Originally Posted by Billy[_10_]

In article ,
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:

"Billy" wrote in message
...
In article ,
brooklyn1 wrote:

9 Garden Myths Demystified - Fine Gardening Article

I'm sure any garden can find things to take exception to in this
article. Mostly the article makes errors of omission.

For example
Myth: Organic pesticides are less toxic than synthetic ones

I can't think of any organic pesticide that is as toxic as Sevin, but
the whole point of organic gardening is to avoid pesticides in the first
place, and that is done using Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Spraying
Milk Spore in the Fall is better than waiting until the following summer
and being tempted to use Sevin on Japanese beetles. Ladybugs will help
you control aphids with no sprays at all. Identify your problem first,
before treating it.


"Myth: Organic pesticides are less toxic than synthetic ones"

Yes, it's a simplistic statement. But the average consumer is pretty dumb,
and they fall for that comment. A friend of mine is having problems with
ants in the house. Two exterminators told her they use a product which "is
made from chrysanthemums". She liked that idea. It made her smile. Of
course, the distant relative of the product (a synthetic pyrethroid whose
name I don't have handy at the moment) originally came from flowers 40+
years ago. But not the actual product they sold her.

I didn't say a word to her. It's not worth the effort any more. Was this
stuff as dangerous as banned products we used to use 40 years ago? Probably
not. Is it safe? Nobody can know, and nobody will ever know.

Good to see you back Joe. The reason I responded wasn't because the
statement was wrong (although I'd be surprised if anything organic were
as lethal as Sevin, but I've been surprised before), but because I
thought the focus was too narrow in scope, pesticides. Pesticides should
be the last line of defense in an organic garden, or an organic world. I
know when I first started gardening seriously, I was overwhelmed that
all the plants needed individualize care and that I couldn't just stick
'em in the ground and water them to get good yields. Then to discover
that there wasn't a "one size fits all" insecticide intimidated me more.
Lets face it, gardening is complicated, and as you you become a better
gardener, there are new challenges to be dealt with. IPM is one of those
challenges. It's important to figure out who are the good guys, and who
are the bad guys. I wish I knew what I did this year because have
ladybugs all over the place. 'Course it could just mean that I have
aphids that I haven't discovered yet ;O) Or one can plant angelica,
dill, coreopsis, cosmos, sunflowers, and/or dandelion, and attract green
lacewings to battle your aphids. If you have Japanese beetle, learn
about "milky spore" and encourage your neighbors to use it too.

Probably the easiest thing would be to check with your local extention
office or Master Gardeners to see if they don't have pictures of local
garden pests as well as their biological controls.

Other parts of "Gardening Myths" were fine. It was only a few years back
that I learned (or unlearned) that the a stump of a limb shouldn't be
painted over, or that B1 was totally bogus.

With Euell Gibbons in mind, I sallied forth yesterday into the woods in
search of blackberries. An hour and a half later, wheezing and gasping
for breath as I slowly came back up the hill, I proudly clutched a
pitcher of free (not counting the lost blood) blackberries, which
several hours later, as a cobbler, became dessert to our pesto dinner.
Gonna hafta go get me some more of that free food, before the harvest
shuts down my free time.
--
- Billy
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