Pests, deer, rabbits, mice, and insects all love your fresh, home grown vegetables. And they go a step further, munching on leaves and roots. These creatures not only eat the vegetable but also prevent the plant from producing.
Vigilance is required to keep your vegetable garden free from pests. Combining various methods makes this chore easier.
Start your pest control before your vegetables begin to grow by: properly preparing the soil, selecting healthy plants, and watering appropriately. Keeping your soil pH near 6.5 can help, as well. By fertilizing the soil properly, your plants will grow well, and will have the required resistance to fend off pests.
Look for pest resistant seeds. Don't be afraid of genetically modified seeds, and select only healthy plants if you transplant.
Be on the lookout for harmful insects and other pests. But don't react to every insect with a chemical spray. There are many helpful organisms, some of which treat the soil, others consume harmful insects. Knowing which is which is the first step to biological control of gardening problems. That creates safe, tasty vegetables that grow large and healthy.
Japanese beetles, caterpillars, and aphids can be eaten by assassin bugs. Stink bugs eat potato beetles and certain caterpillars. Ladybugs consume aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites. These are just two examples among many.
Water your garden in the morning to minimize fungus and other problems. Growths can occur on vegetables, similar to grass, when excessive moisture is present on plant leaves during nighttime temperatures. Letting your plants soak up needed moisture with adequate time for drying before the temperature drops will prevent such growths. Often times a weakened plant cannot survive minor infestation, so keep your plants disease free to minimize insect damage. A healthy plant can fight infestation.
Alternating the planting of different species will help prevent the spread of pests. Some like one type, others like another. But when many similar plants are spaced close together, that contributes to a population explosion among similar pests. They either reproduce more rapidly, or gather together. Getting rid of a huge population is more difficult, in part because they can devastate a plant before your other efforts take effect.
Just as with animals and humans, pests spread in part by contact. Removing any part or plant that has been infected is not always necessary, but may be your only means of saving other healthy plants if you cannot save the infected plant.
Keep larger animals - rabbits and dear, for example - away from your vegetables by building a fence with a narrows mesh base.
Commercial insecticides can be useful when preventative efforts are not enough. These products are designed to eradicate insect populations and are still safe for human contact and consumption of the vegetables. - 15266
Vigilance is required to keep your vegetable garden free from pests. Combining various methods makes this chore easier.
Start your pest control before your vegetables begin to grow by: properly preparing the soil, selecting healthy plants, and watering appropriately. Keeping your soil pH near 6.5 can help, as well. By fertilizing the soil properly, your plants will grow well, and will have the required resistance to fend off pests.
Look for pest resistant seeds. Don't be afraid of genetically modified seeds, and select only healthy plants if you transplant.
Be on the lookout for harmful insects and other pests. But don't react to every insect with a chemical spray. There are many helpful organisms, some of which treat the soil, others consume harmful insects. Knowing which is which is the first step to biological control of gardening problems. That creates safe, tasty vegetables that grow large and healthy.
Japanese beetles, caterpillars, and aphids can be eaten by assassin bugs. Stink bugs eat potato beetles and certain caterpillars. Ladybugs consume aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites. These are just two examples among many.
Water your garden in the morning to minimize fungus and other problems. Growths can occur on vegetables, similar to grass, when excessive moisture is present on plant leaves during nighttime temperatures. Letting your plants soak up needed moisture with adequate time for drying before the temperature drops will prevent such growths. Often times a weakened plant cannot survive minor infestation, so keep your plants disease free to minimize insect damage. A healthy plant can fight infestation.
Alternating the planting of different species will help prevent the spread of pests. Some like one type, others like another. But when many similar plants are spaced close together, that contributes to a population explosion among similar pests. They either reproduce more rapidly, or gather together. Getting rid of a huge population is more difficult, in part because they can devastate a plant before your other efforts take effect.
Just as with animals and humans, pests spread in part by contact. Removing any part or plant that has been infected is not always necessary, but may be your only means of saving other healthy plants if you cannot save the infected plant.
Keep larger animals - rabbits and dear, for example - away from your vegetables by building a fence with a narrows mesh base.
Commercial insecticides can be useful when preventative efforts are not enough. These products are designed to eradicate insect populations and are still safe for human contact and consumption of the vegetables. - 15266
About the Author:
Are you thinking about planting a garden this year but aren't sure where to start? Whether you're gardening plants or gardening vegetables, you'll find plenty of helpful tips & advice on the Gardeners Atlas website.
