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How To Make A Homegrown Chrysanthemum Pest Repellent

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If you are a homemaker, then I bet that one of your frustrations is pest management. You want to get rid of all those annoying creatures but you can’t just spray Raid all over the place whenever you want. Think about your family, pets, and of course yourself. You do not want to inhale all those chemicals when you squirt substances on mosquitoes, ants, spiders or even termites. Sometimes, the sprays you use won’t work too, and you’ll end up getting more annoyed because after you’ve just subjected yourself to noxious fumes, the bugs you want dead are still trudging along like nothing happened.

An Alternative

When you have a pest problem, chances are that you will probably need to use chemicals to knock the bugs dead. But you have many options, and if you choose to go the more eco-friendly way, you might want to try out creating your own pesticide using a very common flower – the chrysanthemum.

Why the Chrysanthemum?

The chrysanthemum plant produces a natural chemical called “pyrethrin” which is usually developed and incorporated in many forms of insecticides. The chrysanthemum species that contain the highest pyrethrin content is the Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium.

chrysanthemum

Safety Issue

Lots of insects just hate the scent of chrysanthemums. So, you can plant them in your garden if you want to reduce the number of creepy-crawlies that are bothering you. The question here, you might wonder, is – “Is it safe for me to plant chrysanthemums?” Since these flowers contain natural pyrethrins, you should ensure that your kids and pets won’t be eating the blooms and leaves. Also, it takes a larger and more potent dosage of pyrethrin before mammals, including us, demonstrate toxic reactions. Still, always be cautious when handling this type of plant.

Creating Organic Chrysanthemum-Based Insecticides

So, how do you make an organic pesticide using chrysanthemum flowers? It’s actually quite easy. Here are two methods that you can try out.

1. Boiling Method

In a liter of very hot water, place 100 grams of dried chrysanthemum flowers. Stir until all blooms are drenched and then let it stand for 1 hour. Strain afterwards. You can put the liquid in a spritzer and spray on insects.

2. Dry Method

Harvest flowers in full bloom. Dry the blossoms and then grind finely. You can sprinkle the powder on pests or apply some on affected plants.

Reminders

Always use protective gloves when handling the resulting fluid or powder from chrysanthemums. Though small amounts might not be toxic to humans, it is still best to be safe than sorry. The good thing here is that pyrethrins are very fat-soluble, which means that the substance will not accumulate inside your body.

What about the Environment?

One huge benefit of using pyrethrins from the chrysanthemum plant is that these quickly degrade when exposed to sunlight and high temperatures. So, these do not leave residues that are harmful to the environment.

When All Else Fails

Pyrethrins are considered as broad-range pesticides. This means that you can use such substances to kill many kinds of insects. However, if you think that your bug problem is too big for you to handle, it’s better to get in touch with pest control experts.

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The article is by Claire Brent, a freelancer and a concerned homemaker, who regularly blogs about organic cleaning agents and pesticides. Learn more about eco-friendly pest management here.







Diatomaceous Earth-Nature’s Supreme Pesticide

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When it comes to bugs and pesticides, more and more people are looking for natural products that are safer for their health as well as the environment. One of the biggest natural pesticides that is becoming more and more popular is diatomaceous earth.

What is diatomaceous earth?

Diatomaceous earth is a natural rock that is extremely soft. Because of its soft density, it can easily be broken down into a white powder. When the powder is broken down, it has a very abrasive feel.

What is it used for?

There are many uses for diatomaceous earth. It is used in many plastics, toothpastes, cat litter and even in dynamite. It’s also extremely heat-resistant, which makes it very popular for use as a thermal insulator. Today, it is also an extremely popular form of pesticide.

How does diatomaceous earth work as a pesticide?

Diatomaceous earth is extremely useful as an absorbent. The powder of the diatomaceous earth is used to remove the water and other liquids from the body of the insects, forcing them to die of dehydration.

They also have an effect on insects with exoskeletons, such as fleas and bedbugs. Due to their abrasive nature, the powder gets in between the skeleton of these bugs and cuts them up. Every time the insect moves, the particles in the diatomaceous earth act like tiny razor blades and cut the insect until it eventually dies.

Why should I use diatomaceous earth?

The main reason that you should use this product is because it’s natural, so it will not have any lingering effects on the environment. Plus, since it’s a natural product, nobody is using additional resources in order to create or manufacture it.

Another reason to use diatomaceous earth is because it’s safe for mammals. Humans and other mammals can digest and touch the product without experiencing any harm. This means that you can easily apply this to your garden and not have to worry about ingesting it with your food. Many farmers add this to their crops to keep bugs off of their grains and other foods. Plus, since it won’t affect mammals, you don’t have to worry about it having a negative effect on your household pets. If they were to consume the product, they will not suffer any health conditions.

Many farmers have also claimed that diatomaceous earth can help cure their animals of worms in a natural way. The diatomaceous earth will cause the worms to die, but it will not hurt the mammal that the worms are inside. Farmers also use the product to keep fleas away from their farm animals.

