If you are a garden enthusiast, there is no doubt that you want to keep bugs away from your garden. Unfortunately, bugs are not just annoying and distracting; they can also damage and destroy your garden. While there are numerous products you can buy to keep bugs at bay, you may need to learn a little about bugs to successfully use these products. Before you even put any product on your plants, finding the bug problem in your garden is important. If you need to know what bug problem you are dealing with, there may be no point in using bug repellents.
This means you will have to learn how to spot the signs of bugs before using a good bug repellent. You should also check the different types of products available to know what type of repellent works best against each bug. Finally, ensure you read all the instructions for the product and understand how it works before using the product on your plant. That way, you will know how to apply the product in your garden. Here are tips to help you make your garden a relatively bug-free haven.
1. Keep Your Garden Clean
The best way to keep the bugs away is to keep your garden clean and well-maintained. If there are too many weedy areas in your garden, they will attract more bugs than a well-tended one. Keeping the plants pruned will also help to prevent too much leaf litter from accumulating in your garden. Leaf litter is an ideal breeding ground for pests and bugs, so cleaning it is essential for sanitary conditions in the garden.
Keeping your garden weed-free is only part of the equation. You will need to pull any weeds out of the soil and dispose of them properly. This way, you can kill not only the weeds but also any bugs that are growing or feeding on them. You may have to repeat this process before your garden is clear of pests.
In addition, keeping your garden clean will allow it a great room to breathe, thus keeping it dry and preventing too much humidity. This will keep the moisture levels down in your garden, which can impact your plants adversely. By keeping your garden clean, you also cut down on the bacteria and fungi that can cause disease in your garden.
2. Plant Right
Some plants are more prone to infestation by bugs than others, especially when they are not already growing well in their environment. If you have to plant a crop prone to bugs, keep it separate from other plants. This will help you spot any problems early on and treat them before they spread to other plants in the garden. There are also a lot of plants that repel pests. Use these plants in your garden when they are young and growing vigorously, as you may need to easily trim them away. You can also use mints to repel bugs, and nectar plants that attract wasps, bees, and other pollinators will help deter the insects from coming near the plants.
You should avoid planting plants on the border of your garden. When the plants are small, they will not block out light and heat effectively, so they could still be affected by bugs. Instead, plant these larger plants near the center of your garden to prevent them from being affected by bugs.
3. Use Natural Remedies
Typically, there are tons of non-chemical and chemical approaches to repelling bugs away from your garden. However, it is important to know that natural solutions could be more effective for some pests than chemicals. In addition, some bugs may eat only certain plants or leaves rather than others.
If you can identify the pests bugging your garden, you can choose the most effective natural repellent and use it to keep them away. For example, planting garlic nearby is especially effective against leaf-eating insects like cabbage worms, slugs, and snails. You can also make a brew of garlic to spray on your plants. This solution will kill some pests on contact, and others will avoid it.
Another example is to add lavender to your compost. This plant will repel pests like yellow jackets and hornets. To further repel insects, mix rosemary, catnip grass, and fresh clementine peel into your potting soil before planting your herbs. A strong scent of eucalyptus will also keep bugs away from tomatoes, peppers, and other plants that grow in pots.
4. Consider Pure Sulfur Prills
Another way to keep bugs away from the garden is by using sulfur. Sulfur is highly effective against insects and can be used instead of other commercial products. It will help to prevent fungi, and it will deter a variety of insects, including Japanese beetles, aphids, and stink bugs.
While you can use powdered sulfur as a repellent by simply sprinkling some around your garden, it cannot be easy to know how much to use effectively. Instead, consider using pure sulfur prills that you can put on the soil around your plants. Sulfur pellets can also be effective against various pests, including ants and mites.
Using Epsom salt and water, you can also use sulfur to brew. This will help keep the pests away, but you should only apply this solution sometimes, or the plants may develop an immunity to the solution. Some gardeners use powdered sulfur on the soil around their plants as a natural way to prevent pest problems.
5. Rotate Crops
Rotating crops is one of the easiest and most effective ways to prevent pests and diseases in the garden. While rotation will not deter insects like leafhoppers, it can help to minimize problems with other pests. In addition, you can use crop rotation as a way to restore fertility in your soil.
When you rotate crops, be sure that you leave 20% of the soil fallow each year to allow the nutrients to recoup in the soil. This approach will help keep your plants healthy and tolerate pests and diseases better. Crop rotation will also help prevent the disease from spreading from one plant to another.
Conclusion
There are many ways to prevent pests from attacking your backyard garden. As long as you keep the garden clean and healthy, it will be easier to catch pests and diseases when they first strike. While some plants are more prone to pests than others, preventing them from coming back into your garden is easy. You need to know what kinds of bugs you have to adjust your garden and make it less comfortable for pests. A professional gardener can also be of great help in preventing pest and disease attacks in your garden.