New ORGANIC weapon in the war against squash bugs

Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki strain sa-12 solids, spores and Lepidopteran active toxins

>6 million viable spores 98.35%

other ingrediants 1.65%

Tomato Hornworm order= Lepidoptera

Squash Bug order= Hemiptera. 

A tomato Hornworm, being of the Lepidoptera order succumbs to damage caused by BT (Bacillus Thuringiensi)

A Squash Bug, being of the Hemiptera order does not. 

Lepidopteran toxins will NOT work on Squash bugs, but are generated by the gut of an insect in the Lepidoptera order.  BT will organically work on any tomato worm you will ever encounter.

The Solution

NICOTINE WILL ORGANICALLY DECIMATE A LOCAL HEMIPTERA ORDER.

(its interesting to note and good to know that if any nicotine comes into contact with a tomato plant it will KILL the plant with Tobacco Mosaic Virus)

from http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47797/1/442_2004_Article_BF00317425.pdf

Summary.  Dietary nicotine (0.5%),  which is  a substrate 

of the PSMO (polysubstrate monooxygenase) detoxifica- 

tion system in the southern armyworm Spodoptera erida- 

nia,  has significant negative effects on the weight of food 

ingested, weight gained, relative growth rate (RGR), and 

efficiency of conversion of digested food (ECD) by fourth- 

instar S.  eridania larvae on a nutrient-rich artificial diet. 

It has  a significant positive effect on the weight of food 

respired by the larvae.  Thus,  the  detoxification of nico- 

tine  by  the  PSMO  system exacts  a  fitness cost  and  im- 

poses a metabolic cost on S.  eridania larvae. In contrast, 

dietary  e-(+)-pinene,  an  inducer  of the  PSMO  system, 

neither exacts a fitness cost nor imposes a metabolic cost 

on  the  larvae.  We  believe  this  to  be  the  first study  to 

demonstrate unequivocally that  the  negative effect of a 

dietary toxin on net growth efficiency (ECD) in an insect 

herbivore is due to an increase in the allocation of assim- 

ilated food to  energy metabolism and not to  a  decrease 

in the amount of food assimilated. This study, therefore, 

supports the hypothesis that detoxification can impose a 

significant metabolic  load  on  an  insect  herbivore.  Im- 

plications  of  a  corroboration  of  the  metabolic  load 

hypothesis are  discussed. 

I think the greatest thing about paragraph is this.. 

"We  believe  this  to  be  the  first study  to 

demonstrate unequivocally that  the  negative effect of a 

dietary toxin on net growth efficiency (ECD) in an insect 

herbivore is due to an increase in the allocation of assim- 

ilated food to  energy metabolism and not to  a  decrease 

in the amount of food assimilated."

If you view these series of pictures think of organic chemical warfare.

Honey Bees, Pumpkins, and Heirloom Tomatoes

We LOVE bees!

Once again a venture this morning into the garden was rewarded with the fresh smells of dirt, tomatoes, and plants.

The pumpkins are coming along nicely especially with the successful application of Diatomaceous Earth.  We did not see any stink bugs.  NOT even ONE!  Has the battle been won?  Perhaps the battle, but not the war.

Yesterday evening we sprayed the Tomato garden with Bacillus thuringlensis subspecies kurstaki strain SA-12 solids, spores and Lepidopteran active toxins.  This natural bacterial spore is OMRI listed and has a narrow spectrum limiting the effect on beneficials.  "As of 2007, a new phenomenon called colony collapse disorder (CCD) began affecting bee hives all over North America. Initial speculation on possible causes ranged from new parasites to pesticide use^[55] to the use of Bt transgenic crops.^[56] The Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium published a report in March 2007 that found no evidence that pollen from Bt crops is adversely affecting bees.^[57] The actual cause of CCD remains unknown, and scientists believe that it may have multiple causes.^[58]  


From Wikipedia.org


After taking some time to study BT, we have a high degree of confidence in the efficacy and optimism for eliminating insect damage to our tomatoes.

Please take a look at the coolest slide show you will see all day.  And as always, Thank You so much for your support, comments, suggestions, and criticisms.


MLGardens may be found on facebook at www.facebook.com/mlgardens and on Twitter @mlgardens.  We really appreciate any 'likes' we can get on our facebook page as well as views on our blog.  Please share.  

  

Honeybees and people

Honeybees and people

Today at MLGardens we observed an ARMY of honey bees happily pollinating the pumpkins.  The experience was that of a cacophonous symphony prior to a conductor stepping onto the podium.  Observation of the symbiotic interaction of the energetic honeybees and the the flowers exhibiting the true nature of procreation was a testament to the fine balance that exists in all living things.

