What's in this Issue:

#2 Lynne's Backyard Gardening Tips

#3 New Gardening Product of-the-Month

#4 Odd & Strange Gardening News

#5 Great Plant of the Month

#6 Invasive Plant of-the-Month

#7 Garden Pest of-the-Month

#8 Feedback - Anonymous

Master Gardener James R. Cannon

There are 3 general opinions on natural pesticides versus chemical. They are:

Opinions vary on the information & facts out there. For those of you who want to consider the natural & safe alternative to chemical pesticides read below about a leading company in natural methods to control pest.

SpringStar is one of the very few companies worldwide that is a primary manufacturer and developer of insect pheromone technologies for residential and garden pest control. It focuses solely on products that use nontoxic mechanisms to effectively control pests. The Company is systematically developing new, innovative traps and other pest control products that cannot be found anywhere else.

SpringStar was founded by Michael Banfield, who has spent the greater part of his working life developing pest products based on insect pheromone and biotechnology techniques. Mr. Banfield has been interested in nature and concerned about avoiding pollution and preserving the environment. While other organizations tried to stop, ban or outlaw legal pesticides, Mr. Banfield became interested in developing alternative products to give customers useful choices that did not rely on poisons. That way, people could stop using toxic materials and still effectively control their pest problems.

SpringStar remains a privately-held family business and is located on the outskirts of Seattle, Washington. All of its products are manufactured in the USA.

Mosquito Traps

There are hundreds of possible answers for mosquito problems including a few of the following:

• Putting chemicals on yourself
• Spraying chemicals in the air
• Burning awful smelling candles
• Staying indoors
• Using Safer Natural Alternatives

The following information is from a company that produces a safer alternative to repelling and or killing mosquitoes. This should be of great interest if you want to protect children, animals, plants, wildlife, or yourself from the possible side affects of chemical repellents.

Mosquitoes are known to transmit diseases such as Equine Encephalitis, West Nile Virus and others. When they bite an animal or bird infected with a disease, they go to lay eggs and come back to bite again. It is this second bite that transmits diseases. The Oak Stump Mosquito Trap attracts, catches and kills mosquitoes when they try to lay eggs, thus preventing that second "fatal" bite.

This trap uses a mosquito egg pheromone which Mosquitoes use to mark special egg-laying places. This "locator" biochemical draws mosquitoes into the trap, but they cannot find the exit and will eventually tire and drown in the liquid.

Traps are re-useable, non-toxic, and safe for the environment.

Mosquito Repellent and Larva Killer

This repellent is naturally-based, safe, and biodegradable. Its dual action feature allows it to kill mosquito larva in water and repel adult mosquitoes for up to 8 weeks. This is an effective control that biodegrades without persistent toxic chemicals, bacterial toxins or insect hormones.

The recommended application for Mosquito Larvicide includes:

Use in and around mosquito-bearing still waters, including ponds, ditches, water impoundment, marshes, swamps, puddles and artificial water sources such as birdbaths, tires, tree-holes, gutters, cans or debris. Also for use in areas subject to tidal water, seepage, overflow, flooding, snowmelt or rainwater.

The recommended application for Mosquito Repellant includes:

Use in yards, parks, playgrounds, schools, golf courses, and other areas where mosquitoes may congregate.

Ladybug Homes

One of the challenges to gardens is harmful insects that will damage or kill plants. You can either chemically control this or do it with natural methods. Anytime you use chemicals you run the side affects risk which are numerous. Below is some information on a natural method to control some of the invasive insects safely.

LADY BUG HOUSE

The Lady Bug House is "Home Sweet Home" to Lady Bugs - a garden's best defense against harmful insects such as aphids, plant lice, whitefly and scale insects. Use the house to release live lady bugs, or to draw wild populations.

Each house contains 2 lady bug lures, habitat inserts and lady bug diet. The diet brings lady bugs into breeding condition, which helps them spend more time in the garden, and to lay eggs that hatch into more lady bugs. The House lasts the entire season, but you’ll replace the lady bug lures regularly.

LADY BUG LURE

The Lady Bug Lure acts like a magnet that draws lady bugs, lacewings and other beneficial insects to gardens to devour pests such as aphids, plant lice, and scale insects. Use one lure for each square yard of infested plants, or one lure for each rose bush or shrub. Effective natural control starts immediately and control is seen within one week.

