Gardening garden pests

Garden pests

Man wearing protective equipment and sprayingpesticides

A garden pest is generally an insect, plant, or animal that engages in activity that the gardener considers undesirable. It may crowd out desirable plants, disturb soil, stunt the growth of young seedlings, steal or damage fruit, or otherwise kill plants, hamper their growth, damage their appearance, or reduce the quality of the edible or ornamental portions of the plant.

Because gardeners may have different goals, organisms considered "garden pests" vary from gardener to gardener. For example, Tropaeolumspeciosum, while beautiful, can be considered a pest if it seeds and starts to grow where it is not wanted. As the root is well below ground, pulling it up does not remove it: it simply grows again and becomes what may be considered a pest. As another example, in lawns, moss can become dominant and be impossible to eradicate. In some lawns, lichens, especially very damp lawn lichens such as Peltigera lactucfolia and P. membranacea, can become difficult to control and be considered pests. Despite this, aphids, spider mites, slugs, snails, [[ant]s, birds, and even cats are commonly considered to be garden pests.^[23]

There are many ways to remove unwanted pests from a garden. The techniques vary depending on the pest, the gardener's goals, and the gardener's philosophy. For example, snails may be dealt with through the use of a chemical pesticide, an organic pesticide, hand-picking, barriers, or simply growing snail-resistant plants.

Garden pest control

Although pest control is often done through the use of pesticides, there are also more natural ways to prevent getting the garden infested with different parasites. Yet, pest control and the products used may vary based on the specific type of plants and type of insects. Although pesticides advertise the control of garden pests, gardeners must recognize that garden "friends" like bees, ladybugs, and birds can also be affected by pesticides.

Preventing pests can be done by pulling out weaker plants which may already be infected. Also, a healthy and organic soil helps in reducing the chances of pest in the garden. Some specialists recommend using seaweed mulch or spray on the plants and minimize the insect habitat by cleaning the garden area of debris and weeds.^[24] Interplanting and rotating crops as well as keeping foliage dry are methods to prevent pests in their garden. Some plants have pest repelling properties or draw beneficial insects to the garden. Their use is calledcompanion planting.^[25] Disinfecting the tools is also important when working with infested plants and should be performed every time the gardener moves to another area of the garden. These pest will destroy your garden if not handled properly.