Thrips tend to feed inside furled leaves and blooms and the damage they do is usually seen before they are observed. Scars on the foliage, black feces, misshapen flowers and leaves are all signs that thrips are feeding on a plant.
Thrips lay eggs which hatch into feeding larvae. These larvae go through two molts while feeding, then through a nonfeeding prepupal stage before pupating into adult thrips. The whole process may only take two weeks during warm weather, so a few thrips rapidly become an infestation. Thrips can’t fly far, but do drift on wind currents to new feeding sites. They can quickly spread throughout a greenhouse.

Thrips prefer rapidly growing tissue. This means fruit buds are damaged, leaving scars on the flowers . Scars can also be left on fruit such as citrus and avocados, making them less desirable to consumers. Leaves may be scared or malformed.
Thrips seldom kill plants outright. Most plants can outgrow the dmage caused by thrips. If, however, they become a problem, insecticidal soap can be used to control them. Spray the underside of leaves as well as the top, to insure through coverage.

Lacewings and minute pirate bugs may be purchased from some garden supply houses and used as biological controls for thrips. These insects will eat the thrips, but getting them to stay where they are needed and not fly away to other areas can be a problem.

Pruning the damaged tissue off of plants and destroying it is another way to control thrips. This destroys their eggs as well as many of the larvae and adults. It also removes the unsightly damage done by the thrips.

Pesticides are usually not warranted for thrips. Their eggs and larvae are difficult to reach with the pesticides because they are inside the leaf or flower bud. Usually, the thrips that cause the visible damage are long gone by the time any pesticide is applied. Some organophosphates and pyrethrins are labeled for use against thrips, but it is important to check the label and make sure it is safe to use them on the target plant. Insecticidal soap or spinosid is generally as effective and much lower in toxicity, so these should be tried first.

Okra should be planted after all danger of frost has passed. It is planted about one inch deep and two inches apart. Rows should be spaced about two feet apart. Once the okra is up and growing well, thin the plants to one every foot.
Okra needs plenty of fertilizer. Before planting, spread 2 to 3 pounds of 10-10-10 per 100 feet of row. Mix the fertilizer in well with the soil. After the first harvest, spread an additional one cup of fertilizer per row. Water each time after spreading the fertilizer.

Okra is vulnerable to aphids, stink bugs, and ants. Of the three, ants are the hardest to deal with. No ant bait or poison is approved for use on okra. Spread ant bait around the parameter of the garden to attract the ants to it. Since ants forage at least 100 feet from the nest, they will pick the bait up and take it back to the nest.

Aphids are small bugs that excrete a sticky substance referred to as honeydew. It quickly molds and covers the leaves of the plant, preventing photosynthesis and eventually starving the plant. Malathion will kill aphids.

Stink bugs eat the plant foliage and the okra. They also sting humans trying to harvest the okra. They are green in color and small, with a darker green diamond shield on their back. Sevin ® Dust will kill stink bugs.

Okra is harvested when it is 3-4 inches long. Any longer and it will grow fibrous and tough. When plants are really producing, okra should be harvested every other day. Cut the okra off the plant with a sharp knife. Pulling it off damages the plant and reduces the harvest.

Okra can be stored for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Fresh okra is used as a thickening agent in gumbo and jambalaya, fried, or steamed. It can be cut into slices and frozen for later use. Okra can also be used to make pickles.

If okra gets too mature to eat, the pods can be cured and dried for use in flower arrangements. At the end of the growing season, a few pods can be allowed to grow and dry out on the okra plants. Since okra is open pollinated, seeds from these pods can then be saved for the next season’s garden and will breed true.

When the season is over, okra can safely be composted with other plants to fertilize the next year’s crops.
Okra is a heavy producer. One row will produce enough okra for a family of four with plenty to store for later use.

Squash bugs lay brownish eggs in clusters on the underside of leaves. These eggs hatch in 1-2 weeks into green bugs with red heads. These bugs are really small, 3/16s to 1/2 inch in size. They go through five instars, or stages, before becoming adults. Each stage is progressively darker until the final adult color is reached.

Each winter, adults hide in leaf litter, under leaves and logs, and in debris to wait for spring. As soon as plants start growing, they fly in and lay the eggs. Infestations are usually heaviest in late spring and early summer, when the overwintering adults are still alive and the young nymphs have hatched.

