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Just Say No to Chemicals. Tarr, L. 11 February 2006. The
Olympian. (Newspaper article)
Not convinced yet that chemical-free gardening will work to
your advantage and replenish or maintain natural processes in the soil? Read
what Linda Tarr, a Northwest garden center owner, has to say about chemicals in
the landscape. Linda bases her business on the fact that chemicals are
short-term fixes and over-rated. In the larger picture, plants actively absorb
toxins from contaminated soil and when that occurs, natural processes are
disrupted. On the other hand, healthy soil with compost and earthworms can
enrich and provide plants with the capacity for resisting pests and/or disease.
Alternatives to chemicals that Linda advocates include animal manure, kitchen
wastes, and yard clippings.
Know Your Pesticides. Cunningham, S. March 31, 2006. Buffalo
News (New York). (Newspaper article)
Cunningham introduces Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and
cautions against pesticide use. IPM depends on resistant plants, healthy plants,
rotating crops, and flowering time of plants and insects to encourage natural
enemies like spiders, birds, bats, and toads that balance pest populations.
Cunningham reminds us that pesticides by law require specific uses in accordance
with label instructions. The discussion leads into biomagnification and the
harmful effects of pesticides that are magnified up the food chain. At the top
of the food chain, humans receive the largest doses, due to the consumption of
the greatest quantity. Since strains of pests highly resistant to pesticides
will continue to develop, and since broad-spectrum pesticides create secondary
pests while killing natural pest predators, we should ask ourselves: why use
pesticides?
Desperate Ag:reculture (that’s not a typo!) recommends compost
teas for homeowners and renters, among many other demographics. Major benefits
of using compost teas are reducing fertilizer consumption and choosing an
alternative to chemicals — compost teas do not harm beneficial insects. Posted
on the website is a spreadsheet of Portland area compost suppliers, which
includes address, type and cost of compost, and the beneficial rating of each
compost. Desperate Ag:reculture, according to the information source posted on
the site, will work with homeowners on a one-on-one basis to determine their
compost needs. That is a very good thing!
Watch for Signs of Common Rose Pests in Your Garden.
O’Connor, T. April 10, 2005. Ventura County Star (California).
(Newspaper article)
This guest write-in column provides cut-to-the-chase answers
for questions regarding how to protect roses that are eaten by insects. O’Connor
chooses six typical situations in a rose garden to explain natural warfare with
pests. Introduce native predators such as ladybugs, green lacewings, or
parasitic wasps to rid roses. Alternatively, wash leaves to purge spider mites.
Keep natural critters in the system for the best method in preserving natural
cycles and assisting plants at being resilient to pests. We concur.
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