Growing a garden in your California backyard is a great way to bring more of the natural world into your home, feel peaceful and relax, and enjoy eating home-grown vegetables. The drawback to gardening? Garden pests. Even if you water, prune, and harvest correctly, you may still see your hard work go to waste thanks to insects and other pests that also see your plants as a valuable food source. There are a few things you can do to keep garden pests away. These tips for garden pest control will get you started.
1. DIY Insecticide
Not all insecticide needs to be store-bought or made from unfamiliar chemicals. You can make some of your own at home as your first line of garden pest control. Try one of these DIY garden pest solutions:
- Vegetable oil spray: Mixed with a mild soap (1 cup of oil to 1 tablespoon of soap), and sprayed on affected plants, this can get rid of aphids, mites, and thrips.
- Soap spray: Mix 1 teaspoon of soap with 1-quart water and spray directly on plant leaves during the cooler mornings or evenings.
- Garlic spray: Some insects are repelled by the strong smell of garlic. Puree two whole bulbs of garlic and combine with a quart of water. Let the mix sit overnight, add a bit of liquid soap, and spray as needed.
2. Repel with Plants
Did you know you can repel garden pests with, well, plants? Protect your vegetable garden from hungry insects by planting these herbs alongside them:
- Catnip: Repels aphids, beetles, shield bugs, and caterpillars
- Dill: repels aphids, caterpillars, shield bugs, and spider mites
- Mint: Repels aphids, beetles, caterpillars, shield bugs, and whiteflies
- Nasturtium: Repels aphids, beetles, caterpillars, and shield bugs
- Flowers: Pollen-laden flowers will attract good bugs, including ladybugs, lacewings, spiders, and parasitic wasps, all of which help keep away garden pests.
If you decide to plant catnip or mint, keep them in their own pots as they tend to be aggressive growers. You can also plant basil, oregano, parsley, rue, and thyme for garden pest control purposes.
3. Call the Experts
Often, natural methods, including DIY sprays and pest-repelling plants and insects will do the job when it comes to protecting your garden from hungry pests. Sometimes, however, the infestation will be so large or out of control that it is impossible to get rid of it all on your own. To protect your garden and landscaping from pests, you need to call the experts. Professional residential pest control experts can prevent and remove garden pests.
Preventive Pest Control of California will assist you with garden pest control. We can help you identify the insects that are plaguing your garden and provide a solution for controlling the infestation. Contact us today to learn more about our services.