Know Your Enemies...And How To Defeat Them

Is anybody getting those huge grasshoppers that look like locusts in their garden? I thought the worst I would have to deal with as far as 'freeloaders' amongst the veges were cabbage moths or a few snails. Big rethink! These 6 legged interlopers are not only well camouflaged but they eat like there is no tomorrow. Even if I do happen to snare one (a towel over the offender is the best way), I then have to dispose of it. Being practically the size of a small chihauhau, I find it hard to kill them. I invariably set them free in the park opposite our place (apologies in retrospect  to my neighbours), trying to put out of my mind the fact that it is probably a 100 percent  likelihood that they will return before I am safely inside my front boundary (the park kookaburras seem uninterested in them unfortunately). Enter the giant slayer, aka husband. Thankfully he has been home more often than not when one appears and has disposed of them quickly and humanely.

Nobody said that staying organic was easy, but I have to admit, there are times when the dark side has nearly claimed my soul and I have been seriously tempted to resort to deadly weapons to keep the enemy from my ‘crop’. However, so far, we have managed without the need for pesticides and losing less than 5 percent of a crop is collateral damage I would think.

Over the past four years I have learnt through the kindness of friends and the Internet, some natural ways to deal with the enemy lurking within the greenery. I have listed these under two main headings of What To Do About…. and Companion Planting.

What To Do About…

Slaters

Lovers of dampness, dark places and juicy seedlings, these have been known to attack almost anything but have only really become a huge problem in the last year. Like the influx of sharks in our West Aussie waters, I am still trying to work out why their population has tripled and they suddenly think my garden is a Michelin 5 Star restaurant. I have tried pouring beer into cans at soil level (they love the stuff and end up drowning in there). However, my husband's beer supply was quickly running out as I needed to replenish the 'bait' due to the repugnant smell of day-old beer and dead slaters. Plan B involved oranges and came from a post somewhere on the Internet. No need for Plan C as B works! Here’s what to do:

Hollow out oranges. Place upside down in garden. Wait 24 hours and turn over to find a collection of slaters. Remove and repeat until very few are collected.

Snails
They simply adore my new seedlings, especially lettuce, silverbeet and cucumber, so I surround the new plants with crushed eggshells. They cannot move across the shells due to the sharp edges. Sawdust works as well and this weekend I am going to spread dried seaweed and see if that is an alternative when we are sick of eggs! Coffee grounds spread around lettuce are also good as the smell offends the snails.

Aphids
1 teaspoon of eco friendly detergent, 1 litre of water and 100ml vegetable oil mixed together and sprayed does the job. It is meant to  work on contact, so spray wherever you see the aphids (thanks to Vasili – Good Organic Gardening magazine Vol 3 No 1).

Cats
There is nothing worse than a dug up lettuce with fresh cat poo on it. I'm now trying out tea leaves emptied into the garden beds as the news is that they don’t like it!

Moths, Caterpillars, Leaf Miner and Grasshoppers 

• Neem Oil (10ml to 1L) sprayed in the evening when it's cooler. Just give the veges a rinse before eating. I have forgotten a few times and the veges just have a slightly bitter taste to them. I repeat every 7-10 days if there are problems.
•   A little cayenne pepper sprinkled on broccoli leaves deters caterpillars  but if they are deep in the broccoli head, once picked and soaked in water, they usually release quickly.
• Another way is to use Dipel which is biologically friendly and safe on edibles. It is mixed with water and sprayed on the leaves and is ingested by the catterpillars. It takes about 3 days to kill them so be patient. Needs to be applied again after a few days if more are seen as it breaks down in the sunlight within days.
•  Handpicking is my favourite way to while away my coffee drinking time! I make sure I give a little shake to broccoli and brocollini plants in the morning as it often dislodges caterpillars and they are then easy to see on the soil/mulch.
• Strips of white plastic cut from shopping bags tied to posts work well as they blow in the wind and confuse the moths into thinking there are already enough moths (and much bigger than them) on the plants

Powdery Mildew
This is a real problem when there is high humidity and the plants are damp at night, with undernourished or heat stressed plants being more affected. Try to  water early morning at ground level (so as to keep water off the leaves of  tomatoes and curcurbites such as zucchini, pumpkin, squash, cucumbers). When treating, I first remove the affected leaves and toss them out (not on the compost heap) and then spray with either of two mixtures in the early morning or evening, making sure to do the underside as well as the topside of the foliage. I use  cooled chamomile tea (leave the teabag in for 10-15 minutes before allowing to cool) or a mixture of 10% full cream  milk and 90% water. Adequate airflow between plants is also important in preventing powdery mildew.