Because the squash bugs feed by sucking juices out of the leaves, they disrupt the flow of water to the leaves and nutrients from the leaves to the roots. Leaves develop yellow spots where they are pierced. These spots spread throughout the leaf and it turns brown and dies. Bad infestations of squash bugs can kill small plants. They can significantly reduce the yield from larger plants, as well as damaging the fruit and vegetables.

Adult squash bugs are hard to kill. It is important to regularly inspect your plants, especially the underside of leaves, for eggs, nymphs, and adults. Early detection and extermination is essential to minimize the damage these insects cause.
Eliminate all debris and leaf matter in and near the garden to reduce overwintering spots for the adult bugs. Compost such organic matter thoroughly to kill the pests before they can lay their eggs in the spring.

Should you find squash bugs, Sevin® Dust is one of the few substances approved for home garden use that kills squash bugs. It is a contact poison, so it is important to spread it on the undersides of the leaves so that it touches the squash bugs. If it doesn’t touch them, it won’t kill them. Always read and follow label directions before using any pesticide.
Organic growers and those with light infestations can pick the squash bugs off of the underside of the leaf and smash them. This works well with light infestations. Chickens and ducks love the insects, and can be used as a control once the leaves are big enough that the poultry will not try to eat them.

Heavier infestations can be treated with insecticidal soap, being careful to effectively spray the undersides of each leaf. It can be difficult to obtain the coverage necessary to treat a heavy infestation this way.

Fertilizing

A lawn is a hungry little beast.  It craves nitrogen and in doing so will need to be feed twice in the spring and twice in the fall.  Do not get hung up on synthetic fertilizer.  It contains salt, which can be damaging to the soil and reduces healthy bacteria and fungi.  Also, it can cause plant damage.

A better approach is to use an organically formulated fertilizer that is high in nitrogen or create your own.  This is done by aerating compost and spraying it over the lawn.  Not only will it feed the lawn but it will also give the beneficial bacteria and/or fungi a boost.

Water

Watering grass is a tricky subject.  If you water too little, grass will develop a shallow root system or turn brown, wither and die

On the other hand, if you water too much the ground will become saturated and the grass will drown and die.  Either one of these situations creates an environment that is conducive to weed development.  The trick to watering is to understand when to water and how much.

Before you turn that sprinkler on, check the soil moisture.  This is done by digging down into the soil.  Once you do that you may discover that only the top three inches are dry and the below that is saturated.  If this is the case, the grass does not need to be watered.

If the soil is dry past the three-inch mark, then consider watering but do not water the full amount all at once.  Water is a unique substance that likes to stick together.  To prevent wasting any of the water and allowing the grass to utilize this resource to the max, water in two shifts that are separated by 90 minutes or more.

Also, only water in the early morning or late in the evening.  Both of these times will reduce water evaporation so that the grass can take up this resource.  If you do have a fungal problem in your grass though, only water in the morning.  This gives the moisture time to evaporate before the evening dew.

Let the Air In

Aerating the soil is very important but do not bother renting a commercial aerator.  Instead, wear a pair of shoes with spikes on the bottom, such as those worn by football players.  As you walk on the grass, the spikes will poke holes in the soil or aerate it for you.

Aeration is important for water percolation and fertilizer up take along with oxygen exchange.

Create an Environmental Advantage for Grass

Creating a fair playing field for grass is very important.  This includes making sure the grass is mowed correctly and that the soil pH is right.  While one may think that mowing their grass as short as possible would be a way of smothering out the weeds, you would be wrong.  Cutting the grass as tall as possible, it seems shades the weeds to the point that they cannot receive adequate amounts of sunlight.  Without the right amount of sunlight, the weeds cannot produce enough food through photosynthesis and die.

The soil pH is another way of creating an environment that favors grass instead of weeds.  As an example, when one is talking about dandelions it has been discovered that this weed loves a soil pH of 7.5 while grass likes a pH of 6.5.  If your soil is 7.5, then your weeds will win.  On the other hand, if the soil is 6.5 the grass will win the war against the weeds.

You can buy a simple pH test kit for home but it can be expensive.  Another approach is to utilize your county’s extension office.  This office will provide the kits and directions on how to do a soil test.  Once the samples have been taken, they will be sent to a state lab that will not only give you the results but also recommendations on how to fix the problem.

