Mutant Action Environment and Technology

Natural remedies to protect the garden from pests

I must protect my garden from the attack of pests, plant and fungal diseases.
I do not want to use chemical pesticides for several reasons: they eliminate species of beneficial insects to the plants and their ecosystems, they disperse in the environment, covering fruit and vegetables that we eat us.
The solution is to move towards a natural and organic gardening, whose techniques tend to introduce species of insects and plants that fight harmful pests.

To protect the garden and the flowers you should follow some basic tips:

• encourage the proliferation of beneficial insects such as ladybirds, earthworms, bees and dragonflies; help tackle infestations by insects in a natural way
• controlled to keep the leaves and remove harmful parasites, though limited in number
• wash the plant with a jet of water, milk or even better seed oil to combat any invasions
  

  The Coccinella septempunctata is an exterminator of aphids

• do not pull the weeds that contribute to ecological balance of the garden
• why not eliminate the nettles away harmful insects and pests of all kinds
• Remove the cabbage leaves on the ground that attract both snails Cabbage
• planting rosemary, thyme, sage and mint between the rows of cabbages, they protect from cabbage
• use of non-woven fabrics, which allow the passage of air and light, to create a barrier against insects.

There are many remedies, quite effective when administered properly, which can be prepared in house using natural elements, and do not exhibit the drawbacks of chemical preparations that are found in commerce.
The main methods of use of items you can find in nature are:

• decoction: soak in cold water for one day, shortly boil over low heat and filtering
• tea: boiling water is poured on the grass, then letting it rest before filtering
• macerate: fermentation in water and air, filtration and dilution
• Extract: soaking in alcohol in a closed container, filtration and dilution

Here is the information to produce and use different natural products, listed in alphabetical order:

Garlic

• Function: antibacterial, anti aphid, mite infestation; useful against powdery mildew, gray mold and rust.
• Purpose: to prepare an infusion of garlic chopped 75g in 10 liters of 'water, distribute it directly on plants and soil undiluted. They can also be planted the cloves of garlic directly to the base of plants to be protected, if you do not want to develop the segments you must first start grooving.

Artemisia absinthium (Wormwood)

Absinthe

• Function: performs repellent action against insects, ants and caterpillars, and is useful against rust.
• Use: you use the leaves and summer flowers, a teaspoon of dry plant for a liter of water, infusion or decoction.

Baking soda

• Function: has inhibitory action on fungal diseases and is a good alternative to sulfur.
• Use: it dilutes a teaspoon in a quart of water, adding ten drops of essential oil of tea tree. It can also be used to clean the greenhouse before winter storage.

Beer

• Function: can be used to make traps that catch the snails.
• Use: you bury the glasses to the rim and fill with about 2 cm of beer, of which the snails are tasty, quickly find the glass full of these little animals.

Wood ash

• Function: not only is useful as fertilizer against cabbage, flea beetles and snails.
• Use: dusted on the leaves of cabbage and radish and cabbage takes away flea beetles, and distributed around the young plants hinders the attack of the snails.

Equisetum (family Equisetaceae)

Horsetail

• Function: stimulates plant growth and strengthens its defenses against different pests (codling moth, the fly-cigliegi and leek moth, mites in general) and vegetables. You adjuvant against fungal diseases.
• Use: it uses the plant without roots, you can prepare a macerated or use it for an infusion, use 1 kg when fresh and dry at 150 g for 10 liters of water. Before being distributed on plants and soil is diluted 5 times with water.

Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)

• Function: is mainly used to combat aphids, scale insects and snails.
• Usage: soak 1 kg of fresh leaves or 100 g of dried leaves in 10 liters of water, diluted deploy against aphids or concentrate to take away the slugs. The extract, however, is distributed undiluted directly on the branches infested with aphids lanigero or scale insects.

Soya lecithin

• Function: it acts by contact with a fungicidal effect, inhibiting the germination of fungal spores.
• Use: you put a tablespoon of the granulated in a liter of water and rest for a few hours ago. It 's useful to add about ten drops of propolis.

