Have you ever taken time to tend to your garden only to have those dreaded snails munch on your most prized plants? Well, if you read further you will know exactly what to do next time, ensuring your plants are protected from pests.
So before you find more about ‘pest control near me’ read on.
Give your plants some space
Filling your garden with as many plants as possible might be tempting, but overcrowding your plants could make them susceptible to pests.
What your garden needs is regular circulation for its plants, as tightly packed gardens are attractive for bugs in need of shelter and food. Don’t give your pests places to hide, as you need to regularly check your plants for pests.
Regular clean ups
Pests like mess so to avoid inviting pests into your garden make sure to regularly tidy the space. Get rid of any rubbish in your garden before you even start working on your plants.
Tidying up means regularly unweeding your garden , schedule time at least once a week to pull up all the weeds in your garden.
Cleaning up your garden includes trimming your plants and hosing off any pesky pests.
Befriend a bird
Birds work as natural forms of pest control as they are known for eating insects. You can encourage more birds to visit your garden by building a birdhouse and providing them with places to hide from predators.
So by inviting birds into your garden you are effectively employing insect management and eliminating the threat of pests.
Physical defences
To protect your garden from pests, you can choose physical defences, providing a permanent solution for maintaining a pest-free garden.
- Nets: having mesh netting over your garden will protect your plants from pests, whilst allowing for sunlight and rain in.
- Insect traps: Yellow sticky traps, available at most garden centres and on Amazon, are highly effective for controlling pests. These traps work best when placed on branches or the ground, as the bright yellow colour attracts insects. Once they land, they become stuck to the glue and die.
Waking up early to water your plants
Watering your plants in the morning will ensure that your plants are hydrated throughout the day (this is particularly important on hot summer days). Watering your plants earlier gives them time to dry off as damp plants are attractive to pests like slugs and snails.
However, do not make the mistake of watering your plants too frequently. Stick to watering the entire plant and soil 1-2 times a week and water the leaves as needed on a more regular basis.
But avoid watering your plants on the more rainy days, manage your watering schedule based on the amount of rainfall and sunshine experienced in a given week.
Beneficial pests
Not all insects are harmful, so it’s important to consider using beneficial pests in your garden. These insects, such as ladybirds, act as natural pest control by keeping harmful pests at bay. To attract them, plant flowers like sunflowers, which provide food for these helpful creatures. Using beneficial pests is a natural and less harmful way to protect your garden compared to other pest control methods.
Eco-friendly pesticides
Before you buy some artificial pest control, consider making your own natural pesticides.
Below are a few you could try out.
- Soap spray: soap spray is a non-toxic form of pesticide that is a cheap and easy way to remove and repel pests from your garden. You’ll need to mix 5 tablespoons of liquid soap with 4 litres of water in a spray bottle. Shake well. Then carefully mist under the leaves of your plants and the stem. Repeat the process after a few days and make sure to only spray your plants up to twice a week.
- Garlic spray: similarly garlic sprays will repel the pests that hate its scent (but be warned some pests will actually like the garlic smell). For this spray you’ll need two bulbs of garlic to be blended. Leave the mixture aside overnight then strain it into a container, adding water. Add a tablespoon of liquid soap which will help the liquid stick to the leaves. Spray on leaves of plants once a week.
Final thoughts
Having pests infiltrate your garden can be challenging and initially emotionally distressing but by now you will know how to maintain a pest-free environment. Take advantage of space, making sure not to overcrowd your plants. Equally, it is important to keep a tidy garden, a garden that is inviting to birds and beneficial pests. However, there are several other ways of keeping your garden free of pests like using physical defences, watering your plants early in the morning and using eco-friendly pesticides.
