Can you prevent a pest problem?
This article, published by the Environmental Protection Agency, contains some excellent advice and covers many of the major issues to be considered.
Can you prevent a pest problem?
- Research which plants will survive best in your yard.
- Consider plants' tolerance to cold weather.
- Consider your soil type: sandy, silty or clay?
- Use organic matter to adapt.
- Check the acidity of the soil (pH level).
- Mulch your gardens to eliminate weeds and conserve soil moisture.
- Mow your lawn no shorter than 2.5 inches in height to shade competing weeds and discourage pests.
- Periodically rotate the position of plants in your garden to minimize the spread of disease.
- Inspect the condition of store bought plants.
- Locate plants carefully, consider the plant's tolerance to sun or shade.
- Know your plants' friends and enemies. There are many beneficial insects and organisms that are important to gardeners and farmers because they kill great numbers of pests. A few examples of these are: praying mantids, lacewing larvae, ladybugs and even some insect parasites.
Copyright © 2015 New England Environmental Protection Agency
