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Organic pest control

One of the most difficult things to control in any garden are the many and varied little creatures who appreciate your plants for attributes other than their beauty. Calling in an air strike from a spray gun loaded with noxious chemicals is pretty effective, but at what price?

Plants managed to survive for a few years before pesticides came onto the scene. So there are other ways of controlling garden pests that are a little less dangerous.

Resistance

A healthy plant has its own defenses against attack, the stronger and healthier the plant the better the defenses. Make sure that you take care of the plant an it will be better prepared to fend off attacks.

Shifting the target

Where possible, move the location of your plants. This can be very effective as the pests that over-winter within the plants proximity will emerge in the spring to find their source of sustenance gone.

Bring in reinforcements

If it's alive then something will like to eat it! Do your best to encourage the right predators and let them take care of the pests for you.

Variety helps the balance

Stick with one type of plant massed into a single area and you are inviting trouble. Vary your planting and this will control the spread of pests.

Physical traps and barriers

It's not subtle but a net can provide 100% security against birds and a slug trap filled with beer will send most of our slimy friends to an early alcoholic demise.

Not for the squeamish

Aphids and other small insects don't react well to being pressed between two fingers and your average slug has little natural resistance to a well placed wellie.

Organic pesticides

As a last resort, a number of substances are acceptable to some organic gardeners. Soft soap in solution contains only natural products and can be quite effective against aphids and other small insects. Other combinations of allowable substances are becoming available as garden centers and companies react to public demand.

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