Garden Pesticide Alternatives
But don't wait for the catastrophe, these alternative practices are actually things you can and should be doing now. They will save money and reduce your ecological impact on the environment. While it may be more work in some cases (not all), the rewards will come in doing things right, cheaper, etc. as well as prepare you for disaster that will come eventually.
In this article we will discuss how to have a sustainable garden that doesn't succumb to pest and the strategies to combat them. Pest, as any gardener or farmer knows, can turn a productive promising garden to a wasteland in as little as a few days. This may sound blown out of proportion, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The threat of pest and disease are real and success in this war depends on arming yourselves with the weaponry to fight these battles and win.
Steps to follow:
Increase Predator Habitat
We all know what a predator is, it's an animal that eats other animals. Tigers, lions, bears are the first animals that may come to mind. But just like the big predators there are smaller predators as well. There are millions of insects and they have predators as well. Giving these insect predators good habitat around your garden will increase their numbers and increase the number of bad insects in your garden.
Praying Mantis
Yes I am creeped out by these disgusting looking insects. I don't see how others can even bare to touch them. To each his own. I guess I will need to be the one to get over my phobia. Praying Mantis will never bother the plants in your garden and should always be left alone when found in your garden or transferred there if possible. They are really great because they will eat the larger insects that many of the other insect predators won't.
Ladybugs
Ladybugs eat mites and aphids and others. So don't kill them or the plants that they like such as plants in the daisy family or yarrow. You can plant them around your garden or simply protect the ones that show up. You can even go as far as to transport ladybugs to your garden.
Nematodes
Nematodes are very thin worms that aren't commonly seen because they live in the soil. You will see regular earthworms while digging, but will probably not even notice Nematodes just because of how thin and small they are. Most nematodes are beneficial, a few species are not. Pesticides kill all indiscriminately. You should encourage nematodes. Nematodes eat cutworms grubs and hundreds of other small insects that live in the dirt hidden away. To increase the population of nematodes in your garden you will need to keep the ground moist, high in pH and high in fertility. To accomplish this, you will need to incorporate lots of organic matter into your garden and add water when needed. The very things that you will already need to be doing anyway.
If you are having issues with hebivorous nematodes you can get rid of them by heating and drying out the soils.
Lacewings
Lacewings are small green flying insects that have mostly clear wings. They are quite delicate unless you are an aphid then look out! Lacewings are attracted to goldenrod, and yarrow.
Hover-Flies
Hover-flies look like mostly yellow miniature hornets. Hover-Flies are big time killers of aphids. They prefer goldenrod, asters, and yarrow. Count your blessings when you see these around.
Polycultures A polyculture is the opposite of a monoculture. Commercial farmers plant monocultures meaning everything is of the same species. A monoculture is the best habitat for a pest that targets those plants. Think of it this way. If you have one tomato plant by itself there is a small chance it will be infested with tomato damaging pest. But if you plant two, then that doubles the chances and if one gets infested then the other will too. Keep increasing the number of plants and the chance keeps increasing as the size of the garden increases.
To avoid this issue it is imperative to keep your garden as diverse as possible. Now it isn't going to be advisable to only plant a single plant away from all others, but keep the grouping as small as feasible. And rotate crops from year to year to protect against building up population of detrimental soil borne parasites.
Boosting The Soil
By boosting your soil I simply mean increasing its fertility. This means fertilizer (not store bought, but egg shells, mulch etc.) Although this doesn't directly decrease the number of insect pest in your garden it does boost your garden plants ability to still be productive despite some detrimental attacks by insect pest.
Plant Companions or Sacrificial Plants
Radishes cucumber beetles so plant radishes next to where you plant cucumbers. Borage aka star flower, will deter tomato hornworms and cabbage moths. onions and garlic can be mixed in throughout a garden.
Sunflower while providing sunflower seeds can also be planted on the north side of a garden to draw aphids away from the rest of your garden and will keep aphids occupied and off other plants, hyacinth beans will do the same for leaf footed bugs. Some plants will attract beneficial bugs to your garden. Chamomile and buckwheat both attract bees and ladybugs. And guess what ladybugs like to eat… aphids. So mix up your beds, you don't need to have nice neat row crops to have a successful garden.
Clovers are unique plants in that they can take in nitrogen via a bacteria that lives on their roots and make it available. So adding clover long-term is like adding nitrogen to the soil. And additional nitrogen is the single most important thing to add to poor soil other than water itself. So leave and encourage clover in your garden. This goes back to the healthier plant being able to fight off pest better.
Go Old School On'em!
Hand inspection of your plants and physically killing the bugs that are eating your leaves or vegetables can be done to minimize and hopefully stop any insect infestations. Inspect the plants and if you find damage, then look for whatever is causing the damage, if you can't then return the next day and see if the damage is progressing. If it is the double your efforts to root out the guilty party.
Physical can also be passive! If you can provide a physical barrier between a young seedlings roots and a cutworm then do it. Old cans with the ends removed are commonly used this way. Push the can down into the soil around your young plant.
Remove old dying or dead plant material from the garden. Again, this is preventing a habitat for unwanted guest. I would burn them and use the ash as fertilizer. Do not mulch and use in your garden as disease can be spread this way.
Fencing your garden works. Tall fences for deer. Short narrow fences for small mammals can be built. The fence need not necessarily go completely around the garden. A barrier on the side next to a wood line most likely to hold rabbits will help. The more the better, but lets get real. Your resources will not be unlimited. Old Style Pesticides?
Pesticide use goes way back before man ever walked the earth. Plants have been waging chemical warfare against both predators and competetion from other plants for millions of years.
Using ground up eggshell on the ground around your plants will keep the slugs away from that plant.
Use bug traps. One trap is nothing more than a container with some yeast and a little bit of sugar water buried so that only the opening is exposed. The bugs are attracted, fall in and drown.
Good Habitat vs Bad Habitat
Mice and rats can be discouraged by simply not giving them food. Never leave trash around, never leave rotten food on the ground. Food attracts rodents and don't add to your problems by giving them additional encouragement to reside in your garden. Mice and rats like cover and having a bit of distance between the garden and weeds will discourage them from visiting. Open space around the garden also gives hawks and owls a good ambush point that must be crossed to enter the garden.
Mice and rats love shelter just as much as people. So if there is an old uninhabited barn or shed next to the garden it will 100% be a home to mice. Move it or get rid of it from your garden area.
If possible a small water hole or two will encourage frogs. And frogs eat insects. Also a pile of rocks or firewood can be home to lizards and yep, lizards eat insects.
Hope this helps and give you some good ideas. Send me additions to add if you have any you think would be helpful.
Thanks!
