Garden Pests
Common Garden PestsIdentifying garden pests, the most common pests in your garden is important if you want to keep garden insect pests and other garden pesky pests that eat plants in the garden, in check and under control. After you have Identified the Pests it's time to learn how to stop the pests in your garden from eating your flowers and vegetables. Be creative when planning your rose garden, and don't make a garden with nothing but roses in it. It's like ringing the dinner bell for the pests that love to attack them. The same goes for planting vegetables. Plant some marigolds and alliums in between the veggies, to deter a lot
of the most common garden pests from eating the vegatable garden.
How To Keep Pests From The GardenCertain plants have a deterent effect on many Garden Insect Pests. The companion plants that I use in my own rose garden include alliums, all garlic and onion family plants, catnip, thyme, rosemary, allysums, tansy, coriander, fennel, nasturtiums, petunias, mint and geraniums. These plants also attracts beneficial insects and keep bad pests from your garden. One caution about mint. It is an invasive plant, that iss best planted in a pot, and then put in your flower,
vegetable and herb garden.
How To Stop Pests In Your GardenA windbreak of some kind will keep a number of pests out your garden. Low-flying varieties of pests are detered by a physical barrier close to the plant of their choice. So planting along walls and hedges is always great.
Common Rose Pests And Controls
Aphids PestsGarden rose pests such as Aphids are eaten by lady beetles, lacewings and many other predators. Ahpids are repelled by garlic, dill, fennel, nasturtiums, catnip, coriander and marigolds. A row of hedges or a wall help block them as well.
Cane Borer Pests And Gall WaspsMost garden insect pests whose larvae develop inside rose canes are repelled by alliums. Remove individual swellings by pruning below the brown, infested area. There are also pheromone products available that are very effective against different types of borer pests.
Caterpillars And Sawfliy Larvae PestsThese garden pests are parasitized by certain wasps, including yellow jackets, eaten by certain beetles and many birds. They are also repelled by old-fashioned re-seeding petunias. Sawfly larvae usually roll a leaf around themselves. You can also handpick leafeaters and drop them in a bucket
of soapy water.
House CatsI certainly wouldn't call my adorable garden companion cat Max, a pest. He follows me around when I do my garden chores like a small puppy. However, I get a lot of e-mails from folks who have trouble with their cats in their gardens. Cats do less damage than dogs that's for sure. A sleeping cat doesn't compact the soil as much as a dog. Planting catmint a bit away from a newly planted area, usually keeps my cat from bothering my flower or vegetable beds. Or you can simply put catmint in containers and move them to a place where your cat likes it. A squirt from the garden hose, the minute your cat steps in the bed is also effective. Repeat until the cat gets
the message.
Deer Garden ProblemsA lot of gardeners have problems with Deers eating their roses and other plants. They love roses, that's for sure. My own sister has had problems with Deers eating the roses in her front garden. Then she discovered this 'Deer Away' product, and now they wont even touch her roses. Yes, it's non toxic, but the Deers don't like it.
Garden Pests BeetleJapanese beetles, rose chafers, cucumber beetles are garden pests that are eaten by beneficial nematodes, and repelled by catmint, garlic, and geraniums. Hand-picking keeps the numbers of all beetles down to bearable level. I recommend taking a walk through your
garden in the very early morning, and dropping beetles into a bucket of soapy water. Milky spores (Bacillus
popilliae) is very effective for the Japanese beetles if you are having a real tough problem.
Leafhopper PestsThese pests are eaten by dansel bugs and assassin bugs. They may also be repelled by alliums, and wormweed. These fast moving sucking insect pests usually cause little damage to a healthy rose bush. Moles And Mice PestsTo keep out burrowing rodents, deep-flashing 18 to 24 inches below ground and 4 to 6 inches above ground will really help. I know it's a lot of work, but it is effective. The red spider lily, Lycoris radiata, that blooms in the fall, is a great repellant if the bulbs are planted as a barrier around the garden. Also great for the vegetable garden. Rodents don't eat narcissus bulbs as they are toxic, so make a nice spring and fall edging by mixing them with
Lycoris lilies. It not only looks pretty, but will keep these critter pests out.
Pillbug And Sawbug PestsThese garden pests don't like it dry, so water early in the morning so the sun can evaporate excess moisture. If you have lots of problems, use corse mulch, instead od fine mulch, to avoid making a damp cozy place where
they can hide.
Rose Midges PestsThes garden insect pests are repelled by alliums and strong-scented herbs. Prune off infested foilage and
flowers as soon as possible and destroy.
Garden Snails And Slugs PestsUse traps to collect them, it's really very easy. Put down small boards, and the snails will crawl up underneath and are easy to collect in a bucket of water. Set them out in the garden overnight. You'll be surprised what you'll find the next morning. Inverted hollow grapefruit halves set in the flower beds are also good. These pests also like to crawl into 'beer pits'. Copper is toxic to them, so if you live in a very infested area, use copper strips, available through garden and home centers, as part of your garden edgings.
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