Pest and Disease Control

Pest and disease control can usually be accomplished before it becomes a problem by feeding your soil and rotating your crops. By doing this we have had very few pests or diseases. The best way to fight pests and diseases is to feed your plants well so they will be strong and resist the diseases and pests on their own. 

Rotate your crops so diseases don’t get a foot hold and make sure that your plants get the nutrients they need. Create habitat and in some cases introduce beneficial insects or other forms of biological pest control.

 
Organic insecticides are a last choice but a good one if you really have some stubborn problems. Some organic poisons are very strong and although better than chemical sprays are still very intense and should be used sensitively and only in extreme need. Other organic pesticides or fungicides can be used safely anytime. In many cases you can easily and cheaply make your own organic insecticides. 

Most of the time removal of diseased plants and in some cases hand picking of bugs has been sufficient to control our pest problems. In our orchards we have had some problems with fungi and blights and have done some spraying with dormant oil spray in the spring which was successful.  

 Organic gardeners learn how to attract beneficial insects, bats or bugs to their yard to help control undesirables (or they may purchase Lady Beetles, Lacewings or others). They learn to differentiate between good bugs and bad.

 

Prevention and a healthy garden is the best cure for pests and diseases.

• Build up your garden soil

• Use Maxi Crop or another seaweed extract to give your plants the minerals they need  for their health. Minerals to plants are like vitamins to humans.

• Take out weak or diseased plants

• Keep gardens clean of insect habitat

• Rotate crops

• Provide habitat for beneficial insects

• Observe and take care of problems in early stages

 

Hand Picking is a good technique if your plants are not to heavily infested

• Pick off any insects that are harming your plants

• Pull out plants or take off infested leaves

 

Home made or purchased organic plant sprays are good to use if prevention and hand picking has not gotten rid of your pest problems. You can make your own or look for organic pesticide sprays on the market. I strongly suggest against any chemical sprays as they will poison your food and garden.

Most homemade sprays use liquid soap or oil to stick noxious ingredients like cayenne, or garlic to the leaves which will deter most plant predators. Here is one simple recipe that can be used to deter and kill  most aphids, caterpillars, grubs and ants. It also helps with scab and scale found on fruit tree leaves. The oil and soap help the mixture stick to the leaves and have a suffocating effect as well as helping the garlic and hot peppers to stay in place and repel insects.You must reapply after overhead watering.

Be observant and careful not to spray if you already have beneficial insects such as lady bugs or  lacewings  that may be able to take care of your problem for you.   

Try this simple recipe. 

• 4 cayenne peppers or 1-2 tablespoon of cayenne  powder)
• 3 garlic bulbs
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon of biodegradable soap (DR. Bronners works great) 
• 6 cups water.  

Put the garlic through a garlic press and smash the hot peppers then soak overnight in the water, add vegetable oil and soap, strain through cheese cloth or a coffee filter. If you have a blender you can blend the ingredients and then strain using immediately.

Use a simple hand or pack sprayer. When you are using sprays, make sure to have a mist setting and to spray the underside and top of foliage, spray your plants in the evening or in the early morning before the sun comes out as this is when the leaves will absorb the spray the best. 

For larger pests like deer, bears, raccoons and foxes I suggest good fences,. We have a good 6 foot woven wire fence around our whole garden area (8 acres) and  in some cases like early sweet corn which can get ravished by raccoons we use an electric fence around the corn patch. We also trap ground squirrels and foxes when they become over populated and a problem.

 
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