BioFriend Organic Pest Defence

[Tigerhair]

I wonder if this is as all singing, all dancing as it suggests!?

http://www.victoriana.ws/Product.asp?PID=725

[Shirley]

certainly sounds interesting...but surely if it was that good EVERY organic gardener would be telling their friends about it... or maybe not if it helps them to win competitions etc (secret ingredient etc)

Anyone here tried it???

[Millymollymandy]

Nevr heard of it, and quite how does this bit work?

"BioFriend may also be used to deter crop damage by pigeons and other birds, rabbits and deer"

I prefer to encourage beneficial insects to do the job rather than killing things willy nilly. Whether you use chemical or non-chemical methods, either way kills and doesn't achieve a balance with nature.

[ina]

It contains concentrated garlic - maybe it's the smell that puts all those creatures off. Mind you, I don't know if I want all my veg and fruit (strawberries ?) to taste of garlic...

[Millymollymandy]

Me neither, I think I'd prefer chilli flavoured strawberries!

[Wombat]

Concentrated Garlic - Well your produce would at least be safe from vampires!

Nev

[Libby]

If anyone DOES want a concentrated garlic spray..................

Soak 50g of chopped garlic with 1TBLs of mineral oil and 250ml of water...
Allow to stand for 48 hour, then strain.

Use 3 TBLs per 1L of water in a spray bottle.

I plant garlic between other plants. Seems to do the trick

[ina]

I plant garlic between other plants. Seems to do the trick

Aren't you supposed to plant garlic in autumn? At least, when I planted mine, there wasn't much else in the ground to plant it between.

[Tigerhair]

I've been told to plant garlic in little pots now....? Was on Radio 4 the other day...

[Shirley]

ooh - glad it's not too late to grow it... I thought it was autumn too but missed that boat.... will get some started this week.

I'd never tried fresh garlic before.. only the dried stuff... not even sure what the real term for it is - anyone know?? the stuff with scrummy soft skins that I bought at the farmers' market last year - gently fragrant rather than harsh - could eat it by the clove raw.

[Libby]

I plant garlic between other plants. Seems to do the trick

Aren't you supposed to plant garlic in autumn? At least, when I planted mine, there wasn't much else in the ground to plant it between.

Haven,t got a clue when to plant Ina, I just stick cloves in and hope for the best.
My garden has only had fruit and herbs in it up to now, and the plants are there all year round, albeit cut to the ground in the case of the raspberries.
I don,t know if it,s normal, but I keep getting garlic up each year anyway Never big enough to actually eat, but probably smelly enough to deter some pests.
I,ve space enough for a small greenhouse(if I ever find one) and my peppers are my first real attempt at veg.
If I don,t post any wonderful chilli/pepper recipes, you,ll know why

[Libby]

Peppers are fruit too really, aren,t they

Will I ever grow some proper, (non garlic) veg?

[Millymollymandy]

As far as I know, garlic can be planted either in autumn or spring, but is supposed to be better (bigger?) when planted in the autumn. I planted mine in early December and it's about 4 inches tall now (despite the weather being very cold since then!).

[Libby]

Had a good look around the garden today(sun is shining) and along with some lovely little buds on my blackcurrents was 3-4" of left in the ground garlic. It just keeps coming up 8)

[whitu10]

Is it really an effective technique???