Neem (Azadirachta Indica)

Neem (Azadirachta indica)

• Function: the active ingredients, such as azadirachtin, are located more in the seeds of the great tree, from which are extracted in the form of oil or dust. Active against lice, aphids, mites, mealybugs and also against snails and mushrooms. Turns out to be harmless for the beneficial insects, birds and warm-blooded animals.
• Use: Mix 5-7ml of Neem oil in warm water. Can also be prepared by mixing 500g of an extract of neem powder in 10 liters of water and leaving to rest the preparation for at least 6 hours. Strain and use undiluted directly on the plant every week or every 10 to 15 days depending on the severity of the infestation.

Quassia amara

Quassia amara, Picrosma excelsa and Picrosma

• Function: the wood of these trees, from tropical countries, are extracted active ingredients, called quassine, active against aphids, scale insects, and tentredini tisanotter; harmless to humans, pets and beneficial insects (bees, ladybugs, etc. .. .).
• Usage: to extract the active ingredients by the wood is left to macerate the sawdust for 24 hours in water (50g per liter of water) and then it is brought to the boil over a moderate heat for 1 hour; if the wood is in the form of micronized powder extraction takes place only after steeping for 1-2 days. It can be added to the preparation soap or neutral linseed oil to improve its effectiveness.
• Contraindications: avoid use on plants with fruits or leaves almost ready for harvest because of the high bitterness quassine would make them non edible.

Essential oils

• Function: has antiseptic, refreshing and stimulating.
• Use: use in combination with other products, which enhance the effects. The most effective are those of cypress, thyme, oregano and tea tree: 10-15 drops per liter of water.

Nettle

Nettle

• Function: the high content of salicylic acid and formic acid is prepared from the Nettle an effective means of countering the spread of many pests (including spider mites) and vegetables. And 'rich in nitrogen, iron, minerals, vitamins and stimulates plant growth.
• Use: it uses the whole plant without roots, collected in the summer prior to seed formation: 1 kg of fresh plant or 200 gr. if dried in 10 liters of water.
  The macerated nettles nettle leaves is prepared to soak in cold water until the liquid becomes very dark and no longer gives rise to foaming. To accelerate the process can expose the container to the sun. It should be stirred every day, and is ready after about 7-10 days.
  The macerate can be used:
  - Sprayed on the ground: keep ants away
  - Sprayed with water in 1:20 ratio, reinforces and accelerates the growth of young seedlings
  - Sprayed with water in 1:20 ratio, distributed for three consecutive days every two weeks, it is useful against cryptogams (various rots, bubble peach, downy mildew, scab), many insects (moths, flies cherries, sitona of peas) and mites (red spider)
  - To wet the roots of seedlings prior to planting
  - To disinfect seeds
  - Diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 may be useful to recover the wilted plants.
  It can be also prepared a different type of macerated called "fermentation" with an incomplete maceration of 12/24 hours. Diluted with water in a ratio of 1:50 is effective against aphids, scale insects and mites by doing 3 treatments spaced 3 days.
• Contraindications: Do not use the macerate on cabbage because the strong smell attracts the cabbage butterfly. On tomato and cucumber to limit treatment to only the ground to prevent infections.

Chilli

• Function: The pepper is rich in nitrogenous substances, oils and contains capsaicin and capsaicin. From his semi pulling a powder by the high deterrence against aphids and repellent for snails.
• Use: Prepare a solution of 2 g of powder in 1 liter of water, filter, deploy it directly on plants 1 time per week if dry weather, and 2/3 times a week in case of rain.

Tomato

• Function: it acts by contact against aphids and cabbage.
• Use: Prepare a decoction of leaves with 2.5 kg in 1 liter of water, then diluted with 9 liters of cold water.

Grapefruit

• Function: The seed extract is a powerful disinfectant and has antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitic.
• Usage: can be found in herbal medicine, it should always be diluted (twenty drops per liter of water).

Propolis

• Function: Antibiotic, antimicrobial, anticrittogamica, disinfectant and healing, is valuable in the treatment of mold, rust, rot.
• Usage: the products based on propolis are located in herbal medicine, usually using the hydro-alcoholic solution, which should be diluted 1:10. To protect the wounds from the attack of germs or fungi can be a brush-based compound tincture of propolis and vegetable oil in proportions 1:5.

The information in this article have been taken from these websites:

• Chilli and tomato as pesticides
• Quassia amara from natural insecticides
• Oil and Neem powder
• Ortho natural remedies against parasites
• Natural pesticides: the nettle
• During the winter months, fireplaces and wood stoves produce large amounts of ash which often do not know what to do: here are some tips to use it profitably.

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