Tag: Pests

Stevia and Honey – Safe and Sorry

Society today has slowly seen the negative side of sugar. This is why most people would prefer to avoid eating sweet foods, which is quite next to impossible. People love sugar and will probably give up all the other stuff in life before giving up on it.

To answer this need, companies have come up with several alternatives to sugar that are much lower in caloric and carbohydrate content. Unfortunately, because it is not as natural as the ordinary table sugar, people feel that too much consumption of these sugar substitutes can be harmful to the body. They are afraid that just as it took forever for them to discover the problems that sugar can cause, it will also take forever before they will find out just how harmful the sugar substitutes are to the body.

One substitute though that is still considered safe is the honey, which directly comes from honeybees. Because honey is a combination of different kinds of sugars such as fructose, which can be seen in fruits, maltose, glucose, and sucrose, honey is more balanced and has a better effect on the body. It is better absorbed by the body and presents lesser load for the pancreas, which filters the sugar and activates the insulin system.

One disadvantage though that honey provides is the fact that it is very vulnerable to industrial chemicals being a very natural product. Genetically-modified pollen can cause pests like the Varroa mite. This in turn will increase the possibility of the use of some chemical pesticides that may affect the honey that it being produced. Another potential problem is the use of antibiotics that may be potentially harmful to people when ingested indirectly through the honey. In addition to this, honey although quite a healthy alternative for people with normal conditions, cannot be used by diabetics.

Another potential sugar savior is stevia, which is a South American herb that has been used in Japan for centuries. Records also show that native Americans also use this herb in their food. It has a low caloric content and provides great therapy for thrush, which is exacerbated by the consumption of too much sugar. In fact, stevia is believed to be capable of stabilizing the sugar level of diabetics.

However, despite its glowing reviews and resume, stevia has failed to gain an approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration when the agency rejected the call for the herb to have a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status.

Elements of Organic Gardening

Organic gardening in the truest sense means gardening without the use of any chemical substances, may they be in the form of fertilizers, pesticides, growth enhancers, etc. Some people think that if they use only small amounts of chemical fertilizers they still are producing organic. But they are wrong. Lets tackle some of the misconceptions and issues that surround organic gardens.

Dont get us wrong, organic gardens dont mean just leaving them to nature. It does need fertilization and pest management as well. However, you will use materials, techniques or approaches that are truly organic.

When it comes to fertilizers, for example, organic gardens obviously need fertilizers that are either plant or animal in origin and not petroleum or chemical based as most synthetic fertilizers are made of. So this means, organic gardens will have to rely on composts, animal manures, etc to provide added nutrients to the soil that the plants needs for growth. Its a good thing really, natural based fertilizers is less damaging to the soil in the long run that synthetic ones.

One of the many tips an expert organic grower will give you is that importance of maintaining a healthy soil. Some studies have found out that soils that are not treated with any chemical or synthetic fertilizers or herbicides grow plants that attract less pests. There are several ways to protect your soil. Covering it with vegetation or mulch will protect the soil surface from unnecessary damage from excess sun exposure and erosion from winds and rains. Remember that the top layers of the soil contain the living organisms that plants needs.

At times, organic gardens are also beleaguered by pests and you need to provide some sort of support or else your plants can easily be destroyed by aphids, worms, etc. There a number of effective alternatives for commercial chemical fertilizers. Some are readily available in your own kitchen which makes them really convenient.

Garlic and peppers for instance can be utilized as a spray against common pests. Extracts from the neem tree is also a great weapon against leaf eating, stem boring, or flower devouring pests. Also, you should note that spiders, ladybugs, and lacewings are three of the many insects that are on your side. These insets are natural predators of aphids, worms, larvae, and other pests so treat them nicely.

Another way to manage the pests in your garden is by thinking ahead. When you planted your plants, you could also place along side them plants that are natural repellants of insects such as marigolds which are very effective against nematodes.

Everything about an organic garden should revolve around nature.

