All the Dirt on Gardening

We all want low-cost as well as pet and child friendly solutions to gardening dilemmas. Chemical-free pesticides are also the territory of all gardeners who are trying to be good stewards of the earth. In "Designing with Succulents", Debra Baldwin recommends using a spray of diluted rubbing alcohol to cure plants of sucking insects such as aphids and mites. On the Aroid-L discussion there have been several suggestions for dealing with fungi this weekend. Ground cinnamon is recommended as a natural fungicide for use on tubers and roots that have been cut or dug up for winter storage. In addition, orchids, aroids, agave and other plant roots benefit from a thick cinnamon coating while damp. Used on succulent cuttings, it is said to speed up the callus production which is important. And, if the root of a plant has begun to rot, remove the affected portion and cover the cleaned root with cinnamon to use it as a fungicide. The injured roots have to be dampened to make the cinnamo...