Natural Rooting Hormone

Raw honey is a good substitute for rooting hormone powder. In fact, many people think it's better. When taking cuttings for propagating plants, dip the cut surface in the honey and it speeds up root formation and hinders fungal growth.

Deter Flies With Bags of Water

It Really Works!

A housefly bases its sense of direction on the direction sunlight comes from. Some entomologists believe that when these complex eyes experience refracted light, the insect becomes confused and flies away.
I ate at a restaurant the other day that had ziplock bags filled with water to which one penny was added (to keep the water looking clean). They tied off the top and hung them with strong string from rafters on their outside patio.
I had just eaten at this restaurant a few weeks prior and fought off flies the entire time. On this visit, not one fly came around. It worked so well, I made some water bags to hang outside my back door. While a few still find their way inside my home, I don't have the BIG problem I once had.

Commercial devices can be purchased such as this one, although you can make your own. Check out a picture of one that I made here.

Insecticide Soap Spray

Keep your pets and wildlife safe.

Ingredients:
1 T liquid dish soap

Instructions:
Put soap in a one gallon sprayer and fill with water.
Apply liberally on top and bottom of leaves.

Make sure that you re-apply if it rains. Repeat in 1-2 weeks.

Newspaper Away the Weeds

Why risk the safety of your children's or pet's health by using chemicals in your garden.

Smother weeds with a thick layer of wet cardboard or newspapers. Layer around the plants, overlapping as you go. Cover with mulch and forget about weeds.

They will get through some gardening plastic; they will not get through wet newspapers.

Goodbye Fruit Flies

To get rid of pesky fruit flies, fill a small glass halfway with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid. Mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Thanks Betty!

Convenient Containers

Save large mouth plastic containers such as a plastic coffee containers, to disinfect your garden tools between cuts and immediately after working on or near an infected plant by dipping the tools in container filled with alcohol or bleach and then rinsing in clean water. Seal for next use.

Squirrel away!

To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle them with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

I use cayenne pepper in "The Dirt Doctor's" Pepper Spray Recipe. Works on all kinds of pests in your garden. Gammy

No More Mosquitoes

Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Organic Fire Ant Control

My favorite garden advisor is Howard Garrett, The Dirt Doctor. Here is one of Howard's fantastic recipes for completely controlling fire ants in your yard.

Liquid Fire Ant Control - mix one part compost tea, 1 part molasses, and one part orange oil. Mix at 4-6 ounces of the concentrate per gallon of water for treating fire ant mounds.

Get Rid of Fire Ants for Good!

Apply beneficial nematodes throughout an area where fire ants are a problem. Very effective and environmentally safe!

St Augustine Grass Remedy

Treat brown patch in St. Augustine
lawns with baking soda and water.

Bug Off!

Try this to keep aphids from destroying your plants.

2 cloves garlic

1 pint boiling water

Mince two cloves of garlic and in 1 pint of boiling water.
Cool and strain garlic bits. Discard garlic. Reserve water.

Place liquid in a spray bottle and spay the little buggers away.

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

The birds seem to prefer the homemade nectar over the powdered kind you mix with water.

1 cup sugar
4 cups water

Boil 1-2 Minutes
Cool & Store In Refrigerator

Do not use:

Honey- causes sores in the hummers mouths when the nectar is not changed enough.
Artificial sweeteners- absolutely NO food value
Red food coloring- suspected to be harmful to birds.

Homemade Flower Preservatives

Homemade Flower Preservative

This is a great EASY mix that you can make at home.
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon household bleach
2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice
1 quart lukewarm water

Compost Tea

Compost tea (Manure compost tea) is effective on many pests because of certain microorganisms that exist in it naturally. Here's how to make compost tea at home.

Use any container but a plastic bucket is easy for the homeowner.
Fill the 5-15 gallon bucket half full of compost and finish filling with water.
Let the mix sit for 10-14 days and then dilute and spray on the foliage of any and all plants including:

• fruit trees
• perennials
• annuals
• vegetables
• roses

and other plants, especially those that are regularly attacked by insects or fungal pests. It's very effective, for example, on black spot on roses and early blight on tomatoes.

How to dilute the dark compost tea before using depends on the compost used. A rule of thumb is to dilute the leachate down to one part compost liquid to four to ten parts water. It should look like iced tea. Be sure to strain the solids out with old pantyhose, cheese cloth, or row cover material.

Add two tablespoons of molasses to each gallon of spray for more power.
Add citrus oil for even greater pest killing power.

Compliments of Howard Garrett, The Dirt Doctor