Not too long ago we shared information on how to control garden pests naturally. However, wouldn’t it be better if these bad bugs didn’t show up in the first place? If you are looking for ways to help keep the bugs at bay, you can actually do a great deal just by preparing the ground ahead of time. If you plan out your garden, you can actually create a habitat that nasty bugs won’t be too keen on entering. Plus, you can create strong, healthy plants that will resist disease. Here are 6 things you can do to help prevent garden pests and disease:
1. Use Healthy Soil
Build up soil that is healthy — and organic. A healthy organic garden can be a great deterrent for many common pests. This is because good soil will help plants develop their own defenses, and present less attractive targets for bad bugs. Use natural composting, and consider top-dressing your soil with natural fertilizer.
2. Mulch with Seaweed
It may seem strange to use seaweed mulch, but it is a rather effective way to help your plants build strength. The barium, magnesium, zinc, calcium, iron and sulfur in seaweed provide nutrients to plants so that they can grow strong, resisting disease and avoid the weaknesses that make them attractive to garden pests.
3. Foliage Should be Dry
Wet leaves on your garden plants only provide encouragement to insects, and to diseases (especially fungal infections). You want to minimize how wet the foliage in your garden gets. One way you can limit the moisture on your plants’ leaves is to water early in the morning. That way, the leaves dry early, and remain dry most of the day. Another thing you can do is set up a drip system to deliver water directly to the roots, without wetting your leaves.
4. Keep Your Garden Clear
Insects love places to hide. They breed in areas that are overgrown with plants. You can reduce the negative insects that appear in your garden by reducing the amount of habitat they have. Make sure to weed your garden regularly, keeping it clear of debris and undesirable plants. Another move to make is to pull out weak plants in the garden. You should preserve the strongest plants, and pull out the weak. These weak plants could invite insects and disease into your garden, and eventually spread. Minimize the chances of that happening by keeping your garden free of the weaker plants.
5. Don’t Spread Disease with Your Equipment
Watch for signs of disease in different areas of your garden. If you are working to reduce infestation and disease in one area, make sure you clean your tools before moving to a healthy area. If you don’t, you may actually be helping to introduce insects and disease into other areas of the garden. You can limit the spread of infestation by taking proper measures to keep your tools clean.
6. Inter-plant Your Crops
Instead of putting all of the same plants together in the garden, consider interspersing them. Some insects and diseases attack only specific plants. If you have those plants so that they are not next to each other, you can limit the spread of pests and plant diseases. Garden boxes around your yard, and container gardening, rather than having everything in one big garden plot can also help limit the spread of disease.