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Techniques to Maintain Soil Health

What it means to have healthy soil

What it means to have healthy soil, might depend on who you ask. For instance, a farmer might say that healthy soil will retain water and provide crops with the nutrients they might need. These are not technically wrong answers; however, they are more incomplete than they are correct. There are a lot of things that determine the health of soil and this article will help explain what they are, in addition to explaining what they mean.

Indicators of soil health

There are a few different ways to determine if soil is healthy or not, some indicators are more scientific like testing the pH of the soil, but we will not talk about those more complex indicators here. Instead we will focus on the simpler indicators of soil health. The first being whether there is anything growing in it already, chances are if there is lots of green vegetation already growing in it the soil is fairly healthy. Another indicator that is easy to determine is if there are earthworms living in it, the more that live in it the better too. Earthworms play a very important role because they do a few different things for soil. One thing they do is that they help decompose organic matter like dead leaves and turn that into fresh healthy black soil. In addition to being an important decomposer within the soil, they also provide oxygenation to the soil by burrowing through it. This is important because if there is no oxygen contained within the soil, nothing will be able to grow because that is an important nutrient for just about every living thing. One more indicator of healthy soil, is that there is a plethora of other organisms living within the first few inches of soil. If there is a lack of other things living there it usually means not all the nutrients necessary for life are present.

Environmental benefits of healthy soil

There are quite a few benefits that healthy soil will provide for the environment. There are 5 functions soil provides that are essential to the health of an ecosystem, whether it be a garden in your backyard or a forest far away from your home, it still does these 5 basic functions.

  1. Regulating water
    • Healthy soil will help control where any water in the environment will go. Whether it is rain, snow that has melted, or water from your garden hose it plays a large role in whether water pools up or runs off to another area.
  2. Cycle nutrients
    • Just to name a few nutrients that are stored within the soil there is nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus. These are all very important for the growth of any plants which form the base of most food chains, so it is vital that the soil can provide these nutrients to anything growing in it.
  3. Sustain animal and plant life
    • This one is fairly self-explanatory, healthy soil is necessary for just about anything to live or grow in it. If there are not the proper conditions, nothing will grow or be able to live in it.
  4. Support and physical stability
    • Healthy soil will provide anything growing in it, like grass, a place to anchor their roots in order to grow vertically. If the soil is loose or not packed somewhat tightly, nothing will be able to root itself properly within the soil and will be unable to sustain its structure in the lightest wind gusts.
  5. Protection and filtration of pollutants
    • Arguably one of the more important functions of healthy soil is that it can filter out, detoxify, or degrade harmful pollutants. It also keeps them from reaching underground water, called aquifers, which is obviously important to humans because we use a lot of groundwater.
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How to Improve Bee Habitat in Four Simple Steps

Why improving bee habitat is important

Did you know that bee populations worldwide have been in decline in recent years? Did you know that about 30% of the crops grown throughout the globe require cross pollination, provided by bees, to thrive and prosper? These are just a few simple reasons that show why bee habitat is important, without bee habitat where would the bees go? Bees play a vital role in the health of the world as an ecosystem, because they provide the necessary cross pollination for many species of plants to thrive. Without bees we would lose an extremely vital aspect of the food chain, that aspect being the base of it in the plants that bees help to spread and grow. Without these plants at the bottom of the food chain, everything above it would collapse because they would eventually have no food to eat; that would also include humans. So, just how important is bee habitat you might ask? Bee habitat is an extremely vital part of the planet and we must do everything we can to stop the decline of the global bee populations. The easiest and likely fastest way to do this is to do your part by building a habitat for bees in whatever space is available.

Step 1 pick bee friendly flowers

Did you know that bees are attracted to certain flowers more than others? In order to improve bee habitat in your yard, or balcony, or wherever you might live it is important to consider what kind of flowers that get planted in order to attract more bees! A few examples of good flowers to plant to attract bees are aster, sunflowers, foxglove, cornflowers, bluebells, cosmos, or goldenrod. When picking what to plant, make sure the flowers you choose are able to bloom for a long time; if it is possible pick flowers that bloom more than one season every year as well.

