Tips for *general* garden maintenance (growing marigolds, keeping things clean, etc)

[SU2]

I've been making a lot of changes to my garden lately (80% of which is bonsai) and was wondering what 'general' tips anyone's got that are good for 'garden bioculture' in general?

Some that I've got:

- Marigolds (and other varieties) for attracting beneficial insects

- introducing ladybugs

- laying ant baits frequently (stopping the Aphid Express line, lol!)

- all plants on well-drained, raised surfaces (am going to put vaseline on my table legs, or diatomaceous earth powder around where they touch the ground - *something* to make it so bugs can't climb my tables & monkey poles!)

- keep it clean! Raking, weeding etc are things that I can't name a specific benefit to but am almost sure there's some, I mean a dirty, weedy garden just can't be good for your containerized specimen!


Any tips would be greatly appreciated, am in the middle of overhauling mine and want any edge I can get

 

[Anthony]

Generally, SU2,

if your trees are healthy, nothing will bother them.

However some like Fukien tea, Serissa s are very tasty, and will attract bugs. so you have choice.
To grow or not.

Place in full sun, don't let them touch each other and try not to put the same types together.

Insects don't like to walk on metal stands, but love concrete.

Try not to kill the beneficials in and on the soil. There was a guy from your side that wanted kill
the pill bugs ------ sad ---- they open and aeriate soil.
Also the larger centipedes we have poop, and we feed the poop back into the soil.
Just sweep up and sprinkle, these centipedes of ours eat moss off of the concrete.

When a tree has bugs, it usually means that something is wrong, often the soil /root area.
Watering technique might be off soil is too dense, or too water retentive.

Weak fertiliser into moist soil once a week. New growth that is sappy, us tasty to insects.

Remember ground growing for trunk size and radial roots [ if the tree has them in nature]
first 6 branches. Colander and tile optional.
Then a larger over sized pot for ramification. As the growing cycle goes.

Suggestion ------------ so as to not overload on information ----------- take hand writtem notes.
Memory often fails.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[sorce]

I'm with Anthony .

Not much to worry when trees are healthy.

My pumpkin has powdery mildew.
Apple right by my trees has EVERYTHING!
I've seen rust, a bluish fungus, two pinkish fungi, ...
Crazy aphids in a yard bush..

And my healthy trees remain healthy.
And though the unhealthy ones may have picked up some nasty....It's only cuz I foolishly had them weak from repotting.

Constant Observation is Key.

When I think pristine clean...I think @MACH5 or @Brian Van Fleet garden.
This is an approach.

But then there is the @wireme approach....
Where you let nature nurture.

That is the approach I have been taking.
More ground weeds, more shrooms, fungus, critters...
More balance.

Both scenarios can and will fail without constant 360° observation!

Bugs ain't a death sentence.

Not catching them before they breed IS!

I saw two Japanese Beetles trying to make whoopie on my maple....
They didn't notice the piece of brick go under the leaf...
And they sure didn't notice the one that came down on top! Smash!

On ounce of prevention.
Is worth 2 bricks near your bush.

Sorce

 

[Anthony]

@sorce -------------- brick humour ---------- lol.
Thanks for the morning smile.
Anthony

 

[sorce]

@sorce -------------- brick humour ---------- lol.
Thanks for the morning smile.
Anthony

Fire too!

This is my Black Hills Spruce.

It was healthy enough...and this area wasn't necessary...
So them aphids got flamed.


Lost some needles but that interior bud is perfect.

I wish I had a pic of the sad ass Jbeetle that got burned and fell like a bad drunk into a toilet right into the hole he created.

Poetic justice.

Sorce

 

[Anthony]

And here I am holding brown grasshoppers and telling to scram as I throw
them over the bamboo hedge.
I don't really like to kill things, after all, they have a life to live.
Compassionate.
Anthony

 

[SU2]

And here I am holding brown grasshoppers and telling to scram as I throw
them over the bamboo hedge.
I don't really like to kill things, after all, they have a life to live.
Compassionate.
Anthony

rofl I'll use pesticides in some cases, other times I'll carry an ant over to the tree line....zero consistency but when I see I can save I try to - unless it interferes with me (ie I've got boric acid baits out right now to kill the ants that're farming aphids on my hibiscus & firebush plants!!)




Thanks for all the tips guys, very good stuff

 

[sorce]

Sorce

 

[Quince]

Early this Summer I was struggling to control the aphids in my growing beds. I would spray, and three days later the bastards would be back on the crab apples. Finally got smart and looked closer at the weeds growing near my trees. One species in particular was playing a fine host to the bugs. After eliminating the problem weed from my garden, my trees have been aphid free.

