Pest Control Tips

Be proactive to beat garden Pests
So, you'd rather not put your family or the environment in harms' way with exposure to synthetic insecticides in the garden?  That doesn't mean you have to be at the mercy of tons of tomato horn-worms and flea beetles.  Just follow these simple, organic steps to reclaim your garden and keep your peace of mind in the process.

Choose Wisely: Any time your purchase plants for the garden, choose only the healthiest specimens and opt for the most disease, and drought, tolerant varieties.

Visit Often: Take a moment to visit your garden once a day just to see how things are progressing.  If you see signs of new damage, look closely for the insect perpetrators themselves.

  Hem Them In: For outdoor gardens, you can keep insects out by covering the particularly vulnerable plants with a light weight, floating row cover material. Also at your disposal are mechanical barrier methods like Diatomaceous Earth Crawling Insect Killer.  Diatomaceous Earth does need to be reapplied after heavy rains or watering sessions.

Enlist Insect Armies: Fighting problem insects gets much easier when you have the right help.  If you attract beneficial insects like ladybugs, green lacewings, and parasitic wasps to your garden, they will naturally prey on aphids and other pests.  Invite the good guys in by growing plants like bee balm, calendula, clover, daisy, dill, parsley, sunflower, and thyme.

Organic Insecticides:  If things do seem to get away from you in the garden, you can opt for an organic, insecticidal soap or spray.  Neem oil-based products stop spidermites, whiteflies, aphids, climbing cutworms, thrips, and a few other insects by affecting their cell membranes, thereby causing the insects to dry out and die.

All-Purpose Needs:  Chrysanthemum-derived pyrethrin compounds are amount the most common ingredients in organic insecticides these days.  To work properly, volatile pyrethrins must come in contact with the bodies of your pests within one hour of application.

Heavy Artillery:  Retonone is another ingredient commonly found in organic insecticidal preparations - one you will sometimes see in conjunction with pyrethrin compounds as in Rotenone-Pyrethrin Spray Concentrate.  Interestingly, it is more toxic than some of the commercially available synthetic insecticides; as such, it should be used very sparingly.

Take Care: Whether you choose a very strong product containing rotenone or one of the milder, organic pesticides, it's important to follow the the instructions to the letter.  After completely the application, as per instructions, tell your close neighbors and family members to stay away for recently treated areas.

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