We use nets against butterflies and their caterpillars (and the hen) so we actually get edible brassicas with no surprise protein hidden in them. We feed the birds all year round and provide water too and find they make very good pest controllers for other crops and the ornamentals as they eat up all the juicy aphids and caterpillars or feed them to their young.
We never spray insecticides, natural or inorganic, because we encourage pollinators.
There is a pond full of frogs and toads who do a good job on slugs and most snails but not in my hosta pots or trays of seedlings which means I have to pick them off by hand.
We leave hedges uncut from mid March to mid August so birds can nest and feed in peace and we leave large areas of grass unmown to let wildflowers grow and I've sown a wildflower meadow in our small orchard area to encourage pollinators and birds.
We save all our garden and kitchen waste for composting and mulch it on our beds every autumn so the worms and co can work it in for us over the winter. We also now try and mulch between crops once planted to reduce moisture evaporation and improve soil texture and fertility as it rots down.
I can't see a commercial farmer netting a 4 or more acre field of cabbages or broccoli but they can do the rest and reduce costs on fertilisers and pesticides so the inevitable reduction in yield is offset by huge savings on chemical products.
Being 70 now I garden very differently from when I was a young nipper of 56 - more knowledge and experience, more time but different priorities and a better understanding of wildlife cycles and what makes good habitat we can all enjoy.
Thank you for sharing your insightful experiences! Your approach to using nets for butterfly and caterpillar control, promoting bird populations for natural pest control, and avoiding insecticides to protect pollinators is commendable. Your efforts in creating habitat through uncut hedges, wildflower meadows, and composting contribute to a thriving ecosystem. It's inspiring to see how your gardening practices have evolved with knowledge, experience, and a focus on wildlife.
I use some methods that seemed in the original blerb to come under bio control but then were not mentioned, trap crops being the main one we use. I'll admit the flame weeder at the end isn't very biological.
Thank you for sharing your methods and observations. Trap crops are indeed considered an effective strategy in biocontrol, and I appreciate you bringing that up. It's understandable that certain techniques, like the flame weeder, may not fall strictly under the biological category. Different approaches are often employed based on specific needs and available resources. Thank you again for this !
Having worked/played in a university for a hundred years I realised that 'young people' are the first generation ever to be young people. Perhaps everyone over 56 was born this age...like us! 🤣
There is no short cut to experience.
In my field most end users are the sick and the elderly so my dear undergrads decided that the best way to help them with their meds etc was to design lots of apps! Right everyone...fetch out your Doros and get your apps up. Now select big writing... I know, I know some of us have those smart phone thingies! Just having a laugh.
Haha, your humor is greatly appreciated! Indeed, each generation brings its unique experiences and perspectives to the table. While technology and apps can be helpful in certain contexts, it's important to recognize the value of experience ! A good laugh always adds some brightness to the conversation. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Thank you for mentioning Cunningham's Law. It's an interesting observation about online interactions and the power of collective knowledge. In the context of my survey, I value all perspectives and opinions shared, as they contribute to a deeper understanding of the subject matter. I appreciate your engagement and the opportunity to learn from different viewpoints.
I have done this, but within the survey I could not make clear all the methods I have used. These are, nematodes for slugs and vine weevil, pheromone traps for plum moth and codling moth in apples and pears. Seaweed products as biostimulants as well as feeding. Rock dust (crushed volcanic rock) to re-mineralise soils. I also use netting, and mesh to protect against birds and some other insects, grease bands on fruit trees to trap winter moth. There's probably some others I have failed to mention.
I tried to complete the survey, but without a definition of bio control in it, and with what seemed like an assumption that I use bio control, in a required question, I was unable to complete it.
Just a tiny little point but practice is a noun and practise is a verb. You got them muddled on one question.
@StephenSouthwest - one question asked you to speculate what you understood by bio control. Immediately afterwards, once you had ventured your opinion, a full definition was given.
This is a stupid marketing exercise with no science to back it up. You have not defined 'bio control'. What do you mean? Maybe get to grips with the science behind what you are asking. I started your questionnaire but gave up because it was so naïve.
I kindly take into consideration your feelings towards the questionnaire. But the point of this is to develop my research. If you do not want to respond you are free to do so. Saying you gave up because it was “so naive” has no correlation with the point of my survey. My survey is not intended to push a practice but to inform myself on it, through different aspects. I did not state to back this up with science.
If you find this questionnaire not relevant to you, or that the questions are not good I cannot take that away of course it is your personal opinion. But I also do not appreciate name calling “stupid marketing exercice” or “So naive” it is quite petty and a simple no participation or “I don’t think you went about this questionnaire the way you should have but that is my opinion” I would respect that.
Anyways, thanks for the feedback and sorry it came out that way to you !
Sorry for the words 'stupid marking exercise'. You still have not defined what you mean by 'bio control'. It is fundamental to your survey; what do you mean by 'bio control'? The survey is naïve because it makes too many assumptions. Are the birds, such as Bluetits and Wrens in my garden 'bio control' because they eat insects? Are the Sparrowhawks in my garden 'bio control' because they eat the Bluetits who eat the aphids? Am I employing bio control in these situations? Of course not because they are already there. But I encourage them with my feeders. Is that 'bio control'?
Are insecticides bio control? Are you doing a study of insecticide use? You should say if that is the case. Or do you mean importing such organisms as nematodes to control slugs, which is quite the opposite? Or encouraging natural predators in other ways? Or the practice in the 80s, for example, when Harlequin Ladybirds were imported and sold to control aphids? No longer done, I believe which turned out to have been bad for the ecology and our native ladybirds and they are now classed as an invasive species. I am old enough to remember that.
Is supplementary feeding of the 'good' predators bio control?
So again I ask, what do you mean by bio control? As it is, your survey is meaningless, hence my use of the word naïve. That's why I didn't complete the survey.
Maybe read Dave Goulson if you want to know about garden ecology.
Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
At the start of Section Two in bold type this definition is provided.
” Bio control is a plant protection approach that relies on the use of living organisms, natural products, or interference mechanisms to regulate crop pests and diseases. It aims to maintain the balance of agricultural ecosystems while reducing the use of synthetic chemicals.”
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Thank you again for this !
These are, nematodes for slugs and vine weevil, pheromone traps for plum moth and codling moth in apples and pears. Seaweed products as biostimulants as well as feeding. Rock dust (crushed volcanic rock) to re-mineralise soils. I also use netting, and mesh to protect against birds and some other insects, grease bands on fruit trees to trap winter moth. There's probably some others I have failed to mention.
@StephenSouthwest - one question asked you to speculate what you understood by bio control. Immediately afterwards, once you had ventured your opinion, a full definition was given.
Are insecticides bio control? Are you doing a study of insecticide use? You should say if that is the case. Or do you mean importing such organisms as nematodes to control slugs, which is quite the opposite? Or encouraging natural predators in other ways? Or the practice in the 80s, for example, when Harlequin Ladybirds were imported and sold to control aphids? No longer done, I believe which turned out to have been bad for the ecology and our native ladybirds and they are now classed as an invasive species. I am old enough to remember that.
Is supplementary feeding of the 'good' predators bio control?
So again I ask, what do you mean by bio control? As it is, your survey is meaningless, hence my use of the word naïve. That's why I didn't complete the survey.
Maybe read Dave Goulson if you want to know about garden ecology.
At the start of Section Two in bold type this definition is provided.
” Bio control is a plant protection approach that relies on the use of living organisms, natural products, or interference mechanisms to regulate crop pests and diseases. It aims to maintain the balance of agricultural ecosystems while reducing the use of synthetic chemicals.”