 

[SU2]

Early this Summer I was struggling to control the aphids in my growing beds. I would spray, and three days later the bastards would be back on the crab apples. Finally got smart and looked closer at the weeds growing near my trees. One species in particular was playing a fine host to the bugs. After eliminating the problem weed from my garden, my trees have been aphid free.

This is great to hear, I like that - am going to take a closer look around the entire nursery area, there's spots that could be harboring stuff!

 

[SU2]

View attachment 159063

Sorce

I don't know why but marigolds didn't seem to do much of anything, maybe proximity was more important than I'd thought...ended up moving my containerized marigolds from my backyard bonsai-nursery to my front landscape/accent beds..

 

[Rambles]

Natural controls can sometimes run into weather related timing issues. Plum tree in our yard is an endemic host to aphids, and I am not allowed to spray (not that I would, a whole 30ft tree is a bit of an overwhelming undertaking)

Usually aphids aren't a problem, but this year everything got infested.

Why? The hatching times for the ladybugs and lacewings happened later than the aphids. Once they showed up, the aphid problem vanished almost overnight.

---

Being in the PNW, one pest to look out for is slugs. I wrap my table legs and ground containers with a length of copper tape. It creates a boundary the slugs and snails won't cross it.

 

[SU2]

Natural controls can sometimes run into weather related timing issues. Plum tree in our yard is an endemic host to aphids, and I am not allowed to spray (not that I would, a whole 30ft tree is a bit of an overwhelming undertaking)

Usually aphids aren't a problem, but this year everything got infested.

Why? The hatching times for the ladybugs and lacewings happened later than the aphids. Once they showed up, the aphid problem vanished almost overnight.

---

Being in the PNW, one pest to look out for is slugs. I wrap my table legs and ground containers with a length of copper tape. It creates a boundary the slugs and snails won't cross it.

Interesting, thanks!

I imagine you're just talking about local/natural ladybugs? I'm close to taking the plunge, order a box or two of ladybugs and, while they're in-transit, setup the nursery as 'ladybug friendly' as possible!

I like the idea of copper wire to stop slugs, so far my table's legs are un-treated as I've yet to have any issues with plants on that table and have not seen any ants/bugs so treating it hasn't been a priority (was thinking that a 1" smear of vaseline around the posts would be more than sufficient to stop any bugs traversing it!)

And you mention snails, I'd never really thought much about them and never bothered taking the occasional snail out of a box if I see one, are all snails bad or just some types? Will start taking them out of my containers when spotted!

 

[Rambles]

Well, I've never looked them up, but the snails I have around here aren't a big problem with mature plants but tend to mow down tender seedling. The slugs, however, will devour everything them can.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I've been making a lot of changes to my garden lately (80% of which is bonsai) and was wondering what 'general' tips anyone's got that are good for 'garden bioculture' in general?

Some that I've got:

- Marigolds (and other varieties) for attracting beneficial insects

- introducing ladybugs

- laying ant baits frequently (stopping the Aphid Express line, lol!)

- all plants on well-drained, raised surfaces (am going to put vaseline on my table legs, or diatomaceous earth powder around where they touch the ground - *something* to make it so bugs can't climb my tables & monkey poles!)

- keep it clean! Raking, weeding etc are things that I can't name a specific benefit to but am almost sure there's some, I mean a dirty, weedy garden just can't be good for your containerized specimen!


Any tips would be greatly appreciated, am in the middle of overhauling mine and want any edge I can get

You are trying too hard, vasaline? WTH? Kill them all, buy some malithion. I just don't understand, if your trees are having problems with pests, get an insecticide. MARIGOLDS Are pretty, but don't do anything for your tree. Purchase a pesticide, kill them all.

 

[M. Frary]

Purchase a pesticide, kill them all.

I even used one on the lawn this year to keep the moles out.
Take away their food and you eliminate 2 problems with 1 application.
I also dose the trees themselves with Bayer 3 in 1 systemic.

 

[twisted trees]

How about a pic or three?

 

[SU2]

I even used one on the lawn this year to keep the moles out.
Take away their food and you eliminate 2 problems with 1 application.
I also dose the trees themselves with Bayer 3 in 1 systemic.

How often do you dose the trees? I've got the 3-in-1, and Daconil, have been hesitant to use them now that I've been bug-free for a bit..

 

[SU2]

How about a pic or three?

Of what? Can't tell who that's directed at

 

[twisted trees]

Of what? Can't tell who that's directed at

The garden in question in the op.