Liza wrote:
Don't take the risk. Don't use pesticides. And there are several reasons I
would advise this.
Their are several key issues that you should address when deciding to use
natural methods of controlling pests:
A good book to outline all these issues and how to undertake a chemical free
veggie patch is : Natural Control of Garden Pests, by Jackie French.
However, I'm sure google has a wealth of information.
Some very simple points anyone can undertake without being an expert are :
Be aware of how pests find plants : It is either through sight or smell.
By mixing plants together in a non-uniform manner you make it more difficult
for pests to locate plants.
Most monocultures of any variety need some form of best control. Mix the
vegies up
Introduce a pond and frogs. Frogs love pests.
If you can get a duck, you will solve all your snail problems.
i would like to thank you for your answer but it does not cover my question.
the question is more of a theoretical knowledge and not a question of
what i use in my garden.
also i would like to point that i have a sufficient knowledge of the
alternative - natural ways to control pests as i have a degree in
agricultural science.
i agree with your opinion and all the reasons that you mention above but
still my question remains.
to make my question even more clear
lets take as a case study that you do not grow your own tomatoes but you
buy them from the supermarket. does your leaving them to rest for a few
days in the refigerator result to a degration of the pesticides that the
proffesional farmer has used in their production?
you see my question is a theoretical one which answers many practical
issues and is not covered by one practical solution. it needs also a
theoritical answer.
i personally believe that the answer depend of the arco-chemical and
that there are various categories that have various degration factors
but i have no proof of that and that is why i ask at the newsgroup to
see if anoyne else has an answer better to this question.
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Nick Apostolakis
e-mail:
Web Site: http://agriroot.aua.gr/~nickapos
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