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The "rights" and "wrongs" of spring

© Lorraine Flanigan

According to gardening personality, Ken Beattie there are certain "rights" and "wrongs" of spring. Speaking at the Civic Garden Centre in Toronto last night, he tells us that one of the "rights" of spring is to treat your lawn with Epsom salts. Yes, Epsom salts. Apparently they're high in magnesium, making it easier for the grass to take up the nutrients they need from the soil. Ken recommends that about a half a cup of Espom salts in a spray bottle attached to a hose will do the trick.

The "wrong" thing to do is to apply any of the high nitrogen fertilizers that garden centres and nurseries put on sale every spring. These are so high in nitrogen that you could use them to spell your name in the grass - just follow the trail of burnt, brown turf!

Because many of our favourite chemical pesticides are in the process of being banned, Ken has some environmentally friendly suggestions for controlling pests in the lawn and garden. (Chemicals, "wrong" -- environmentally friendly, "right") One of his favourites is BTK (Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki), a bacterial insecticide that affects any type of caterpillar such as cabbageworms, ten caterpillars and tomato hornworms. It's slower acting than a chemical like Diazinon, but affects these pests within three days of application. A word of caution, though. BTK not only affects caterpillars that are making pests of themselves, it also kills beneficial members of the caterpillar family such as butterfly larvae, so be careful to apply it only to the insects you wish to destroy.

Not a conventional pesticide by any means, milk is none-the-less effective against thrips, rose chafers and cabbage butterflies. Go figure! Apparently something that's healthy for babies is deadly for these pesky insects. Milk can be a little smelly though, says Ken, especially in hot weather when it turns sour. So, maybe you should plan a trip to the cottage after giving these pests a milk bath!

Where there's milk, there are cats. And cats may not be welcome in everyone's gardens. (Why can't they just use the litter box in the basement?) Ken Beattie knows what cats hate, and that's rue. For best results, this smelly perennial should be harvested frequently. Cut the stalks to knee height and scatter the harvested stems and leaves on the ground. Apparently, no self-respecting cat will scratch around in a bed of rue.

Bothered by groundhogs, voles and moles? Grow caster bean plants, says Ken. Rather than burrowing under these shrubby annuals, the rodents will go to ground, finding better homes and gardens elsewhere.

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