The idea behind "natural" pest control methods is to produce an acceptable "crop" (whether it be vegetables, fruit, flowers, lawn or whatever) while having the least impact on the natural ecosystem. Very few things we do (or don't do) will actually be a single, isolated incident. Things in nature are involved in "webs" that all interconnect and every action or inaction affects one or more other creatures of processes, which in turn affect still others, etc... If you want to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem, you will need to do a bit of study involving the ecology of your garden, yard or orchard. This will make you much more aware of the "ripple effect" that all actions have and why we have to be very careful not to start a chain reaction in which we will end up in worse shape than we started. The following are some ways by which we may try to learn to work with nature rather than against it and in the process, maybe we will all come out ahead.
GAINING KNOWLEDGE
A. Expectations - Idealism v/s Realism. The balance between what we think we want (or need), and what is probably going to happen.
B. Education - In order to truly work with nature, you will need to understand how the whole system works, how to identify the "players" and how they each fit into the scheme of things. Your specific crop, your geographical location, the weather, the soil, insects, other animals, diseases, your neighbors and their crops, etc... are all important parts of your ecosystem.
TAKING ACTION
C. Discourage - This involves making your crop as uninviting or inaccessible as possible to the pest population. Cultural control measures can go a long way toward keeping most pests from becoming a major problem.
D. Encourage - Make it easy for Mother Nature to help you with your gardening. Make your yard an inviting home for beneficial natural "Pest Control Operators". Make it a dangerous place for pests to be.
E. Control - If none of the above work, or not well enough for your needs, then you may have to resort to overt control measures. This may involve the use of one or more of the following: baits, traps, homemade remedies, natural insecticides, physical controls and microbial or biological control measures.
A. Expectations - What is realistic?
1. Don't expect perfection. It is simply not possible to achieve. How many hundreds of veggies do you think the advertising folks had to look at before they found the ones they photograph for the catalog or magazine illustrations? And you can be sure that they turned the less-than-perfect side away from the camera too! A little healthy competition with your neighbor, a friend across town, your relative back East or in preparation for the County Fair is fine and dandy. But don't beat your head against the wall or develop an ulcer trying to achieve "The Perfect Garden" (or landscape or orchard, etc.). Gardening is supposed to help give you a sense of achievement as you work with nature to produce your own food and enhance your personal surroundings. Relax! Even the Garden Of Eden had a few bugs in it!
2. Define just how much damage (and what kind) that you can tolerate on your crop. Would you rather be content to cut away a bit of nibbled-upon leaf or eat your picture-perfect salad greens knowing they probably contain the residues of chemical pesticides? If you are used to the types of produce found in regular grocery stores, you will be in for a few surprises when you see and taste your own crops. First, the taste of fresh is nothing like "store-bought". Commercial crops, more often than not, are grown not because they taste good, but because they are hardy enough to retain a good appearance as they travel to market. Secondly, commercial produce will usually look different. You will find that many of the deep colors you are used to, seeing on many fruits and vegetables come from dyes, not from Mother Nature. And the shine on cucumbers and other veggies comes from wax. Your own crops may also show a bit of cosmetic insect damage and may bruise more easily or not keep as well for as long. But you can cut away a bit of damage and just use a scrubber on the rest. At least you will not have to cut away half the fruit or vegetable in order to be sure you have gotten rid of all the pesticides, fungicides, growth inhibitors, dyes, etc. that may have been present on the peel.
3. How much time/energy/money do you honestly have available to invest in your crop? Are you a "plant it, ignore it, and harvest it" person? If so, then perhaps you should consider planting certain crops that do not need a lot of attention or outside pollination and just cover them with agricultural fleece and a good mulch at planting. Add an automatic watering system that you can fertilize with also and you can pretty much be an "absentee gardener" until harvest time. On the other hand, many of us enjoy the frequent personal interaction with nature that a "hands on" gardening approach brings. After a hard day in "civilization", the peace and tranquility that can be found in the garden can be wonderful therapy. In addition, by puttering around a bit on a daily or every-other-day basis, you can usually notice and correct most problems before they get out of hand. You can even use the gardening as a tool to help improve relationships within your family. Inviting your spouse or children to join you can provide often hard-to-find opportunities for positive personal interaction and communication. Or, if you prefer, you can declare the garden "off limits" and use it for needed personal alone time! What are your needs?
B. Education - Know your crop, your pests and yourself.
1. Learn the requirements of your crop. What nutrition, water and climatic elements need to be present in order for it to do best? What is already available and what must you provide?
2. Learn to correctly identify problems. Is it a nutrition deficiency, water stress, an insect, an animal pest or a disease? Which one? More than one? Take notes: When did the problem appear (month, date, time of day, etc.). Was it an isolated incidence or is your whole crop at risk? Did it start slowly and build up or did the whole thing just kind of explode seemingly overnight? When, did you last treat or feed, what did you use and how much? What has the weather been like? Become familiar with local pests and the types of damage they cause. Find out what problems your particular crop is subject to and when they are likely to appear. Get a hold of (buy or borrow from a friend or the local library) one of the many good reference books on pest and disease identification: One with lots of pictures can go a long way toward helping you recognize when you have a potential problem and what is causing it.
3. What remedies are available for you to use? When and how are they applied? What things have folks around here been using for years that still seem to work for them? What are the latest findings and suggestions by your Cooperative Extension Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, your local university, recent gardening publications or a reputable gardening supply company or nursery? Hopefully, the rest of this publication will give you some useful ideas along these lines.
To be continued...