Homemade Organic Pest Repellent {Part 2} Attracting Beneficial Insects

Not all insects are bad for your plants. Some actually consume other dangerous pests and keep your garden infestation free. If you're growing green leafy vegetables, introduce arachnids, ichneumon wasps and/or chalcids by inter-planting them with carrots, celery or parsley. These insects prey on leaf-eating caterpillars.

Consider introducing ladybugs, lacewings or hoverflies into your garden also to help control aphids and other insects pests like mites. All three of these pests can be purchased online or through your local garden center then released into your garden. However, there are certain plants that if inter-planted with your crops will attract these beneficial pests naturally. Ladybugs are attracted to tansy and yarrow; while lacewings and hoverflies are attracted to composite flowers such as asters and black-eyed Susans.

Praying mantis are also an excellent addition to your garden because they prey on most garden pests. You can find their eggs through online stores or at your local garden center. To introduce them, set out the eggs spread evenly about your garden and leave them to hatch. Once they've done so, they will get to work.

Cover Cropping

If you want to keep your soil healthy and to have consistently high yields that do not deplete over the years, then it is important to have seasons when sections of your garden are not being actively used. Basically during these seasons, you are allowing your soil to rest and recover from the nutritional depletion it has undergone as a result of continuous planting. In theory, it would make sense to leave the land bare and unused and just ignore it. However, you do not have to contract with the weeds around to leave your garden alone. Then, with the soul being so bate, there is a high chance or erosion.

Your best solution is to mix compost into your soil, then plant Cover Crops. Cover crops are plants that have been planted with some intention of minimizing weed growth and soil erosion. They also make sure that your soil retains its texture by reducing compaction. They include crops like Australian field peas, bell beans, and vetch. When you're ready to use the land again, instead of harvesting the plants, till them into the soil in order to return the nutrients they have absorbed from the soil.

Preventing Pest Infestation & Re-infestation

Regardless of how much you do, there will be some pests that will slip through the cracks. Knowing this is a likelihood, it is important to prevent these cunning pests from multiplying and taking over your garden. Apart from the pest control methods you use like sprays, there are ways you can control pests even before you plant your crops.

One of these pest-infestation prevention methods in Inter-planting. More often than not, pests are plant-specific i.e. they have a preference for certain kinds of plants and keep attacking them over and over again. Some pests are attracted to leafy green vegetables e.g. Brussel sprouts, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, oriental greens, etc; Some are attracted to legumes e.g. broad beans, peas, etc. Others prefer fruit-bearing plants such as tomatoes, corn, eggplant, cucumber; while others prefer root plants like beetroot, sweet potatoes, celery, shallot, and leak.

When you inter-plant crops from different families, the pests will have a harder time spreading because their path to the next preferred plant is blocked by something they do not like. Check the families of the crops you plan to plant and then inter-plant it with a plant coming from a completely different family.
While inter-planting prevents infestation, Rotation prevents infestation and re-infestation. As with inter-planting, it is based on the theory of pests being plant-specific. However, the main difference is that instead of planting different families on one plot of land, this time you'll divide your garden into different plots depending upon the number of families you plan to plant.

When pests that have created a home for themselves in a particular section of land are deprived of their preferred family of plants, they will eventually decline or die. Rotation is also a way to balance the nutritional value of your soil because different plants have different needs. By mixing them up, you are giving them a chance to restore their nutrients before the crop that needs to returns.
Let's say you're planning to plant spinach, kidney beans, and sweet potatoes. Each of these plants will have their own plot of land and if any inter-planting occurs it will be with another plant in the same family. Some garden enthusiasts will also save one piece of their land for cover-cropping; so that means your land has now been divided into four pieces. During this season each family will remain in its specified plot but come next planting season, you'll make sure that the family is planted in a completely different plot. The families will move in a clockwise/anticlockwise direction through the plots each planting season till they come full circle.

Obviously, this will take a bit of planning by you to make sure that the same family doesn't come back to the same section of land until the full rotation is completed but the results after are pest-free and healthy yields. Some gardeners have three rotations (two plant families and one cover-cropping) while others have six rotations (four/five plant families and two/one cover-cropping). It all depends on how many families you're interested in having your ability to track your rotations. Plan your rotations before the season starts, mark out sections and add compost (even in the cover-cropping section) in preparation for planting.

