Garden Insect Control (IPM)

[@carolynsteele5116]

This advice is so much better than the videos where they just show you what to spray. I had a terrible problem with earwigs, and found that if I let the chickens scratch through the garden in the spring before planting and fall after harvest (when they can't destroy my plants). I never see earwigs anymore. Come to think of it I don't see squash bugs either.

[@uksimone1]

Hi Scott!! I feed the birds once a day so they are always around, plant flowers and let some vegetables flower as well. I never use chimical pesticides, I always make them at home with respect of not harming nature. Until now everything is under control!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

[@jello1977]

My most successful pest protection has been the removal of leaves that are damaged, infected or in contact with the soil. Surprisingly effective.

[@brianramsey3824]

Been gardening for a few years and watched plenty of KZbin videos so I think my new focus will be on this subject.

[@elchefreedom5063]

An IPM is the only way to work forward. Ty for sharing this!

[@dustyflats3832]

I was guessing flea beetles on turnips as I had them also. We try to plant squash later to miss vine borer, but usually have to get out the exact knife and do surgery to remove grub and mound soil along vines to start new roots in case we didn't get them all. I also wrap the base of vine with tin foil, butvthey can attack anywhere on vine. Picking potatoe and Japenese Beetles. We use traps for Japenese Beetles and they work excellent as long as you set them away from area your protecting. We have to change the bags several times a season as they fill up fast. They have helped A Lot! They are no longer in my hair.

[@tracym1208]

Thanks Scott. = l been on the NEEM OIL KICK. = With my pole beans mainly = Japanese beetles eating the leaves = does good job but needs to be resprayed when ever it rains = l find a few of them on tomatoes plants ALSO = And l lightly spray tomatoe Plants once or 2 times a month = that works for me

[@roccoconte2960]

Three years ago i noticed some eaten leaves on my gooseberry bushs , i let it go and within two days many leaves were eaten, it was a small green worm i picked them off and schook them of the bush, and got no gooseberries that year the next year i was on the look out sure enough they showed up again, i got the pesticide out and sprayed them gone in no time and i got goosberries and none so far this year.Good video Scott very interesting , always a good watch.

[@mrjasonjneal]

Squash Bugs are Deamon Spawn

[@thebountyhunterlounge1510]

Funny thing my sister in law posted about pests in her garden today and i told her the same thing today... so i shared your video with her. 👍

[@dragon_empress_1]

How timely!!! I've been seeing a lot of bug activity in my raised beds. I needed this.

[@Kathryn_Ring]

The other day there was a beautiful Monarch Butterfly by my plants! I was so exited I was getting some good care for the plants and that the insects where doing their job!

[@janedecker4401]

Well he basically is telling me on different levels I need to do something else. I feel spanked! Good information Scott.

[@itsasickness4939]

Good stuff, chemicals should be a last resort. My garden ecosystem is a few years in the making and I have watched it with amazement. Lady bugs and spiders eating aphids, wasps laying eggs in worms, dragon fly’s snatching a squash vine borer moth out of mid air and birds catching white cabbage moths.... yes I spend a lot of time in my garden lately. Nature is really amazing if you don’t mess it up.

[@danennis3078]

Superb. It's the engineering design cycle applied to pests. Thanks!

[@josephhigginbotham815]

I’m a new subscriber and I like all of your shows keep the good work up thank you for the information

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks, Joseph. Welcome to the channel.

[@OakKnobFarm]

Great topic Scott! I'm not having an insect problem, but I have seen moles in my garden this year. I have healthy soil, lots of worms and lots of insects: Mole heaven. I am currently at your step 1: I'm trying to repel them with powdered castor oil. Step 2 will be traps. Step 3 (worst case, nothing else is working) would be a poison

[@NashvilleMonkey1000]

This time of year Fleas start up, here's how to clear them: Put towels on all surfaces that cats/dogs sleep on, and when you start noticing their presence, in addition to washing the animals by hand, gather up all the towels they sleep on and wash them all at once. Collect the towels by folding them towards the center, as the thing you are collecting is the eggs. This tears out the main column of the flea's life cycle and keeps them from getting out of control.

