ORGANIC PEST CONTROL
Tips For Healthy Plants
Even the best gardens face insects and diseases. Pests
make gardening a challenge. Regular surveillance of
flower borders and vegetable gardens allow early
detection.
Good Garden
Management
Gardeners and reduce
pests by following good cultural practices:
1. Build healthy
soil. Each year, till or spade the garden and add
organic material (cow manure, compost, peat moss) or
plant winter rye to improve soil texture.
2. Select healthy
transplants and quality seeds.
3. Rotate or interplant
crops and do companion planting to confuse insects.
4. Plant resistant
varieties. Purchase newer varieties of vegetables. Most
are bred to enhance disease resistance.
5. Control weeds by
hand-pulling, hoeing or using mulch.
6. Fertilize with Agway
Organic Vegetable and Flower Food 4-5-4 and water plants
to keep them growing vigorously.
7. Inspect gardens often
to check pest problems before they get out-of-hand.
Handpick or trap large insects.
8. Remove and destroy all
plants from your yard after harvest so insects and
disease do not overwinter in garden.
9. Sow a cover crop, such
as annual rye.
Plan Your Strategy
Certain pests are
prevalent every gardening season, so take steps to stop
them before they start.
1. Barriers-
Position mechanical barriers (row covers, stern guards,
netting) to prevent insect injury.
2. Traps-
Use to attract harmful insects (Japanese beetles,
whiteflies, slugs).
3. Hand-picking
Insects- Pick and destroy large insects, such as
tomato hornworms and Japanese Beetles, as they feed on
plants. Early morning is often the best time.
4. Beneficial
Insects- Introduce lady beetles, praying mantis,
green lacewings which feed on harmful garden insects.
5. Biological
Controls- Products made from bacteria or nematodes
which control specific harmful insects.
6. Organic
Pesticides- Products that are made from plants,
materials and soaps. Pyrethrins are extracted from the
flowers of a type of chrysanthemum. Pyrethrins rapidly
knock down beetles, caterpillars and various sucking
insects. Spray directly on the pest since organics
degrade rapidly and leave little or no residue.
Rotenone is extracted
from the roots of the derris plants in Asia and
cuberoots from South America. Rotenone dusts and
wettable powders work well on various beetles, sucking
insects (may be harmful to beneficial insects such as
praying mantis and ladybird beetles). Rotenone is
slow-acting and leaves a residue. Its effectiveness is
lost within a week due to degradation by sunlight.
Insecticidal Soaps are
widely used to control soft-bodied pests such as aphids,
spider mites and whiteflies. Sulfur may be used as a
dust or spray for control of mites and is often used to
control mildew, rust and leaf spot.
7. Low Chemical
Pesticides- Products that are made from chemicals
but decompose rapidly or are not toxic to humans when
applied properly. Horticultural or Dormant Oil may be
used in early spring to control mites, scales and other
insects that overwinter on plants.
Horticultural oil is also
an effective insecticide during the growing season when
used according to label directions. BioNeem is an
insecticide and repellent used on landscape plants
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