Northern Michigan Garden Maintenance, Renovation & Design
6829 Herkner Road Traverse City, MI 49685
18 Jun 2012

Insect World

Insect World
by Edgar A. Guest

We know so little. That whene’er I pass
I think I hear faint whisperings in the grass
From tiny creatures I can scarcely see
Out of their wisdom making fun of me.

Theirs is a world in which I cannot go,
A knowledge never given me to know.
Theirs is a purpose, baffling unto man,
And yet the ants appear to have a plan.

Earth is their home and I am sure they find
Charms and delights to which man’s eyes are blind.
Ants no doubt wonder why men never stay
To gaze on tiny splendors, just as they.

Nor do I think they envy us at all,
But count it God’s best blessing to be small,
For they possess within a patch of grass
A world of beauty mortals blindly pass.

15 Jun 2012

Rhubarb leaves – Organic Insecticide

Rhubarb leaves can be used to make an effective organic insecticide for any of the leaf eating insects (cabbage caterpillars, aphids, peach and cherry slug etc).

Recipe 1

Basically you boil up a few pounds of rhubarb leaves in a few pints of water for about 15 or 20 minutes,
allow to cool,
then strain the liquid into a suitable container.
Dissolve some soap flakes in this liquid and use it to spray against aphids.
So, next time you pick some rhubarb stems to eat, you can put the leaves to good use rather than just composting them (which isn’t in itself such a bad use, I guess). http://ow.ly/i/GF8m