Tips for Keeping Pests Out of Your Garden

January 20th, 2017

With all of the time and energy that you devote to your garden, you take great pride in watching it flourish. Of course, this means you aren’t about to allow pesky insects to gnaw away at your hard work. Rather than relying on pesticides laced with toxins and chemicals, you will thank yourself for utilizing these natural pest control methods that will actively support your garden’s health.

Start With Prevention

Just like a healthy diet and regular exercise can help your body ward off unnecessary diseases, cultivating your garden’s wellness is the best first line of defense. Start by building a healthy, organic soil using compost or natural fertilizer. This will encourage the growth of strong plants and minimize the number of weak plants that you need to pull. Since weak plants risk infection and attract predators, they need to be disposed of before they start causing trouble. It also helps to interplant since pests are less likely to spread throughout a crop when the plantings are mixed. Finally, water your garden in the morning to give foliage plenty of time to dry in the sun.

Discourage Pests with Beneficial Insects

Not all insects cause damage to your garden, and in fact there are some that you want to purposefully attract to your garden because they will naturally discourage unwanted pests. Ladybugs, for example, consume aphids, mites, whiteflies, and scale, and you can attract them by planting any member of the daisy family. Lacewings also love to eat aphids and can be attracted to composite flowers like goldenrod and asters. To battle beetles, root weevil larvae, and cutworms, mix nematode egg with water and apply them into your soil.

Arm Yourself with Natural Remedies

For pest problems that can’t be handled through prevention, you can equip yourself with affordable and natural remedies. For example, many gardeners have success getting rid of mites by mixing two tablespoons of hot pepper sauce or cayenne pepper with a few drops of ivory soap and a quart of water. Fungal disease, on the other hand, can respond to two tablespoons of baking soda mixed in a gallon of water and sprayed onto the affected areas every few days. There are dozens and dozens of these natural solutions available, but if all else fails you should contact a green pest solutions company to protect your garden in the safest way possible.