 by Erin Hollis Description: The day flying adults (may be seen sitting on the leaves of squash early in the morning) are primarily orange and black superficially resembling a wasp. The forewings are covered with metallic olive-brown scales. The hind wings are mostly clear with a brown edge. The abdomen is bright red and ringed with black bands. Adults have a wing spread of about 1 – 1.5 inches. Their Arrival: In Central Texas expect them late Spring/early Summer (usually mid April in my yard) and again in late August  Life Cycle: Squash vine borer refers to a moth that lays reddish-brown eggs singly on most varieties of squash plants. The adult moths will lay their eggs on the tender stems and shaded parts of the baby squash plants. The eggs will hatch in about a week to 10 days and the larvae begin boring into the stem. The larvae are white or cream-colored with brown heads, growing to almost an inch in length. The larvae will stay in the stem of the plant for about four to six weeks. Because they feed on the center/inside of the stems, they cut off water and nutrients to the plant, causing it to wilt. Here are some signs there are larvae in the stems of your squash; the obvious wilting of the leaves and stems. Holes in the plant’s stems, usually at the base, where the larvae burrowed inside. Sawdust-like frass colored anywhere from orange-yellow to green coming out of these holes. Signs or rotting in the stem where they have eaten them from the inside out. When full-grown the larvae climb from the stems and pupate a few inches deep in the soil overwintering there. They emerge as adults in the spring to mate and lay eggs. Now What Do I Do: Preventative measures: Soil can be tilled before planting to reduce the number of larvae that are in the soil. Birds may come eat the pupae but look for them and pick them out as you come across them. As your vining varieties grow, you can pile soil every 2 feet or so on the stems. This will encourage rooting at these places on the stem, so that if the borer gets in the stem the plant may still have a chance to grow. Row cover can be used to protect new crops of squash you may plant, just remember to remove the row cover when the squash has blooms to allow pollination to occur (or hand pollinate). If you are growing in a section that had SVB the previous year/season make sure to also perform the next measure, check frequently for SVB’s and their eggs. They will be trapped under your cover putting those plants in harm’s way but potentially protecting other plants in your garden. If you leave the squash uncovered, monitor the stems regularly (at least a couple times a week) for eggs. Look along the stems (top to bottom) of the plant and both sides of the leaves, even on the flower buds for the eggs to see if you can locate the solitary copper-colored egg. Remove the eggs. Sticky tape, such as masking tape, ensures they don’t fall into the soil where they can hatch and return to the stem. Another method of removal would be to scrape them off into a container of soapy water. If you want to leave your plants covered, and since squash are normally bee-pollinated (and the row cover excludes the bees) you will have to take the place of the bee. Find an open male flower (they have the anthers with pollen on them), and dab it onto the female bloom with the pistil. One male bloom will pollinate five to eight female blooms. A cotton swab or small paint brush may also be used, and should occur before 10 a.m. for maximum success. Each flower is open for only one day, so daily pollination is recommended. If you have squash vine borers in your squash: Vigilantly keeping watch for tiny holes with brown “sawdust” around them. As soon as you see one, shine a flashlight under the stem (in the evening) to illuminate the borer on the inside. Once you’ve located it, you can stick a pin, needle or small knife through it to stop it’s destruction. For limited damage, you can remove the leaf stalk if it’s not on a main stem. Another way to stop a larvae is to remove it from the stem. Slit the stem lengthwise with a sharp knife, I like the thin blade of exacto type craft knife, I cut the larvae and let the stem heal, without removing it. Or you can remove the larvae and then cover the cut stem with a pile of soil on the cut portion of the stem to encourage new roots to grow. If infested, vines should be removed and destroyed (not composted unless you are sure your compost pile temperature reaches high enough to kill insects) soon after squash harvest. Added measure would be to split stems and joints open to remove and destroy any larvae. Other Methods of Control found in various articles: Yellow Sticky Traps: They’re attracted to yellow. (Word of caution here. I’ve found all things stuck to these. From bees to good spiders and lizards). Catch Them: The best time to catch adults is around dusk and dawn. If you head out to your squash plants around this time, you may notice adults buzzing around and be able to catch them. (I haven’t been about to get close enough to them to catch