Control garden insects with natural methods to safely increase your vegetable yield.
Growing vegetables is a fun and productive hobby for many people. Unfortunately, those tasty vegetables often attract insects that chew leaves and even consume the vegetables themselves. Many chemical insecticides are on the market to control these insects, but some people prefer more natural insect repellents that don't leave a residue on vegetable plants. Does this Spark an idea?
Insects on Vegetable Plants
A variety of insects infest vegetable crops in the garden. These insects include hornworms, cabbage worms, army cutworms, leaf-miners, psyllids, aphids and spider mites, according to the Colorado State University web site. Leaf-miners burrow into plants leaving winding, tan blotches behind. Cutworms cut right through the stems of plants. Psyllids prevent tomatoes from forming. Hornworms chew through and defoliate tomato plants. Spider mites cause speckling and cuts in the foliage of vegetable plants. Aphids suck the juices from plant leaves, weakening them and making them unable to produce fruit.
Companion Planting
One way to control the insects that invade your vegetable garden is to set plants known to repel bugs alongside your vegetable plants. These include plants like garlic, which repels aphids, or geraniums to repel cabbage worms and Japanese beetles. Plant horseradish to prevent Colorado potato bugs. Try planting nasturtiums to prevent attack from aphids, squash bugs and cucumber beetles.
Natural Oils
Neem oil is extracted from the seeds of the neem tree, a native plant of India. It has natural insecticidal properties and is safe for the environment. It is diluted in a water solution and sprayed on plants to repel insects. Another natural oil, d-Limonene is an oil extracted from oranges and other citrus fruits. It acts as a nerve poison on insects and is safe for use around humans and pets. It is registered for use against aphids, mites, fire ants and other insects, according to University of Florida entomologists Eileen A. Buss and Sydney G. Park-Brown.
Horticultural Soaps and Oils
Horticultural oils are made with natural ingredients like vegetable oils that suffocate insects on contact and prevent proper metabolism. Horticultural soaps combine plant oils like palm or coconut oil and inhibit the outer skin of insects. These are often used on psyllids, aphids and spider mites.
Biological Control of Insects
Another way to keep insects away from vegetable plants is to introduce the natural predators of these insects. These include using lady beetles or lacewings to feed on aphids, spider mites and mealybugs. The Trichogramma wasp feeds on the eggs of cutworms and army worms. Bacillus popilliae, also called milky spore, controls the grubs of Japanese beetles, according to Texas A&M University entomologist James Robinson.
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