Extremely cheap and effective pest repellent

[Droopy Dog]

I can't take credit for this, although I was doing something similar.

Simply plant a clove of garlic when you transplant to the final container. 1 or 2 near the edge and zero bugs.

I had hid my spring crop among the garlic I had growing and had zero bug problems. Posted about this on another site and another member showed me pics of garlic he had growing in the same pots with his mj.

I had never considered this, but it was so simple, cheap and effective.

You won't get any garlic, since that is a 8 month grow cycle, but you will get bug protection, garlic chives and loads of mycorrhizae. Myco's love the Allium family (garlic, onions, etc) and are used to grow yer own.

Helpful Hint: Put the garlic you are going to plant in the fridge for a day or 2. The cold is a trigger for them to sprout. You plant garlic after the first frost normally and before the ground freezes.

DD

 

[billmoe93]

Always great information DD

I read about companion growing with garlic before, but didn't implement it because the article said you needed a specific type of garlic meant for growing and I lost interest.

Are you just using regular garlic you get from the grocery store?

Thanks

 

[greenhouse2]

good idea!!!do ya put the garlic beside it on different pots?

 

[HigherDrifter]

Yeah bud.

You mentioned this on one of my other threads.

I've known for a while that Garlic was an effective insect repellent, but not in the manner described here - growing it.

Will definitely be planting some Garlic (in the ground) around the Eldorados I'm gonna be growing next year.

 

[Droopy Dog]

Always great information DD

I read about companion growing with garlic before, but didn't implement it because the article said you needed a specific type of garlic meant for growing and I lost interest.

Are you just using regular garlic you get from the grocery store?

Thanks

Haven't done it inside yet. Running lights AND the ac cost too much. I will in Sept or so when it cools down, but trying to grow in 100* temps isn't worth it.

I'll try the garlic from the store for this. Never heard of a specific type of garlic for growing. They all grow. Otherwise, where would they come from? Now, what I grow isn't what you find in the store, just like the tomatoes in the store aren't what you grow at home. Commercial varieties in the store, good tasting stuff at home.

If it will sprout, it will grow. I have heard of some things being treated so they wouldn't sprout, but IDK about garlic. Put it in the fridge for a few days, the cold is a trigger to sprout.

DD

 

[Droopy Dog]

good idea!!!do ya put the garlic beside it on different pots?

This was the way mine was outside. The garlic was in 5 gal buckets and I was putting clones in 1gal pots between the rows to hide them. Only noticed the zero bug problems after the grow.

The guy that did it inside had a plant or 2 in the same pot with his mj. But I'm sure, in a separate pot next to the mj would work just as well. I guess it would depend mostly on your final pot size. If like 5 gallons, you would have room in the same container (he was in 5 or 7 gallon). Smaller, you could do the side by side. The garlic shouldn't get that big, it does most of it's growth the last 3 or 4 months of its cycle, 8 months total.

DD

 

[HigherDrifter]

I've got a gob of Garlic cloves chillin' in fridge...been in there for about 3~4 days so far now. If, and when, I see signs of them sprouting I'm sticking them (in the ground) in the 3 ft. dia. saucer around my sole remaining female.

I've got three plants left standing. One is definitely female. Still to early to tell what what the sex is of the remaining two. Doesn't matter really, they're coming down soon anyways, male or female. I'm only sticking with only one plant this year, so, hopefully I'll avoid the disaster I had last year having 6 huge, bushy-assed females to look after.

 

[Droopy Dog]

If you are ready to plant them, take them back out of the fridge and they should sprout. They may sprout in the fridge, IDK.

I plant after the first frost, but before the ground freezes. I'll put them in the fridge for a few days and then take them out the day before i plant and they pop pretty quick. Tough stuff, it's a trip seeing green leaves growing out of the snow like it's nothing.

DD

 

[billmoe93]

Im with you on the heat. Im waiting for it to break as well. I got a few mothers who are not appreciating the summer.

I can't find the article I was reading about companion growing with garlic. I just remember it said to use garlic that had been bred for this purpose or something along those lines. Im just going to use regular farmers market garlic, see what happens. Thanks again

 

[Droopy Dog]

That's all I'm going to use, stuff from the grocery/farmers market. I don't see why it wouldn't work as long as it grows. Plus, it's cheap.

What I grow to eat is like $12/lb, different variety's, but you only need to buy it once. Make sure you have seed stock and eat the rest.

Got a link to that article? I'd like to see how it reads.

DD

 

[TorturedSoul]

Garlic and onions repel insects and rabbits for sure. Whenever I have a garden outside I try to make a border around at least part of it. Looks better than a fence, safer than pesticides. Tasty, too.

If possible, I'd avoid grocery-store produce for planting purposes. No reason they shouldn't work, but you might find that they've been encouraged not to by people who'd rather you purchase their produce each week than grow your own.