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

Any word on fleas is appreciated . I have pets and the last 3 summers fleas have been piggy backing from them onto me . They are are medicate but I am not .

[@josephhigginbotham815]

Hi Scott I live in Louisiana how would you take care of the caterpillars on tomato plants organically

[@GardenerScott]

I try picking them off. Look into Bacillus Thuriengensis (BT). It can be very effective.

[@NashvilleMonkey1000]

You can trim the tomato plants where the bare stems are, so you don't keep looking for hornworms in the same spots, and look for new areas of bare stems to find the new ones. Others will know whether tomato plants should actually be trimmed in this way.

[@mareamiller6957]

Horn worms glow under black light. I have a blacklight flashlight for nighttime hunting :)

[@itsasickness4939]

Also a Louisiana native. Scott is spot on. Pick off what you can find and spray BT. It works wonders.

[@ChildlezzCatlady]

Thank you Scott 👍🏼

[@chantalparent5055]

Hi ! You are so good for explain everything in gardening ! Thank’s so much I have a question how du you manage striped cucumber beetle…..i tried many things, but i would like to,listen yours 😊

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks. I try to keep my garden cleaned up so adults can't overwinter, use row covers after sowing seeds to keep them away, use mulch to deter egg laying, and pluck them off plants as soon as I see one. Here's some more info: extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/cucumber-beetles

[@eastmtnescapes9766]

Great video!! It's my first year gardening in zone 6 (and 6500ft)... so many new challenges! A new pest that I had never heard of is decimating my garden right now... thrips. Need a magnifying glass to see them so I had no idea they were there until the damage was extensive. Any ideas on how to keep them under control??

[@GardenerScott]

Lady bug and lacewing larvae love thrips. Encourage them. Yellow sticky traps are also very effective.

[@freedombug11]

Hi Gardener Scott! I'm reading a book called "Bug-Free Organic Gardening" by Anna Hess and this video of yours is as complete and as helpful as the whole book! One issue I have is that I seem to NEVER catch the bugs in the act. I really want to hand-pick but I'm never there at the right time even though I go out as soon as I get up and several times a day thereafter. The book says I need to do it in the cool of the morning and I'm guessing I just don't get up early enough. What time do I have to go out there? Dawn? Pre-dawn? I don't know which bugs are doing what, all I see is the destruction they leave behind.

[@GardenerScott]

I tend to find just after dawn a good time. I don't have to get up too early, there is enough light, and they still seem to be active.

[@freedombug11]

@@GardenerScott Okay! Thanks very much!

[@winshero4429]

Hi Scott, thanks for the excellent KZbin videos. We happened to find you by accident. We live in Fort Collins, so can really appreciate your Colorado comments. We try to garden organically. I planted a Montmorency cherry about 3 years ago now. The fist fruit were considered sacrificial (there really weren’t many). Last year we found curculios on the fruit and in the fruit. It ruined the fruit - all of the fruit. This year I researched and purchased a pesticide for the curculios that was organic - Venerate XC from Merrone bio. I sprayed as directed about a week ago after the pedal drop. I am now seeing more and more curculio type damage, but haven’t seen the little bugs yet. Any suggestions? I’m going to continue w the Venerate XC w another spraying this week, bu I’m afraid it might be futile.

[@rabbad7228]

Good evining gardner scott Why does the paper turn from green to white like snow

[@jasonmorrow9616]

Thank you. Very informative. It gave my wife a lot to talk about. :-)

[@iqtidarbaig8532]

dear Scott you mentioned clearing of garden surface to leaves etc to abolish the hideout for pest, but what about organic mulch. Thanks

[@GardenerScott]

It depends on the pest, but some mulch, garden waste, and leaf piles can provide a shelter for them.

[@iqtidarbaig8532]

@@GardenerScott thanks for reply. I think this topic needs a detailed video based on your huge experience and research. Thanks

[@SuperEvilC]

Thank you!!

