Show from May 7, 2006

Neem Oil, Mosquito repellent plants

Good morning gardeners. What a lovely day. Have you noticed this year how the leaves are coming out very slowly, giving us a chance to enjoy the them when they are small? The trees look as though they are wearing lace. And they are still that tender green of early spring.

My garden looks wonderful just now. The frost didn't do much damage, although the daffodils are hanging their heads. But the tulips have sprung right back up again, reaching for the sun. And the pretty cushion spurge has come to life this last week. Its neon yellow bracts light up the garden.

This is the time of year when I would like to slow time down. (Of course the way to do that is to spend the entire day in the garden – being out there makes time stand still.) And yesterday was a perfect example. I was weeding all morning and I enjoy weeding, being on my hands and knees very close to the plants and the earth. As I weeded, I added peat moss and divided some of the sedums and oat grass to fill in some bare spots. The oat grass is a pretty little blue and white striped clumping grass that grows from tiny corms. It never gets too rowdy – just stays in its place in neat little mounds. The sedum is an unknown blue-green variety that was given to me years ago by my son-on-law's mother, Lorraine Johnson. I love this plant. It a low growing plants that gets prink flowers in summer but looks great flowers or not. Thank you Lorraine.

By the way, if you buy peat moss and it's dry as a bone, the best way to dampen it down is with hot water. And it should be put in the ground damp so that it doesn't wick away existing moisture or blow away in the wind.

If you're planning on adding mulch to your garden this year, it's best to wait until the soil warms up to about 23 degree Celsius or 75 F. Putting it down sooner will keep the soil cool at a time when plants need warmth to get started.

And remember that mosquito season is not far away. Too keep the population down in your yard, be sure to get rid of any standing water where they love to breed. While this seems like a simple measure, it is probably the most important thing you can do.

And if you're looking for a mosquito repellent plant, I am told that Thai lemon grass is the best repellent. Plus you can peel of the outer leaves and used the juice from the scallion like stem at the base to rub on your skin or mix with a little alcohol to create a spray. Plant a few clumps around your seating are to keep mosquitos at bay.

Another effective mosquito repellent is neem oil, which you can purchase through the Manitoba Gardener. (940-2700 or 1-888680-2008).We sell it as a leaf shine, although it is also a very effective insecticide for about 400 chewing and sucking insects. I used it this winter on mealy bugs and they just disappeared. It gets into the leaves of the plant and does the bug in when they ingest it.

Neem is a very interesting product. It is derived from the neem tree which grows in India and has been used there for thousands of years. People brush their teeth with neem sticks, they rub it on to ward off mosquitos and they even use it as a skin softener. It smells mildly of garlic, so I'm sure they must perfume it first. A word of caution: don't use it if you have a peanut allergy as neem is a member of the peanut family.

Manitoba Gardener brought in neem because we heard that the lily leaf beetle had finally arrived in Neepawa. The lily leaf beetle is an ugly little critter that covers itself in its own excrement to discourage predators and it is death to lilies.