At West Coast Seeds, we believe that pest management can be effectively accomplished with organic methods that are environmentally and human friendly. Synthetic chemicals present too great a risk to the health of our families and communities and of the ecosystems that we rely on to provide essential life support services. Nature has evolved many mechanisms and relationships that keep pests in check (see beneficial insects and animals in our Glossary). It is up to the ingenious gardener and the clever farmer to apply these natural methods to our gardens and farms, with a little help from some of the safe and effective products below.
Bordo Copper Spray
Use on vegetables for blights and leaf spot; on fruits for anthracnose and downy mildew; and on ornamentals for black spot and powdery/downy mildew. Avoid contact with eyes, noes, throat, and skin. Contains copper from tribasic copper sulfate. Copper fungicide is a popular control for many plant diseases.
From
:
$ 11.00 CA
BTK Insecticide
Bacillus thuringiensis
BTK kills any caterpillar that eats it but is harmless to all other insects and animals, including humans. A truly effective biological control. The concentrated solution makes over 30L to control caterpillars on vegetables, fruit and shade trees, ornamentals and evergreens.
From
:
$ 11.25 CA
Deer Repellent
This repellent uses odour to prevent feeing damage by deer and elk for 2-4 months. It is non-toxic and non-harmful to animals and the environment. Available in powder (ZIN153) or pre-mixed ready-to-use liquid (ZIN152) form.
From
:
$ 34.95 CA
Diatomaceous Earth
This dio-bug and slug killer is also effective in killing aphids, cutworms, root maggots, cabbageworms, earwigs, fleas, silverfish, and more. Insects cannot develop resistance. The fine dust cloud sticks to wet plant surfaces and infiltrates insect hiding places. Protect against inhalation. Diatomaceous earth is derived from the finely milled fossiized remains of prehistoric freshwater diatoms.
From
:
$ 8.95 CA
Pantry Pest Trap
This tidy little folding trap attracts food moths and traps them on a sticky surface inside. Each box contains 2 traps and 2 lures. Each lure will last 4 months or more.
From
:
$ 11.25 CA
Predatory Nematodes
Beneficial nematodes are naturally occurring soil organisms that are harmless to humans, pets, wildlife, birds, water sources, and the atmosphere. They are effective against caterpillars, cutworms, grubs, root maggots, and other pests as well as white grubs, immature pill bugs, Japanese beetles and leatherjackets; all of which spend a life stage in the soil. The package contains a little sponge that holds enough nematodes to cover an area of 185-280 sq. m. (2000-3000sq. ft) of garden, flowerbed, or lawn. They are best applied during cool and cloudy weather, or in the evenings of early spring or late summer. Full instructions are on every package or download them from www.westcoastseeds.com.
Note about shipping nematodes: Your nematode order will ship in the spring or summer of 2008 whenever you request, as a new order with the appropriate regional shipping charges.
From
:
$ 33.50 CA
Sticky Stix
These bright yellow strips attract fungus gnats and many other flying instects away from your greenhouse seedlings and indoor plants. They also prevent adult stages of the insect from reproducing and infesting other plants. Safe and effective. 12 traps for 12 average-sized plants.
From
:
$ 6.95 CA
Yellow Sticky Traps
Mount these plastic cards on sticks in the garden so the card is just above the foliage of the plants you are protecting. Hang them in the greenhouse to monitor thrips and fugus gnats and in the garden to monitor carrot rust flies, onion flies, and aphids.
