Green alternative solutions for garden control - Our Daily Green

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Green alternative solutions for garden control


Many people get nervous about what living green really means, unsure of what one will have to give up in order to live a green life and this at times can seem like everything. However, most of our daily used, main stream products already have green alternatives that actually work better than those products that are not green. Choosing to purchase, use and immerse you and your family in a green lifestyle has many benefits beyond saving the environment, but will also help reduce the amount of chemicals we humans come into contact with.

Gardening and garden up-keep usually involves a long list of chemicals found in weed killers, fertilizers, and insect and animal control sprays. A common misconception of green gardening is that you no longer can control things like this, forced to let weeds take over your garden, bugs to roam as they please and deer to eat as many flowers as they want. This is all false. There are many products out there that are safe, naturally occurring and get the job done.

natural pest controlVinegar has many uses and benefits; probably more then you could have ever imagined and it’s because of this that it has become a huge part of organic living. 10% White vinegar is a great choice for non-selective weed control.  To make a white vinegar herbicide what you will need to do is first purchase a gallon of 10% white vinegar. For each gallon of herbicide you choose to make add 2oz of orange oil and 1 teaspoon of liquid soap. So what is the difference between this and commercialized chemical weed killers? Most chemical potent weed killers contain large amounts of salt, bleach, black plastic, and other toxic chemicals that kill soil life, contaminate soil long term and leaches into the water stream.

So what about those pesky bugs that just love a freshly grown garden, there is no way a non-chemical bug spray will work, right? Wrong again. In the recipe for making an organic, green friendly herbicide you may recall we used a teaspoon of orange oil, orange oil can also be used to fight bugs off. Orange oil along with vinegar is an important ingredient in many organic, green household products. So how does it work for bug control? Mix 2oz of orange oil per gallon of water into a pump sprayer, orange oil naturally degrades the waxy coating on the ectoskeleton of insects causing dehydration and asphyxiation, leaving your plants bug free. For best results make sure you spray your plants during the cooler part of the day to prevent any burning plant foliage.

Looking for other ways to turn your life green? Get Inspired LED lights. Using energy efficient LED lights will not only save tons of energy but will save you tons of money on your electric bill and lighting costs. The average LED light bulb lasts up to 50,000 hours or 13.7 years based on an average of 10 hours a day.
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