Organic Garden Pests and Garden Diseases

Orange Spheres appeared in raised garden 
I'm trying to identify these small orange spheres that appear in the morning in my raised garden in Las Vegas. They appear under the drip system. When …

Jeyes Fluid in an orchard? 
Has anyone used Jeyes in an orchard to get rid of larvae in the soil.

Can you eat purple sprouting broccoli that's had a fungus infection?  
Can you eat purple sprouting broccoli that's had a fungus infection? Plants, 2off, 3-4 foot high, seem to have recovered from a white fungal infections …

Elephant Ears twisted 
My elephant ears started out growing fine this year then all of a sudden they went what I call corked screwed. What would cause that? I've found no problems …

cucumber leaves dying from bottom up yellowing/brown spots 
I have my cucumber plant in a raised bed with my sugar baby watermelons & birdhouse gourd. Recently I noticed that its bottom leaves were dying & dropping. …

Moth infestation in greenhouse 
Will moth balls be an effective solution to rid a moth infestation in our heated, light greenhouse?

Controlling Garden Weevils 
Please would you tell me a way to get rid of these awful bugs. We grow organically so are finding it very hard to eradicate them.

What ate my plants 
I have a small shop in an Ind. complex. I have a 6' privacy fence. 3, 18" high, raised beds. Something striped a small tomato plant & a sunflower to …

hay gardening gnat pests 
we just tried for the first time bales of hay for our garden, followed directions to the T and now as the heat rises, we are being consumed by gnats.. …

motion lights in garden 
Will motion light scare away animals from the garden?

My garden has at least every problem! 
I honestly grew up believing that the Jolly Green Giant was the only one that could grow vegetables! (I wish I was teasing but it's true)When I got married …

Tiny worms in raised bed attacking strawberries 
I have a raised garden bed planted with strawberries. It is June in western Oregon. Today while harvesting the ripe berries, I noticed several of them …

killing ground elder 
any idea how to get rid of ground elder? Its coming in from the lane behind the garden, and going through the flower beds and lawn.

Growing Squash and controlling squash vine borer 
Every year I try and grow squash, start the seedlings inside then transplant them in the garden. Last year all of my squash pumpkin and melons destroyed …

Green pepper fruit problems 
For the last two years I've tried growing green peppers. I planted them in raised garden beds with organic soil. The first year, they sprouted up really …

What is this plant disease 
i have started terrace organic gardening. my newly planted veg plant has some diseases. please let me know the remedy.

Beetroot tops eaten (boltardy) 
Hi There I have grown beetroot (boltardy) for over 40 years and never had a problem this year I have enclosed my veg plot concrete base and breeze blocks …

White balls in the garden? 
I keep digging these white balls up from my garden. They are quite hard but "pop" when you squeeze them.... what are they please???

Fig Tree Mosaic Virus 
I have cherished picking fig fruits from my Brown Turkey (Ficus Carica) until this year. I had planted it in a big container last year. The beautiful …

Pill bugs in hay bale garden 
We have pill bugs in our hay bale garden that are eating our seedlings. We use no pesticides. HELP! HELP! We've lost 4 eggplant starters, 4 peppers & …

how to protect seedlings from ants? 
hello friends When ever i plant some vegetables mainly beans, within next day i will be able to see ants in my plant.First time i didn't …

rotting vegetable roots 
I found that about 2/3 of my parsnips and onions, both from dug and undug beds, had rotted from the bottom of the root up. I harvested the whole lot in …

horn worm control 
what is the best and most effective way to get rid of the green horn worm

Problem with Green Chili Peppers 
Hello there, this is my first time on this site so I do not know if my question has been answered before. I am growing green chili's in a pot. Got some …

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Rhubarb problem 
The bottom of some of the mature stems of rhubarb have collapsed, is this due to not enough water or frost?

