Everyone dislikes garden pests, for the actual menace they are capable of. Gardening enthusiasts and environment lovers put so much of toil and dedication in sowing vegetable plants, but to their utter dismay, comes these menacing pests, aphids, cabbage maggots, caterpillars, and cutworms, to destroy all their hard work in sheer seconds. But on a positive note, there has always been tried and tested methods that are effective against these pests and eventually protects your garden. Let’s all learn some of these DIY methods to avoid them, so you can hire the pest control team like https://www.pestcontrol-london.co.uk/ in addition to this.
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Starting with a ‘clean soil’
- Plants can actually be protected from insect pests by good soil. Preparation can, however, take a long time. To make things easier here’s a formula that always works:
- As soon as the growing season starts, till organic matter like compost into the ground. Your soil will stay clean by adding compounds and natural elements that keep pests away.
- To keep your garden fresh after tilling, cover it with black plastic or cardboard for 6 months. Almost all garden pests and their eggs as well as weeds, parasites, and a variety of harmful microbes will be killed by the heat that builds up underneath.
- The soil should be lightly cultivated after the plastic is removed. Your seeds are now ready for planting.
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Buying disease and pest-resistant seeds
Diseases and pests can be prevented more easily than they can be eradicated after they have colonized your plants. Whenever you look at a seed catalogue, look for letters like V, F, N or T after its name. They indicate the problems to which the seed is most resistant. Tomatoes are affected by two diseases, verticillium and fusarium respectively; N represents nematodes, and T represents tobacco mosaic virus, which causes the plant’s leaves to wilt and yellow, and damages its roots. The best places to buy plants and seeds online can be found here.
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Selectively and Aggressively Thin Out Plants
Because small, weak seedlings are more prone to becoming sick, this is crucial. They may then pass on the problem to healthy plants further down the line. Hence, you should prune away dead shoots and branches restricting airflow. A healthy plant needs good air circulation to breathe properly.
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Water Plants in the Early Morning
The main reason plants need water is to help with photosynthesis, which occurs during the day. Furthermore, when you water late in the day, the leaves will be damp during the cooler night-time, which is ideal for propagating fungus and other diseases. Make sure you soak the roots rather than getting the foliage wet when you water. You can consider using soaker hoses or drippers to do this.
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Control Weeds from growing
Plants compete with weeds for valuable resources, including nutrients, water, and light. Additionally, plants can harbour insects, parasites, and parasitic worms. Ensure that weeds and their roots are completely pulled from the ground.
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Always keep your Garden Clean
The removal of faded blooms, fallen leaves, and weeds is very important since decayed plant matter is a breeding ground for fungus, insects, and diseases. You should carry a small pail or bucket with you whenever you enter the garden so you can collect garden litter.
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Insect Traps can be used
At most garden centres, you can buy yellow “sticky” cards. These are ideal for catching garden insects that are traveling through your garden when placed on the ground and between the branches of plants. For help identifying the good from the bad garden bugs, speak to your county extension agent or local garden centre.
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Add Insects that are beneficial
Ladybugs are incredibly useful insects for the control of garden insect pests. Many destructive insects, such as aphids, mites, and their eggs and larvae, are eaten by them. Aside from praying mantises, lacewings and parasitic wasps are other beneficial garden insects. The majority of beneficial insects can be purchased from horticulture suppliers. Depending on the size of your garden, your county extension agent can help you determine the quantity. One important thing to remember-do not use any chemicals before releasing these insects.
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Practicing Crop Rotation can be effective
Growing the same crop each year in the same place will result in the particular garden bugs that attack that crop remaining there, waiting for the next year’s planting. Additionally, rotating crops helps prevent soils from becoming depleted of essential nutrients. Place legumes (which add nitrogen to the soil) where you previously grew tomatoes, corn, or squash (which deplete nitrogen from the soil).
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Pluck Off Dead or Infested Leaves
Whenever you see the first signs of diseased leaves, remove them right away. This will keep them from spreading infection throughout the plant.
As already stated, these methods have been proven effective for ages. Try these DIY methods and you’ll see astonishing results.
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