One of Natures Insecticides

Bt, or Bacillus thuringeiensis, is a useful addition in the arsenal
against plant-eating insects. Bt is a naturally occurring bacteria
that is common all across the world, and early in the twentieth
century it was discovered to be an excellent form of insect control.

Bt became available to home gardeners in the 1950s but in recent
years new strains have been developed that attack an even wider
range of insects.

The kurstaki strain of Bt kills only caterpillars that feed on
leaves and needles. Bt kurstaki is especially useful for eliminating
corn earworms and those little green cabbage worms, that like to
infest broccoli, along with tent caterpillars and webworms that
damage trees and shrubs. Because Bt kurstaki will kill most any
type of caterpillar, it should be used carefully and sparingly if you have a
butterfly garden or seek to attract more butterflies to your garden.

Another type of Bt, the israelensis strain, will kill the larvae
of mosquitoes, black flies and fungus gnats. This is good news
for those of you who suffer through black fly season each summer!

The san diego strain of Bt is a good choice for controlling the
Coloradopotato beetle. Potato beetles can quickly reduce potato
plants to shreds, but Bt san diego stops the larvae in their tracks
before they can do significant damage.

Each strain of Bt is specific to certain pests. Bt israelensis and
san diego will not harm caterpillars, and likewise, Bt kurstaki will
not harm black flies or potato beetles. Bt acts by producing
proteins that react in the gut of the insect, paralyzing their
digestive system. The insects stop eating and quickly starve.

Bt is not harmful to plants, people or pets, although you should
avoid breathing the powder or spray when applying Bt to your plants.
Bt also degrades fairly quickly in sunlight, so it will not persist
in your garden. Some strains persist for less than 24 hours while
others remain viable for about a week.

Composting, It really pays

More and more people these days are composting, and for good
reason. Composting is a simple process which offers many benefits.

When you turn your garden refuse and kitchen scraps into compost,
you are creating fertilizer for your plants and conserving
landfill space. Compost will improve your soil, giving it the
ability to hold moisture and drain well. Even hard clay soil
will be improved by adding compost.

Composting can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be.
Compost bins and tumblers can be purchased or you can make your
own, or simply leave your compost materials in a pile without
a bin.

To make compost, you'll need a good mix of "brown" and "green"
material. Brown materials are things like dried leaves, coffee
grounds, shredded paper and straw. Green materials are grass
clippings, fresh garden refuse and kitchen scraps. Add the brown
and green ingredients in layers.

Manure is also a good addition to compost, but manure only from
herbivores should be used. Manure contains a great
deal of nitrogen and also beneficial microbes that will help the
composting process. Manure makes a great fertilizer, but it
should be composted before adding it to the garden because fresh
manure is so strong or "hot" that it will burn tender plants.

A compost pile will heat up and cook more quickly if it is kept
moist. Compost should be as moist as a sponge that has been
wrung out. Too much or too little moisture will slow the
decomposition process. A compost pile that is working properly
will feel warm or hot inside the pile. If the temperature inside
the pile is no warmer than the air temperature, the pile needs
more green material and perhaps more moisture.

Air circulation is also important for a compost pile. A compost
pile that is regularly mixed or turned will decompose much faster
than one that is never turned. But given enough time, even a
compost pile that is never turned will eventually decompose.

Concerned about the smell of a compost pile or worried that it
will attract rodents? Simply bury fresh materials in the middle
of the pile or cover the smelly material with some soil. Burying
the material in the pile will add some needed air circulation,
and the addition of soil will also include some helpful microbes.

Finished compost will look like good black soil and can be added
liberally to your garden. Make you own compost for your garden
and you will soon understand why it is called black gold.

Your garden wiil love you for every pound of compost you add,
and will show it in beautiful flowers and vegatables.

Happy Gardening!!!

Pruning Grape Vines

If you want your grape vine to produce an abundance of
really good fruit, then you have to properly prune your
grape vines in late winter.

1. Grape vines should be tied to a wire trellis during the
growing season so they get plenty of sunlight and air circulation.

2. Grape wood more than 2 years old will not produce fruit
so when pruning, all of the old wood should be removed.

3. Vine growth from the previous growing season should be
left, but only enough to cover the wires on your grape trellis.

4. If your grape trellis has two wires, then two nice vines
should be left on each side of the plant so all of the wires
have grape vines attached to them.

5. You should also leave two sets of replenishing vines on
each side of the plant. The replenishing vines should only
have two or three buds each. These replenishing vines are
left to produce new grape vines for the following season.

6. Each winter you remove the old wood, tie the new wood
to the trellis, and leave two more sets of replenishing vines

Fall Rose Plant Care

Proper care of rose plants in the fall will help ensure that
your plants come back strong and healthy next spring.

Roses love the warm days and cool nights in the fall and often
put out their best blooms for fall enjoyment. Fall weather
encourages the plants to form more perfect blossoms, but the
weather can also encourage blackspot, one of the most common
rose problems. Blackspot can defoliate a rose plant, and a
plant that loses its leaves too soon will struggle to survive
through winter. Maintain a regular schedule of fungicide
sprays for your roses until the plants go dormant and drop
their leaves naturally.

