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Post by daylilydude on Mar 18, 2018 6:59:31 GMT -5
If you had to choose one... what is your worst garden pest, how do you handle it when the time comes?
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Post by ladymarmalade on Mar 18, 2018 7:13:47 GMT -5
Rabbits.
I can have a completely impermeable garden fence, but one forgetful moment of leaving the gate unlatched and one rabbit will make his way in and completely obliterate half of the garden in one fell swoop. There's nothing worse than walking out to the garden with a smile on your face, only to have it turn into a frown by the time you get to the open gate, and then you stand inside and stare at the carnage. Meanwhile, Peter has spotted you and is frantically tearing up and down the rows trying to find the one and only exit...
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Post by brownrexx on Mar 18, 2018 8:38:22 GMT -5
I was going to say the Squash Vine Borer because it's larvae get inside the stems where I can't see them and then one day the plant just wilts and dies suddenly but I can combat this with succession planting to continue the harvest.
Japanese Beetles arrive as a horde in July and devour plants. This is frustrating but I can hand pick them and minimize the damage. Same with Colorado Potato Beetles. Frustrating but manageable.
However the Allium Leaf Miner (ALM) has me beat. This is a non native small fly from Europe which arrived in PA 3 years ago. It infests onions, garlic and chives. There are no controls other than completely covering the crops to prevent this fly from laying eggs and ruining entire crops. They lay their eggs on the leaves and the tiny larvae burrow down into the bulbs.
Onions are a crop that I used to grow in long rows and it is impractical to cover them. This fly has 2 hatchings per year so planting to avoid them is also not practical. I have totally given up on growing onions and garlic at home.
I grow a few garlic and onions at our cabin in Western PA where this fly has not yet spread but, sadly it is slowly spreading across the US.
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Post by paulf on Mar 18, 2018 8:54:07 GMT -5
Squash bugs here because they seem to attack everything. Best solution is garden sanitation and not let them have an overwintering home. Checking on the underside of leaves for eggs and hand picking young bugs seems to help some. I do use sevin sparingly on juveniles but hate to use insecticides since bees and other beneficial pollinators are susceptible. Adults are hard to get rid of.
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Post by spike on Mar 18, 2018 8:58:07 GMT -5
what is your worst garden pest THIS!! She steals and eats my tomatoes >,< Seriously!!
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Post by octave1 on Mar 18, 2018 9:10:19 GMT -5
The most destructive for me are Squash Vine Borer and Squash Bug. These two don't care about the fruits but kill the plant, which is the worst thing IMO. Then grasshoppers, but they come and go, and cucumber beetles. Plus the occasional rabbit and squirrel. How do I handle these? I don't. All I can do is stay on top of the game and plant more than I need.
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Mar 18, 2018 11:04:39 GMT -5
Stink bugs and I plant sunflowers as a decoy crop.
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Post by september on Mar 18, 2018 13:14:41 GMT -5
It's a tossup between the deer and the raccoons. The deer can be fenced out for the most part, but that doesn't help with the decorative pots and plantings next to the house. The raccoons only arrive once about every 4 or 5 years, and don't mess with flowers, but they can get over and through fences and are horribly destructive, partially chewing and throwing things around and leaving poop piles all over. I'll take insect pests over these any day.
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Post by meandtk on Mar 18, 2018 15:59:53 GMT -5
My 11 year old son, who cannot resist running in to chase a butterfly or dragonfly, and who cares nothing about where he steps. Solution? Not fit for public consumption, i.e. i ain't saying. Deer Rabbits The solution? A dog.
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Post by bestofour on Mar 18, 2018 21:45:28 GMT -5
meandtk, I love that your 11 year old son is chasing butterflies and dragonflies. I have memories of my children being that age and doing things without thinking.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Mar 18, 2018 23:47:35 GMT -5
I would say squash vine borers, except for the fact that they only attack one type of plant, so for me it's probably rabbits. I can't plant my greens of any type (as well as some other plants, like beans), unless I cover immediately! If I turn my back, and maybe go in for a break, they are in there nibbling away! And, unlike squirrels, which I easily trap, I can't figure out a way to trap rabbits, though I have gotten a few.
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Post by carolyn on Mar 21, 2018 7:54:18 GMT -5
cucumber beetles. they eat everything... not just cucumbers. when the cukes are gone they destroy the zucchinis and squash blossoms, tomatoes, even greenbeans.
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Post by guruofgardens on Mar 21, 2018 12:30:22 GMT -5
Rabbits and voles. For the rabbits we have a 'rabbit fence' around the perimeter that kept them varmits out last year. For the voles, we have mouse traps and catch a dozen or so early in the season. One year I lost all of my beets and carrots. Hopefully not again.
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Post by carolyn on Mar 22, 2018 6:45:22 GMT -5
Rabbits and voles. For the rabbits we have a 'rabbit fence' around the perimeter that kept them varmits out last year. For the voles, we have mouse traps and catch a dozen or so early in the season. One year I lost all of my beets and carrots. Hopefully not again. what are you baiting the traps with to catch the voles?
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Post by guruofgardens on Mar 22, 2018 8:57:44 GMT -5
The community garden is adjacent to a field, so we do get more mice than other gardens.
Since voles are meadow mice, we've used peanut butter with a few sunflower seeds.
In the Spring they are quite hungry, so we try and catch the most then. I put 6-8 traps around the perimeter of my 20 x 40 area.
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