Another important thing to consider when picking flowers to plant for bees, is what climate and gardening zone you live in. For instance, you would not want to plant a flower that is native to Florida if you live in Minnesota. The more you stick to native plants the better they will survive and more importantly reproduce so your flower garden will not have to be constantly replanted.

One more thing to consider when planting flowers to attract bees, is that they are drawn to brightly colored flowers from a distance. Even though they may not be the “ideal” flowers for them to pollinate it will help draw them in so they can explore the other flowers in the garden.

Step 2 plant herbs and vegetables

Just like humans, bees like vegetables and herbs too! The easiest way to add some flare to your bee habitat improvement project is to add a small herb garden next to the flower garden part of your bee habitat. A few herbs to consider planting in this garden are oregano, rosemary, mint, or lavender. The reasoning behind planting an herb garden is to give the bees another area to pollinate. It also will not take up very much space so just in case you have a limited space to work with already this small herb garden will only improve the bee habitat. In addition to the bees using your new herb garden, you will be able to periodically have fresh herbs to use in your own kitchen!

Step 3 leave out some water

This might seem a little silly but when making a garden for bees consider adding a bee sized bird bath. Bees need water just like every other animal out there so putting out a few small dishes of water will help the bees survive and potentially colonize the area. Obviously, a colony is what you are aiming to establish so anything that helps them stay in the area will encourage a colony to form.

Step 4 make your own bee habitat

There are quite a few different ways that this can be done. The simplest way to make some habitat for bees is to ensure there is at least some bare ground space within the garden and add some small piles of sticks for them to hide within. If you are feeling craftier consider designing a bird house, except with a hole or holes too small for any bird to get into. If you are unable to make a small hole in it, an easy fix is to cover it with chicken wire that will let bees in and out but keep anything else out.

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What Garden Design is Best for You?

Garden design for beginners

To decide what kind of garden design is best for the space you have, first you will have to learn about the different options for a garden layout. There are quite a few different design plans out there, some are simpler than others however and those might be best for a beginner. It also makes a difference if the garden will be used for vegetables or flowers.

The first of these simple designs is for a vegetable garden. It is just an open patch of soil, in any shape that the area has the space for. It can be anywhere from just a few feet long to a hundred feet long if there is space available. If the area the garden is in is frequented by lots of animals like deer or rabbits, consider adding a fence made of mesh or chicken wire that is 5 or 6 feet high to keep your plants from getting eaten by those pesky critters. If you want to add a fence just find some pieces of wood to use as posts in each corner. Then take the mesh and staple it to the posts. A helpful tip for doing this would be to have 1 extra post than there are corners, that way you can make an easy access gate. To make the gate just put the extra post next to the final corner post, attach the mesh to the extra post but not to the first post the mesh is already attached to. This way the extra post can be taken in and out of its place in the corner for easy access to the garden by humans but not deer or rabbits.

The next design for a vegetable garden but someone might choose to make it a flower garden too. This design would be a raised be and there are a few different ways to make a raised bed. You can either use stones or boards to make the outline of your raised bed. After you have decided on the shape, start building your outline for your raised bed. After this step is complete, make sure to line the entire structure with landscaping fabric. You can obtain a roll of this at just about any store that sells garden equipment or find some online at a place like amazon. This is an important step, because it will not only keep weeds from growing within the bed it will also ensure the water will drain out and the soil will stay in the bed. Once the bed is lined with landscaping fabric, add your soil. To ensure healthy and quick plant growth, it would be beneficial to find some high-quality black soil. It also would not hurt to add in a bag or two of potting soil on top and then till into the soil, depending on the size of your layout and the size of the bag of potting soil this can vary.

Back yard landscaping

Depending upon the space available in your yard, it might make more sense to incorporate both garden designs explained above. There are lots of different ways to add landscaping designs to a yard, and gardens are one of the easier projects to do that can help lower a grocery bill along with a healthier lifestyle. In addition to adding a garden to a backyard, consider adding a stone walkway through the yard that leads to the garden. This will add to the curb appeal of your house and can also improve the value if you were to sell your house in the future.

