Pest Management in the Garden without Pesticides

Having a garden takes a lot of work whatever size or design it may be. Whether your garden is in a lawn, yard, or even a park, its maintenance can be likened to a baby who needs tender loving care every day.

There are no day-offs when it comes to gardening, especially knowing that pests can attack your garden anytime. To these creatures, your garden is an unlimited food factory. That is why we need to prevent their infestation at all times. We cannot blame others for using pesticides because of the extensive damage brought by pests. However, these chemicals bring negative effects such as pollution and health risks. Even though a variety of pesticides are sold in the market, the downside of the pesticide outweighs its benefits. Minimizing the harmful effects of these pesticides can be done by us. What can we do you may ask? Read on to know more.

Controlling the Use of Pesticides

The use of pesticides had long been practiced by people to remove pests from lawns and gardens.  Pesticides are weapons against pests in our area but they can be harmful to people and the environment.

According to statistics, pesticides can cause a variety of health problems such as autism and deformity among children, cancer, organ failure, and many more. To the environment, pesticides can cause air, water, and soil pollution. Many people believe that pesticides are easily diluted with water. Little do they know that once bees are washed from the soil, they go straight to the water lines and contaminate water sources. This is why everyone is affected including the consumers.

It is for this reason that we have to use alternatives for pest control. Here are some ways to prevent and eliminate pests using natural methods.

Alternative Ways to Manage your Garden

Are there other ways to get pests out of our lives without using pesticides? Yes, there are. One of which is organic gardening. Organic gardening does not use any kind of chemical or pesticide. It needs a lot of work, but it can be just as effective as pesticides. Some ways of organic gardening are listed below.

Start with building healthy soil

Mulching, top dressing, and composting are ways to build healthy soil. The soil stores all the water and nutrients that the plants need to survive. With these, the plants are equipped with the strength and resilience to ward off pests. This method is common in China where farmers ensure a healthy environment for their plants so they can create their defence mechanism against pests.

Diminishing insect habitat

Insects usually breed in weeds and debris. Cleaning debris and pulling out weeds keep pests from damaging your garden. Remove weak plants that are already affected by pests and disease so as not to infect other plants in your garden.

Rotating garden plants

Most pests are plant-specific, which means they have their favorite plants to consume. Interplanting or rotating means mixing-up the places of different types of plants in the garden to lessen the build-up of pests. This method is usually done annually to avoid the infestation of pests. You may get confused from moving plants around but at least, pests will be too.

Frequently inspecting your garden

This is the part where hard work comes in. Regularly inspecting the plants to check if there are pests must be done to control the infestation. Early detection of the problem will also lead to an early solution. Our garden, like our babies, needs their everyday attention and checking.

Identifying the good bugs from the bad bugs

We sometimes think that all bugs are harmful to our garden. Yet, little do we know that there are also insects that help plants in their growth. Being able to identify the good bugs from the bad bugs will help us manage our garden better. 

Mowing the lawn

If your garden is on a lawn, it is important to mow regularly. Not only will this generate mulch, but it also removes the weeds that can harbor pests and diseases. With regular mowing, you can keep your area clean and dry and make the environment non-conducive to the activities of insects.

Using plants as repellants

Did you know that many people recommend planting weeds, flowers, and herbs that can repel insects? This includes lavender, geranium, nasturtium, and many more. If you place this strategically to your garden, it can ward off specific types of pests that can infest your garden.

Pests in our Garden

Gardening is a hobby that can relieve us of our stress more so when we see a beautiful and healthy garden. But there will always be that dilemma when we discover that pests are attacking our garden plants. Do-it-yourself remedies are there to aid us, but such remedy only lessens our garden problems and does not altogether remove the pests.

So, the better option for us is to ask for professional help on the matter. Pest control experts know all what, where, when, why, and how of pests. They can and will answer all these questions for you. They also know how to approach and solve our pest problems. And the great thing about having pest control is that our work is all done for us. We can just sit back and relax and enjoy a picnic in our garden without worrying about how to manage pests in our garden. Are you experiencing the infestation of garden pests, look for reliable pest control professionals near you and contact them now.