Bethel Farms Blog » organic gardening

Once on the Move, Armyworm Hard to Control

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:14:41 +0000

Like its namesake military force, Armyworms can strike anywhere and become harder to control the larger they grow, however its name is derived from its feeding habits. Armyworms will eat everything in an area and once the food supply is exhausted the entire “army” will move to the next available food source, feeding and moving stealthily during the night, hunkering down beneath fallen debris during the day.

The Armyworm is actually the caterpillar life stage of a moth, and grows to about 1½” long. Pale green when first hatched, they change to olive green with a white stripe later on in the season, eventually morphing into brown moths sporting a white spot on each wing.

The Armyworm causes damage similar to that of sodworms, but it is more scattered and not confined to patches. The damage usually moves in from the edges and often proceeds in a relatively straight line as the Armyworms march across the lawn.

Preventive and organic control measures include

Raking up fallen debris to eliminate daytime hiding places
Encouraging birds to visit by setting out feeders, birdbaths or nesting material in the area where the worms are feeding
Attracting predatory wasps to control the Armyworms by planting dill, fennel, coreopsis and brightly colored flowers near the feeding areas
Spraying Bacillus thuringiensis, an organic control for caterpillars, in the late afternoon or early evening hours when you see the first signs of armyworm damage in your garden. Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt) is actually a bacteria and is safe to use around children and pets. There are also numerous chemical sprays available to control armyworms.

Many turfgrass managers use pyrethroids for Armyworm control.

Because they are most active in the fall, it is time to set up your reconnaissance mission now, becoming familiar with the health of your lawn or garden. If these measures are not sufficient to control the advancing army, enlist the aid of a professional pest control company.

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A Bug-free Garden, Naturally

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:02:32 +0000

When used incorrectly, pesticides can pollute water. They also kill beneficial as well as harmful insects. Natural alternatives prevent both of these events from occurring and save you money. Consider using natural alternatives for chemical pesticides: Non-detergent insecticidal soaps, garlic, hot pepper sprays, 1 teaspoon of liquid soap in a gallon of water, used dishwater, or forceful stream of water to dislodge insects.

Also consider using plants that naturally repel insects. These plants have their own chemical defense systems, and when planted among flowers and vegetables, they help keep unwanted insects away. The table below contains a partial list of nature’s alternatives.

Pest	Plant Repellent
Ant	mint, tansy, pennyroyal
Aphids	mint, garlic, chives, coriander, anise
Bean Leaf Beetle	potato, onion, turnip
Codling Moth	common oleander
Colorado Potato Bug	green beans, coriander, nasturtium
Cucumber Beetle	radish, tansy
Flea Beetle	garlic, onion, mint
Cabbage Worm	mint, sage, rosemary, hyssop
Japanese Beetle	garlic, larkspur, tansy, rue, geranium
Leaf Hopper	geranium, petunia
Mexican Bean Beetle	potato, onion, garlic, radish, petunia, marigolds
Mice	onion
Root Knot Nematodes	French marigolds
Slugs	prostrate rosemary, wormwood
Spider Mites	onion, garlic, cloves, chives
Squash Bug	radish, marigolds, tansy, nasturtium
Stink Bug	radish
Thrips	marigolds
Tomato Hornworm	marigolds, sage, borage
Whitefly	marigolds, nasturtium

**This information was reproduced in its entirety from the website of the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov.

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Start Small, Become Part of Something Big

admin — Thu, 06 May 2010 22:19:39 +0000

Peel, plant and water! There’s no easier way to start a vegetable garden than with Bethel Organics’ new Peel and Seed™. Because it’s from Bethel Organics you know it’s Real Organics – Real Easy™. Each hang card contains three popular vegetables. The seeds are organic, the label is water soluble and the entire package is biodegradable.

According to the USDA, “Organic farming has been one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agriculture for over a decade. The U.S. had under a million acres of certified organic farmland when Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. By the time USDA implemented national organic standards in 2002, certified organic farmland had doubled, and doubled again between 2002 and 2005.” And that’s just the certified farmland; the true numbers are mind-boggling when individual homeowners and hobby farmers are added to the mix.

When you add Peel and Seed™ to our Organic Seed Starting Kit and DOTPots™ you can see where we’re growing!

Going Green for Charity

admin — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:14:00 +0000

Here’s a way to make your decision to “go green” go farther – recycle your electronic wastes and donate to your favorite charity at the same time. Recycling for Charities does just that and Bethel Organics (a division of Bethel Farms) is furthering the cause by donating a selection of DOT Pots™ to Recycling for Charities’ Earth Day event at Oakland University.

A selection of Bethel Organics DOT Pots

On April 15 Recycling for Charities and the Sustaining Our Planet Earth organization of Oakland University hope to prevent nearly 50 TONS of electronic waste, which can leak harmful chemicals, from entering landfills while celebrating Earth Day at Oakland University’s campus. Read more about the event here. Attendees at the event will receive a swag bag that includes seeds and a DOT Pot™ among other gift items. DOT Pots™ are part of Bethel Organics’ Real Organic – Real Easy™ Seed Starting Kit. They are the world’s only OMRI™ listed biodegradable plantable pots.

Recycling your electronic waste and incorporating environmentally-friend gardening practices are just 2 steps you can take to “green” up your life. To learn more about what you can do, visit our Facebook fan page and sign up for Bethel Farms’ monthly newsletter, this month’s issue will give you 8 more!