Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Organic Pest Control
Controlling garden pests using organic methods does require a bit of 'thinking outside the
box' and forward planning. It has as much to do with prevention or distraction, as with any-
thing else. Again there are organic pest control sprays that you can purchase if necessary,
however a good recipe for your own spray is simply to get some insecticidal soap and add
about a half cup to one bucket of water. Mix thoroughly and add to your hand sprayer to
applytoyourplants.Thisisveryeffectiveagainstaphids,greenfly,blackflyleafhoppersand
others. If you cannot get your hands on insecticidal soap, then try good old liquid washing
up liquid in an emergency.
Another way of controlling pests, is to use the rotational crop growing method described in
the previous chapter. This works by simply not allowing the pests and diseases that would
build up in the soil, if you grow the same crops every year in the same place. By changing
the growing pattern you also stop the chance of infestation from the same sources.
Deterring slugs:
Slugs can be deterred from getting near your vegetables, by the use of copper tape or even
paint. They cannot cross copper as it reacts with their slime, so stopping them in their tracts.
Scattering salt around your pots or raised bed can also be a great deterrent, as this acts like
acidtoslugs-unpleasantbuteffective.Donotletthesaltgetnearyourplantsthough!Slugs
can also be collected by sinking a jam-jar into the ground and half filling with beer. This is
called a beer trap, and is something that has been used quite effectively for centuries. Slugs
love beer and will head for the jar, drowning in the beer. Traps have to be cleaned out regu-
larly though - which is not the most pleasant of jobs admittedly!
Carrot fly:
Carrot fly can be deterred by a mixture of companion planting and creating barriers. By
planting garlic or onions around your carrots, you are effectively masking the scent of the
carrot fromthedreaded carrot fly,whichisattracted bythesmell fromthefoliage. Covering
the carrots with a fine insect mesh or gardeners fleece can prevent them from gaining entry
to the plants.
Finally, as the carrot fly is known to be a low flyer then it is possible to keep it away by
simplygrowingyourcarrotsinaraisedsituationsuchasaraisedbed.Eitherthatorsurround
your carrots with a two foot high plywood fence to stop the fly.
Aphid control:
As mentioned in the earlier paragraph, aphids can be sprayed with your insecticidal mix or
they can be controlled by the introduction of ladybugs if your vegetables are growing in an
