How to Keep Pests Out of your Garden?

If you have green fingers, it is obvious you own a beautiful garden filled with flowers and veggies. But, for sure you must be suffering from pest issues. There is nothing in this world that can guarantee you complete pest control in your garden. You can always take services from companies for garden maintenance. Or you can do something on your own too. Here are a few low-budget and effortless ways to cut down on the pest population. This proves beneficial to keep the plants healthy

How to Achieve a Flourished Garden

Gardening is an interesting activity that requires patience, endurance, and challenges. Sometimes we get discouraged by the uninvited pests that work against our hard work. All you need to have is extensive knowledge on how to outsmart them without using chemical pesticides or insecticides. Here are a few ways to keep away from the pests by creating an organic balance in your garden.

• Invite garden- friendly insects– not all bugs and insects are harmful to your garden. There are some pests such as spiders, ground beetles, ladybirds, and parasite wasps that are beneficial for the garden. These pests prey on other harmful pests that harm the plants. Ladybirds are considered fierce warriors as they can feed on 50-60 flies a day. You can put this into practice by planting nectar and pollen-producing plants.
• Use sturdy barriers- you can create strong barriers in and around your garden to keep pests away. You can do this by positioning fine nets over your plants. Make sure you leave enough space for the plant to grow. Using sturdy barriers and repellents prevents harmful bugs in your garden. They act as a protecting wall to prevent insects from having access to your crops or plants.
• Companion planting– Companion planting is a method of planting where some plants are planted with the main plants. These companion plants produce natural insect repellents that keep the pests away. You can plant garlic, basil, and marigolds for the same. They not only save space but also prevents soil erosion. In addition to all these, they are good at attracting pollinators and beneficial
• Maintain soil’s health– you can grow healthy plants in healthy soil, and these plants are more resistant to pests than others. Add organic matters and fertilizers to grow healthy plants. Using diverse nutrients can help to maintain soil quality. Crop rotations and growing cover crops also contribute to maintaining soil health.
• Practice crop rotation every year– Crop rotation is an ancient way of farming practice. The idea here is to plant the crop in a different location in the next year. This is carried out to distract the harmful pests so that they do not find a way to the same crop in the coming year. Planting something different on the same soil prevents the pests from finding their target.
• Planting herbs to keep the pests away- Parsley, Dill, and Cilantro proves to be beneficial by attracting certain pests to combat the harmful ones. They help to keep your garden pest-free for keeping away from stinky bugs. Not every pest that visits your garden will chow down your harvest. Educating yourself about the good and bad ones is very crucial. All you need to give them is a healthy and safe habitat to survive.
• Give them the space to breathe- Squeezing your plants without giving them sufficient space will lead you to trouble in the long run. Lacking good air circulation paves a way for predators. With the tightly packed pattern, the feeding insects taketakes the advantage of shelter from the predators. Monitoring your plants constantly is very important if you are planning to plant the crops tightly.
• Look out for the overripe ones- Over-ripe fruits that fall on the ground marks an easy way for the pests. In some cases, the whole plant can be weakened if the overripe ones are clinging to the plant. Ensure to harvest the oversized fruits or vegetables with extra care for the plant. Meanwhile, keep an eye on the opportunistic pests who might take advantage of this situation.

Natural Ways to Fight Back Against Pests

Gardening experts recommend using natural ways to eliminate pests whilst keeping the surroundings healthy and clean. Nature provides us with many ways to control and get rid of pests from our gardens. Let us look into these natural or organic sprays to control or get rid of garden pests:

• Neem oil spray-The pure oil extracted out of the seeds of neem trees is a highly powerful fly spray that disrupts the life cycle of almost every insect.
• Garlic spray- With its pungent aroma, garlic is used as a repellent to knock down insect infestation in the garden.
• Tomato- Leaf spray- Tomatoes contain alkaloids called “tomatine” that can effectively control insects and flies. They are novel members of the organic pest family and prove to work as natural pesticides.
• Vegetable oil and soap spray- Homemade pesticide from vegetable oil mixed with soaps having mild effect can control the troublesome insects and pests. The oil coats their bodies and blocks the breathing pores of the pests. This suffocates the insects by causing them to die.

Conclusion

Although there are many organic and natural solutions for keeping pests at bay, you need to find the one that suits your needs. Ensure to do your homework for choosing the best and the most effective solution for your garden. The central point to be focused on here is that the destruction of these insects is not the desired result here. It is all about creating a healthy and co-existing ecosystem for plants, soil, and predatory insects. For building soil fertility and effective pest-controlling, a good habitat should be created for the predators. However, if one is on the verge of losing a significant portion of their harvest, they can contact the best garden clean-up experts nearby. This can help to treat the garden to make it fit for cultivation.