Natural Pest Control in the Garden

By Susan M. Keenan

One of the best ways to deal with insect infestation in the garden is to prevent it in the first place. Start with healthy soil, healthy plants, and a healthy routine. Wash tools and hands thoroughly after dealing with any diseased plants and from season to season to avoid spreading any diseases.

Insects thrive on diseased plants, so it is best to remove them from the garden as soon as possible. Be sure to wash your tools, gloves, and hands after doing this. This will help prevent spreading of the insects as well as help to slow down the invasion of the bugs. It is also important to remove any diseased plants at the end of the growing season to avoid problems the following year.

Maintain a clean garden and dispose of any debris and weeds on a regular basis. Weeds and debris are like open invitations to insects, and can attract pests to your garden.

Watering your garden without wetting the foliage is very important to insect control. Insects are encouraged to stop and visit a while when the plants are wet. In fact, wet foliage encourages fungal diseases as well.

Attempt to establish a routine of watering your garden in the early morning before the sun has risen completely. If that isn't possible, learn how to water the roots of the plant without watering the entire plant.

Learn to identify beneficial insects, invite them into your garden, and avoid killing them when killing other insects. Beneficial insects can also help keep your garden enemy-free by eating the unwanted invaders. Some beneficial insects are ladybugs, lacewings, ichneumon wasps, nematodes, and praying mantis. Visit the library or search the Internet for more information on these insects and what they look like.

There may not be a true way to avoid an occasional outbreak of pest infestation. Learn to identify problems in the beginning stages, and you will be able to thwart full-scale invasion.

Additional tips on natural pest control in your garden:

• Slugs apparently love the taste of beer. Placing a small dish of beer in the garden will attract slugs. Once they climb in, they will drown.
• Recycle some old lace curtains and cover your strawberry plants. The lace will allow the plants to blossom and grow, while preventing the birds from eating the berries.
• If you place fruit in a bucket of clean water during the picking, you will avoid fruit flies.
• Make a solution of mild dish detergent, canola oil, and water. Mix well. Use a spray bottle to spray the affected plants. The mixture will suffocate the insects.
• If your produce is covered with bugs, soak the produce in a solution of one gallon water and one cup white vinegar to remove the bugs. Rinse thoroughly afterwards.

Be careful when ridding your garden of insects. Try to eliminate the pests only and spare the beneficial insects. Take care of your garden regularly for a healthy and hearty look.

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