Front yard landscaping

If there is not room in the front yard for a large vegetable garden, consider adding a few small flower beds. There are lots of ways to make your property more beautiful, and flower beds will quickly and easily do this. When deciding what kind of flower bed or beds to install, consider how many you plan on adding in total. Also consider whether to all put them on the same level, an example of them being on the same level would be two flower beds both on the ground; one by the sidewalk and another below a window. One of the better ways to add to the appearance of your home, would be to have flower beds at different eye levels. For example, one along the sidewalk, a raised bed as you come closer to the house, and small hanging bed from the windowsill. Another good way to add to the look of your home, is to consider adding some shrubs. These will not only look nice, but depending on what kind of shrub and where they are planted can also give your front yard some nice shade to relax in.

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Why is a Pollinator Garden Important?

monarch butterfly on milkweed plant

Bee and butterfly population in decline

It is pretty likely you have heard but the populations of a lot of common pollinators are in decline. Bee populations are in decline globally which is something that needs to be fixed. Some other pollinators, less important than bees but still important, like Monarch butterflies have seen a 90% drop in their population over the last 20 years or so.

The main reasons that pollinator populations are in decline is because of increased use of pesticides (insect killers) and herbicides (weed killers) accompanied by an ever-increasing destruction of habitat due to urban sprawl and agricultural development. The loss of habitat is a serious blow to pollinator’s abilities to nest, feed, and shelter but the increased use of pesticides and herbicides in both rural and urban settings has taken an already bad situation and made it much worse. Where bees, butterflies, and other pollinators lived is now mostly urban developments or corn fields.

Combating these potentially devastating losses requires a combination of multiple methods.

  1. Education. Learn more about it and teach those around you. Demonstrate to your community how to grow a pollinator-friendly garden.
  2. Practice what you preach. Stop using pesticides or herbicides in your own garden. Let native flowers and grasses grow to support pollinators (hint: big expanses of green lawn do not help many creatures!)
  3. Talk to your local government. Be the voice of the pollinators and encourage your local officials to stop using chemicals and to not mow flowers or grasses until after the nesting season. This especially applies to rural ditches and buffer strips.
Summer meadow with butterfly at sunset.

How a pollinator garden benefits your yard or other gardens

Aside from the wonderful aesthetic a pollinator garden can add to the area you call home, it will also provide lots of benefits to any flower or vegetable gardens in your landscape. Having a pollinator garden will attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators to the area and help the growth of a vegetable of a flower garden by accelerating the rate of pollination in the garden. Spend a few minutes watching the bees in your garden and you’ll soon learn they do a lot of work for us!

In addition to the benefits to a garden, there can also be a financial incentive opportunity depending on the state you reside in. There are a few states within the US that are exploring programs that would pay residents to establish bee habitat, which a pollinator garden would potentially qualify as depending on size and state regulations.

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What is Greywater and How You can Benefit from it

What exactly is greywater

You may be wondering what this new word your friends all are talking about it, greywater. Essentially greywater is just about any kind of water that you use in your house, after it has been used for something. There are a few exceptions however, those being any water that comes into contact with human waste. So, in other words, the water you flush down your toilet would not be considered greywater. But other things like water from your shower, sink, dishwasher, or laundry machine would all be considered greywater. One exception to those would be if you wash dirty diapers in your laundry machine however.

How to collect greywater

The best way to collect greywater from all these sources is to simply just have the plumbing system direct water to a holding tank, this will also work best if you can avoid the use of pumps to help save on electrical costs you already have in your home. There are some instances where you would not have to change your plumbing system at all to collect it however, there are washing machines available that have a drain that would direct all the water into a barrel or tank of some sort. You can then use this greywater as you please, assuming it is not being used for cooking or drinking because it will have soap residue in it. The water you collect may not look “clean”, but it is clean enough to use for lawn irrigation or other outdoor activities like gardening.

How to use the greywater you collect

The greywater you collect within your house unfortunately cannot be used for many indoor activities because it is not safe for consumption because of chemical residues. However, it is a perfectly safe alternative to use as water in a toilet, which is one of the top uses of water in every home. And of course, the less “new water” you use in your home, the more money you will save on your energy and water bills every month!

