With the increasing heat and humidity sees the increase of pests in the garden. Sprays can be used but we would like to suggest you do your best, to support the fauna in your garden and let them do what they are best at.
Natural Lawn Grub Solution.
By providing food, shelter & water for birds, beneficial insects & reptiles you will encourage them to visit and actually reduce the pests in the garden. Insect eating birds will not only do regular patrols of the outside of your home looking for spiders and other insects to eat, but will take care of your plants as well. Caterpillars, grasshoppers & the ever increasing Gecko population, makes a tasty snack for Butcher Birds & Magpies.
Here are just a few insects you should be looking out for.
Your Citrus Trees.
Stink Bugs.
They are out in force this time of year and should be an indication that your citrus trees are not at their best. Not enough sunlight through-out the year, lack of nutrients and lack of moisture all contribute to the slow demise of your plants.
Insect attack means it’s time to take action. Stink bugs can be sprayed with Garlic Soap Spray (see recipe below), a suitable product from the hardware or you can remove by hand or use an old vacuum cleaner if you prefer.
Fruit Fly.
This native insect can reduce your yield of fruit dramatically so measures need to be taken to stop this pest. The female fruit fly lays her eggs just beneath the skin of the fruit. When the maggots hatch they feed on the fruit until they are fully grown. They then leave the fruit and burrow into the soil where they pupate. Breaking this cycle is essential. Organic fruit fly baits are your best option and are readily available at your local nursery or hardware store. However good hygiene is an important preventative. Always remove ripe fruit from the tree so that it doesn’t rot under the tree, as this attracts the fruit fly. Destroy any effected fruit by cooking in black plastic bags in the sun and then burying the fruit in the garden. HINT: You can try making your own organic traps using a plastic drink bottle. In the top half of the bottle puncture many large holes (1cm diameter) and fill with some fruit juice. Hang the bottles around the lower limbs of your fruit trees and empty weekly.
Water your trees well, fertilise with a specific fertilizer and mulch them thoroughly. Citrus trees will need your attention again in Winter so now you can sit back and wait for that fruit to mature.
Garlic Soap – Pest Spray Recipe.
75g of crushed fresh Garlic
¼ Cup Paraffin Oil
1 ltr of Water
10g of Pure Soap or Soap Flakes
Put crushed garlic into a jar and cover with the Paraffin Oil. In a separate container dissolve the soap flakes in the litre of water and then add the garlic mixture. Into a larger glass container pour the mixture through a sieve or a piece of muslin ensuring no pieces of the garlic transfer to your final jar. (Garlic pieces will clog up your spray bottle.)
To make spray up, combine 1 part garlic mix to 4 parts water, shake well and spray on affected plants.
Ensure you shake the bottle each time before you spray and applying the spray early in the morning is recommended.
Your Lawn.
Lawn grub are a big problem through the warmer months so get down and inspect your lawn carefully. It’s important to get onto this pest quickly as they can do alot of damage overnight. Learn more here.
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Your Plants.
The cycad revoluta is badly effected by the Blue Butterfly causing damage to the new foliage in a very short period of time. If you get in early, try netting the new growth to stop the butterfly from laying it’s eggs. Just remember to check on the plant regularly as you will be surprised how quickly the new growth emerges causing your netting to be moved. Learn more here.
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