 

[billmoe93]

Sorry Droop, I cant find it. I should have saved it. I tried a bunch of google and couldn't come up with it either. However after reading a lot of related garlic co planting articles looking for it, I haven't found any that refer to a special type of garlic so it must not be that crucial. I might look again later but this bowl has ruined my motivation

 

[HigherDrifter]

I really don't think you need a specific kind of Garlic - especially not with most home gardening. If you're growing garlic only for pest control you could plant just a few of the hot and spicy types throughout your garden. On the other hand, if you're growing for both culinary and pest control you could probably stick with planting more of the mild types.

There are some claims about some kind of "Super" Garlic (hybrid?) they use for producing Garlic based pest control products (very pungent, hot and spicy) - products that are more directed at large scale farms and orchards.

 

[HigherDrifter]

I have very few problems with rodentia - not too many around with all the stray cats in this neighborhood.

Insects are a HUGE problem in my area. We got all kinds of insects here: Fig Beetles - greedy bastards ate 90% of my Peaches then they piss all over the place, and their larvae like to chomp on roots; Tobacco Budworm Moths laid hundred of eggs in my Cannabis buds and their larvae destroyed at least 80% of my crop (6 females) last year; Leafminers - more piss-slingers; White Flies, Wooly Aphids, Green Aphids and their herding Ant buddies, Grasshoppers, Slugs, a slew of various Moths, Spider Mites, a few different boring insects, plus a few I just can't identify.

I don't know which insect did this - some of my buds had some white pasty shit in them - totally grossed me out.

If I can get these store boughts in the fridge to sprout a I'll be planting Garlic with some early fall veggies this year. If I can't get them to sprout - I've been scoping out some Garlic seed for sale, so I'll wait till late early spring of next year.

 

[Droopy Dog]

If you're going to do outside, fall is the time to plant if you want to eat any. Do you get any sort of winter? Like snow and stuff?

The reason I ask is, some of the stuff I'm growing is grown mostly in the upper U.S. and Canada. I'm about as far south as it can be grown and in zone 7 IIRC.

The old saw for garlic is, "Plant on Halloween, harvest on the 4th of July".

There are variety's that do well in warmer climates if you are looking at seed stock. Cajun varietys come to mind for one.

TS is correct AFA some in the stores are treated to not sprout and some aren't. Looking for ginger root to plant, 2 of 3 grocerys had treated stuff, but the third had new growth showing on the rhizomes and this is what I bought and planted. Guess I'll have to do the same with the garlic. If I have enough, I might just use some of my seed stock.

Some from the grocery sprouted, I just don't remember which store. I'd bet the one I got the ginger from, but it's easy enough to get 1 bulb from each and test.

Can you snag any that's grown in Gilroy? That should work well since it's grown in Cali. Only in jars here. The fresh is either from China or Mexico.

DD

 

[HigherDrifter]

If you're going to do outside, fall is the time to plant if you want to eat any.

Right on, though I'm more concerned with alleviating the insect problem first with some of the hot and spicey varieties. Once I've got a better handle on the bugs I can switch to the milder types for eating and pest control.

Do you get any sort of winter? Like snow and stuff?

Yeah...something of a winter here. Normally we do get a few bouts with sub-freezing temps - in the mid 20's. Every blue moon or so we do get snow but it doesn't stay on the ground as snow for very long.

There are variety's that do well in warmer climates if you are looking at seed stock. Cajun varietys come to mind for one.

Good tip. Thanks. There are a few hot and spicey Italian varieties well sooted for warmer climates too that I've been looking into for seed stock.

TS is correct AFA some in the stores are treated to not sprout and some aren't.

Yeah. I'm beginning to think the one's that I've got in the fridge aren't going to sprout. Been in the fridge for about a week...I'll give them another week or two...see what happens.

Can you snag any that's grown in Gilroy? That should work well since it's grown in Cali.

Funny you mentioned Gilroy - I was thinking the same thing. Central/Coastal California...a bit cooler in that area, but I'm sure what grows there could grow here (further south and inland - considerably warmer and drier) with a watchful eye.

 

[Droopy Dog]

Take the ones in the fridge out and leave on the counter for a bit.

If they are going to sprout, going from the cold to warmer will do it. If they don't, you know they have been treated and will have to try a different source.

DD

 

[HigherDrifter]

Right on Droopy

 

[fayn2madness]

I've been using Spinosad this year for everything and it works very well and is a completely Biological agent. (naturaly occuring bacteria attacks bugs nervous system) it is weak on mites and spiders though. I read about Ivermectin the horse paste wormer for mites and spiders. I mix a 200 lb dose of Ivermectin(8$ 1200lb dose) and 1 tablespoon of spinosad to 32 oz bottles of rosemary tea, the last few days and it seems to be working very well on crowded 8 to 10 ft plants that are very full and intergrown very hard to treat. This has worked even better than the miticide I used during veg. it's only been a few days so I hope they get gone before the buds start building up. They are just showing now. I will not be using the Ivermectin after next week because I'm not sure if it is biological or not, I believe it is from what I have read or wouldn't use it at all. I tried the miticide while they were young w/2 doses and it didn't work beyond a week either time.
Next year I think the garlic idea is a good plan and I can use the above mixture as a suppliment.

 

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