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Intro To Homemade Organic Pest Repellent

Are you tired of deer using your garden as their personal restaurant and reducing your yields?

Is your garden overrun by pests like aphids, mites, and slugs?

Have cockroaches, ant or flies taken over your house?

Do you need some help with wasps and birds?

Is it impossible to enjoy a good night's sleep or a night out on your porch because of mosquitoes?


Many people will turn to chemical sprays to get rid of these troublesome pests. But did you know that using chemicals is just as much a danger to you as it is to the pests you are trying to control?

Research has shown that chemical bug sprays, insecticides, and pesticides cause long-term medical side-effects such as cancer due to their toxicity.

It's time to go natural!

Homemade Organic Pest Repellents are not just for the environmentally savvy or garden enthusiasts. It is for anyone who wants a disease and pest-free home and garden. Here, you will find reliable, effective, non-toxic, all-natural and inexpensive solutions to common home and garden pest problems.

1. Build a Healthy Organic Soil.

The best defense against pests is prevention and the only way to do that is to create conditions that do not allow for their invasion. One of the cornerstones of that is to build healthy organic soil. If you have hard, dry soil, weeds will thrive in your garden sucking up remaining nutrients, chalking up your plants and attracting insects and other predators. So how do you build healthy soil?

Test Your Soil

You need to know the general health of your soil even before you start to plant in it. Sometimes it is easy to figure if your soil is damaged. For instance, if your soil is compacted whenever you water, you will notice pools forming and that it takes time for the water to absorb. You'll have a hard time digging and plant roots, instead of going downwards will spread out sideways because the soil is too difficult for the roots to penetrate. On the other hand, healthy soil will be easily turned when digging and water will soak quite easy.

Be sure and take samples from more different parts of your garden. Gardeners who find that their soil is highly alkaline will usually increase its acidity by adding acidic components such as minded sulfur, while those who want to raise their soils PH add alkaline components like powdered limestone, kelp, soybean meal, alfalfa meal etc to their compost.

Healthy soil requires compost. Compost adds nutrients to your soil and neutralizes any excessive PH that inhibits growth. Most importantly it supports the presence of soil-building organisms such as earthworms, bacteria, fungi and nematodes who eat the waste that is composed off and excrete a rich form of fertilizer that will keep your plants healthy and vigorous.

The exact composition of your compost will depend on what is available to you as well as amendments you need to make to your soil. Organic kitchen scrap, animal/human manure, excretion, lawn clippings, and fallen leaves will usually work quite well. Most garden enthusiasts dig a compost pit somewhere within their garden or buy a compost bin where they will gradually accumulate this material and allow it to decompose. The compost needs to be turned over a few times to ensure even decomposition.

It should be applied at the end of the season. i.e. after harvesting and before planting. This is not only to ensure that your new crops have the benefit of it, but also to ensure the safety of the food you put on your table.

I know at this point you are asking what does soil, compost and gardening have to do with repelling insects and pests. :) Well in the universe everything is connected, and if you want to flow within the laws of nature you want to ensure you are aligned completely throughout. All things matter and there is work to be put in at all levels so if you are seeking to create harmony, the work is well worth the reward.  In no way can you expect to simply spray a concoction and your dilemmas cease to exist. However, if you adopt this lifestyle, you will gain much more than a release of pesky pests.

Mulching

Apart from compost, every garden needs mulch to help build healthy soils and control pests. As opposed to compost, mulch isn't mixed in with the soil but rather applied as a top-dressing. The layer applied, exclusively made of other plants, acts by reducing the amount of evaporation going on which means the soil remains moist all the time. It also works to modify soil temperatures depending on the season. If it is a hot summer, it will cool the soil because it reduces evaporation. If it is cold, it will insulate the plants by providing additional warmth needed by the soil to keep from hardening.

By covering the soil that is not occupied by your plants, it minimizes the growth of weeds. In fact some types of mulch host crickets and carabid beetles which actually eat weed seeds. If the weeds still manage to grow despite the untenable conditions, the mulch will deprive them of light and eventually lead to their drying out. Organic materials like straw (not hay) and leaves make the best mulch. However, for best results, try seaweed mulch.

Seaweed contains nutrients such as magnesium, zinc, and iron that increase the nutrition of your soil, improve the development of your plants and gives them the ability to withstand disease. Because of its salty components, it also repels soft-body pests like snails and slugs.

