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Tips &
Techniques
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Corn Gluten Meal: |
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Corn Gluten Meal
is a natural pre-emergent fertilizer with an
analysis of 9.5-0.5-0.5, corn gluten meal reduces
the germination and establishment of troublesome
annual weeds. It is available as a powder or in
granular form. It is 60% protein, approximately 10%
nitrogen by weight. It is a by-product of corn
milling process and commonly used in pet and
livestock feeds. It can be used vegetable and flower
gardens as a fertilizer and help with weed control
but be careful. It can damage the germination of
plants started from seeds. Use it only after your
seeds are up and young roots are well established.
It is a powerful fertilizer and will create large
healthy weeds if applied after they germinate. This
unique use of corn gluten meal was discovered by Dr.
Nick Christians and his research staff at Iowa State
University. It should be applied at 2 lbs per 100
square feed sometimes around October 1st and Feb
1st. An additional application can be applied around
June 1st. |
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From Texas
Organic Gardner by Howard Garrett |
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Organic Bug Deterrent: |
| Ingredients: |
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½ cup Marigolds blooms
½ cup Geraniums blooms
½ cup garlic cloves
2 oz. Mint Oil
3 cup water
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| Directions: |
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Puree all ingredients in a
blender until liquefied.
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Pour contents in a plastic or
glass container, allow to sit 24 hr.
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Strain pulp from contents, with
cheesecloth.
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Use: |
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Pour contents into a hose end
sprayer, top of to 20 oz in sprayer & shake
well. Set sprayer at 2 oz. Per gallon. Spray
vegetables in late afternoon, allowing time to
dry before sundown. |
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Tiny Seed Planting Technique: |
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When planting tiny
seeds in your beds Make a shallow furrow the
appropriate depth, or directly on top of bed. Roll
out a strip of toilet paper in the furrow. Deposit
the seeds on top of the toilet paper. This will
enable you to see the seeds drop and adjust the
spacing, which will save seeds and the amount of
thinning-out necessary later. Roll out another layer
over the seed and lightly sprinkle or mist with
water to hold the layers in place.
Lightly cover with
soil and gently sprinkle with water. This will
prevent the seed from being scattered when lightly
watering. The seeds will germinate and grow as
usual, right through the paper, which will
disintegrate after a few waterings. |
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Soil Solarization: |
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Soil
solarization is the process in which the entire surface of
your garden is encapsulated with 6 mil Black plastic for
the purpose of destroying virtually every kind of harmful
insect, egg, larvae and fungus in your garden soil. The
process is easy, cheap, and carries a multitude of other
benefits along with it? Solarization is a simple, five-step
process that kills insects, plant diseases, nematodes,
harmful fungi, and weed seeds. At the same time, helpful
microorganisms within the soil apparently benefit, form the
lack of competition. Soil that has been solarized allows
plants to draw on the nutrients, especially nitrogen,
calcium, and magnesium more readily. Seeds germinate more
quickly. Plants grow faster and stronger, Plants mature
earlier with substantially higher yields than in unsolarized
soil.
Solarization the greenhouse
effect generation tremendous heat , where a covering, of 6
mil Black plastic sheeting, traps the sun's heat. After
several days of sunshine, soil temperatures rise to as high
as 140 degrees at the surface and up to 100 degrees 18
inches below the surface. It takes four to six weeks of
sunny weather to pasteurize the soil. Make plans to apply
you plastic sometime between the end of June and the first
of September.
Any size bed, as narrow as
3-ft. wide bed, will retain enough heat to do the job,
although larger areas generate and maintain more heat and a
longer lasting the effects. An assistant make applying the
plastic a simple chore. The cost of the plastic is the
solitary expense in using the sun's energy to improve your
soil. Purchase a roll of 6 mil Black plastic large enough to
cover your entire area overlapping on all sides by a minimum
of 1 foot. |
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Five Steps to Healthier, more productive Soil: |
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Preparing the Soil:
Remove weeds and old crops. Prepare your soil as if
your were about to plant, turning in any soil amendments
and raking the surface smooth, removing any objects that
may cut or raise the plastic creating air pockets from the surface
causing uneven heating.
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Water thoroughly:
Apply water
with a sprinkler for several hours or overnight to soak
the soil to the depth of 12". This creates 100 percent
humidity under the plastic, which acts with the heat to
kill all those unwanted elements.
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Form a border trench: Using
a garden hoe or furrowing tool form a trench all around
the bed or plot 6-8 inches deep.
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Lay a Black plastic
sheet: Apply 6 mil. thick Black
plastic, over the entire area. Stretch the plastic
tightly and weight down the edges of the plastic in the
trench on all sides. This can be done with soil or heavy
construction reinforcement rod, timbers, bricks etc.
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Relax, be patient and
wait: . Although cloudy weather will slow things down by
cooling the soil under the plastic, a few weeks of
sunshine will inexpensively improve your soil
dramatically, and easily, If you live in an area with
cool or cloudy summers, if time is a major factor speed
up the process by adding a second sheet of plastic.
