lilacgirl Hatfield

Thanks, I'll use solarizing as a last resort, as we have spent a lot of time and effort getting a good start on good dirt.

I should have posted that I have no intention of letting all the ants here, no matter how much people want me to let the ants live. I love ants, until there is so many they are taking over, literally. If you came to my house, and walked our yard and pastures, you would see. I can lean down and touch maybe 5 ant hills in the pasture without moving. That is too many. What kind of food imbalance should I change in the pasture?

If you research root aphids, they are at the roots. All the great bugs that were are in my garden who have kept there from being any aphids above ground until now, could do nothing for all the aphids below the ground. The ants are causing that issue. if I want to take up their food source, I pull up my crops. Pass on that. I have already lost quite a bit. ALmost all of the beans in those areas.

Can anyone answer the question of which method is the least harmful, instead of whether I should target the ants and root aphids.

I have gotten a positive id on root aphids by the extension office. They are usually only seen in hydrophonic systems, so no one can tell me what to do. We are literelly infested with ants, everywhere including the garden, infested enough that they are causing damage. Yard, garden and pastures of just one ant hill after another, literally. The population needs to be taken down a bit. In the garden, they are farming the aphids on my bean plants, down to the roots. I don't know if root aphids are different thanuncover and recompost to help the soil recover. regualr aphids, or if it just where they are, but they started out on just the roots. I had a huge supply of beneficials earlier in the year and had no aphids except for on the roots. Now they are moving up to cover the above ground areas. This is just happening in the last couple days.

have a couple choices. I thought about solarizing the area they are in only, but not sure if it will go deep enough. We will have a good month of HOT weather yet this year. Then
take it off and recompost ot help the soil recover.

Second is to drench the area with homemade catille soap water.

Third is to drench the soil with garlic/hot pepper water with sesame oil mixed in.

Fourth is to mix boric acid and sugar and put it in the garden, although I am concernced about toxicity to us if ants carry it to roots of plants.

Spring next year we are going to be ready and attack the ants while they have hills everywhere.

Which is the most effective while being least harmful to the soil, and to us? Or even combination of more than one. Thanks

I recently bought a Yellow Wing steamer and it really helps my allergies. We  have a dog in the house, too, but he is not allowed in the bedroom. We are getting rid of old old carpeting and that is making a world of difference. Look into putting down your own wood floor. It was not that hard, very satisfying, and it was way cheaper than buying new carpet.

Thanks John, I'lll save that so it's handy come Fall. J

John, can I do that with snow peas in TN? This will be my first fall or winter garden. It is what is keeping me from getting depressed from the nightmare of this summer garden!

Thta is a great list of cool weather things for you to try. Hope you get something good to put up for the winter!

We built a new garden this year. Used the dirt that was there, dug out pathways and heaped them up to make raised beds, added alfalfa meal, steam rolled oat groats, and dried molasses. eventually ended up with cedar mulched pathways, and a mixture of strw, grass clippings mulch on the beds themselves.

Planted  lots of tomatoes, green and banana peppers, bush beans, saucer and summer squash, delicata squash, broccoli, beets, carrots, sage and basil, green onions, shallots and a few regular onions and a pumpkin.

There are vine borers in all the vining plants, plus squash. They are dead, dying or I have pulled them up. They were infested with squash bugs even with 2-3 trips out there every day to kill and squash. The tomatoes are great, and so are the peppers.

I have so many green lacewings, they swarm you when you disturb the tomatoes as you can imagine I don't have an aphid problem. I am also infested! with assasin bugs, more than one kind. That all makes me happy.

unfortunately the beans started out ok, then stopped growing, looked stressed and diseased, and tried to halfheartedly give beans, some only 6 inches tall or less. A few grew nice and bug and bushy, although all are being ate up with bean beetles(really tough to squash because they fly!) and unhealthy looking.

Last night I decided to pull up the worst ones so I could replant, I had already started some fresh ones where the beets and broccoli had been, and they looked healthier but still lace leaved from the bugs. I was surprisd to see the roots had a few white powdery bumps and they seemed like they may have something alive in it, and they were covered with bugs that I think are root aphids!!!

I came in and started researching and came up with little except for hydrophonics. Today I went to the nursery with samples and they don't know either except for systemic poison. Not. He said they are usually on hydroponics.

I think I have a two fold problem, one a fundamental problem with my soil, and another with what to do about the root aphids that are now living in my soil.

I tested PH this monring and most places, especially in the bean patch, it is between 5 and 6. Other places where peppers are a little higher. I don't know if that is too off or enough off to cause and issue.

I have a rapitest soil nutrient test kit that I have not been able to get to give any kind of result. No matter what I test it says there is no nutrients in it. I need to call the company I guess.

So far this year I have fertilized a couple times with Espoma Garden-tone and then fish emulsion and seaweed.

I have thought and looked around and an thinking of making a soil drench around the beans of sesame oil, and garlic and hot pepper. Maybe a little neem throwed in for good measure. I know this is not helping the dirt, but I have to get rid of the root aphids some way, and not keep planting and have them munching away on my plants unseen.

I have always loved to garden, and I know first year with this garden and not any tests on the front end was not a good set-up, and I have tried to not get too frustrated, but I have an opportunity to make some changes now before the fall planting, and really need to address the bug problem.

I am open to any help on the aphids, bean beetles, and soil amending. I would like to treat the bugs in the next day or two. Thanks so much everyone!!! Julie

ANy

Thank you Rick. The problem was I could not find a grub in any of the plants that died, and I looked through the entire plant!

Thank you for the detailed info on them. That gives me a lot more ammo against them! J

SC, I'm not sure. It has only been a few days since the rain. SO I don't know yet if they are dry enough to show stress. I'm not sure I want to wait though, until they do, to water if needed. I will go out and find a plce I can get into without disturbing roots, and really get an idea of just how dry and how far down the dry goes. I think no matter what I will always incorporate at least SOME grass into the mulching. It's free, abundant, good for the soil. Thanks

You know, I have pine needles that need a use. I mulched some flower beds with them for a couple years and really disliked it. But mixing them into the garden mulch is a fine idea. I have  a few bales left in the barn. There is also a pine forest down the road that the dog and I pop into when I need Christmas pine cones to decorate with. 

great ideas everyone!

Sunshine, I think you may be on a somewhat different topic than what I am asking in this post. Best of luck to you with the cardboard mulch. I only use that in pathways. You may get much more detailed help with your isse if you start a new thread about what your concerns are with it. Sometimes posts tend to get a little confusing if you talk about more than one issue. You must be a busy gardener with all the new beds!

Well, it wasn't a vine borer moth that I killed, but a tachnid fly. SH&^%!