Gardens

Dealing With Garden Pests

One of the most frustrating things that can happen to any keen gardener is finding holes and other ailments in your plants as you wonder through your garden. What should have been an enjoyment of your gardening efforts soon turns into a nightmare as you find more and more evidence of pests in your garden. These pests come in many different shapes and sizes, with some of the most common being worms, slugs, caterpillars, snails and birds. Since they are a natural part of the environment, it is impossible to totally eradicate these pests, but you can still do a lot to protect your garden and your efforts.

While garden pests do come in many different varieties, those belonging to the insect family can wreak the most havoc on any garden. Insects have been known to destroy entire gardens in a matter of hours. The first step to dealing with insects, is prevention. Reduce the areas that insects and other diseases thrive. Decaying matter, weeds, and old leaves provide ample breeding grounds for these pests. Clear them as soon and as often as possible. Regularly turning the soil in uncultivated parts of the garden can also help you eliminate any insects that might have taken up shelter underground. Where possible, do create your compost heap in a part of the garden as far away from your most vulnerable plants as possible.

Another popular pest and plant disease control method is the use of dormant sprays. These sprays are most effective if used when your garden’s plants are dormant too, which in the northern hemisphere, is around February. Because these sprays can be quite potent, it is very important to follow the usage directions carefully. Just spraying indiscriminately, will be both ineffective, and result in you killing off huge tracts of your garden in the process. While you do want to kill off pests, you do not want to kill every living creature in your garden. A lot of insects and bugs are beneficial for the healthy growth of some plants, so you do need to do your research, and use such sprays carefully.

Another oft ignored pest that wreaks havoc in many gardens is the common bird. Many gardeners try and keep these at bay by chasing them away on sight. It can get tiresome just keeping an eye on your garden, hence the popularity of scarecrows. These can be less effective in places with little wind, as the birds soon get used to them. A better approach could be the installation of a bird feeder in the garden. As well as keeping the birds from the more vulnerable plants in the guardian, a bird feeder can add to the overall character of your garden. Lastly, domestic pets like dogs and cats can help eliminate the problem of birds in the garden, although such pets can themselves damage your garden.

Some gardeners are unfortunate enough to suffer gopher infestations. The first sign of this is seeing dirt mounds around the garden, and the inexplicable death of otherwise healthy plants. These rodents can be anything between 5 and 14 inches long, and are often black or a light brown in color. Their preferred diet of plant roots is what kills off most plants where gophers are found. An effective way of dealing with them is using specialized gopher traps. Once you have located their tunnels, you can use the traps, or in more extreme cases, use smoke bombs thrown into these tunnels to eliminate them.

The main trick to dealing with garden pest though, is swift action. Once you spot signs of pests, eliminate them as soon as possible, before they become established. Once done, follow the guidance above, and eliminate their breeding grounds, and by extension any chance of the pest problem recurring. If your garden is close to your neighbors, it can be beneficial to coordinate pest elimination efforts, to ensure that all the areas near your vulnerable plants are pest free.

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Common Garden Insects

Orcon LB-C1500 Live Ladybugs, 1,500 Count $19.99 A favorite “good bug,” ladybugs have been a popular beneficial insects for the past 20 years. When released at sundown (because they don’t fly at night), ladybugs eat aphids, mealy bugs, scale, leaf hoppers, and other destructive pests. And they keep on eating until the bad guys are gone, laying their own eggs in the process. When new pests arrive, fresh ladybugs will be waiting. You will love the…

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Lawn Dethatcher $139.95 Are weeds and crab grass a problem for you? Then you need this attachment! Quickly removes weeds and the tan-looking built-up “thatch” that can choke your lawn. The 60 spring-steel picks let you dethatch a 15″ swath with a single pass. Thatch harbors insects, creates a water barrier, and prevents new grass from growing. Dethatch your lawn regularly in spring and fall, especially before feeding and fertilizing.

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Fiskars Phone & Garden Pocket $14.95 Strap it around your waist to carry your phone, beeper, pruner, seeds, even bottled water – conveniently while you do your yard work. Padded pocket protects your phone as you work; hear-thru mesh means no more missed calls. Second pocket can hold a variety of garden tools; also features a key latch and pencil loop. Attractive and durable nylon material.

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Owl with Rotating Head $34.95 Chase away garden nibblers with this life-size replica of a Great Horned Owl. So realistic looking! Head bobs and turns in gentle breezes. Startles birds and other critters who try to snack on your garden’s delights. 18″ tall, it’s an imposing presence in your garden. Perfect for the garden, on decks, boat docks, rafters, barns, open porches, and patios. (Pole not included).

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