one. They move pretty fast, when needed!) Timeliness: Planning ahead, you could have more seedings started so you can replace the destroyed plant. Master Gardeners often recommend planting squash every two weeks in order to protect your crop. Placing new seeds in the ground may work as well. Just keep them watered as the days get hotter. At some point the SVB’s will disappear until their next “window of opportunity”. Usually mid to late August for Central Texas. Although, I did read in at least one article that they stick around all summer and into November and December. I haven’t had this experience. This was an article for a South Texas audience. Planting really early (March) and then again really late (August) to get harvests while they’re not as active. Nylon Stocking: Wrapping the stems with strips of nylon stockings, to prevent the larvae from getting in them. (Maybe wrap gauze around the stems.) Flexible Wire: Insert a thin flexible wire. Instead of cutting into your plant, if you notice a burrow hole, an alternative method is to take a thin, sharp wire and slide it into the hole in the hopes of, essentially, skewering the larvae. Remove Infestation Early: Getting rid of finished vines and tilling the soil in the fall and spring to get rid of overwintering pupae because these can hatch and damage next year’s crop. At the end of the season. Pull up and destroy all leftover plant vines quickly. You may think that SVBs are done after your squash are harvested and the plants seem to be dead or dying, but this is a mistake. Quite often, larvae will continue to develop inside the vines until they’re ready to climb out and burrow into the soil—unless you dig up the vines and get rid of them. You should also do this with any plants that have been killed by borers during the season as well. Rotation: Planting squash in a different location each year, so that if some pupae do overwinter in the soil, they won’t find the new plants. (Not realistic, in my opinion, since in most home gardens the size is fairly small and the SVB can fly!) Plant Extra Squash: Some for you and some for the bores. There are only so many eggs they can lay and they shouldn’t be able to damage all of your plants. I’ll continue to sprout some squash so if you want another plant in a few weeks or later this summer just check in! Squash Resistant to SVB: Acorn squash, known as a winter squash because it stores well into the winter, has solid stems and is not usually affected by squash vine borers. Squash in the Cucurbita moschata family are especially resistant. These include Butternuts, Tatume, and my personal favorite Tromboncinos, a vigorous Italian heirloom that can be eaten early as a summer squash or allowed to grow huge to be stored as a winter squash. If you grow Tromboncinos, be sure you have a lot of gardening space and, ideally, a fence or large, sturdy trellis they can climb on. Trial in progress: I am trying tulle (bought on amazon - comes in many colors and widths/lengths). Worked great over winter against cabbage moths, etc. Now working great against the SVB and grasshoppers!  References:
https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/southwestern-squash-vine-borer/ https://agrilife.org/urban-ipm/2015/06/26/161/ www.gardeningaustin.com/blog/dealing-with-squash-vine-borer texashomeandgarden.com/idea-center/squash-your-gardening-fears/ https://www.abchomeandcommercial.com/blog/squash-vine-borer/  We just passed the New Moon phase and are now approaching the First Quarter and are in Waxing Crescent. It’s a good time to plant leafy greens, cereal grains, and herbs that do well in heat. During the waxing of the moon (the period extending from the day the moon is new to the day it reaches its fullest point), the moon pulls moisture upwards. Seeds do well during this time because moisture is available at the surface of the soil. It’s always best to try to transplant and seed-in with the coming rains that are in the forecast. Direct Seed or Transplant Warm Season Greens Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Leafy Greens Growing Guide. Seed in Cereal Grains & Cover Crops For the health of your soil, moisture retention, and to prevent weeds, keep your soil covered at all times with cover crops, compost and mulch. Bare soil invites weeds. Consider planting summer cover crops, such as buckwheat or black-eyed peas, or flax. Add compost, then mulch, to other bare soil areas. An inch or two of compost, and then two or three inches of mulch. Transplant or Seed-in Herbs
A lot of herbs were damaged in the snow storm. If yours are not showing signs of life, here are some warm season herbs that can be transplanted.
For more ideas on Ornamentals, Perennials, and Herbs, visit the Central Texas Gardener and The Natural Gardener lists online. Download the Texas A&M Extension Planting Chart and Varieties Chart on our website. This Saturday we harvested spring and fall crops and are still planting flower seeds to encourage beneficial insects. We also noticed some cute new visitors on our purple potatoes.
