The Best Organic Garden Pest Control Treatments

by

Wade Robins

We forget with the enhancement of technology how to live in a world without it. The same can be said for pest control. We have forgotten that pest control on farms and in home gardens used to be organic. We invented “better” methods for pest control when we began spreading pesticides over our crops. This method of pest control was supposed to save us time, save our crops, and help us produce more food, but as luck would have it this method is dangerous. The pesticides can be toxic to more than just the bugs. It can harm people and the land. It should come as no surprise to most people that organic garden pest control has been around for centuries. In fact the first crops ever placed on a farm had organic pest control.

People from the past taught us what types of bugs were harmful to crops and what types of bugs could eliminate these pests. Today many farms are going back to the organic garden pest control method in order to kill the pests and save the humans and land. We are demanding organic foods not only because they taste better, but also because we don’t have to worry about toxic substances hurting us or our family.Proper TreatmentsSome methods of organic garden pest control on the small or large scale include introducing bugs that eat bugs. The ladybug is one good bug to have around your home garden or farm. The ladybug preys on aphids and other insects while it does no damage to the crops. The praying mantis is another insect that feeds on other insects large or small that can damage crops.Damaging bugs can be grasshoppers or whiteflies. There are bugs that will eat the eggs of pests and parasites that will kill the pests. These methods are natural and non toxic. While you have to monitor the introduction of these natural pest control methods you will find there are great benefits to using the organic garden pest control methods.Keeping Your Family SafeFirst of all your children and family will be safe from toxic pesticides. Second the land will no longer be affected by the toxicity of the pesticides and will be able to produce better quality products. Even if you have a home garden that you use organic garden pest control on you will realize how wonderful your vegetables or fruits taste when they are not pumped full of toxins.Organic garden pest control can be done on a large farm that feeds the masses or your own backyard. It may be a little more time consuming than spraying pesticides, but the safety factor as well as the increase of health in foods you eat will more than make up for the time spent in protecting your garden. We all want to be healthy and safe in our homes so spending a little research on how to create an organic garden may just benefit you the most.

You can also find more info on

Pest Control

and

Ant Pest Control

. Homepestcontrolhelp.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Homepest Control.

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The Best Organic Garden Pest Control Treatments}

By MrMasonry

There are many uses for a masonry material like landscape stone in the front and back yards of your home. It makes lovely limestone or brick paths, which can march directly from your patio or driveway to your door or this type of stone can also create paths that meander lazily around your garden. In its smaller, chip form landscape stone can replace mulch in plant beds and as edging in walkways. It can also be used to make terraced yards in the form of stone retaining walls. These yards are especially stunning in small city residential green spaces and yards where beds of lush, hanging plants are fronted by natural looking stone which instantly raises the curb appeal of a home. Landscape stone retaining walls are also useful in sloped backyards where they can create more outdoor living space.

Another attractive option for landscape stone is to bring it into your side yard and create a type of rock garden with a few plant accents. This works especially well in smaller side yards where space constraints limit the size of your outdoor living projects. The first thing to do when building this type of garden is to consider the shape of the bed in the middle of it. You can choose a square, a rectangle, a circle or other shapes. Ultimately, in a small yard a rectangular centerpiece is the best choice because it is easy to shape and fill around. Once you have a shape in mind, think about how you can use landscape stone within that center feature. Edge with large stones and then plant flowers, shrubs, or even small trees within this center bed. Fill the areas around the plants with small chips of landscape stone (like small gray or blue limestone pieces or even chips of red bricks and other stones). Then, it is time to consider what you can do with the space around the center. With a rectangular centerpiece, you can build out several stone borders and paths. Using bricks, limestone, clay pavers, and other types of landscape stone will help create texture and a visually interesting space. Feel free to plant flowers and other plants through these rows of stone, but be sure to contain those plants in discrete, small beds with edging so you do not encourage weeds to sprout up throughout your rock garden. Also, if you want more of a Zen rock garden type space, do away with the plant aspect all together and just focus on using landscape stone in different combinations and colors.

Once you have most of the side yard rock garden built, you can think about bringing in outdoor living accessories like a small bistro table and chairs, garden benches, and statues. Whatever your style or inspiration beautifying your side yard with Landscape Stone is easy. With the right masonry materials, and perhaps a little Zen, your side yard can be transformed from an unremarkable place to a place of beauty and tranquility with almost no grass to mow!

About the Author: Mr. Masonry built a rock garden in his side yard using Landscape stone from

General Shale Brick

.

Source:

isnare.com

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How to Repair a Irrigation Solenoid Valve

by

Maggie

When a solenoid valve (also called an electric valve or automatic sprinkler valve) fails to close it is almost always because something is stuck inside it. This might be a grain of sand, a small twig, a insect, or even a tiny snail. To fix the valve you need to disassemble and clean it. When a valve fails to open it is usually due to a bad solenoid or bad wiring, although in rare cases a grain of sand stuck inside the valve or a ripped diaphragm inside the valve. The following instruction tell how to disassemble, clean, and inspect the automatic valve.

