Welcome to Gardening Guide
Organic Gardening Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
You may also listen to this article by using the following controls.
Organic Gardening Pest Control
from:Author J Sharkey
The idea of organic gardening pest control is not a new theory, and in fact is as old as agriculture. The problem is that since World War II organic pest control has been replaced in civilized countries with man-made pesticides that are detrimental to both the environment and to the people who consume the plants on which the products are sprayed. Today people are returning to organic gardening pest control and choosing to reject, or at least restrict, the use of man-made pesticides. There are varying beliefs on the use of these products, with some people opposing their use only on food crops, whereas others simply try to reduce their use as much as possible.
Many different reasons make logical sense for utilize organic gardening pest control methods. One of the most important is that because insect pests are left alone genetically because of the absence of pesticides, they are not in a position to become resistant �super bugs.� Organic methods tend to be less polluting and blend into the ecosystem around it instead of disrupting it. In addition, because many of the pesticides that are available are derivatives of petrochemicals, their costs are higher, thus making alternatives more attractive. Whatever the reasons may be for avoiding their use, the organic gardener has to be prepared to work in order to make up for the loss of those chemical products that he chooses to abstain from using.
Organic gardeners have several effective, non-chemical methods that they can utilize to control garden pests. One of the easiest ways to avoid pest problems is by varietal selection, which entails choosing seed varieties that have been bred to be resistant to pests and diseases. The cultural control method of organic gardening pest control involves changing your gardening methods in order to reduce the hospitality that your garden offers to pests. This may mean removing or burning diseased plant material and destroying weeds and plan debris that provide hiding places for insects. Using stakes to keep fruits off the ground as well as pruning to remove diseased limbs, removing sickly plants, proper building of the soil, and making sure the plants are in raised areas in rainy seasons also help control diseases and pests. Crop rotation can also help in the prevention of disease and in pest control.
Using non-pesticide methods for pest control may not be as quick as the use of pesticides, but it is safer and over time, these methods will not simply repel the insects for the current season but prevent their reappearance in other corps. Organic gardening pest control may be a longer process, but it is well worth the effort.
.
Organic Gardening News
Applewood Acres Gardening & Landscaping Launches Organic Gardening with Kids Program (PR.com)
Applewood Acres will visit with your children to provide a one hour educational seminar on the benefits and importance of organic gardening and practicing responsible gardening without the use of chemicals and pesticides. The seminar is a hands on, fun approach, encouraging children to have an enjoyable time doing such things as creating a vegetable or herb garden, planting small trees or a ...
Read more...Organic Gardening… Cattails (The Middlesboro Daily)
When you consider the very long list of non-cultivated plants that we call weeds, there are actually quite a few that are edible. At the top of most wild food forager’s lists would be the nettle, the dandelion and at the very top of the cattail.
Read more...Duke, organic farming group for partnership (The Somerset Reporter)
Do you see organic farming as being practical in Central Jersey? Do you try to be as "organic" as possible in the garden? Post a comment below and let us know. The Duke Farms Foundation has announced a partnership with...
Read more...Finer skills of gardening (The Borneo Post)
DR Francis Ng is a renowned horticulturist who has written an internationally acclaimed book titled Tropical Horticulture and Gardening, rated by the reviewer in the Flora Malesiana Bulletin as ‘the best and most complete treatment on tropical gardening in Southeast Asia ever written’.
Read more...“October Gardening Calendar” Calvin Finch, PhD September 30, 2008 (Wilson County News)
Now is the time to apply your lawn fertilizer for the autumn. Fertilizer applied now contributes to winter hardiness, and fast green-up in the spring.
Read more...