Fw: email list suggestion - organic or not .....
- To: "Medit-Plants"
- Subject: Fw: email list suggestion - organic or not .....
- From: D*
- Date: Mon, 6 Dec 1999 22:31:09 -0800
Mary Manson wrote:
> My first "rub". Organic gardening implies, to me, non-synthetic,
> non-man-made "fertilizers" and manual pest controls.
> And there's my second "rub". They know all about the 'cides and
> how "safe" they are. But history is proving that some/much of what
> education/research has "tested and proved safe" is not. NOT in the
> long run. DDT. Dioxin. Dieldrin. Lindane. Etc.
It seems to me that the pendulum has swung as far as it can go in favor
of organic/natural pesticides. We are now learning that just because
something is a natural product does not mean that it isn't harmful to
the creatures in our gardens. An example of this is diatomaceous
earth - all the rage because it isn't a chemical/synthetic.
Indiscriminate use of this (e.g. slug control on the ground) causes
death of many beneficial creatures.
Applying the fine dust in the wind or carelessly getting it on plants,
as well as the ground, spells death to many beneficial insects such as
bees, ladybugs, syrphid flies and the large tachnid flies, as well as
the parasitic wasps that control whiteflies and caterpillars such as the
echneumon wasps and chalcids.
On the ground, it kills the many beetles that eat slug eggs etc. In a
garden like mine that is a haven for water frogs, tree frogs, the
occasional toad, and salamanders, including the delicate little Ensatina
(a terrestrial salamander, pinkish in colour with a huge head and
eyes) - I wouldn't dream of using diatomaceous earth to kill slugs, at
the same time killing these creatures who eat slugs and their eggs.
In 30 years, there has never been any means of pest control used in my
garden. With over 70 old garden and antique roses, most years I worry
about whether there are enough aphids to feed all the ladybugs. At any
time of the year, the huge rose arbor is full of birds combing through
it for insects. The garden is basically a haven for birds, etc. while
satisfying my needs to grow the many plants I am interested in. As
such, it is not the tidiest garden, all ground is covered by something -
no bare ground or large mulched areas. My interest is mainly trees, but
have over 300 rhododendrons and numerous shrubs and perennials.
It is a medit-climate garden. Our summers range from 20 - 32 Celsius
(about 68 - 90 F.) with some spells of hotter weather here and there.
We always have a period of 5 to 8 weeks without precipitation. Winters
are mild and wet, with spells of below freezing by a few degrees. So
far this winter, there has been no frost. Many people find this hard to
understand when Vancouver Island is so far north of California. Our
winters are generally milder than Washington and Oregon. We are Zone 8,
higher elevations of the Island are Zone 7 and the west coast is Zone 9
(rainforest).
Organic products are harmful too, or they wouldn't be used. A poison is
a poison, whether it is organic or not.
Diane Pertson