Powdery Mildew

Companion Planting

Companion planting increases biodiversity in the garden and hopefully brings some balance between ‘goodies and baddies’. Companion plants work in a few different ways.

• they attract beneficial insects like bees and ladybirds
• they repel insects due to their taste or strong scent
• they mask the scent of some plants due to their own stronger smell

Below are some of the plant combinations I use.

Marigold
This deters beetles and if planted near broccoli, the moths will sometimes lay their eggs on them rather than the broccoli heads. Mexican Marigold is said to be the most powerful. French Marigolds release chemicals from their roots that deter nematodes (some species are plant parasites). Check out this article about nematodes.

Dwarf Marigolds

Basil
Plant basil with tomatoes because they not only improve the flavour but are said to repel thrips, flies and mosquitoes

Lavender
Lavender attracts bees and other beneficial insects as well as smelling nice!

Coriander
This herb repels aphids and spider mites but make sure you keep it in a spot where it doesn’t receive the full force of the sun as I find mine bolts quickly and doesn’t get to stay and do the job! Also, slugs and snails are rather partial to it so protect the plants with coffee grounds or crushed eggshells.

Chives
Chives will keep the aphids away and are so handy to add to salads.

Mint
Mint deters white cabbage moths and a variety of nasties such as ants and aphids. The roots are very invasive though, so plant in pots. Mint also attracts predatory wasps and bees, which are great for the pollination of zucchinis, cucumbers etc. Mint cuttings,spread like mulch around brassicas, work well too.

Oregano
Plant oregano near broccoli, cabbages and cauliflower, repels cabbage butterflies, although I still get a few and have to hand pick them off. It also makes a lovely ground cover.

Garlic, Shallots, Onion and Chives
These are great in the tomato patch as they give off a powerful smell disliked by many pests.

Rosemary
Rosemary repels flies and fleas and is also super when planted amongst broccoli and cabbage as it deters white caterpillars.

Nasturtiums
These creeping flowers contain mustard oil and trick the nasties into believing they are part of the brassica family, leaving the other veges alone.

A collection of rosemary, curry plant, chilli, salvia, oregano, mint, vincas, tarragon, parsley and basil in my low-ground garden

Some other useful thoughts/ideas...

•  I grow cucumbers and squash up trellises and over logs as it is easier to keep the slaters and bugs from the fruits
• A bird bath made of any kind attracts birds who in turn prey on insects and caterpillars
• Plants that are strong and healthy tend to have strong immune systems and don’t attract as many pests as weaker plants. So look after your plant health by mulching, watering regularly, fertilising with natural products such as cow poo, fish emulsion, liquid seaweed etc. However, root crops I read, do not like liquid fetilisers! This may explain a few failures I have had in the past where I’ve had great foliage but not a lot happening underground!
• Don’t plant too early or too late in the season as this will inhibit a plant’s growth and tolerance to weather and pests.
• Lizards and frogs are great at keeping pests to a minimum – allow them to coexist and provide them with shelter such as mallee roots and stones
• Crop rotation is so important in keeping soil bacteria and diseases from plants, as growing a crop in the same place the following year or even two years later, can provide the perfect conditions for pests and diseases to build up. Read all you can about it and companion planting as some plants will suffer greatly if planted with others while some will thrive. Rotating crops not only allows a balance of nutrients in the soil rather than one crop depleting what is there and adding too much of another.
• Vigilance is the key in maintaining a healthy garden and I know that so much happens if I miss inspecting for a few days (easy to do in winter when plants don’t need as much attention waterwise).
• Read, read, read all you can - there are so many amazing gardeners out there with a wealth of knowledge.

The end of spring

On every stem, on every leaf,... and at the root of everything that grew, was a professional specialist in the shape of grub, caterpillar, aphis, or other expert, whose business it was to devour that particular part. 

~Oliver Wendell Holmes