Advice for Organic Gardening Pest Control

Organic agriculture is preferable to non-organic agriculture for many reasons. One is safety. Everyone knows that chemical pesticides and fertilizers are toxic and can be very dangerous. People desire a more natural way to garden and consumers want products that were not treated with these dangerous toxins. Organic gardening is the best solution. You will need to learn about fertilization methods as well as organic gardening pest control if you want your endeavor to be a success.

The first thing you will need to attend to is your soil composition. Healthy soil is the foundation for a healthy organic garden. There are various ways to nourish the soil and achieve optimum growing conditions. One way is with the use of compost. Compost is simply a mixture of decayed plant and animal wastes applied to the soil. When your growing conditions are the best they can be, there is less of a chance of pest invasion. However, it helps to take precautions. One way to avoid pests is to bring in ladybugs.

Ladybugs are not just cute, but effective. These red and black insects dine on aphids and other pests that can destroy your plants. Many organic gardeners have crates of live ladybugs shipped and let them loose on the garden. Ladybugs are great because they don't sting or bite, are not harmful to plants, and do their job very well. Another method of keeping the pests away is to use organic pesticides made with natural herbs and spices. You can even make your own. One way to make your own is by combining white vinegar with a variety of the spiciest and most pungent herbs you can find. Pests hate pungent scents and tastes and will be turned away from your garden.

A homemade organic gardening pest control mixture may be vinegar with garlic, hot pepper, rosemary, mint, thyme and any other smelly herbs you can think of. When sprayed on and around your plants, this scent is very discouraging to garden pests. You can even sprinkle dry black and red pepper on your plants to discourage pests from chomping on them. When you combine various organic pest control methods together, such as ladybugs and herbal pesticides, you can achieve the best results. To learn more about organic pest control, check out some books on organic gardening from your local library or bookstore.



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