We have gone green and want to stay that way which means no toxic chemicals for pest control. We pay close attention to what we put on our lawn, flowers and vegetable garden.

Being organic gardeners means we use only natural methods for controlling those pests that can plague us during the summer months.

The main purpose of growing vegetables organically will be defeated if they become tainted with pest control chemicals.

Here are a few long-term maintenance tips to make pest control less damaging and more environmentally friendly.

1. Use the physical pest control process.

This may be accomplished through picking grubs off by hand, creating barriers and traps and plugging holes. Snails can be found hiding in damp places under rocks and towrds the base of those plants with straplike foliage.

2. Apply biological pest control.

Encourage predatory insects such as green lacewings and dragonflies to feed on aphids and other pests that attack your plants. You can do this by placing a shallow bowl of water in the garden. Dragonflies especially will hover around water. Bacterial insecticides such as B. thuringiensis could also be used against caterpillars.

3. Only as a last resort should we turn to chemical pest control.

Organic pest control methods can be successful and the ingredients for many of the recipes can be found in the kitchen cupboards. If chemical sprays are really necessary, try and find the least-toxic. These include insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, dehydrating dusts, etc.

4. Consider the use of safer pest control substitutes.

Recipes for alternative pest control include the following:

Against Green Aphids and Mites – Mix 1 tablespoon of liquid soap and a cup of vegetable oil. Dilute a teaspoon of this solution in a cup of water and spray on aphids and mites.

Against Cockroaches – Dusts of boric acid can be applied to cracks or entry points of these insects. Bay leaves on pantry shelves could also help in warding off these critters.

Make sure that the chemicals you use are made specifically for the insects you are targeting.

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• Garden Pests – Insects And Bugs (hbb2obm.com)

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Plant bug insects can be divided approximately into 2 groups, namely : those that bite and gnaw their food and those that have a sucking tube thru which they extract their food by means of piercing the leaves of plants.  Too bad they are not provided with a loud speaking tube too, then we’d know when the pesky monsters were at work.  Cupertino exterminator.

To fight leaf-chewing insects, stomach poison controls must be applied to the attacked plants.  Of these the most typical are Sevin.  Today on the shelves of many garden supply stores you’ll see countless brands displayed, all concocted by chemical companies according to their experience and tests.  All these branded controls are made available thru laborious modern systematic research.  Some stomach controls are nonpoisonous to animals and humans.  That is one reason we like going organic with a natural product like neem oil as an insecticide.

To combat sucking insects contact poisons and nonpoisonous controls must be applied to the attacked plants.  Of these the commonest are malathion, horticultural oil, and insecticidal soaps.  Today on the shelves of garden supply and retail nurseries you’ll see countless brands displayed, all concocted by famous chemical companies in their modern research labs.  The majority are available either in powder or liquid forms.

Some insecticides act as both stomach and contact poisons.

Fungus illnesses as commonly known, are rusts, mildews, blights, rots, cankers and leaf spots.  They are a result of parasites that live on food manufactured by plants.  These bugs increase quickly during damp wet weather and spread by spores usually thru the action of wind and rain and sometimes by mechanical assistance.

To combat fungi, controls either liquid or dust must be applied intermittently to the attacked plants.  Of these the most common are bordeaux mixture, sulphur, copper powders and solutions, lime-sulphur and concentrated ammonia.  To-day on the shelves of seed stores you’ll see countless brands on show.  If in doubt at all, you name your problem and let your fave nursery prescribe the cure.  Gopher Pest Control

Bacteria are the some of the tiniest form of life the gardener will come in touch with.  They are spread by insects and cause scab, blight and wilt.  Control the insect carriers of bacterial sicknesses by spraying often .  Ant Pest Control

virus sicknesses are spread by sucking insects such as aphids.  Aphids are little, soft bodied, and many in species and color.  Control the insect carriers of virus sicknesses by spraying with any of the widely known contact sprays.

physiological illnesses from excessive drought or too much rainfall ; from poor ventilation or even mechanical injury, must be controlled by some counterbalancing measure of cultivation or strategy of production like ginger plant care.  Damping-off for instance can be checked by soil sterilization, proper ventilation and by charcoal and mercurial treatments.

Early in the morning or in the evening is the perfect time to apply either liquid sprays or dust controls.  Stomach poison controls should be applied after a rainfall ; disease controls before, if at all possible.  Do not apply insecticides or fungicides if the temperature is 78 degrees or more, else foliage burning may result.

Start insect and fungi control in the autumn of the year by tidying up your garden.  Burn all rubbish ; cut out dead twigs and branches and burn them too ; and in early spring commence spraying ; don’t wait until infestation is beyond control.

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Indoor Container Herb Gardening

Indoor herb gardening can be a functional and fun hobby. For those who have no idea what indoor herb gardening is, it is cultivating and growing herbs in the home. The herbs are usually grown in containers which are sometimes placed in or near windows for sun exposure. There are so many benefits from indoor herb gardening. These benefits include convenience of having fresh herbs on hand at your kitchen when you are preparing a meal. Nothing beats fresh herbs when cooking.

What Your Should Know About Planting Herbs In Containers

Indoor herb container gardening is quite easy, especially in this day and age of almost instant everything. Many stores sell pots with premeasured soil and seeds for easy indoor herb gardening. All you have to do is pour the soil in the pot, push in the premeasured seeds and water.

Some tips when planting herbs are to be careful when putting the herb seeds in the soil. Too deep could mean that they won’t grow too well while too shallow or just on top will not allow the roots to have firm grasp of the soil. Indoor herb gardening will need a thin layer of gravel or sandy soil at the bottom of the pot. This will enable drainage for the plant not to be waterlogged. Most herbs do not appreciate too much water left in the pot. Of course, holes at the bottom of the pot will facilitate better drainage. Other preferable prefer to add small pieces of tree bark or chips into the potting mix then do so. This will not only provide better drainage for the pot but will also add to the organic matter in the pot which will be a source of nutrients when it decomposes making your indoor herb gardening effort a success.

A few other things you may want to do is to ensure that your pot’s soil is ever so slightly moist at least until the herb seeds have germinated. This can be done by misting the soil around two or three times each day. Like most plants, indoor herb gardens need sunlight and as such the herb plants should be exposed to sunlight for a few hours a day. By providing exposure to sunlight the plants are coax out of their seeds. As a matter of fact most herbs enjoy sunlight so ensure that they get an abundant amount everyday, and for many reasons this is why the window sill is an ideal place to put the indoor herb garden.

These simple tips for indoor herb gardening would be useful for many especially for the novice gardeners who would want to try out indoor herb gardening at home. By following the steps above, you will ensure that your efforts in having your very own indoor herb garden will be beneficial to you and ease a lot of your stress.

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