DETERRING MOSQUITOS WITH CATNIP

Design and InstallationGarden Caregarden TriviaPlant Health Care
Written By Peter Morris

 

Nepeta cataria

 I was recently reading a study from The Iowa State University Department of Entomology on common catnip. They concluded that an essential oil in catnip is very effective at repelling mosquitoes.  When placed in a garden, small doses of catnip oil were 10 times more effective than DEET !While the researchers don't know why mosquitoes don't like catnip oil, they do know it is a good repellent. The volatile oils from the plant diffuse into the air keeping the bugs away.Within a few years, we'll probably see many safe, non-toxic mosquito repellents on the market made from catnip !Meanwhile, why not grow some mosquito repellent of your own? 

Cat in the Catnip

 Closely related to ornamental catnip is catmint (Nepeta faassenii or Nepeta mussinii) with gentle blue flowers and masses of softly hairy, gray-green foliage. It prefers well-drained soil and plenty of sunlight too! 

For mountains of catnip and a mosquito free terrace

Call Plant Specialists TODAY !

our Garden Care team will plant catnip everywhere

– just make sure you are on a rooftop or you will attract every cat in the neighborhood !

 

Catnip fiesta !

PLANT SPECIALISTS

GREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 52 YEARS !

  Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBAAll photographs used with permission @SHUTTERSTOCK 

Peter Morris

Peter was born and raised on a beautiful green island in the midst of a tropical rainforest. He was introduced into the world of plants at the age of six when his grandmother, an avid Spanish gardener herself, asked him to help her grow seeds for her pepper garden. He was hooked! By the time he was a teen, he had his own rose and orchid collection numbering in the hundreds. Botany was in his blood, and that is what he set out to study.

His passion brought him to NY in the late seventies to further his education. His tenacity allowed him to work full time at Plant Specialists while he completed a MS in Plant Biology. As a manager at the time he felt unsatisfied with his knowledge of business and business processes. Peter felt compelled to learn, so he then pursued and completed an MBA in Quality Management within a few short years.

Peter’s other passion is teaching. His natural ability is quickly consumed by our staff in all subjects in Botany, Horticulture, and Landscaping. He created an immense reference library of more than 3,500 plants providing an invaluable resource for our staff.

Peter’s breadth of knowledge and wisdom allows him to effectively diagnose the needs of plants. Sometimes just by walking into a garden he can create a prescription that fixes even the hardest issue. He is our Staff Botanist, Diagnostician, and all around Mentor. Recently, he has put his immense knowledge and skills into developing a new department that focuses on Plant Healthcare. As he puts it, “Magic through Science”. The PHC staff that surround him have avidly consumed his teachings. Substantially developing their own plant wisdom, many have taken on difficult plant health issues with spectacular results.

Plant Healthcare has been an instant success with customers! The proper treatment of insects and diseases including Organic methods has made pest control a necessity for every plant. Correcting hormonal imbalances caused by planting in containers or refurbishing soils leached of nutrients by irrigation systems are big challenges PHC has become quite comfortable addressing. The scientific approach to the complex demands of keeping plants healthy in our harsh city environment has made many a customer say WOW!

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