Green Ideas

Bio Controls

At Sprouts Greenhouse we utilize integrated pest management to avoid the use of harmful chemicals on our property.

What exactly does that mean?

Well, for one, we import predatory bugs like the ones in the pictures, that kill the bad bugs like aphids, thrips, and spider mites.

So if you see bugs at Sprouts during your visit, don’t despair, they just might be the good guys!

We also do things like using horticulture oil in fall to discourage the bad bugs from over-wintering, and try to keep weeds down around the greenhouse for the same reason.

Sometimes, in spite of all our efforts, due to the nice protected environment that is created in the Greenhouse, the bad guys multiply faster than the good guys can eat them. If that happens, we turn to organically approved solutions to help bring them back into balance where our predators can control them.

Chemicals In the Garden

Before you reach for those harsh chemicals to banish whatever woes you in your yard and garden, think about what else you may be killing. There are a number of ways to deal with the bugs and weeds that plague you, while creating a more balanced eco-system in your own yard and promoting healthy soil, not to mention the health of you and your family.

Relying on heavy doses of chemical fertilizers, poisonous pesticides & herbicides creates a vicious circle of chemical dependence. Why? A healthy soil is teeming with beneficial organisms from earthworms to microscopic bacteria & fungi. These harsh chemicals make it difficult for these organisms to survive causing the soil to lose its vitality. The result is often the use of more chemicals to replenish the soil and more chemicals to kill the bad bugs, because in the process you have also killed the good bugs that controlled them, or the bad guys have become resistant to the chemicals, which requires yet more. Do you see the circle continuing? In addition these chemicals are finding their way into our water systems causing vast problems such as blue-green algae outbreaks in our lakes causing excess amounts of toxins in the water, poisoning the inhabitants in them. So you see, before you reach for that bottle of chemical, realize that you are affecting so much more than that bug or that weed. There are many healthy ways to grow healthy plants and support a healthy environment. Look to organic fertilizers, composting, cover crops, companion planting, rotating crops, floating row covers and natural remedies. Please refer to our upcoming blogs for some in depth suggestions or visit us at the Greenhouse.

• Fertilize Earth Friendly

As opposed to chemical fertilizers, natural fertilizers release nutrients slowly for continued vigorous plant growth, rather than shocking the soil with a burst of chemical energy and then petering out. Healthier plants have better resistance to insects & diseases, and thus the need for chemical controls is reduced as well. Consider the effects the manufacturing and use of these chemicals has on our environment let alone the questionable risks to our health in our food crops… why would you use anything else?