Global change starts locally.
Ants, beetles, slugs and the like are every lawn-lover’s worst nightmare. You see a pristine, manicured lawn; they see an all-you-can-eat buffet. It’s tempting to solve the problem with pesticides, but commercial products can be toxic to your family and your foliage. Try these ecological and economical alternatives instead.
- Get crafty with cardboard: Curb cutworms by placing cardboard collars around plants. Bury collars one inch into soil and leave two inches exposed.
- Recycle stale beer: Lure slugs to their demise with a shallow dish of skunked beer.
- Do dish duty: Exterminate insects with a few spritzes of dishwashing liquid combined with water.
- Dabble in mixology: Keep caterpillars, flea beetles and other insects at bay by coating your greens with homemade garlic-pepper spray (recipe below).
Garlic-Pepper Spray
6 cloves garlic
1 minced onion
1 gallon hot water
1 tbsp dried hot pepper
1 tsp pure soap
Mix together all ingredients and let sit for 1-2 days. Spray on plants, preferably after a rainfall, and watch those pesky critters disappear.
For more information, check out cdcg.org or hgtv.com.
Video
Earth Bytes: Bug Be Gone
Jonathan Vigliotti/Christina Mitchell
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