and diseases.
Maintaining a clean garden means removing and destroying all infected plants and debris. Plants that have been badly attacked by pests or diseases should not be left in the garden to infect other plants or offer a steady diet for pests. Even the heat of a properly constructed compost pile cannot completely dispose of the pests or diseases. Organic mulches must not include diseased material, particularly in the fall and winter, because they may overwinter to infect the next year's garden. Weeds should be kept under control since many are the hosts of pests and diseases, and they compete with cultivated plants for water and nutrients.
Next month, we'll get down to the specific pests, and what's to be done about them -- organically.
Join the discussion!
--
We welcome your questions and comments about this column. Care to share your gardening thoughts, insights, triumphs, or disappointments with your fellow gardening enthusiasts? Join the lively
discussions on our FaceBook page and receive free daily tips!
- Add a comment -
Kim | June 18, 2009 | 10:52PM
Kim | June 18, 2009 | 11:01PM
You say subscribe to your column... but I haven't found any instructions that explain how to do that. Kim
Yvonne Savio | June 19, 2009 | 1:22AM
Hi, Kim -- 1) The 4" of compost I pile on the garden is composted horse bedding. Make sure it's composted, however, cuz the fresh stuff is rife with virulent nasties like tetanus..... 2) The invitation to join my elists is at the bottom of our homepage at http://celosangeles.ucdavis.edu/Common_Ground_Garden_Program. All that's necessary is to email me at ydsavio@ucdavis.edu and let me know which elist (Community Gardening or School Gardening) and whether you're a resident of LA County or not. You're welcome to join both elists. The first email of welcome and initial resources also provides an overview of our annual Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program. Future emails are of goodies I receive that I forward to either elist, including resources, grant opportunities, etc.
Yvonne Savio | June 19, 2009 | 1:27AM
Hi, Kim, Again -- Using camphor, walnut, or eucalyptus leaves for mulch or compost isn't a good idea, since they'll inhibit plant growth. Great to use in pathways, however, for the same reason -- to deter weeds!
Yvonne Savio | June 19, 2009 | 1:33AM
Hi, Kim, Once More -- Since you posted on this blog, I assume you're already a subscriber to this column. But, if this isn't the case, then do take advantage of the many free newsletters on the NGA website. Go to the upper left corner of this screen, where you'll find 4 gray boxes. Click on the third one down, "Free Newsletters," and choose the one(s) you'd like to receive. Mine is under "Regional Gardening Reports." "Southern California Coastal & Inland Valleys Regional Report."
Dave from HB | June 19, 2009 | 3:42PM
I have bought Organic Compost from Aguanaga Fertilizer In Irvine for over 40 years. My favorite product for use on my gardens and lawns is Organic Blend. Their phone number is 949-786-9558. I pick it up at their yard and they deliver.
Tim | June 29, 2009 | 4:53PM
Hello Yvonne, I want to tell you about a new garden blog, Beverlyhillshomestead.blogspot.com It is my senior thesis, check it out and tell your friends, Thanks, Tim