Honey bees (Apis Mellifera) play an integral part in our mission to organically grow high quality food.  They are perhaps one of the most important lessons in the importance of symbiotic relationships in all aspects of our lives.  The similarities between interactions of bees with plants and interactions of people in society are striking.  Both have an overriding drive to procreate while attempting to maintain a delicate balance of mutually beneficial interactions.  For instance the pumpkin flowers open and invite the bees to feed in the early cool mornings which happens to be an ideal time for the bee to maintain thermal regulation.  This helps the bee conserve energy and increase the ability to carry a heavy load of nourishing pollen.  A larger load of pollen is beneficial to the growth and procreation of the hive, which in turn directly assists the plant in maintaining genetic diversity and continued procreation.  It reminds one of human interaction and the desire to benefit all of society.

We maintain that taking the role of stewardship of these relationships, rather than that of a parasitical nature enables us to enjoy the benefits not only in the short term, but in the very long term for generations to follow.  This is why sharing the wisdom of growing food organically is in the best interest of our own society.

If we didn't bore you to sleep with this small philosophical diatribe, please take a look at some pictures below and take a minute to 'like' our facebook page at www.facebook.com/mlgardens.   We are on Twitter @mlgardens.

The Continuing Battle With Stink Bugs

36 hours have passed since the latest application of Diatomaceous Earth for stinkbug (Brown Marmorated Stinkbug) control.  We are seeing good results.  As we mentioned in the previous post the crop killing insurgents have been suppressed to several specific areas of the pumpkin plot.  These areas were heavily dusted.  Upon inspection this morning no bugs were observed in the copiously treated areas, diminished numbers in the areas with less dusting.

DE is not an insecticide like some chemicals are, however we feel that using organic substances outweighs the benefit of immediate kill by using non-organic insecticides.

Please take the time to review the following slide show.  Please comment with ideas, suggestions, criticisms or further information.

Thank you!

 

Hello Everybody!

 Today we discovered a new way for even more effective dispersion of diatomaceous earth. We attached a can to the bottom of the leaf blower which enabled us to control the dispersion rate as well increased accuracy on targeted areas. The leaf blower uniformly atomizes the DE and it acts like an accurate dust gun. I will make a video of the action when I am able to charge my camera.

 We have found the optimum time for dusting the pumpkin patch is in the evening. Since the pumpkin flowers close late morning the worry about killing pollinating bees is not a factor. And we disperse it to settle on the prolific stink bugs that can kill a pumpkin plant in only a few days. They breed faster than professional mothers ripping off entitlement programs.

 We have beaten the stink bugs back to only a few sections of the field and it is easy to spot the clusters now. Nothing else has been used for control. They seem to drop dead within a day and are quickly consumed by birds and ants. The pumpkin plot is approximately 6000 square feet and so far we have used about 30 dollars worth of DE.

 That is the stink bug update.. please comment and share your thoughts. Please also share this with anyone who may be interested in an organic economical method of insect control. Heck, share with it people who are not interested too. That being said, here are some pics of the gardens and whatnot around MLGardens...  


(feedback is appreciated on the slideshow format)

cool morning

overcast and cool this morning made for a perfect walk in the gardens. The tomatoes are doing well, albeit still need more staking and pruning. Almost all varieties are producing various sizes of tomatoes. I am thinking about taking leaves off so the plant devotes more energy to production, however this is still being debated. Anyone with thoughts on this strategy please by all means comment. The pumpkins are coming along nicely. Lots and lots of honey bees doing a great job pollinating about 300 flowers in total. The stink bug war carries on. At this point We have them suppressed to approximately 4 clusters. We seem to have a new insurgence of vine borers as evidenced by small droplets of pumpkin sap on the ends of some vines. No clue what to do about them. Trying to keep from using chemicals, but if it is a must then it is a must. Here are some pictures from this morning. Please enjoy and PLEASE comment/share/like/+1/post everywhere/tell your siblings, etc etc. Thank you! MLGardens ( www.facebook.com/mlgardens ) mlgardenfarms@gmail.com

Today we applied diatomaceous earth to the pumpkins and tomatoes.  We found that filling a coffee can two thirds with DE and picking it up with the suction from the leaf blower it evenly distributed the fossilized diatoms both under and over leaves and vines.  Why didn't we think of this before?  Our original methodology may be viewed at the end of this post.

We remain convinced that DE is the the best material to use against non-beneficial garden pests.  Additionally the DE is 10% Calcium Bentonite which is a wonderful soil nutrient for both tomatoes and pumpkins.

We made two new 'how to videos' today.







and for those of you who want to stay in the 'know'..


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Tomorrow will be 0m 46s shorter.

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