How to Fight Pests in the Garden

When we decide to have a pet at home, we are willing to accept the responsibility that comes with it. For example, clean him, feed him, change his water constantly, if he needs it, and treat him if he hurts himself or gets sick.

Although it is true that it is an additional load, we are willing to carry it for the love of our pets and because we value their lives. In the same way, if we have a house with a garden, in order to keep it beautiful and healthy, it is necessary to give it some special care.

It is not enough to water it from time to time. Dead elements, such as leaves, branches and fruit, should also be pruned and removed. Continuous gift is necessary, depending on its characteristics, fertilize the land, constantly remove it and watch if pests begin to appear in it.

And it is that pests are the main enemy of a beautiful garden. They can finish him off in the blink of an eye. In addition, they are the worst nightmare of all those who are dedicated to agriculture or caring for plants, because, once they appear, it is very difficult to fight them. In fact, it takes a lot of time and patience to eradicate the problem and get a healthy garden back.

The problem tends to increase when we do not have the necessary knowledge and tools to combat them. For this reason, this time, we will be informing you about the most frequent pests in gardens and what you can do to combat them and eliminate them completely.

Keep in mind that, even if you finish with the plague that currently affects your garden, this is not synonymous with the fact that it will never appear again or that another one will not appear. The important thing is that you are attentive so that it does not spread.

Instructions for combating pests in the garden

Garden pests generally appear during the spring and remain until winter. However, warm, humid environments are also conducive for them to invade the orchard or garden.

Most of these pests spread very quickly and can seriously affect the plants, undermining the smoothness of the flowers and withering the stems, which give way, twisting, until they finally die.

Which means that we can lose the splendor of our garden, in just the blink of an eye?  Some of these pests are:

• Aphids: These are some of the main enemies of fruit and flower plants. Among his favorites are roses. However, they can spread to other nearby plant species. It is possible to detect them due to some changes in the color and shape of the plant’s leaves. Aphids attach to the stem and absorb plant sap, depriving them of their natural vitality.

• Caterpillars: finding them is not an easy task, as they take on the color of the plant.  They start on one leaf, but spread out to all the others. Her favorites include basil, lettuce, and other plants with sweet foliage. The leaves appear to be eaten or perforated. Especially the most tender.

• Cochineal: thanks to particular climatic conditions, they tend to spread quickly. It loves heat and humidity and disappears during rains. This pest forms a small colony in the structure of the plant. It feeds on its sap and, while it is infesting, it produces honeydew, a substance that attracts other pests. They are a kind of white dots present on the branches and leaves of the plant, which, in a few days, cause the discoloration of the parts that, have been affected.

• The white fly: this is a plague of tropical origin. Since it prefers warm and humid environments, it is possible to find it in areas of lakes and greenhouses. It usually attacks the lower part of the plant by producing honeydew. This substance causes the leaves to turn yellowish and end up falling off. In many cases, it is possible to observe sooty stains that are caused by the proliferation of saprophytic fungus.

• Powdery mildew: they are pests that affect both plants that are grown in pots and those that grow in open soil, since they develop through spores carried by the wind.

Their presence is notable because white spots begin to appear on the leaves of plants. The affected leaves do not continue to develop; they wrinkle, turn yellow and end up falling. Not only have that, the new leaf buds are stunted in growth and their flowers developed malformed.

These are just some of the pests that you can find in your garden. But what do you need to fight them?

What do you need to combat pests in the garden?

To combat pests in your garden, you will need the following natural remedies:

•  Against aphids: macerate 3 heads of garlic in a liter of water for a full day. Pour this liquid into a spray bottle and spray the plant, including its leaves, stem and affected flowers, for 7 days in a row. Also, you can apply cold water to the plant early in the morning and late at night to lower its temperature and kill it.
•  For the caterpillars: the best thing you can do is prune the affected leaves and fumigate those that are fine with soap and water at 4%, as a preventive measure. Then wash them with plenty of water.
•  In the case of cochineal: dilute a few milliliters of liquid soap in a liter of water. Mix well, without reaching the point of foaming, transfer the mixture to a spray bottle and spray the affected leaves until they are soaked. Finally, wash with plenty of pressurized water so that the mealy bugs slip off the stem.
•  Against whitefly: macerate an onion in a liter of water for about 4 days, pour the mixture into a spray bottle and fumigate the plant twice a day. You can also spray with an infusion of basil leaves or plant near the affected plant.
•  Powdery mildew: to fumigate the plant and combat the plague, dilute two tablespoons of baking soda in a liter of water. Spray the leaves of the plant twice a week.

Although it is true that there are products to combat garden pests, these are usually toxic chemicals that can affect the health of family members. Therefore, it is always more advisable to resort to home remedies. But what can we do to prevent the presence of pests in our garden?

Tips for fighting pests in the garden

So that undesirable guests do not appear in our plants, the best thing we can do is anticipate and prevent, before we have to cure. Among what we can do is the following:

• Keep plants strong and in good condition. Thus, pests or diseases will be less likely to appear.
• Water the plants according to the frequency they need.
• Select the most appropriate place to plant them.
• Prune it frequently, removing leaves and branches that are dry.
• Make sure the roots have enough space for the plants to grow and develop properly.
• Conserve the fauna that grows in your garden, such as lizards, ladybugs and centipedes. Many of these animals contribute to pest prevention.
• Growing plants like thyme, lavender, and calendula help keep some pests away.
• To avoid almost imperceptible pests, we can make a kind of ash barrier. This must be dry, since, when moistened, the effectiveness of said barrier is suppressed.
• Plant native plants of the region, since these get sick and adapt better to the characteristics of your garden.

Thanks to these tips you will have the opportunity to prevent or combat pests in your garden, to keep it beautiful and healthy always, no matter what the weather conditions are.