COMMON YARD & GARDEN PROBLEMS AND REEF-FRIENDLY SOLUTIONS
>>NOTE!!: Using Neem oil should be done during dawn or dusk, as using it directly on plants in the sunlight can burn them.<<
Mold & Fungus
White powdery mildew
Solution: Neem oil spray with 70% neem oil concentration.
Fungus issues
Solution: Neem oil spray with 70% neem oil concentration.
Insects & Slugs
Soft-bodied bugs
Solution: Neem oil spray with 70% neem oil concentration.
Hard-bodied bugs
Solution: Dawn soap (or mineral oil) plus neem oil.
Beetles
Solution: Beetles don’t like daytime. Add solar lights to drive them away.
Ants
Solution: Ant issues indicate you also have scales. Use neem oil spray with 70% neem oil concentration.
Whiteflies
Solution: Neem oil spray with 70% neem oil concentration; use 2-3 applications of the spray over a month.
Fruitflies
Solution: Neem oil.
Insects
Solution: Replace Talstar insecticide with rosemary oil products.
Caterpillars (look for black dots of poop)
Solution: Removal by hand or use of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Bt is a naturally occurring soil bacteria that kills caterpillars by disrupting their ability to digest food.
Slugs
Solution: Replace Sluggo pesticide with mesh coverings or cages around your garden. Adding copper wire around your plant beds will deter slugs from entering your garden. Chelated iron is another alternative but watch for an accumulation of too much iron in your soil.
Weeds
Weeds
Solution: Replace Roundup herbicide with natural leaf litter, citric acid (Avenger), scythe tool for removal, or suppress weeds with ground cover plants.
Weeds in seashore grass
Solution: Apply salt.
Fertilizers
Low levels of soil nutrients or limited plant growth
Solution: Replace synthetic fertilizers with organic fertilizer kits with water INSOLUABLE nitrogen or compost. You can find these organic fertilizer kits at Simplot Turf & Horticulture – Hawaii.
