You don’t always have to reach for the pesticide each time you notice a few pests in the garden. It’s advisable to seek other low-impact, and eco-friendly methods fight pest infestation in your garden. One way to do this would be by preventing an outbreak in the first place. Here are a few tips how:
Plant The Veggies In Ideal Conditions
Planting vegetables in less than ideal conditions will only attract problems, pests included. A good example of this would be planting sun-loving vegetables in a shaded part of the garden. The veggies will definitely suffer from severe mildew infestation. Growing the same plants in the sunniest part of the garden would however eliminate the mildew problem.
Go For Pest Resistant Crops
If your area is prone to a specific disease or pests, say nematodes, you should then switch to growing plants resistant to that disease or infection. An excellent example of this are tomato varieties resistant to nematodes, Fusarium, and verticillium.
Learn About Common Pests And Diseases In Your Area
Some areas are more prone to certain diseases and pests than others. Take some time to learn about the specific diseases and pests, then go for plants resistant to these. Some of these infections worsen if the foliage is wet. Readjusting how you water your plants, and ensuring they are dry for the better part of the day can help avoid such issues.
Ensure Your Plants Are Healthy
Keeping your plants healthy reduces the risk of infection. All you have to do is ensure they don’t lack any essential nutrients and are watered regularly.
Eliminate Hiding Places For Pests
Learn to keep your garden free of weeds, debris, and other elements that pests may hide in. Weeding and pruning your plants helps leave your garden clean and healthy.
Use Beneficial Insects
Not every insect or bug you see in the garden is dangerous. Some of these insects play a crucial role in decomposing organic material as well as fighting off the ‘bad guys’ from your garden. Beneficial nematodes help fight parasitic ones (other pests included) hence should be encouraged in the garden. You can purchase most of these ‘good guys’ from the garden stores near you, then introduce them in your garden. Growing plants that attract these insects would be a wise move as well.
Practice Rotational Farming
This method involves growing plants in various sections of the garden, then rotating them after each harvesting season. Rotational farming is a handy way of preventing pests that feed on a specific type of plant from thriving. It also prevents diseases and pest from spreading in the garden.
Be sure to use safer ways to get rid of persistent pests before resulting to pesticides. Introducing birds that feed on caterpillars, wasps, or even handpicking some of these pests is recommended. You could also use strong jets of water to knock off aphids and other insects from the plants.