Various kinds of pests are one of the annoying drawbacks that every kind of garden suffers from. Organic gardens are unfortunately no exception to this rule!
In our organic garden we want to fight these pests in an environmentally safe way, as opposed to the ways used in a conventional garden. In those gardens strong chemicals are commonly used, which cause harm not only to the pests but also to you and your family, to your plants, to your soil and to the good insects in your garden. They will also find their way into the ground water while accumulating in your soil.
Step 1: Organic Garden Pest Control by Hand If you want a really cheap and easy way to get rid of the easy-to-see bugs this is the one. While strolling around your garden in the evening or in the early mornings, look closely on your plants and pick all the harmful bugs you can see and are able to pick. Then either squash them or drown them in a conatiner with soapy water.
Step 2: Organic Garden Pest Control with solutions to spray A simple way to fight bugs is to suffocate them with soapy water. Just mix 1 dl of natural soap with 1 liter of water, then pour into a spray bottle and spray away at your plants. Make sure you cover the whole plant with the mixture, and repeat now and then to get rid of the bugs that subsequently hatch.
Usually kills of both aphids and spider mites, but sometimes the latter ones are a bit difficult.
A mixture of 2-3 garlic cloves, 3-4 large chili peppers and 2 tablespoons of some vegetable oil, blended well in your blender, then strained and added to 1 liter of water plus 1 tablespoon of natural soap (or dishwashing soap) makes a stronger homemade solution for fighting bugs. When spraying this on your plants, avoid spraying during mid day or in really hot weather, because that may harm the leaves on your plants by burning them.
The effects of this solution are more widespread than the soapy water, as it may scare away even moles and mice if they smell it near their holes. But the backside of this remedy is this: It will scare away the good bugs as well. But there is a way to avoid this:
Organic Garden Pest Control 3: Biological pest control Let the good bugs do the job! The ladybug is very efficient, it eats plenty of aphids (and is pretty to watch!). Lacewings and praying mantis are also good at this, and can be lured into your garden by plants that attract them. You can also buy these good bugs or other parasites (that is, parasitic on your pests) to establish an ecological balance among your garden bugs. These bugs or parasites can be bought in egg sacks or live, and are very efficient and a really environmentally friendly way to pest control.
Organic Garden Pest Control 4: Choosing scary plants and maintaining good plant health Note, the plants are supposed to be scary for the pests, not for you! Good plants for this are wormwood, lavender, marigolds, garlic and onions. I believe all of these are easily fitted into both your flower garden and your vegetable garden. For example, onions can be planted amongst carrot plants to prevent the carrot root fly from harming your carrots (companion planting), and marigolds can be planted anywhere!
Plants growing in rich and healthy soil are far more likely to grow well and stay beautiful and productive even if they are under attack from pests.
Tips 5 for Your Organic Garden Pest Control: How to get rid of ants, fleas and other crawling insects An environmentally friendly way to get rid of small insects like ants is spreading a thin layer of Diatomaceous earth on the ground. This mineral dust pierces the exoskeleton of these small but annoying creatures, leaving them to dry out. You need to repeat the process after watering or heavy rain.
Hollyhock saviour! Many are the gardeners giving up on hollyhocks because of the fungus that makes the leaves turn reddish brown and eventually fall of. However, if you use this homemade solution your hollyhocks will be able to keep their leaves and look the way they should.
Fill a kettle with horsetail, add water to cover and boil for at least 10 minutes. Then filter, dilute 5 to 10 times with water, pour into spray bottle and spray your plants all over, including under the leaves.
The best of luck with keeping pests off and your plants healthy and beautiful!
Related posts:
- How to Care for Your Flower Garden Knowing how to care for your flower garden can make...
- Organic Herbal Gardening On Balconies And Windowsills Working on organic herbal gardening inside a building is a...
- Is Organic Food Better? Leave Your Doubts Behind! Once in a while people ask me, sniffily or out...
- Important Tips on Chili Pests Cutworms, Feltia subterranea (F.) and .Peridroma saucia (Htibn.) are often...
- Schefflera We all have our problems when it comes to plant...