Are there any downsides?

The only complaint that some people have with diatomaceous earth is that it’s not a bait, meaning that you cannot simply put a pile of it around your home and expect the bugs to be attracted to it. Instead, the bugs have to come across it on their own, meaning that it may take a little bit for the product to work. If you want to cure your infestation of bugs immediately, you may want to choose something else, but if you’re okay with waiting for the product to kick in, then diatomaceous earth is a great choice.

Miranda Smith writes for Rose, Rose is a great option for those needing Chicago commercial exterminators services.

Protect Your Flower Garden With These Safe and Organic Methods

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If you want your flower garden to flourish and blossom beautifully, then you have to protect it against pests. Garden pests are the biggest enemies of flower gardens. Not only do they destroy the flowers, but some of them even eat through the roots and stems, killing the whole plant and destroying the beautiful look of your garden.

To avoid this, you can make use of pest control products that can keep pests away from the plants. However, there are some dangers to using commercial pest control products though, and more often than not, they do more damage than good not only to the flowers but to the environment as well. For this reason, here are some safe and organic pest control methods for your flowering plants.

Pest Prevention Tips

If you don’t want pests in your flower garden, then you have to prevent infestation in the first place. One of the reasons why pests invade your garden is because the garden’s not healthy. There are too many weeds; the grass is long; the shrubberies are unkempt; there are puddles of stagnant water; and there are garbage and dead leaves everywhere. An unhealthy and unkempt garden is an invitation for pests to stay.

To prevent pest infestation, you have to maintain a clean garden. Pull out weeds and make sure they are not invading the space of your flowering plants. It’ll be better too if you leave the soil around the flowering plants clear of any grass or weeds.

If there are weak plants near the healthier flowering plants, you also need to pull them out. These plants may have already been infected with pests, and you don’t want it attracting more and infecting the neighboring healthy plants. Of note though; be sure to dispose of them properly and see to it that you keep the debris away from your flower garden.

It’s also recommended that you remove debris and garbage in the garden. Keeping the flower garden free of dead leaves, twigs, cut grass, garbage, etc. will minimize insect habitat and prevent pest infestation.

Pest Control Tips

If there are pests in the garden, you can minimize their population by making use of seaweed mulch. Seaweed mulch contains important trace elements that can keep the soil healthy and the plants strong. Some of these include iron as well as calcium. There’s also zinc as well as sulfur and magnesium. By making your flowering plants healthy, they can withstand diseases better. Of note; seaweed mulch can also keep pests like slugs away.

Another way to get rid of pests is to make your own homemade sprays. They are organic and non-toxic, so they’re both safe for the plants, the environment, and humans. One such homemade spray that can get rid of earwigs and slugs is the pepper sauce spray. You only need to mix about a couple of teaspoons of cayenne pepper, a quart of water, and about a few Ivory soap drops. Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle and spray directly onto the infected plants.

If the garden has a severe pest infestation, a call to your local pest control company will be a very good help.

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Jennifer Daleo writes for RovePestControlReviews.com. Keeping a garden healthy is easy, but if there’s severe pest infestation, then the services of a professional pest control provider will be very beneficial to you.

Having trouble with my Gladiolas this year

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I haven’t grown Gladiolas for a few years, but this spring when I saw packages of lovely coral and chartreuse colored corms I thought it was time to plant some Gladiolas in the garden again. Plus, it didn’t hurt that I’d had a few plants die off in the last few years so I had some small bare spots in my garden beds that would be suitable for some lovely Gladiolas.


The Gladiolas started growing in June and sometime in mid-July I noticed that the stalks were really growing, indicating that they were going to flower soon. Unfortunately, just before the first flower stalk began to flower it literally fell over. I’ve never had that happen with any of my Gladiolas before.

Slowly as my Gladiolas began to bloom the flower stalks started to fall over. I’d go over to my plants and try to stand them up again. I even put flower rings around my two clumps of Gladiolas in my garden beds to help them stand better but I’m still having problems.

I’d originally thought that it was the drought that we were going through in July that was causing the problems with the Gladiolas, but I picked a lovely blooming stalk toward the end of July for my husbands uncle and several earwigs fell off as I was carrying the stalk toward the house.

Now I’m starting to think that my Gladiolas might be infested with earwigs! I’ve seen a few earwigs on the Gladiolas since that time, but without giving the plants a good shake they could be hiding deep within the plants. I think it’s quite possible that they’re eating the stalk from the inside out and that’s why the stalks are falling over.

I’ve read on other gardening sites that the best way to control earwigs is to pick them off the plants and crush them and or to go out after dark armed with a flashlight and look at your plants and if you find a plant infested with lots of earwigs spray them with a mixture of soap and water. The soap (just a little dish soap) will kill the earwigs.

A few earwigs in the garden can be beneficial as they will eat pest bugs and garden debris, but if they begin to multiply they will literally destroy nice plants and become pests themselves.

Do you have an organic way to get rid of earwigs?

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