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Pesticide and fertilizer tips
From TipThePlanet
- Rely on natural enemies in your garden to eat pests, thereby eliminating the need for insecticides that may end up in our waterways. See here for a list of beneficial insects for specific pests. See also Farmscaping to Enhance Biological Control.
- Use copper as a slug repellant. Copper gives a shock to slugs, which repels them. In addition to placing copper strips in the ground, you can also wrap copper around pots or tree trunks.
- Cultivate plants that discourage pests. Minimize grassed areas which require high maintenance. Try companion planting, which combines plants that attract pests (like roses) with plants that pests avoid (like chives). Or, hand-pick pests off your plants – it's time consuming, but definitely a good way to get rid of aphids and Japanese beetles. You can also apply garlic juice or blended hot peppers to your plants to deter pests.
- If you elect to use a professional lawn care service, select a company that employs trained technicians and follows practices designed to minimize the use of fertilizers and pesticides.
- Test your soil before applying fertilizers. Over- fertilization is a common problem, and the excess can leach into ground water or contaminate rivers or lakes. Also, avoid using fertilizers near surface waters. Use slow- release fertilizers on areas where the potential for water contamination is high, such as sandy soils, steep slopes, compacted soils, and verges of water bodies. Select the proper season to apply fertilizers: Incorrect timing may encourage weeds or stress grasses. Do not apply pesticides or fertilizers before or during rain due to the strong likelihood of runoff.
- For weed control, use corn gluten meal, a pre-emergent herbicide for broad-leaf weeds that is not hazardous to children or pets. The timing of the application is important; ask your garden supply center or contact your local cooperative extension for advice. Corn gluten meal can also be used as a light nitrogen fertilizer.
- Do not over-water your lawn or garden. Over-watering may increase leaching of fertilizers to ground water.
- Calibrate your applicator before applying pesticides or fertilizers. As equipment ages, annual adjustments may be needed.
- Compost your yard trimmings. Compost is a valuable soil conditioner which gradually releases nutrients to your lawn and garden. (Using compost will also decrease the amount of fertilizer you need to apply.) In addition, compost retains moisture in the soil and thus helps you conserve water.
- EcoSMART makes pesticides derived from natural plant oils — they call these "botanical pesticides". Their products are being used by the conventional and rapidly growing organic product markets. Many of their products are USDA organic compliant. The company has just introduced a new line of botanical pesticides named EcoPCO "X".
- Use neem oil as a pesticide.
- Get rid of burrowing rodents with a Sonic Mole Chaser. Buried in your yard, the Sonic Mole Chaser® blasts a penetrating pulse that humans and pets won’t hear, but which forces moles to pack up and leave. The solar model protects approx. 7,500 square feet and runs on two rechargeable AA batteries, included.
- See also pest management.
- Instead of using pesticides, attract wildlife to your garden to feed on pest species. For example, Californian poppies and marigolds will attract ladybirds and hoverflies which will feed on aphids. A small pile of logs will provide shelter for hedgehogs or frogs which will feed on slugs. Find out more from http://www.hdra.org.uk
