Thinking of growing your own garden? You’re not alone—55% of Americans are already either gardening or caring for their lawn.
Keep in mind, however, that nature is a cruel mistress. Even if your garden flourishes, there’s a big chance you’ll wake up one day to find holes in the greens. Upon closer inspection, you’ll see pests gorging on your investment.
As disappointing as this sight can be, there are ways to deal with it. Here are our best tips for staying on top of pest control in the garden!
Water in the Morning
Let’s start with the classic organic garden pest control tip: watering in the morning. For best results, do it somewhere between 5 and 9 am.
When you do your watering early, you keep your plants hydrated for the hottest part of the day. That way, they’ll be less likely to wilt or become stressed, which in turn makes them less appealing to pests.
This method also gives leaves time to dry off before evening. Damp plants are ideal hangouts for many common garden pests like snails and slugs.
Give Your Plants Space
Resist the temptation to grow your plants too close to each other. As lovely as this may look, it will only lead to trouble in the long run.
See, every garden needs regular amounts of good air circulation. If you space your plants too tightly, you’re inviting pests in need of shelter from the heat. Some may even raise their families in there and try to eat their way out.
What if you’ve already planted your seeds too close together, and you have a pest issue? At this point, you’re better off contacting professionals like reliabletsolutions.com to deal with it.
Attract Beneficial Insects
Not every insect that comes to your garden wants to chow down on your plants. Some are carnivores that can take care of pests for you!
The problem here is that identifying garden pests isn’t an easy task. The solution: do your research on all stages of their development. For instance, a baby ladybug and an adult ladybug can look like different species.
As for how to attract good insects, it’s all about making them comfortable. Other than the protein from pests, they need pollen and nectar. One easy way to provide it is to let some lettuce and herbs go to flower.
Know When to Harvest
In general, falling behind on your harvest isn’t that big an issue. Unless, of course, you’re trying to keep pests out of the garden.
For starters, overripe fruits clinging to the plant can shift the entire plant into decline. Weak plants are the first ones that insects will target. To avoid that, harvest any oversized fruits and give the plant extra water to recoup.
Fruits that fall off the plant become an easy mark for pests as well. Clean up anything that plops to the ground and watch out for opportunistic pests.
Pest Control in the Garden Made Easy
The bottom line: discovering pests in the garden isn’t the end of the world. All you need to do is avoid the conditions that invited the pests in the first place. The tips we outlined above are a good starting point!
Want to know more about pest control in the garden? Keep checking out our Home & Garden section!
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