Sometimes, it is nice to view organic way of gardening as a means where we can contribute to the protection of nature by helping minimize the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers that are harmful to the environment. May it be a flower garden, your lawn and shrubs, a vegetable patch, or even a fruit and herbs garden, as long as you incorporate organic techniques you are helping build a better future for the next generation.

These are only a few elements that you will have to internalize when start your own organic garden. Just remember that organic gardening is a technique where emphasis is on the interaction of living organisms.

Some Organic Gardening Advice

Most people who cultivate their own gardens miss the fact that the whole gardening activity is actually a good opportunity for strengthening family bonds. Organic gardening should be a family activity enjoyed from the parents to the youngest sibling. Therefore, our first organic gardening advice for gardeners is to engage the whole family to make the experience more meaningful and worthwhile.

For gardening, it has been popular lately for growers to go organic especially with regards to growing vegetables. People are looking for a healthy lifestyle and eating vegetables free from toxins of chemical fertilizers and insecticides are becoming more and more the ideal.

If youre just starting out, or if its your first time planting a garden and you encounter problems like weeds and pests, you might have this inclination to go to the store and get yourself a can of chemical herbicide and pesticide. Dont succumb to this internal need to spray to kill. Most of the time, you garden dont even need such strong chemicals in the first place. All they need is some assistance from you and they will grow fine. For simple weeds, you just need to pull them out by hand especially when they are still just sprouting out of the soil. By removing them while they are young, your plants can grow stronger and in time will be strong enough that weeds or no weeds, it doesnt matter.

The same goes with pests. When you see some bugs in your garden, some damage on the leaves, or a few flying beetles here and there, dont be alarmed and drop that can of pesticide spray. Remember that by using pesticides to your gardens, youre killing not only the pests but the beneficial insects as well.

Beneficial insects? There are insects that feed on fellow insects or other animals whose diet consists of insects. If you allow the beneficial insects to enter your garden or allow friendly animals in, the percentage of damage from other insects will be at a minimum. Also, you wont have to deal with insects growing immune to chemical pesticides.

If things, however, still do not improve and your garden plants are receiving more and more damage from pests, what you can do is to apply environment friendly concoctions that you know off to effectively drive the insects away from your priced plants. A diluted mix of water and soap has proved to be quite ingenious way of getting rid of those pesky pests.

What you can do is mix a tablespoon of liquid dish soap into a half gallon of water and spray the solution to your garden. Bear in mind that this is not a very powerful one unlike most pesticides. You will have to spray the garden a couple of times to make this homemade solution to work.

Another useful piece of advice: as much as possible, get your seeds from organic workers. This will ensure that your seeds will grow into free from disease making a better chance to provide a good harvest.

Also, another good organic gardening advice is to plant your garden directly to the ground. Although creating a garden from containers is highly possible and can really be successful, you will eventually need to take care of your plants more often when they are placed in garden containers. Your plants will eventually outgrow its containers and will require more time to maintain and care for.

Pests in Organic Gardening? No need to worry

If youre into organic gardening, there are a number of things that you need to consider and one of them is a very interesting one: if you see a bug, its not the end of the world, or in this case your garden, as you know it. A bug doesnt mean you have a problem. A pest in organic gardening is only normal. But there are times that one bug becomes a pair, and then more bugs join in forming a small group, and then eventually the population of the insects will grow beyond your control. Only at this point, you are allowed to panic and be paranoid. Im just kidding you on that last statement. You should follow the opposite. Be calm, carefully observe the insects, look at the damage they cause, and then properly consider your course of action.

Among the most common pests that will bug your garden are ants, aphids, armyworms, cabbageworms, grasshoppers, slugs and snails, pillbugs, spider mites, whitefly, thrips, and all sorts of beetles.

Controlling your pests the organic way has a number of benefits. First, the use of chemical pesticides can cause a number of diseases and other health problems including but not limited to infertility, birth defects, cancer, allergies, encephalitis and even lymphoma. Aside from that, chemical based pesticides can damage the water, soil, air, and other animals as well.

