Owning an organic garden has a lot of advantages. You can have free crops in just few months, have a cleaner and greener surrounding and you can even earn from it. However, most garden owners are facing garden pests problems. They are almost everywhere. They can kill crops without you knowing it. There are a lot of garden pest control methods and products that are available on markets but you can initially apply effective prevention techniques to keep them away from your garden in the first place.
Prevention is Always Better than Cure
Applying preventive measures should be your first step. It is better than curing a developing problem. Having healthy soil is one important method. It drives them away from your area. It develops strong and vibrant plants. Pests are known to be attracted by their food source and shelter. You can remove possible attractants by cleaning messy twigs, garbage, food spills, and weak plants in your garden. Most pests also need moisture in order to survive. Getting rid of still waters and mulches can help destroy their breeding grounds. Always clean your garden.
Organic Pest Control
An organic garden is composed of fruits, vegetables and other edible herbs. Therefore, using pest control products that contain agents and chemicals can possibly harm humans. The best way to control the population of these pests is using organic and vegetable garden pest control methods and products.
Biological Control
This method is done by using beneficial insects. These insects are attracted to your garden to prey on pests. For instance, ladybugs are effective praise for aphids, mites, scales and whiteflies. You can attract them in your garden by planting daisies, tansies and yarrows. In the same manner, lacewings are avid consumers of aphids and their larva. Other beneficial insects are the following: hoverflies, praying mantis, nematodes and other insects.
Bacteria and parasitic nematodes are also helpful. They are microscopic organisms that help get rid of pests. They occur naturally. Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) is one popular example. They are found in the soil. When they are eaten by a particular insect, they live on the insect and release proteins that can cause death. There are many different kinds of BT. BT variety Berliner has been used for years to kill hundreds of different kinds of caterpillars which includes hornworms, corn earworms, squash vine borers and cabbageworms.
Traps
Using a trap is one of the most traditional methods for organic gardening pest control. They are deployed all around the garden where pests mostly dwell. These traps should be equipped with their food source to attract pests. Flypaper is the most common trap used for many years. It is effective against flies and other flying insects. A bright color can also help attract these pests. You can also use apple maggot traps, pheromones, floating row covers, cloche, barrier paper, sticky traps and many more.
Crop Rotation
Crop rotation is one helpful technique. It is a method wherein you circulate crops within your garden. If you circulate crops, pest will die due to the absence of their food source. For instance, you can plant corn for this season and squash for another season and so on. You can circulate many different crops in a year.
Home Remedies
Most garden owners rely on pesticides because of convenience. They can be bought in stores and are ready to use. These products come in variety of forms. There are sprays, baits, solutions, and so on. They are very good and effective. However, these products contain agents and chemicals which can be hazardous to humans. Vegetables and other food crops should be free from hazardous chemicals because they are edible.
Your home can be a good source of gardens pest control. You can use milk, pepper sauce, cayenne sauce, diatomaceous earth, baking soda, lime sulfur, oil sprays, and the likes. Milk solution is used as fungicide by most garden owners worldwide. They contain active substances that prevent microorganisms and pathogens. It is effective against red spider mites, mildew, mosaic virus, blights and other fungal diseases.
You can also use organic pest control products that are available in the market. They are safe because they are derived from animals and plants. Insecticidal soap is one good example. It can melt the skin of insects. You can readily buy these from your favorite stores. Do not be confused by herbicidal sprays and other detergent solutions that can possibly harm plants.
These are just some of the most common garden pest control methods and techniques. There are a lot more. You can even ask experienced Pest Control Hobart Company. Be vigilant for modern methods and techniques.
