Select Garden Plants Carefully.
Many problems that require
the use of synthetic pesticides
can be reduced or even eliminated by selecting plants carefully.
Choose plants that are best suited for your region and your soil.
Use mulch around your plants to discourage weeds and remove any
weeds that you do find immediately, before they set any seed.
Look around to see what thrives in your neighbors’ yard.
Consider using disease-resistant plants, and put them in
a spot where they will receive the correct amount of light and
moisture to flower and flourish.
If some plants simply fail to thrive year after year , then
you have to be firm and replace them with others.
This, I know, is difficult to do for many gardeners, but there is
no sense in keeping plants that are detrimental
to your garden.
Stressed plants are easy prey for disease and pests.
If you want to reduce your dependency on pesticides,
then monitor the garden carefully for insects.
Regular hosing off of aphids or handpicking
Japanese beetles and tomato hornworms
can significantly reduce their numbers.
You can also trap slugs in shallow containers filled with beer.
Reduce the likelihood of mildew and fungi by watering plants
early in the morning,so they will dry off during the day.
Also try watering at soil level rather than using sprinklers,
to keep foliage dry.
Despite your best efforts, pests
can overrun the garden, but there are organic controls for these
situations.
Insecticidal soap and horticultural-oil sprays, are very effective.
I still try to use the least toxic method, such as handpicking
and pruning away diseased or damaged plants, before
reaching for the sprays.
‘Grow no plant that which does not strike you as
beautiful or interesting.’
Harry Roberts 1904.
September 28th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
These are good tips - I wish more people followed these suggestions and stopped using pesticides. Round-Up seems to be the favourite of some of my neighbours, I’ve noticed.
I quite enjoy hand picking insects, especially slugs, which probably sounds odd.