2 Oct 2016
6 Ways To Keep Bugs From Moving Into Your House This Fall
Picture this: You’re all snuggled up on the couch with a blanket, your cat, and a mug of something hot when a stinkbug appears out of nowhere and starts zipping around your head, frantically attacking the lamp next to you. Not cool, stinkbug, not cool.
Insects are on the move right now, scouting out secure spots where they can ride out the winter in comfort, and your attic and basement are high on their list—after all, the rent’s free and they’ve got prime access to water and food. Keeping bugs out of your house can feel like an uphill battle, though, because any teeny-tiny crevice is like a wide open door to a centipede or a spider. Still, there are some things you can do to minimize the chance of bugs free-loading on you during the winter—and scaring the bejeezus out of you every time you pull back the shower curtain. Here are the steps pest-control experts recommend taking.
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Clean Up Your Yard
Overgrown, messy flowerbeds are a direct path to insect infestation, says Abbie Philpott of Panther Pest Control in the UK. Plants and yard debris that abut the outer walls of your home provide a bridge for wingless insects that are looking for shelter indoors. She recommends staying on top of leaves and grass clippings that tend to pile up against the side of the house, where bugs like to hide. You should also cut back all bushes and tree branches that touch your walls or roof, which can provide access to the inside. (Don’t go crazy, though, since fall isn’t the best time to prune.)
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Seal Up Cracks
Making your home as air-tight as possible will keep bugs out and save you energy. Use a low-VOC caulk (we like Ecobond) to seal up gaps around windows, doors, and pipes. You can also use steel wool to fill in larger cracks, Pilpott says.
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Check Your Plumbing
Insects love damp, slimy spots like pipes and drains—if you’ve ever found a centipede in your bathtub, you know what we’re talking about. Cut off their water supply and eliminate the conditions they like by running a tight ship. Carefully check your pipes and faucets for leaks, and make sure to get rid of any standing water in your home, such as in the saucers under your potted plants and the refrigerator drip tray. The Clemson University Extension also recommends installing fine mesh over open drains, like those in your basement, to block their entrance.
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Clean Out Your Gutters
On the same note, blocked gutters become an issue in fall thanks to dropping leaves. This can cause water to back up and drip down around your foundation, instead of flowing out and away from your house. When the gutter overflows, it can cause flooding and mold in your basement, which are bad enough without the added risk of inviting insects indoors. Plus, the overflowing water can damage siding and cement walls, creating cracks. Be vigilant about getting up on a ladder and removing the debris.
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Stack Your Wood Strategically
Stacking firewood right outside your back door may be convenient on cold winter nights, but it’s not the best move if you want to keep the creepy crawlies out. Critters like to hide in your snug pile, and if it’s pushed right up against the wall, it’s even easier for them to find every crack that leads into your warm house. Pilpott recommends keeping your firewood away from your house at an elevated location, if possible.
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Recycle Paper
You probably already know silverfish love to hide out in your collection of old magazines, but they’re not the only ones. Pilpott says cockroaches are drawn to the smell of paper, so you should pack up papers you’re not ready to part with (like every art project your kid ever made) in secure plastic bins. Storing them in cardboard boxes only adds to the problem.
14 Plants You Should Never Grow Side-By-Side
Companion planting is the practice of growing crops that are natural allies side-by-side. It’s a tradition based on many years of observations by dedicated gardeners, though in a few cases science backs up the practice, too. The most famous example of companion planting is the “Three Sisters” that Native American farmers planted together—squash, corn, and beans. The three vegetables grow together perfectly: The corn acts as a trellis for the beans, the beans return nutrients to the soil, and the broad leaves of the squash literally “squash” down weeds while locking moisture into the soil, explains The University of California Master Gardeners. But what about plants that are natural enemies in the vegetable garden? Here are seven combinations companion planters say are no-gos.
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Onions + Peas
Traditional wisdom says you should never __plant members of the onion family—including shallots and garlic—with peas. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, companion planters believe the onions can stunt peas’ (and beans’) growth.
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Potatoes + Tomatoes
According to The University of California Master Gardeners, growing tomatoes and potatoes together spells trouble. They’re attacked by the same blights, so when they’re right next to each other, the diseases spread more easily.
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Peppers + Beans
According to Rodale’s Successful Organic Gardening: Companion Planting, peppers and beans are both susceptible to anthracnose, so if one gets it, they’ll both wind up infected when planted side-by-side. This disease ruins fruits by causing dark, soft spots to appear.
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Carrots + Dill
Dill and carrots are traditionally cast as enemies, according to Good Neighbors: Companion Planting For Gardeners, though no scientific research yet supports this observation by gardeners.
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Cabbage + Grapes
Folklore says that sowing cabbage seeds near grape vines spells trouble for your homemade wine. According to Rodale’s Successful Organic Gardening: Companion Planting, gardeners noticed this adverse effect some 2,000 years ago.
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Black Walnuts + Tomatoes
Black walnut trees are notorious for being bad neighbors. According to the National Gardening Association, the trees’ roots emit a chemical called juglone, which is toxic to many deep-rooted plants growing nearby, such as tomatoes. If your yard is loaded with the trees, you’re probably better off growing in container gardens or raised beds.
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Lettuce + Broccoli
Research shows that lettuce is sensitive to chemicals found in residues left behind by broccoli plants. Sowing lettuce near broccoli—or in the spot where it used to grow—may hinder seed germination and growth, says Good Neighbors: Companion Planting For Gardeners.