[@AfonbachDesigns]

Very helpful Thankyou. Could you explain where the use of Nematodes comes into this philosophy and whether they are a useful tool or more harm than good?

[@GardenerScott]

There are good nematodes and bad nematodes. Much depends on which you have.

[@kimjaeger7142]

Do you ever use diatonatious earth? What so you mulch with?

[@GardenerScott]

I do use it occasionally. I most often mulch with straw, leaves, and grass.

[@patricksnedegar3708]

I had an infestation by the mexican bean beetle in my bush bean raised bed garden. I'm wondering if I could use those plants in my compost bin and is there anything i should do to the soil to get rid of the larva and adult beetles?

[@GardenerScott]

You can. Adults will overwinter under brush and leaves, but if the plants and leaves are decomposing in the compost bin it effectively disrupts their lifecycle. The eggs and larvae will be on the plants in early summer. There is no soil contact.

[@elenamazzullo3399]

Scott, please make a video about the dangers of Roundup! Huge shelves in Home Depot are filled with this drug! I want to show your video to my husband! He, like many people, does not understand the whole danger! Thank you so much for your educational work!

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks for the suggestion. My most recent video was about herbicide contamination and I plan others in the future.

[@NashvilleMonkey1000]

i just finished cleaning up the lettuce, there were bluish-grey objects all over the leaves, since it rained a few days in a row I thought it was fungus, but it turned out to be thrips or something, as only the leaves they were on were wilting, (while the plants were completely saturated). The affected leaves went into a bucket and were soaked in hot water from the coffeemaker. Then I decided the bugs found the lettuce because of the high concentration of lettuce in one spot, so I moved the containers around so that the lettuce is less concentrated overall, hopefully it's enough.

[@jessiec1044]

Great advice. I love the systematic approach. 🌱🐌🐞🐜🐝🐛

[@njhw4990]

Hi Scott, what is the best organically or otherwise way to get rid of cucumber beetles? Thanks!

[@GardenerScott]

Row covers, yellow sticky traps, and insect predators.

[@LiquidSolidus9000]

I saw a ladybug larva earlier on a tomato plant with an aphid problem, but it was just sitting on a leaf not doing anything (from what I could tell). Is it a good idea to pick up the larva and move them to a leaf with aphids, or is it best to just let them do their own thing?

[@GardenerScott]

I often pull off the leaf or herd a ladybug or larva onto my hand and move them to an infested area. It's awesome to see them chow down.

[@kleer24]

Dear Gardener Scott, Thank you for valuable information on gardening. I am a beginner just starting this season and your clips have been extremely helpful. Much gratitude. I write here because I have a problem with my cucumber, zucchini, melon seedling and small plants. The leaves are being attached by something... they begin to have many small yellow dots on the leaves and the leaves turn yellow and die. I wish to send photos if I could. Could you help me? I’ve tried baking soda solution, hydrogen peroxide solution and neem oil solution as well. Could I be transferring white mold from my grass compost? They start at the bottom leaves and work it’s way to upper leaves as well. I’m in Switzerland and much appreciate your generous information. Thank you.

[@GardenerScott]

I could be a number of potential problems. Look here to see if you recognize your problem and how to deal with it: apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/plant/vegetable/cucumber/leavesspots.html

[@kleer24]

Thank you! It could be anthracnose or downy mildew. They seem pretty similar to untrained eyes. Small yellow or pale spots, then holes, leaves curling back and look like something ate them...

[@tatanyc713]

Hello Scott, nice video. I do not have a garden, but I like to learn, Off topic; Scott, do you know any farmers that sell veggies and fruits to residents of Bronx, NY? Perhaps some kind of program> I live in Parkchester area, Thanks. God bless.

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks! I don't know any resources in NY. I wish you luck in finding one.