ZUCCHINI HARVEST We are already harvesting our zucchini! This organically grown zucchini was a transplant grown by Gabriel Valley Farms, in early March. Right on schedule and no signs of squash vine borers. 🎉 We fertilized our beds in the fall with recycled mushroom blocks. Studies have shown that many different types of plants, which depend on #mycorrhizal relationship with fungi do really well with spent mushroom substrate as a fertilizer. This year, the zucchini plants clearly did well considering we've had trouble with SVB in the past. Living mycelium accumulates, stores, and redistributes carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients. You can sign up to get recycled mushroom blocks below. Next week we will be eating zucchini bread at our volunteer day at Zilker Botanical Garden! GARLIC HARVEST We planted elephant garlic donated by AOG member Kurtis in the bed in early October and it was ready to harvest last week. Experts from Seed Savers Exchange say the plant is ready after three or four leaves have died back but five or six green leaves remain. Avoid waiting too long because the cloves will begin to separate from the bulbs in the ground. Do not wait too long or the bulbs will begin to separate in the ground. Loosen the soil with a shovel or pitchfork and then dig the garlic carefully. Do not pull the stalk or it will separate from the bulb. Gently brush most of the dirt off. Tie plants in a bundle of 6-8 plants and hang in a shaded, dry, well-ventilated shed or garage. Leave plants hanging for 4-6 weeks so that bulbs can cure. Learn more about growing and storing garlic in Central Texas. CORIANDER SEED SAVING After enjoying seeing all the beneficial insects such as the lady bug beetles on our flowering cilantro, the flower heads formed seeds and dried out. Maya, Magda and Danielle collected the seeds by cutting off the seed heads and put them in a container. If your seed heads aren't dry yet, you can hang them in a brown paper or cloth bag until the plant dries and the seeds fall off. The seeds can be saved for next year or used for cooking as they are a popular spice for many recipes. LEAFHOPPER NYPHMS ON POTATOES Our potatoes stems were covered with some unusual looking bugs that was eating the green leaves. After some research using iNaturalist to identify them, we learned they are the two-striped Plant hopper. This bug appears to nosh lightly according to this article so we will keep an eye on this cutie. This past week I visited long time member David Kraemer to pick up some citrus that he propagated. Here he is with his new haircut and his lemon drop citrus tree (hybrid of a lemon and kumquat) that survived the winter storm.
While there I couldn't help but notice all the swallowtail caterpillars in his garden. The host plants of the Black Swallowtail butterfly include such plants as carrots, parsley, dill, fennel, Queen Anne's Lace and rue. The Anise Swallowtail caterpillar feeds on anise as well and reportedly citrus plants also. The plants that adult butterflies eat (actually they “drink” nectar from the flowers) are called nectar plants. Each species of butterflies has specific host plants on which the adult butterflies lay their eggs. The butterflies are particular about where they lay eggs because their caterpillars must have that distinct host plant to survive. The caterpillar will not eat if it does not have access to one of its specific host plants and will die. It's important that you leave some veggies for our butterfly friends. David's Nigella, love-in-a-mist was blooming as well. This stunning annual garden flowering plant with ferny foliage that does well in alkaline soils. It belongs to the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. Nigella is generally considered to be an ornamental plant, but according to PFAF, the seed can be used raw or cooked, and is normally used as a condiment with a nutmeg-like flavor. It can also be used to produce an oil. The fresh leaves and flowers have a peppery flavor similar to watercress. Check out David Kraemer's member profile on our YouTube channel. As things continue to establish in the garden and fall crops fade, we're starting to see some new visitors at the teaching beds at Zilker Botanical Garden.
