A garden is host to many obnoxious pests. Among them are the slugs, aphids, white flies, scales and black spots.
However, plants with good circulation are less likely to become pest victims. Here are some tips on how to eliminate these obnoxious pests.
The Common Garden Pests
Black Spots:
- Dissolve 1 tablespoon of baking soda in 1 gallon of water, plus a few drops of dish detergent.
- Apply to leaves weekly. Application must be done when the sun is not hot.
- Should rain come, repeat the application.
Aphids, White Flies and Scales
- Mix 1 tablespoon of dish detergent with 1 cup cooking oil.
- Take 2 tablespoons of this dish detergent-cooking oil mixture and add to 1 cup of water. Shake well. (Keep extra mixture for future us.)
- Spray on plants. Repeat if necessary.
Slugs
- Sprinkle dried crushed eggshells or builder’s sand around plants. Slugs hate gritty substance on their bellies.
- Make slug traps. Here’s how:
Trap 1. Bury cans to ground level in garden and fill with beer or honey-calamansi mixture dissolve in water. Slugs attracted to the scent fall in and drown.
Trap 2. Take used orange shells (peelings) and place them cut side down on the garden ground. Slugs will crawl under them during the day. Pick slugs up and discard.
Container Gardening
When spaces for vegetable garden is unavailable, container gardening is a solution. One of the beauties of pot or container gardening is its being portable. Some suggestions:
- Use a lighter soil mix, one heavy on compost or peat, so pot or container won’t be heavy to move.
- Water more frequently than you would a regular garden, especially during hot days.
- Fertilize frequently to replenish nutrients washed out due to frequent watering.
- Don’t overplant or overcrowd plants. They grow!
- Use support, if necessary: small trellises made from bamboo sticks, but not too tall as to topple pot or container.
- Turn pot or container around toward the sun for uniform growth.
- Watch out pests. The same pests that attack gardens may attack your pot or container plants.