Learn to recognize the early signs of attacking garden pests and plant diseases. Quickly identify the source of damage to foliage and flowers. Choose the appropriate measure to control infestations or infections, starting with the least toxic methods.
Birds are your allies when it comes to keeping your garden healthy. They will do a great job of catching many insects, leaving you to deal primarily with diseases caused by fungi and bacteria and the few insects that remain.
Start with proper practices for culture and care. Inspect your plants frequently. Make them strong and capable of resisting attack by taking these steps:
- Prune damaged foliage.
- Remove infected plants and dispose of them.
- Cultivate, water, fertilize and mulch.
Accept the fact that there will be some chewed leaves or broken buds in your garden. Following strict organic practices is essential to your garden's first purpose: attracting birds. Keep in mind that, of the insects you see, more than 90 percent are either harmless or beneficial. They compete for food with or feed on the pest insects. A good balance of predator insects is necessary to control pest populations.
The least toxic controls are manual methods. Hand pick beetles, lure earwigs into rolled up sheets of newspaper, and bait slugs and snails with shallow pans of beer. Your objective with such measures is to control rather than eliminate all the pests from your garden.
Occasionally, diseases will get out of hand. Space your plants properly and divide your plantings into small groups to limit the potential for widespread infections. Pick disease-resistant cultivars when planting. Inspect your garden frequently, perhaps each time you refill its bird feeders.
Always identify the exact cause of damage to your plants before attempting to control an infestation or remedy an infection. Treat only the infected area. Try biologic cures first, such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to control caterpillars, or ladybird beetles and preying mantises to eat aphids.
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If foliage appears to be damaged, take appropriate measures to control insect infestation.
