Organic Pest Control for Tomato Plants
Tomatoes are a favorite vegetable of farmers and backyard gardeners.
Through breeding, tomato strains have been developed that are resistant to diseases. But they remain a target of a number of determined garden pests. With patience and a little know-how, growers can use simple organic household items to discourage or even kill the pests.
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Why Organic Pest Control?
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Chemical manufacturers have produced effective pesticides that eliminate pests from fields and gardens. A growing concern over chemical-laden food and the debilitation of land through overuse of chemicals, however, has fueled a resurgence of organic pest control solutions. The inconvenience of repeatedly applying organic pest controls and the vigilance needed to keep them effective pale in comparison to the high-quality tomatoes that are grown without lingering, dangerous chemicals. The soil that would otherwise be adversely affected by chemical pesticide run-off, won't be poisoned when organic pest controls are used instead.
Tomato Hornworm
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The ravenous tomato hornworm is a damaging pest. This green caterpillar, which turns into the hummingbird or sphinx moth, is 3 to 6 inches long and has a spiked horn on its tail. Although larger than most vegetable pests, the pest, with its green color, is difficult to find in foliage. When you find the hornworm, the simplest organic solution is to pick it off the tomato plant and drop it into a bucket of soapy water where it will quickly die. Indigestible cornmeal can also be sprinkled around tomoato plant's stem where the hornworm will eat it and explode and die. Alternatively, commercially available diatomaceous earth can be dusted unto the plants or a solution of bacillus thuringiensis can be sprayed. Both products are organic compounds.
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Aphids
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Aphids are fond of warm, moist environments and attack new tomato plant growth. Unlike the tomato hornworm, aphids are too small to remove by hand. Fortunately, there are many home remedies that kill them. Spraying a mixture of a quarter cup of biodegradable soap in 1 gallon of water will kill aphids. Alternatively, a spray of a quarter cup of canola or olive oil in a gallon of water will also work as will a puree of four or five chili peppers or a head of garlic in a gallon of water after they've been strained. The oxalic acid in elderberry or rhubarb leaves also makes an effective killing spray. The nettles spray is made by fermenting 1 quart of nettles in enough water to cover them for three weeks. When strained and mixed with seven parts water, the mixture will kill aphids. A dozen tomato leaves chopped up with one onion in half a cup of 70 percent isopropyl alcohol can be used as a targeted application when used with a cotton swab or a small paintbrush. Finally, a good dusting with diatomaceous earth, powdered charcoal, calcium dust or bone meal will also remove the aphids.
Repellent Plants
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Planting tomatoes interspersed with certain other plants can help repel tomato pests. Opal basil and marigolds, for instance, keep hornworms away. Carrots and radishes are good companion plants that aid in keeping pests away as are anise, cilantro, garlic, chives, onions and petunias. Although these repellent plants don't kill tomato pests, they keep them away from the vegetables where they would otherwise cause damage.
Predators
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Not all bugs are pests. Quite a few of them feast on insects that would otherwise devastate tomato plants. Aphids are a particular treat for green lacewings, ladybugs and both of their larvae, as are syrphid fly larvae. Hover flies and praying mantis also feed on aphids. Some of these insects can be introduced into a garden by purchasing them from garden supply stores. More importantly, the complete cessation of spraying commercial pesticides on tomato plants, which indiscriminately kills all insects, will keep predators alive to naturally rid pests from the garden. Hornworms with white protruding pouches on their backs should also be left undisturbed. Parasitic wasp larvae will hatch from these pouches and eat the worm. The resulting adult wasps will continue to attack new hornworms in the same manner.
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References
- Photo Credit tomato #2 image by Adam Borkowski from Fotolia.com
