Non-pesticide options for earth-friendly gardeners

I’ve received three phone calls thanking me for my stance on pesticide-free gardening. Many people are aware of the horrible losses to bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects due to the rampant use of the Roundup (Monsanto) and Bayer (Neonics) — and other money-grubbers’ products, while really wanting or needing to get rid of some unwanted garden problems.

Some time ago I printed some classic tips for successfully growing a pesticide –free garden, and now is the time, I think, for a repeat of that information.

The Green Gardener’s Guide by Joe Lamp’l, who once hosted gardening television programs on PBS and the DIY networks, showcased his good sense and practical approaches for earth friendly gardening. Herewith, some of his time-honored practices for weed and pest control.

Weed control:

• Soil solarization by letting the sun eliminate weeds not only controls weeds but preserves the good soil microbes that chemicals can kill. Clear beds of all vegetation, water well, and cover with clear plastic sheeting that is 2-4 millimeters thick. Secure edges with rocks, bricks or poles and let the sun do the work for 4 to 6 weeks during the hottest part of summer. The intense heat (up to 165 degrees) will destroy weed seeds, soil-borne diseases and nematodes.

• Interrupt the growing cycle: Prevent next year’s crop of weeds by removing the flower heads this year before seeds form. Cut them before they can scatter and if possible, go back later to dig out the weeds. If that is not possible, the continued practice over time should eventually get them to give up.

• Vinegar is a no-fail, safe killer of weeds (and grass in sidewalk cracks). Use a spray bottle of white distilled vinegar on a sunny day and drench the weeds and leaf-base, carefully avoiding nearby ornamental plants near them.

- Newspapers are yet another possibility for some types of landscapes. To prevent weeds from sprouting, cover ground between ornamental plants with wet newspapers — black-&-white sections only. Use four layers of the paper, water well and cover with mulch. The paper will eventually decompose and benefits the soil.

Pest control:

• Encourage birds — Nature’s exterminators of soft worms and insects are a boon to flower gardens. To attract then, put out feeders and birdbaths (as Valle has been nagging you to do, lo, these many years) and plant colorful flowers in companion planting style. Some plants benefit others by attracting beneficial insects or repelling/destroying undesirable pests and diseases. Purple drumstick Alliums or catmint, planted with roses or near peonies help prevent aphids, mites, black spot and powdery mildew. Marigolds thwart nematodes, beetles and numerous other insects, and Nasturtiums — along with mint and basil attract beneficial bug and repel mosquitoes, flies and other pests.

• Simple Solutions —To eliminate ants, sprinkle boric acid crystals where they congregate;

To prevent snail and earwig damage, surround plants with diatomaceous earth, coffee grounds, sharp sands, pine needles or crushed eggshells;

To control blackspot and mildew, combine 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of dish soap, a gallon of water and spray on roses, lilacs and other shrubs and flowers, repeating every 10 days;

Neem-seed oil spray kills insects that attack fruit trees, roses, and large ornamental shrubs and also prevents damage from fungal diseases.

After reading over Lamp’l’s suggestions, I found myself recalling the early ’90s and the Master Gardening classes I took. Today’s column could have been written back then — as was my then research/dissertation on Roundup — which had reared its ugly head in the late ’70s to be hailed by the unenlightened and damned by those of our ilk in the MG camp.

Many of us realize the danger our entire country is in with the die-off (read murder) of bees, decimation of migrating birds and the “weed” attitude that prevails against treasured wildflowers. Not only pesticides/herbicides are the culprits (though the main ones, to be sure) but destruction of wildflowers and their habitat is a death knell for butterflies, lacewings, ladybugs and all the beneficial pollinators along with the many bee species.

And with each loss, beneficial insects and birdlife such as hummingbirds and finches lose a little more of their habitat. Did you know finches love dandelion seeds? (Dig them up, if you must, but don’t spray them!)

Regarding lawns, many people genuinely don’t want to use herbicides/pesticides but as one friend remarked — “What am I supposed to do?” He’s a busy man who loves a green sward of lawn, but maintains it with sprays of weed-and-feed and insect killer. I do understand these problems; I, too, hate the Hawkweed that bullies its way into the mix of my half-wild, half-cultivated front yard. Though I rejoice to see bees and butterflies making use of their pollen and nectar, I shudder at the thought of their numbers expanding. I storm through the area, grabbing great handfuls of the flowering stems and pulling them out — or breaking them off — whichever happens, because that at least keeps them from setting seeds. And, as already mentioned, that is one tried-and-true effort that helps, (albeit exhausting).

The possibility of a natural lawn offers many paths one can choose to follow:

Ornamental grasses such as Idaho blue fescue, purple-plumed Miscanthus, Helictotrichon (Blue Avena) grass;

Creeping ground-covers that will ramble through and in between your individual shrubs, providing attractive cohesion of the whole picture — these include Sweet Woodruff (Galium Odoratum — pictured) with its delicate, ferny whorled leaves and tiny white flower “bouquets” (so nice to pluck and tuck into a bottle of white wine for instant Maywine), or perhaps Snow in Summer (Cerastium) with its pretty fragrant white trumpet-shaped flowers and grey-green foliage. We should include old faithful — and always pretty (but non-native) Vinca minor (Periwinkle) with its lovely lavender-colored flowers in the spring. Once started, it can become thuggish, but mine has actually backed off in favor of the daintier native Sweet Woodruff;

Clustered low-growing ground covers are an option, too. These include Thyme, Phlox, Veronica, Achillea, all of which come in many varieties, textures and colors and can be mowed over with a high blade setting; A bit taller — but still low-growers, are the lovely, uniformly blue/violet colored Ajuga, Prunella, Veronica and Ground ivy (Alehoof), with it’s pretty rounded leaves .

Options abound, and all the possibilities mentioned can be incorporated easily into an extant lawn by simple inclusion here and there for natural growth over time. Hopefully, perhaps some of today’s ideas and repeats of old suggestions may light the bulb of inspiration for the coming spring’s landscaping. Good luck!

Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com. or by phone at 208-265-4688 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.