Controlling pests may feel overwhelming, especially if you want to stay away from pesticides and chemicals. Although pesticides get rid of them quicker, do you really want to take the chance of ingesting those toxic chemicals?
There are ways to control pests without using toxic chemicals. You might be surprised to find that it’s not as difficult as you might think to use organic gardening pest control.
Insects are a part of nature and there are defensive strategies that have evolved within the eco-system to battle these types of problems.
Before you take any action against insects that you see, take a minute to watch them. See what they are doing and if they are hurting the plant or just doing a little nibbling. It may not hurt the plant at all.
Many insects will attack plants that are already stressed out. Be sure you inspect the health of your plants. If your plants aren’t healthy, you will need to bring them back to health so they can resist any attacks from insects.
Make sure they are getting proper amounts of water and sun. Grow a variety of plants so that your entire garden won’t be wiped out. The healthier the soil, the more resistant your plants will be to disease and insects. Pests are just a part of gardening that you have to learn to deal with.
Natural Sprays and Powders
There are many natural botanical powders and sprays that you can get from a garden center. These are produced from plants and not in a laboratory. Here are a few that you can use.
Insecticidal Soap
Insecticidal soap is made from potassium salts or sodium that is mixed with fatty acids. The soap must be wet and it has to directly contact the insect for it to work. Once it dries out, it no longer works.
The fatty acids penetrate the outer cells of the insects covering causing them to collapse. There is no residue when you are done using this soap and it’s non-toxic to pets and animals. You can use it all season. Although one of the safest organic pesticides available, if you use it when it extremely hot out or in full sun, it will burn or possibly, stress out the plants.
BT Spray
BT Spray which is known as Bacillus thuringiensis. It releases toxins into the stomach of insects. This toxin prevents them from eating and the insects starve to death.
BT comes in a powder that you sprinkle or dust onto the plant. For it to work, the insect must eat it. This pesticide does not hurt, people, birds, bees or pets. It is slow-acting and will take days to kill the insects. You have to be careful because it may also kill the good insects.
Neem
Neem comes from the seed kernels of neem tree fruit. It comes in a spray and is sprayed directly onto the leaves of the plant. It works best on insects that have to go through a metamorphosis and immature insects.
Although, Neem is not toxic to humans, it can harm pets.
Horticulture Oil
Horiticulture oil is petroleum oil that is highly refined. It is combined with water and you spray it on the foliage. It works by coating the insect and then, suffocating it. It will also disrupt the feeding cycle.
You could burn the leaves of the plants so be careful when you spray and how often.
Good Animals and Insects
Praying mantises, ladybugs and birds (after your plants germinate) are your best friends. To get birds into your garden entice them with a bird bath or by growing plants with berries.
You can buy ladybugs in a variety of container sizes. An average sized garden will usually need a quart or less. You will receive approximately 25-30 thousand ladybugs per quart. It’s usually less than five bucks a quart. One ladybug can eat up to 40 or 50 aphids per day.
Praying mantises work well for gardens but they eat all insects, both good and bad. If you buy them for your garden, they will usually escape before long. You may want to start with just a few when you are starting out.
You can use frogs and lizards to eat pests as well. To keep natural allies in your garden, keep a small dish of water near the garden to attract them. Small blossoms and flowers like dill, sweet alyssum and marigolds attract insects that feed on this nectar will killing pests in between.
Using organic gardening pest control is the best approach for you, your family and the environment. Creating healthy soil and using natural products will help you to grow food that is more delicious and safer to eat.
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