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10 ways to manage unwelcome garden visitors without pesticides
If you have a garden of any material body or size , the odds are upright you also have some bothersome garden pests . Unfortunately , aphids and biff , Nipponese mallet , and reek bugs ( among many other pests ! ) view your beautiful industrial plant as a bountiful snack bar upon which to feast .
That ’s the bad news . Here ’s the goodness — because most garden pests have been around for years , gardeners have set up some tried - and - true method to battle them without swear on pesticides . get ’s dig out into some of the best ways to by nature bring off those unwelcome garden visitor and maintain happy , respectable , beautiful , and productive plants .
And remember , the best way to manage pest is to prevent them from infest your garden in the first lieu !
Healthy pepper seedlings growing at Heritage Farm
Cultivate healthy soil
We ’ve said it before , and we ’ll say it again — level-headed soil make for healthy plant , and healthy plants can well withstand plague and disease . Manylocal university extension officesoffer tests that analyse your ground for pH , constitutive subject , and macronutrients like nitrogen , morning star , and K .
take more about grime health .
extra resources :
Healthy pepper seedlings growing at Heritage Farm
determine more about soil health from Seed Savers Exchange stave in this video from our 42nd Annual Conference :
Access to all past virtual conference programming is usable on the Seed Savers Exchange Heritage FarmYouTube channel .
Start with healthy plants
Before move the plants you ’ve start ( or buy ) into your garden , ascertain they are sound . Do they have racy leaves and branches , sturdy stems , and well - established root systems ? For added protection against pests , await for disease - and - louse - immune varieties .
Select the optimum spots for your plants
The hefty your plant , the better able-bodied they will be to withstand the barrage of pests and disease . One agency to promote plant health is to lay your plants where they will flourish : place flora that need full Sunday in full - Sunday areas and place plant that require more water supply in surface area that keep moisture longer .
Learn the difference between pests and beneficial insects
All garden suck insects , some helpful and others harmful . Get to know the different insects different plants in your garden attract so you’re able to distinguish which insects to fight and which to educate ( for representative , bees and butterflies ) .
Entice birds and beneficial insects
Did you know that skirt and many wasps , fly , and beetle eat on pests like aphids , stink bugs , and Japanese beetle ? fowl love a good wench bathroom or bird feeder . To appeal beneficial insects to your garden , grow blossom that supply nectar and pollen . ( Thinkborage , calendula , coneflower , andmarigolds , among others . )
Pro crest – Set up an enticing menu that blossom from Spring until Fall with these seed mixes :
Learn more about pollinators .
Purple coneflower is a favorite of beneficial insects.
Practice companion planting
Planting select crop close to one another has proven metre and again to foil garden pests . Onions , for illustration , are known to repel many harmful insects , whileradishesdeter beetles from bean , peas , squeeze , melons , and cucumbers .
Bush beansplanted near potatoes will help protect those potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle — found not just in Colorado and not just on potatoes!—while the spud , in round , will keep the bush noodle safe from the Mexican dome beetle .
Nasturtium flowerslook enchanting when planted withtomatoesand serve as a ambuscade crop for aphid that may infect them .
Tomatoesandnasturtiumsmake a winning combination.
Rosemary’saroma deters bean beetles , cabbage moths , and Daucus carota sativa flies .
( observe : There are many winning flora combinations when it comes to pest direction ; this list is just a starting signal ! )
Keep acquire about companion planting :
Shop ‘Harvey’s Honor’ marigold seeds
Plant marigolds, nasturtiums, and calendulas
Marigoldsattract beneficial insect like ma’am beetles that , in twist , prey on insects that can damage crops . Nasturtiumsrepel whitefly , squash hemipteron , aphids , and cabbage loopers . Calendulaswork overtime as a “ trap crop”—catching aphids and other pests by ooze a sticky , appealing sap .
Invest in a floating row cover
various and easy to use , the floating row coverlets light in while it keeps out plague like Nipponese mallet , white potato beetles , cabbage worms , and leaf mineworker . It also protect your plants from frost and air current .
Keep your garden free from disease
As already noted , healthy plants better withstand insect that desire to wreak havoc in your garden . The round-eyed way to manage plant life disease is to take measures to prevent it in the first place .
Many vulgar practices can help prevent disease in your garden infinite . Explore these practices before turning to chemic solutions :
Consult your local extension office
Yourlocal extension service officehas a wealthiness of information on all things garden , include pest management . Do n’t hesitate to tap into this handy imagination !
source : UDSA and The Farmers ’ farmer’s calendar .
earlier publishedJuly 21 , 2022 , by
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