 |
| I bought praying mantis egg cases in the past, to establish them in the garden. Mantids love asparagus bugs. LI took care of asparagus bugs with two blocks of wood. |
Lawns
Scott's Lawn and Garden talks people into putting inorganic nitrogen on their lawns, so can mow thick grass, bag it, and have it hauled away. A mulching lawnmower puts the grass back onto the lawn where it can be pulled into the soil to feed earthworms and the entire soil structure. Fresh-mown grass is a hot (high nitrogen) component for compost, so why not compost on the spot, where it is needed?
Grass enjoys frequent mowing, but weeds hate being cut. They want to spread out like dandelions and crabgrass, or grow tall like goosefoot and pigweed. Therefore, a good lawn is mulch-mowed a bit long but on regular basis. The weeds are weakened by this while contributing their cuttings to the lawn, which will overcrowd them in time by being fed.
A Creation gardener will snip away the leaves of a dandelion growing on top of his mulch in the rose garden, allowing the herb to continue to drill down and soften the soil. Moreover, the root hairs feed the ocean of life beneath the soil, so bacteria can feed the earthworms and concentrate nutrition while blending it it the gizzard and gut.
 |
| Garden spider. |
Spiders
Facebook features regular freak-outs over spiders, including videos of these hideous monsters. When I see a web across the plants or mulch, I smile, because the spiders are catching pests for me. I do see a bit of damage from grasshoppers and other insects, but not much at all. They like young, tender, weak plants. If I have enough planted, everyone is fed and happy. Their feast is only going to attract hungry spiders, so the balance is quickly restored if I do not spray down the plants with insecticide, which will kill all the beneficial creatures at the same time.
My question before spraying is - "Do I want this on my tomatoes and beans?" The answer is never - "Yes!"
I have never been been harmed by spiders or bees in the garden. Sometimes a hornet has dive-bombed me while painting a house, but that has never led to a sting.
The vast number of beneficial insects will displace the harmful ones. In fact, many of them will dine on the harmful ones. If someone bombs his yard with insecticide, the tough bad insects will come back.
My neighbor sprayed twice for mosquitoes. He said they came back at once, doubtless because the sprayer merely created an empty area for the pests to come back in droves from every other yard.
 |
| Morning dew on a spider web. |