Dragon Arum

This is an unusual flowering plant that originates from the Mediterranean. The Dragon Arum has bright red very striking flowers that stink like rotting meat to attract insects for pollinating its flowers. Some of the other names it is known for include the following:

• Dragon Lily
• Voodoo Lily
• Snake Lily
• Black Dragon
• Stink Lily & many others…

The Dragon Arum is hardy to zones 5-8 and reportedly spreads quite easily and requiring no special attention. This unusual flower spreads by self-seeding and by offsets of bulbs. The seed heads fall over the ground where ants or beetles cart them away to spread in surrounding areas.

This flower has some of the following characteristics:

• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: 1 to 3 feet
• Flower: 18 inch deep red flower
• Hardiness Zones: 5-8
• Flowering Season: Early summer
• Grows: Rich woods & stream banks

Verbena

Verbenas are a flowering fountain of youth… They bloom profusely, tolerate heat, and come back year after year. This is one of the showiest of perennial flowers for your home & garden.

History:

* Verbenas have been known since ancient times. The Druids would offer a sacrifice to the soil before gathering it and held bunches of it between their hands during devotions.

* People of Antiquity attributed verbena with certain medicinal properties. In folk medicine, verbena leaves boiled in vinegar was used to treat rheumatic pains, lumbago, pleurisy & aided in digestion.

* When the Romans sent messengers of peace to other nations they adorned their apparel with sprays of verbena.

Height & Spread:

Verbena will vary considerably in size depending on the variety. The ground cover moss verbena & trailing verbena grow to 1 foot in height spreading 2-5 feet in width. On the other hand, Brazilian verbena can grow to 6 feet tall.

Growth Rates:

Verbenas will grow fairly quickly and bloom well the first season after planting. Some of the verbena varieties are highly vigorous.

Location Needs:

Verbenas require locations that receive full sun throughout the day & they must have well drained soil. They will not tolerate overcrowding with poor air circulation, shade, or soil that stays overly moist.

Fertilize:

Light application of a complete fertilizer like 16-4-8 in mid to late spring as well as after trimming back will revitalize verbena. Note: Verbena growing in very sandy or poor soil may need more frequent fertilizing.

Water Needs:

Established verbenas are drought tolerant but if they are too dry for a long period of time the growth rate and flowering will be affected. During blooming periods, give them a thorough watering once per week if there has not been at least an inch of rain. Note: Try to avoid overhead watering.

Problems:

Most verbena problems occur when they don’t get enough sun and are in poorly draining soils. Verbenas are relatively pest free but can be affected by aphids, whitefly, thrips, leaf miners, and mites. Snails and slugs can be an issue if conditions are too wet or the area is too heavily mulched.

Quackgrass

In the words of the National Agricultural Library, the definition of invasive plants is…

“Invasive plants are introduced species that can thrive in areas beyond their natural range of dispersal. These plants are characteristically adaptable, aggressive, and have a high reproductive capacity. Their vigor combined with a lack of natural enemies often leads to outbreak populations.”

The above definition describes quackgrass perfectly. It is indigenous to Europe and covers most of North America (It is absent from the Gulf Coast States because quackgrass does not tolerate long, hot summers). This weed can become the dominant species very quickly and once established it is difficult to eradicate.

Quackgrass invades the following places with ease:

• Gardens & Lawns
• Turfgrass
• Crop fields
• Ditch banks
• Any moist area
• Nurseries

Flea Traps

• Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD)
• Secondary Skin Irritations
• Tapeworms
• Anemia (in extreme cases)

In more extreme cases:

* Fleas can transmit bubonic plague. * Fleas from the oriental rat can transmit endemic typhus fever.

You don’t want fleas! If you have ever had an infestation of them you’ll do whatever it takes to get rid of them or make sure it does not happen again. There are many chemical controls that include chemical sprays and spray bombs with the surrounding possible chemical side affects to humans or pets. There are natural safe alternatives including one flea control described below.

Flea Trap by Springstar

Control even the worst flea infestations in homes with the Springstar flea trap. This flea trap is a safe and simple permanent appliance that uses heat and light to draw fleas from up to 25 feet away. Fleas attracted to the trap fall through the grid and meet a sticky demise on the replaceable capture pad. Trap catches 4 to 6 times more fleas than older style traps.

Adult fleas are killed by the thousands on the replaceable capture pad. It works year round without poisons, expensive pills or visits to the vet. The capture pads last for 3 months or until filled with up to 10,000 fleas. The trap is made in USA from unbreakable plastic, is CSA listed, meets and exceeds UL rating.

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