Owens Corning

Protect Your Garden From Pests

Common sense tells you that if your vegetable plants are being consumed by strange-looking insects you have only one choice and that's to get rid of them before the plants are destroyed. While there are entire books written about mankind's battle to rid their fields and gardens of predators we're going to deal with the basics of protecting your plants from pests. The goal is pretty obvious. Remove the unwanted pests and prevent them from returning.

Within a garden's ecosystem there are beneficial bugs like lady bugs who enrich the soil and unwanted bugs who do nothing but prey on and destroy plant life. First, let's talk about them.

Getting rid of unwanted bugs

You can hand pick the little critters which can be tedious and time consuming, not to mention an unpleasant task for the squeamish. Another tack is to put an old towel or rag around the base of a plant and shake bugs from the stems and leaves so the bugs drop onto the rag. Or you can use water pressure by spraying them away with a garden hose. But don't let the bugs go free. Drop them into a bucket of soapy water which will kill them.

If the pests are rampant and they cover your plants you might need to consider using a synthetic pesticide i.e. Sevin or a plant-derived poison i.e. Rotenone or Pyrethtrum. These are available in liquid or powder form and should be applied to the infected plants sparingly. Always follow the instructions carefully and to the letter.

Insecticidal soaps which contain fatty acids that kill harmful insects on contact are another weapon against garden pest. Some of them are mixed with water, others come mixed ready to apply in a pump sprayer bottle. Individual products will specify which pests they control, a suggested frequency of application and where to apply such as 'directly on the insect' or 'on the underside of the leaves.'

When spraying or dusting any pesticides be careful of vegetables downwind which can be affected by the spray. Apply pesticides when there's little or no wind so there's no chance of overspray. Often that's at dawn or dusk. To apply a powdered or dust pesticide, use a hand-held or pump-type dust applicator, also called a duster. The hand-cranked version has a tube with a flat end and hopper with a crank that you turn to disperse. The pump-type duster looks like a bicycle pump and is useful for spraying the underside of leaves.

An ounce of prevention

You can prevent a lot of insect damage in a yard and garden by keeping it clean and maintained. Pull weeds when they sprout and don't let diseased or dead plants lay on the ground. Pick up fallen blossoms, vegetables and rotting plant parts which can be a breeding ground for unwanted grubs and aphids.

Keep a lookout for damaging insects and at the first sight take action. Remember it's not always easy to see the critters and often the first alert is a damaged or chewed leaf or discolored plant before actually seeing the culprit. Keep a close watch and inspect your plants frequently.

If your plant is infested with an unknown insect capture one in a jar and take it to your local county extension office for identification. Or bring it to your local nursery where someone can probably tell you what it is and what you need to attack it.

Using bugs to get bugs

We mentioned beneficial bugs earlier and here's a way to use them in your soil to ward off bad bugs. Nematodes are naturally-occurring microscopic organisms that attack soil insect larvae which can be damaging to plants. They sound like a sub-terrarium science fiction creature straight out of Hollywood, but they do in fact kill insects that feed on the roots of plants.

They are a natural parasite of insects and an alternative to using synthetic chemical pesticides. Nematodes are harmless to plants, humans, animals, birds, beneficial insects yet they work their dasterly deed by carrying a symbiotic bacterium into a host insect and releasing it. The host dies and another nematode breeds there and then leaves to find other insect hosts. BioSafe is the name of one such product that contains a plastic bottle and package of 'activator' which is mixed with warm tap water to activate the nematodes. The solution is applied by a tank-type or hose end sprayer. The soil should be moist when the application is made and lightly water immediately after the application. Then regular watering of the treated area is needed.

written by Gene and Katie Hamilton

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