Neem Oil and bees 
Please can you tell me if neem oil used in an insecticide adversely affect bees. From what I understand neem oil only affects insects that suck sap from …

squash bugs in raised beds 
Squash bugs infested my raised bed garden this year, destroying plants and vegetables before I figured out what they were. We have destroyed the plants, …

pests on my eggplants 
2 pests on my eggplants. HELP! Ive noticed 2 pests slowly chewing away my eggplant leaves. First are a group of tiny black gnat looking things. they …

Small white moths have invaded my garden. 
Can I safely use mothballs spread around? If not what will work? From what I've read they inject a gemini virus that causes a mosaic, yellow leaves and …

Controlling Tent Caterpillars 
We've had a HUGE infestation of Forest/Western tent caterpillars here on Pender Island, B.C. Canada....... we know they really like Alder/cottonwood almost …

Mushroom problem in hay field 
WE have mushrooms growing in our hay field,which we bale and feed to horses. We need to get rid of the mushrooms is there anything that we can do?

White furry pests on tomato plants & spreading. 
What are these pests & what is the best 'natural' method sans pesticides of eliminating them...these pests i encounter in Bangalore, India climate & also …

how soon should I be protecting seedlings against pests? 
I planted zucchini and yellow squash seeds just to see what happens, to my surprise they sprouted and seem to be doing very well. I just wanted to know …

Centipede eating rhubarb leaves 
The rhubarb leaves are slowly being eaten away into a lacy pattern and then the stalk starts to die. Discovered a tiny centipede today. How do I treat …

Cucumber blossoms with small white fuzzy balls 
A lot of the tiny fuzzy balls seem to start at the blossom then the whole branch dies, withers and gets hard like a dead stick. the smaller cucumbers as …

Stopping Squash bugs 
How can I get rid of squash bugs? Last year they quickly destroyed my squash and pumpkins, my husband even tried chemicals and it did not work. Anyone …

lettuce eating fly 
I have started growing a vegetable patch. I have noticed that a fly blue/green in color is eating my lettuces. I reside in Tokai Cape Town. Does anyone …

Who dug up my rhubarb plants? 
Something dug up both my rhubarb plants What would like rhubarb enough to not just dig it up but totally remove every part of it? I've had 2 wonderful …

Control wandering jew 
how do i get rid off this plant it just wont go away

White fly and Neem oil 
I have white fly in my can o worms farm. Can I spray with Neem oil without hurting the worms?

infested with cockchafers 
I believe that my lawn is infested with cockchafers (also called scarab beetles or May bugs) which will inevitably mean that the lawn will have to be dug …

soursobs eradication 
I should love to know how to eradicate soursobs from my raised veggie beds. thanks gordon

turtles eating vegetables in garden 
Turtles are are eating our tomatoes

Help! unidentified bugs 
I have found a few of these in my garden and have been to the garden centres, but can't get it identified. I live in England. Does anyone recognise and …

Neem dip shampoo to deter garden pests? 
How do I use Neem dip shampoo to deter garden pests? I bought a gallon of Neem dip shampoo for dogs which I assume is just neem oil and citrus with a …

Flowering produce then it dies 
Hello, I have a beautiful vegetable garden it looks healthy leaves look great I water daily. I have several flowers on my tomatoes, peppers, and peas …

What's eating my raspberry bushes 
Any idea what might be stripping my raspberry plants bare? All the leaves have been eaten off, never had this problem before. The plant looks like a …

How to get rid of wire worms 
I recently found some little golden worms about 1 inch. They almost look like a centipede with very little if any legs. They seemed to enjoy my peas seeds …

Monkey problem in garden 
What would you suggest to deter monkeys from raiding the garden?

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Sow bugs (pill bugs) eating seedlings 
I have been told several times that sow bugs are not bad, that they only eat decaying matter. I have millions of sow bugs in my yard and they are eating …

Mouldy mulch 
Hi My mum is making a no dig garden but her mulch goes mouldy within 24hrs of going in her above ground area. Is this normal?

