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Pests & Problems

Perhaps one of the grossest pests: Leaf Miners

by Fern on September 5, 2011

in Pests & Problems

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Have you ever heard of or seen a pest called “leaf miners?” You can identify their damage by spotting the light-colored squiggly path they leave on the surface of new leaves. Inside the light colored path is a thread of something. You know what that thread is? Poop. Or to be more science-y, entomologists call insect poop “frass.” Read the full article →

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Horticultural Oils: A Great Organic Pesticide When Used Properly

by Fern on August 1, 2011

in Apartment Garden Challenges,Pests & Problems

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Do as I say, not as I do.

That phrase is such a cop out, but the truth of the matter is that I often give better advice to others than I give to myself.

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Wordless Wednesday: This. Is. War!

July 28, 2010
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Container Gardening Grab Bag 5/14

May 14, 2010
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This really is the best time of year for garden blogging, the great posts continue this week. I could also use your wildlife gardening posts for the May carnival, and you definitely want to see the bouquet Mary grew herself. Pretty cool!

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Container Garden Pest Problems: Aphids

May 10, 2010
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In the past, I’ve shared my preferred method of dealing with aphids, ladybugs. They are still my favorite way to get rid of aphids, but I’ve noticed that it’s harder to keep ladybugs around on my new balcony, probably because there is less nearby landscaping that they like. And since I’ve started growing seeds in [...]

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Oh No! My Plant Has Wilted, What Do I Do?!

April 27, 2010
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Your first reaction upon discovering that a plant has wilted may be to trip over yourself while trying to find your watering can. But adding more water may not be the best thing to do, or at least not the best thing to do first. Intrigued? Read on my friends…

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Good Container Gardening Practices to PREVENT Pest Problems

March 11, 2010
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Last week my master gardener class was on “integrated pest management,” as you could probably tell from the #MGtips tweets I posted to my Twitter account. Integrated pest management (IPM) is the use of all suitable pest control methods in a compatible manner that minimizes adverse effects on the environment. While IPM sometimes advocates the [...]

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3 Insects You Should NEVER Kill

February 12, 2010
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This being Friday, you know I am just dying to share some of the great info I learned in my Master Gardener class. Yesterday’s class was taught by a highly regarded entomologist and was all about the insects we’re likely to find in the typical Southern California garden. While listening to the lecture and dutifully [...]

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3 Potted Plant Problems – How to Recognize & Fix Them

February 5, 2010
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I don’t know if you’ve noticed a pattern lately, but on Thursday mornings I have my Master Gardener training class, and I learn such great things that I can’t wait to share them with you all on Friday. Yesterday’s class was about soil, amendments, and fertilizers. The professor teaching the class discussed, among other things, [...]

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Dealing With Pests In A Container Garden: Caterpillars

September 8, 2009

I’m not sure about you, but my area of the world seems to be the international headquarters for the caterpillars of the white cabbage butterfly. There is nothing more frustrating that pouring your blood, sweat, and tears into some seedlings only to have a caterpillar chew them down to nothing more than a stub. Photo [...]

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