Insect infestation comes off as no surprise for garden owners. While some insects prove to be beneficial for plants, many of them can be extremely destructive. Using methods like spraying insecticides can be hazardous for the plants and environment. However, there are numerous non-toxic ways in which you can prevent insect infestation.
Here is a list of safe methods to get rid of garden insects
1. Build Fertile Soil
The soil provides nutrients, minerals, water, and oxygen to the plants. As a matter of fact, healthy soil ensures better plant growth that increases the ability to withstand pest attacks. You can make your soil fertile with these practices:
- Compost: Add a two-inch of well-decomposed compost to your garden every spring to build nutrition in the soil.
- Control Soil Disturbance: Don’t turn the soil on a regular basis. It makes the soil surface, bare, and causes soil erosion. It also harms the earthworms and microbes in the soil that encourages plant growth.
- Rotate Crops: Sowing new crops in place of old ones can increase the crop yield. If you don’t rotate crops on the beds, the pest population like grubs and maggots increase and eat up your harvest.
- Mulch: Add mowed leaves to your garden help to reduce water evaporation, inhibits weeds, make the soil temperature moderate and decompose organic matter to the soil.
- Plant Cover Crops: Plant a cover crop such as peas or clover to enhance the fertility of the soil. It also helps reduce soil erosion and improve soil structure.
2. Monitor Your Crops
Having an insect deterrent or healthy soil doesn’t ultimately ensure that your garden will be free of insects unless you make sure to inspect it regularly. You should be mindful of the signs that indicate the insect infestation like discolored and deformed leaves or leaves that are chewed or rolled and so on. Always check the undersides of the leaves to look for egg sacs.
3. Take Wise Action
Sometimes, garden owners take extreme measures where they spray insecticides and pesticides that can be very dangerous for the crops. It is recommended to take such drastic preventative measures only when:
- There is a rodent or raccoon attack in your garden.
- The leaves have a white discoloration and are squiggly. This implies that the insects have infested inside the leaves.
- You see animal defecations over your plants regularly.
If you see any of these signs, don’t jump to the highest insect control method, instead start from the least one.
4. Insect Control Solutions
These are some helpful and effective techniques that prove to be a barrier between insects and plants. It is essential only to choose methods that are not harmful to your plants and other beneficial bugs.
Some of these methods are:
- Handpicking: This is the most non-toxic way to get rid of insects. Use your hand to pluck pets and egg sacks off the plants, but make sure to cover your hands properly before doing so.
- Traps: Mechanical traps that are readily available in the market keep pests and insects away from plants. They are instrumental in getting rid of snails and slugs from the garden.
- Water Pressure Spray: A high-pressure stream of water is applied to the crops to dislodge aphids and mites. But, make sure to use this method only on sturdy plants and avoid over-watering them.
- Insect netting: If you are looking for a long-term infestation control method, insect netting is the ideal technique. The Ultra-Fine Insect Protection Netting is one of the most effective ways for screening out even the tiniest of insects that infest your garden. It is made of a lightweight and durable material available in different sizes with an easy installation process.
To explore for more options on insect mesh netting, visit Little Fields farm.