To clean the valve:

As you disassemble the valve be sure to note how all the parts fit together so you can get it back together correctly! I strongly suggest you make a sketch and take notes. Each brand and model of valve is slightly different. The valve shown in the photos here is an anti-siphon type valve, which is a type commonly used on home sprinkler systems. The cap structure on the right side of this valve is the anti-siphon device.

Remove the solenoid from the valve. Most solenoids unscrew counter-clockwise to remove. When removing the solenoid watch that the spring loaded plunger inside it does not pop-out and fall into a mud puddle. On most newer valves the plunger is held “captive” so it won’t fall out when the solenoid is removed, but sometimes even those ones come loose. Once the solenoid is removed, push in on the end of the spring-loaded plunger in the solenoid. It should spring gently back out when released, and it should slide in and out smoothly when pressed several times in a row. If the plunger doesn’t move easily and smoothly, replace the solenoid; it is damaged and can’t be repaired. Do not apply any oil or lubricant to the solenoid plunger, if it is sticking it is not repairable, replace it.

Remove the valve lid, most are held in place by several metal screws. Some models of valve have lids that screw off like the top of a jar, turn counter-clockwise (lefty losey) to remove this type of lid. You may need to use a strap wrench to remove the jar-top style lids. All valves have a spring under the lid, don’t let it fall out into the mud! Remove the spring and set it aside.

Look for the tiny passages, called “ports”, inside the valve lid. These ports lead from the bottom of the lid to the area where the solenoid was attached. The exact location of the ports varies with each valve brand and model. Make sure these passages are not clogged with a grain of sand or whatever. Be careful you do not scratch or enlarge these passages when trying to get the sand out! Do not try to drill out these ports to clean them or make them larger.

Remove the rubber diaphragm from the valve. Make sure it is not cracked or broken, if it is replace it. Some valve models also have a port in the diaphragm, check to see if there is one, if so make sure it is clean. On some valves the port in the diaphragm has a metal pin that runs through it, the purpose of the pin is to keep the port clean. The pin should slide freely in the port. The diaphragm in the photo below has a separate, removable seat gasket attached to the bottom of it with a screw. On many valves the rubber seat gasket and the diaphragm are one piece and the seat gasket is not removable. Make sure the seat gasket or diaphragm seat does not have anything stuck on it, like a grain of sand or twig. If the gasket surface is scratched or torn replace the gasket or diaphragm.

Examine the valve seat in the bottom of the valve body. The seat is the part of the valve body that the gasket presses against to stop the water flow through the valve. Make sure the seat is not scratched or pitted, if it is the valve will leak when closed. On some valves the seat is replaceable. On some brass valves the seat can be ground down with a special tool to remove pits and scratches. However, for most valves if the seat is scratched or pitted, the valve is not repairable and must be replaced.

With the valve disassembled turn on the water to flush any remaining sand and crud from the pipes upstream of the valve. Turn it on full blast, and run it for a minute or two, you need to get everything out of that pipe. Turn off the water, and dry yourself off. I know you don’t want to get wet, but don’t skip flushing the pipes and valve body, this is an important step!

Carefully clean everything, then reassemble the valve. Some valves have a separate lid gasket or o-ring that needs to be cleaned or replaced before being reassembled. If there are any o-rings, I strongly suggest you lubricate them before reassembling using K-Y Jelly or a similar product. Lubricating o-rings is optional, but recommended as it keeps them from crimping during assembly. If the o-ring crimps it will be ruined and will leak. K-Y Jelly is a water-based lubricant that you buy in the feminine hygiene department of a supermarket or drug store. (Don’t ask for it at the hardware store unless you want to give the employees a good laugh at your expense. Yes, I admit I fell for this back when I was first starting out in this business, it’s a favorite plumber gag to send the new guy out to buy the K-Y Jelly!) Do not use vaseline, silicone, oil or any petroleum based products on the valve, they may damage the seals and also may clog the ports in the valve.

When attaching the lid, avoid striping out the lid threads and warping the lid as follows: When inserting the screws that hold the cap on, start with one of the screws next to the solenoid. Insert the screw in the hole then turn it counter-clockwise (losey lefty) until you feel a slight click as the screw finds the threads. Then reverse direction (righty tighty) and lightly tighten it. Then insert the second screw on the opposite side of the valve lid. Like the first, find the threads then just lightly tighten the screw. Continue with one screw on one side and the next on the other until they are all in. Now go back and tighten them all, going in the same order you inserted them. Do not over-tighten the screws on plastic valves, you will strip out the threads.

If you’re blessed and didn’t mess up something the solenoid valve should work correctly now.

Suggestion: Your solenoid valve has already failed once, chances are that means something in the water got stuck in it, which means there is sand or whatever in the water supply. Consider installing a filter upstream of the solenoid valve to keep out the sand and crud in the future. Typically the cost of a valve repair is greater than the cost of installing a filter.

Ningbo Lida Pneumatic Complete Sets Co.,Ltd. specializing

pneumatic

components,

solenoid valve

,air cylinder & pneumatic fittings that these are inexpensive.It has with more than 15years.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com