Natural Alternatives
Recipes for Success
I am preparing my beds; what is the best way? And what sort of soil amendments do I need to add?
Most of the soils in Texas have Three basic problems:
I. lack of humus
2. lack of Oxygen
3. lack of biological activity
The following soil prepations ar recommended for planting landscape plants:
1. Scrape away weeds and grass- usually 2-3 inches deep is enough to remove regenerative parts of the plants. DO NOT USE HERBICIDES.
2. Add Native Soil for proper grade- remember to allow for the addition of compost.
3. Add compost: 4" for ground cover beds; 6" for shrubs and trees; and 8" for vegetable beds. The equation to get the number of cubic yards of compost needed is: the length of the bed in feet times the width of the bed in feet times inches of compost divided by 324.
4. Add amendments a. sulfur at 5lb/1,000 sq ft in the spring and fall will help balance the calcium and magnesium b. Lava sand at 80lb per 1,000 sq ft c. Green Sand at 40lb per 1,000sq ft d. Cornmeal at 20lb per 1000sq ft e. Dried molasses at 80lb per 1,000 sq ft
5. Add Fertilizer- broadcast a light application(10lb per 1,000 sq.ft) of organic fertilizer
6. Till compost, amendments and existing soil together until the depth of the compost/ soil mixture it 10-12 inches.
7. Moisten beds before planting.
8. Set the plants properly- set root ball even or slightly higher than surrounding soil. (setting the plant too low causes oxygen starvation and drowning; too high can cause upper roots to dry out.
9. Water in to remove air pockets.
10. Mulch the soil using 3-4" of mulch.
If you follow this plan you should have a successful garden!
TREE GOOP Instead of wrapping your trees to help keep of the bugs try this organic way Use equal parts of Diotomacous Earth, Soft Rock Phosphate, Compost, & water, mixture should be thick like dough. Spread on lower 1/4th of tree.
COMPOST TEA Use any container, but a plastic bucket is easy for the homeowner. Fill the bucket half full of compost and finish filling with water. Let the mix set for ten to fourteen days then dilute, and spray on the foliage of any and all plants. Include fruit trees, perennials, annuals, roses and any other plants that are regularly attacked by insect and disease pests. How much to dilute the dark compost tea before using depends on the compost used. A good rule of thumb is to dilute the leachate down to one part compost liquid to four to ten parts water. It should look like iced tea. Be sure to strain the solids out with old pantyhose, cheese cloth, or row cover material. Full strength tea makes an excellent fire ant mound drench when mixed with molasses and citrus oil.
GARRETT JUICE Mix the following ingredients in a gallon of water to make the ready to use spray. One to two cups manure based compost tea One tablespoon molasses One tablespoon natural apple cider vinegar One tablespoon liquid seaweed For added insect and disease control add: One fourth cup garlic tea or garlic pepper tea per gallon of spray. For tougher to kill insects such as fire ants and squash bugs add one to two ounces of citrus oil per gallon of ready-to-use spray.
GARLIC PEPER TEA This organic insect and disease control material is made from the juice of garlic and hot peppers such as jalapeno, habanero, cayenne, or any other hot pepper. However, its use should be limited because it will kill small beneficial insects. For a homemade brew, mix the juice of two garlic bulbs and two hot peppers into a gallon of water in a blender or food processor, strain. Use one fourth of the concentrate per gallon of water. For added strength, add two tablespoons of vegetable oil or horticultural oil to each gallon of water in the sprayer. To make garlic tea, simply omit the pepper and add another bulb of garlic.
GARDEN-VILLE FIRE ANT CONTROL This is the most effective product on the market for controlling fire ants and other hard to control pests such as squash bugs. It is available commercially or can be made these three ways: Mix two parts Garrett juice commercial concentrate with one part citrus oil. Mix to spray at two to six ounces per gallon of water. Mix two ounces of citrus oil into your homemade Garrett Juice. Make your own fire ant control concentrate by mixing one part comost, one part molasses, one part citrus oil. Use in the spray at two to six ounces per gallon of water. Experiment with the strength that works for various insect pests without burning foliage of plants. Never store homemade mixes in glass. Use plastic only with loose fitting lids. It is best to use the entire mixture each time.