[@salwa4ever818]

Another amazing video. I have been struggling for years with slugs eating my tender leaf Dutch Swiss chard and tried companion crops and mixing vegetables around to make it less appetizing for the rascals to no avail. After watching your video about using covers any idea if it would work on slugs or it’s just for flying insects. I would love your expert opinion and look forward to your future videos

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks! Covers don't work well for slugs. They can crawl under.

[@AtypicalPaul]

Another great video

[@derekcox6531]

I honestly did a mini happy clap when you showed the lady bugs on your flowers. Every season I am tortured by leaf miners on my chard and spinach and every year I try to find and implement a new way to stop them that doesn’t involve a chemical spray,but I’ve not been overly successful yet. I’m the only person in my family who really enjoys chard,so I just persist and long for a day when I can find the organic way to grow chard and stop leaf miners. On my plants that my family really likes I aim to do everything I can to just block pests if I can with a barrier like fleece. Chemicals are just out (hard wall) because my daughter walks through the garden and eats plants randomly which I encourage always. If I lose a plant to a pest,so be it, at least my daughter won’t be touching or eating vegetables with chemicals on them.

[@CraigMatadeen]

I'm growing rainbow chard and beetroot this year for the first time and I'm having a similar problem. My girlfriend like bietola(Italian) so I figured she'd like rainbow chard since it's similar so I'm hoping to the problem under control. Best and about only thing I found that can be done is to either remove the affected leaves or parts of the leaves since it's a visible problem.

[@robertmoore661]

What is best for squash vine bore ? Thanks in advance.

[@GardenerScott]

They tend to emerge in June or July. Put a barrier over the plants like row cover or plant later in the season.

[@robertmoore661]

@@GardenerScott unfortunately in Texas I have them now lost one plant. I killed a larva in the other so far haven't lost that one. But probably will he got most of the vine at the base . Thanks I will be better prepared next year.

[@kevincorbett9979]

Hi Scott, I'm a new subscriber from Ireland and your videos have been really inspiring. I have some chilli plants indoors and spider mites are a problem. I pick them and their eggs off when I can but do you have any other organic solutions to control them?

[@GardenerScott]

I've used neem oil and it works well.

[@kevincorbett9979]

@@GardenerScott Thanks very much, I'll check it out. Really enjoying the videos and live chats

[@callmegilligan4854]

relatively new viewer. wondering if you have any vids on air rooting and rooting from cuttings. Zone 7b NC and have actually had fairly good success with rooting grapes, blueberries, and figs from 2 months previous with growth on 60% of cuttings and one air root that is growing on mother plant. (turkey fig). zero luck with mulberry over 2 yrs. dont know how long roots will take to develop and when they might be safe for transplant. Also not sure if I could do more now or not. soft wood vs hard wood curious as well as if I have any real roots or 6" wood chips keeping moisture on stem of plants is the only reason I am seeing green growth. Did a quick search of your vids but may not know how to find them.

[@GardenerScott]

I don't have those videos yet, but they're on my list. I'm waiting until my fruit trees and other plants get bigger. I'm rooting some elderberry cuttings now. It can take a long for roots to develop.

[@TheCookster64]

I watch a lot of your videos. I love your voice and cadence. You remind me of my dad, God rest his soul. You have taught me a lot and it's all going into this year. So far so good. It is important to monitor your plants EVERY DAY. I will be spraying my apple tree tomorrow. It's likely 100 years old. A combination of BT, Neem oil and Dr. Bonner's soap. I will protect against the flies with 12 red foam juggling balls I bought off Amazon for $7. I will coat them with tacky paste I use to capture and kill deer flies. I will hang he coated red balls from the tree. Capture the fly, prevent the worm!

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks. Your plan of action sounds good.

[@mariegarcia1567]

Hi gardener Scott. I’m in California. My plants are getting a lot of pest. Do you recommend to spray them with soapy water?

[@GardenerScott]

Soapy water can be an easy solution, but it depends on the pest because it doesn't work well for everything. Water alone will work on aphids. Identifying the pests can help in treatment.

