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| Gardening - Go Green Tips
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-Water your lawn in the early morning rather mid-day to cut down on evaporation -Infrequent, deep waterings are better for the lawn and water conservation that frequent, shallow waterings -Use a soaker hose and water plants directly at the soil level -Add drought tolerant meadow and prairie plants to your garden -Place drought-tolerant plants to the north and west position in the garden so they can shelter less drought-tolerant plants from the drying effects of prevailing winds -Plant evergreens on the north and west sides of your house to shield against winter winds -Plant deciduous trees along the south and east sides of your house to provide shade in the summer and allow the sun to provide passive solar heating in winter -Cutting the grass too low encourages weeds to grow -Native plants are adapted to the environment requiring no chemical maintenance -The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states 95% of the pesticides used on residential lawns are considered probable or possible carcinogens -According to one National Cancer Institute study, children are six times more likely to get childhood leukemia when pesticides are used in the home and garden -Organic sources of Nitrogen: blood meal, hoof and horn meal, canola seed meal -Organic sources of Phosphorous: bone meal -Organic sources of Potassium: wood ash, kelp meal -Use your own compost- vegetable scraps mixed with "green"materials such as grass, clippings and food waste and "brown" materials such as dead leaves and sawdust -Having trouble finding carbon-rich materials in summer, add some shredded newspapers to the compost bin -Plant chives and garlic to repel aphids -Spray plant's leaves with mixture of mild liquid soap and water (1/3 soap, 2/3 wate -Trap earwigs. Place a hollow tube (such as a paper towel tube) in the garden, earwigs will congregate in the tube overnight and you clean out the trap in the morning -Slugs: Place a saucer of beer in the garden with the rim at soil level. Place a half a used grapefruit in the garden, when they congregate in the grapefruit you can place it on a hard sunny surface (ie your driveway) where the birds and sun will make short work of them. Rinse out used eggshells, crush them and sprinkle them around the bottom of your plants. Soft bellied insects dislike to crawl over anything that is sharp. The eggshells also add nutrients. -Remove insects such as spider mites and mealybugs from your plants by blasting them with water from the hose -To keep cutworms away from vegetable plants, remove both ends from a can and sink the "collar" around the base of plants -Marigolds, chrysanthemums, chives, onions and garlic repel many pests, so plant them near your vegetable crops -Many organic pest-control products are now available in most garden centres (ie Bacillus thuringiensis a degradable natural insect control -BEFORE DECIDING TO CONTROL OR GET RID OF VISITING INSECT YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE, IDENTIFY IT IN A GOOD REFERENCE BOOK, OR TAKE IT TO A GARDEN CENTRE OR BOTANICAL GARDEN FOR IDENTIFICATION. Remember most bugs do little or no harm in the garden and many are beneficial. -Consider planting a native garden. As the natural habitat shrinks due to encroaching humanity, birds, animals and butterflies may find refuge in your garden Websites for More Info: American Horticultural Therapy Association - www.ahta.org World Wildlife Organization Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides US EPA Office of Pesticide Programs www.cityfarmer.org www.wildflowermag.com www.butterflygardeners.com Organic Gardening Composting for Home Gardens | |
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