On the rare occasion that a weed or two pops up its ugly head, do not panic.  You can treat it with hot water or an old-fashioned tool called the ball weeder.   This tool will lift up the weed and remove it from the environment.

A healthy lawn does not require the use of chemicals but instead a little common sense, understanding of the natural environment, and patience.

Adult cucumber beetles feed on pollen, flowers, and foliage, but can chew on rinds late in the season.  In addition to looking bad, this reduces the market value of the fruit.  The larvae, or caterpillars, feed on roots and stems.  However, they are mainly a problem because they spread bacterial wilt.

The adults of both striped and spotted cucumber beetles are a mere 1/4 inch long.  The striped beetle is yellow-green with three black stripes on its back.  The spotted cucumber beetle is yellow-green with twelve black spots on its back.  The spotted cucumber beetle is also known as the southern corn cutworm.

Adult beetles overwinter in protected areas near buildings, in fence rows, and among debris and leaves in the field.  When it warms up in the spring, they fly out to fields and lay their eggs at the soil line near curcubits (cucumbers, squash, watermelons, and cantaloupe).  The eggs hatch and the larvae feet on the roots of the plants.  Adults emerge and feed on the foliage and fruit, as well as laying more eggs.

The most serious problem associated with the beetles, however, is the spreading of bacterial wilt by the caterpillars.  This infection overwinters in the gut of cucumber beetles and is spread when the adult lays infected eggs.  The caterpillars inject the wilt bacteria when feeding.

The first symptom of bacterial wilt is flagging of lateral leaves.  Soon, adjacent leaves wilt and then the entire vine wilts and dies.  This condition spreads quickly and can take out an entire field of curcubits very quickly.

In order to prevent bacterial wilt, cucumber beetles must be controlled with a soil drench soon after they hatch.  This drench kills the beetle larvae before they can infect the plant.  For home gardens, using cans or row covers to cover the plants when small can prevent cucumber beetles from laying eggs near them.  Eliminating debris and other places they can overwinter can help reduce their population, as well.

If cucumber beetles are observed, applying a contact poison to the foliage of the plant, such as Sevin® Dust, to kill the adults can help.  Muskmelons and cucumbers should have such foliar applications every week during the peak of cucumber beetle season.  Watermelons are not susceptible to bacterial wilt and need only be protected when small.  Be sure to treat the undersides of the leaves as well as the tops for total control.

If a plant exhibits signs of bacterial wilt, remove it and discard it in the trash.  Do not compost sick plants as this may spread the disease further.  Treat nearby plants with foliar applications of poison to help reduce the spread of the disease.  Always read and follow label directions when using pesticides.

The SPB generally attacks sick or stressed trees. However, every once in a while they become epidemic in numbers and attack healthy trees. Because of the way they burrow into the phloem, they effectively girdle the tree. That means they cut off the flow of nutrients from the roots to the needles and the flow of energy from the needles to the rest of the tree.
As if girdling the tree isn’t bad enough, SPB carries blue stain fungus. This fungus grows fast inside the xylem, blocking water flow within the tree. The tree effectively dies of thirst even if it has plenty of water.

The SPB is a native pest that is found throughout the south and southeastern United States, roughly coinciding with the distribution of the loblolly pine tree. The adults are 2 to 4 mm in length and black in color. The larvae are 2-7 mm in length, yellow white in color, legless, and have a red head.

One of the reasons SPB attacks are so deadly is that the first beetle to find a new tree, usually a female, emits a pheromone to call in males and more females. That means that the tree is attacked by a large number of beetles at the same time. They bore through the bark and lay white colored eggs. These hatch in three to nine days. The adults then munch on the phloem, along with the larvae that have hatched. As mentioned, the mass of SPB beetles eating on the phloem effectively girdles the tree and it dies.

The new adult beetles then move to another tree. They range of these beetles may be 2 miles a day, and any pine trees in the area are soon under attack. From egg to adult ranges from 26 to 60 days, depending on the favorability of conditions.

As you can see, infestation with SPB is a serious matter. There currently is no treatment that kills the beetles once they infest a tree. In order to prevent the spread of these beetles, it is important to remove and destroy the infested trees. Simply felling them is not sufficient. The trees must be burned, chipped and composted, or milled to make sure that the beetles are killed. If the infestation is severe enough, a buffer strip of healthy trees should be felled out to 50 to 100 feet from the infestation. These trees, too, must be destroyed.

