Pest Control in the Garden

Posted on 14/10/2020

Garden Pest Control Methods

A garden is a beautiful feature of any back or front yard. Unfortunately with plants, pests can be attracted and this can be harmful and damaging to the growth of your garden. There are many way to control pests and keep your garden happy and healthy.

Trying to use organic methods of pest control and prevention is much better for garden maintenance. Rather than use chemical based pesticides, consider some organic prevention techniques such as the following:

Floating row covers

These polyester fabric coverings protect gardens from pests but still lets in up to 80 per cent of light available. Lightweight coverings are recommended, particularly in summer, so that the plants don’t suffocate under a heavy covering.  These coverings can be assembled using wooden stakes or poles around the plant garden bed and secured across the plants. It is best not to have the covering touching the plant so that the garden still has plenty of room to breathe. Floating row covers are best used when protecting against mobile pests.

Pheromone traps

These traps produce powerful smells that attract and lure insects. Essentially the pheromone hormone is used as bait to capture insects. These are available for many moth and worm species.

Sticky traps

These are effective in trapping insects that are attracted to colour. The traps must be clean and sticky for them to work effectively. Essentially these can be made using any sticky substance on a piece of wood that is coloured and bright. These attract many flying insects such as flies, beetles and fleas.

Homemade remedies

Better than buying heavily chemical based insecticides, there are some natural home remedies that can be made with basic ingredients. These are suitable for garden spraying. For example, bi-carbonate soda sprays, garlic sprays, milk sprays, or oil sprays can be effective at removing harmful pests from the garden. Anything that is sprayed on insects should be sprayed lightly over the leaves and left to sit. These won’t be harmful to the plants, soil or roots as they are made from natural ingredients.

Other preventative measures in pest control avoid general gardening maintenance. Regularly pulling out weak plants that may already be infected or at risk of pest infection will stop the spread throughout the garden.

A healthy and organically rich garden soil will also prevent pests from inhabiting. Natural composting methods as well as mulching and adding a strong top soil to the garden will build a natural resistance to pests. During a garden clean up, leaf clearance can be added to compost to enrich it.

Regular weeding and garden clearance of debris will make the garden less appealing for insects. Pests and insects generally make their home in weedy, overgrown gardens so by staying on top of this you will be able to prevent an infestation.

Keeping foliage dry through the day, by watering in the early morning, will discourage insects and fungal damage to plants. Also, when planting plants it is ideal to interplant so that there isn’t a cluster of one species of plants. Insects can be attracted to certain plants, so spread them out and have a variety in your garden.

Always keep in mind that some pests and insects can be beneficial to a garden. This is why preventative measures are better than chemical based pest garden spraying products so that you don’t accidentally harm good insects. These beneficial insects are also a good form of pest control as they prey on harmful insects. These types of insects include ladybugs, hover-flies, praying mantis, and some wasps.