Organic Pest Control

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This article is an follow up of my earlier article on organic gardening. I have already discussed what it means to be organic and the benefits of going organic. Most of us start with being organic in mind and start growing vegetables organically. But once they see some aphids or other insects in their garden all the initial hard work with organic manure or compost goes in vain and to prevent pest from eating away the vegetables they take the help of many chemical pesticides. I would request you before opting for that option, please give a try with organic pest controlling. And this blog will definitely help you to do so.

Your Garden is always full with life. A home where the door is always open for various insects and other critters as it is a source of food. I can always feel your frustration while you spot a bug on your favorite vegetables for which you have spent so many hours in the sun. But don’t worry, many insects which are in your garden is not necessarily bad for your Garden, rather some of them might help you in controlling or reducing the impact of other potentially threatening insects.

The first thing you need to understand while practicing Organic Gardening is that everything in nature are in balanced condition. So many garden plant have their own way of self defense and they are a lot tougher than what we might think. They can even tolerate little bit of damage and still produce good quality fruits and flowers.

A healthy plant is the first thing you should focus to grow. Good soil(or soil-less mix) produces good quality plant. Their carbohydrate, protein and fat ratios are in proper balance. If the soil is not proper it can result in plants which are undernourished. This type of plants usually produce more Carbohydrate(sugar) than other two components. More sugar always attracts more insects as they thrive on sugar.

Once you take all the necessary steps to produce good and healthy quality crops now its time to shift your focus towards protecting those. But spraying pesticides on plants is not an option if you also want to protect the environment you live in. In a dilemma like this organic pest controlling techniques comes as a savior to us. By following these techniques we can battle most of the destructive insects and protect our food.

As it says preventions is always better than cure. Build up barrier such as collars, and netting to prevent pests from attacking the plants. You can also handpick some of the bugs and remove it in case they are shown on the plant.

It is always a great option to try companion planting. Some plants have beneficial impact on other plants in terms of pest removal and so planting them close by can definitely reduce or eliminate the pest attacks. Find the details of companion planting here.

There are several insects like lady-beetle, ground beetle and wasps in your garden who fed on many aphids and worms. Don’t make use of mass killer and destroys those beneficial insects also.

Don’t water your plants in the evening it can increase the pest infestation in the plant. For detail guide on watering your plants click here.

You can use neem oil to remove pests. It is a very well known organic mode of pest control. Apart from neem oil, insecticidal soap, different horticultural oil are also helpful. Garlic, tobacco and several other plants have strong smell which deter pests.

Using sticky and light traps are helpful to catch bigger insects and moths. Some birds also fed on those insects.

These are some of the steps which are most popular tricks in controlling pests organically. There are so many other steps which have been n practice for different countries from ages. Please let us know if you are currently using or aware of any such technique.

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First Pest!!!

Oh...oh... Look what I found this morning...

One of my tilapia feed bags got ripped open! Its even the unopened larger sized pellet bag which I wont be using until the tilapias had grown bigger!
And the culprit...? a SQUIRREL! /(>_< ) =3

Hes hiding behind the fish tank!

Enlarge the picture...

Got trolled by a squirrel...!

So I thought, should I catch him and feed him to the tilapias like how most aquaponics pests end up? That might introduce unwanted diseases into my system though. For the time being, Ill need to find a large container to store those bags safely.

Ill have to deal with that squirrel someday. Its only a matter of time before he starts munching on my crops. I wont resort to killing him as he may have a family...

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Pest Control in A Biological Way

Today we will talk about biological pest controlling. You must have heard that in many places in the world, people are using poultry birds such as Chickens, Ducks, or Guineas to control pests in their garden. Today we will discuss about these methods and their pros and cons.

Raising chickens or ducks etc is it self a fun activity. The experience of waking up in the morning with a rooster crowing can be very pleasing. They provide a fresh supply to your food requirements. But there are more to eggs and meats; you can use these birds to control your garden pests. Yes that’s right. Poultry birds in particular are natural insect feeders. They eat grasshoppers, millipedes, ticks and literally any type of insect which generally flourish in the garden.

Apart from these garden pests, they also provide natural defense to your house from scorpions, mice, termites etc. Chickens also provide dropping which can be a very good fertilizer for the plants.

Muscovy Ducks are famous for eating mosquitoes. You might have heard that in USA several centuries ago ducks have been introduced for controlling mosquitoes. They eat the larvae of the mosquitoes when they are in water and can even catch the adult if they fly nearby. Even the small duckling can do a pretty good job in controlling mosquitoes.

Some people have also used chicken for tilling the gardens. Chicken usually till the soil in search of insects. It is also helpful in controlling weeds (More on weed control can be found here). But it is best to apply this technique before the plantation otherwise in search of food they can even uproot or gobble your dear plants.

While talking about pest controlling birds, the most famous of them is Guinea fowl. They look like small chicken sized vultures. The birds are voracious eaters. They eat ticks, flies, beetles, bugs and even snakes. They will also protect the territory like no other. Some times like a barking dog, they make so much noise in case they saw any intrusion. Just remember, in case you are buying Guineas buy the younger ones. The adult fowl are hard to domesticate and have the tendency to escape. You can also keep guineas and chickens together; they don’t harm the each other.

Another option is raring Turkeys. Apart from their delicious meat, you can use them in pest controlling. They will also prevent your garden from grasshoppers, cabbage-worms and many other insects. But keep a leash on them when your garden has seedlings. Letting them roam freely in the garden in these times can be disastrous for your Garden.

Chickens, Ducks, Guineas or turkey are no doubt can be a very good addition to your backyard. If used with caution these can give a strong boost to your pest controlling measures and in turn help you in doing gardening organically.

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