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INSECTS IN THE GARDEN
APHIDS:
To keep aphids and other pests off your roses: Finely chop
  • 1 onion
  • 2 medium cloves of garlic

Put ingredients into a blender with 2 cups of water and blend on high. Strain out pulp. Pour liquid into spray bottle. Spray a fine mist on rose bushes, making sure to coat both tops and bottoms of leaves.

ALUMINUM FOIL "FOILS" APHIDS
Use an aluminum foil much around the base of plants such as tomatoes. The reflection confuses the insects and drives them away.

SPIDER MITES:
Combine 1/2 cup buttermilk, 4 cups wheat flour and 5 gallons water. Suffocates spider mites and other mites.

MEALYBUGS:
Apply rubbing alcohol to insect clusters with cotton swab. Wash with insecticidal soap and rinse. Isolate infected plant if possible.

CABBAGE WORMS:
Sprinkle flour on developing cabbage heads. The flour swells up inside the worms and bursts their intestines.

SLUGS:

  • Sprinkle salt directly onto slug. They shrivel up and die.
  • Place shallow bowl of beer on the ground near slug trails and leave overnight.
  • Copper wire? That's what Martha Stewart says. Coil a piece of wire around the base of your plants to give slugs a shocking experience. They won't come back.
GENERAL INSECT REPELLENT:
To help protect fs, vegetables and shrubs from insects attacks.

Recipe 1:

  • 1/2 cup dead insects
  • 2 cups water
When insects infest fs, vegetables or shrubs, identify and gather the pests. Collect at least 1/2 cupful. Place in an old blender with the water. Blend on high, and then strain out the pulp using a cheesecloth or fine sieve. Dilute at a rate of 1/4 cup to 1 cup of water. Pour liquid into a spray bottle and apply to plants. Will keep up to a year, stored in a tightly sealed container.

Recipe 2:

  • 3 hot green peppers (canned or fresh)
  • 2 or 3 cloves garlic
  • 3/4 tsp liquid soap
  • 3 cups water
Puree the peppers and garlic cloves in a blender. Pour into a spray bottle and add the liquid soap and water. Let stand 24 hours. Strain out pulp and spray onto infested plants, making sure to coat both tops and bottoms of leaves.

CAUTION: Always test any new insecticide on a few small leaves before starting a full-scale application.

TIPS:

Helpful Plants:
Intersperse your roses and vegetables with other helpful plants, such as onions, garlic, and chives.

Helpful Bugs:
Ladybird beetles (ladybugs) and praying mantis are great assistants to gardeners. Ladybugs are sold in a "cold" state. The praying mantis egg sac is usually obtained from a garden supply store, or hardware store with a gardening center. Secure the sac to the stem of a plant in the center of an infested area. When the insects hatch, they will quickly devour aphids and other problem insects.

NOTE: Both of these helpful insects will stay in an area where there is plenty to eat. If you have only one or two lightly infested rose bushes, don't expect your helpers to stick around.

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