Pest Management Practices—Keeping the
Bad Guys Under Control
Preventing pests from creating problems in your gardens should always be your first goal.
However, it's unlikely that you'll be able to avoid all pest problems. Some weed seeds and disease organisms can lay dormant in the soil for years, until they're disturbed by tilling or other garden actions.
Weeds can develop when they're brought close to the surface of the soil, where warmer and moister conditions can start germination.
Diseases need two elements to become established, a susceptible species and the right environmental conditions.
Some disease organisms have been present in the soil for years. Others are carried in infected plant material that falls to the ground.
Insects are the vectors for other plant diseases.
Good sanitation will help limit some problems. Planting resistant varieties of plants reduces the incidence of many others. Rotating annual crops in a garden also keeps some diseases in check, especially those that affect different species of related plants (such as the Solanaceae—tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant).
To reduce the incidence of pests, look at ways to alter the gardening environment so that your plants have the advantage over diseases, weeds and insects. Healthy, vigorous lawn and garden plants have a higher resistance to pests.
Plants with adequate, but not excessive, nutrients are better able to resist attacks from both diseases and insects. Excessive rates of nitrogen often result in extremely succulent vegetative growth, which makes plants more susceptible to insect and disease problems, while also decreasing their winter hardiness.
Proper watering techniques (use drip irrigation whenever feasible) and spacing of plants limits the spread of some diseases. Some disease organisms require standing water in which to spread, while others only need humid conditions. Proper spacing provides good aeration around plants.
Barriers may be effective to exclude some pests.
- Mulching is effective against weeds.
- Fences can limit damage from rabbits and other herbivores.
- Row covers can keep moths and butterflies from laying their eggs on your young vegetable plants, which reduces the number of plant-eating caterpillars. Row covers will also help with other types of insects as well.
- Place netting over small fruit trees and berry bushes to limit damage from birds.
Parts of this article are courtesy of the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service.
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