TheMondayGarden.com

The sad truth is that Science doesn't know how to test chemicals for environmental and human safety. Whether we're talking about a pesticide for the lawn, a "miracle" drug for headaches, a fire retardant for clothing, or an additive for gasoline, the current state-of-the-art is such that there is no way to fully test new chemicals at a commercially reasonable cost and in a commercially reasonable time under real-world conditions, including interactions between substances, realistic user practices, and long-term residual effects. Then, when we get cancer, asthma, Parkinson's, and mysterious "fatigues", the scientists say that there are so many chemicals in the environment, that there is no way they can tell which one (if any) is causing the problem, so none are to blame. To me, this is totally insanity, so why contribute to it by buying the stuff in the first place?

I believe that it is bad for the planet, and all those on it, to release these dangerous chemicals under any circumstances, and that there is no ethical way to justify their use to make pretty flowers or velvety lawns. My view also applies to items labeled "natural" and "organic". Don't be fooled; "natural" doesn't make the substance safe if the substance kills stuff.

Further, long term, even if they didn't have side effects,'cides, "natural" or otherwise, just breed a bigger problem. It's like antibiotics-- the more they are used, the more the target organism becomes immune. Likewise, the more they are used, the more that nature's defenses shut down. For bugs, nature's defense are two fold: healthy plants and healthy bug-predators.

The best way, I think, to control plant pests is by raising healthy plants that fight the pests off on their own. The first sign of an insect pest should be a welcome message to you from the plant that it is not fully happy and needs more (or less) heat, water, circulating air, humidity, light, better potting, nutrients, etc. Don’t kill the messenger - read the message.

Indoors, where you don’t have the benefit of insect predators and natural rain showers, the best way to control pests on houseplants, including orchids, is the tried-and-true weekly shower-bath under the sink faucet. Indoors, a weekly inspection to catch an infection early is also very important.

Indoors, if you have a specific infection, isolate the sick plants and wash them well, with sponge, every 3 days (as the new eggs hatch) for a few weeks. Some people use rubbing alcohol or insecticidal soap. Plain dish washing soap is also OK. In all cases, wash the residue off the plants and don't breathe the insecticidal soap fumes -- use a mask. If a house plant or orchid is badly infected, it is very sick. Consider tossing it, since even if you do "cure" it of the bugs with a lot of hand labor, and figure out what made the platnt sick in the first place, it may take years for it to recover its health enough to bloom.

Outdoors, and in the greenhouse, you can also enlist ladybugs and other beneficial predator insects to help you. There are many of these helpful critters around. Indeed, while we have our birds, and toads, and such, the chief killer of bugs is other bugs. Unfortunately, 'cides kill off the predator bugs as well as their prey. Even more unfortunately since the natural balance is fewer predators than prey, every use of pesticides, over time, results in a larger prey population with fewer predators to control the prey.

You can buy some beneficial insects like lady-bugs and lace wings. However, you can also encourage your own by providing pollen for when there are no bugs to eat, a fresh water source, and habitat. For some reason, predator bugs are especially fond of white and yellow flowers like Queen Anne's Lace and yarrow. Habitat is best created by variety and by not over-cleaning and sterilizing the garden. See Issue 170, "ECO-EASY: MULCHING IN PLACE"

Picture: Ladybug inspecting a catalpa leaf for mealy bugs, Scalzi Park, Stamford CT, June 2006.