In this video Austin Organic Gardener Madelynn shares helpful tips on watering for moisture retention, companion planting, and tips on handling insects the organic way. Don’t miss our next online guest, Jay White, the publisher of Texas Gardener Magazine who will be presenting more on this topic with his “Pest-free Organically” presentation on May 10th at 6 PM CST. For more ideas on Ornamentals, Perennials, and Herbs, visit the Central Texas Gardener and The Natural Gardener lists online. Download the Texas A&M Extension Planting Chart and Varieties Chart at AustinOrganicGardners.org. BECOME A MEMBER All of our online education is free. Support our mission by becoming a member of the oldest organic gardening club in the U.S. Memberships are only $10 a year and 100% of your dues support Zilker Botanical Garden.  I captured this caterpillar chilling on golden oysters growing at Zilker Botanical Garden in our strawberry and asparagus, mushroom garden bed. I did a quick iNaturalist search to learn it is a Salt Marsh Moth, Estigmene acrea. This app is a great tool for researching and identifying good and bad insects. You can see multiple pictures of insects at their various stages of life, and descriptions from Wikipedia. It even gives you a breakdown of where else insects have been observed in your area on a map. The caterpillar is beautiful as a moth, and as a growing caterpillar clearly had an appetite for nitrogen rich vegetables. They were also devouring the leaves of the fava beans that were nearby. We contemplated why one of the caterpillars was a fungivore. Definitely has good tastes. This lucky caterpillar struck gold in finding an even more appetizing meal. We decided to allow these caterpillars to continue to enjoy their meal. Learn more about how to grow mushrooms in the garden here. From Texas A&M:
Despite the name, salt marsh caterpillars can show up in many different habitats other than salt marshes. They eat a wide variety of plants and are found all across the United States. In some places, like southwest United States, these caterpillars can damage crops. Salt marsh caterpillars skeletonize the plants they feed on, leaving only the main leaf veins. Older caterpillars eat large holes in the leaves and become more solitary. They can go great distances in search for food and can sometimes travel in large numbers. Salt marsh caterpillars do not bite and are not poisonous. Related: Don’t miss our next online guest, Jay White, the publisher of Texas Gardener Magazine who will be presenting more on this topic with his “Pest-free Organically” presentation on May 10th at 6 PM CST.  We just passed the Full Pink Super Moon, theSprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, the Fish Moon, the Paschal Moon, Hanuman Jayanti, Bak Poya, and a Supermoon. So many interpretations of the full moon around the world. We are now going into a waning period of the Moon—from the day after it is full to the day before it is new again. As the moonlight decreases night by night, plants are encouraged to grow roots, tubers, and bulbs. It’s always best to try to plant with the coming rains which are in the forecast. Click on the links to get growing information and best varieties from Texas A&M Extension and other sources. ROOT CROPS Sweet Potatoes (Slips) GROW YOUR OWN You can plant sweet potato slips through June so you still have a little time to grow your own slips at home. See our blog post on two ways to do this at home. The method that produced the most slips was the “soil method.” There were approximately 25 slips created from one sweet potato. SLIP GIVEAWAY We have so many purple sweet potato slips left over from the soil method that we decided to do a give-away. The first person to respond to our email by April 28, 2021, with the correct answer to the following question wins! What family is the Sweet Potato in? Pick-up is in Central East Austin (78702). WHERE TO BUY If you haven’t grown your own slips you can buy them at local nurseries such as The Natural Gardener and Tillery Plant Company. You can even plant small organic sweet potatoes directly in the soil. For more ideas on Ornamentals, Perennials, and Herbs, visit the Central Texas Gardener and The Natural Gardener lists online. Download the Texas A&M Extension Planting Chart and Varieties Chart at AustinOrganicGardners.org.  This past Saturday we found a green, spotted caterpillar that was devouring one of our sungold tomatoes at the teaching gardens Zilker Botanical Garden.
Caterpillars like this and the tomato hornworm, can be a major pest in gardens.They also feed on other plants in the Solanaceae (nightshade) family: eggplants, peppers, tobacco, and potatoes. They blend in quite easily with the green foliage and feed non-stop, creating spotty and chewed leaves and fruit HOW TO GET RID OF TOMATO WORMS 👌Handpicking - The caterpillars can neither sting nor bite. If you are squeamish about crushing these large insects, drop them into soapy water instead (or feed them to your chickens.) 🧼Insecticidal soaps will also kill hornworms, but the pests need to come into direct contact with the substance. 🌻Increase Plant Diversity: Plant crops that attract natural predators of caterpillars such as wasps, lacewings, birds, lady bug beetles, and spiders. Plant things like sunflowers, marigolds, buckwheat and mulch with straw or leaf mulch to give a home for these insects in your garden. 