Cold climate gardeners should stop fertilizing their roses
in early September. No matter where you live, a general rule
for roses is to stop applying fertilizers one month prior to
the first frost date for your area, or a month before the
deciduous trees typically drop their leaves.

Pruning your roses will encourage new growth and will also
cause the sap to run in the stems. Tender new growth is
vulnerable to winter damage, so rose plants should not be
pruned in the fall. During the growing season, the spent
blossoms should be deadheaded often, and this will also
encourage new growth. But stop deadheading spent blossoms
about a month before the first frost. This will allow the
remaining blooms to develop into rosehips and signal the plant to
prepare for winter and go dormant. Go ahead and cut a few of the
more beautiful blossoms to enjoy indoors if you want, but try to
limit any pruning or cutting of the plant in the fall.

Transplanting Perennials

Are you considering to transplant some of your garden
perennials? The thought about moving a favorite plant from
one spot to another might make you nervous, but don't let it
give you jitters.It's really a simple process.

Timing is key to successfully transplanting perennials.
Here's a general rule of thumb that will help you determine
the best time to transplant any perennial:

If the plant blooms in the spring, move it in the fall - early
September or later.If a plant blooms in the summer or fall,
move it in the spring.

When transplanting in the spring, start when the plant's new
growth begins to appear so you'll know where and how much to
dig. Plants that are being transplanted in the fall can be
cut back by half just prior to moving. This will make the
move easier on you and the plant.

The first step in transplanting is to prepare the site or location
for the plant. Clear the area of any weeds or grass, dig a hole
appropriate for the plant and add some compost to the soil.

Now let's go back and dig up the plant. I know, this
is the part that can be scary. Just be calm, you can do it! Start by
digging all around the plant with a sharp spade, then slip
the spade beneath the clump and lift the plant and its
rootball out of the ground.

Next, plant the perennial in its location. Always replant
your plants at the same depth they were at originally.
Refill the hole with loose soil and tamp it down a bit to
eliminate any air pockets. Then give your plant a good drink
to help it settle in, and keep the soil moist - but not soggy
- as the plant reestablishes itself. A transplanted plant may
look a bit bedraggled for awhile, but it will come back the next
season strong and happy. A treatment of root stimulator would
be a very good idea. Be sure to watch your tranplants closely, and
maintain adequate moisture until the plants shows that is
sustaining itself.

There are a few perennials that simply do not like to be moved.
Peonies and tree peonies, bleeding hearts, foxtail lilies,
butterfly weed and goatsbeard do not like to be transplanted.
Move these plants only when it is absolutely necessary. If you
must move a peony, do so in late fall after a hard freeze while
the plant is dormant.

Transplanting trees and shrubs

You have to get your transplanting done early!

Spring transplanting tips go like this. If the plant is sleeping
(dormant), then yes, it's fine to move it now. But if they plant
just woke up, lots of new growth, then no, you waited too long
and if you move it when it's all flushed out with new growth
you will seriously damage the plant and possibly kill it.

For the most part you can transplant trees and shrubs from
late fall (early winter) until early spring. During the growing
season it's risky business.


When deciduous trees and shrubs start leafing out.That signals
the end of the transplanting season.
Once they leaf out, you should not dig them or
severe their roots.

If you live in one of the warmer zones you must do your transplanting
even earlier.

You can plant trees and shrubs at just about any time of the
year once they are dug or potted. It's the digging process that
causes the damage if you do it at the wrong time of the year.

The same holds true for evergreens, but with evergreens you
can start transplanting them earlier in the fall. You do not have
to wait until they go completely dormant like you do with
deciduous plants.

Git it planted! and Watch 'er grow!

Homemade Garden Insecticides

How do you prevent your garden from being a 24-hour diner for
every insect that passes through the neighborhood? There are
any number of chemical products on the market that will kill
insects, but many gardeners are hesitant to use strong
chemicals on their plants.

There are very effective organic insecticides and repellents
available these days, and in a pinch you can make your own
natural insect repellant.

Most insects prefer a bland diet, so by making your garden
spicy you can encourage insects to dine elsewhere. A hot
pepper or garlic spray works great as a repellant and can
actually prevent insects - and even hungry rabbits - from
nibbling on your plants.

To make hot pepper spray, toss a couple of hot peppers, such
as cayennes or habaneros, in a blender with about a cup of water.
Puree the mixture, strain out any solids, then add enough water
to make a gallon of concentrated hot pepper juice.

To use the hot pepper spray, mix a quarter cup of the concentrate
with a gallon of water and a tablespoon or two of liquid soap.
The soap will help the spray stick to the plants.

To make a garlic spray, roughly chop one or two garlic bulbs,
place them in a quart jar and pour boiling water over the garlic,
enough to fill the jar. Close the jar and let it sit overnight.
Strain out the chunks of garlic and add the garlic water to your
sprayer along with a few drops of liquid soap. Leftover garlic
water can be kept frozen for later use.

A good place to buy liquid soap for this purpose would be a health
food store. Do not use a detergent or a heavily scented soap as
these can be harmful to plants. Once you've made your insect
repellant concoction, test it on a few leaves first before spraying
your plants.

The hot pepper and garlic smell will be strong when first applied
but will fade, and your flowers and vegetables won't take on their
odor or taste. The spray should be reapplied every week or two, or
after a rainfall.