Recent articles on natural remedies, have drawn quite a positive response, from the readers and we have had several comments left on the site. Of course, there are always those idiots, who think this is an ideal vehicle, to get exposure for their ads, to porn sites and every other kind of site. We deal with gardening here and no other comments, or links will be tolerated. I even got a mail from Stu, a reader in South Africa, who is being plagued by Stinkbugs in his garden. They are destroying all his plants and as he prefers natural remedies, over chemicals, he is battling to control these pests. I did a little research and it would seem, that Stinkbugs are very difficult to eradicate. If you know of any natural remedies, that may help Stu, please let me know.

We also got a mail from Don, who has a novel idea of using an old boot as an attractive alternative to a pot. He left a comment and a photo, on the article on indoor plants, last week, so take a look.

One advantage of organic gardening, is that it produces plants that are hardier and more resistant to insects, than conventional gardening. But, to hope for any garden, to be completely insect free, is only a dream. Most insect problems, can normally be dealt with, effectively, by using a spray of natural, or biological origin.

The trick is to find and identify the insect early, so that it can be dealt with, before they take over the whole garden. By the way, Stu, I heard that a mixture of Molasses and water, is a good method of dealing with the Stinkbugs. I haven’t tried it myself, but also saw it on the internet. I hope that helps you.

We have, with the help of our nearby nursery, compiled a table to help you identify the type of insect and the treatment best, to combat it. This applies mostly to vegetables, but by identifying the insect, from our descriptions, you can use the same methods, to combat them. This is too long for one article, so I have broken it into 2 parts.
 
Table 1 helps to narrow down the possible insect, by the plant it is feeding on.
Table 2 helps further, by describing the insect and recommending a treatment.
Table 3 gives some natural remedies, by insect type.
Table 4 gives the preparation and application of some natural formulas
Table 5 suggests some organic practices and biological controls to prevent infestation.

Table 1 - Likely insects, by plant type.

Asparagus - cutworm
Beans - aphid, stinkbug, spider mite
Beet - grub worm, aphid, blister bug, nematode
Cabbage - looper, aphid, harlequin bug
Cantaloupe - aphid, beetle, squash bug
Carrots - grub worm, cutworm, wire worm
Celery - aphid, leaf miner, nematode
Cucumber - aphid, beetle, squash bug, cucumber beetle
Eggplant - leaf miner, potato bug
Lettuce - cutworm, aphid, looper
Maize (corn)- maize earworm, blister bug
Mustard - aphid
Okra - aphid, stinkbug
Onions - thrip, cutworm, blister bug
Peas - aphid, blister bug
Peppers - leaf miner, aphid
Potato - potato bug, grub worm, nematode, aphid
Pumpkin - cucumber beetle, vine borer
Radish - aphid, flea beetle, nematode
Spinach - aphid, looper
Squash - vine borer, squash bug, aphid
Sweet potato - weevil, nematode
Tomato - spider mite, hornworm, cutworm
Turnip - grub worm, aphid, flea beetle, nematode
Watermelon - aphid, cucumber beetle

Table 2 - Identification by description of insect

Aphid - small, pale green to dark green - found on underside of leaves, causes them to curl
Blister Beetle - gray, black or yellow beetle with black stripes, about 20 mm long, causes painful blisters if touched
Cucumber Beetle - small, long, yellowish beetle, can be striped or spotted
Cutworm - light coloured worm, found on base of plant, cuts the plant off at soil line
Flea Beetle - small beetle, hard to see, vary in colour, very active, chews holes in leaves
Grub Worm - small to medium, white grub with dark head, feeds on roots
Harlequin Bug - small black and orange bug, shield shaped, attacks whole plant above soil line
Hornworm - large, green worm, horn on posterior, hungry eater, strips foliage
Leaf Miner - very small larva, hard to see, tunnels through interior of leaf
Looper - small, green worm, no legs in middle, moves in loops hence the name
Maize Earworm - worm of about 25 mm, burrows into tip of ear, feeds on kernels
Nematode - very very small worm, attacks plant roots, causes galls and knots
Potato Beetle - adult is yellow with black stripes, larva is red brick colour, both about 6 mm long
Spider Mite - very very small red mite, feeds on underside of leaves, builds silver webs
Squash Bug - gray bug, flat back, about 12 mm, sucks plant juice, causes wilt
Stinkbug - light coloured bug, medium sized, emits nasty smelly fluid
Sweet Potato Weevil - adult is reddish ant like beetle, larva tunnel through vines and roots
Thrip - very very small, causes whitish blotches on leaves that turn brown and die
Vine Borer - larva red and black like wasp or moth, bores into stem, kills plant
Wire Worm - slender, jointed, hard shelled worm, grows to 40 mm, lives in poorly aerated acidic soil, destroys roots under soil line 

We will continue, with natural remedies, in the next part, tomorrow.

There are thousands of plants that can treat just as many ailments. What is so amazing about herbal remedies is their close association to our modern medicines. Most of our current “wonder drugs” have a botanical connection. Sadly, many of those medicines contain much more than simple botanicals. Stuffed with chemicals, allergens and who knows what else, we are fast becoming a medicated society. If you are sick and tired of being over-medicated, you can take control and start a journey toward natural herbal remedies. After all, natural remedies served the human race very well before we became so smart! 47 Household Remedies is written just for you, the person who is sick and tired of being over-medicated.
http://dersalsites.com/hremedies/  

Sally Robson is an up and coming, South African internet marketer, with a vision of empowering all fellow South Africans and non U.S folk, to have equal opportunity and success on the internet. She and her husband Derek, have started a string of sites, resources, courses and articles, as part of Dersalsites. She also has a passion for gardening.

To remain informed of our progress, by newsletter and mail, to get recommended tools and lessons and to start your journey to wealth, sign up here. You will also get some free software. It’s free. Click this link : http://dersalsites.com/newsletter/

For more articles and advice on gardening topics, visit Sally’s website at http://www.dersalsites.com/gardening/
and her blog at http://dersalsites.com/sallysgardeningtips

For more on internet marketing, South African business, list building, law of attraction and rugby, visit Derek’s blog at: http://dersalsites.com/southafricanbusiness/

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