Ants nesting in containers 
I'm just cleaning out leaves, etc. from containers of perennials starting to emerge again, and I'm finding ants, as if there's a nest in them. Once you …

found grub worms in my vegetable garden 
I was working in my small veggie garden and while digging to add more plants/vegetables I ended up digging up grub worms, but ONLY 2 so far and I did A …

Lettuce Disease 
We have a 12 x 16' backyard greenhouse, unheated, where we attempt to grow lettuce through the winter months. Each year we are having increasing problems …

large winged flies damaging plants 
I have some sort of fly which is stinging my granadilla and maybe also my gems. It has wings that look to be too big for it's body which looks (without …

Controlling blackberry before doing a no dig garden 
the dreaded blackberry bushes! hi, we live in northern california and have half an acre of south facing property, a bit sloping, and i am getting ready …

Something is digging up my garden 
I live in southeastern Pennsylvania and I have something digging up my planting beds. I have raised beds with lots of earthworms (I think that's what …

How to get rid of onion grass and wild mushrooms 
I have an infestation of ONION GRASS and now also WILD MUSHROOMS. I live in the Northern suburbs of Cape Town and the worst area is where my lawn is Bermuda …

seaweed infested with bugs 
I just started to fill my new raised beds in preparation for next spring. I started with 1/2 composted horse manure then went to the beach & found dried …

controlling greenfly organically 
What is a more natural way to get rid of greenfly from my fresh new leaves on my roses?

spores growing in my garden with bad smell 
Any idea what these spores are? These things have been growing in my garden and they smell awful which causes a large amount of blowflies and the like. …

Marigold plants to deter bugs 
I just started my garden. I was told Marigolds deter bugs. So I started planting with them. But what are the colorless trails infecting the Marigold leaves? …

Is this cucumber blight 
Recently I've noticed some white/tan/brown splotches on some of the leaves of my cucumber plant which is also accompanied by some of the cucumbers' turning …

Asiatic lily being dug up 
Our asiatic lily is being dug up and the bulbs were eaten on the plant and we replanted the plant. Will it still grow and what kind of animals do this? …

coddling Moth problem 
I read an article re the coddling Moth and it was mentioned to use Coddling moth TRAPS. Do you purchase these traps or make them as I have never seen …

Elephant Ears leaves eaten 
This morning my Elephant Ears leaves appeared to be some insects dinner over night. What can I do to prevent this?

potato blight 
I have potato blight and have cut all the green off all affected and unaffected plants so there are just very small bits of the plants left showing. I …

oxalis plants problems  
My long standing purple oxalis plants have developed spots. First white, then yellow then leaves die. Help

Grub worms in my vegetable garden. 
We received a free truck load of aged manure/compost off craigslist, from a farm here in Colorado. It is riddled with grub worms, in every stage of the …

Rhubarb Growing Problems 
I am growing rhubarb and have had several pickings but today I found a lot of the stems covered in small clear, gelatinous blobs which has an unsightly …

Mushrooms (Inky Cap) Growing In Veggie Garden 
Hi, I have grown a few gardens but am still fairly new at it and still have a lot of learning to do. What I am concerned with now is what's growing in …

Controlling crickets - Fen crickets eating tomato crop 
I have a small vegetable garden and I've recently planted a few tomato crops but the fen cricket it's eating them. I don't know what solution to aply because …

diatomaceous earth - breathing it in and turtles/tortoises 
My problem is that I'm using a small portion of my friend's backyard. Her fiance and her have turtles/tortoises in the backyard. Unfortunately, occasionally …

Mothballs to control deer? 
I use mothballs to deter mice and ground hogs around my garden. Can I use them to deter deer as well? If so, can I use them close to vegetables I grow …

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Brocolli leaves deformed from underneath, white powdery substance  
My broccoli leaves have got infested with a strange white substance. The leaves look lumpy and bubbly when viewed from above (see image), and underneath …

Horsetail weed control 
Any idea on how to control horsetail weed or stop it in its tracks. I have been carefully digging down and then gripping the main root, when I can,& gently …

