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It’s All About Protection

Gardening is a breeze if you use sophisticated products to protect your plants against their worst enemies. There is a helping hand, you should just grab it!

Control ants first

Although ants play a role in a garden’s ecosystem, an over-population of ant nests around the yard and around the house need to be controlled because they interfere with the natural parasites and predators of sap sucking insects such as aphids, mealybug, scale and others that secret honeydew. The ants love this sweet substance and will by their busy trailing and feeding actions, spread the pest’s eggs from plant to plant, causing an imbalance. To eradicate some of the ant nests would thus be the first step in controlling the numbers of many harmful pests.

An effective and hassle-free way of dealing with ants is to use a bait to attract the busy little workers which will carry it off to their colonies. Trojan Ant Bait, a granular product in a handy 200g shaker jar can be sprinkled in just a few seconds near ant activity and will do its job of eradication the colony within 5 to 7 days.

Use it correctly: Scatter 30g of the granules around active nests and not directly into it. Also scatter the bait near ant trails taking care not to interrupt the trails as this will send out emergency warnings to the rest of the nest which will cause a fast evacuation and relocation.

No more sucking up!

The easiest way to stop sap sucking insects like Italian cypress aphids (active in the cooler months), from creating havoc and killing off conifers, is to use Koinor 350SC. It requires no spraying and poisonous drifts of insecticide harming other insects and can simply be applied directly to the soil area around the plants by using a watering can. This systemic and contact insecticide will be taken up via the roots where it is transported through the plant sap to the leaves. One proper application will give protection for up to four months.

Scale on your lovely winter-flowering aloes can also be effectively controlled by using Koinor 350SC as a soil drench. Apply it again in September.

Snails eat like machines!

If you are tired of losing the battle against snails and slugs chomping your leafy winter vegetables and winter annuals, try Makhro Home and Garden’s Eco Bait. This eco-friendly granular product has an active ingredient that is a compound found naturally in the soil and low key enough not to harm other creatures and critters. As slugs and snails are active during the night or early mornings, apply the pellets in the late afternoon or early evening by placing them near susceptible plants.

For heavy infestations you can use Snail Spray, a contact and stomach suspension which must be sprayed with coarse droplets, thoroughly wetting the leaves of plants. Take care to follow the instructions on the package exactly as this is a chemical product. For more on any of these products visit www.makhro.co.za

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The Gardener