Safe Pest and Disease Control

Take care of your plants
Insect pests and plant pathogens are a challenge for every gardener and the temptation to wipe them out is strong. We encourage you to resist the urge to reach for an arsenal of chemical weapons. In the short term they may provide a quick knock-down to the attackers, but they may also kill beneficial organisms. In the long term, you expose yourself and the landscape to toxic chemicals, and risk disrupting the natural ecosystem that you and your garden inhabit. All things considered, an organic approach is both safer and more effective. Here's how you can work with nature to control pests and diseases, and enjoy a healthier garden and harvest.

Your Garden Is an Ecosystem
Organic methods of pest and disease control mean a healthier garden for you, your plants and the insects, birds and animals around you. Organic pest controls do not try to eradicate all insects - that would upset the natural balance of life in your garden, and perhaps endanger birds and other animals by exposing them to poisons and depriving them of an important food source.

Instead, the organic approach requires that you spend a bit more time in your garden, take extra good care of your plants, and keep an eye out for early signs of insect attack or disease symptoms. As gardeners, we can learn to tolerate some damage to our plants, and we should use such damage as a signal that our plants need more attention.

Not every insect is an enemy. Some are pollinators, some break down organic matter, and some are beneficial predators that feed on the real enemies. You want to be able to Identify your friends and foes, and then encourage the friends and frustrate the foes. Effective and appropriate technologies, such as physical barriers, traps, and specific biological agents, are available to assist in your efforts to protect your garden and at the same time maintain a safe, harmonious natural environment.    Read More.