Homemade Organic Gardening Pesticides - Are They Effective?

Growing organic fruits and vegetables in your own garden is unquestionably a rewarding experience. You insure the produce you grow is chemical-free and as healthy as possible. The alternative is to purchase produce from a shop or farm along with the unknowns of what chemicals were used to treat and grow the produce.

Maintaining the delicate equilibrium of your organic garden's ecosystem is the best way to keep your plants healthy and insect-free. When that equilibrium is upset and insects become a problem, the need for a pesticide may arise. Choosing in the middle of a homemade remedy and a market pesticide is a hard option for an organic gardener. It goes against every confidence you had about your organic garden. It was supposed to be a chemical-free environment. Why would you unquestionably put chemicals into your garden? It's a valid question.

Organic Fruit

If you recognize the insect and put in order and apply the recommended pesticide correctly, a homemade remedy can be as effective, and in most cases, significantly cheaper, than a market pesticide.

Consequently a homemade pesticide is normally the safer bet and logical first option for an organic gardener. You can control the ingredients in the compound and avoid anything that you may not prefer to apply to your plants. In the event the homemade remedy does not work, you can all the time ensue up with a market pesticide at your discretion.

For as many pests as there are out there ready to feed on your costly plants, there are an equal whole of homemade remedies to control each of these insects. Some remedies, quite frankly, just aren't practical. (for example, there's one that requires you to acquire dead bugs and blend them into a smoothie!)

Two Homemade Remedies For coarse garden Insects

Aphids, whiteflies and other soft-body pests - Mix a few drops of mild dishwashing detergent with water and spray on plants leaves (make sure you get both sides and avoid spraying on flowers!)

Cabbageworms and spider mites - Mix 2 tablespoons salt in 1 gallon of water and spray on affected plants.

As an alternative to spot treatments after an infestation has already occurred, you can use a normal repellent instead that is applied as a prophylactic portion at quarterly intervals throughout the growing season. A method for one such medicine is provided below.

General Pest Repellent

- 1/4 cup of hot red peppers (red pepper sauce works well as a substitute)

- 1/4 cup of fresh spearmint (look in your produce for fresh herbs or grow your own!)

- 1/4 cup horseradish, both root and leaves (prepared horseradish doesn't work as well)

- 1/4 cup green onion tops

- 1 tablespoon of liquid detergent

Grind the spearmint leaves, horseradish, onion tops and peppers together with sufficient water to cover all in a blender or food processor. Strain the solution and add the liquid to half-gallon of water with the detergent. Store the compound for a few days in a cool place and then spray on affected areas. Exterior use only. Re-apply once every two weeks or sooner after a heavy rain or watering.

It is foremost to note that the effectiveness of any home remedy, prophylactic or otherwise, will depend on the type of pest you are trying to control and the severity of the infestation.

Considering all of these factors may seem a bit extraordinary and stressful. However, if you are thriving in holding the harmful garden insects in check, you will be rewarded by your garden with some of the freshest, healthiest produce on earth. Please never forget one of the most foremost things about your garden. You planted it because gardening is fun.

Homemade Organic Gardening Pesticides - Are They Effective?

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Here's a Quick Guide To Easy And Effective Organic Skin Care

When most people think of organic skin care, what comes to mind is the application of fruits and vegetables to the face. Some of the widely used vegetables are cucumbers and avocado.
I know this may shock you, but that kind of organic skin care is ineffective. Yes home made avocado face masks can help keep your skin younger looking, they can also help reduce brown age spots on your face as well as moisturize and nourish your skin with a several vitamins and minerals that are essential for healthy skin.
If avocado masks are so good for the skin then why do I recommend that you do not use them?  
The answer is simple really...
I specifically have two reasons why I personally do not use homemade avo masks.
The first reason is that they are messy and I have to go through the process of preparing the mask. Now if you don’t mind the mess and have all the time in the world then an avo face mask will be great for you.
The second reason is that there are organic skin care products that contain not only avocado but many other natural ingredients that I can apply to my skin without all the mess and fuss of cleaning up after.
These products provide a more holistic skincare solution. They nourish your skin with all the needed nutrients for getting and keeping younger looking skin.

