Keeping Irises Insect Free with Neem Oil

This summer has been a real buggy one. I suppose it was due to a cold and damp spring, followed by standing water due to ground saturation then it got hot and the insects came out in full force. Overall my irises took a beating from the sucking insects and when I found that natural soap  treatment was not strong enough I cut the irises back and treated the soil rhizomes and leaves with neem oil insecticide

Keeping my irises healthy with neem oil concentrate

Neem oil insecticide is natural and is safe to use in your garden. Plus it will not harm the butterflies or hummingbirds. I bought the brand Garden safe Neem oil extract concentrated liquid from Lowes.com. The label featured that it eliminate the garden pests; spider mites, aphids, powdery mildew, whiteflies, black spot and rust.

I followed the directions and treated my irises and roses in the evening after the sun went down. It is best to use this plant and shrub spray on a cloudy day or in the evening. Not a good idea to use during the heat of the day or in direct light as it will burn your plants leaves.

I saturated the soil, around and my plants stems and leaves. I am am pleased with the results thus far. Now as far as the grasshopper and other chewing garden pests I plan to treat my entire yard with concentrated spearmint as this was recommended to me by pest control expert.

Know that if you irises are under attack by mites, leaf spot disease, rust and aphids then neem oil concentrate mixed with water will help. If you have grasshoppers or other chewing garden pests then neem oil will not get rid of them

Learn the dos and don’ts for cutting back irises here

Natural Aphids Insect Control

Stop aphids from sucking the life out of your plants with natural insect control.  Aphids are a garden insect that eat the sap from leaves and stems of plants. The best way to determine if your garden is infected with aphids is to examine the backside of  plant leaves for a very small (1/18 inch) pear shaped bug that may be green, black or red in color. 

Look closely at the leaves of your plants, and if you see white or light green dots, all over the backside of the leaf then this is an indication that these annoying little aphids are sucking the sap from your plant.  It is best to act fast in killing the aphids as they are very destructive.  

You can kill aphids with a  commercial insecticide or you can remove pests from your garden naturally with ladybugs. If you choose natural ladybugs for the removal of aphids then you can achieve this method of pest control by attracting the ladybug to your garden naturally or by buying ladybugs.  

 Ladybugs are small beetles. They are about the size of a pea and come in bright colors such as red and orange with black dots. This little beetle is a natural way to control various insects in your yard and garden. 

Purchase starter ladybugs at your garden supply center. For a medium size garden, you will need 1500 ladybugs. Release the ladybugs into your garden to control spider mites, aphids, whiteflies, and scale insects. Keep the ladybugs in your yard by planting nectar or pollen-producing flowers; marigold, sunflower, garden mint, fennel, dill, fern-leaf yarrow, coneflowers, bee balm and white daisies.   

Water your gardens daily so that your ladybug will have access to hydration from the droplets of water on the leaves. Also, add a water feature or a birdbath to your garden. Check the water in the birdbath or water feature daily.  Clean the water by removing debris; feathers, leaves and then fill the birdbath with fresh clean water. Keep the ladybug in your garden all year round by providing a comfortable winter area. Ladybugs winter under rocks, leaves, bark and hedges. 

Tips

• Ladybugs are a must for organic gardeners
• Some ladybugs are harmful to specific crops, such as beans, melons squash. They are The Mexican beetle This beetle has an elongated body and the colors are the same as the ladybug.