Most people that use greywater will use it to water either their lawn or gardens in their yards. However, there are a few things to remember when using greywater in your garden or lawn. The most important one, is to not store greywater for more than a day because the residues within it will start to break down and will likely lead to an unpleasant odor. Another thing to consider when using greywater outside, is that you do not want to use it in an area where it will pool up, that can lead to all sorts of problems such as a mosquito breeding habitat!

Helpful greywater tips

You also should consider using environmentally friendly soaps in your home that are low in chlorine, salts, and boron, because those will clog up pores in the soil and not let the water soak in as much over time. Using these kinds of soaps and detergents in your home will ensure the greywater you collect will not have chemicals in it that will reduce the health of your lawn and garden. It is really important to consider what chemicals you use in your house if you decide to install a greywater system, because not using environmentally friendly cleaning products can harm things you use greywater on. Keep in mind that greywater is a great way to reduce your water usage, but you need to be mindful of what is going into your greywater collection system.

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Why Conserving Water is so Important

Benefits of conserving water

Did you know that only 3% of water on the entire earth is freshwater? An even crazier fact is that only 0.5% of that is available for us to use as drinking water. The other 2.5% is locked up in ice caps or frost deep underground, so we must really be conservative when it comes to how much and how often we use water. One of the largest benefits of conserving water, whether it be indoor habits or during outdoor activities, is that you will use less energy. Obviously, the less energy you use the less your bills will be, not to mention the fact you will be helping save the planet! Practicing sustainable water usage is so very important, and once you learn the tips and tricks to help conserve water it is very simple to do.

Helpful tips for indoor water conservation

Conserving water might seem like a big task to accomplish considering how important it is, but it truly is really simple. Here are some tips to help you conserve water indoors during everyday activities. When you are brushing your teeth or washing your hands, turn the faucet off when you aren’t putting your toothbrush or hands in the water. You can also buy a low-flow attachment for your shower, which is a great way to reduce the gallons of water that would normally be wasted during shower time. Another bathroom tip to conserve water would be to invest in a low flow or dual flush toilet, these can either be bought as a conversion kit or a standalone product to replace your old toilet.

Fun facts about water conservation

You would be amazed at all the water you can conserve indoors with these simple changes to your everyday indoor habits! Just to put it into perspective, the average American household uses around 170 gallons of water per day, while a country like Australia only uses about 36 gallons per day! For instance, if the metro area of Atlanta, GA embraced efficient water use and conservation techniques they would save up to 700 million dollars, or in terms of gallons around 150 million gallons!

Helpful tips for outdoor water conservation

Similarly, to the tips for indoor water conservation, tips to conserve water outdoors are also very simple! One thing you can do to drastically reduce the amount of water you use from a well or city system, is to make your own rain barrel. If you are not sure what that is or how to do it, you are in luck because we have an entire article dedicated to rain barrels!

Another big tip to conserve water outside is to not excessively water your lawn, especially if it is during the peak season for rainfall. Another helpful tip for outdoor water conservation, is to water your garden or lawn early in the morning when it is cooler. The cooler it is outside, the less of the water you use will evaporate and will have a better chance to do what you put it there to do! After all, if you knew most of the water you were using in your garden just evaporated why water it at all in the first place?

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Why You Should Mulch around Trees

Benefits of mulching around trees

Like mulching just about anywhere else, it will provide a host of benefits to your trees. One benefit is that it will decompose over time and release nutrients into the soil that will help the tree grow. Aside from providing nutrients, it will also keep the soil warm and moist which is also beneficial to a growing tree. The reason you want to keep the soil warmer, is partially so it will help the soil retain more moisture. Assuming water is not pooling up excessively around the base of the tree, it will not harm the tree to have some extra moisture in the soil.

Mulching around a growing tree creates somewhat of a microclimate in the area that you spread mulch and can make a big difference in the overall health of the tree. Another important benefit mulch will provide is that it will not allow any weeds to grow around the base of the tree. This is important for the growth of a tree, especially a young one, because roots of weeds will potentially outcompete the roots of the tree for water and nutrients causing the tree to not grow like it would without the presence of weeds.

