Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Ken Hargesheimer <minifarms2@yahoo.com>]

I agree it may not be roly poly doing the damage.  Never heard of them doing damage.  I went to www.dirtdoctor.com and neither Sow bugs nor Roly Polys are listed as a pest.  They digest organic matter.

 

Ken

--- On Sun, 5/9/10, yarrow@sfo.com <yarrow@sfo.com> wrote:

From: yarrow@sfo.com <yarrow@sfo.com>
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] No Till Problems
To: "Healthy soil and sustainable growing" <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Sunday, May 9, 2010, 8:23 PM

Are you sure the damage is being done by the roly poly bugs?

The first article notes that they eat stinkbug eggs.
The seoond one suggests ways to change your gardening and watering to
discourage them.

http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=4399
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FRUIT/PESTS/sowbugs.html

> --- On Fri, 5/7/10, Michelle <mklose@embarqmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> From: Michelle <mklose@embarqmail.com>
> Subject: [Livingontheland] No Till Problems
> To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> Date: Friday, May 7, 2010, 7:11 AM
>
>
> I have switched all of my beds over to no till this year.  Mostly, I
> started
> last Fall piling on the goat barn cleanouts and am continuing the
process,
> along with wood ashes throughout the Winter.
>
> My problem is rolly pollies.  I planted 2 - 20 ft beds with potatoes and

> they ate all but 1 tuber.  They have also eaten the tomatoe plants, 2
> plantings of green beans and the squash.  Those never made it past an
inch
>
> high.  The deep, undisturbed mulch seems to be the perfect environment
for
>
> them.  Does anyone else have this problem?  Any thoughts on getting rid
of
>
> them?  I don't use poison, what's the point?  If I am going to dump on
> poison, I'll just go to the grocery store for my food.
>
> I'm wondering if maybe once the heavy mulch begins to compact some if
that
> will help.
> I am willing to accept that the first year with deep mulch, no till may
be
> a
> total loss of food production (which it appears it will be), but we
depend
> heavily on our garden, so .... help!
>
> Michelle in TX
>

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