Another draw back of using home made natural skin remedies is that if they are not mixed in the correct proportions then they can cause irritations or even allergic reactions.
On the other hand organic skin care products, like the ones I use , are already mixed in the most ideal proportions and are safe to use not matter what skin type you have.

John Lexon is a dedicated researcher of important issues that affect skin and health. Visit his skincare website now at http://www.abc-skin-and-health.info to learn more about the skin care products that he recommends after extensive research.

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Effective Organic Gardening Pest Control For Fruit - Bearing Trees

Pests are certainly the most unwanted and unwelcomed boarders in your fruit trees. They feed on the foliage and fruits making them look very unattractive and inedible. Severe infestation can even cause grave damage and destroy the trees. Some resort to using chemical-based pesticides to eradicate these pests, but these types of pesticides can cause adverse effects on the trees, especially on the flavor and quality of the fruits. But hope is not lost, because there are a number of organic ways to rid your fruit trees of these pests while making sure that the fruits they bear remain toxic-free and safe to eat.

Here are some of the most common fruit tree pests and the organic ways to deal and control them:

Organic Fruit

One: Codling Moth. Control adult codling moths by sticky-trapping them with pheromone baits. During winter, young larvae are usually hiding in fallen fruits or under loose barks. Spray trees with horticultural oil in early spring before the leaves appear to kill the larvae. You can also use corrugated cardboard around tree trunks to confuse and trap the larvae. Destroy the cardboard once they have crawled inside and replace it regularly.

Two: Plum Curculio. To control the adults, shake the tree to knock the pests off and collect the insects that have fallen by spreading any old sheet underneath the tree. Make sure to remove and destroy all infested fruits and plant debris that have fallen to the ground because they usually hide larvae or overwintering adults. Cultivate the soil to help check and kill the pupae. Chickens eat these insects so encourage them to feed around the trees.

Three: Spider Mite. During mid until late summer, randomly select ten to fifteen leaves for each tree and checking them for the presence of this mite. Leaves from lower shoots and water sprouts are the ones that are usually attacked. If there is an average of six to ten spider mites per leaf, it means that the tree is infected. Wash the leaves with a strong blast of water or better yet, a solution of soapy water will help control this pest. Use dormant oil in early spring, or use light horticultural oil or insecticidal soap in summer. A number of beneficial insects prey on this pest and attracting them near the trees is another good solution.

Four: Borers. First off, borers can be prevented from infecting a tree. Trees become vulnerable once they're wounded. Prevent trunks from scarring or cover existing wounds will protect young trees from borers. If prevention is no longer possible, then it's time for control. Dead bark, wilted stems, sawdust piles are the common signs of infection. If these signs are evident, check for larvae by cutting the affected stems open and manually pulling out the larvae and killing them. Beneficial nematodes may be injected into the stems to help kill off the remaining larvae. For severely infested stems, remove and destroy them immediately. If infestation is grave, remove the tree to prevent other trees from being infected.

Five: Thrips. Spraying neem oil, horticultural oil and organic soap solution during evenings can help control thrips once they infested the tree. It will need several applications before the pest is finally eliminated. Lacewings and other beneficial insects feed on this pest and encouraging them around the trees can make the job easier.

Six: Oriental fruit moths. Cultivate the soil around infested trees to expose larvae and kill them off. Then use traps to attract adult males and prevent them from mating with the females. Introduce beneficial insects, such as parasitic wasps, and spray horticultural oil to eliminate this pest.

Effective Organic Gardening Pest Control For Fruit - Bearing Trees

Garden pests are inevitably part of every garden. If you want to know more about Organic Gardening Pest Control, you can check out Nova's The Organic Home Gardening Secrets site: http://theorganicgardeningsecrets.com.

Nova Person, with her 20 years of experience in gardening, has learned how to effectively and safely control pests from destroying her garden, without using harmful pesticides. She compiled these, along with many other useful organic gardening tips on a 21-part newsletter that she gives away for free on her site.

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