What is one of the most important aspects of organic pest control? We're talking about Integrated Pest Management, which contains methods that no gardener or landscaper should be without if they intend to stay away from harsh pesticides.
Simply speaking, organic pest control and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) are all about the idea that chemicals should be the very last resort in caring for your lawn or garden. IPM is a multi-faceted approach to doing this effectively. Listed below are some of the various techniques one may use if they intend to use IPM and organic pest control techniques to their fullest:
1. Your soil health is by far one of the most important variables in organic pest control. When a plant is healthy from healthy soil, it's more able to effectively keep bugs and pests away. Think of plants as having immune systems, much as people do. If a person does get essential vitamins and nutrients, his/her health can deteriorate and that person may suffer from diseases and illnesses. Plants are much the same in that respect.
2. Instead of using chemicals, allow the ecosystem to do its own work. Using harsh pesticides often kill the pests' predators, such as spiders and ladybugs. While this is only one aspect of organic pest control, it is certainly one of the most important ones to bear in mind.
3. Another basic tenet of organic pest control is the practice of pruning. Pruning unhealthy sections of your plants by hand keeps nutrients from the soil going to the healthy parts of the plant, instead of having to spread the nutrients to unhealthy sections. While doing this, make sure to not leave "stubs" hanging out from the plant. Pests find homes in these stubs, so make sure to prune flush with the stalk or stem.
4. Weed as much as possible, preferably by hand. Weeds suck essential nutrients from the soil, which keeps your plants from receiving the nutrients it needs to survive and fight off pests.
5. Start your planting earlier in the year before the bug season starts. This organic pest control technique will allow your plants to be better suited for any type of infestation that may occur. A more mature plant would be better able to fend off an attack.
6. The best type of plant is a plant native to your local ecosystem. Don't plant palm trees in Vermont; you'll only disappoint yourself with the results. A native species is better suited to the local environment and pests that naturally occur in that locale.
7. Keep a close eye on your plants as they grow. Stay involved, and don't be afraid to get dirty. You'll be much more aware of any pests that may show up.
Good luck with your organic pest control ventures.
Author : Sandra Dinkins-Wilson
1 comment:
How to kill pests without killing yourself or the earth......
There are about 50 to 60 million insect species on earth - we have named only about 1 million and there are only about 1 thousand pest species - already over 50% of these thousand pests are already resistant to our volatile, dangerous, synthetic pesticide POISONS. We accidentally lose about 25,000 to 100,000 species of insects, plants and animals every year due to "man's footprint". But, after poisoning the entire world and contaminating every living thing for over 60 years with these dangerous and ineffective pesticide POISONS we have not even controlled much less eliminated even one pest species and every year we use/misuse more and more pesticide POISONS to try to "keep up"! Even with all of this expensive and unnecessary pollution - we lose more and more crops and lives to these thousand pests every year.
We are losing the war against these thousand pests mainly because we insist on using only synthetic pesticide POISONS and fertilizers There has been a severe "knowledge drought" - a worldwide decline in agricultural R&D, especially in production research and safe, more effective pest control since the advent of synthetic pesticide POISONS and fertilizers. Today we are like lemmings running to the sea insisting that is the "right way". The greatest challenge facing humanity this century is the necessity for us to double our global food production with less land, less water, less nutrients, less science, frequent droughts, more and more contamination and ever-increasing pest damage.
National Poison Prevention Week, March 18-24,2007 was created to highlight the dangers of poisoning and how to prevent it. One study shows that about 70,000 children in the USA were involved in common household pesticide-related (acute) poisonings or exposures in 2004. At least two peer-reviewed studies have described associations between autism rates and pesticides (D'Amelio et al 2005; Roberts EM et al 2007 in EHP). It is estimated that 300,000 farm workers suffer acute pesticide poisoning each year just in the United States - No one is checking chronic contamination.
In order to try to help "stem the tide", I have just finished re-writing my IPM encyclopedia entitled: THE BEST CONTROL II, that contains over 2,800 safe and far more effective alternatives to pesticide POISONS. This latest copyrighted work is about 1,800 pages in length and is now being updated at my new website at http://www.thebestcontrol2.com .
This new website at http://www.thebestcontrol2.com has been basically updated; all we have left to update is Chapter 39 and to renumber the pages. All of these copyrighted items are free for you to read and/or download. There is simply no need to POISON yourself or your family or to have any pest problems.
Stephen L. Tvedten
2530 Hayes Street
Marne, Michigan 49435
1-616-677-1261
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest.
"An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come." --Victor Hugo
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." -- Martin Luther King Jr.
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