Not to mention, that pesticides can be quite hefty to your wallet. There are cheaper alternatives which you can easily get from your kitchen.

You can manage your organic garden by paying particular attention to your plants itself. Try and understand how specific insects affect different plants. The asparagus beetle for instance can be quite damaging to your cultivated asparagus vegetables so you need to watch out for those earlier on.

Also, a tip that most organic farmers give is to plant native varieties as much as possible. Native plant species usually have their own systems to repel common pests. By planting local varieties, you will have a bigger success rate when harvest time comes to an end.

It is a good thing to mix plants species among other varieties. Each plant has their own unique abilities to protect themselves from the onslaught of pests. By placing them in the same area, they will be able to help each other out when pests start invading their town.

A healthy soil is important as well. It has been found out that healthy soils attract fewer pests. You can achieve and maintain a healthy soil by crop rotation, adding of composts or other animal or plant based fertilizers like manure.

You can also time your planting season to avoid the weeks or months where bugs are at their peak.

Be aware that there are friendly bugs out there that will help you control other pests. Ladybugs and ground beetles are some insects that are very helpful in control pests. If you use chemical fertilizers, the good bugs will also get caught in the crossfire.

Again a pest in organic gardening is a natural phenomenon that cannot be totally avoided. You will eventually come across pests and therefore should be prepared to address the situation with a clear mind and a serious disposition. Be prepared to do the dirty jobs as well. If you see one bug, just pick it off your plant. Its crude, I know, but it still remains an effective means to eliminate pests in your garden.

Organic Herb Gardening Is Something You Need For The Kitchen

Organic Herb Gardening Is Something You Need For The Kitchen

Do you use a lot of herbs and spices whenever you are cooking? If you do, perhaps instead of buying these from the grocery, you can get this for free by making your own organic herb garden. In fact, it is so easy to do that even kids can get into it.

So what kind of herbs should you plant? Since they are going to be used for cooking, why not go for herbs that are either Italian or Thai. These herbs are called culinary herbs. Other examples that you can plant for cooking later on include basil, bay leaves, chives, dill, marjoram, oregano and parsley.

Chances are you would like to start from the very beginning which means you have to buy herb seeds. These are sold in packs and it is best to read the instructions before opening them.

Some organic herb seeds can be sown directly to the soil while others have to be raised in seedbeds. Best of all, you do not have to worry that much about pests because they are not that frequent when compared to planting fruits or vegetables.

One herb plant that you should avoid mixing with others is mint because it acts just like a weed and has the tendency to kill the rest. But since you need it, it is best to grow it in a pot so it does not harm your other crops.

Organic herb gardening is not different to organic farming because similar techniques are used to make them grow. The first step is to find the right location that offers adequate sunlight and drainage. Also, check on the soil conditions because what you have in your backyard may not be suitable for it.

When the soil is ready for planting, the rest of the work is easy since you just have to monitor their progress daily. You should also use compost bins so you produce your own organic fertilizer that can be applied to the garden.

Aside from making an organic herb garden outdoors, you can also do the same indoors so it is much closer to the kitchen. Instead of planting these on the ground, you will have to buy organic containers. These can be made from clay, plastic or wood. The important thing is that it provides excellent drainage and good air circulation.

When you use pots for your organic herbs, do not use soil but a mixture of peat, perlite and vermiculite. They need to be watered regularly so make sure it is moist and not damp. Since they also need sufficient sunlight, you can place these outdoors and then bring them back in when it is too cold or put these in the western or southern windows of the home.

Regardless if your herbs are grown indoor or outdoor, you still have to deal with pests and weeds. You can pick them off by hand or get other insects to do your dirty work. Mulch is another solution and you should apply at least 3 to 4 inches or 8 to 10 cm in order for it to be effective.

Herb gardening is a lot of fun since it can be used for other things aside from culinary like for cosmetic, craft, household or medicinal purposes. But if you are into cooking, then organic herb gardening is good for the kitchen.