Knock Knock Who’s There?…. Lettuce…. Lettuce Who?…. Lettuce In Its Hot Out Here!
Well according to Trump the war in Iran is over although nobody has seen the text regarding the terms and arrangements. What so far we have been told about this memorandum of understanding is virtually unchanged to what had been in place before Trump started this whole mess right down to the release of billions of dollars which he criticized past Presidents for having done. Friday is the big signing day but he still has to call his buddy Yahoo and get him to stop shooting up Lebanon. It will be a long week of needless repetition before it is all finalized but it gives the egomaniac a chance to strut and prance at the G6 + 1 gathering.
The weather seems to have finally taken a change to our typical hot summer scorching although this week is supposed to be mainly hot it is supposed to back off a bit for the following week. Amazing to have a Lumby Day’s without a drop of rain. I hope everyone had a great time.
Hot weather can make those gardening chores even harder and yet more important. Watering is essential to keep those young plants happy and alive. Water early in the day if possible as this will allow the plants leaves to dry out thoroughly before nightfall. This will help prevent molds and fungus from developing on the plants leaves.
Hot weather has also allowed pests to start invading the garden. So be sure to prepare a mixture of spray which you can use to treat at the first sign of invasion or even proactively. I use a mixture of 1 litre of water with about a teaspoon of dish soap but have now found a new recipe that consists of 1 garlic bulb 1 small onion 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper, 1 quart of water and a 1 tbsp of dish soap. You chop, blend and strain this mixture after allowing to brew for about and hour. Spray on your plants as with the soap and water blend and store any remaining spray in the fridge for future use. Canola oil and other vegetable oils can be sprayed on your plants as well, It will suffocate soft bodied insects but must be used with caution on sensitive plants. This should be mixed with no more than 1 cup of oil to a gallon of water. Ground cloves is a great repellent for flying insects! Use several tbsp per gallon of water. Slug control can be achieved by using egg shells or Dolomitic Limestone, sprinkle around the plants that the slugs tend to love. You can even sprinkle Dolomitic Limestone on your plants this will help with any fungal issues.
If you have a problem with ants. Boiling hot water is an excellent way to get rid of an ant colony as long as it does not come in contact with any plants that you want to keep, for those areas try Orange or Lemon juice for the citric acid content mix with a gallon of soapy water to make a tea and pour over the area.
I have seen no sign of the white cabbage moth that can be a real nuisance with your Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage and Brussel sprouts but I have planted these among my Tomato plants and will watch to see how well this companion planting works and if it is not doing the trick to my satisfaction I am ready to sprinkle liberal amounts of Rye flower as I do know that this works well. Also Neem oil and certain types of Aloe are excellent to spray on the plants, all these methods must be repeated after any rain. I have also not seen many Honey Bees hopefully the warmth will bring them out. I have also not seen any signs of Wasps or Hornets which works well for me.
Happy Gardening!
Samantha Nason
BS Ranch & Greenhouses
250 547 6567
sam1nason@gmail.com
