If you’re interested in gardening, you know how frustrating it is when your plants die because of pests. This guide will help you deal with those pests and give advice on how you can keep your plants safe in the future. Follow our steps and enjoy a pest free garden.
1. Prepare your soil before planting
New plants are soft and juicy and attract cutworms. These caterpillars feed at night by chewing seedlings off at the stem or just below the soil surface. Before you plant seedlings you should prepare your soil by removing weeds and plant debris that feed and hide larvae.
2. Grow pest-repelling plants
Plants like catnip, dill, mint and basil are very aromatic and generally repel insects. By adding these aromatic plants to your garden, you will protect the surrounding plants from unwanted pests.
3. Attract good bugs to your garden
There are some insects you actually do want in your garden. These are insects that feed on the pests you’re trying to get rid of, and they help to pollinate your plants too! Attract the good bugs by adding plants like cilantro, mint, rosemary and marigold to your garden. Any flowering plant will also attract the good bugs. You want to see insects like ladybugs, lacewings, assassin bugs, spiders and praying mantises in your garden.
4. Protect your seedlings
Place toilet paper rolls around your seedlings. This will keep caterpillars from chewing on your young plants.
5. Inspect your garden regularly
Once your plants start growing you should inspect your garden regularly. The sooner you spot the problem, the easier it will be to deal with it. If you find any bugs you don’t like, the steps below will help you to get rid of them.
6. Remove pests by hand
Some pests can easily be removed by hand.
• Beetles are less active in the mornings. Shake them off your plants and into some soapy water.
• Small infestations of scales can be removed with a soft brush and soapy water. Rinse the plant with water afterwards.
• Handpick slugs and snails off your plants and sprinkle them with some salt.
• Remove squash bugs and caterpillars by hand and drop them in soapy water.
If none of these methods work for you, the next steps might be useful.
7. Hose plants with a strong stream of water
If you don’t want to pick pests off your plants by hand, you can hose them off with a strong stream of water. This can actually hurt your plant, so be very careful with this method.
8. Use natural sprays
Most insecticides you find in the shops are harmful to the good bugs you want in your garden. By using natural sprays, you can protect the good bugs and get rid of the unwanted ones. For a good homemade spray that can get rid of most soft-bodied insects in your garden, use a homemade spray of neem oil.
9. Sprinkle ash around your plants
Wood ashes and crushed seashells around the base of your plants will deter slugs and snails from climbing onto your plants.
10. Fill tuna cans with beer and place them around your garden
Slugs are attracted to beer. Fill empty tuna cans with beer and place them around your garden. The slugs will climb in and drown in their effort to get to the beer.
11. Do not overwater or over fertilise
Aphids are attracted to plants with high levels of nitrogen and soft new growth. Using organic fertilisers will release nitrogen slower and will help to keep infestations under control.
It’s very easy to just buy insecticides from the store to deal with pests in your garden, but those insecticides can actually do more harm to your garden. It can kill the good bugs and damage the soil quality. It can therefore be worthwhile to try the natural methods before engaging with a
pest control business. And good luck with your garden!