Pest Control.. Naturally

Well, I try and keep things as natural as possable in the garden, for the slugs, I lay down boards around and thoughout the garden, and then each morning, I go pick up the board, depending on the time of the year either whistle the birds to me or carry the boards to the free ranging chickens/ducks, they will come running to have a bug/slug feast, doing this daily really cuts down the amount of slugs in the garden.
Allowing the the birds at certain stages to go into the garden and be on bug patrol helps as well, and thriving plants under heavy mulchies goes along way to protecting the plants themselves.
We do hand pick the potato beetles daily, somtimes more then daily and drown them as they are bitter and not a birds favorite, but when we get to certain stage in the game, where the hand picking is showing that they are ramping up, I start making Rhubarb leaf spray, its as easy as it sounds, pick a few fresh rhubarb stems with leaves, use the stems in the house and steep the leaves in a just cover them water and drain, throw out the leaves to finish composting out and cool and into a spray bottle, spray down the plants with the mix, remember to get the underside of the plant leaves and its good till the rains, when it needs to be done again..
I also used the mix water with stock molassies and spray that on the plants, it seems to help somewhat with bugs (which does not make sense from the sweet point of view) but i think its because it give such a boost to the plant that it fends off the bugs better..
I have never had enough extra milk to try using the milk ratio in the garden/pastures as I have been milking the sheep/goats but with the cow coming online this spring, I will have lots of extra milk and do intend to give it a try and see if its worth doing.

I like the Rubarb Leaf Spray idea and will give it a try next year. Have you tried copper to keep the slugs under control? My Wife buys every copper Scrub Bud she can find at the Dollar Store during the winter and, as her plants start to grow, she separates the center and places the "ring" over the plant. The slugs will not cross the copper ring . Apperantly, it gives them a shock and they stay away.
I tried something similar to your "board idea" this year only for Earwigs. I used damp newspaper rolled up in a tube with elastics holding them together and it worked very well. Every morning we picked up the newspaper and placed it in a paper bag , tied tightly shut so the critters couldn't escape, and disposed if it in our Camp Fires.

Be VERY careful if using Rhubarb leaf spray as it is highly poisonous if ingested by people & animals. We grow organics year round and scatter coarse shell grit & crushed egg shells (which also feed the plants calcium) around the base of plants to deter snails & slugs. Placing some small jars of beer around will attract snails & slugs as they LOVE the stuff, they drown in it. Growing Chilli Pepper plants with your crops are great as they emit a natural chemical repellent from the roots into the soil and assist controlling soil dwelling pests, also grow garlic as it has a similar action and use the crushed garlic in water as a spray also. Our free range chickens take care of the rest and we are pretty much pest free 🙂

While I don't recommend eating something that is not washed that has been sprayed with the rhubarb leaves mix, I have no issues using it for the potato beetlies as talked about, the potato themselves are under the soil and never come in contract with the spray themselves..

On a interesting side note, my sheep self-worm themselves using tiny nibbles of rhubarb leafs, After talking to alot of older farmers, turns out that my guys are not the only ones that have done this over time, very interesting to me when I watch the critters naturally self-medicate on different wild growing plants in the herbal/wild forest area.

On a interesting side note, my sheep self-worm themselves using tiny nibbles of rhubarb leafs, After talking to alot of older farmers, turns out that my guys are not the only ones that have done this over time, very interesting to me when I watch the critters naturally self-medicate on different wild growing plants in the herbal/wild forest area.

Personally, I won't risk it and don't grow it myself for good reason. I've seen small domestic and wild animals die very painful slow deaths from ingesting small amounts of Rhubarb leaf.

I do the garlic and a dab dish soap spray in a bottle of water.
Also use DE for some.
A milk spray with dab dish soap for mildew.
They have a varied diet, shall we say. 😆

I also have wet cardboard laying in areas to 'house' slugs and what not over night. Then it gets tossed in the burn barrel.

You can get cheap dish soap that comes on sale often at CT, cheaper than $ stores actually.