With the drought stress pine trees have suffered in the last year, SPB are spreading rapidly. Any pine tree or other conifer, such as cedar, that exhibits predominately dead needles or shows the characteristic round “shot” holes of the SPB should be destroyed as mentioned above.

Tomatoes are susceptible to many diseases.  Most people know to buy tomatoes that are resistant to some of these, such a fusarium wilt.  However, some very good tasting heirloom tomatoes are not resistant to the common diseases most gardens harbor today.  In order to grow them, it is necessary to graft the heirloom scion, or top, onto a hardy rootstock, or bottom, that can withstand these problems.

Grafting tomatoes is not as difficult as grafting peaches or other fruit trees.  All you need is two tomato plants, a razor, and a grafting clip.  The grafting clip holds the graft together long enough for it to heal and can be bought cheaply from many tomato supply houses.

The two tomato plants should be a few days old and the same diameter as each other.  Cut the top off the rootstock with the razor.  Use a cut that is straight across and level.  Discard the top of this tomato plant.  Now, cut the top off of the scion in the same manner.  Carefully thread the cut end of the scion into the grafting clip.  Now thread the grafting clip onto the top of the rootstock until the two tomato plants are in firm contact with one another.

In order to heal, the tomatoes must be kept humid and in low light for about three days.  An easy way to do this is to put the pot in a clear plastic cup and put another clear plastic cup over the top.  You may need to use a stick to support the top of the scion so that it does not break above the graft.  This creates a mini greenhouse that will keep the plant humid enough to heal.

The low light is necessary because you want the tomato plant to concentrate on healing, not producing foliage.  Instead of direct sunlight, ten percent sunlight for three days will allow it to heal the best.  This can be accomplished by putting paper around the outside of the cups so only the top is open to light.

At the end of three days, the graft should be healed.  The plant is still a bit fragile, but can be transplanted into a larger container for further growth.  The grafting clip will gradually be outgrown and will drop off the plant when it is no longer needed.  These clips can then be sterilized in a solution of one part bleach and nine parts water for ten minutes, rinsed, and reused.

When planting the tomato in the ground, it should be planted with the grafting knot level with the ground.  This protects the knot and keeps the plant from producing suckers under the knot.

This perennial vegetable grows best when planted in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 3 through 8. It thrives in a well-drained soil that has a neutral pH or one that is 6.5 to 7.5.

As the spring weather warms, asparagus will begin to break ground. What appears is the edible part of the plant.

To create an asparagus bed, one must first decide if they are going to use seeds or crowns. If you choose to use seed, start them indoors in the spring. Once the seedlings are 12 to 14 weeks old, simply place outside to harden off but make sure this is done after your local frost-free date.

Keep in mind though, that if you start your asparagus from seed you will have to fight weeds all season long.

If you choose to use crowns, the first part of this process is to evaluate the garden space. Asparagus fronds are very tall and can shade other parts of the garden space. To prevent this, place the crowns along the side or back of the bed.

To prepare the future asparagus bed, one must first remove all weeds from the area. If done early in the season, one can cover the soil with black plastic to sterilize the soil and kill any weed seeds.

Once this is done, the next step is to add compost that is seasoned and weed free. A good rule to follow when adding the compost is to add a 2-inch layer on the soil’s surface. Then, till the compost into the soil. Once that is done, dig a trench that is 4-inches deep and 10-inches wide. After the trench is completed, simply lay the asparagus crowns in the trench 15-inches apart.

After the trench has been planted with asparagus, fill back in the trench with the amended soil but avoid stepping on that soil.

Controlling weeds is a very important when one is growing asparagus. Pulling the weeds when they are very young and/or using mulch will help control the weeds until the asparagus matures.

In the fall cut off any asparagus fronds and cover with 1-inch of weed free compost or manure. Then, top this layer with a 3-inch layer of straw or non-treated, rotten sawdust.

Do not worry about your asparagus not being able to break through this layer, it can. When spring arrives and you have harvested your crop, top off the bed with a 1-inch layer of weed free compost.

Repeat this compost/mulch pattern every year.

Asparagus has two pests. This includes the common asparagus beetle, whose coloration is black, white or red orange and the spotter asparagus beetle. This beetle is red-orange with black spots.