The Best Way To Protect Your Squash From Bugs
Squash bugs feed on all members of the cucurbit family, which includes cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, and summer and winter squash. The adults overwinter in garden debris and begin laying eggs in early summer. The best way to reduce squash-bug numbers and their damage is by killing their eggs before they even have a chance to hatch. Follow these easy steps to help keep these pests out of your garden. (Whether you're starting your first garden or switching to organic, Rodale’s Basic Organic Gardening has all the answers and advice you need—get your copy today!)
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First, find the eggs. Squash bugs lay eggs on the undersides of leaves in evenly spaced groups. Get in the habit of scouting your squash plants for the shiny, yellowish brown to reddish eggs. Also, keep your eyes peeled for the small, light gray or green, wingless squash-bug nymphs, which suck on the plant's sap, causing the leaves to wilt, blacken, and die.
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Now squish 'em. Kill the squash bug eggs by gently rubbing them back and forth with your fingers, making sure to not damage the leaf. Squash bug nymphs are also often present near squash bug eggs. If you see any squash bug nymphs, be sure to squish them, too.
6 Essential Tips For Grafting Your Own Tomatoes
Grafted tomatoes bring together the best of both worlds: excellent production and disease resistance, even on the fussiest varieties. “We’ve seen a yield boost of 30 to 50 percent,” says Andrew Mefferd, tomato expert at Johnny’s Selected Seeds. “[The plants] go on forever. They have so much stamina. They keep fruiting until frost.”
Grafting is simply taking the top—scion—of any tomato variety seedling that's the same stem size as the rootstock, and attaching it to a specialized hybrid rootstock grown specifically for its vigor and disease resistance. The rootstock provides protection from tomato mosaic virus, nematodes, verticillium wilt, and a number of diseases based upon that specific rootstock. For instance, Brandywine tomatoes succumb to a number of diseases. If they’re grafted to Estamino rootstock, which is resistant to seven tomato disease issues, they garner that benefit. (Don't forget to save your tomato seeds; here's how.)
Grafting is a huge boon for commercial growers and small farms producing for the market, but it’s also a benefit for home growers who want to grow heirlooms or varieties that otherwise produce marginally in their region. There are plenty of grafted plants available, but gardeners looking for an organic alternative will probably have to create it themselves. Grafted plants are great way to grow your favorite tomato in huge amounts. Once you start grafting, you might never settle for less.
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It's An Investment
Tomato grafting isn’t difficult, but it requires a little practice and an investment in the rootstock seed, which can cost nearly 50 cents per seed. Grafting clips, either the small silicon clips for top grafting—roughly 15 cents per piece—or the spring-loaded larger grafting clips that can run 45 cents per clip, are the best to use since they are easy to attach and are reusable. Some people try using tape or even grafting tape, but it’s a challenge with the delicate tomato stems. “It’s something for the really serious home gardener,” says Mefferd.
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Types Of Grafts
One of the simplest grafts is a top graft. Mefferd recommends working with small plants, which might be only two to three inches tall, not only to fit the silicone grafting clip size, but to also increase success.
Another type of graft is the side graft, also known as the approach graft, in which larger plants are sliced partway through the stem at a 45-degree angle. One angle is slid into the other and the plants are attached with a spring-loaded grafting clip. Cut off the top of the rootstock and the roots of the scion after four to five days. You can take off the grafting clip in a few more days.
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Getting The Rootstock
The most important part of a grafted __plant is the rootstock. There are a growing number of options out there, although most are not organic seed. Johnny’s offers organic seeds of the variety Estamino. It’s a generative type rootstock, which means it puts more energy into fruit production rather than __plant growth. The drawback is that it doesn’t handle stress as well as the vegetative types, such as Maxifort, a standard for many growers because of its exceptional growth and durability. “You may have better luck with smaller fruit and shorter crop time,” Mefferd says with the generative rootstock. It’s ideal in areas such as the Pacific Northwest where heat stress is not an issue. On the other hand, the vegetative rootstock is good for big-fruited tomatoes, long seasons, and it handles the heat well.
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Matching The Scion
For the scion, you can use practically any top variety you want, although if it’s well matched, such as small-fruit tomatoes on a generative rootstock or the larger varieties on the vegetative kind, you’ll have better success. As a general rule, start your rootstock and scion plant at the same time so the stem diameters match when it’s time to graft. Carefully cut the rootstock plant at approximately a 35-degree angle with a razor, and discard the top. Using the same angle, slice off the top of the scion. Some people pinch off several of the scion’s leaves to reduce respiration. Pinch the clip and slide it over the rootstock stem with half of the clip above the stem in order to receive the scion. Slide the scion into the grafting clip, matching the angles as perfectly as possible.
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Supporting The Plant
Support the plant with a bamboo skewer or toothpick, and place a plastic bag over your container garden to create a humid environment. Keep the newly grafted plant in a darkened, warm area to reduce growing stress on the plant. At this time, it needs to put energy towards healing. A warm, shaded area is fine, or at the very least out of the direct sunlight. Keep it here for up to a week. If it wilts immediately, it didn’t take.
Take your time returning it to direct sunlight or grow lights. Depending on the intensity, it might require another week under more subtle lighting. There’s no need to take off the clip because it will fall off on its own.
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Planting Your Graft
When you’re planting your grafted plant, don’t bury the graft below the soil, because the scion can root and negate the reasons you grafted in the first place. And don’t be afraid to prune because Mefferd say grafted plants thrive under the knife. “If you want to stick a plant in the tomato cage and watch it grow, don’t get a graft,” says Mefferd. You need to actively prune it throughout the season, because the plants grow incredibly quickly. By pruning, you’re allowing it to send more of that energy to fruit production.
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