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Hi, I'm Daphne Richards
Our question this week addresses the subject of pesticides
Now, I bet the first thought that jumped into your mind when I used that word,
pesticide, was negative and chemical focused
But when you think of organic pesticides, you may feel less apprehensive
which is why this subject is vitally important
The word organic lulls many people into a sense of complacency
But a fact that most people don't realize is that organic pesticides
are quite often more toxic than their synthetic counterparts
For example rotenone, an acutely toxic pesticide,
is derived from the roots of certain plants in the leguminosae, or bean family
So it's an organic product
Neem oil is another example of an organic product that can be highly toxic if used improperly
These organic pesticides definitely have their place
in our anti-pest arsenal, but they should still be used judiciously and carefully,
perhaps even more so than many synthetic products
When confronting garden pests, most commonly insects, first be aware
Perhaps like Raquel
whose son Nick took these wonderful photos
Your cilantro has bolted and is now covered in aphids
You may be tempted to spray it with pesticide to keep those aphids from
moving on to other plants
Or maybe you're more eco-conscious and you think about simply removing those plants
and tossing them
But before you do anything, check to see if there are any beneficial ladybugs present
Usually aphid populations don't hop from one plant to another indiscriminately
So there's little to worry about there
And usually, a high population of aphids in late spring when cilantro is bolting
serve as prime feeding grounds for ladybugs and their larvae
You might even refer to a clump of aphid-infested plants as a ladybug nursery
So before you act check the situation closely
And "do nothing at all" might be your answer. Another important thing to point
out is that many pesticides
are what are known as broad spectrum, meaning that they kill many different insects,
not just your particular target pest
Products may also drift in even the slightest wind
potentially wreaking havoc in your pond or a nearby stream
Fish, bees, butterflies, and birds are particularly susceptible to accidental
drift of pesticides
So please be very careful and consider just letting nature take its course
Our plant this week is snake herb, a species whose Latin name
even I have trouble pronouncing... dyschoriste linearis
This wonderful plant has delicate
hairy leaves and lovely petite purple flowers that attract butterflies,
not snakes. It's amazingly drought-tough, low water use,
and native. You may see it listed as full-sun
where does great! But it's also very happy in shady spots
which can be trickier for many gardeners. The flowers stay tucked into the leaf axles,
so you may barely noticed them. But butterflies definitely will
Snake herb does spread a bit, making it great for areas in the garden that you
may be leaving a little more natural
Less managed manicured areas of the garden are great habitats for native
insects and wildlife and can be quite beautiful
over multiple seasons, not just in spring when most of the rest of the garden
may be in its full splendor. Our viewer pic this week comes from Robin
of her tiny cucumbers. You can even see the little tiny bumps on them
These are definitely female flowers given your fruit
In your garden this week it's time to do a second round of summer vegetables
like corn, peppers and tomatoes. We'd love to hear from you so please
visit us at klru.org/ctg
and send us your questions and pictures from your garden