How to Fight Garden Pests Naturally
Many gardeners mistakenly assume that their best line of defense against garden pests is pesticides. Under normal circumstances, this simply isn't true. With proper management techniques and preventive measures, you can keep your garden free from pesky garden insects without resorting to nasty chemicals that pose a threat to the environment or compromise your family's health. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Sketch pad
- Pencil
- Floating row cover
- Bucket
- Dish detergent
- Bleach
- Newspaper or paper towels
- Disposable cup
- Boards
- Magnesium sulfate
- Crushed egg shells
- Gravel
- Roofing shingles
- Hot peppers
- Spray bottle
- Organic pesticide
Instructions
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Rotate your crops on a three year cycle to prevent insects (and disease) that survive in the soil from infecting the next years crop. To facilitate effective crop rotation in home gardens, group vegetables according to their botanical family and rotate the entire group each year. Sketch the layout of your garden and divide it into sections for each family. Move crops one place to the right each year and note it on your garden sketch.
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Use floating row covers to prevent insects from destroying your plants or laying eggs. This works well to prevent the cabbage moth and other flying insects that use vegetable plants as hosts for growing larvae. Floating row cover can be purchased from seed catalogs or in improvement centers.
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Monitor your plants closely and hand pick insects as soon as they appear. If left to breed, these pests multiple quickly, but routine hand picking once or twice a day typically curtails breeding and prevents severe infestations. Drop insects into a bucket of soapy water to kill them. Some insects, such as the Colorado potato beetle, resist soapy water. Mix 1/4 cup of household bleach with 1 qt. of water to create a solution to kill bugs that resist your efforts.
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Trap insects and remove them from your garden. Slugs crawl under boards to keep moist and to avoid the sun. Remove the boards in the morning and dispose of the slugs. Roll a section of newspaper or paper towels into a disposable cup or toilet paper roll to trap earwigs.
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Sprinkle magnesium sulfate or crushed eggshells around the perimeter of the garden to deter slugs. Other choices include sharp gravel and roofing shingles as the sharp edges cut the tender skin of slugs, who simply decide to find food elsewhere.
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Blend several hot peppers in 1 qt. of water. Drain through a fine sieve and fill a spray bottle with the solution. Spray the hot pepper solution on plants to deter insects and rodents from eating them.
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Keep the garden clean and dispose of all plant debris promptly. Remove weeds as soon as they appear by pulling or by cutting them at the surface of the soil with a hoe. Keeping the garden clean and weed free reduces the risk of insect pests.
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Use organic pesticides as a last resort. Although these pesticides, sold in your garden supply store, are produced from plants and may be labeled as "natural," that does not mean they are safe for consumption. Read labels carefully and follow all precautions when using any pesticide, even if it is organic.
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References
Resources
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