What is the best way to deal with pests?
A. Your garden hose is your best friend in fighting pests. Spray the leaves hard enough to blow the pests away but not hard enough to damage the leaves. Don’t forget to spray the undersides of the leaves too. If the hose method does not do the trick then more specific methods will be needed. Aphids and scale insects can be removed with a cotton swab dipped in isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. Slugs can be kept away by growing in pots on a raised deck or palette. Beer can also be used to attract and drown slugs. Set a saucer of beer in a slight depression in the ground; the surface of the saucer should be flush with the soil so slugs can get in. Slugs and snail are said to be repelled by copper surfaces. Copper foil strips can be placed as a protective barrier on the soil surface around plants. Keep them a distance away from the plants. Do not let the copper touch the plants as it may kill them. Snail pellets (effective against both snails and slugs) are available from garden stores. They ar
