Bugs!
Zinnia (Envy) being eaten alive by an Earwig!
I am discovering there are good bugs, worms are amazing! And… there are bad bugs, earwigs are fast becoming enemy #1 with grasshoppers following up the rear!
I’ve been so focused on developing good soil health, so worms are plentiful in the earth under our garden that I completely forgot about the beasties that live above ground. That is until I start planting out my flowers. I first suspected the grasshoppers were munching on my seedlings in the green house but was later informed by multiple sources that it was earwigs. The later comes out at night and man can they decimate a plant! They touched upon my Amaranth flowers, but I discovered they prefer Zinnias!
All those months of getting my seedlings started, then potted up and finally in the ground only to have them taken out by bugs, I don’t think so! After consulting with several local gardeners, I purchased a bag of Diatomaceous earth. The coarseness of the powder, which is ground up seashells, takes out the bugs when they crawl over and ingest it. Using a sifter I liberated from my kitchen, I applied the Diatomaceous earth around the base of Zinnias and the Amaranth. Fingers crossed that it works and that there is enough of the plant left, especially the Zinnias, that it can bounce back. I still see some green on most of them so I’m hopeful.
Going forward, I need to think about how I can utilize companion planting which is a strategy where you plant one flower that lures the bugs away from other flowers; or the companion plants scent repels the insect, and they steer clear of both. Overall, it is an ingenious strategy, however, I’m not sure I like the aspect of sacrificing one plant for the sake of the others.
I’m also going to do more research into the whole strategy of companion planting to learn more about what pairs well with other plants, be it flowers or vegetables. I’ve planted a ton of Marigold seeds around my carrots and squash as they are supposed to ward off both the squash beetle and carrot flies. I’ve also invested in garlic spray because grasshoppers aren’t keen on the smell of garlic.
Man, and I thought the cabbage worm/butterfly was bad and that I was brilliant for getting netting for my lettuce back in Denver… little did I know there are soooo… many other bugs out there, especially in the country that can take out your crop at the blink of an eye!
Live and learn and boy have I been learning! It has been a joyful process, although not without a few heartbreaks. I’m confident I will figure out the bug thing as I continue my gardening adventure perhaps a little more seasoned and a little less naïve as I go.
