5 Ways to Get Rid of Garden Pests Organically

It is true that growing and picking your own organic vegetables and fruits is such a liberating feeling. But what happens if the potatoes you've been waiting for, when you dig them up come out rotten and gnarly, and your organic cabbage leaves have wilted and turn brown? 

These are the indications these you may have garden pests, and there is nothing you can do except learning how to be proactive to stop them before they get your food. There are generally two ways to get rid of the garden pests, including Organic and Inorganic Methods. Most gardeners prefer the organic way to get rid of garden pests because they are free from artificial chemical usage like Inorganic methods.

Inorganic chemical fertilizers and pesticides work well, but excessive use of these may cause harm to your plant. Therefore, it is recommended that you use organic means to solve gardening problems as much as possible.

Read on to find out some common organic ways to get rid of Garden Pests. Once you get the hang of things, you can easily manage your garden pests.

Keep Soil Clean

Keeping the soil healthy and clean not only discourages the growth of harmful pests but also keeps your plants healthy. You can keep your soil healthy and clean by the following method:

Mix organic matter like manure and compost in the soil before planting. This will keep away the pests by adding natural nutrients to the soil.

After mixing organic matter in the soil, take a black plastic sheath and spread it over the soil for 2-3 weeks. It will capture the heat that will kill the pests, their eggs, weeds, and other parasites.

Remove the plastic sheath and till the soil lightly and it’s ready for planting.

Manage Weeds

 Weeds develop a competition with your plants for water, nutrients, and light. Not only this, but they also attract insects and other parasites, which ultimately affect our plants. You can not kill all the weeds organically, but you can control and manage them by pulling them out either manually or mechanically. 

Attract Beneficial Insects:

Does it sound weird to you that insects can be beneficial for your plants? Yeah, not all insects are bad. Some insects are actually beneficial for our garden because they help us get rid of harmful garden pests by eating them. For example, ladybug prey on mites, aphid and eggs and larvae of many harmful insects, ultimately helping us to control harmful insects. Other beneficial insects are Bees, Green Lacewings, Earwigs, Ground Beetles etc. 

Thinning and Pruning:

Thinning is the process of pulling the extra, weak and diseased plant out of the ground to keep a healthy and balanced plant population. Thinning is very crucial to control plant pests and diseases as more plants create a stuffy environment, and insects can take shelter there and grow. In the same way, weak seedlings are more susceptible to be attacked by the pests. Therefore, pull out the extra, weak and diseased plant to get rid of pests. In the same way, pruning is done to cut off the weak, diseased or non-valuable parts of a plant to control the spreading of the pests.

 Use Natural Pesticides:

Natural pesticides are very helpful in controlling the pests organically. You can buy organic pesticides either from horticultural companies or prepare them by yourself at home. There are many natural and organic sprays that can be prepared at home and used as pesticides:

Vegetable Oil Spray, Soap Spray, Neem Oil Spray, Garlic Spray, Tomato Leaf Spray, Diatomaceous Earth, Bacillus Thuringiensis 

To Sum Things Up

Organically dealing with garden pests is an excellent step towards a healthy garden and lifestyle. You have to put in a little bit of effort, and you can get rid of the garden pests organically. Hope, this article has helped you out in understanding the best organic ways to control garden pests. Stories