A ladybug heads for dinner: a group of aphids on a flower bud about to burst open. Ladybugs are just one of many good insects that protect gardens from pests. iStock image
Pesticides, bug repellents, and other common pest control solutions might provide gardeners with quick fixes, but the best way to naturally reduce unwanted pests in your plants can be done naturally with a little patience and planning.
“If you own a home and you have a yard, you are a land steward,” said Leslie Uppinghouse, lead horticulturist at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. “It doesn’t matter how small it is, it’s your job to make sure that everybody is healthy and happy. And when things are out of balance, there are things you can do to bring that balance back.”
Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a long-term, holistic approach that uses a variety of tools to maintain healthy gardens and minimizes potential risks to both the environment and humans.
Pesticides don’t discriminate between good and bad bugs, but you can. Pest identification is one way of practicing IPM. Instead of equating bugs with infestations, gardeners should take the time to identify which bugs are predator bugs that keep gardens healthy by eating other bugs and which ones are pests, the bugs that harm plants.
For example, in a garden being eaten up by caterpillars every year, Uppinghouse suggests adding a birdbath. Birds attracted to the water eat caterpillars and other pests that stunt plant growth.
“I always say, if you’re having a pest problem, you need to add diversity and not subtract,” Uppinghouse said. “Rather than subtracting by spraying a chemical on them, you want to add some birds to eat up all those caterpillars.”
Gardeners interested in growing butterfly sanctuaries have to be willing to settle for some holes in their plants if they want those caterpillars to grow into butterflies and moths, she warned.
Bugs commonly painted as villains by the commercial pesticide industry, like wasps and spiders, are actually some of the best forms of natural pest control and could be the key to successful IPM practices.
”They’re not trying to hurt you,” Uppinghouse said. “They’re eating all those bugs you’re trying to get rid of.”
People should also closely inspect plants for bugs and ask about the plant's health before buying starters at a nursery, Uppinghouse said. This will help reduce the introduction of new pests into a garden’s ecosystem.
Maintaining healthy soil by composting and keeping a well-researched watering schedule are other ways to prevent pests from moving in.
“Pests take advantage of the weakest form of life, so If you have good soil, you’re creating a healthy environment from the get-go,” Uppinghouse said.
Companion planting is another tool used in IPM. Certain plants, like basil and other aromatic herbs, can provide neighboring sprouts with protection. For example, when planted alongside tomatoes, basil improves the vegetable’s growth and flavor and repels thrips, small black-winged insects that suck plant sap.
Gardeners with more serious pest problems can turn to chemical controls in the form of botanical pesticides, such as neem oil, to treat pest infestations. Neem oil is a non-toxic oil derived from the neem tree that effectively kills aphids, mites, caterpillars, and other bugs. It also works well as a fungicide.
However, gardeners who choose botanical pesticides should practice caution by using them sparingly and as a last resort, Uppinghouse said. She also suggests researching the effects these pesticides might have on nearby plants, animals, and humans.
Other IPM methods include manually picking bugs off of plants, spraying plants with a solution of water and soap, and using netting to keep certain insects and mammals away.
brigid@thepicayune.com