🐛Insecticides should be a last resort. You can use the organic pesticide Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), which is a bacterium that acts as a stomach poison on some larval insects (but doesn’t harm other plants or animals). Bt must be ingested by the caterpillars to be effective, and it must be reapplied to plant foliage after rain. NEXT ONLINE EVENT Don’t miss our next online guest, Jay White, the publisher of Texas Gardener Magazine who will be presenting more on this topic in his “Pest-free Organically” talk on May 10th at 6 PM CST. BECOME A MEMBER All of our online education FREE and we are always looking for new members to help us support our mission. Visit AustinOrganicGardeners.org to become a member of the oldest organic garden club in America. Memberships are only $10 a year and 100% of dues go to the Zilker Botanical Garden. BONUS: AOG Members get a discount code for a subscription to Texas Gardener Magazine.  We just passed the first quarter and the moon is now in waxing gibbous going into a full moon. Now is also a time to seed-in plants that fruit and seed like beans, corn, cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkins, squash, okra, and southern peas. Their is still time for transplants of strawberries, eggplants, tomatillos, tomatoes and peppers. Also time to plant nut and fruit trees including citrus, and berry bushes and grape vines. It’s always best to try to transplant and seed-in with the coming rains. Which is coming this week. DIRECT SEED
This is your last chance to plant corn until late summer. For this year's three sisters at Zilker Botanical Garden, we planted heirloom, glass gem corn with Royal Burgundy pole beans, and tatume squash. The squash will start to vine out and protect the soil as the heat increases. Around the perimeter we planted Oaxaca Red Epazote (thanks for the donation Danielle), Habanero Lemon peppers (thanks Sunshine Community Gardens), Hopi Black Dye Sunflowers and Mexican Marigolds. TRANSPLANT
If you haven’t gotten your night shades in, AOG Member and grower from our plant sale, Erin Hollis has a bunch left that she is giving away. Join our Facebook Group Austin Organic Gardeners and learn how to get them. FRUITING / NUT PLANTS
For more ideas on Ornamentals, Perennials, and Herbs, visit the Central Texas Gardener and The Natural Gardener lists online. Download the Texas A&M Extension Planting Chart and Varieties Chart on our website. +++ Become a member of the oldest organic gardening club in the U.S. Memberships are only $10 a year and 100% of your dues support Zilker Botanical Garden. Related Content In this video Charlotte from the SCG Education Team gives a breakdown of Sunshine Community Garden’s custom recipe for refreshing raised bed soil that has been depleted or sitting without proper protection from the Texas heat. This volunteer project by members of the Sunshine Community Gardens was at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired Garden which is also located at Sunshine. This soil refresh recipe is perfect for school or community garden beds, container gardens, or any raised beds that have been sitting unused for a period of time. Many of these tips apply to all soil amending in central Texas, even for in ground beds.
PLANNING
RECIPE The following is Sunshines Community Garden’s custom soil refresher recipe. It does not require precision and the amounts are approximate. Major components 6 – 10 parts spent (previous/old) old bedding mix 4 - 5 parts compost 1 part rice hulls (premoistened) 1 part shredded coconut coir (premoistened overnight if possible) ½ part kelp meal (i.e., use ½ to all of a 5lb box from Down To Earth) ½ part perlite (optional, i.e., use ½ to all of an 8-quart bag) ½ part diatomaceous earth (optional) Mineral Amendments Add by the cup or by the handful. Use product packaging or the internet for reference:
Optional Amendments Best added on top of refreshed soil for more immediate availability:
BREAKDOWN IN STEPS STEP 1: On a tarp, remove old soil from beds into piles of around one-fourth cubic yard each (30-40 gallons) to make mixing easier. In the video we give a suggestion for cases when it is not possible to amend all of the old soil by inserting the compostable layer (normally at the bottom of a raised bed) above any soil that will not be amended. Amend 100% of shallow beds but 50-70% of deeper beds is fine if you have time or budget limitations. STEP 2: Next to the pile of old bedding mix, start with a separate pile, with compost, close to the same size (20-30 gallons.) Any type of organic compost works and we chose to use turkey compost. STEP 3: Add a significant amount of nitrogen-rich structural amendments that will break down more QUICKLY (in 1-2 seasons.) These types of organic matter are often agricultural by-products and can be free or inexpensive. Follow our recipe, product packaging or internet to determine the amount to add. While certain amendments (like rice hulls, coconut coir or diatomaceous earth) are best pre-moistened before adding them, it is easier to mix your piles if everything is drier.
STEP 4: Add a significant amount of structural amendments that break down SLOWLY such as coco coir, peat moss, perlite and vermiculite. Follow our recipe, product packaging or internet to determine the amount to add.
STEP 5: Add minerals & silica for nutrition and cell structure. Follow our recipe, product packaging or internet to determine the amount to add.