[@mariegarcia1567]

@@GardenerScott thank you so much for the response. 😊

[@mancavegamingandgardening9901]

Buy some bags of ladybugs, your neighbors 4 blocks down with the aphid problem will love it! You'll still be screwed tho :D

[@Kathleen253]

Boy is that true

[@avocadomegs4189]

What's the best method to rid ants from raised beds? They're all over our back yard (we rent) but I've noticed a Lot of ants in my beds since planting and don't want an aphid problem and cucumber seedlings being stolen lol 🤪

[@GardenerScott]

You can find chemical controls with a simple online search. You can also try boiling water in the nest. I don't worry about them unless they're fire ants.

[@NashvilleMonkey1000]

Aphids will choose morning glory vines over anything else, and they will concentrate at the tips of the vine in massive numbers, and hopefully not be on other kinds of plants.

[@mareamiller6957]

My yard is teeming with insects. And ID is really difficult. I like this threshold idea, because I keep trying to figure out what they are, and that is very hard.

[@cyn7642]

Howdy from TX! 🤠 Im curious. Why do you Not like to introduce ladybugs for pest control? Is there something, as a beginner, that i should know?

[@strngenchantedgirl]

They mostly just fly away. If you’re garden isn’t already attracting lady bugs i.e. has plants they love and aphids to eat they will just leave.

[@GardenerScott]

Howdy. I think it's a waste of money. When you release purchased lady bugs almost all will fly away. It's better to grow plants that attract and shelter lady bugs so they find the garden and stay.

[@NashvilleMonkey1000]

If you have mantiss in the garden, generations can stay in the area for a very long time, just make sure to safeguard their egg-foam until they hatch in the spring.

[@blbla7111]

Thank you sir! It's good to know. Have a nice day! :-)

[@adoxartist1258]

Google Lens is invaluable for bug/disease ID. You still have to double check with a little research, to be sure Google got it right. I bring my phone with me to my garden every morning.

[@GardenerScott]

Great suggestion. Thanks!

[@BlkJackStalks]

Thanks man. Are those lady bugs or asian lady beetles. I think they may be invading this year. And check out the larve on her.❤

[@PH-dm8ew]

I have lost my squash plants to orange vine borers three years in a row. Any suggestions?

[@GardenerScott]

Row covers and sticky traps are a few options. Here's some good info: extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/squash-vine-borers

[@yvoennsche]

I had good success with most bugs by planting a lot of wild flowers and letting the natural predators take care of it. However, the last few years my cherries have been devastated by SWD (spotted wing drosophila) and while I have tried different things, the only effective control seems to be spraying early before the females lay their eggs inside. Do you have any other recommendations?

[@GardenerScott]

You might try traps in addition to spraying.

[@yvoennsche]

​@@GardenerScott I will try that, thanks

[@lisagilmore4519]

I am having issues with stink bugs...not in the garden but on the screened in porch. How can I get rid of the?

[@GardenerScott]

You can try to seal possible entry points, limit light at night, and vacuum them up whenever you find them.

[@jimstalf5367]

I have to ask you, I know this has nothing to do with the subject being addressed but what kind of spinach was that, it was huge!

[@GardenerScott]

It's Bloomsdale Long Standing.

[@jimstalf5367]

Gardener Scott I have been planting Bloomsdale for awhile now I guess I cut mine A lot earlier and younger. Never let it go that long. Thanks

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

So action should be reserved for when it seems the plant is not winning the fight ?

[@GardenerScott]

That's a good way to think about it.

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

@@GardenerScott thanks

[@risyankendangandroid6794]

Good

[@scottmcley5111]

Hey Gardener Scott, I have asparagus bugs all over my crop. (asparagus) The remedy i have determined is to make sure to remove the old chutes after the season is over. But if that isnt enough, do you have any ideas? Thanks my friend!

[@kristyt6318]

I'm an asparagus grower too! I'm in zone 7B, haven't had any asparagus beetles...yet. I do companion planting with strawberries. I also spray neem oil, and epsom salt. I also place salt around my asparagus. Since asparagus is salt tolerant. Maybe the combination is keeping the pests away. Doesn't work so much in my orchard. I don't know whats worse there, insects or the squirrels!