Be VERY careful if using Rhubarb leaf spray as it is highly poisonous if ingested by people & animals. We grow organics year round and scatter coarse shell grit & crushed egg shells (which also feed the plants calcium) around the base of plants to deter snails & slugs. Placing some small jars of beer around will attract snails & slugs as they LOVE the stuff, they drown in it. Growing Chilli Pepper plants with your crops are great as they emit a natural chemical repellent from the roots into the soil and assist controlling soil dwelling pests, also grow garlic as it has a similar action and use the crushed garlic in water as a spray also. Our free range chickens take care of the rest and we are pretty much pest free 🙂

Hi Grace
Thanks for the reminder about Rhubarb leaves... will be careful. Have you tried the Garlic Spray on Potato Beetles? I have not had much luck growing garlic but, if it works, garlic is cheap enough to buy and make a spray.Unfortunatly the Municipality we live in will not allow us to have chickens.. Seems they are scared of a Skunk or Bear outbreak 😮

farmgal wrote:-
On a interesting side note, my sheep self-worm themselves using tiny nibbles of rhubarb leafs, After talking to alot of older farmers, turns out that my guys are not the only ones that have done this over time, very interesting to me when I watch the critters naturally self-medicate on different wild growing plants in the herbal/wild forest area.

Goes to show you just how smart animals are eh?

According to my Neighbour, another slug deterent is Hair. She is saving hair from her and her pet's brush and is going to try putting it around her plants in the spring. Apperantly slugs do not like any type of hair.

here are some recipes for natural sprays:
http://www.arkgardens.com/Our%20Natural%20Insect,%20Mildew%20&%20Fungus%20Controls.html

garlic-type sprays are not that effective on hard-bodied insects
(potato beetles etc., but they also will not harm beneficials like ladybugs)

try floating row covers (remay fabric) before the beetles invade the potato patch
the plants will have no problem pushing up the fabric as they grow,
and it will also keep out wind-blown weed seeds

Thanks got freedom
I will keep that in mind.
It seems that a lot of posts disappeared during the upgrade.. I will try to remember some of the other Pest Controls discussed here and re-post them.

I have used a lot of homeopathic remedies in the garden to keep out slugs, caterpillars etc

I get mine from Homeopathy Plus http://homeopathyplus.com.au/agrohomeopathic-remedies-a-e/ which has a good Agrohomeopathy section.

The first time I tried it was when I had a huge slug problem and I set out beer traps but the slugs were having to good a time in the cabbages to come to the pub.
So I ordered some Helix Toasta, mixed it up in a watering can and gave the garden a good soaking.
Within a couple of days there were no more slugs in the garden and they didn't return for about 4 months.

They have remedies for all sorts of garden pests.

😆 Disclaimer: The timing was likely a coincidence and the results a placebo effect (damned silly slugs)...thank you, thank you my loyal critics 😉

I have used a lot of homeopathic remedies in the garden to keep out slugs, caterpillars etc
😆 Disclaimer: The timing was likely a coincidence and the results a placebo effect (damned silly slugs)...thank you, thank you my loyal critics 😉

I don't think it was a placeo effect at all; I think they just ate all the good bits and left.

I have to admit when it comes to slugs, I have a two fold attach on them, one I use floating covers on the caabbages now, just makes life so much easier, and two I have boards left laying down around the edges of the garden and each day I flip them over and call the chickens and ducks who come a running, its happy time, or depending on if there are chicks or young ones, I will just carry the boards to the pens and let them clean them up and then put the boards back out..

I can't remember what book I read it in but it was a saying that said something like this.. you don't have a slug problem, you are duck deficient LOL

Right on Farmgal.

The row covers are great if you can keep critters from wrecking them. I will have to fence my gardens away from the ducks, geese and turkeys and chickens or I won't have anything for my troubles. Too many of them. I am working on more mobile coops to relocate chickens to the pastures and away from my garden spots this summer. Otherwise, no berries or tomatoes. Geese, ducks and turkeys are easier to fence out. Geese love all types of berry plants; not just the fruits.

Wow same here....my animal would eat the slugs, the cabbage and everything inbetween.
I do use a cardboard box for trapping curl crubs as they like being near the surface but covered, like when they eat a watermelon. The box works well and I catch heaps and throw them in the chook house.
I can't keep duck as they always go in hubby's shed and poop all over the concrete floor...I do love them though and geese, if only I could put a cork in them 😆