Re: Fw: Press Release: Pesticide Warning
Cyndi K wrote:
>
> I was glad to rcv the warning but I would disagree with the statement that
> pesticides are only dangerous when used incorrectly. It depends on your
> definition of danger and who you are looking out for. Yes, it is possible
> that the person making the application could be safe, if instructions are
> followed. Possibly. But what about our environment? What about the
> beneficial insects? The birds, the bees - our planet?
>
> I love having picture perfect plants as much as the next gardener but I find I cannot justify the use of pesticides for a hobby. My family will not go hungry if a crop fails. I am not running a business that depends on plants being flawless. I feel I have no right to choose to add poisons to the ecosystem to please myself.
Well said Cyndie
>
> After gardening organically for three years now, I have to report that I have no more problems with insects than I did when I used pesticides.
I have gardened organically for at least ten years and now find I have
far LESS trouble with pests and even diseases than formerly when I was
still routinely using pesticides. For instance, for the last three years
at least, my neighbours, who regularly use chemical sprays, have
grumbled each spring about the heavy attacks of aphids, while I have
seldom had more than one plant affected (and that lightly). Moreover, if
left alone the minor infestation has usually ended after a visit from
insect-eating birds or the hoverflies which are now common in my garden.
There are several factors probably responsible for this improved state
of affairs. The first is undoubtedly the high health of the plants under
an organic feeding regime. Studies (in France) have shown that unhealthy
plants are actually more attractive to pests than those in robust health
because they usually contain a residue of unused ammino acids (the
"building blocks" of proteins). It is not difficult, where soluble
fertilizers are routinely used, for the nutrition to become unbalanced
causing excess of some of these acids to form and lie unused in the
plant tissues, and this is apparently what the pests tend to go for.
The other important aspect of an organic garden which reduces the pest
population is that the absence of pesticides encourages good populations
of many of the pests' natural enemies. As I live in New Zealand this
means for my garden just predatory insects and birds, but in places
with a wider-based animal population there could be other equally
useful helpers such as snakes and toads.
It is also possible with some species of pest to lure them away by means
of suitable companion plants. I always leave a few sowthistle (Sonchus)
plants about which will often attract rose aphids and serve as a
convenient feeding ground for predators. As I occasionally get small
infestations of the green vegetable bug, I am this year growing patches
of Cleome which is said to appeal to them more than the vegetable plants
(We shall see!!).
I must emphasise that I am not entirely passive in my approach to pests
and sometimes go to war with the more destructive kinds, but this rarely
involves a poisonous spray. Instead I would exclude pests with netting,
remove infestations with a water jet, hand pick some (caterpillars in
particular) and sometimes make use of either soft soap sprays or
spraying oil. Whatever I use is applied with care to avoid harming
friendly species. For this reason I no longer use pyrethrum, even the
pure natural product, as it is a broad-spectrum killer and gets rid of
unwanted and useful insects equally effectively.
Moira
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata, New Zealand
