Friday, July 15, 1994 - North Shore News - 17 Get rid of unwanted garden guests Common pests can ruin vegetable crop if not dealt with by prevention or eradication Roy Jonsson SOW IT GROWS YOU DON’T have to garden very long in our rain forest environment to become famil- iar with some of the more common garden pests or dis- eases such as slugs, snails, aphids and powdery mildew. Hf these were the only ones we had to contend with, gardening would be a lot less frustrating. Here are five other pests common to our West Coast vegetable gardens. Leaf miners These are small larvae or maggots that bore holes in the underside of a leaf and proceed to chew a serpen- tine tunnel between its upper and lower surface layers. Some of the vegetables that can be affected by this pest are beets, chard and spinach. The adult leaf miner can be one of a number of small black or grey flies chat lay eggs . under the leaves. The pupae winters in the soil below the plant. To control leaf miners, pick off the infected leaves and destroy them. Rotate the crop or cover the plant ‘with Remay cloth, a fine gauze-like fabric available at garden stores, to prevent the fly from laying eggs. + Malathion is the recommended chemical spray. but it must be used several times at four-day intervals to kill the adult fly. An unfortunate aspect of chemi- cal spray is that it is also not selee- tive, killing beneficial insects as well as harmful ones. Carro' This tiny black fly will search out members of the carrot family which including celery, dill, parsicy and parsnips. Eggs are laid close to the host plant and the newly hatched maggots feed on the roots creating a serics of tunnels and rotting brown tissue. To control carrot rust fly, com- post all crop debris that is not infect- ed and put all maggot-infested roots in the garbage. Rotate carrot crops and cover next year's crop with Remay cloth if possible. Some people have had success with coffee grounds or garlic sprays because the fly is attracted to the car- rot by smell. Granulated and liquid Diazinon is the recommended chem- ical treatment, but it will have to be applied several times to be effective. t rust fly Onion maggots This small grey fiy is similar to the carrot fly and lays eggs in the soil close to any member of the onion family. The small white maggot feeds on the onion tissue and kills the plant. Onion maggots can be controled by removing all infected material and placing it in the garbage. Plant the crop in a new location next year and delay plant-ing until after mid May to avoid the main egg-laying period of the flies. Yellow, sticky cardboard traps seem to provide some control for the adult flies. For severe infestations, granulated and liquid Diazinon are recommended. Tomato flea beetles This small black beetle will chew holes in the new leaves of tomatoes, potatees and a variety of other gar- CONCRETE SLABS rectory seconds‘ PRICE RETAINING WALLS - NEWS photo Mike Wakeiiaid TOMATO FLEA beetles and tomato horn worms or cut worms are two of the more common predators that a young tomato plant must endure before producing edible fruit. den vegetables. The damage is not serious but it does weaken the plant and reduce the crop. Spraying the leaves with a mild soap solution or using one of the homemade hot pepper and garlic sprays seems to deter most of the beetles. An organic dust called Rotenone or any of the commercial chemical tomato/potato dusts will clean the plants quite quickly. Early-season plantings are more susceptible to flea beetles. Tomato horn worms or cut worms These ravenous caterpillars are most active at night during the mid- summer growing season and can be as large as your little finger. They SANY VARIETIES — feed on foliage and the unripened fruit, allowing rot to set in and ruin the damaged fruit. To rid your garden of these worms, go out in the early morning or late evening and shake the tomato plant. Watch the ground under the plant for movement as the caterpillar hits the ground. During the day they hide in the cool soil at the junction between the loose dry soil and the damp compact- ed soil and are never more than four or five inches from the stalk of the tomato plant. Scratch the earth sys- tematically and the cut worm will roll out of the soil because of the dif- ference in weight. An organic spray called BT is a safe and effective con- trol. You have until Sunday, July 17 to enter your vegetable garden in the North Shore Garden Contest. If you do not want to enter the contest you may wish to serve as a volunteer with the cornmittee, Call 986-0070 or 925-4223 to offer your services as a garden contest helper. 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