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 Start by reviewing the care your plants need to
thrive. Make sure you are watering thoroughly and only when needed.
Consider mulching the soil with shredded leaves, evergreen needles
or other organic material to conserve moisture, moderate soil
temperature, suppress weeds and improve the soil as they decompose.
Only fertilize if needed. Over fertilization, especially with high
nitrogen and fast release products, can stimulate lush, succulent
growth that is more susceptible to insect damage. Let your plants,
not the fertilizer label, be your guide. Pale plants and those not
performing as expected may need a nutrient boost. Consider a low
nitrogen, slow release fertilizer that won’t stimulate lush,
succulent growth or damage the plants when the weather is hot and
dry.
Tolerate a bit of damage and wait for the songbirds and beneficial
insects, like lady beetles and green lacewings, manage these pests
for you. If the damage is more than you can tolerate, consider using
an eco-friendly control product.
One you may not be familiar with is lightweight horticulture oil,
like the OMRI-certified Summit Year-Round® Spray Oil (YRSO). This
can be applied to garden plants during the growing season to manage
insects such as aphids, mites, adelgids, scale, leafhoppers and
whiteflies. Horticultural oils have been used for many years because
they are low risk and effective against a variety of pests.
Horticulture oils kill insects by blocking the air holes through
which they breathe. This makes them effective against all stages of
the insect’s development from egg through adult.
The oil must contact the insect to be effective. If a beneficial
insect lands on a treated plant, it will not be injured. Avoid
treating plants when bees and other beneficial insects are present,
so you do not accidently spray them with the oil.
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 YRSO horticulture oil (Summit
ResponsibleSolutions.com) can also help reduce the incidence and
spread of aphid-transmitted viruses. It interferes with insect
feeding which helps reduce the transmission of the virus by the
insect.
Lightweight horticulture oils have a minimal waiting period between
the last application and harvest. Always check the label before
using any product whether organic, natural or synthetic. You will
find valuable information on the label, including application rates
and directions to help you attain the best results.
You may also find some added benefits when reviewing the label.
Horticulture oils can help in managing powdery mildew on plants like
beebalm, phlox, peonies and cucumbers. Some can be applied when
plants are dormant to smother and kill overwintering mites and
aphids as well as egg masses of pests like the gypsy moth.
Monitor your garden throughout the summer. You will enjoy watching
your plants grow, make timely harvests and discover insect pests
when the populations are small and much easier to manage.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening
books, including Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses
“How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the nationally-syndicated
Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and
contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned
by Summit for her expertise to write this article. Myers’s web site
is www.melindamyers.com.
[photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com]
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