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Bunnies
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Date Posted: Fri, Aug 06 - 8:54 pm
- What is a good way to keep bunnies out of my garden? They have eaten ALL of my strawberries and are starting to gnaw down the plants. They are carving caves out of my broccoli plants and have eaten the leaves off my Brussels sprout... I put down dichotomous earth and pepper flakes to no effect. They gnawed the marigolds I put in the garden as a deterrent to a nub. They are eating the greens off my onions. They have eaten the entire stalks of all my coneflowers. My pepper plants are getting stripped. They have recently started snipping the top 2/3 of the branches on my blueberry bushes off.
- I know, it's hard to believe such benign-looking creatures can wreak such havoc....but they can. I have not had personal experience but I have heard many tales of woe. My experience has been with deer and despite the difference in size, they both seem to do the same amount of damage, actually no, bunnies are worse. The only real solution is to fence your garden. Not knowing the size of your garden, it's difficult to say how much of a project this will be. You may need to make some adjustment to the design of your garden. It could be done relatively cheaply with some fence posts and rails from the hardware store and chicken wire or preferably hardware cloth. You probably want the fence to be 2-3 feet high so they can't jump over and the wire/cloth should be buried 6 inches in the ground to prevent the bunny from burrowing under. If you have individual plants you want to protect, you can make a 2-3 ft high collar out the wire. But it will have to stay in place year round. There are other methods and products out there for consumers but many have to be reapplied frequently, if they even work. You should also have a look around the house and garden to see if there are inviting places for rabbits to hide or nest. If so, take care of that. I hope you're able to secure your plantings and enjoy the harvest!
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Round nodules on willow tree branches
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Date Posted: Fri, Aug 06 - 8:51 pm
- My neighbor's willow oak dropped some branches in a recent storm and we noticed many small round nodules clusters on the branches. I have pictures and can up load if required. Neither of us have ever seen anything like this before. The tree is probably over 100 years old and is in the Museum District. Is this a disease or a parasite?
- Without actually seeing a picture of the infected branch, I believe the most likely issue is related to scale insects on the tree. They will form these nodules and feed on the nutrients in the tree branch tissues. If this is the case, the owner should determine how widespread the issue is throughout the tree. If infection is only in a few areas, or on lower branches, I would recommend cutting out those branch sections, bagging the infected material, and discard. If the infection is visibly more widespread, a safe, organic insecticidal solution spray would be recommended. Good luck, and feel free to reach out with any further questions.
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Insects eating basil leaves
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Date Posted: Fri, Aug 06 - 8:47 pm
- Something is eating my basil! Everything else (lettuce, kale, tomatoes, cilantro, arugula) is ok...any suggestions to protect the basil leaves?
- These are likely spider mites or aphids eating your basil leaves. There are two safe, organic solutions which are effective to rid these insects from your basil. The first is a homemade soap spray solution - add 2 teaspoons of mild liquid soap to a gallon of water and use a spray bottle to spray upper and under sides of the leaves. The second is a neem oil solution in a spray bottle - add 2 tablespoons of neem oil (can be purchased at most garden stores) to a gallon of water and spray upper and under sides of leaves. Neem oil will kill the insects and halt reproduction. You can reapply every 7 days. Both solutions described are harmless to humans, birds, or other animals. Good luck! If other questions, please let us know.
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Small white bugs on tomato leaves
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Date Posted: Fri, Aug 06 - 8:44 pm
- I have little white bugs on the leaves of my tomato plants, how can I remove them organically.
- Great question, and a common problem at this point of the growing season. It sounds like you have aphids on your tomato plant leaves, and a good, safe, and organic way to treat your plants is with a neem oil solution. Neem oil is plant based organic oil. Mix two teaspoons of the neem oil to a gallon of warm water, mix well, and spray your tomato plants. You can reapply every 7 days. Neem oil is not harmful to humans, birds, or other animals. In very dry weather, make sure your tomato plants are well watered before applying the neem oil solution. Feel free to reach out to us if other questions come up!