How to mulch around trees

First spread it at least four or five inches thick, in a circle all the way around the tree. Start from the base of the trunk and go outwards at least a foot or two. After spreading the mulch out to this standard, you will want to scrape it away from the base of the tree (at least 6 inches). If it is too close it can cause the trunk to rot. This will quickly kill a young tree. Check on it once in awhile to make sure wind or rain has not caused the mulch to shift and be pushed against the trunk.

What kind of mulch to use

When considering what kind of mulch to use around the base of a tree, there are a few things to consider. One of the more important factors is whether or not you use an organic material. There are some plastic mulches out there that look like wood chips so make sure you are using real wood chips if you want the added benefits of an organic material. As previously mentioned, organic materials provide a few extra benefits that non-organic mulches do not, so I would highly recommend using a mulch such as wood chips. They will last a long time, and you will not have to constantly replenish them like you would if you chose to use grass clippings as opposed to wood chips.

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Using your Grass Clippings as Mulch

Why you should use grass clippings

There are quiet a few benefits of mulching with grass clippings, one of which is that you will no longer have to worry about disposing of them if you usually do. Aside from that, they also provide a good source of nitrogen and potassium for whatever you choose to mulch. Another good benefit they provide is that they will suppress the growth of weeds wherever you choose to use it as mulch. In addition to all these great benefits for your garden, they will also make a good place for toads to hide so they can eat any pests that might otherwise eat plants in your garden.

Where to use grass clippings as mulch

You can use grass clippings as mulch just about anywhere, that being said you will need to pay attention to how thick you are spreading them. If they are too thick, they will potentially turn into a slimy mat of half decomposed grass instead of decomposing and releasing their nutrients. If you use them in your garden, make sure to spread them just thin enough to cover the dirt but not thick enough to where you cannot see through them.

You can also use grass clippings as mulch for your yard, it will help your grass grow thicker and potentially greener. When using grass clippings as mulch in your yard, you will want to spread them thin enough where they are not very visible within the grass that is living.

You can also use grass clippings as mulch in a flower bed and apply them similarly to how you would for a vegetable garden. In addition to all of this you can use grass clippings as mulch around younger trees to improve their source of nitrogen. The most important aspect of using grass clippings as mulch is to make sure you remember to not spread them very thick, that is the number one way to hurt your plants as opposed to helping them.

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Using Mulch in a Garden

Benefits of mulching in a garden

Aside from the nutritional benefits mulch can potentially provide to plants in your garden, a big benefit is the suppression of weed growth. If you apply just a few inches of mulch to your garden after your vegetables have grown a little bit, it will prevent weeds from sprouting up and stealing nutrients from your vegetables. Another benefit of using mulch in your garden, is that it will help the soil stay moist and prevent excess water evaporation that would normally occur without using mulch. Assuming you are using a mulch made of organic material, such as compost or grass clippings, it will break down over time and release nutrients to help maintain the health of your soil.

Mulching with grass clippings

You can use your grass clippings from mowing your lawn, provided you do not chemically treat your lawn, in your garden for a multitude of benefits. If you spread a thin layer of grass clippings in your garden, it will break down over time and release the nitrogen and potassium it holds into the soil. In addition to adding nutrients, it will also attract animals like toads. They like to hide within the grass clippings and will help them be more prevalent in your garden than they were before. These animals will also benefit your garden by helping control pests like slugs and insects that would normally turn your vegetables into food for themselves instead of food for you! These are just a few reasons to use grass clippings as mulch in your garden, and once you do it hopefully you will quickly notice all the benefits that using grass as mulch can provide to your plants.

Mulching with compost

Unlike grass clippings as mulch, using compost as mulch will help suppress the growth of weeds in your garden. To use compost as mulch in your garden, it is best to till some into the soil at the beginning of your planting season. You will also want to add a layer that is a few inches thick once your garden is established. This will help the soil stay warm and moist, it will also provide a continuous source of organic material that releases plenty of nutrients for growing vegetables. Mulching with compost, is arguable the most effective kind of mulching you can do in a garden. The various benefits it provides outnumber just about every other kind of medium you might consider using as mulch in your garden.

