This and That for June 2021

Two simple things can make your bananas last longer. First, don’t keep them in a2. Pull them apart Then, wrap the stem end with aluminum foil. These bananas will last longer than those in a clump. Try it!!! Optimum tree planting time is from Halloween to St. Patrick’s Day, but a tree cared for can be planted 365 days a year. This includes planting in hot summers, because tree roots tend to be inactive when subsoil temperatures are above 90-92°. Sulfur was the first pesticide and has been used for several thousand years. It’s also a fast way to temporarily lower soil pH. Chrysanthemums, if dried, crumbled and dropped in your garden, will kill insects. It is amazing to see how much mulch is purchased every year, when there is plenty available at no cost. Consider containing your county extension agent for permission to gather some of the mulch already available and perhaps aged toward compost. When roots or mycorrhiza find water, tree roots will follow it, perhaps increasing the root system width and certainly increasing root depth. Less watering on a regular basis tends to create shallow root systems with big problems come drought time. Vegetable plants can literally look great one day and be wilting the next because water has moved deeper in the soil and is now below vegetable plant roots. Watering less frequently but for longer periods increases the depth water will achieve, and roots follow it. Deeper roots require less new water, because they can take advantage of the deeper water that tends to stay longer. Minerals & micronutrients are constantly removed from soil by water leaching, wind erosion, and crop harvesting. An organic fertilizer, synthetic fertilizer containing these nutrients, or using mulch and compost are ways to get these nutrients back into the soil. Baby Powder (and others) in Your Garden Nearly everyone who gardens complains about this or that critter that just loves to infest, east, trample or otherwise cause problems. What then follows is a search for whatever will kill, prevent or otherwise deter that/those pest(s). All too often, however, some of the simplest and easiest of cures are overlooked. Take, for example, human hair. Not only does it contain up to 14 elements for the soil, it also repels critters such as deer, rabbits, and rodents. It even repels snails! A lot of people go to barbershops to gather hair for spreading in and around their gardens! For others who experience invasions of bugs, pests, and disease, only to spend an inordinate amount of time, money and energy on “fixes,” another simple, easy to use and el cheapo preventer is baby powder! It repels all those critters mentioned regarding human hair, and you can add ants and beetles to the list1 Rabbits, for example, don’t like the smell or taste of baby powder. Ants don’t care for it either. Besides the garden, you can sprinkle it around the house foundations to keep them out. One of gardens’ most negative aspects are aphids, sometimes referred to as blackflies, greenflies, or plant lice. Sprinkle baby powder on them, and they become gone! The only negative aspect of baby powder is that it needs to be replaced whenever there are strong winds or rains. It is, however, already in a useable container, inexpensive, easy to apply, and it works. Finally, make a safe and effective pesticide with baking soda! Just mix olive oil (1 tbsp), baking soda (2 tbsp) and liquid soap (2-3 drops) in a gallon of water. Put it all in a spray container and apply gently to your garden every few days to keep pests away.