Choosing A Method Of Organic Pest Control

By William Blake

Why do you need an effective way of pest control? You love your garden! Your roses are gorgeous! Your vegetables are prolific - you harvest a lot every year. But things could be better.

Maybe you've been using chemical pest control methods, not organic. And so you've had to be extra careful where you've sprayed that high-powered bug juice, and kept the dog and cat indoors until you think it might be safe again for them to be in the garden. And then you've had to carefully wash every bit of produce, so that you didn't ingest pesticides yourself.

And you probably think there must be a better way, but you don't know what it would be. There is a better way to control pests in your yard.

Depending on what type of pests you are wanting to control, the method of organic pest control will vary. Let's look at some options.

Let The Good Guys Eat The Bad Guys

Many of the bugs in your garden are actually beneficial bugs - the "good guys" of the outdoors. These should be encouraged, as a terrific method of organic pest control. For example, if your roses or other plants have aphids, rather than spraying them with a chemical to kill the little green bugs, try a natural method. Adult ladybugs and larvae are able to eat 50 aphids a day - and will stay in your yard as long as there are enough aphids to keep them happy. There are even products you can buy that exude natural pheromones to attract ladybugs and other beneficial insects to your garden.

Spray 'Em Off

Another method for removing many types of pests is a spray of either water or some other fluid. White fly can be controlled by a strong spray of water. Do it for a few days in a row to the undersides of the leaves, and repeat as needed. There's nothing more organic for pest control for plants than fresh water!

A quick spray or two of white vinegar on a slug will kill it within a few inches of slithering away from the attack. Go out in the morning when they are out in force, spray them, and you can easily subdue the population of slugs bothering your precious garden. It's a great method of organic pest control.

Setting Up Boundaries

Of course, setting barriers to access can also protect your garden. For some situations, that means a fence to keep the deer from eating the roses or rabbits from the vegetables. For others, it means spreading seed pods from the Liquidambar tree around the plants and flowers you want to protect. Snails won't crawl in and around the seed pods because of their spikiness - they don't want to damage their bellies! Now that's an organic method of pest control!

About the Author: