Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

permaculture - Re: [permaculture] mulch and arthropod herbivore habitat

permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: permaculture

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: loren luyendyk <loren@sborganics.com>
  • To: Permaculture Listserve <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] mulch and arthropod herbivore habitat
  • Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:10:17 +0000


Hi Neil-

I too have experienced problems with earwigs and sowbugs eating seedlings and
tender plants in coastal central California. This last year was an
especially good year for earwigs, consequently not for my garden...

They definitely live in mulch, though I find they prefer rough mulch. I use
thoroughly composted and screened material as a cover for seeds and seedlings
if I want cover, like for carrots or lettuce. These critters do not have
anywhere to live in fine cover material. Straw on the other hand is their
favorite habitat. However, they also live in little cracks and crevices,
like under the bark of cut logs.

I have had problems with mulch breeding other pests, like mites, mealies, and
flea beatles. Especially mulch from municipal supply. Rough mulch can also
become hydrophobic, repelling water if it becomes too dry.

I think there may be less of an issue rough mulching veges in wetter
temperate climates, as there is more food for the bugs and they don't eat
your seedlings quite like they do in dry climates. Anyone have different
experience?

Thanks for bringing up this important issue of when and where to apply mulch.
Though I don't think the mulch is the only reason you may have earwigs...

Loren Luyendyk
Permaculture Designer and Educator
(805) 452-8249
www.sborganics.com
www.surferswithoutborders.org
www.globalpermaculture.com




> Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:14:03 -0700
> From: friendsofthetrees@yahoo.com
> To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [permaculture] mulch and arthropod herbivore habitat
>
> Hello Neil,
>
> Here are a few observations from someone who lives in a semi-arid climate a
> lot like Reno.
>
> I have sowbugs and earwigs as part of my garden fauna but they do me no
> harm that I can tell.
>
> My practice with new plantings (1st year) is to weed meticulously and do
> not apply mulch. Everything works fine.
>
> After the first year, I do mulch perennials, berries, trees, biennials and
> everything works fine.
>
> I think, in your case, it is a matter of timing the mulch. Just don't use
> it the first year when your new plants are at the tender seedling stage.
> Actually I think you can mulch partway through the first year in most cases.
>
> Good luck,
>
> Michael Pilarski, 40 years of gardening
>
>
> So perhaps your solution is to not mulch in year one
>
>
> --- On Mon, 7/18/11, Neil Bertrando <neilbertrando@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> From: Neil Bertrando <neilbertrando@gmail.com>
> Subject: [permaculture] mulch and arthropod herbivore habitat
> To: "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Date: Monday, July 18, 2011, 1:56 PM
>
> HI all,
>
> Have people dealt with the situation where mulching areas in Zone I and II
> leads to excessive pest problems which eat all seedling starts?
>
> We consistently have this problem here in Reno, NV in the high desert, and
> have stopped mulching our gardens for the most part for this reason.
> Sometimes we do light straw mulches, but we are straying away from deep
> mulch beds and no-till regimes.
>
> Here's my assessment of the problem, and perhaps other people have dealt
> successfully with this issue.
>
> pest populations increased by deep mulching
>
> - european earwigs
> http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/european_earwig.htm
> - sowbugs/rollypolly isopods
> http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/flowers/note11/note11.html
>
>
> most info I have read does not include these as major crop pests however
> through direct observation we have seen them here to be the culprits.
>
> they prevent seedling establishment eating them at the cotyledon stage, and
> even eat small trees when planted in an area with dense populations.
>
> Strategies tried:
>
> - traps:soap and sugar, soy sauce and oil, beer, etc. work for
> established plants but don't drastically diminish populations and are
> time
> consuming
> - diatomaceous earth: also works for established plants when applied at
> night to feeding insects, time consuming, needs reapplication
> consistently
> - chicken food: grazing with chickens in late fall and early spring.
> chickens eat them happily and we tried to get them in when small veggies
> are not growing and at key stages in the insect life cycle to minimize
> reproduction. still not effective at diminishing populations to a level
> where we can get seedlings established.
> - transplanting in established seedlings: still get heavily eaten
> - get plants established before the populations boom as weather warms:
> works fairly well, but not a strategy for warm season crops and makes
> fall
> cropping difficult.
> - raised beds: works for a while until populations get established (1-2
> years) in the beds and structural material
>
> so now we've stopped mulching heavily in Zone I and use mostly on-site
> generated mulch in Zone II, using only a scattered straw mulch to decrease
> wind and sun evaporation and a focus on row covers instead of mulch to
> achieve this function. any off-site woody mulch needs to be composted
> through hot compost piles before being applied to the Zone I and II gardens.
> and this seems to work well since there is no habitat for them in the
> garden.
>
> My conclusion is that sheet mulching (and deep mulching) is not an effective
> strategy in our climate context for Zones I and II. Has anyone else found
> this to be the case? or are we just applying the technique incorrectly?
>
> some thoughts are
>
> - that N is being tied up in the mulch, and the insects are relying upon
> seedlings to fulfill this need, although this occurs in mulches with
> relatively high manure content as well.
> - natural foods and predators of these organisms are not in balance and
> take years to come into balance (or are not present at all in our
> climate?)
> - mulch increases the humidity in summer and decreases the cold in winter
> which allows populations to grow rapidly out of balance with plants.
> - there is some other factor that is causing plants to lack hardiness and
> become attractive to these organisms
>
> This situation has been very disheartening to many beginning Permaculture
> gardeners who read about the wonderful benefits of mulch and have their
> veggie gardens decimated. Any thought and suggestions would be very helpful
> for gardeners in our region.
>
> Thanks,
> Neil
> _______________________________________________
> permaculture mailing list
> permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subscribe, unsubscribe, change your user configuration or find out more
> about this list here:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
> Garden Hand Tool Sourcelist and Biointensive Gardening Guide
> http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/documents/gardening-hand-tools.faq
> permaculture forums http://www.permies.com/permaculture-forums
> Texas Plant and Soil Lab
> http://www.texasplantandsoillab.com/
> List contacts: permacultureforum@gmail.com, chrys@thefutureisorganic.net
> and paul@richsoil.com
> _______________________________________________
> permaculture mailing list
> permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> Subscribe, unsubscribe, change your user configuration or find out more
> about this list here:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
> Garden Hand Tool Sourcelist and Biointensive Gardening Guide
> http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/documents/gardening-hand-tools.faq
> permaculture forums http://www.permies.com/permaculture-forums
> Texas Plant and Soil Lab
> http://www.texasplantandsoillab.com/
> List contacts: permacultureforum@gmail.com, chrys@thefutureisorganic.net
> and paul@richsoil.com




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page