STEP 6: Mix enriched pile of amendments until all components are uniformly distributed. STEP 7: Combine old soil with enriched amendment pile. As you return your refreshed bedding mix to your box or containers, moisten each layer as you go so that your final result is moist enough to form a loose but distinct clump when squeezed in your hand. STEP 8: Add cardboard on bottom of the bed or on top of left-over soil. This prevents weeds and adds more worm food. STEP 9: Add leaves or other brown and green debris (carbon) and coffee (attracts worms) on top of cardboard. Water this layer. STEP 10: Fill bed with half of the renewed bedding mix, followed by a watering, and then fill with remainder with another watering. STEP 11: Top mulch the bed with any of the following types of mulch to help retain moisture. Some of these will continue to add nutrients to the soil:
MORE ORGANIC AMENDMENTS SEAWEED OR KELP MEAL – Seaweed or Kelp Meal adds potassium (K), trace minerals, salts, alkalinizing the soil. It's an excellent bioactivator, waking the microbes in the soil to help break down organic matter. SEAWEED SPRAY (alkalinizing) Alternatively, mix in a few handfuls of dried kelp meal. Supposedly helps with heat tolerance but cannot find a reference for that yet. NOTE: Excessive potassium or potash will decrease the soil's acidity so use it in a balanced way.) FISH EMULSION – A fast-acting, organic liquid fertilizer made from the byproducts of the fishing industry. It is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, plus trace elements such as calcium, magnesium, sulfur, chlorine, and sodium. SHRIMP MEAL – nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, and chitin CRAB MEAL, OYSTER OR LOBSTER – nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, and chitin BONE MEAL – phosphorus “roots and fruits” BLOOD MEAL – nitrogen “greening the giant” ORGANIC N-P-K SLOW-RELEASE GRANULES – Down to Earth or Jobe’s WORMS WORM CASTINGS INSECT FRASS – Mealworm castings, cricket frass, is simply the feces of the insect. ROCK DUST (and/or regular sand) – very slow-release minerals and SOME water retention. (Less sophisticated than Azomite, Excelerite or Green Sand) LIME - Generally not needed in central Texas because it is too alkalinizing AMENDMENTS THAT CAN BE CONFUSING Biochar (alkalinizing) “potash”– If you're adding potassium to decrease the soil's acidity, use 1 to 2 pounds of hardwood ash per 100 square feet of soil. Other ways to add potassium are: add cut up banana peels and bury them 1 to 2 inches down in the soil or mix in a few handfuls of dried kelp meal or spray the soil with a liquid seaweed spray. Coffee grounds – Brewed grounds are pH neutral but they do consume nitrogen as they decompose and compete with growing crops…but worms are mad for them. Some gardeners drop into vertical “wells” so worms can visit without significant contact with growing plant roots. ONLY UNBREWED COFFEE GROUNDS ARE ACIDIC. More Epsom Salt for tomatoes, peppers or calcium loving plants at the time of transplant and for maintenance Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth (FG-DE) is derived from fossilized remains of algae-like, single-cell plants called diatoms. Diatoms are some of the oldest plants in the world. They date back millions of years. These plants left behind chalky deposits called diatomite which is ground into a powder and purified for the consumer market. Chemically speaking, diatomaceous earth is 84% silica, and contains some 20 trace minerals, including small percentages of magnesium, sodium, iron and a good dose of calcium in the right ratio with magnesium for good utilization in building structures such as cell walls for healthy leaves and stems. In humans and animals, silica is essential for the building of healthy bones and teeth, skin, hair, and nails. FG-DE is often used in the garden as a natural pest control substance. However, it can harm bees, other pollinators and ladybugs so use proper precautions as needed to reduce the chances of harm such as only using when needed for a specific pest, not over applying and avoiding use on vegetables and pollinator plants that are flowering. Many studies have also been conducted to analyze the effect that FG-DE has as a soil amendment. These studies have shown promising results, suggesting that diatomaceous earth may significantly enhance nutrient retention and moisture retention in soil. https://www.absorbentproductsltd.com/food-grade-diatomaceous-earth-as-a-soil-amendment/ So far the conclusion is that diatomaceous earth doesn’t harm most beneficial microorganisms in the soil. Worms, for example, are not affected by the microscopic edges in diatomaceous earth particles. WHERE TO BUY AMENDMENTS We recommend the following local garden store for many of the amendments in our recipe. Austin Organic Gardeners, Sunshine Community Gardeners and other Austin area community gardeners are eligible to receive a discount at: Brite Ideas Aquaponics, Hydroponics and Organics South Austin (NEW LOCATION) 12110 Manchaca Rd. Ste. 103 Austin, TX 78748 Local: 512.444.2100 Owner: Troy Smith SOUTH AUSTIN STORE HOURS (CLOSED ON MONDAYS) Tuesday-Friday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm Saturday 10:30 am – 5:00 pm Sunday 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm |
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