Mulching with wood chips

Similar to using compost, wood chips will help your garden stay free of weeds that steal nutrients and sunlight from your vegetables. They will also decompose over time and release organic nutrients that will help your plants grow better. However, if this is a benefit you are looking to have in your garden, you will be much better off using compost instead of woodchips. The compost will release much more beneficial nutrients when compared to using wood chips as mulch. Maintaining healthy and moist soil is one of the most important things for a vegetable garden to produce vegetables that are plentiful and large, so using mulch that is made of an organic material like wood chips will not hurt. Provided you do not spread them too thick, only a few inches is necessary, your plants will thank you for helping them grow big and strong!

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Pest Control using Natural Pesticides

Natural pesticides versus chemical pesticides

The use of chemical pesticides in your garden or yard can lead to many unintended consequences. For instance, if you apply a chemical pesticide before a heavy rain most of it will wash away, missing its intended target, and likely end up contaminating and possibly killing critters that are beneficial to the environment. In addition to potentially polluting an area you didn’t intend to spread it to, these treatments are full of harsh man-made chemicals that are not necessarily safe for the environment. This article will explain a few natural pesticides that are not only safe for your plants and critters you do not want to harm a few of them are also completely safe for your children or pets.

Diatomaceous earth

Diatomaceous earth is a sedimentary rock made up of fossilized algae and makes up about 25% of the Earth’s crust by weight. So there is plenty to go around! You can buy it by the bag at any nursery or gardening store. It works because it’s abrasive so crawling insects do not like to move across or burrow through it (especially snails, grubs, or slugs).

Diatomaceous earth also has affinity it has for absorbing lipids it will quickly rid your yard or garden of any unwanted insects. The way it does this is by dehydrating these insects it contacts by draining their exoskeletons through the absorption of the lipids within their exoskeleton. The best part about using it, is it is totally safe around kids and pets!

How to use Diatomaceous Earth

This is very easy to use in your yard and garden. Just spread a light dusting of it on any problem areas you have been experiencing. One thing to keep note of when using diatomaceous earth, is it has a tendency to absorb lots of water from rain which reduces its effectiveness. To combat this, you will want to keep an eye on the weather and avoid spreading it if you know it is going to rain; along with that it is also a good idea to reapply it after it rains to maintain its effectiveness.

Neem oil

Neem oil is an extract from the seeds of the neem tree, which makes it another natural pesticide that is safe for use around kids and pets. In addition to being a powerful natural pesticide, it can also be used as a fungicide if you are having problems with fungi in your gardens or on house plants. Like diatomaceous earth, neem oil can usually be found in the gardening stores and home supply centers. Typically it’s sold in a concentrated form as an oil. A little goes a long way and be forewarned, it does not smell pleasant. The smell with dissipate quickly but if using indoors, plan ahead to be able to open your windows.

How to make your own neem oil spray

If you are interested in mixing your own spray, which in most cases would be cheaper, just mix a couple teaspoons of neem oil with a teaspoon of mild liquid soap and a quart of water. After mixing this combination thoroughly, it is ready to be sprayed on plants that you have noticed being eating by insects. The way it works is by acting as a hormone disruptor for any insect that decides to try and make a meal out of plants in your garden. Put a little more simply, it will make any insects that eat it unable to perform their normal bodily functions. Eventually they will die from ingesting any of the neem oil mix you have put on your plants.

Tomato leaf insecticide

Believe it or not, the leaves of the tomato plant are poisonous. The tomato plant is a member of the nightshade family, so you can use this to your advantage to effectively combat an aphid infestation or something similar in your garden while avoiding the use of harsh chemicals. This is just another great way to ensure you are using chemical free pesticides within your garden, it is good for your garden and will not harm any ecosystems it may be washed into from the rain.

How to make your own tomato leaf spray

All you need to do to make tomato leaf insecticide, is chop up about 2 or 3 cups of leaves from a tomato plant or plants and let them sit in a quart of water overnight. In the morning, use a strainer to get all the chopped up leaves out of the water and put the remaining liquid in a spray bottle. After you do this, it is ready for use! It’s really that simple, all you need to do to use it is spray it onto plants in your garden if you suspect they might have a run in with aphids or another insect that thinks they will make a meal out of the plants in your garden.