Using row covers e hoops elevate the second sheet of
plastic over the ground-level sheet. The airspace
between acts as a temperature buffer zone. The
combination of the two sheets of plastic raises the soil
temperature an additional 6 to 10 %.
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Herbal Garden Sprays:
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Environmental friendly
homebrewed garden sprays deter insects and improve the
health of your garden. To be effective, natural insect
sprays should be applied frequently to break the breeding
cycle of common pests. Avoid applying sprays directly to
fruit of the plants. Treat the surrounding soil, borders and
foliage of the plants.
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Recipes & Usages |
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Insect
Spray Concentrate: |
| Ingredients: |
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3 unpeeled garlic
heads
3 ounces liquid paraffin
1 tablespoon grated oil based soap (or Ivory Snow)
2 cups hot water
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| Directions: |
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Crush garlic heads and
add to paraffin in a small bowl. Let stand for 24 hours.
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Melt soap in hot water.
Allow to cool.
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Add soap mixture to
garlic mixture.
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Strain into a glass jar
and store in refrigerator.
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Use: |
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To use insect spray, dilute 4
tablespoons of concentrate in 4 pints of water. Spray at
least every two weeks. |
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Wormwood
Spray: |
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Ingredients: |
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8 ounces wormwood leaves
3 pints water
1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid
2 cups hot water
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Directions: |
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Simmer
wormwood leaves in 3 pints of water for 30 minutes.
Stir, strain, and leave to cool.
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Add
dishwashing liquid in 2 cups of hot water. Add to
wormwood water.
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Use: |
| This spray is best used
against caterpillars. |
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Red Pepper
Spray Concentrate: |
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Ingredients: |
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1 unpeeled onion
1 unpeeled head of garlic
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
3 pints water
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Directions: |
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Chop
onion and garlic and combine all ingredients in a
saucepan. Simmer 20 minutes.
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Cool and
store in jars in the refrigerator for 6 weeks.
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Strain
and store in jars.
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Use: |
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To use, dilute 8 tablespoons
of concentrate per gallon of water. Add 1 tablespoon of
dishwashing liquid. Red pepper spray is a good general
insect spray and is an effective repellent against insects
and animals. |
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Comfrey
Foliar Feed: |
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Ingredients: |
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2 plastic buckets
Comfrey leaves
Plate
Brick or other heavy object that fits inside bucket
Flower pot that fits inside bucket
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Directions: |
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Cut holes into the bottom
of a plastic bucket.
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Fill bucket 3/4 full with
comfrey leaves. Pack down tightly.
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Place a plate on top of
the leaves and weigh it down with a brick or other heavy
object.
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Place an upside down
flower pot inside another bucket. Set the bucket
containing comfrey leaves on top of the flower pot.
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After 3 weeks, there
should be a brown liquid in the bottom of the lower
bucket. Bottle this liquid, an place the contents of the
top bucket in the compost heap.
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Use: |
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To use comfrey spray, dilute
1 tablespoon with 2 pints of water. Add a teaspoon of
dishwashing liquid to the contents. |
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An Organic
alternative to Round-up weed killer |
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I just want to share a simple recipe for an herbicide
that works far better than Roundup ever has.
1 gallon 20% straight vinegar, Do not add water
2 of Orange Oil
1 tsp Dish soap
To 1 gallon of 20% Vinegar add 2 oz Orange Oil, 1 tsp
or so of dish soap Mix in a sprayer and wet down the
foliage. It will quickly kill ANY green living plant. On a
sunny day you can see results in just a couple of hours.
Weeds will be brown and crispy in 24hrs. I have even used
a paint brush to apply it to weeds in beds of other plants.
It has no residual effect in the ground...so I can plant the
area as soon as the offending weeds/grass are dead. The key
is to use 20% vinegar...the less concentrated types are not
nearly as effective. I buy it at a local nursery, along with
the orange oil.
I have been completely converted to "organic" controls
for most every problem. I am amazed at the increase in
beneficial insects...and the complete success of these
methods. I just want to share these ideas, we could all do
with a few less toxic things in our environment.
You can get the Orange oil online from Erath Earth
directly
http://www.erathearth.com/
or at a good nursery that carries organic controls. The 20%
vinegar is NOT regular grocery store stuff. It's much
stronger. I get it at a nursery...but agricultural supplies
will also carry it. It will be labeled as 20% Vinegar.
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Submitted
by: Kimberly Keith — San Antonio, TX; Zone 8b |
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Fire Ant Killer: |
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Warning:
This formula MUST
NOT be used in or near vegetable beds or
other foodstuffs. |
Small batch:
2 lb. white corn meal
1 pkg. reg. red Jello
1.5 cups sugar
2 tablespoons Ortho, 75% Orthene or Hi-Yield Acephate
Large batch:
5 lb. white corn meal
1 pkg. large red Jello
3 cups sugar
3 tablespoons Ortho, 75% Orthene or Hi-Yield Acephate
Mix contents thoroughly in a plastic
container.
Allow to sit 24 hours before using.
Sprinkle small amount on the mound.
Do not disturb the mound or apply before an anticipated
rain.
Store in a sealed container. |
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