Ren’s Happy Hens and Gardens

LETS TALK ABOUT GLUE TRAPS AND HOW TO SAFELY SAVE CRITTERS WHO ACCIDENTALLY GET STUCK TO THEM.
No I’m not going to shame you for using them. I use them. But there is this story everyone is saying: if something you don’t want dead gets stuck on one it’s “impossible” to save it. WRONG.

Tonight I came home and found a beautiful large female alligator lizard(they eat tons of bad bugs so they’re absolutely a gardener’s friend) stuck to a glue trap. I started slowly prying with closed garden clippers and cutting the glue strip strands with my small pruning scissors at the same time to get her off. This process below was a success and she scurried away 3 minutes later. She never even tried to bite me she was so grateful I was helping. Love those moments 💚

HERE’S WHAT YOU DO! :

Start at the head and work towards rear.
As you get them free about an inch at a time put something between the trap and animal. Preferably something easy to remove like plastic wrap or an old sticker sheet kids have lying around. I used some clear plastic packaging trash I found on the ground. Do this VERY SLOWLY and only in warm weather. Cold weather makes the trap much more resistant. Once free they’ll still be covered in life threatening goo. If separating them from the trap is hurting them, STOP. It’s not worth disemboweling them because you’re rushing to save them, you have time.

HERE’S THE TRICK: Goo-Gone. Also known as Goof-Off. I’ve tried everything else in the past: dish soap, oil, peanut butter, mayonnaise... nothing works well enough to not injure the critter. Except goo-gone/goof-off. Avoid any part of their body not touching sticky trap or with sticky residue and literally drench those parts except eyes and nostrils with this product. Let them soak in it as long as possible or about 10-20 minutes if it’s really bad. If still on trap then repeat beginning process of prying up(butter knife or something dull like a thin flat silver ware handle), cutting glue strands with scissors CAREFULLY and placing a barrier between each inch. Once removed douse in goo-gone again and release.

Lesson here: if you buy glue traps ALWAYS buy this goo-cutting product WITH it. You’ll regret not buying them as a pair. Because it’s not “if” something goes wrong, but “when.” Especially if you have pets.

Btw, always wear rubber gloves when handling wild animals for yours and their safety. If anyone has any other good tips please comment below!!

Hey there everybody!!! Yes I’m still alive! Weather is warming up and it’s time to prepare our gardens or some like myself have already started some. This is the best time in our area to start potatoes, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and strawberries 🍓! And don’t forget to compost!!!! I can’t stress this enough! Nothing you buy from the store compares to actual compost! It helps fight pests too when the plant gets all it needs to thrive 💚💚💚💚💚💚

This is a great time to plant cilantro!

Okay everyone, let’s talk about NEEM OIL in the garden. If you don’t already know: “Neem oil is a vegetable oil pressed from the fruits and seeds of the neem (Azadirachta indica), an evergreen tree which is endemic to the Indian subcontinent and has been introduced to many other areas in the tropics. It is the most important of the commercially available products of neem for organic farming and medicines.”

Anyway, I ran out of neem oil and decided to try using something else instead for a while. I’ve always mixed neem in with my liquid plant food and insecticide/fungicide until about a month ago. BIG MISTAKE!!! I’ve had nothing but struggles and infestation since, especially these little bugs called “leaf-miners” which I have absolutely never had a problem with until this past month. Also, omg, SO MUCH ISSUES WITH MOLD/Bad fungus like powdery mildew and only god knows what else 🙄. So, apparently neem oil is fantastic for keeping flying insects from laying eggs on plants which turn to larvae (which then eats all the leaves), kills and protects plants from all insects and mold growth, and even kills soil dwellers if sprayed on dirt. All without any fear of killing bees, earthworms, ladybugs, etc. it doesn’t work on most beetles I’ve noticed but there’s other things for that. Anyway! My point? It’s worth every penny and I’ll never go without it again! Ordered a gallon off amazon already lol hope this brand works well.

GARDENING TIP!: Don’t wash gardening gloves with laundry soap! Hand wash in a bucket with dawn dish soap, rinse twice, and if you have a fence, especially a picket fence, use that to dry them or they get all stuck together or the rubber gets hard. Never use laundry dryer. If you use washer just do plain water or a tea spoon of dish soap and a double rinse then air dry and they’ll be re-used for years!

Cucumber, tomatoes, squash, garlic and sunflower seeds still on the sunflower head available for sale! $1.00 each for produce, $2 for sunflower heads no matter what size!

Gardening Tip of the Week!
Have any organic store bought potatoes growing sprouts? Plant them whole, 5 inches deep in your garden boxes, large pots, or tilled dirt. A few months later when the plants die back: dig up your potatoes!

Hello everyone! Ren here! I want to invite anyone to ask questions in the comments below about anything they might be having issues with in their gardening! There’s absolutely no bad questions and it’s very likely someone else is also struggling with similar issues. For example: “no matter what I try I can’t seem to stop bugs from eating my watermelon plants!” And attach a picture to the question showing us what the problem looks like. I want to encourage people to share their wisdom and support, because let’s be honest, searching the internet for “how do I kill bugs on my plants?” Is not only overwhelming with different opinions, but half of the time could be the wrong suggestions for your area and situation!

Keep growing, learning, and thriving friends!
-Ren

REN’S GARDENING TIP OF THE WEEK:
Are you in the popular habit of loosening roots before planting them? Stop! It was a common practice 15 years ago, but really all it does is increase risk of shock and death to the plant. It’s similar to someone rearranging our intestines... you can get away with it sometimes but it’s not a good idea 😜

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