Simply controls for these pests include allowing chickens into the bed to eat the adults to handpicking the insects off. Another technique is to allow part of the bed to become a trap crop. In this trap crop, the gardener monitors the spears and removes the pests by hand. Then, in late summer, the fronds are cut 2-inches above the ground and the spears are harvest approximately three weeks later.

While this technique does prevent a spring harvest, it does allow for a fall harvest.

If you want an exotic look to your asparagus, try this simple technique. Cover the spears as soon as they break ground with a dark colored box or jar. This will prevent the asparagus spears from going through photosynthesis and in doing so creating a white variety.

Some more asparagus articles you may be interested in:
Growing Asparagus Guide
How to Grow Asparagus

Stevia can be propagated in three ways. Propagation through cuttings and tissue cultures are the easiest and most successful way of starting stevia. This herb can be a challenge to start from seed but it can be done.

Seed propagation of stevia starts off with examining the seed. If you do not go through the seed, you are looking at about a 10 percent germination rate. If you go through the seed, only plant those seeds that are dark in color.

Sprinkle the seed on top of a well-drained soil that is slightly on the sandy side. Water in and place on a propagation mat. In a few days, the green dots of stevia seedlings will begin to appear. Utilizing this approach will improve ones germination rate to around 85 percent.

Stevia harvested from plants grown from seed may or may not be sweet, so keep this in mind when considering a propagation method.

Regardless of which propagation method you choose, the next step is the placement of this plant in the garden. Stevia should be planted in a sunny location and should be mulched. Mulching will prevent moisture loss and reduce splashing of the soil up onto the plant.

This herb has very tender stems and leaves. To prevent from breaking the plant and tearing up the leaves, water through a drip or soaker hose. If this is not possible, consider watering with a homemade watering globe.

Throughout the season, the stevia plant will need to be fertilized with an all-purpose type garden fertilizer. To increase the level of sweetness or the amount of stevioside, add boron to the soil.

Stevia can be harvested year round but should be cut before it blooms. This herb blooms in late September to early October. To harvest, simple cut the plant even with the base, tie together and hang in a warm room that is dry and dark. In this environment, the stevia should take two to four days to dry.

Once dry, the stevia leaves will need to be run through a coffee grinder to create stevia powder. This powder can then be used as one would sugar.

Compost is a rich humus made up of decayed plant and animal matter. Humus is the organic component to soil. Compost has several advantages. It:
• Improves the productivity of your soil by returning nutrients to it that your plants have removed.
• Reduces need to add fertilizer to garden
• Improves water retention of soil
• Improves drainage of soil by breaking up clay and adding organic matter to sand
• Conserves water by absorbing it when the garden is watered then slowly releasing it into the surrounding soil for the plants to use.

To make compost, you combine plant and animal material in a specific way that speeds decomposition into rich humus. Simply piling manure in a pile and allowing it to age does not produce compost.
In order to get the plant and animal matter to decompose into material your plants can use, you essentially are farming micro-organisms that that the debris and turn it into compost. If you optimize the living conditions for these micro-organisms, you get better compost.

The optimal compost pile is built with a six inch layer of wood chips or other bulky brown plant material. The next layer is six inches of leaves, straw, hay, or some combination of these. Sprinkle the pile with water. Put a thin layer of cheap nitrogen fertilizer down. Next put a layer of kitchen scraps and grass clippings down. Now start over with the bulky stuff and keep building until you have a three foot tall pile. Never add sick plants to a compost pile. Trash them to avoid spreading the illness to other plants.

Once a week, turn the pile over and sprinkle with water. This will speed the action of the microbes and keep the pile hot enough to kill weed seeds and pathogens. A good, hot compost pile should reach 140 to 160 degrees in the center of the pile.

How do you tell when it is done? When the pile cools off and does not heat up again, it is done. The entire pile should be rich, dark brown and smell like good dirt. If you can see items larger than a finger nail that you can identify, your pile is not done.

When your compost is done, you can spread it three inches thick on new beds and till it in to a depth of six inches. Each season, add three more inches. This will keep your garden fertile and reduce your dependence on chemical fertilizers.
If you buy compost, be sure it has the same characteristics as the compost discussed above. If you can see clumps of plant material or manure, the compost is not done and should be returned. It could burn your plants if you use it.

Some more articles on Weekendgardener.net about composting:

How To Compost Your Lawn

Composting 101

Seven Things You Didn’t Think You Can Compost- But You Can