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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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.

**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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Mulch

• Protects the soil from erosion
• Reduces compaction from the impact of heavy rains
• Conserves moisture, reducing the need for frequent waterings
• Maintains a more even soil temperature
• Prevents weed growth
• Keeps fruits and vegetables clean
• Keeps feet clean, allowing access to garden even when damp
• Provides a “finished” look to the garden

Organic mulches also improve the condition of the soil. As these mulches slowly decompose, they provide organic matter which helps keep the soil loose. This improves root growth, increases the infiltration of water, and also improves the water-holding capacity of the soil. Organic matter is a source of plant nutrients and provides an ideal environment for earthworms and other beneficial soil organisms.

While inorganic mulches have their place in certain landscapes, they lack the soil improving properties of organic mulches. Inorganic mulches, because of their permanence, may be difficult to remove if you decide to change your garden plans at a later date. Therefore, this tip sheet is limited to the use of organic mulches.

Mulch Materials

You can find mulch materials in your own yard! Lawn clippings make excellent mulch. While not particularly attractive for a flower bed, they work wonderfully in the vegetable garden. The fine texture allows them to be spread easily even around small plants. However, grass clippings are becoming scarce because of the increased popularity of mulching lawnmowers that provide many of the same benefits of mulching to lawns. Newspaper, as a mulch, works especially well to control weeds. Leaves are another readily available material to use as mulch. Leaf mold, or the decomposed remains of leaves, gives the forest floor its absorbent spongy structure. Compost makes a wonderful mulch if you have a large supply. Compost not only improves the soil structure but provides an excellent source of plant nutrients.

Bark chips and composted bark mulch are available at garden centers. These make a neat finish to the garden bed and will eventually improve the condition of the soil. These may last for one to three years or more depending on the size of the chips or how well composed the bark mulch is. Smaller chips tend to be easier to spread, especially around small plants. Depending on where you live, numerous other materials make excellent mulches. Hay and straw work well in the vegetable garden, although they may harbor weed seeds. Seaweed mulch, ground corn cobs, and pine needles can also be used. Pine needles tend to increase the acidity of the soil so they work best around acid-loving plants such as rhododendrons and blueberries.

When to Apply Mulch

Time of application depends on what you hope to achieve by mulching. Mulches, by providing an insulating barrier between the soil and the air, moderate the soil temperature. This means that a mulched soil in the summer will be cooler than an adjacent unmulched soil; while in the winter, the mulched soil may not freeze as deeply. However, since mulch acts as an insulating layer, mulched soils tend to warm up more slowly in the spring and cool down more slowly in the fall than unmulched soils.

If you are using mulches in your vegetable garden or flower garden, it is best to apply them after the soil has warmed up in the spring. Cool, wet soils tend to slow seed germination and increase the decay of seeds and seedlings.

If adding additional layers of mulch to existing perennial beds, wait until the soil has warmed completely.

Mulches used to help moderate winter temperatures can be applied late in the fall after the ground has frozen but before the coldest temperatures arrive. Applying mulches before the ground has frozen may attract rodents looking for a warm over-wintering site. Delayed applications of mulch should prevent this problem as, hopefully, the creatures would already have found some other place to nest!

Mulches used to protect plants over winter should be loose material such as straw, hay, or pine boughs that will help insulate the plants without compacting under the weight of snow and ice. One of the benefits from winter applications of mulch is the reduction in the freezing and thawing of the soil in the late winter and early spring. These repeated cycles of freezing at night and then thawing in the warmth of the sun cause many small or shallow rooted plants to be heaved out of the soil. This leaves their root systems exposed and results in injury or death. Mulching helps prevent the rapid fluctuations in soil temperature and reduces the chances of heaving.

Applying Mulch

Begin by asking yourself the following questions:

• What do I hope to achieve by mulching? Weed control? Moisture retention? Soil improvement? Beautification?

• How large is the area to be mulched?

• How much mulch will I need to cover the area? Mulch is measured in cubic feet. As an example, if you have an area 10 feet by 10 feet and you wish to apply 3 inches of mulch, you would need 25 cubic feet.

Determine what mulch material to use and purchase or accumulate what you need. Mulch can often be purchased bagged or bulk from garden centers. Bulk may be cheaper if you need large volumes and have a way to haul it. Bagged mulch is often easier to handle, especially for smaller projects. Most bagged mulch comes in 3-cubic-feet bags.

• Compost — refer to the tip sheet on composting for information on how to make your own compost.

• Leaves

1. Collect leaves in the fall.
2. Chop with a lawnmower or shredder. Whole leaves tend to compact if wet or blow away if dry. Chopping will reduce the volume and facilitate composting.
3. Compost leaves over winter. Some studies have indicated that freshly chopped leaves may inhibit the growth of certain crops. Therefore, it may be advisable to compost the leaves over winter before spreading them.

• Grass clippings — spread them immediately to avoid heating and rotting.

• Newspaper

1. Save your own newspapers.
2. Only use newspaper text pages (black ink); color dyes may be harmful to soil microflora and fauna if composted and used.
3. Use 3 or 4 sheets together, anchored with grass clippings or other mulch material to prevent blowing away.

The amount of mulch to apply will be determined by the mulch material you are using.

General Guidelines

• Do not apply mulch directly in contact with plants. Leave an inch or so of space next to plants to help prevent diseases flourishing from excessive humidity.
• Remove weeds before spreading mulch.

Bark mulch and wood chips are sometimes used with landscape fabric or plastic. The fabric or plastic is laid on top of the soil and then covered with a layer of bark chips. A caution to this practice: while initially the plastic or fabric may provide additional protection against weeds, as the mulch breaks down, weeds will start to grow in the mulch itself. The barrier between the soil and the mulch also prevents any improvement in the soil condition and makes planting additional plants more difficult.

For Sources of Mulch

Check under mulches or garden centers or nurseries in the Yellow Pages. Your community may also have wood chips from the removal of street trees that are available free to residents.

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

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!

First Graders Take Hands-on Approach to Life Science Lesson

Recently Bethel Organics donated its Real Organic-Real Easy Seed Starting Kits™ to illustrate a life science lesson for four first grade classes at West Elementary. The kits provided the students with 100% organic and biodegradable DOT Pots™, soil tablets, fertilizer and seeds – everything they needed to grow their own plants and apply the lessons they learned about what living things need to survive. The plants began growing just in time for the students to observe the function of each plant part and within eight days they were seeing stem growth. The photo above was taken on day 18 and a few of the plants had tiny roots growing out of the pots.

The inaugural Organic Living Fair will be held Friday, March 12 from 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Joan M. Durante Park on Longboat Key at 5550 Gulf of Mexico Dr. Bethel Farms will be there with its Bethel Organics’ Real Organic – Real Easy Seed Starting Kit. The event is free and open to the public and will feature education and information from Bethel Farms, Big Earth Supply, the Florida House, Longboat Key Garden Club, the Sarasota County Extension Office and the Southwest Florida Water Management District, as well as experts from Grant’s Gardens, Lucas Lagoons, Raindrops Cisterns and EcoTechno. The fair will also feature organic products and services and a farmer’s market.

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