An Experiment with Surround (tm)

I am sick of cucumber beetles decimating my cucumber crop just as they really get going.  I had some difficulty finding an organic method to prevent or discourage them (after all, most organic methods reduce or control pests, don't fully kill them).  This year, after two years of no cucumbers, I first covered then with floating row covers, a barrier method that allows the plants a good head start before the cuke beetles arrive. Even though these are "greenhouse" cucumbers (they set fruit without pollination) eventually they grow too big for the cover, plus the covers should be removed during scorching temperatures (as we are having now). So, to further control cuke beetles (which spread cucumber wilt that kills the plants), I sprayed with plants with Surround, a trademarked barrier spray made of finely milled kaolin clay (think kaopectate- same stuff!) that discourages the critters from feeding.  However, it does turn the plants sort of white. One concern I have is that this may reduce photosynthesis too much, but it is an experiment, so we will see.  I will have to reapply after a heavy rain.

Cukes with Surround

I am also experimenting with my eggplants: first row covers, then Surround as they get too large for the covers.  Note I sprayed half of each plant, to see if the Surround really reduces flea beetle damage (they eat tons of tiny holes in the leaves).

Keep posted for the results!
Happy gardening!

Barriers

A female vole can have 100 offspring per season and, boy, do we have voles.  I have tried trapping (and releasing) them and vole repellents, both with minimal success (though circling vulnerable plants with gravel in a ring a few feet down surrounded by daffodils seems to work).  I have written about voles before.  These "meadow mice" live underground and tunnel through your yard and garden.  Unlike moles, which create obvious mounds in your yard and do not eat your plants, voles leave no obvious tunnels, just round holes, and do eat your plants. Voles have dined on my root crops, destroyed my snap peas, eaten a tomato plant (I found only the above-ground part of the plant, all the roots were chewed off) and gorged on hostas.  So, here is one solution: I build vole barriers from 1/4 inch garden cloth/wire fencing.  I plant the vulnerable plants right into these baskets into the ground, back fill with soil.  This gives the plants a chance to grow and really seems to deter the voles.  At the end of the season, when I pull out the plants, I find that the roots grew very well right through this mesh.  And I save them to use next year.  If you are making new garden beds, you can line the entire length of the bed with garden cloth to stop the voles!

Above: Vole cage in the making

Another creature to deter?  The bunnies who love nothing better than to eat emerging bean plants!

Beans under garden cloth/fence 

For what other creatures do I use the "barrier method??  Why, cucumber and flea beetles, of course:

Floating row covers over hoops to deter chewing insects.

When the plants are large, I remove the covers to allow pollination.  I will spray members of the squash family with Kaolin clay (sold under the registered trademarked name Surround)(this acts as a sort of barrier too- insects do not like the gritty surface)  which keeps these beetles from chewing the leaves and spreading viral wilts.  I might try it on my eggplants too, though they grew so huge last year, the flea beetles hardly bothered them!  These row covers often last two seasons, sometimes more, but might need a little patching (duct tape to the rescue!). I have heard that old, white sheer curtains can be used as well!

Happy barrier-method gardening!

Plant Protection

I just planted my eggplants. Have you ever planted eggplants, only to find them riddled with small holes a week later, each leaf looking like lace? That is the work of the efficient flea beetle, which seems to be able to find an eggplant anywhere. Though sometimes a large, sturdy transplant can outgrow the damage, many plants suffer the rest of the season after an attack. One season, I tried hand picking (rather squashing) the little beetles, and I got pretty good at it, but I had to do it twice a day to make a dent! So now I cover the plants with floating row covers suspended on hoops and the edges weighted down with bricks. This keeps the beetles out, as long as it is pretty secure, and has the added benefit of adding some extra warmth to the heat loving plants. Row covers do need to be removed when the weather really heats up, but I have kept them in place until it hits about 82 degrees regularly. At that point, the flea beetles may be gone, and the plant is large enough to withstand some damage and still produce fruit. I have written about these row covers before. Their main disadvantages are price and longevity- I can seldom get them to last more than one season. I am still interested in trying to use old sheer curtains instead, but need to prowl the thrift stores to find some.
Happy gardening!