Mother's Mini-Manual: Greenhouse Gardening

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BENEFICIAL INSECTS. Ladybugs, lacewing flies, praying mantises, trichogramma wasps, spiders and other predatory insects wander off quite easily when released in an open backyard or garden, but when liberated inside a greenhouse these little friends have no choice but to patrol the plants you want them to protect.

SMALL ANIMALS. Toads, lizards (such as chameleons) and birds can lead a very helpful life in and around the greenhouse, but be sure to supplement their diet with a few mealworms or earthworms when the insect supply gets short.

INTEGRATED PLANTING. The practice of companion planting (that is, intercropping plants so that juices or odors of one species will repel certain insects that attack others) may be another simple way to protect your greenhouse crops. (Check out "Companion Planting" in Mother Earth News, No. 33, Page 34.)

PREVENTATIVES 4

If you are against using poisons for gardening, there are many old-fashioned remedies for eliminating insects. In fact, some of these methods work better than poisons and save the cost of spray or dusting equipment and cleaning paraphernalia. Most important, they eliminate the hazards of keeping poisonous materials in or near the home.

Wash a plant thoroughly with a hose or spray strongly to eliminate aphids. A solution of 1 tablespoon of alcohol to 1 quart of water applied with a small brush will do the job, too. A mixture of soap and water often deters red spiders, and mealybugs can be eliminated with a solution of equal parts of water and alcohol followed by a washing with soap and water and a rinsing with clear water.

Or go over a plant with a Q-Tip dipped in alcohol. Gently scrub off scale with a stiff brush dipped in soapy water. Cut potatoes in half and lay them on the soil to lure snails and sow bugs to the surface, where you can destroy them. Beer works well, too: put a small amount in a bottle cap and leave it overnight in the greenhouse.

Insect traps and light traps are other good precautions against bugs in the greenhouse. So are natural repellents, which are inexpensive and easy to use. The repellent may be chemical or physical. Wood ashes will keep some types of insects away from plants, as will a nontoxic material called acrylin resin. The odor of tar paper will repel insects. Oil of cloves and camphor will thwart most ants, and oil of citronella is a good insect repellent. Ground pepper is also effective in keeping some insects away from plants.

You can also use organic preparations or those containing rotenone, quassia or pyrethrum. These are nature's own insect repellents and are now being used in commercial insecticides. They're nonpersistent and do not harm warm-blooded animals.

If old-fashioned remedies do not work or if organic repellents fail to control specific pests, use a group of synthetic chemicals known as organic phosphates (these are quite effective and relatively safe). Malathion is the leader, and, although it is often used to control a host of insects, it is really only effective against certain ones. Dibrom is another organic phosphate that has proved to be valuable to the gardener. Diazinon, the most toxic, is being used a great deal lately and is effective against many insects. It is said to break down in 10 to 12 days. However, all these solutions are still poisonous, so use them with discretion.

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