Garden pests lurk: You've carefully prepared the soil, planted the garden, and watched the seedlings grow their first few leaves - when you suddenly find that your kale seedlings are starting to resemble green lace. There are little holes all over the leaves. They are garden pests! Now what do we do?The following content also has some reference value for raised garden beds.
Garden pests come in all sizes and shapes "and they eat your plants in their own unique way. Some garden pests nibble holes in leaves, some suck SAP from stems, some nibble on roots, and even crawl inside plants.
What you spray on pests to kill them, you also spray on the food you're going to eat. (Would you sprinkle this stuff on your food at the dinner table?)
Most chemical pesticides kill everything, not just the bad bug, wreaking havoc on natural ecosystems Insects have become resistant to chemical poisons, which will cause even more serious problems in the future. So what else can you do to control garden pests?
A garden infestation means something is out of balance
A serious infestation of garden pests indicates that things in the garden are out of balance. You can use organic, naturally derived pesticides, such as soap sprays, to kill most pests in the short term without causing any long-term problems, while working to make the garden ecosystem overall healthy and pest-resistant.
My favorite part of natural garden pest control is using the appropriate natural insecticides for the insects you're dealing with. These methods don't work for every error you might encounter, but they work for many - perhaps most - errors. Below is a more detailed description of each
Soap spray
Blend everything except the soap in a blender, pour through a strainer, and place in a spray bottle. Add a tablespoon of soap, shake the bottle back and forth, and gently mix. Spray on affected plants. Watch carefully and spray as needed. Do not use antibacterial soap and watch for leaf damage. Some very strong dish soap can cause leaf damage. If you find that the leaves turn brown the day after spraying, the next time you spray, wait half an hour and then spray the soap off with a hose.
Diatomite
Diatomaceous earth is made up of tiny glass shells of ancient single-celled organisms called diatoms, which sank to the bottom of the ancient sea bed and eventually became sedimentary rock. This rock is mined and ground into powder to make diatomaceous earth. These tiny "broken glass shards" act on hard-shelled insects, such as beetles and ants, by entering the space between their joints and cutting them, causing the insects to dry out and die. DE is non-toxic to animals and plants, and the "food grade" variety contains no contaminants. It's ubiquitous in home improvement stores and nurseries.
Restoring Balance: Long-Term Plant Pest Control Strategy
This is a little bit like taking Vitamin C and zinc when you're getting a cold: you take stuff to lessen the symptoms, but you also try to build up your immune system through healthful diet, enough sleep, and other good self-care measures.
In the garden, these immune-building measures would be:
Do an annual (or better, semi-annual) soil test and adjust mineral balance for optimal fertility
Increase the amount of compost and actively aerated compost tea you produce and use on your garden
Plant a flower "insectary" to attract and house beneficial insects
Purchase beneficial insects and release them in your garden
Use companion planting to confuse and deter harmful insects
Practice crop rotation every year
Common Garden Pests