Flies on the no dig garden 
Hi I have just put in a no dig garden and it is attracting a lot of flies. I assume they are attracted to the chicken poo, but it is well covered by layers …

Japanese Beetles on Raspberry Bushes 
I want to transplant my raspberry bushes that have had Japanese Beetles attacking them for the past two summers. I want to take them from Illinois to Michigan …

Garlic fire spray - a few questions 
When preparing the garlic fire spray, i used jalepeno peppers and dish soap. Was I to use a different kind of chili pepper and was I to have used laundry …

lemons bursting 
I have a lemon tree (Italian variety which are longish) and it was bearing beautiful fruit until recently when the lemons started drying young on the trees …

What is stripping peel off lemons on the tree. 
I am finding lemons still hanging on the tree and which have had all the peel stripped off them, leaving just the fruit itself. Whatever is attacking them …

What are these bugs in my compost - possibly good ones? 
I have beetles, slugs and bugs my mom called rolly pollies or potatoe bugs. They roll up in a ball when you touch them, are they ok to put in my garden? …

How to stop cats digging in garden 
I am having trouble keeping cats from digging in my garden. I have heard that moth balls thrown around will keep them out. Have you heard of this, or …

Gnats! Help! - How to control gnats in garden 
This is our first time planting a veggie garden and it seems that gnats have invaded. How can we get rid of them? TIA!

Jeyes Fluid to sterilise soil 
Has anybody used Jeyes Fluid to sterilise soil. We have a bad case of wilt in the garden & the glasshouse.

Controlling root knot nematode? 
I had a problem with root knot nematodes toward the end of the year. All the garden debris was removed, including the infested roots. The soil left bare …

Will bermuda grass come up through the no dig bed? 
If I simply make the no-dig guard over a bermuda grass lawn (I live in NC), won't the hardy bermuda grass eventually dig its way through the cardboard/newspaper …

Rabbit problems in garden 
How can you get rabbits to stop excreting in your front yard? I can't clean it all up and I don't want my dog to walk in it.

Weeds - how to kill onion weed infestation 
I have an onion weed infestation in my garden. I have sprayed round up on it and all the plants or leaves die off but every time I dig up the soil, they …

Milky Spores - Controlling grass grub worms with milky spores 
Does anyone know where I can get milky spores? I've read and heard that this is the best long term solution to eliminate grub worms. They're ruining our …

Weed killer on garden - how to fix it 
My husband put weed killer on my raised garden beds, now nothing will grow. Is there any way to fix it? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ …

Pests digging up garden - who or what is the culprit? 
What is digging up my vegie patch and eating the seedlings???? They are planted in worm castings. Looks like whatever is doing the damage could be looking …

Japanese beatles control 
i've just recently joined this website and really enjoy it. thank you. i am currently having an infestation of japanese beatles that are reaking havoc …

Grass growing in vegetable garden 
How can I keep the grasses from growing in my vegetable garden? Or, is there a spray I can use just to kill grass?

Straw bale gardening - Pink blobs on straw bales 
Some sort of pink foamy like blobs (pea size) are growing on my straw bales. Does anyone have any ideas as to what it could be? Will the pink substance …

mushrooms and slugs are overtaking my garden Help  
I need help fast for the overtaking of my garden from mushrooms and slugs. My plants are going to die and some already have.

How to keep chickens out of garden? 
I do enjoy your newsletters and have just had a good read of the link on pests and recipes for sprays. I have a problem with chooks - my own chooks, which …

Seedlings disappear overnight 
I have a very nice organic garden happening at my new home of one year. While the garden produced very well last year, this year as I planted seedlings, …

Keeping animals out of garden 
How do you build a strong enough fence to keep those pesty animals away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Megan says... I'm not sure where you are …

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Stopping squirrels from stealing fruit from trees 
How can we keep tree squirrels (Eastern fox squirrels--non-native in California) from stealing all our fruit from the trees in our orchard? Any scents …