Have you recently decided to grow a garden? Or is it your second or third year gardening, and you’re ready to take it to the next level? Having a garden is a great way to grow your own food, have a beautiful flower garden, or have essential herbs that you need for cooking. Whatever your goal is for your garden, one thing is certain. Pests can become a huge problem seemingly overnight. To combat the problem, you may be wondering how you can prevent pests this year from taking over your crops. This article focuses on six tips you can do to prevent pests from eating your produce, killing flowers, and more.
Known Your Enemy
The first stage in combating a pest problem in the garden is knowing your enemy. What type of pests are you dealing with? Most of the time, you can figure this out easily by knowing what plant is getting destroyed. For example, a tomato plant. One of the biggest destroyers of tomato plants is hornworms. Hornworms are the devil. Anyone that has had to experience hornworms knows just how difficult they can be to get rid of. They are hard to see and can virtually eat an entire plant in what seems like overnight. But there are ways to get rid of hornworms and prevent them from coming back.
For example, BT spray is one of the best ways to prevent them from eating your plant. But you can also plant a companion plant like marigolds that can deter them. Hornworms also don’t like basil. Planting companion plants may seem like a great idea, but it’s often not foolproof. You may want to enlist the help of pesticides or organic gardening tools in order to get rid of an infestation. True, with hornworms, you can pick them off and feed them to chickens, which is satisfying in its own right, but it’s time-consuming.
Organic Remedies
Organic remedies can be a great way to get rid of pests while keeping your produce organic. This is something that many farmers look to, and many consumers look for at the grocery market. Would you like to maintain an organic garden? Then you’ll need to load up on options for organic gardening and pest control. One of the best ways to do this is with a product called neem oil. Neem oil is a great way to shoo away potential pests that may destroy your garden, like white flies. There are many reasons to go organic for pest control. Perhaps the best reason is to avoid the chemicals around the food that you are going to consume.
Pesticides
On the other hand, for pest control, you’ll find pesticides. Pesticides are a great way to control pests as they are highly effective. In fact, they’ve proven to be effective. Most crops around the world use a chemical pesticide to control the pest population around certain crops. Japanese beetles, worms, white flies, and other problematic pests can be controlled easily with chemicals. Is it always the right answer, though? Not for everyone. Pesticides will also kill other pests that may be beneficial to your garden. Some pests are pollinators. There is a balance between the two. Over-the-counter products you might see for controlling pests include Doctor Earth and Sevin. These two brands have been out for quite some time and offer great insect-killing results.
Companion Planting
Another great way to detract pests from eating your garden is by companion planning. We touched on this factor earlier, and it is certainly something to consider. Some of the best plants you can grow or purchase and plant for your garden include citronella grass, lemongrass, marigolds, petunias, mint, basil, and lavender. Yes, there are a few others out there that can provide excellent pest deterrent properties, like rosemary, chives, and mosquito plants, but it will depend on what plants you have in the ground. We recommend doing some research as to which ones are better for your garden based on what you’re growing.
Avoid Same Locations
Did you know that planting your garden in the same location year after year is what causes horrible pest problems to happen? Once pests know where plants are, they will simply go back to those same places year after year. It is almost like you have to trick the pests. For example, you don’t want to plant tomatoes in the same place for more than two years in a row. In doing so, the soil is not only affected, but pests will know precisely where to go earlier in the season. This can kill your crops quite quickly if you’re not careful.
Spot The Warning Signs
If you haven’t used any chemical pest control in your garden just yet, you may want to wait for warning signs that pests are a problem. You may notice droppings from caterpillars or eggs laid on leaves. Be vigilant of your plants to ensure your garden isn’t being taken over by unwanted insects.
Getting Help From The Pros
If you are really determined to keep away pests in the garden or in your yard, get help from professionals. This is one of the best ways to eliminate and prevent pests in and around your home. If you are a commercial grower, you may want professional assistance with keeping pests out of your manufacturing plant and garden areas. Professional assistance is one of the only ways to guarantee that pests will not be a problem, and if they return, you have someone to take care of them.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re in need of residential pest control or need help controlling pests in your commercial setting, professional pest control will be the most effective choice. Remember that companion planting is often a great way to deter certain types of pests. But, this isn’t always feasible if you don’t have a lot of space to work within. Before your garden season starts, plan ahead of time. This can give you a great jump on pest problems and prevent them from happening.
