TOP 5 TIPS TO KEEP YOUR GARDEN SPACE PEST-FREE

How agonizing it must be to watch the fruits and flowers you sowed and watered so affectionately being munched away by tiny bugs! Being the keeper and caretaker of a giant backyard garden myself, I can totally vouch for the horror of pests.

These tiny little buggers will eat away anything and everything that grows out of the soil, leaving behind rotting carcasses of your beloved babies (yes, that’s how gardening fanatics refer to plants). Not a sight you would bear to behold if you had just praised your strawberry vine the day before pests swarmed in.

On a slightly brighter note, pests are preventable! Pest control services in Dubai gardens, Australian farms, and Canadian countryside have discovered numerous natural ways of keeping your gardens pest free. Top five of them are listed below:

1.     Prevent Pest Infestation

The safest and most effective way of ensuring your garden is pest free is preventing pests from establishing firm hold in the first place. For that, you can:

·      Pull out weak or fallen plants which are likely to attract predators or be infected.

·      Minimize pest growth by healthy, compost and natural fertilizer rich soil.

·      Spray or mulch seaweed which strengthens a plant against diseases as well as keeps slugs at bay.

·      Don’t give pests any breeding space by letting debris or weeds collect in your garden space.

·      Rotate crops to prevent plant-specific insects from spreading throughout the garden.

·      Give the foliage time to dry off by watering the plants early in the day. Wet foliage encourages insect and fungal growth on the plants.

·      Clean your equipment after use on infected plants. This will slow down the pest and disease transfer process.
 

2.     Introduce Beneficial Insects into the Garden

These beneficial insects can be requested to visit your garden with a tempting offer or bought off a catalogue and let free in the garden. They feed on harmful pests keeping your garden healthy and happy. Some of these good guys include:

·      Brachonids, Chalcids and Ichneumon Wasps

·      Ladybugs

·      Lacewings

·      Hover Flies

·      Praying Mantis

·      Nematodes

These insects have been used previously and proved great help in destroying pests and their larvae. They really do work long term.

3.     Try Non-Toxic Home Remedies

There’s no harm in preparing and trying these inexpensive home remedies on your garden. They have been used abundantly in the past and our ancestors had faith in their ingredients for some reason, definitely.

Look into the following home remedies and find solutions to a wide array of pest issues in your garden:

·      Smother the insects by spraying onto them a mixture of canola oil, ivory soap, and water.

·      Keep grubs and beetles away from your precious garden by applying the long last milky spore to your plants.

·      Sprinkle diatomaceous earth over plants and flower beds to kill harmful insects with small exoskeletons.

·      Spray every few days a diluted mixture of baking soda and water to relieve your plants of fungal diseases.

·      A mixture of equal parts milk, equal parts water sprayed on plants cures powdery mildew in a matter of weeks.
 

4.     Set Up Traps and Barriers

You can certainly outwit annoying pests by hindering their plant deterioration process. Try out the following traps and barriers around your garden space:

·      Catch fleas and flies on a sticky Yellow Flypaper.

·      Call on insects to mate inside your Pheromone traps and poison them while they are at it.

·      Keep rodents and rabbits away by establishing mesh and statues.

·      Nets will do just fine in warding off aphids, butterflies, and birds.
 

5.     Prepare a Poison

Luckily for us, there are substances which are harmless to humans but deter insects and other pests. Substances like flour, beer, coffee, and salt will make snails and slugs curl up with their poisoning effect. These natural pesticides can wipe off pests from soil not harming the crop or the environment around one bit.

Pest prevention is crucial to the well-being and beauty of your garden. Try to prevent pest establishment in the first place. But, if it takes root in your garden, remember to pull it out as soon as you spot the first symptom.

Rachael Stinson is a wildlife enthusiast but equally concerned with the well-being of the many aspects of human life. She is looking for a balance so that the two may co-exist harmoniously. She rates top pest control companies in Dubai.