Weed constantly. Do not let weeds flower and go to seed or next season, you will be battling millions of offspring. Disturb the soil as little as possible to avoid bringing buried seeds to the surface where they can germinate. Weed barrier cloth or 3-4 sheets of moistened black and white sheets of newspaper (colored inks contain lead) covered with 2”-3” of mulch will help. If wood chips are used as mulch, sprinkle some nitrogen fertilizer as the decomposition process can deplete nitrogen from the soil. Always keep the mulch pulled away from the base branches of plants to prevent rot. Try to avoid using herbicides but if you feel that you are losing the battle and simply must use a chemical, Round Up is effective and dissipates fairly quickly. Be sure not to get Round Up on any desirable plants as the chemical is absorbed through the leaves and translocated to the roots where the plant is damaged or killed. Keep pets and children away from the area until the spray has dried.

Insects

Snails and slugs – Sluggo is the safest commercial product available, reputedly not harmful to children or pets. Corey's is also effective but can be harmful to children and pets although the “flake” form tends to be less attractive than the pellets. For an organic approach, go out in the evening with a flashlight and hand pick the snails, or put out saucers of beer that will lure the snails and then cause them to drown.

Earwigs

Damp, rolled-up newspapers provide inviting hiding places for earwigs. Place a few around your garden or under a shrub where you see damage in the evening, and then collect and discard them along with the earwigs the next day. Baiting the newspaper rolls with beer or soy sauce may be even more preferred effective.

Aphids

Aphids are at the bottom of the food chain and usually pose a mild and temporary problem. Many beneficial insects rely on aphids as a food source so applying an insecticide will kill the beneficials as well as the aphids. An approach is to wash them off with a strong spray of water from the hose or apply Safer’s Insecticidal Soap at the rate recommended on the container. The Safer Company makes a number of low impact garden products.

Ants

Try Orange Guard. Ants protect many garden pests such as aphids and scale from their natural predators. If the ants are eliminated, then natural forces can take care of the other insects.

A product called Tangle Foot creates a sticky barrier when applied to the trunk or lower branches and discourages ants as well as snails and slugs from invading trees or shrubs.

For additional information, refer to Sunset Western Garden Problem Solver.