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 You
will find slight variations of definitions, but most organic
gardeners agree the focus is on cultivating a system that supports
and sustains all its members. This includes plants, soil microbes,
and other beneficial organisms.
As with any garden, it starts with creating a healthy soil
foundation, selecting the plants best suited to the growing
conditions, and providing them with proper care. When you do these
things, you will be able to grow healthier plants that are more
tolerant of pest attacks and more resilient when damaged.
Removing weeds from garden beds is an important pest management
strategy. These uninvited plants compete with your desirable plants
for water and nutrients. Many also attract and harbor plant-damaging
insect pests and disease organisms in the garden.
No matter how well you plan, plant, and care for your gardens,
insect pest problems can arise. Include nature’s pest managers in
your organic garden approach. Ninety-six percent of terrestrial
North American birds rely on insects for part of their diet. They
also add color, motion, and entertainment to our landscapes.
Many beneficial insects eat or parasitize insects.
Lady beetles, green lacewings, young and old, eat hundreds of aphids
a day. Parasitic wasps, depending on the species, can attack
specific or a variety of insects including caterpillars like the
tomato hornworm, aphids, leafhoppers, scale, beetles, and true bugs.
Attract more beneficial insects, both pollinators and pest managers,
to your gardens with plants. Grow plants like sweet alyssum,
columbine, thyme, lavender, goldenrod, sedum, asters, and other
plants that attract beneficial insects to your garden.
Be proactive by regularly monitoring your gardens. Look for emerging
pest problems and the good guys stopping by to dine on them. You
will need to tolerate some damage so there will be food to attract
and feed the predators in the garden.
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If intervention is needed, look for the most
eco-friendly control options. Barriers of lightweight floating row
covers protect against cabbage worms, Japanese and bean beetles,
cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and squash vine borers on susceptible
plants. Just cover the plantings with row covers immediately after
seeding. Since basil and beans do not need to be pollinated to
produce the harvest, leave them covered for the season. Uncover
squash, pumpkins, melons, and cucumbers when they begin flowering so
pollinators have access to the blossoms. Research found vine crops
in this manner limited damage by squash bugs, squash vine borer, and
the cucumber beetles that can infect and kill cucumber plants with
bacterial wilt.
If you forget to cover your cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and
Brussels sprouts, enlist the help of a naturally occurring soil
bacterial called Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (Btk) found in
SummitÒ Biological Caterpillar and Webworm. It only kills true
caterpillars and webworms and can be applied to edible plants right
up to harvest.
A strong blast of water is a great first step in managing mites and
aphids. It knocks them off the plant, helping minimize the damage.
If needed, apply lightweight horticulture oils, like organic SummitÒ
Year-RoundÒ Spray Oil according to label directions. It kills a wide
variety of soft-bodied insects in all stages (including eggs) on
contact and poses few risks to beneficial insects that land on the
treated plant.
Over time these eco-friendly strategies become part of your
gardening routine. And the more we work with nature, the better it
is for you, your plants, and the environment.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books,
including the Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small
Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything”
instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s
Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and
contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned
by Summit for her expertise to write this article. Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers.com.
[Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com] |
