Diane, Legian, writes: I am looking for plants to put around the house mosquitoes do not like. Some people told me ‘Lidah Mertua’; others said ‘Sodia’? Is this right? Are there other plants? My garden is small and has lots of shadow. Do the plants need sun or not? How many do I need to plant per meter? I live in Legian, and would like to know where to buy?
Aloe Vera is known here as “Lidah Buaya’ (crocodile’s tongue) – ‘Lidah Mertua’ is mother-in-law’s tongue (bot: Sanseveria spp.) I cannot comment on ‘Sodia’; it must be an Indonesian name and none of my dictionaries list the word. I lived for some months in Darwin surrounded by Sanseveria which did not seem to me to have any mosquito-repellent effect whatsoever.
I recommend ordinary old lemongrass for a small and shady garden. It contains a volatile, essential oil - ‘oil of citronella’ - a most effective insect repellent. Very easy to grow, it is extremely hardy and unfussy about soil-type/amount of sunlight.
Grown in shade it will be very lush, reaching a height of one meter and of similar width in a matter of months. Buy from your local pasar – large bunches always available for Rp1.000 – 2.000. Choose freshly picked bunches (leaves and stems should be plump and green). If looking dry/withered, move on to the next stall. The herb is much used in Asian cuisine – a leaf or two snipped into a pot and infused in boiling water makes a delicious, refreshing tea (hot or iced).
If possible, plant that morning and water in well. If this is inconvenient, put into 2cm of water to hold, but your success rate will be affected by how quickly planted. Only water again when the soil dries out. Established plants are virtually drought-proof.
If you have an outdoor living space, plant most heavily around that area. The volatile oil is usually released by hot sun, but at night (and given your shady garden) you will need to bruise the leaves from time to time with a light bamboo rod – just a tickle, not a beating! An immediate way to apply to the skin itself is to pick a stem, squash the base (heel of a shoe/a nearby stone) and rub over exposed skin.
The South African Pyrethrum Daisy is still a source of organic pyrethrins, but as it likes full sun may not be suitable. So too is the Neem Tree (see previous articles on this journal’s website), but as it can grow into a quite large tree, may also be unsuitable. Mozzie control needs more than a one-pronged attack. Candles enriched with Citronella Oil are most effective, as are BBQ flares burning kerosene plus the Citronella Oil. Flies and other ‘nuisance insects’ are also deterred, so remember these for picnics/outdoor meals.
Snails : Ibu Kat’s recent column amused me highly. It reminded me of a story: Some years ago in a small Australian country town, a young couple were observed by a sticky-nosed prurient neighbor clad only in nightwear and waving flashlights, supposedly performing a primitive, erotic dance on their newly-planted front lawn. By noon the next day it was the ‘talk of the town’. When it reached the ears of said dancers, they laughed uproariously.
There had been a shower of rain earlier and they had gone to bed forgetting to put out the garbage. The husband (as all good husbands should) volunteered for this task. Noticing hordes of snails busily devouring the tender, young grass, he and his wife hastily ‘wriggled into their Wellies’ grabbed a flashlight each and went out to stomp on the snails. ‘A primitive, erotic dance’! Shades of ‘Clochemerle’ – Huh!
I emailed Ibu Kat with the following advice:- Snails find beer particularly attractive. Put out shallow dishes of beer and they will come ‘running’ (or the snailish equivalent thereof). If you (like me) rarely have leftover beer in your house, snails are not as fussy as we humans, so buy the cheapest beer available. To protect your precious seedlings, surround them with a strip of bran/sawdust. While snails can glide over a razor blade, they do not like sliming their way over these. Remember though, in the wet season, decomposition is rapid - replenish often!
While it may take time for snails to die of alcoholic poisoning, beer certainly renders them comatose, whereupon stout boots and a ‘Primitive Erotic Dance’ will certainly ‘do them in’. (Just be careful as to who may be watching!)
Common salt is deadly to snails. Throw some into those full buckets, but if you are squeamish don’t look on. They squirm and writhe and begin to ‘foam at the mouth’ – it’s not a pretty sight but it’s all over in a few minutes.
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