| Controlling Pests In Your Vegetable Garden |
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Pests, deer, rabbits, mice, and insects all love your fresh, home grown vegetables. And they go a step further, munching on leaves and roots. These creatures not only eat the vegetable but also prevent the plant from producing.
Pests, deer, rabbits, mice, and insects all love your fresh, home grown vegetables. And they go a step further, munching on leaves and roots. These creatures not only eat the vegetable but also prevent the plant from producing. Controlling pests in order to produce a healthy crop is an ongoing task. But it can be made easier by taking an integrated approach. Don't rely on just one method, but employ a variety. Start your pest control before your vegetables begin to grow by: properly preparing the soil, selecting healthy plants, and watering appropriately. Keeping your soil pH near 6.5 can help, as well. By fertilizing the soil properly, your plants will grow well, and will have the required resistance to fend off pests. Look for pest resistant seeds. Don't be afraid of genetically modified seeds, and select only healthy plants if you transplant. Be on the lookout for harmful insects and other pests. But don't react to every insect with a chemical spray. There are many helpful organisms, some of which treat the soil, others consume harmful insects. Knowing which is which is the first step to biological control of gardening problems. That creates safe, tasty vegetables that grow large and healthy. Assassin bugs will eat aphids, caterpillars, Japanese beetles and other pests. Stink bugs will feed on potato beetles and some caterpillars. Ladybugs eat aphids, mealybugs and spider mites. These are just a few examples out of dozens. Water your garden in the morning to minimize fungus and other problems. Growths can occur on vegetables, similar to grass, when excessive moisture is present on plant leaves during nighttime temperatures. Letting your plants soak up needed moisture with adequate time for drying before the temperature drops will prevent such growths. Often times a weakened plant cannot survive minor infestation, so keep your plants disease free to minimize insect damage. A healthy plant can fight infestation. Alternating the planting of different species will help prevent the spread of pests. Some like one type, others like another. But when many similar plants are spaced close together, that contributes to a population explosion among similar pests. They either reproduce more rapidly, or gather together. Getting rid of a huge population is more difficult, in part because they can devastate a plant before your other efforts take effect. Just as with animals and humans, pests spread in part by contact. Removing any part or plant that has been infected is not always necessary, but may be your only means of saving other healthy plants if you cannot save the infected plant. Keep larger animals - rabbits and dear, for example - away from your vegetables by building a fence with a narrows mesh base. But when those efforts are not enough, don't be afraid to use an approved commercial insecticide. Chemistry has come a long way in the past 50 years and they're designed to eradicate insect infestations while still being safe for humans to contact and eat the vegetables. About the Author: Are you thinking about growing a garden this year but aren't sure where to start? Whether you're gardening vegetables or gardening plants, you'll find plenty of helpful tips & advice on the Gardeners Atlas website. |
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