[@GardenerScott]

Continue cleaning out the spears at the end of the season and consider row covers in spring. Lady bugs and lacewings will also help control them.

[@Hammer_OJustice]

My garlic, shallots, & chives are being attacked by Allium Leafminers. It seems like they're already in the larvae and pupa stage. I don't know how to save my garlic as I've already lost all my shallots... Any advice?

[@GardenerScott]

There isn't much to do other than trying to disrupt the life cycle for next year and rotating your plantings. ento.psu.edu/extension/vegetables/pest-alert-allium-leafminer

[@Hammer_OJustice]

@@GardenerScott I would rotate if I had the space, but I'm looking into row covers for next year. I was just hoping there would be a way to save this year's crop

[@heidiclark6612]

I love beneficial wasps!

[@goosecouple]

Such thing does not exist.

[@louiseanderwin1]

Oh yes it does. I have European paper wasps nesting in my shed. They eat all the caterpillars on my brassicas. They don't bother us at all.

[@mikeschickensandgarden3370]

We are having some Japanese beetles on our raspberry bushes. How can we get rid of them without using harsh chemicals. I have honey bees and do not want to harm them. Thank you sir

[@GardenerScott]

Pick them off by hand. Encourage birds in your garden. Use row covers over your plants in mid summer. Consider neem oil too.

[@betty-louharris263]

How do we get rid of slugs

[@GardenerScott]

You can try trapping them and encouraging animals like toads and ground beetles.

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

Hi , I am Andrew Gardener

[@paulrun111]

There are tiny black circular bugs, very small bugs that only go after my cilantro and parsley. I don't know what they are and had problems finding them on Google. They are killing my plants and there are hundreds of them on them.

[@GardenerScott]

Maybe flea beetles.

[@paulrun111]

@@GardenerScott thank you for the reply. I looked them up and it could be them. They look like they would be babies of them. There are hundreds of them on my cilantro and parsley. I have other plants but they don't go after them at all. I grow all of my plants in containers. At this point it's to out of hand to get them off.

[@Cordelia0704p]

White butterflies laying eggs and eating all my leafy plants is my biggest problem. No idea how to get rid of them.

[@ralph601]

I went out today as I do every day to the back yard and was shocked to see all my plumbs from the tree were gone. This is the first year I had fruit on the tree which is about 8 ft tall and just as wide. the Fruit was young and green. This also happened to my orange and grapefruit trees about a month ago. I looked on the ground to see if it was fruit drop but none to be found. We have squirrels here could they be the pest? I went online and found no answers. Fruit just disappears overnight. Thanks if anybody had this happen.

[@GardenerScott]

It's hard to determine for sure. It could be a pollination problem, it could be a weather problem, it could seasonal thinning out of control. I doubt it's squirrels or birds, but it's possible.

[@ralph601]

@@GardenerScott Thank you for your answer. I will try again next year.

[@BobWhite-c1k]

Iowa State women’s basketball tonight

[@brianseybert2189]

be aware of pheromone traps, you can draw more insects than the trap can handle and devastate your crop

[@parmodsharma4576]

How can you kill squirrels before they eat your garden. I have a small garden but they eat everything and since the cats left it’s 2 years now with no garden. Can not use a gun in nyc and tired of them. Rather kill them than pay someone to trap and “relocate them”

[@heidiclark6612]

Great advice! Identification is important. There is a website called BugGuide that can help with identification. I love beneficial insects.

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks for the website tip.

[@kjrchannel1480]

All Earwigs must die in my view. These damn things attack like an army at night.

[@strngenchantedgirl]

Constructive criticism - more action less talking. It’d be great to see you garden. Film yourself building and gardening this great raw space you have.

[@GardenerScott]

I have many videos showing every step of building this new garden.

[@ohske]

👍👍👍👌❤

[@travelinthru9519]

First

[@derekcox6531]

Ninth!