When applying your mulch check and make sure that it is clean, If you notice that it has some insects, don't apply it because you'll be adding pests to your garden and compromising your plants' health. Apply a three to four-inch-thick layer. Don't be concerned about bulkiness; as the mulch dries, it will shrink. Go through your garden, pushing it away from plant stems so that your plants have some breathing room.

Often Wild Foraged, The Weed Known As Chicory Root: A Wonderful Prebiotic and Best Coffee Replacer!

There are several varieties of Chicory plants out there and they are cultivated mainly for their edible and highly nutritious leaves. 

Chicories have been a part of the human diet for a really long time now, and the perfect illustration of this fact is the traditional Roman meal, Puntarelle which is made out of chicory sprouts. 

This wild plant grows in many countries around the world and it goes by different names-Blue daisy, Blue Sailors, Bunk, Blue Dandelion, Coffee Weed, Horse Weed, Ragged Sailors, and Wild Endive.

Identification

A fully developed chicory plant can grow up to 90 to 180 cm long. Its leaves are similar in appearance to that of Dandelions, but only at the base.  They are smaller as they grow up at the stem, and are casually spaced. They also have pointed tips. 

Chicory flowers are blue or lavender in color but on rare occasions, they can also be white or pink. The flowers grow on two rows of bracts. The stalk is about 30-100cm long and the crowns are 2-4cm wide. The flowering season of Chicory plant is from July to October. Chicory plant grows on roadsides, weedy fields, and on the grassy areas near parking lots. 

Use

Check out my video on using Chicory in your baked bread.

The edible parts of Chicory plant are its leaves and roots. The flowers are also palatable but they are very bitter. The leaves can be used in raw salads but Chicory leaves have a rather pungent flavor so they are usually blanched before use. They are the perfect alternative to spinach. 

The roots can be consumed raw, baked or roasted and are often used as a coffee substittute and/or additive.

Chicory plants are also used for medicinal purposes. Studies have shown that they, especially its flowers are highly effective when used to treat gastroenteritis, gallstones and sinus problems. The quanity of tannins it contains can reduce intestinal parasites. They also are used to remedy cuts and bruises. 

Chicory root is extremely high in inulin, an important prebiotic fiber that is also found in banans, jicama and Jerusalem artichoke. By definition, inulin, being a prebiotic fiber, is a complex, plant based carbohydrate that we as humans cannot specifically digest.  

Approximately 47% of chicory root fiber comes from prebiotic fiber inulin. The inulin in chicory root nourishes the gut bacteria, improves digestion and helps relieve constipation. It can also help increase bile production, which improves fat digestion. Additionaly, chicory root is high in atioxidant compounds that protect the liver from oxidative damage.

Chicory plants are also amongst the 38 plants that are used in alternative medicine for the preparation of Bach flower remedies. According to Cancer Research UK. 

Preperation

Chicory leaves can either be consumed blanched or raw. They are at their finest when fresh and young or when they grow under shades, away from direct sunlight.  If possible, avoiding the ones with green tips is highly suggested as they can be quite bitter. In most traditional cuisines, namely Italym Greece, Turkey, and Albania, the pugnent flavor of the leaves are valued.

The bitter taste of Chicory leaves can be reduced by blanching them. They can be sauteed with anchovies, garlic, olive oil, along with other ingredients that are of your choosing and served with pasta or different kinds of meat dishes. 

Chicory roots can also be consumed raw when they are young and fresh. But they are mostly baked/roasted, dried, ground and made into the perfect substitute of coffee. The use of Chicory roots as alternatives for Coffee actually began in 1766 when Frederick The Great prohibited coffee impotation onto Prussia, and Christian Gottlieb Forster invented an alternate for coffee using Chicory Roots. 

Nutritional Value

Chicory Plant is incredibly high in nutrition. The plant contains protiens, vitamins, ash, sucrose, cellulose, phosphorous, sodium, sodium, iron and soluable fiber. The plant also contains inulin which according to recent studies, helps improve constipation, bowel function and ultimately help in weight loss. 

Every element of the Chicory plant, especially its roots, contains a considerable abount of volatile oils similar to that of the ones found in plants from the genus, Tanacetum. These volatile oils have toxic components that can eliminate intestinal worms.

Location

Chicory plants grow in many countries around the world. Howeverm in accordance to the reports released b y the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Chicory plants are native to Europem Western Asia and North Africa.

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